Myanmar blackout may be cover for human rights violations

Myanmar blackout may be cover for human rights violations

A UN investigator says Myanmar military forces are conducting a 'clearance operation', a possible cover for committing human rights abuses.

Myanmar army soldiers patrolling a village in Maungdaw located in Rakhine State. (AFP pic)
GENEVA:
A blackout of mobile phone data in nine townships in Myanmar’s Rakhine and Chin states may be covering up human rights abuses, UN special rapporteur Yanghee Lee said on Monday.

“I fear for all civilians there,” she said in the statement.

“I am told that the Tatmadaw (Myanmar military forces) is now conducting a ‘clearance operation’, which we all know by now can be a cover for committing gross human rights violations against the civilian population.”

Stay current - Follow FMT on WhatsApp, Google news and Telegram

Subscribe to our newsletter and get news delivered to your mailbox.