And that is a story older than the Feb 1 coup. Another catastrophe is about to happen, says a report presented to the United Nations General Assembly on Friday.
According to Tom Andrews, the UN Special Rapporteur for human rights in Myanmar, the junta is deploying tens of thousands of troops and heavy weapons to northern Myanmar.
Television clips, too, seem to confirm the troop movements. His concern is clear — we may be on the verge of yet another major catastrophe. "These tactics are ominously reminiscent of those employed by the military before its genocidal attacks on the Rohingya in Rakhine State in 2016 and 2017," warns Andrews.
Southeast Asia may be having another Pol Pot in its neighbourhood. Again. Things that have been done to stop the atrocities in Myanmar aren't working.
Genocidal General Min Aung Hlaing is still on his murderous march. The world needs to get serious. Andrews has some ideas. And they are workable, if the world is really serious about ending the atrocities in Myanmar.
Start with denying legitimacy to the military regime. Here Asean has a major role. After some dithering, it has denied Min Aung Hlaing a seat in the coming Asean summit in Brunei.
This is too little too late. If it wants to save itself and Myanmar, Asean must pluck the courage to expel Myanmar until its behaviour is consistent with just governance.
No nation should see itself fit to sit in the same room where a war criminal sits.
China, Russia and India, too, have to mend their ways when it comes to supporting the wayward general. They must remember the sin of association.
Reputation matters whether a nation is a major or minor power. Whenever the UN tries to issue a resolution or statement critical of Myanmar, the three, especially China, dilute it to a whimper. This only encourages Min Aung Hlaing's impunity.
China, Russia and India will only increase the bad press by associating themselves with a rogue regime. What is worse, the people of Myanmar will blame them for failing them in their hour of need.
Next, countries that are supplying weapons to Myanmar must stop doing so. A UN Security Council arms embargo on Myanmar will help. According to a 2019 UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission published by the , a military magazine, 14 companies from China, Russia, India, Israel, Ukraine, North Korea and the Philippines have supplied from fighter jets to missiles to Myanmar since 2016.
To supply arms knowing that the army is using the weapons in its brutal crackdown of the Rohingya then and the Barmars now is itself a crime under international law. Complicity in war crimes is as bad as war crimes.
Nations that claim to be committed to law and order can't behave like this. Finally, the military must be denied all access to money. Sanctions are not doing the job, says Andrews.
According to the 2019 UN report, the military has hung on to power for 50 years by operating 120 opaque businesses involved in everything from manufacturing to banking. All are owned by senior military officers, including Min Aung Hlaing and his deputy, Soe Win. Money may not be the root of all evil, but in Myanmar, it certainly is.