President Zuma needs to admit or deny that Burmese ambassador is a war criminal

A new report by the Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG) sheds light on atrocities committed by the recently appointed Burmese Ambassador to South Africa. Surely President Zuma cannot remain silent on the multiple human rights abuses in Burma's Karen state linked to former Brigadier General Myint Naung.

The KHRG report details the activities of a Tatmadaw Military Operation commanded by Myint Naung between June 2007 and February 2008, including:

• "multiple attacks on displaced villagers",
• the burning of  civilian hiding sites, 
• the destruction of schools, and 
• the looting of food, clothes and blankets from civilians hiding from military patrols.

The full report includes video and photo footage of the aftermath of some of these attacks Naung's credentials were accepted by President Zuma in July this year, granting him access as a diplomatic representative to South Africa and giving him diplomatic immunity from criminal and civil jurisdiction in our country.

It appears that no due diligence was undertaken to ascertain whether Myint Naung perpetrated these crimes. But now that the evidence of human rights abuses is mounting, President Zuma needs to make a choice. He must either defend the decision to appoint Myint Naung or he must revoke Naung's diplomatic accreditation.

Earlier this month, we submitted parliamentary questions to determine why Naung was granted access to South Africa, and whether his reported links to human rights violations were investigated at any point. We have not yet received a response from either President Zuma or the Minister of International Relations and Co-operation, Maite Nkoana-Mashabane.

Recent reports of continued human rights violations in Burma again calls into question South Africa's decision to vote against a resolution condemning human rights abuses in Burma during its first term as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

President Zuma must either deny the evidence against Myint Naung or condemn his actions and revoke his diplomatic credentials. The findings in the KHRG report suggest that this is not an issue about which our leadership can remain mute. 

Statement issued by Kenneth Mubu MP, DA Shadow Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, November 30 2011

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