REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA – Director of Human Right Watch (HRW) for South East Asia, Dr Phil Robertson, predicted that the number of victims in Arakan state of Myanmar between Arakan Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims (as well as non-Rihingya Muslims) was underestimated. While the official number was around 78 victims lost their lives, HRW suspected that the victims could be more than 100 in the sectarian violence. 

“Off course we did not collect the bodies but we recorded at least 99 deaths during the riot,” Robertson said during après conference on Friday. 

During the high tension, Robertson criticized the passive role of Myanmar government and the army. Government has denied citizenship to Rohingya although they have lived in Arakan area for some generations. 

“The government could have stopped the riot, but it did not do much,” he said. 

“We interviewed 57 people from both sides and they said that the government failed to protect the people and failed to anticipate the further escalated tension between both groups.”

Robertson also criticized the Nobel Laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi for being silence. The Nobel Prize winner, Robertson said, might see her party was not powerful enough to bring the issue to the government. “But sometimes politican must take unpopular position and she may have to pay some political cost by bringing the issue. But she has moral obligation to settle the issue. She must urge the government the importance of reconciliation and non discriminative law,” Robertson, who also a former firm supporter of Suu Kyi, said. “Suu Kyi has missed many opportunities to address this issue.” 

Meanwhile Robertson cited some propaganda that neither could help the situation. One group regarded the Rohingya as terrorists who equipped themselves with some gunds, bombs, and weapons. ‘That’s not true!,” he said. The second group exaggerated the situation and said about genocide towards Rohingya. “And we have not seen the supported evidence of this claim.” 

The situation is more complicated with some fake pictures circulated in social media. “Some pictures are the victims of earthquake in China, and the other is from Syria. People are playing around,” he said.

Ikuti Whatsapp Channel Republika