A/HRC/39/CRP.2 country! [Nay Myo Wai, Chairman of the Peace and Diversity Party, on 27 May 2015 in Bo Sein Menn football ground in Bahan township, Yangon]2934 • They are very dirty. The Bengali/Rohingya women have a very low standard of living and poor hygiene. They are not attractive. So neither the local Buddhist men nor the soldiers are interested in them. [Aung Win, Arakan National Party’s MP and Chairman of Rakhine Investigation Committee, on 7 November 2016 in interview with BBC (responding to allegations of large-scale rape and sexual violence against Rohingya women)]2935 • In reality, Rohingya are neither “Myanmar People” nor Myanmar's ethnic group. You will see in the photos that their complexion is “dark brown”. The complexion of Myanmar people is fair and soft, good looking as well. (My complexion is a typical genuine one of a Myanmar gentleman and you will accept that how handsome your colleague Mr. Ye is.) It is quite different from what you have seen and read in the papers. (They are as ugly as ogres.) [Ye Myint Aung, Myanmar Consul-General for Hong Kong and Macau (subsequently promoted to become Myanmar’s Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva), 9 February 2009 in a letter to all heads of Mission, Consular Corps, Hong Kong and Macau SAR] 2936 • In fact, extremists, terrorists, ultra-opportunists and aggressive criminals can be likened as fleas that we greatly loathe for their stench and for sucking our blood. Those human fleas are destroying our world by killing people and harming others’ sovereignty. Likewise, our country is also facing the danger of the human fleas. A flea cannot make a whirl of dust, but they are trying to combine with each other to amass their force. And they are trying to disintegrate our unity and strength in many ways, by waging armed attacks, spreading rumours and performing subversive activities. We should not underestimate this enemy. At such a time when the country is moving toward a federal democratic nation, with destructive elements in all surroundings, we need to constantly be wary of the dangers of detestable human fleas. [Op-Ed column published in the Global New Light of Myanmar, a government newspaper, 26 November 2016]2937 • Today, the Union Government and the citizens collectively need to have a decisive stand on the issue of Bengali Muslims. We cannot afford to waste time. As long as we have our sovereignty, we do not need to care about any pressure… If we do not courageously solve these problems, which we have inherited from several previous generations…we will go down in history as cowards. For our citizens, for the maintenance of Buddhism, for the protection of our culture, it is now time to sacrifice. […] Although Hitler and Eichmann were the greatest enemies of the Jews, they were probably heroes to the Germans. America had to drop nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Why? If inhumane acts are sometimes permitted to maintain a race, a country and the sovereignty... our endeavours to maintain the Rakhine race and the sovereignty and longevity of the Union of Myanmar cannot be labelled as inhumane. [Editorial in the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party (RNDP) magazine “Toe Thet Yay” (Towards Development), November 2012]2938 • As a matter of fact, affairs in northern Rakhine are not concerned with racial and religious conflicts. It is the sole affair which offends the sovereignty of Myanmar and trespasses Myanmar territory. Simultaneously, Rakhine nationals are not the aggressive ones towards foreigners who profess other religions. They have been living 2934 2935 2936 2937 2938 Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Special Rapporteur on minority issues, and Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, Urgent Appeal UA MMR 7/2015, 7 July 2015 (https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=20947). J. Fisher, “Muslim civilians ‘killed by Burmese army’” (BBC News, 7 November 2016). A copy of the letter is on file with the Mission; V-046. Khin Maung Oo, “A Flea Cannot Make a Whirl of Dust, But” (The Global New Light of Myanmar, 26 November 2016). A copy of the magazine is on file with the Mission. 333