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Future Unclear for Myanmar Army Deserters in Netherlands

VOA News

   Details are emerging about how two privates in the Myanmar army who
   confessed on video to committing atrocity crimes ended up in the
   Netherlands.

   According to Mark Farmaner of Burma Campaign UK, Private Myo Win Tun
   and Private Zaw Naing Tun deserted and ended up with the Arakan Army,
   one of many ethnic armies operating in the country.

   There, they were interviewed and confessed. Farmaner said those taped
   confessions had to initially be considered questionable, given the
   possibility they were made under duress.

   The two arrived in Bangladesh in mid-August seeking protection. They
   were again questioned about the alleged crimes.

   According to Farmaner, their stories came to the attention of the
   International Criminal Court, headquartered in The Hague. The two were
   then handed over to the Dutch government and taken to the Netherlands.

   Farmaner said the two were under the "care" of the Dutch government and
   were not in ICC custody.

   Whether the soldiers will be charged or serve as witnesses is unclear.
   Court officials have not commented publicly on the two soldiers.

   The men say they participated in mass murder and the destruction of
   entire villages under the orders of senior officers.

   The statements from the two soldiers add weight to accounts that have
   been given by numerous victims and investigators since August 2017.
   That's when the country's military launched a brutal crackdown in
   response to attacks on Myanmar security outposts by Rohingya militants.

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