Rohingya Genocide Warrants and the Legitimacy Battle in Myanmar
Picture: Aung San Suu Kyi at the International Court of Justice, December 2019 | Photo: ICJ
In an article by New Mandala, Tin Shine Aung asserts that the National Unity Government’s handling of Aung San Suu Kyi’s reputation has become a critical fault line within its coalition, wedging former National League for Democracy members, ethnic organizations, and liberal-democratic groups within the political wing of the anti-junta resistance.
The inclusion of Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior members of her NLD-led government in the Argentine warrants has divided opinion. Many anti-junta Burmese initially welcomed the arrest warrants issued against Min Aung Hlaing and top military officials, seeing them as a step toward accountability for atrocities committed against Myanmar civilians since the 2021 military coup. For many Burmese, this was viewed as killing two birds with one stone: removing coup leader Min Aung Hlaing from power and delivering justice for the Rohingya. If the ICC arrests him, it could significantly weaken the military regime’s grip on power.
However, the inclusion of Aung San Suu Kyi and former president Htin Kyaw—the nominal head of state during Aung San Suu Kyi’s tenure as State Counsellor—has sparked significant controversy. This reaction is rooted in the “We Stand with Mother Suu” campaign, which supported the former NLD government’s defence against genocide allegations against the Rohingya brought against Myanmar at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), as well as the deep personal attachment many Burmese feel toward Aung San Suu Kyi.
Despite international criticism—especially over her denial of the genocide at the ICJ—Aung San Suu Kyi remains widely famous within Myanmar and among the Myanmar diaspora. For ethnic Bamar Buddhists, in particular, she continues to be seen as a symbol of democracy, human rights, and freedom. In an interview with Radio Free Asia, Bo Bo Oo, a National League for Democracy (NLD) MP elected in 2020, dismissed the latest charges against Aung San Suu Kyi as “meaningless”. Similar to the NLD’s stand on the Rohingya genocide before the coup, he argued that the “international community does not fully understand Myanmar’s political landscape.”
