Military activities carried out by Myanmar's powerful minister of home affairs when the country was under dictatorship could constitute war crimes, a new study charges, saying there is evidence that he and two other generals were responsible for the executions, torture and enslavement of civilians by troops during a large-scale offensive against ethnic rebels.
Human rights researchers at Harvard Law School said in the report released today they spent three years collecting information about the government's 2005-2006 counterinsurgency efforts in Myanmar's Karen state along the country's eastern border.
They said there was enough to justify the issuance of an International Criminal Court arrest warrants for Home Affairs Minister Ko Ko, who was head of the army's Southern Command during that offensive, and his two high-ranking colleagues.
The government responded by saying much of what happens during times of conflict is unavoidable and this is a time to look forward, not back.
"We are going through a democratic transition," said Nay Zin Latt, one of the president's political advisers and an ex-army officer. "Everyone should be encouraging the reform process rather than putting further obstacles along the way."
The Harvard findings come at an especially sensitive time, as a civilian government which is still dominated by the military that took power in 2011 grapples with a transition to full democracy after nearly five decades of military rule.
Though the legacy of oppression and brutality runs deep, the presence of some of the worst junta-era offenders in positions of power could raise questions as U.S. President Barack Obama and other world leaders attend an Asian summit meeting in Myanmar next week.
Ko Ko is now in command of internal security, overseeing the police force. His two colleagues at the time, Brig. Gen. Khin Zaw Oo and Brig Gen Maung Maung Aye, have also been promoted to positions of greater responsibility.
