A/HRC/32/18 I. Introduction 1. The present report is submitted to the Human Rights Council pursuant to its resolution 29/21, in which it requested the United High Commissioner for Human Rights to report on the human rights violations and abuses against Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar, particularly the recent incidents of trafficking and forced displacement of Rohingya Muslims. The report is based on information received by the Office of the High Commissioner (OHCHR) from various sources, including the Government of Myanmar, United Nations entities, the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission and civil society entities. The reports that successive Special Rapporteurs on the situation of human rights in Myanmar have submitted since 1992 were also considered, as were the written and oral comments received from the Government of Myanmar. II. Context 2. Myanmar is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in Asia. The Citizenship Law of 1982 recognizes eight major “national ethnic groups”: Bamar (approximately two thirds of the population), Chin, Kachin, Kayah, Kayin, Mon, Rakhine and Shan. According to lists published in various government documents, the eight groups have been broken down further into 135 recognized “national ethnic groups”. An estimated 90 per cent of the population are Buddhists, 4 per cent Muslims, 4 per cent Christians and under 2 per cent Hindus. Most Christians belong to ethnic minorities, including the Chin, the Kachin and the Kayin. Among the Muslim population, the Kaman are a community belonging to one of the 135 recognized ethnic groups, as are Bamar Muslims. Other Muslim groups include “Chinese Muslims” and “Indian Muslims”. 3. Rohingya Muslims represent the largest percentage of Muslims in Myanmar, with the majority living in Rakhine State. They self-identify as a distinct ethnic group with their own language and culture, and claim a long-standing connection to Rakhine State. Successive Governments have rejected these claims, and the Rohingya were not included in the list of recognized ethnic groups. Most Rohingya are stateless. 4. In 2014, in the first census conducted by the Government of Myanmar in 30 years, a directive prohibited Rohingya from identifying as such, which led to their de facto exclusion from official figures.1 Although the data on ethnicity and religion have yet to be released, the publication of census data disaggregated by religion is one priority included in the 100-day plan of the Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population. The lack of data combined with lack of access to parts of the country pose significant challenges to the analysis of the situation of minorities in Myanmar. 5. Ethnic and religious minorities in Myanmar have a complex and contested history. Even though the agreement adopted at the Panglong Conference in 1947 envisaged the creation of a federal union based on voluntary association and political equality, Burma (then the official name of Myanmar), upon its independence in 1948, became a quasifederal union largely dominated by the Bamar ethnic group. Subsequent claims by ethnic minorities for self-determination, greater autonomy and the equitable sharing of power and resources have driven non-international armed conflicts, varying in scope and intensity. After the military seized power in 1962, ethnic minorities were increasingly excluded from 1 2 See The 2014 Myanmar Population and Housing Census: The Union Report, Census Report Volume 2, May 2015, p. 8.