Professor Penny Green talks to Byline Times about the impact of Myanmar’s denial of COVID-19 on its own citizens and the rest of the world
As the world grapples with the unprecedented crisis of COVID-19, one country has decided to dismiss its existence. The Myanmar Government has gone on record to state that the country has no cases of the Coronavirus to date. Now reports have surfaced of ‘suspicious respiratory-related deaths’ in Myanmar, but its authorities have insisted that these were not related to the Coronavirus. Penny Green, Professor of Law and Globalisation and Head of the Department of Law at Queen Mary University of London, said: “Denial is one of the hallmarks of criminal states. For decades Myanmar has denied its genocide against the Rohingya. Aung San Suu Kyi’s Government now lying to the whole nation about the reality of COVID-19, displays a characteristic disregard for the health and wellbeing of ordinary people. On the other hand, you can be sure that the elite have protected themselves from the virus.”
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