Myanmar victims sue junta forces for war crimes in Philippines court

Five Myanmar nationals on Wednesday appealed to the Philippines’ Department of Justice to open a war crimes investigation into 10 members of the Burmese junta for a range of alleged atrocities, including the killing of civilians, mutilation of bodies and torching hundreds of homes and churches.

The appeal comes two years after a mass arson attack by junta forces on the town of Thantlang in northwestern Myanmar saw some 2,000 homes destroyed, at least 250 people killed and 60,000 driven into India, according to the plaintiffs and rights groups.

Lawyers of the case are relying on the principle of “universal jurisdiction,” a concept in international law which recognizes that some crimes are so serious that they transcend borders and national courts can prosecute perpetrators.