Why Myanmar's travel-shy leader could be difficult to arrest

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court is seeking an arrest warrant for Myanmar's leader and military chief Min Aung Hlaing for crimes against humanity in the alleged persecution of the Rohingya, the world's largest stateless population.

Below are some facts about Min Aung Hlaing, his alleged crimes and reaction.

Atrocities alleged

More than 730,000 Rohingya fled Myanmar to Bangladesh to escape a military offensive in August 2017 while Min Aung Hlaing was military chief under a civilian-led government. UN investigators described the campaign as a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing", citing widespread atrocities including mass killings, sexual violence, and the destruction of villages.

Myanmar's government at the time denied the allegations, saying security forces carried out legitimate operations against militants.

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More than 1 million Rohingya have fled Myanmar's Rakhine State since the crackdown, the ICC says, mostly to Bangladesh, to live in squalor in what is the world's largest refugee camp. Thousands each year embark on dangerous journeys on rickety boats to try to reach Muslim-majority Malaysia and Indonesia.

Their situation in Rakhine State remains precarious, with the Rohingya caught up in a civil war that has raged across Myanmar in the wake of Min Aung Hlaing's 2021 coup, as the military battles the rebel Arakan Army.

A panel of three ICC judges must decide if they agree there are "reasonable grounds" to believe the general, who is now president and prime minister, bears criminal responsibility for the deportation and persecution of Rohingya in Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Limited travel

Myanmar's junta in a statement to Reuters said the country was not a member of the court and does