Rohingya: Which Burma, Mr. President?

Ibrahim Shah

RB Article

June 2, 2013

Burma/Myanmar gained the Independence in 1948 after the successful negotiation with the Great Britain by Aung Sann-Atlee and Nu-Atlee agreements. In these two agreements, citizenship is guaranteed for every single person living in Burma as of 1948, as well as honoring them with equality and human dignity. Those principle values of the Independence were functioning well until Gen. Ne Win gave birth to dictatorship in Burma by staging a coup in 1962. 

Since then Burma faced tremendous deterioration in Human Values, Freedoms, Rights and Equality. Dictator Ne Win has crashed down all the prodemocracy movements and handed down the notorious traditions to his successors; military generals. When it came to infamous Gen. Than Shwe’s era, the country’ situation has already been severely hit by continuous sanctions from the western governments and Institutions that compelled Than Shwe to work on a strategy of safe exit. The 2008 Constitution was written in a way that the Military remains as a key role player in Burma politics and all the dictators’ interests are being safeguarded by the 2010 newly formed quasi-civilian government of Ex- Gen. Thein Sein. 

The late Gen. Ne Win is seen as the Father and the Founder of the new (Tatmadaw) Burmese Army. He is the great mentor to Gen. Than Shwe, infamous Spy Chief Gen. Khin Nyunt and current president Ex-Gen. Thein Sein. His ruthless policies are still widely practiced by the Military without questioning their validity and morality. Dictator Ne Win’s first patriotic movement right after the coup were; confiscating Indian and Chinese own businesses, introducing the Burmanization policy which recommends “Burma is for the Burmans only” and glorifying Burmans as Buddhists with ethnically pure Mongoloid blood. In Arakan, he imposed a policy of “Divide and Rule” to destroy the years long tradition of peaceful coexistence between the Rakhines (Moghs) and Rohingyas.

In 1974, he changed the name of the Western Burma and the Mayu Frontier Region from Arakan to Rakhine as a measure to undermine the existence of Rohingya being as an ethnic identity. His major armed operation; the Dragon King Operation (1977-1978) was solely targeted to Rohingya population and more than 300,000 Rohingya have been driven out from homes accusing them as illegal immigrants. Many thousands lives of Rohingya were perished and eventually had to take shelters in refugee camps in neighboring Bangladesh. Again in 1982, he has enacted the unjust “Citizenship Act” as a clear sign of Rohingya Elimination from Burma.

During his successor SLORC era of 1991-1992, Ne Win’s right-hand man, the notorious spy Chief Gen. Khin Nyunt has launched an indiscriminate raid against Rohingyas in every village and quarter of Arakan. Many educated Rohingyas and religious leaders were arrested, tortured and about quarter of a million Rohingya fled to Bangladesh to escape from the atrocities. Many of the arrested were never been released and their whereabouts remains unclear until now.

As the President Thein Sein’s quasi-civilian government bragging the world with democratic reforms, the Burmese government realized to redraw the strategy of Rohingya ethnic cleansing policy to avoid from worldwide open condemnation. In pursuit of government’s new approach to Rohingya Elimination, the RNDP (Rakhine Nationalities Development Party) chaired by a Rakhine ultra-nationalist veterinarian Aye Maung caught the government’s attention. 

Since the beginning of 2012, RNDP has been mobilizing Rakhine youths by openly preaching hate speeches, circulating pamphlets with religious/ethnic incitements and distributing machetes. In June 2012, RNDP backed by the government elements successfully triggered the riots by brutally killing 10 Muslim pilgrims in southern Rakhine town of Thandwe. So far no perpetrator has been brought to justice, which clearly indicates the government involvement. The violence has further spread to all over Rakhine State. Being as collaborator, the government forces did not provide safe and security to minority Rohingyas and as a result many Rohingyas lost their lives, entire village burnt down and properties destroyed. 

Another government involvement came to the spotlight when the Burmese president Thein Sein, said the UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres that "We will take responsibility for our ethnic people but it is impossible to accept the illegally entered Rohingyas, who are not our ethnicity, or else, will send them away if any third country would accept them and this is what we are thinking is the solution to the issue."

The President’s remark has served as a strong endorsement to the already worsening anti-Muslim, anti-Rohingya sentiment all over Burma. Many ultra nationalists Monks took to the street chanting supports to the President’s legal words of hatred. As Burma is known as a predominantly Buddhist nation, any movement from Monks is seen as a legitimate one. Burmese government being known to this very fact indulged the Monks openly preaching hatred against all Muslims and particularly targeting to Rohingyas. Wirathu, a Buddhist monk notoriously known as “Burmese Binladin” preached anti-Muslim speeches and distributed them on CD with the help of “969” The Buddhist Nationalist Movement. Though the speeches are obvious instigation for the religious violence and violate the constitution, government kept ignoring and security forces just kept watching without doing anything when the violence took place.

In Rakhines, situation of Rohingyas remains uncertain with the increasing restriction on freedom of movement, access to health care and education. Recently the Rakhine State government was instructed to impose 2 Child only policy for Rohingya population. Despite the fact that Burmese president has promised the world to speed up the resettlement of IDPs to tone down the worldwide condemnation, IDPs are continually suffering from the blockage of local and international assistance. IDPs’ children are not able to pursue education and there is no regular food supply and they are still languishing in the makeshifts concentration camps around Rakhine States. Medias, INGO and donor countries agencies are constantly facing restriction, harassment from local Rakhine people and Rakhine State government. 

As Burmese President Thein Sein and his puppet Rakhine Commission’s report insisting the non existence of Rohingyas on Burmese soil, immigration authority and the security forces are carrying out the population census on Rohingyas as Bengalese. Whoever refused to accept the identity as Bengalese is subjected imprisonment.

One can inarguably say that the Burmese government’s persecution on Rohingya is a genocide. The Nazis have perfected one during the Second World War by killing more than six million Jews worldwide. Many were gassed in concentration camps. In Burma, they have their own way of Genocide which is called “Final Solution” for Rohingya extermination. (I.e. burning down houses, massacre, gang rape on immature girls and women, indiscriminate killing including children, extortion with false accusation, torture, abduction of Rohingya girls to serve as sex slaves in army camps) 

Thousands of Rohingyas could no longer bear those hardships and persecutions, and then fled Burma as potentially risky boat people. Many have lost their lives when the boats wrecked the sea and some ended up in detention centers in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. 

Commenting on the violence which took place in Rakhine in 2012, Tomás Ojea Quintana, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar, has stated that “it is of fundamental importance to clearly establish what has happened in Rakhine state and to ensure accountability”. He has also added that the human rights situation in Rakhine state is very serious and many have suffered from the loss of their homes and livelihoods as a result of the violence and now the government kept them in concentration camps.

Instead of bringing the perpetrators of the Rakhine violence to justice, President Thein Sein formed the Rakhine Commission with 27 handpicked members to investigate the root causes of the conflict. Out of 27 members, 23 members are Buddhists and the remaining 4 Muslims members were later ousted from the commission with various accusations. When the Commission finally came up with the findings, it is with full of distortion, one sidedness and mainly protecting the interest of the State rather than protecting the rights of the minority Rohingyas. Although Rohingyas have many historical evidences of being ethnicity of Burma dating back from 8th century AD to U Nu’s Multi-party democracy government, the Rakhine Commission has ignorantly denied the existence of Rohingya.

Some of the distorted antagonistic on-record statements of the Rakhine Commission members; 

• Dr Myo Myint: “They (the "Bengalis" from across Bangladesh) are here already. We can't simply kick them out. What to do?”
• Dr Myo Myint: “You don't need to report to the President about the situation on a regular basis. The security and welfare of those people ("Bengali") are not our commission's responsibility”
• MP Aye Maung: “We have to restore Rakhine villages (to the pre-Bengali period). We need to take inspiration from Israel and model our restoration (of Rakhine State only for the Rakhine) from Israel” and so on. (Source:http://www.maungzarni.com/2013/05/top-10-anti-muslim-and-anti-rohingya.html)

After releasing the Rakhine Commission Report, the Burmese government became more ignorant and bold defending its involvement in instigation of the conflict. With the presence of many INGOs, satellite images and advanced technologies, what is happening to Rohingyas in Rakhine and Muslims in Burma drew many international criticism and condemnation.

No matter how hard President Thein Sein tries to deceive the word with fake reforms, the widespread hatred on minority Muslims and Rohingyas becomes more clearly visible. Finally, it is the President’s choice whether to portray Burma as a peace loving country or a country that dances with the tune of hatred.