Testimony of U Ba Sein at Harvard Conference on the Slow-Burning Genocide of Rohingyas

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thank you very much for giving me a chance to speak here as an eyewitness of King Dragon Operation which was done by Burmese regime in 1978. 

I am U Ba Sein. I was born in Buthidaung Township of Arakan State in 1952. I used to be government staff till 1991 and since then I am in exile and currently residing in United Kingdom as a refugee. 

I witnessed the King Dragon Operation in Buthidaung Township from the beginning to the end. The aim and objective of the operation was to drive the Rohingya people out from Arakan State. 

After the independence of Burma, Rohingya people were same as other ethnic groups in Burma and they enjoyed the rights of full citizenship. National Registration Cards (NRC) were issued for the first time in 1952. All Rohingyas in Arakan State were holders of NRC cards. But in 1974, additional remark was sealed on all NRC cards, stating that “Holding this certificate shall not be considered as a conclusive proof of as to citizenship”. In the same year, the government launched an operation called “Sabe Operation”and it was to seize the NRC cards from Rohingya people. Many thousands of NRC cards of Rohingyas were confiscated without any legal notice. This was well-planned policy of de-nationalizing the Rohingyas of Arakan. 

Although Rohingyas have freedom in travelling from one to another town within the state and the country, they were scrutinized at various check-points. Many thousands of NRC cards were seized at check-points since 1974 and they made Rohingyas to be without documents in 1978 by the name of King Dragon Operation. 

As I travelled many towns in Arakan State, I witnessed many unusual things at various check-points. The law hasn’t been favoring Rohingyas since the dictator Ne Win’s regime has got in power. We were not treated as human being by the regime. At check-points, only Rohingyas were questioned. Most of the time, we were tortured. We were beaten. We were labeled by derogatory term “Kalar”.

In the beginning of 1977, the Burmese regime initiated Kyat 140 million (US$ 20 million) budgeted project. The project named Naga Min Sit Sin Yay, King Dragon Operation in English. They officially announced it as to update its demographic information in Arakan and register all residents, classify categorically as either Burmese citizens or foreigners. But the operation wasn’t as they announced. The operation was done in torturing Rohingyas and driving Rohingyas out from the country. 

The operation started in Akyab, capital of Arakan in February 1978. On 8th of February in 1978, some about 250 immigration officers appeared in Akyab who were dispatched from Rangoon. And also a large number of heavily armed forces from Burma Army, Navy, police, and civil department and Rakhine members from Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP) were together with them. 

As a first attempt, they entered into the largest Rohingya village called “Sakki-Fara” in Akyab. I was informed by my relatives in Akyab that 1734 Rohingyas were herded like animals onto the army trucks and were taken to Akyab central jail on that evening. In Akyab alone, more than 5000 Rohingyas including elderly men, children and women were arrested without any reason within a few days. 

Within three days the news of King Dragon Operation spread into entire Arakan. Burmese army committed widespread killings and raped the Rohingya women. They carried out the destruction of mosques and various types of religious persecution. The people who got arrested were inhumanely tortured. Even elderly men, women and children were spared. 

On 11th of February, the Burma Navy brought many army and immigration officers to launch King Dragon operation in Buthidaung and Maungdaw Townships where the majority of Rohingyas live. The operation team appeared in every ward and village. Rohingyas were arbitrarily arrested and sent to the prison. Many of them got long term imprisonment. Reportedly many were killed in the prison. 

I saw with my own eyes. They arrested the people and fastened by the ropes and pull them like animals. My neighbour, a school teacher U Mir Ahmed and wife have National Registration Cards but their children were arrested. Most of the innocent arrestees were kept in the field beside Buthidaung police station. All men, women and children were together in the field without any food and sanitary. 

A court was established in Buthidaung police station and they examined the arrestees. Neither lawyers nor witnesses were allowed to participate in hearing. All the arrestees got long term imprisonments. Then they were sent to the prisons in Maungdaw and Akyab Townships. 

As large numbers of prisoners were kept in small rooms and were not provided enough foods and no sanitary, many families died in the prison. And many were died with various diseases and reported many were tortured to death. 

As the people in the town, wards and villages are witnessing the tortures, arrests and inhumane behaviours of the operation team; the people left their lands, properties, houses, their cattle and escape from the expected death. The operation team raped many women in Buthidaung, they torched the mosques, houses. I saw with my eyes, a Rohingya man with several bullets injuries was on the way to Buthidaung hospital. Nobody could save him. He died before reaching the hospital. 

Although the government said that the intention of the operation is to collect the population data, the operation was just to torture and arrest the Rohingyas. Their inhumane behaviours were to frighten the Rohingyas. So the people will flee from the country. They planned the operation systematically and used many strategies and tactics to drive Rohingya out from the country. 

I saw with my own eyes that how they abused the people while so-called collecting the population data. They enter the houses, ask the name, age, and then start slapping without any reason. Fasten with the ropes and pull like animal. We were not valued as animals inside the country and yet my people are suffering same under same regime in different dressing. 

Many Rohingyas were helpless while their mothers, sisters and wives were raped in front of them. 

As the people in the town became very vulnerable, they had no choice except leave the country. The people from Buthidaung left through Nga Gyi Taught valley to Kyi Gan Pyin in Maungdaw Township. Then they fled to Bangladesh by crossing Naf river. I followed with them through the valley to observe the situation. The operation forced to leave about 200,000 from the country. 

As operation team was doing same in Maungdaw, Rathedaung and Akyab as Buthidaung, the people from there also fled. As the operation lasted about three months, the people were encamped in makeshifts and live across Bangladesh and Burma border. 

Although Rohingyas were driven out and were accused as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, they were returned to Burma as Rohingya. 

After the King Dragon Operation, the regime launched Hintha Operation to bring back the Rohingyas from the Bangladesh. According to government figure, about 170000 Rohingyas returned in late 1979. They were returned through the special offices in Burma border. They were issued a certificate after verification of their status, documents. Although the government labeled them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and as Bengalis, the certificates were issued as Rohingya. The ethnic name “Rohingya” was clearly written in the certificates those were issued by Ministry of Interior. The original copies of the certificates are available in my presentation. 

Even the certificates were issued by referring their previous NRC numbers; none of them were issued back the NRC cards. Since then even the parents have NRC cards, the children were denied to have it. They stopped issuing the NRC cards since 1978 and the last time they issued the NRC cards was in 1982. That was only to government staffs only. 

In 1982, new citizenship law was enacted and the Rohingyas became stateless according to their customized law. 

Again in 1991 and 1992, the military regime led by General Saw Maung and Than Shwe launched another operation as same as King Dragon Operation. In that operation, about 250000 Rohingyas were forced to flee and they were not brought back to Burma. They are still in Bangladesh as unrecognized refugees and only about 30000 is officially recognized by UNHCR. The remaining is living in makeshifts.

Starting from 1989 the military regime launched a program in nationwide to replace the NRC cards with National Scrutiny Cards. All Rohingyas in Arakan were asked to submit the applications and the applications were officially submitted. But in 1992, all Rohingyas in Arakan State were forced to hold Temporary Registration Card which is specially issuing for non-citizens, instead of issuing them National Scrutiny Cards. Even the NRC cards from the government staffs were confiscated and they were forced to hold Temporary Registration Cards. 

We are made to be stateless. We were citizens but today we are labeled as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and as Bengalis. We were allowed to work at any sector. But we were banned since the King Dragon Operation was launched. 

Our plight isn’t just starting from 2012. We experienced many massacres before 2012. We have been suffering from various types of persecution since last four decades. 

As we believe ourselves as sons of Arakan and our identity was given by our forefathers, it is our responsibility to keep this identity, “Rohingya”. We will not be able to survive from persecution those we are facing since last four decades if the world ignores us. Please be with us. 

Thank you very much.