Breakin News Arakan

Islam "Rohingya" ophobia and the fear of the other in Myanmar

2012-06-30T11:09:00.001-07:00

Racial tensions are coming to a head in Myanmar between the Buddhist majority and the Muslim Rohingya minority.

Chiang Mai, Thailand - The mob that set upon and killed a group of Muslims riding a bus through western Myanmar on June 3 displayed a depravity normally the hallmark of the country's military. News reports that emerged in the wake of the incident, allegedly in response to the gang rape and murder of a Buddhist girl by three Muslim men days before, described the ten victims of a frenzied beating being urinated upon before the bus was set ablaze. Comments that circulated the internet in the wake of the massacre were almost as shocking. "Killing Kalars is good!" one person said, using the pejorative slur that has become a popular and casual way of referring to Muslims of South Asian decent (one that state media also regularly employs). It mattered little that the men accused of the rape had already been arrested.

The Rohingya are the "epitome of stateless, and spend their lives in unofficial camps where conditions are notoriously poor... their disaffection has made them ripe for Islamic militant groups and human traffickers" [REUTERS]

The attack was a rare incident; the reactions suggest however that heightened levels of resentment towards the presence of Muslims in Myanmar society exist on a much wider scale. This animosity is shared by senior figures in the government - current representative to the UN, Ye Myint Aung, once described the Rohingya, a Muslim minority in Arakan state who are singled out for particularly savage treatment, as "ugly as ogres", while since 1982 the government has denied them citizenship, claiming they are "illegal Bengali immigrants". Persecution of the group has been so protracted and debased that Medicins San Frontieres describes them as being among the world minority groups "most in danger of extinction".

"Medicins San Frontieres describes [the Rohingya] as being among the world minority groups 'most in danger of extinction'."

The presence of Muslims in Myanmar society exist on a much wider scale. This animosity is shared by senior figures in the government - current representative to the UN, Ye Myint Aung, once described the Rohingya, a Muslim minority in Arakan state who are singled out for particularly savage treatment, as "ugly as ogres", while since 1982 the government has denied them citizenship, claiming they are "illegal Bengali immigrants". Persecution of the group has been so protracted and debased that Medicins San Frontieres describes them as being among the world minority groups "most in danger of extinction". While Myanmar's myriad ethnic groups have all suffered egregious treatment at the hands of the military government, which has sought to bring the country "under one flag", the fear of Muslims is a particular one. On the website of The Voice journal, which issued an apology after being bombarded with threats following its coverage of the massacre, one visitor wrote:"We should either kill all the Kalars in Burma or banish them otherwise Buddhism will cease to exist".

The 'other'

Treatment of Muslims as the 'other' persists despite the country's push to embrace the outside world and everything it offers. There is something of a contradiction then in the population's desire to become global players, which will see it interacting far more with non-Myanmar, non-Buddhist ethnicities. In Arakan state, where tension between Buddhists and Muslims often spills over into violence, hypocrisy is also evident in attempts by Arakanese to goad public opinion against the Rohingya in the name of "nationalism". These are the same Arakanese who, ironically, regularly accuse the government of attempting to aggressively assimilate

"A Rohingya couple must apply
well in advance before attempting
to wed; the frequent denial by authorities,
as well as a strict two-child policy... has led
rights groups to accuse the government
of attempting to slowly wipe out the population."

Arakanese into the Burman way of life. Such is the treatment of Rohingya that up to 300,000 now reside in Bangladesh, which in turn sees them as illegal immigrants from Myanmar and denies them citizenship. They are the epitome of stateless, and spend their lives in unofficial camps where conditions are notoriously poor (only 28,000 are registered by the UN). Their disaffection has made them ripe for Islamic militant groups and human traffickers. Many attempt the perilous sea journey from Bangladesh to Malaysia and beyond to find work - in December last year, a boatload of more than 60 who ran into trouble off the coast of southern

Myanmar were detained by Myanmar police, ironically on immigration charges. Accusations that the government has sought to dilute, or "Burmanise", Myanmar's 135 distinct ethnic groups have existed for decades, and factor in the apparently institutional practice of rape of ethnic women by Myanmar troops, as well as the forced learning of the Myanmar language in ethnic schools. In Northern Arakan state, where the majority of Rohingya reside, and where foreigners are barred from entering, the practice is effectively official: government policy stipulates that Rohingya babies born out of wedlock be placed on blacklists that bar them from attending school and later marrying.

A Rohingya couple must apply well in advance before attempting to wed; the frequent denial by authorities, as well as a strict two-child policy reserved only for Rohingya, has led rights groups to accuse the government of attempting to slowly wipe out the population.

Racism or religious discrimination?

Few seem to know, but one major cause for concern is that this hostility exists across the entire spectrum of Myanmar politics. The post-colonial civilian government of U Nu in the early 1950s expelled the Burma Muslim Congress and made Buddhism the state religion; then came Myanmar's first dictator, Ne Win, who used anti-Muslim propaganda to powerful effect during the mass expulsion of Indians in the 1960s. He branded the tens of thousands brought in for work by the British as colonial stooges, and exploited the subsequent anti-Islam sentiment to ban all Muslims from the army. The same key issue that fuelled the infamous anti-Chinese riots of the late 1960s and 1970s - that Myanmar were aggrieved at jobs going to foreigners - had also driven the anti-Indian and anti-Muslim riots in 1930 and 1938. Ne Win's propaganda may have had a lingering effect, given the marked levels of resentment and suspicion of Muslims that remain, particularly in the west of the country. Nicholas Farrelly, a Southeast Asia specialist at the Australia National University, thinks however that this is consistent with the attitudes that many Buddhists elsewhere in the region have towards Muslims:

"In general, they find their habits foreign, their lack of integration exasperating, and their proselytising unwelcome. When we compare them to other groups, Myanmar's Muslims enjoy none of the educational or international prestige that is widely associated with the country's Christian minorities. While Kachin and Karen Christians have suffered atrocious treatment I think there is at least some mainstream Myanmar Buddhist respect for their cultures and religion. Such respect is rarely accorded to Muslims."

An 'open', but racist, Myanmar?

In an era of cautious opening, the continued inability of Myanma to debate the subject rationally is worrying. The opposition National League for Democracy, viewed by the outside world as the driving force for change in Myanmar, itself tiptoes around the subject - one party official told the BBC earlier this year that "even in our organisation the Rohingya question has not been settled". Ko Ko Gyi, a prominent pro-democracy activist, said last week that the Rohingya "are not a Myanmar ethnic race... It has become a national concern infringing on our sovereignty". Does he also think that Thailand, for example, should hold the same attitude towards the hundreds of thousands of refugees from Burma living on its soil? Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been criticised for failing to properly address the wider "ethnic issue" in

Myanmar's Muslims enjoy none of the educational or international prestige that is widely associated with the country's Christian minorities."

Myanmar, urged the Buddhist majority to "have sympathy for minorities" in the wake of the June 3 killings, but refuses to weigh in heavily on the debate. She justified this tentativeness by saying that her party "must cautiously avoid amplifying the situation" - that may be true, but what could also be at stake is the risk of losing support from Arakan state's Buddhist population. Even among the revered monastic community, often seen as staunch defenders of equality in Myanmar, there has been controversy. The Democratic Voice of Burma reported on a statement released by influential monk and former political prisoner, Ashin Virathu, that said: "I see that Muslims make up a larger percentage of the perpetrators in rape and murder cases". It was "reasonable", he continued, that the "[rape] victim's side see this as an insult to their people and [Buddhist] religion". Now, despite the government announcing an investigation into the killings, race riots have erupted in western Myanmar and President Thein Sein on Sunday announced a state of emergency.At least eight people have been killed, some allegedly by government troops who opened fire on crowds.

Below the surface

The marked difference between now and past periods of heightened racial tension however is that there has been no major influx of Muslims in recent years - perhaps this points to a tension within Myanmar society that has simmered for years, unaddressed and awaiting a trigger. One hopes this grisly period will bring about some thorough and measured questioning of the catalysts behind the massacre and resultant crisis, but the often inflammatory nature of these discussions induces avoidance. Few therefore acknowledge that xenophobia and fear of "the other" exists in Myanmar, meaning it goes unchallenged. A census is due to take place in 2014 - the first in 25 years - but at present around 800,000 Rohingya are unlikely to be included. Such discriminatory policies are a major blight on Myanmar's revamped international image, but are largely obscured by the taboo that surrounds exposure of it - observers are loath to broach the subject, given the ramifications that accompany accusations of racism. But evidence of an ingrained hostility among civilians is there, and it needs to be recognised. The massacre is not the first such sign - a

"A census is due to take place in 2014 - the first time in 25 years - but at present around 800,000 Rohingya are unlikely to be included."

BBC report last year that carried a map depicting Arakan state as the home of the Rohingya sparked an alarming uproar, and online forums again became hubs of bitter discussions, including calls for a nationwide boycott of the BBC and demonstrations outside the British embassy in Yangon. If Myanmar is to truly join the global community, the floor must be opened to debate. There must be acknowledgement that a malaise exists among the very Myanma that for decades have felt the pain of antipathy and isolation. Taking a sensitive but head-on approach to the problem, rather than the pussyfooting demonstrated even by powerful figures in the pro-democracy movement, would be the first step.

The report by :

Francis Wade is a freelance journalist based in northern Thailand. He has been covering Myanmar for more than two years and keeps a firm eye on the pendulum that is Southeast Asian politics and the people and the powers that keep that region lurching from side to side is a freelance journalist and analyst covering Myanmar and Southeast Asia.

Rohingya victims of women, children Refugees

2012-06-28T10:04:00.000-07:00

Rakhines coming into Rohingya villages, torching firing houses, brutally beatings and slaughterings plus sexual abuses, looting goods and cash. In advance, waters, electric, foods are cut-off and restriction impose in Rohingya villages since 3 June. So, it is all about we have escalated how well planned ethnic-cleansing.
Likewise, the government also ordered to leave all NGOs from northern Arakan state and showing its sympathy by contributing of aid to those terror Rakhines’ members. While three is no consideration at all about Rohingya victims of women, children and those injuries in their own villages.
t is not fighting each other but well planned genocide by Rakhines corporately with armed forces. If it is fighting each other then why the authority imposed Curfew, restored Order only for Rohingya? They allowed
From the beginning of violence, the security forces are sided with Rakhine people and explored more brutal violences against Rohingyans. Only very few number of Rohingyans were able to escape and the rest are ending-up between gun-fires of security forces and lethal knives of Rakhine people. That brought the death number of Rohingyans at 6,000 persons covering Maungdaw, Sittwe, Rathedaung townships. Mostly they were shot dead and brutally beaten to death and other several thousands of Rohingyans taken away are missing. The informations from Arakan confirmed those several thousands of Rohingyans from Sittwe and Maungdaw taken away by trucks were taken into hidden areas and slaughtered and burnt into aches. At least, Rohingya houses in 40 villages from Maungdaw township and except from four villages of all Rohingya villages from Sittwe/Akyab city, several villages in Rathedaung twonship and Rohingya villges in Pauktaw township, were burn down. Beside, the fates of thousands of Rohingya women and children who are displaced and escaped by boats are unknown.
Historically, such cleansing pogroms were took place against Rohingya in 1942, 1949, 167/68, 1978 and later of 1991. This time it’s well organized that Rakhine people with direct supports of the government armed forces are openly carrying out. While international media are unable to reach into the areas where violences are carried out by terrorist Rakhines jointly with security forces, the local Burmese news groups are prepared to take video shooting of the dead bodies of Rohingyans by dressing-up with yellow-robes of monk, putting guns on captive Rohingyans and misinforming to the world. Including Yangon Press International, U.S. based VOA news agency, RFA and other anti-Rohingya news agencies release fabricated news from the beginning..
However, the nature of Burmese officials and Burmese news is well known from previsous accounts that the first report of Cyclone Nargis during 2008 was 7 persons dead and a few houses damaged. But reality later found that more than 160,000 people dead over million people displaced for years?
Rohingya people occasionally face intolerable violences are because of Arakanese Rohingya Muslims are strucked from citizenship right under 1982 new citizenship law affected on the changes of Rakhine state from Arakan state in 1974.
International communities including the world leaders need to enhance the Burmese government to urgently halt on going brutal attacks against defenceless unarmed Rohingya, to take action against those committed crimes and to restore the rights of native Rohingya people including their citizenship right.

Defenceless Rohingyans from Arakan

2012-06-28T10:00:00.001-07:00

Your voices will only ensure to safe remaining defenceless Rohingyans from Arakan"
Tyrants continue: Supplying aid requires urgent
From today 15 June, Morning, military forces took over in securing Rohingya villages both in maungdaw and Sittwe. Moving house to house is allowed between 12:00pm to 3:30pm.
Foods, waters, medic were not yet delivered. Communication and electric are still cut-off. While all amenities are available for Buddhism Rakhines. More than 50,000 Rohingya community are needing for basic
Your voices will only ensure to safe remaining defenceless Rohingyans from Arakan"
Tyrants continue: Supplying aid requires urgent
From today 15 June, Morning, military forces took over in securing Rohingya villages both in maungdaw and Sittwe. Moving house to house is allowed between 12:00pm to 3:30pm.
Foods, waters, medic were not yet delivered. Communication and electric are still cut-off. While all amenities are available for Buddhism Rakhines. More than 50,000 Rohingya community are needing for basic necessities – water, foods, medicines and shelters- for those who lost their homes and villages. Now, heavy raining in Maungdaw and Akyab, the Rohingya have no shelters to protect from raining. There will be diseases affect to the Rohingya victim of riot if the heaving raining will continues.
The authority ordered not to perform the Friday praying.
Local Burmese tv (MRTV) continues to air fabricated news against that include the arrest of a group of Rohingyans with knives and bottles beside them. In deed, it is just a modern way of providing wrong image of Rohingya like it dealt with thousands of political activists who were imprisoned with false charges.
There is no escalation at all about the death number of 6,000 Rohingya and displacement of other 50,000 Rohingyans in Sittwe, Maungdaw and Rathedaung.
Violences continue:
According to Kaldan Press news, 10-Rohingya girls raped in Maungdaw on 14 June. The victims are identified as Ms. Hamida (18), daughter of Rahim Ullah, Rahena (19), daughter of Ms. Momina and other six Rohingya girls from Baggona village and Hasina (18), daughter of Abdul Haque, Hamida (16), daughter of Baser and Nur Kaida (17), daughter of Habi Rahaman from Nurullah para were raped by army today.
Afternoon of 14 June in Maungdaw, a Rohingya shot dead, five other injuries by security forces shooting into the mosque of Nurula fara. The two other Rohingyans were taken away. Evening again, A group of Rakhines were also entered to loot from the villagers of Nurula. According to Kaldan Press news,
Non-Rohingyans Arrested with Arms: Formation of Rakhine Independence state
Evening of 14 June, the military arrested four armed Rakhines in Bakagonena field which is between 3 miles and Kawlizabanga village. The armed four confessed that there other Rakhines with arms in Maungdaw.
The night of 13 June, Eight Rakhines were arrested with weapon near Nga-pu-ra village of Maungdaw.
There was another arrest on the same day according to Kaldan Press news, 12 Rakhines with arms were arrested by army at midnight while climbing up to Pruma river bank nearby Khain Paran (Rakhine) village from a small boat on 13 June.
Early morning of 14 June in Sittwe, full load of deadly weapons recovered from Buddhist temples by the military personnel, following the arrest of two Rakhine who attempted to burn down the Rohingya houses and shot the innocents in early morning of 14/06/2012. The same day evening, another group of 30 other Rakhines, Marmagyi and Hidu people with arms were also arrested by military while they are trying to touch Rohingya villages. They confessed that they are organized by a group of Rakhines to do this.
This is a certain consequence in Rohingya history again very soon after Rakhine rebel group (ALP) entered into Arakan state. Either, we don’t know the secrecy of what type of promise established between Rakhine rebel-ALP and the government. Other about, the agreement with India’s oil exploration and future projects in Arakan region.
Reprot from other regions:
Rathedaung township (4th largest Rohingya population),
Early morning of 14 June: Mv Sayed kasim from Zaufrang village of Rathedaung township who refuge in Australia, confirmed that at least 700 people were killed in his hometown today on 14 June.
Evening of 13 June: Over 1000 Rakhine were gathered yesterday evening and torched many Rohingya villages jointly with police and Hlun Tin. Numbers of Dead were unknown.
From the beginning, a few villages in Rathedaung were set fire, while the rests are in serious fears.
Pauktaw: Rohingya village, has been surrounded by Rakhine people from 9 June.
21:00pm of 11 June: Burning of Rohingya houses in Pauktaw Town.
Mrauk-U: Rohingya villages are under-way to be attacked, while dozens of Rohingyas arrested by the Rakhine were taken into missing.

Buthidaung: Rohingya villages are under highly alert, while the authorities are seizing all kinds of metal knives and etc.
22:00pm of 11 June: Police forces shot a Rohingya (Noor Alam) who live in Maraung Village of Buthidaung Town.
22:15pm of 11 June: about 500 Rakhine brought from Taunggote were arrived in Buthidaung. Evening of 14 June: Rakhines alert to begin in Buthidaung from tonight.
Morning of 14 June: A Rohingya Ko Soe Myint, senior staff of UNHCR senior staff of UNHCR was arrested and beaten by authority. Many other Rohingya who worked for UN organizations in Maungdaw and Buthidaung are also gone to missing.
Kyauktaw: Curfew imposed on the Rohingya villagers, asking to stop going out of villages and even from the houses. Dozen of Rohingya youths were taken by authority and not yet return.
11 June: selling foods, oil and supplying any kind of aid are banned for Rohingyans while Curfew is imposed only in their villages.
14 June: Security forces suggest the Rohingya villagers to leave with empty hands from their homes in good times.
Rambre: Mr hashim who refuge in Australia confirms that all Rohingyans plus other muslims houses in a village were set fire at 12:30pm of 10 June, where Rohingya population is less than 10% there.
( Causalities are yet to be escalated from these regions due to no communication available. The villgers are escaped into jungle. There is no about Kyauknimaw village at all.)

Ongoing Situation in Arakan

2012-06-28T09:45:00.000-07:00

According to reliable sources attained by NDPHR(exile), we would like to double confirm that recent and ongoing violence in Arakan is a well planned pogrom of ethnic cleansing by directly involvement of current Rakhine political party-RNDP’s president Dr Aye Maung, Tak Thu Aung of Kuan Yat Rakhine National Society, chairman U Shwe Tun Aung of the Merchant Association of Arakan, Rakhine Rakhita Association, (monk) Sayadaw U Pinya Zya Ra who entered from Bangladesh and created similar riot in Sittwe during early 2001 and along side with former Gen.Khine Nyunt, U Khin Shwe, U Khin Yin.
Despite the government says that the situation has been under controlled, there are more harassment, sexual abuses, arbitrary arrest, looting, extortion, brutal abuses are going on, particularly in northern Arakan. There were a large number of Rakhine authority personally involved in recent violences. But we able to identify a few are; Police officer Aung Kyaw Khant and Paramilitary officer Than Htin from Maungdaw township; Chairman U Tan Win of Aungmingala village, RNDP member Balagyi and a former weight player Ko Thein Shwe from Sittwe township; and Chief inspector U Tin Oo from Rathedaung township. Update (26-27 June): Ongoing Situation in Arakan ……….. In Akyab/Sittwe city …………. 26-27 June Authority led by Township Municipal asked Rohingya shop owners to remove the remaining tolls from the shops and informed that all muslim shops will be seized from today. Authority demolished all the remnant parts of houses, half destroyed houses and remaining a few houses belong to Rohingyans in Zayhaung Mawleik (Rohingya Fara), Paiktay Yat (Zaila Fara) and Mizan, and Palot Taung villages. ……………..Buthidaung township………………. 26 June, Tuesday Kaladan Press- 27 June: During night, 4 Rohingya men were arrested by army personnel of Military Operation Command (MOC) No.15 of Buthidaung Township over the allegation of involvement in political matter. The arrestees are: two sons of Master Abu Tayub, Imam Hussain, and Abin Chay. They all belong to Ward No.7 of Buthidaung Town. This is the first time arresting occurred in Buthidaung Township. ……. In Rathedaung township (4th largest Rohingya population, 124 Rakhine villages and 22 Rohingya villages.) 26 June, Tuesday About 42 Rohingya kids Anauk Pran village who were locked up in the school were released after tortured but the authority informed that they all would be expelled from school for disqualifying immigration status. The villagers said that authority started searching on their bodies and took golds, cash and some women faced brutal abuses for refusing to surrender.