BURMA
Burmese Vice President Visits Arakan State
Protesters hold banners outside the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Rangoon on Aug 3, 2012. (Photo: The Irrawaddy)
Burmese Vice-President Sai Mauk Kham traveled to the predominantly Muslim township of Maungdaw in northern Arakan State on Friday amid growing international criticism of the government’s handling of recent communal conflicts between Arakanese Buddhists and Muslim Rohingyas.
The purpose of the trip is to assess the situation in the area two months after the worst violence in decades broke out there in early June, according to Win Myaing, a spokesperson for the Arakan State government.
During the two-day trip, the vice-president and government ministers will observe conditions at camps set up for the tens of thousands of people from both communities who were displaced by the riots. In addition to Maungdaw, they are expected to visited Kyaukphyu and the state capital Sittwe.
The visit comes as international rights groups and foreign governments, especially in Muslim countries, have accused the government of siding with Buddhists in the clashes. Earlier this week, US-based Human Rights Watch released a report alleging that government troops targeted Rohingyas during the crackdown on the violence.
In a statement released on July 27, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay also claimed that Muslim communities in Arakan State were being targeted by security forces.
However, the state government denied these charges, insisting that there was no discrimination against the Rohingya, a Muslim minority of about 800,000 people living mostly in townships near the Bangladeshi border.
“If they [foreign critics] come here, they will see that we have treated everyone equally,” said Win Myaing, adding that the state government plans to propose “security measures” to address the accusations during the vice-president’s visit.
While groups such as Amnesty International have said that hundreds of Rohingyas have been killed, raped, beaten and arbitrarily arrested since Burma declared a state of emergency in Arakan State in June, official figures put the number of casualties on both sides at 77 dead and 109 injured.
In addition, 4,822 houses, 17 mosques, 15 monasteries and three schools were destroyed, according to figures released by the government. In a report on Monday, the state-run New Light of Myanmar said that some 14,328 Arakanese Buddhists and 30,740 Rohingya Muslims have been affected and are currently living in 89 temporary camps.
Meanwhile, some Arakanese have complained that the international community has been one-sided in its expressions of concern. They noted, for instance, that during his visit to Maungdaw and Buthidaung townships on Tuesday, UN human rights envoy Tomas Ojea Quintana spoke only to Rohingyas who had been displaced by the conflict.
“It isn’t fair to focus only on the suffering of one side,” said Ven Manisara, a Buddhist abbot who heads a local aid group in Maungdaw. “Our people have also suffered a lot.”
This perceived imbalance—and deep-seated resentment of the Rohingya, who are seen by many in Arakan State as interlopers from neighboring Bangladesh—has been a boon to the government of President Thein Sein, who last month rejected international calls to accept the Rohingya as citizens.
At a protest in front of the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Rangoon on Friday, demonstrators held banners supporting Thein Sein’s refusal to recognize the Rohingya as one of the country’s ethnic groups.
Meanwhile, Sai Mauk Kham’s visit to Arakan State comes as Bangladesh, which has refused to allow a fresh influx of Rohingyas into the country in the wake of the recent violence, has ordered international charities to stop providing aid to those who make it across the border.
Three aid groups—France’s Medecins sans Frontieres and Action Contre la Faim and Britain’s Muslim Aid UK—have been told to suspend their services in Cox’s Bazar District bordering Burma.
Dennis Aung Aung in Rangoon contributed to this story.
14 Responses to Burmese Vice President Visits Arakan State
Burmese should make a demonstration against China , should not against UN.The responses of Burmese to the conditions in Arkan Stste show how the Burmese are foolish.
Burmese people will pay a very high price for the action of these people. Don’t they understand that people are still fighting for democracy and still there are many political prisoners locked up in jails, some media have been shut down and civil war is still ongoing, never mind many other abuses committed by the army. The government can go back to previous military rule at any time they wish and Arakanese will be treated the same way as Rohingya. When that happens don’t expect international community to come and help them again. Rohingya is now an international issue and it needs to be handled with care and in a way that is acceptable to international community, like it or not. Don’t make Burma an international outcast because Burma needs international support to achieve democracy.
Hello Ko Nyi Nyi;
Very impressive comment and you are absolutely right!
These shall not help Burma any more.It is already late.Burma should leave Arakan in the good hands of Bangladesh.Nothing to worry about the Rakhains.Sizable number of Rakhains are living in Cox`sbazar & Patuakhali of Bangladesh happily for several centuries.Some of them are holding dignified positions in service & nongovt sectors.Balkanisation of Burma is matter of time now.
What a good feeling to get the wind of change blowing throughout the Western part of Burma. Whether International communities, and especially Muslim communities, like it or not, this growth of Burmese national consciousness is all about justice and fairness without basing on religion or color, but Burmese moral value.
All these visits to ground zero of communal riot sites by foreign critics should earn Burma the creditability, trust, and understanding. What Burma has been trying to do its best all these time amid bombardment of bias accusation of International NGOs against Rakhine and Burmese army is the justice and fairness to be served to all Burmese citizens, regardless of the background of trouble makers.
Bengali are simply illegal immigrants, thousands of them committed a huge crime against Burmese citizens, and they will be dealt with current Burmese immigration law to bring them to justice. Citizenship is not a free ride, but has to be earned through hard work. It can’t be earned by robbing, killing, and threatening Burmese citizens.
Again, this should be a clear cut signal to international communities that communal riots do not base on the religion, but it is simply a crime case to which what majority of Burmese believe is illegal Bengali crossing the border and staging sabotage against the Rakhine ethnic, Burmese citizens.
It is time for international NGOs to stop being bias and standing on the side of criminal Bangali, and share a little bit of the suffering of Rakhine people. As long as International NGOs are one sided, Burmese people will have deep grief and anger for not getting fairness treatment on the issue and it could get back fired.
All my heart goes out to my fellow countrymen Rakhine. We stand by you, and you are not alone in this fight.
In solidarity with all the Rakhines people and the rest of Burma, all I want to say is that: Be strong, hope for the best, but prepared for the worst, and unsurprised by anything in between.
A Burmese Freedom Fighter
We muslims in Myanmar support president Thein Sein stands on issue of Rohingya.
Lets see what he gets. He seems like the man with no guts.
Racists buddiest tries to expel Rohingya Muslims ethnic from Myanmar Arakan state. Never you will be succeed with your evil act against Rohingyas minority Muslims. Rohingyas are Rohingyas. Myanmar (Burma) government must be recognized to the Rohingya Muslims ethnic as a bona-fide citizen of the country as others.
Tact and diplomacy is required here. But more than that genuine sympathy and common sense. Utterly ineffectual and totally facile act of Paper Mache Sai Mauk Kham being there is not a good move.
Thein Sein/ Min Aung Hlaing would have thought that usual heavy handed bully tactics and scorched earth policies (most inhumane acts on defenceless people as a hallmark of intellectual bankruptcy) traditionally meted out to all Burmese citizens of all ethnicities and religions in the past would suffice in this particular situation.
The drooling “international communities” being silent on the issue would have encouraged them. The mindless nationalistic / racist/ chauvinistic/ utterly brain washed Burmese public rallying around their past and current oppressor per excellence would have encouraged them. Bangladesh and even the Pakistan being silent on the issue would have encouraged them.
But that was all without consideration of the Taliban. Of Jamar Islamia. Of the rise of Salafism around the world, starting with the American -backed Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, destruction of Sufi relics in Mali. Of the rise of Salafism in Tunisia and Northern Libya, of the difficulties in Germany.
Abu Baker Bashir cannot destroy Burma even with his radical and formidable followers. But he certainly can seed hatred among the already heightened chauvinistic Burmese Buddhist thugs and the local Muslim population who are thus far enjoying peaceful coexistence of millennia old society.
Urgent and effective action is needed now. Of genuine sympathy and inclusiveness of all the citizens. Fair conduct of affairs to all citizens, not just to Muslim or Buddhists. Truly open and transparent dealings with all parties involved. Heavy handed thuggery of the military, the principal attribute of Myanma Tatmadaw must be abandoned all over the country.
Unless the people of any religion living in Burma feels more belonged to Burma than to their co-religious internationalists, a jihad is only few bad move away.
Real Arakanese never do such kind of protest, because Arakanese and Muslims of Arakan staying side by side since the ceturies. This kind of dirty protest is organized by ultra nationalist group those who came back Arakan from Bangladesh as if showing themself as pure Arakanese infact they are Anaukthar Bangladeshi call by native Arakanese. Let us make reconciliation with real Arakanese such as General Saw Pru, Col Shwe Zan Aung, U Thar Ban, a journalist, Capt Tun Win, U Maung Gri, U Maung Tun Aung ( Ex-Trade Official ), Dr. Aye Tun and many other pure Arakanese. The above mentioned Arakanese never and ever make problem with Muslims of Arakan. When Genral Saw pru was in power such kind of violence never happen in Arakan, why now happening that we have to discuss.
Shame on those who are fueling the rise of racism and discrimination against some who have been their country men and women for centuries and served for the country’s future for generations by being loyal service man and women and participated in voting and struggled for better future of the whole country. Rohingya people have worked as doctors, engineers, teachers, polices and militarily for generations yet today Rohingya became as if they have never seen or known.
Arakan was once one of the most advanced independent Kingdom known as Roang, Roanggo, Roshang, or Rakkapura before 1784 where Rakhines and Rohingya lived together side by side very peacefully as Muslims contributed a lot in the Kingdom making, armies, education, and development. The name Rohingya is derived from old Kingdom name of Arakan which is “Roang or Rohang” by adding “Ya” meaning “the inhabitant of the land”. So Rohingya means the inhabitant of the Rohang Land or Rohang kingdom. Surely, Rohingya is not recent immigrants or immigrants of British period. They were in Rohang Kingdom since 7th century and they had world best civilization and best education all which were destroyed by Burman invasion along with the whole Rohang(Arakan) Kingdom.
Sorry Mr. Tin Win, don’t try to twist the history. We do not have a word called ROHINGYA in our history till early 1970.
They speak bengali, their parents were crossed the border illegally.
They must go back. No Rohingya has ever been contributed to our economy except producing babies.
I think most Burmese (including both dissidents and the government) are very naive about PR (public relations) or “spin”. It’s not about what YOU think is right or fair. It’s more about what other people are thinking about you that matters in international politics and “good PR” means knowing how to influence what OTHER PEOPLE THINK to your advantage.
The international media spotlight is on Burma nowadays and I remember that most Burmese were quite proud of the “adulation” that Suu Kyi received in Europe recently and so they cannot be hypocritical about how people in the West view Burma. Suu Kyi is the “Burmese idol” for human rights in the West (even school children learn about her) and the struggle of “the oppressed”(including the Rohingyas) in Burma is viewed as a struggle for basic human rights for everyone (no discrimination please!). You can’t just talk about human rights only when it suits you or “benefits” you (for example if you are a political refugee applying for funding or and/or political asylum in the West).
My advice:
Think Global and Stop Acting Tribal!
All of you !!! Be awear that Human right is not about Rohingya’s right and issue…..