tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90392669790869854312024-03-15T20:11:38.208-05:00ROHINGYA AMERICAN SOCIETY (RAS)Save Rohingya from ongoing genocide in Burma..brafahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05160310785311009150noreply@blogger.comBlogger863125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9039266979086985431.post-34196052642743996562023-09-05T21:10:00.001-05:002023-09-05T21:10:19.314-05:00India pushes back hundreds of Myanmar refugees fleeing fighting<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div style="text-align:center"><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000">Source<a href="https://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/border-refugees-08222023164808.html?fbclid=IwAR0ChkkDOzlIg9DIWDineeroO7lVb-mso9WOdsu0b4YYL4Ki8DS3zegen24"> RFA</a>, 22 Aug</font></div><div style="text-align:left"><div class="gmail-mobilecontainer" style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"Merriweather Sans",sans-serif;font-size:14px"><div id="gmail-storyteaser" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:16px;font-weight:lighter;line-height:21px;margin:18px 0px">About 300 are sheltering in tents along the border and need food and supplies.<img alt="sharethis sharing button" src="https://platform-cdn.sharethis.com/img/sharethis.svg" style="font-size: 12px; text-wrap: nowrap; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; text-align: center; box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; vertical-align: top; display: inline-block; height: 16px; width: 16px; top: 8px;"></div></div><div class="gmail-clear" style="box-sizing:border-box;clear:both;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"Merriweather Sans",sans-serif;font-size:14px"></div><div id="gmail-headerimg" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:table;float:left;width:1px;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:36px;margin-right:36px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"Merriweather Sans",sans-serif"><img src="https://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/border-refugees-08222023164808.html/@@images/51dc0bd1-573c-4830-8aec-014988337404.jpeg" alt="India pushes back hundreds of Myanmar refugees fleeing fighting" title="India pushes back hundreds of Myanmar refugees fleeing fighting" height="348" width="620" style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; vertical-align: middle; height: auto;"><span class="gmail-lead_image_caption" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-weight:600;line-height:17px;display:block;caption-side:bottom;margin:12px 0.5em 0.7em 0.1em;width:620px">Burmese civilians flee escalating armed conflict in Kampat, northwestern Myanmar's Sagaing region, near the Indian border, July 24, 2023.</span><div id="gmail-zoomattribute" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-align:right;width:620px;height:auto;vertical-align:middle;color:rgb(51,51,51);margin:0px;padding-right:15px"><a id="gmail-single_image" href="https://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/border-refugees-08222023164808.html/@@images/image" title="Burmese civilians flee escalating armed conflict in Kampat, northwestern Myanmar's Sagaing region, near the Indian border, July 24, 2023." style="box-sizing:border-box;background:transparent;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-decoration-line:none"><img src="https://www.rfa.org/++plone++rfa-resources/img/icon-zoom.png" style="box-sizing: border-box; border: none; vertical-align: middle; height: auto;"> </a><span class="gmail-copyright" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:10px">Citizen journalist</span></div></div><div id="gmail-storytext" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:"Noto Serif",serif;font-size:16px;line-height:26px;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 10px;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0.2px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box">India has pushed back at least 300 hundred Burmese refugees who spilled across the border while fleeing fighting between Myanmar's military and rebel forces, forcing them to shelter in makeshift tents near the border, refugees and aid workers said. </span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 10px;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0.2px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box">More than 1,000 residents of Tamu township, in northern Myanmar's Sagaing region, fled to India's Manipur state in July and August to escape the hostilities, only to have Indian soldiers turn them back, the sources said.</span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 10px;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0.2px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box">The hundreds of refugees living in tents in Indian villages near the border are facing food and supply shortages, a refugee from Tamu who was among them told Radio Free Asia.</span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 10px;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0.2px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box">Indian troops drove the Burmese refugees out of the villages after two or three days, forcing them to seek shelter near the Myanmar side of the border, he said.</span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 10px;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0.2px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box">"We are currently in need of rainfly sheets to build tents and many other supplies," he said.</span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 10px;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0.2px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box">Burmese and Indian authorities. meanwhile, have shut a key border crossing in the area.</span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 10px;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0.2px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box">Altogether, about 5,000 Burmese refugees from Tamu township have sought shelter in Manipur state due to the fighting, said Salai Dokhar, founder of India For Myanmar, a group that helps Burmese refugees in India. </span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 10px;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0.2px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box">They are among about 50,000 Myanmar citizens who have fled to India since the military ousted Myanmar's democratically elected government in a February 2021 coup.</span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 10px;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0.2px"><b style="box-sizing:border-box">Bombings force villagers to flee</b></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 10px;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0.2px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box">Junta troops conducted nighttime aerial bombings of Boke Kan village in Tamu township on Aug. 18, prompting more than 500 residents and others from nearby communities to flee to adjacent Manipur.</span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 10px;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0.2px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box">Similarly, on July 22, over 700 residents from Khampat, a 2,000-home township located about 8 kilometers (5 miles) southeast of the border with Manipur, fled across the border and into India because of a battle between junta forces and the resistance fighters.</span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 10px;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0.2px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box">Manipur authorities have been collecting biometric data from Burmese refugees, raising fears that the data could be shared with the junta, RFA </span><a href="https://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/india-08112023162338.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank" style="box-sizing:border-box;background:transparent;color:rgb(6,69,173)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box">reported</span></a><span style="box-sizing:border-box"> earlier this month.</span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 10px;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0.2px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box">Thang Sei, an official from the</span> <span style="box-sizing:border-box">Burma Refugee Committee Kabaw</span> <span style="box-sizing:border-box">Valley, which is helping the Burmese refugees, told RFA that more than half of the refugees returned to Myanmar after a few days when fighting in Tamu stopped.</span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 10px;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0.2px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box">They went to the town of Kalay and other villages in Sagaing, but since junta troops continue to clear the Tamu area, it is still impossible for refugees to return to their homes there, said the refugee who is sheltering on the border.</span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 10px;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0.2px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box">Neither the Indian Embassy in Yangon nor the Myanmar Embassy in New Delhi, India, responded to RFA's requests for comment on the refugees.</span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 10px;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0.2px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box">The Indian government should reconsider its decision to expel Burmese refugees, said Salai Dokhar. </span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 10px;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0.2px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box">"When Burmese people want good relations between Myanmar and India, this kind of action by India directly destroys our hopes for the future," he said. "That is why Indian officials need to review the way they handle Burmese issues."</span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 10px;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0.2px"><b style="box-sizing:border-box"><i style="box-sizing:border-box">Translated by Myo Min Aung for RFA Burmese. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.<br></i></b></p></div></div></div><div style="text-align:center"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> brafahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05160310785311009150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9039266979086985431.post-51501451512605672552023-07-19T19:46:00.001-05:002023-07-19T19:46:39.286-05:00Rebellion or Revolution?: A Fundamental Question for the Anti-Coup Myanmar Spring<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div style="text-align:center"><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000">Source <a href="https://forsea.co/rebellion-or-revolution-a-fundamental-question-for-the-anti-coup-myanmar-spring/?fbclid=IwAR0bFJDqscNGgAT1BOlwU-qZwkWQpE23ElB9fXSvPWui8DamelJIKrizdFw">Forsea</a>, 29 June</font></div><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000"><br></font></div><div style="text-align:left"><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,"Open Sans","Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:19px;margin:0px 0px 1.4em;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(52,62,71)">This essay dissects the 2.5 years old "Myanmar Spring" (or Nway Oo or accurately "early summer revolution") in the face of the universally unpopular military coup waged on the pretext of serious voter fraud by Aung San Suu Kyi's re-elected National League for Democracy. It rightly sees the bravery and determination of Myanmar's youth as one major factor that has sustained the armed and non-violence resistance against the popularly reviled coup leader Min Aung Hlaing and his instrument of terror, the Tatmadaw or formerly revered national armed forces. It injects a healthy dose of a class analysis which is too often glossed over or simply ignored by too many Myanmar watchers, pro-NLD lobbyists and mainstream scholars and experts on Myanmar affairs.</p><div id="gmail-attachment_8140" class="gmail-wp-caption gmail-alignright gmail-no-underline" style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,"Open Sans","Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:19px;margin:0.5em 0px 1.5em 2em;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;max-width:100%;display:inline;float:right;color:rgb(52,62,71);width:460px"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-8140" class="gmail-wp-image-8140 gmail-lazyautosizes gmail-lazyloaded" src="https://eg9dn5hbx3e.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/report-cover-1.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&resize=450%2C636&ssl=1" alt="" width="450" height="636" style="box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; max-width: 100%; display: block; margin: 0px;"><p id="gmail-caption-attachment-8140" class="gmail-wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:15px;font-style:inherit;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:10px 0px 0px;vertical-align:baseline;width:460px;letter-spacing:0px;color:rgb(98,112,124)">Download the Sai Latt essay <a href="https://eg9dn5hbx3e.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/%E1%80%81%E1%80%AF%E1%80%81%E1%80%B6%E1%80%9B%E1%80%B1%E1%80%B8%E1%80%9C%E1%80%AC%E1%80%B8-%E1%80%90%E1%80%B1%E1%80%AC%E1%80%BA%E1%80%9C%E1%80%BE%E1%80%94%E1%80%BA%E1%80%9B%E1%80%B1%E1%80%B8%E1%80%9C%E1%80%AC%E1%80%B8-Reduced.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing:border-box;border-width:0px 0px 2px;border-top-style:initial;border-right-style:initial;border-bottom-style:solid;border-left-style:initial;border-top-color:initial;border-right-color:initial;border-bottom-color:rgb(196,209,224);border-left-color:initial;font-family:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(52,62,71);text-decoration-line:none">HERE</a></p></div><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,"Open Sans","Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:19px;margin:0px 0px 1.4em;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(52,62,71)">Interestingly, Dr Sai Latt's situates in the process and context both the ousted NLD regime – which it correctly sees as an instrument of national bourgeoisie (cronies and urban commercial elite) beneath the veneer of democracy, human rights and federalism – AND the still unfolding Myanmar opposition movements against the coup junta. Crucially, in an observation bound to upset many in the elite or leadership positions of Myanmar Nway Oo Revolution the author likens those Myanmar operating in the international lobby or advocacy spaces to "assembly line workers", running or attending numerous Zoom and in-person meetings, gatherings and events, repeating ad nauseum well-rehearsed spins of federalism, democracy and human rights. His empirical research coughs up the deeply troubling absence of truly revolutionary (read "principled" & progressive) thoughts and deeds, weak intellectual underpinnings – beyond recycling and relaying of worn-out but still popular catch phrases and views – and the absence of clarity of revolutionary goals, if at all.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,"Open Sans","Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:19px;margin:0px 0px 1.4em;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(52,62,71)">Up-close, but not personal, this truly critical Burmese scholar-practitioner sheds a crucial light, without fear or favour, on the dark spaces where Nway Oo is failing to deliver – intellectual, ideological and real-life revolutionary gains. In the 19-page analysis, Dr Sai Latt makes those of us who are engaged in and supportive of Myanmar resistance to look objectively and honestly at the very movement (s) which seeks to overthrow the universally hated Common Enemy. He asks whether the current movements – termed Taw Hlan Yay or "revolution" in Myanmar language – are engaged in merely an attempt by any means to put the old neo-liberal NLD leadership back in power or do they actually have any serious revolutionary or progressive mission anchored in revolutionary ideals and informed by the understanding of the political economy of the global capitalist regime with its national offshoots in places like Myanmar, a raw material supplier and a source of cheap labour.</p><h5 style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;font-family:europa-1,Lato,"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:20px;font-weight:400;margin:0px 0px 22.0312px;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;clear:both;color:rgb(52,62,71);line-height:1.2">About the author</h5><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,"Open Sans","Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:19px;margin:0px 0px 1.4em;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(52,62,71)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:18pt;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline">Sai Latt</span><br style="box-sizing:border-box">PhD (geography), Simon Frazer University, Canada.</p></div></div><div style="text-align:center"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> brafahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05160310785311009150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9039266979086985431.post-18836174602195894152023-07-19T19:38:00.001-05:002023-07-19T19:38:22.408-05:00Myanmar’s NUG negotiates ethnic differences as crisis deepens<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div style="text-align:center"><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000">Source Aljazera, 15 June</font></div><div style="text-align:left"><h1 style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:2.5rem;margin:10px 0px;line-height:1.2">Myanmar's NUG negotiates ethnic differences as crisis deepens</h1><p class="gmail-article__subhead gmail-css-1wt8oh6" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;font-size:1.5rem;line-height:1.33;color:rgb(89,89,89);margin:0px"><em style="box-sizing:border-box">Administration set up in wake of the 2021 coup is also battling international indifference as conflict fades from headlines.</em></p><div class="gmail-responsive-image" style="box-sizing:border-box;background:rgb(224,224,224);overflow:hidden;margin:0px auto"><img src="https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/5-1-1686792261.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80" alt="Members of Myanmar's ethnic communities at a community event held by the NUG, Some are in traditional clothing." style="box-sizing: border-box; border-style: none; display: block; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; color: transparent; top: 0px; left: 0px; height: 498.219px; width: 747.328px;"></div>Members of Myanmar's ethnic minorities ask Aung Myo Min questions in Melbourne [Ali MC/Al Jazeera]</div><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000"><br></font></div><div style="text-align:left"><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:20px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-weight:bolder">Melbourne, Australia</span> – Aung Myo Min, the human rights minister of Myanmar's parallel National Unity Government (NUG), has urged the world to hold the military to account for possible war crimes since seizing power more than two years ago.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:20px">Visiting Australia, where he met advocacy groups and NGOs, and spoke at universities, the minister also aimed to win support for the civilian government's movement to overthrow the military regime.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:20px">Since the military removed Myanmar's democratically elected National League for Democracy (NLD) party from government in February 2021, the ethnically diverse country has fragmented into numerous civil conflicts, exacerbating unrest that, in some areas, had been rumbling for decades.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:20px">In a shift away from overthrown leader Aung San Suu Kyi's stance on nonviolence, the NUG instead has entered the fray by establishing the so-called Peoples' Defence Force (PDF) of <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/6/15/our-only-option-myanmar-civilians-take-up-arms-for-democracy" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-color:transparent;color:rgb(0,89,165)">civilians</a>, sometimes training and fighting alongside established ethnic armed groups.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:20px">The various civil conflicts are peppered by worsening human rights abuses committed by the military, including the <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/longform/2023/5/12/charred-bodies-burned-homes-a-campaign-of-terror-in-myanmar-2" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-color:transparent;color:rgb(0,89,165)">alleged bombing of civilians</a>, which the minister described as "crimes against humanity and war crimes".</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:20px">"We are not only highlighting what is going on in the country, but we are calling for international accountability by all means possible in the international judicial system," Aung Myo Min told Al Jazeera.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:20px">Last month, <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/5/18/survivors-wait-in-hell-after-cyclone-mocha-pummels-myanmar" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-color:transparent;color:rgb(0,89,165)">Cyclone Mocha</a> ripped through low-lying areas of northwestern Rakhine state, destroying camps where many Rohingya have lived for more than a decade, adding to concerns about military control over humanitarian assistance in the rapidly splintering country.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:20px">The NUG – formed out of the ashes of Aung San Suu Kyi's NLD – has maintained diplomatic relations with foreign governments, but it has yet to secure <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/12/5/un-delays-decision-on-myanmar-representation-over-russian-stance" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-color:transparent;color:rgb(0,89,165)">official recognition</a> – coveted also by the generals who led the power grab.</p><img class="gmail-wp-image-2241481 gmail-size-arc-image-770" src="https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/4-1-1686792385.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C514&quality=80" alt="NUG Human Rights Minister Aung Myo Min shaking hands with community members in Melbourne. He is holding a bouquet of flowers. Some people are holding placards reading Welcome to Melbourne. Everyone looks happy." style="box-sizing: border-box; border-style: none; display: block; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; width: 747.328px; height: auto; margin-bottom: 5px;">The Australia trip of NUG Minister for Human Rights Aung Myo Min was planned to shore up support among the Myanmar community there and build momentum for recognition [Ali MC/Al Jazeera]<p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:20px">On this occasion, the first of any NUG representative to Australia, Aung Myo Min also met the adviser to Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:20px">"We have to do our best to get the recognition of the NUG as the legitimate government because we are the legitimate government," he said.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:20px">The NUG's PDF groups have also been accused of some human rights abuses, with <a href="https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/myanmar-resistance-fighters-accused-of-rape-murder-yet-to-stand-trial-nine-months-on.html" target="_blank" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-color:transparent;color:rgb(0,89,165)">three members facing allegations of extrajudicial killing and rape</a> of suspected military sympathisers in central Sagaing's Chaung-U township last August.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:20px">The alleged perpetrators have yet to be brought to justice.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:20px">In response, the minister told Al Jazeera that the case was "in process for legal action" and that the NUG was "doing a lot of things to prevent this kind of thing [from happening] by adopting the military code of conduct that applies to every single member of the Peoples Defence Forces: to obey and to respect."</p><h2 style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:2rem;color:rgb(0,0,0);margin:60px 0px 0.6rem;line-height:2.4375rem;font-family:Roboto,"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Bamar domination</h2><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:20px">Further hampering the NUG's efforts to create sustainable support is the diversity of ethnic groups that make up Myanmar, many of which were fighting against the military long before the latest coup.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:20px">Officially, there are more than 135 ethnic groups in the country of more than 55 million people, which – formerly known as Burma and part of British India – was established at the end of British colonisation in 1948. The <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2018/4/18/who-are-the-rohingya" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-color:transparent;color:rgb(0,89,165)">mainly Muslim Rohingya</a> are not counted among ethnic minorities because successive Myanmar governments have depicted them as "interlopers" from Bangladesh. They were deprived of their citizenship under a 1982 law.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:20px">Despite the nation's diversity, the majority Bamar (also known as Burman) ethnic group has dominated both the military and major parties, such as the NLD, exacerbating ongoing ethnic tensions.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:20px">But the human rights minister told Al Jazeera it was vital for the leadership to be inclusive of other ethnic groups, including in both civil society and Ethnic Armed Groups (EAGs).</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:20px">"The NUG is a composition of the different stakeholders, including the members of parliament from 2020 elections, and also representative of ethnic backgrounds," he said.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:20px">"It is important to bring trust, and also proof that the NUG [is] collaborating with the different ethnic groups."</p><img class="gmail-size-arc-image-770 gmail-wp-image-2241484" src="https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/1-1-1686792609.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C514&quality=80" alt="NUG Minister for Human Rights Aung Myo Min speaking at a lectern. He is wearing a suit and is making a point with his left hand." style="box-sizing: border-box; border-style: none; display: block; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; width: 747.328px; height: auto; margin-bottom: 5px;">NUG Minister for Human Rights Aung Myo Min speaks to the Myanmar diaspora in Melbourne amid concerns about its engagement with ethnic minorities [Ali MC/Al Jazeera]<p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif"></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:20px">In the interview with Al Jazeera, Aung Myo Min acknowledged the failure of Aung San Suu Kyi, who the military has jailed, to adequately address the 2017 military crackdown, which forced nearly a million Rohingya into southern Bangladesh.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:20px">Many, Rohingya included, had thought the Nobel Peace Prize winner would be their champion. Instead, in December 2019, while still the country's de facto leader, she went to the international court in The Hague to <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/12/12/transcript-aung-san-suu-kyis-speech-at-the-icj-in-full" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-color:transparent;color:rgb(0,89,165)">defend the military against charges of genocide</a>.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:20px">"The first thing [the NUG] did was recognise and acknowledge the crimes taking place against the Rohingya people. This is not a hidden agenda any more," he insisted.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:20px">"We strongly recommend and are committed to bring[ing] justice for the Rohingya and other ethnic minorities who experience many forms of crimes by the military."</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:20px">Rual Thang, from the <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/12/30/a-dark-christmas-in-myanmar" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-color:transparent;color:rgb(0,89,165)">predominantly Christian Chin state</a> in the west of Myanmar above Rakhine, now lives in Australia and met the minister during his trip.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:20px">He told Al Jazeera that it was vital that the NUG successfully engage with diverse ethnic groups, not only in Myanmar but in the international diaspora.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:20px">"Engagement with the diverse tribal and ethnic communities is necessary," he said. "Otherwise, their legitimacy among the people, especially for the ethnic minorities, could be affected."</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:20px">Rual Thang, who migrated temporarily to Australia in 2019 to study, is now reluctant to return due to the escalated fighting since the 2021 coup and the repression of political activists such as himself.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:20px">Armed groups such as the Chinland Defence Force (CDF) and the Chin National Defence Force (CNDF) have emerged since the coup and are allied with the longstanding Chin National Army (CNA), which was established in the aftermath of a major political uprising in 1988.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:20px">Rual Thang told Al Jazeera that in his view, the Chin did not want to secede from Myanmar, but instead be equally represented in a federal cabinet.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:20px">"The Chin people have their own political agenda. The first priority is [a] federal state. But not necessarily succession [or] disintegration from mainland Burma. That's not the political goal of the Chin people," he said.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:20px">While acknowledging the minister's efforts to create unity between the ethnic groups, he also remained sceptical about the NUG's claims of diversity and believed that the NUG continued to represent the Bamar-dominated NLD.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:20px">"From my perspective, the NUG is an exile shadow government that basically represents the NLD party, not necessarily all the ethnic communities," he told Al Jazeera.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:20px">"Right now, the goal is how to overthrow the military dictatorship. We need coordination among different ethnic communit[ies] as well as strong coordination with the NUG. But I think we haven't seen that much between the NUG and the ethnic community leaders."</p><img class="gmail-size-arc-image-770 gmail-wp-image-2241489" src="https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/2-1-1686792730.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C514&quality=80" alt="Chin community member Rual Thang. He is seated and wearing a black long sleeved T-shirt. There are shelves of books behind him." style="box-sizing: border-box; border-style: none; display: block; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; width: 747.328px; height: auto; margin-bottom: 5px;">Rual Thang, who is originally from Chin state, says the NUG and ethnic groups need to improve coordination to overthrow the military regime [Ali MC/Al Jazeera]<img class="gmail-size-arc-image-770 gmail-wp-image-2241487" src="https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/3-1686792718.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C514&quality=80" alt="Habiburahman, a Rohingya in exile. He is in his stop and standing with his arms folded. He is wearing a blue shirt. There are shelves stacked with goods behind him." style="box-sizing: border-box; border-style: none; display: block; max-width: 100%; object-fit: cover; width: 747.328px; height: auto; margin-bottom: 5px;">Habiburahman, a Rohingya in exile, says he wonders whether the NUG is sincere in its intentions [Ali MC/Al Jazeera]<p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:20px">In an indication of potential differences, representatives from more than 170 PDFs from Sagaing who remain unaligned with the NUG held a <a href="https://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/forum-06092023154950.html" target="_blank" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-color:transparent;color:rgb(0,89,165)">two-day strategy meeting</a> at the end of May without inviting NUG officials, Radio Free Asia's Myanmar service reported this week.</p><h2 style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:2rem;color:rgb(0,0,0);margin:60px 0px 0.6rem;line-height:2.4375rem;font-family:Roboto,"Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif">Need for 'trustworthy alliances'</h2><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:20px">Some Rohingya are also sceptical of the NUG's motives.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:20px">"[The NUG] have not let any Rohingya representative to be involved in their political administration," Habiburahman, who is living in exile in Australia, told Al Jazeera.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:20px">"We don't know whether [the NUG] are using us for political scapegoat or whether they are genuine and they are sincere."</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:20px">Further compounding the <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/1/6/rohingya-myanmar-restrictions-on-freedom-of-movement" style="box-sizing:border-box;background-color:transparent;color:rgb(0,89,165)">complex situation in Rakhine state</a>, where most of the country's remaining Rohingya live, is the separatist Arakan Army (AA), who Habiburahman believes controls about 70 percent of the area.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:20px">Caught between the military, the AA and the NUG, Habiburahman told Al Jazeera the situation was a waiting game to see who would take control of the area.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:20px">"We [the Rohingya] don't know whether the NUG will be successful or [if] the AA will be successful," he said.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:20px">Still, some analysts argue the NUG has made progress.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:20px">The NUG has "a deliberately diverse cabinet, compared to the blatantly Burman-dominated NLD", Nick Cheesman, from the Australian National University's Myanmar Research Centre, told Al Jazeera.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:20px">"The NUG cabinet has a lot of non-Burman members, including its acting president [from Kachin], and acting PM [from Pwo Karen], federal union minister [from Chin], labour minister [from Mon], women's affairs minister [from S'gaw Karen], international cooperation minister [from Chin] and natural resources minister [from Kachin]," he said, adding that while there is no Rohingya minister or deputy yet, the human rights minister has promised there will be.<br></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:20px">Cheesman also acknowledges the immense challenges the NUG faces with respect to building trust and uniting the varied aspirations of the ethnic groups.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:20px">"There is no way that the NUG can or will unite all armed groups against the Myanmar military. Different groups have different interests," he said.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;margin:0.5rem 0px 30px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:20px">"The NUG needs trustworthy alliances with militarily and politically formidable groups. Mainly, it needs to be able to form its own command structure out of the PDFs. As many of them don't want to be ordered about, and the NUG is not able to offer them much, if anything, by way of support, this is a difficult task."</p><div class="gmail-container--ads gmail-in-article-ads" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-align:center;padding:0px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif;font-size:20px"><div class="gmail-ads" style="box-sizing:border-box"><div class="gmail-ads__slot" style="box-sizing:border-box"><div style="box-sizing:border-box"><div class="gmail-freestar-ads" id="gmail-div-gpt-ad-264071069224" name="aljazeera_incontent_3" style="box-sizing:border-box"><br class="gmail-Apple-interchange-newline"></div><div class="gmail-freestar-ads" id="gmail-div-gpt-ad-264071069224" name="aljazeera_incontent_3" style="box-sizing:border-box"><br></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align:center"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> brafahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05160310785311009150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9039266979086985431.post-87111664249296067082023-06-07T20:04:00.001-05:002023-06-07T20:04:45.382-05:00Cash Incentives and Coercion: The Controversial Strategy for Rohingya Repatriation<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div style="text-align:center"><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000">Source <a href="https://thediplomat.com/2023/06/cash-incentives-and-coercion-the-controversial-strategy-for-rohingya-repatriation/?fbclid=IwAR23zzpsZBc6pR03Eh8rj-t1T6mI5w1Rl5MwNXAGwYegyUz5LDzhbl6ikI0">TheDiplomat</a>, 2 June</font></div><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000"><br></font></div><div style="text-align:left"><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:"Noto Sans","Open Sans",sans-serif;font-size:28px">Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh report being offered $2,000 to return to Myanmar – and threatened with beatings if they do not.</span><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000"><br></font></div><div style="text-align:left"><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:"Noto Sans","Open Sans",sans-serif;font-size:28px"><br></span></div><div style="text-align:left"><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;font-family:"Noto Serif",serif;font-size:18px;line-height:30px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box">Reports of coercive tactics and cash incentives being employed by the Bangladeshi government to induce Rohingya refugees to return to Myanmar have stirred concern among human rights advocates and humanitarian agencies. The authorities in Bangladesh are reportedly utilizing misinformation, threats of violence, and financial incentives as part of a larger strategy aimed at facilitating the repatriation of Rohingya refugees, roughly 1 million of whom are currently residing in camps in Bangladesh.</span><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><br style="box-sizing:border-box"></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;font-family:"Noto Serif",serif;font-size:18px;line-height:30px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box">Beginning on May 30, Bangladeshi authorities reportedly initiated a campaign on Bhasan Char, a silt island serving as a makeshift refugee camp, promising Rohingya families a cash incentive of $2,000 if they agreed to return to Myanmar. According to two refugees who have come forward to speak about the offer, a similar proposal was extended in Teknaf on May 29. </span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;font-family:"Noto Serif",serif;font-size:18px;line-height:30px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box">By May 31, around 300 Rohingya families had expressed their intention to participate in the pilot repatriation program. By June 1, there was a significant surge of families, not initially listed for repatriation, lining up in Bhasan Char to avail of this offer.</span><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><br style="box-sizing:border-box"></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;font-family:"Noto Serif",serif;font-size:18px;line-height:30px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box">Critics are wary of the motivations behind the cash incentive, equating the amount – even the very few educated refugees working for NGOs might take two years to earn $2,000 – to coercive tactics that exploit the desperate financial situations faced by these refugees. Meenakshi Ganguly, the South Asia director of Human Rights Watch,</span><a href="https://twitter.com/mg2411/status/1664229838520201217" style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(0,150,136)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"> tweeted,</span></a><span style="box-sizing:border-box"> "#RohingyaRefugees in Bangladesh were promised cash, livelihood, health, education to relocate to Bhasan Char—many risked drowning to flee. Now similar promises are dangled for repatriation to Myanmar where conditions remain unsafe, with no guarantee of rights protection." </span><span style="box-sizing:border-box">Providing first-hand insight, Sayed, a resident of Bhasan Char, recalled an unexpected announcement over the mosque's loudspeaker on May 30. The announcement asked families to report to the Camp-in-Charge (CiC) office the next day if they were willing to return to Myanmar. The announcement promised a cash incentive of $2,000.</span></p><h3 style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;font-size:16px;line-height:24px;color:rgb(38,50,56)">DIPLOMAT BRIEF</h3><h4 style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:13px;color:rgb(176,190,197)">WEEKLY NEWSLETTER</h4><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;font-family:"Noto Serif",serif;font-size:90px;line-height:66px;letter-spacing:0.05em;color:rgb(236,239,241)">N</span><div class="gmail-td-main" style="box-sizing:border-box;padding:12px 0px;color:rgb(69,90,100);border-top:2px solid rgb(236,239,241)"><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;font-family:"Noto Serif",serif;font-size:18px;line-height:30px">Get briefed on the story of the week, and developing stories to watch across the Asia-Pacific.</p><a class="gmail-td-btn gmail-td-btn--full-width gmail-td-btn--no-margin" href="https://thediplomat.com/newsletter/" style="background-color:rgb(124,163,168);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration-line:none;display:block;font-size:0px;line-height:0;padding:6px;border:0px;margin:0px;white-space:nowrap;text-overflow:ellipsis;text-transform:uppercase;border-radius:4px;overflow:hidden;min-width:36px;min-height:36px;outline:none;width:300px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:12px;letter-spacing:0.025em;font-weight:700;line-height:24px;float:left;display:inline-block;padding:0px 6px">GET THE NEWSLETTER</span><i style="box-sizing:border-box;float:right;display:inline-block;width:24px;height:24px;vertical-align:middle"></i></a></div><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;font-family:"Noto Serif",serif;font-size:18px;line-height:30px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box">Notably, Sayed said that the announcement specified that both spouses, along with their children, had to agree to return. Furthermore, Sayed found that the announcement hadn't been broadcast on loudspeakers in all clusters; instead, </span><i style="box-sizing:border-box"><span style="box-sizing:border-box">majhis</span></i><span style="box-sizing:border-box">, or camp wardens, had informed certain clusters door-to-door.</span><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><br style="box-sizing:border-box"></span></p><p class="gmail-td-ad-inline gmail-td-ad-inline-txt" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;font-family:"Noto Serif",serif;font-size:18px;line-height:30px"><a href="https://thediplomat.com/subscriptions/" style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(0,150,136)"><span style="font-weight:bolder;box-sizing:border-box">Enjoying this article?</span> Click here to subscribe for full access. Just $5 a month.</a></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;font-family:"Noto Serif",serif;font-size:18px;line-height:30px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box">Alongside these financial incentives, other tactics reportedly used to encourage repatriation have raised alarm. Refugees claim that they are receiving misinformation about conditions in Myanmar. A </span><a href="https://twitter.com/shafiur/status/1662708336255545344?s=20" style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(0,150,136)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box">video circulating on social media </span></a><span style="box-sizing:border-box">allegedly shows a staffer of the CiC telling a refugee that Rohingya are now a recognized ethnic group in Myanmar, among the existing 135 groups. Paired with threats of violence by Bangladeshi authorities, such misinformation has led to heightened concerns about potential coercion. Critics argue that these practices undermine the principle of free and informed decision-making, a cornerstone of any voluntary return process.</span><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><br style="box-sizing:border-box"></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;font-family:"Noto Serif",serif;font-size:18px;line-height:30px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box">A Rohingya refugee, requesting to maintain anonymity, </span><a href="https://twitter.com/shafiur/status/1662814084486537221?s=20" style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(0,150,136)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box">agreed to record a video </span></a><span style="box-sizing:border-box">detailing an encounter with an official known as Anwar, who reportedly threatened refugees with beatings if they refused to return. The official was quoted in the video as saying, "Is this your father's country? You have to return. You cannot stay here. If you do not go, after three days, we will beat you. You absolutely have to go."</span><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><br style="box-sizing:border-box"></span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;font-family:"Noto Serif",serif;font-size:18px;line-height:30px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box">In </span><a href="https://www.rohingyarefugee.news/p/exposing-coercion-the-intimidation" style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(0,150,136)"><span style="box-sizing:border-box">another recorded testimony,</span></a><span style="box-sizing:border-box"> an elderly woman shared her experiences with Bangladeshi authorities and National Security Intelligence (NSI) officials. Maintaining her anonymity, she detailed instances of threats, intimidation, and the potential of physical violence. In the video, she is heard saying, "The authorities informed us that we would be 'forcefully sent back to Myanmar,' regardless of our objections or concerns, by 'beating us.'" She also mentioned an incident where an individual's ration card was photographed, suggesting the possibility of ration card cancellation if Rohingya refuse to return.</span><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><br style="box-sizing:border-box"></span></p>ADVERTISEMENT<div class="gmail-td-ad-body" style="box-sizing:border-box;border-top:2px solid rgb(236,239,241)"><div id="gmail-div-gpt-ad-1343666802946-2" class="gmail-td-ad gmail-td-ad--gpt" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:0px;line-height:0;text-align:center;padding:0px;margin:12px 0px"><div id="gmail-google_ads_iframe_/4711575/Medium-Rectangle_0__container__" style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0pt none"></div></div></div><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;font-family:"Noto Serif",serif;font-size:18px;line-height:30px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box">Jeff Crisp, formerly the head of Policy Development and Evaluation Service at UNHCR, said the pressure on these refugees to return to an unsafe country under the guise of "voluntary repatriation" is disturbingly reminiscent of tactics that have been used in other parts of the world. The "experience in other parts of the world indicates that some refugees accept such 'repatriation grants' as a means of paying off the debts they have accumulated. Which means that they have little or none of the money left by the time that they get back to their own country."</span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;font-family:"Noto Serif",serif;font-size:18px;line-height:30px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box">Throughout this complex issue, the recurring themes have been coercion and financial incentives – tactics that many argue exploit the vulnerable position of Rohingya refugees. The motivations behind the Bangladeshi government's approach, and the impacts it has on the refugees' rights and their welfare, are under intense scrutiny from refugee advocates and human rights organizations.</span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;font-family:"Noto Serif",serif;font-size:18px;line-height:30px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box">However, despite the criticisms and concerns, the Bangladeshi government and the international community have yet to find a solution that adequately addresses the safety, welfare, and rights of the Rohingya refugees. As Maung Zarni of the Free Rohingya Coalition aptly put it, "Bangladesh's decision to offer such financial incentives to return refugees to the killing fields of Myanmar raises questions about the true motivations behind the program's sponsors and the respect for the refugees' rights and well-being."</span><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><br style="box-sizing:border-box"></span></p>AUTHORS<div class="gmail-td-posts" style="box-sizing:border-box;padding-bottom:3px;overflow:hidden"><div class="gmail-td-post" style="box-sizing:border-box;overflow:hidden;color:rgb(69,90,100);border-top:2px solid rgb(236,239,241);padding-bottom:10px"><h5 style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:12px 0px 0px;font-size:10px;line-height:12px;color:rgb(204,0,0);text-transform:uppercase;white-space:nowrap;overflow:hidden;text-overflow:ellipsis">GUEST AUTHOR</h5><h4 style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;line-height:24px;color:rgb(51,51,51);padding:5px 0px 0px">Shafiur Rahman</h4><div style="box-sizing:border-box;padding:0px 0px 7px;margin:0px"><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px">Shafiur Rahman is a journalist and documentary filmmaker currently working on Rohingya issues. </p></div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align:center"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> brafahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05160310785311009150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9039266979086985431.post-49569050192265769202023-05-25T00:35:00.001-05:002023-05-25T00:35:26.304-05:00UN not given access to Rohingya refugee camps after Cyclone Mocha<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div style="text-align:center"><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000">Source<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/may/19/un-denied-access-to-rohingya-refugee-camps-after-cyclone-mocha-myanmar?fbclid=IwAR363g2MQkFWDbx2pFVEp0FCdhe5dm34ljUaGqJT_QwhZXaqDc5UVcIV9_Y"> TheGuardian</a>, </font></div><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000"><br></font></div><div style="text-align:left"><span style="color:rgb(18,18,18);font-family:"GH Guardian Headline","Guardian Egyptian Web",Georgia,serif;font-size:17px;font-variant-ligatures:common-ligatures;font-weight:700">UNHCR says it's awaiting permission from Myanmar government to distribute health supplies in Sittwe, where an estimated 90% of Rohingya homes have been destroyed</span><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000"><br></font></div><div style="text-align:left"><span style="color:rgb(18,18,18);font-family:"GH Guardian Headline","Guardian Egyptian Web",Georgia,serif;font-size:17px;font-variant-ligatures:common-ligatures;font-weight:700"><br></span></div><div style="text-align:left"><span class="gmail-dcr-1y4fm6e" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-ligatures:common-ligatures;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-variant-alternates:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:14px;line-height:inherit;font-family:GuardianTextSans,"Guardian Text Sans Web","Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,"Lucida Grande",sans-serif;font-kerning:inherit;font-feature-settings:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(112,112,112)">A Rohingya woman sits by what remains of her home at Basara refugee camp in Sittwe after Cyclone Mocha hit the region.</span><span style="color:rgb(112,112,112);font-family:GuardianTextSans,"Guardian Text Sans Web","Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,"Lucida Grande",sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-variant-ligatures:common-ligatures"> Photograph: Sai Aung Main/AFP/Getty Images</span></div><div style="text-align:left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgP2RAK9I_476jlTFIHkVfQzhnOV4l5oXx4k6SvrHu2AHpaNcRuH-94p8DWwPBm-79xttCX3Nh3poDk2T3a7ilgLSGmmvt2R2GwgY_eiiDP1w0TCJE8GJbSHFG-86BVZfOlX0ZDUX2TYpZsUPdP0ikmbIrdhykAGxQROmy-p7sXLWMDPWvBObyxXk1-Fg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgP2RAK9I_476jlTFIHkVfQzhnOV4l5oXx4k6SvrHu2AHpaNcRuH-94p8DWwPBm-79xttCX3Nh3poDk2T3a7ilgLSGmmvt2R2GwgY_eiiDP1w0TCJE8GJbSHFG-86BVZfOlX0ZDUX2TYpZsUPdP0ikmbIrdhykAGxQROmy-p7sXLWMDPWvBObyxXk1-Fg=s320" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7236989514069927762" /></a><br></div><div style="text-align:left"><span style="color:rgb(18,18,18);font-family:GuardianTextEgyptian,"Guardian Text Egyptian Web",Georgia,serif;font-size:17px;font-variant-ligatures:common-ligatures">UN staff say they have not been given permission to help thousands of Rohingya living in displacement camps in </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/myanmar" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-top-style:initial;border-right-style:initial;border-bottom-style:solid;border-left-style:initial;border-top-color:initial;border-right-color:initial;border-bottom-color:rgb(220,220,220);border-left-color:initial;font-variant-ligatures:common-ligatures;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-variant-alternates:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:17px;line-height:inherit;font-family:GuardianTextEgyptian,"Guardian Text Egyptian Web",Georgia,serif;font-kerning:inherit;font-feature-settings:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;text-decoration-line:none;color:rgb(199,0,0)">Myanmar</a><span style="color:rgb(18,18,18);font-family:GuardianTextEgyptian,"Guardian Text Egyptian Web",Georgia,serif;font-size:17px;font-variant-ligatures:common-ligatures"> who are in urgent need of food, medicine and shelter in the aftermath of Cyclone Mocha, which struck the west of the country on Sunday.<br></span><p class="gmail-dcr-n6w1lc" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 16px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-ligatures:common-ligatures;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-variant-alternates:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:1.0625rem;line-height:1.5;font-family:GuardianTextEgyptian,"Guardian Text Egyptian Web",Georgia,serif;font-kerning:inherit;font-feature-settings:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;word-break:break-word;color:rgb(18,18,18)">People living in Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine state, said they estimated that about 90% of homes of Rohingya people had been destroyed and more than 100 people killed when <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/05/1136692" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-top-style:initial;border-right-style:initial;border-bottom-style:solid;border-left-style:initial;border-top-color:initial;border-right-color:initial;border-bottom-color:rgb(220,220,220);border-left-color:initial;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;text-decoration-line:none;color:rgb(199,0,0)">winds of more than 150 miles an hour</a> hit the region. However, the refugee agency UNHCR said the Myanmar government had not yet granted access to the camps in Sittwe, home to about 100,000 people. "As yet, UNHCR has not been granted access to carry out needs assessments."</p><div id="gmail-sign-in-gate" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-ligatures:common-ligatures;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-variant-alternates:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:medium;line-height:inherit;font-family:"Times New Roman";font-kerning:inherit;font-feature-settings:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(18,18,18)"><span name="SignInGateSelector" style="box-sizing:border-box"></span></div><p class="gmail-dcr-n6w1lc" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 16px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-ligatures:common-ligatures;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-variant-alternates:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:1.0625rem;line-height:1.5;font-family:GuardianTextEgyptian,"Guardian Text Egyptian Web",Georgia,serif;font-kerning:inherit;font-feature-settings:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;word-break:break-word;color:rgb(18,18,18)">Bright Islam, a 28-year-old Rohingya activist, said: "The cyclone destroyed everything we had. We have nothing to eat, and people have to sleep on the road. Injured people don't have access to medical treatment."</p><blockquote class="gmail-dcr-928886" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;quotes:none;display:inline">It really is a nightmare scenario for this cyclone to hit areas with such deep pre-existing needs</blockquote><cite class="gmail-dcr-p2jhrj" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(199,0,0)">Ramanathan Balakrishnan, UN humanitarian coordinator</cite><p class="gmail-dcr-n6w1lc" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 16px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-ligatures:common-ligatures;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-variant-alternates:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:1.0625rem;line-height:1.5;font-family:GuardianTextEgyptian,"Guardian Text Egyptian Web",Georgia,serif;font-kerning:inherit;font-feature-settings:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;word-break:break-word;color:rgb(18,18,18)">He said he witnessed people drown in the flood water in Sittwe, "mostly children and older people", and counted about 110 dead bodies when the waters cleared. "I cried because I was afraid, I could also be dead," he said.</p><p class="gmail-dcr-n6w1lc" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 16px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-ligatures:common-ligatures;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-variant-alternates:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:1.0625rem;line-height:1.5;font-family:GuardianTextEgyptian,"Guardian Text Egyptian Web",Georgia,serif;font-kerning:inherit;font-feature-settings:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;word-break:break-word;color:rgb(18,18,18)">Habibullah, who only wanted to be known by one name, said his 55-year-old aunt died in the storm because she was too scared to leave her home in Dar Paing camp in Sittwe. "She didn't expect that it would be that bad," he said.</p><p class="gmail-dcr-n6w1lc" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 16px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-ligatures:common-ligatures;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-variant-alternates:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:1.0625rem;line-height:1.5;font-family:GuardianTextEgyptian,"Guardian Text Egyptian Web",Georgia,serif;font-kerning:inherit;font-feature-settings:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;word-break:break-word;color:rgb(18,18,18)">He said he had to leave her in her house while he helped others. After the cyclone, he found her body. "I am very sorry to leave her there. But I had no other choice. If we had early warning and precaution in time, she would still be alive."</p><p class="gmail-dcr-n6w1lc" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 16px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-ligatures:common-ligatures;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-variant-alternates:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:1.0625rem;line-height:1.5;font-family:GuardianTextEgyptian,"Guardian Text Egyptian Web",Georgia,serif;font-kerning:inherit;font-feature-settings:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;word-break:break-word;color:rgb(18,18,18)">Cyclone Mocha hit Myanmar on its journey across the Bay of Bengal. Sittwe was the worst affected area, but the category 5 storm also damaged towns further east in Chin, Sagaing and Magway regions.</p><p class="gmail-dcr-n6w1lc" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 16px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-ligatures:common-ligatures;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-variant-alternates:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:1.0625rem;line-height:1.5;font-family:GuardianTextEgyptian,"Guardian Text Egyptian Web",Georgia,serif;font-kerning:inherit;font-feature-settings:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;word-break:break-word;color:rgb(18,18,18)">The UN said on Thursday that 17 townships in Rakhine and four in Chin had been <a href="https://reliefweb.int/report/myanmar/situation-update-no-4-tropical-cyclone-one-mocha-myanmar-thursday-18-may-2023-1800hrs-utc7" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-top-style:initial;border-right-style:initial;border-bottom-style:solid;border-left-style:initial;border-top-color:initial;border-right-color:initial;border-bottom-color:rgb(220,220,220);border-left-color:initial;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;text-decoration-line:none;color:rgb(199,0,0)">declared</a> natural-disaster-affected areas by the government. <a href="https://fb.watch/kBDvYho1eO/" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-top-style:initial;border-right-style:initial;border-bottom-style:solid;border-left-style:initial;border-top-color:initial;border-right-color:initial;border-bottom-color:rgb(220,220,220);border-left-color:initial;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;text-decoration-line:none;color:rgb(199,0,0)">Images on social media</a> show trees, buildings, and electricity poles toppled, and debris piled on the ground. The UN said health supplies and water purification tablets for 200,000 people have been sent to Sittwe.</p><div class="gmail-dcr-1t8m8f2" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><span class="gmail-dcr-evn1e9" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block"><img alt="ThekayPyin camp in Sittwe, as Cyclone Mocha approaches." src="https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/e75b63d415c72b0f767cb3e4514f186f17e6d09f/0_0_3486_1988/master/3486.jpg?width=445&quality=85&dpr=1&s=none" width="445" height="253.7751004016064" class="gmail-dcr-evn1e9" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: block; height: 354px; width: 620px; object-fit: cover;"></span></div><span class="gmail-dcr-17eagbs" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 4px 0px 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;display:inline-block;width:1em"></span><span class="gmail-dcr-1y4fm6e" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline">ThekayPyin camp in Sittwe, as Cyclone Mocha approaches.</span> Photograph: Screengrab/Obtained by Reuters<p class="gmail-dcr-n6w1lc" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 16px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-ligatures:common-ligatures;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-variant-alternates:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:1.0625rem;line-height:1.5;font-family:GuardianTextEgyptian,"Guardian Text Egyptian Web",Georgia,serif;font-kerning:inherit;font-feature-settings:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;word-break:break-word;color:rgb(18,18,18)">On Tuesday, Ramanathan Balakrishnan, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Myanmar, said 5.4 million people were thought to live in the cyclone's path. "Of these, we consider 3.1 million people to be most vulnerable to cyclone impacts by taking together indicators of shelter quality, food insecurity and poor coping capacity.</p><span name="RichLinkComponent" style="box-sizing:border-box"><div class="gmail-dcr-186a21y" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;background-color:rgb(199,0,0)"><div class="gmail-dcr-qi930o" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;background-color:rgb(246,246,246)"><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/may/13/cyclone-mocha-threatens-worlds-largest-refugee-camp-on-myanmar-bangladesh-border" class="gmail-dcr-79fz17" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-top-style:initial;border-right-style:initial;border-bottom-style:solid;border-left-style:initial;border-top-color:initial;border-right-color:initial;border-bottom-color:rgb(220,220,220);border-left-color:initial;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;text-decoration-line:none;color:rgb(199,0,0)"><div class="gmail-dcr-h95kme" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border-width:1px 0px 0px;border-top-style:solid;border-right-style:initial;border-bottom-style:initial;border-left-style:initial;border-top-color:rgb(199,0,0);border-right-color:initial;border-bottom-color:initial;border-left-color:initial;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"></div><div style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><img src="https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/6305d81c8ae7039e136ea1b5d45581afbba146b2/0_346_5184_3110/master/5184.jpg?width=460&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=60ac74cf110269f81e4e82f19fc7e054" alt="The Rohingya refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh" width="5184" height="3110" class="gmail-dcr-1e3yjba" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; width: 140px; height: auto;"></div><div class="gmail-dcr-ut4tvs" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:2px 5px 5px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><div class="gmail-dcr-1yi924v" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 10px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><div class="gmail-dcr-12evv1c" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:1px 0px;border:0px;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:14px;line-height:1.15;font-family:"GH Guardian Headline","Guardian Egyptian Web",Georgia,serif;font-kerning:inherit;font-feature-settings:inherit;vertical-align:baseline">Cyclone Mocha threatens world's largest refugee camp on Myanmar-Bangladesh border</div></div><div class="gmail-dcr-6yyz1w" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:2px 0px 0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><div class="gmail-dcr-1i4hqwz" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 0px 4px;border:0px;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:14px;line-height:25px;font-family:"GH Guardian Headline","Guardian Egyptian Web",Georgia,serif;font-kerning:inherit;font-feature-settings:inherit;vertical-align:top;display:inline-block;height:30px">Read more</div></div></div></a></div></div></span><div class="gmail-ad-slot-container" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:12px auto;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-ligatures:common-ligatures;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-variant-alternates:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:medium;line-height:inherit;font-family:"Times New Roman";font-kerning:inherit;font-feature-settings:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;text-align:center;display:flex;background-color:rgb(246,246,246);color:rgb(18,18,18)"><div id="gmail-dfp-ad--inline1" class="gmail-js-ad-slot gmail-ad-slot gmail-ad-slot--inline gmail-ad-slot--inline1 gmail-ad-slot--outstream gmail-ad-slot--rendered" aria-hidden="true" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><div id="gmail-google_ads_iframe_/59666047/theguardian.com/global-development/article/ng_6__container__" class="gmail-ad-slot__content" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0pt none;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;display:inline-block;width:620px;height:350px"></div></div></div><p class="gmail-dcr-n6w1lc" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 16px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-ligatures:common-ligatures;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-variant-alternates:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:1.0625rem;line-height:1.5;font-family:GuardianTextEgyptian,"Guardian Text Egyptian Web",Georgia,serif;font-kerning:inherit;font-feature-settings:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;word-break:break-word;color:rgb(18,18,18)">"It really is a nightmare scenario for this cyclone to hit areas with such deep pre-existing needs," Balakrishnan said.</p><p class="gmail-dcr-n6w1lc" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 16px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-ligatures:common-ligatures;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-variant-alternates:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:1.0625rem;line-height:1.5;font-family:GuardianTextEgyptian,"Guardian Text Egyptian Web",Georgia,serif;font-kerning:inherit;font-feature-settings:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;word-break:break-word;color:rgb(18,18,18)">The Rohingya live in internal displacement camps after being forced from their homes in Myanmar by numerous military attacks since the 1970s. A military "clearance" in 2017 pushed a million Rohingya to seek refuge in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/bangladesh" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-top-style:initial;border-right-style:initial;border-bottom-style:solid;border-left-style:initial;border-top-color:initial;border-right-color:initial;border-bottom-color:rgb(220,220,220);border-left-color:initial;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;text-decoration-line:none;color:rgb(199,0,0)">Bangladesh</a>.</p><p class="gmail-dcr-n6w1lc" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 16px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-ligatures:common-ligatures;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-variant-alternates:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:1.0625rem;line-height:1.5;font-family:GuardianTextEgyptian,"Guardian Text Egyptian Web",Georgia,serif;font-kerning:inherit;font-feature-settings:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;word-break:break-word;color:rgb(18,18,18)">Reuben Lim, the chief communications officer for UNHCR Myanmar, confirmed that "deaths by drowning have been reported in displacement camps with many others missing".</p><p class="gmail-dcr-n6w1lc" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 16px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-ligatures:common-ligatures;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-variant-alternates:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:1.0625rem;line-height:1.5;font-family:GuardianTextEgyptian,"Guardian Text Egyptian Web",Georgia,serif;font-kerning:inherit;font-feature-settings:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;word-break:break-word;color:rgb(18,18,18)">Ro Nay San Lwin, a Rohingya activist in Europe, said he expected high casualties. He said early warning announcements of the cyclone made by the military through loudspeakers in the camps were "just for show" as no logistical support, shelters or transport, were provided and Rohingya were not allowed to leave the camps.</p><p class="gmail-dcr-n6w1lc" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 16px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-ligatures:common-ligatures;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-variant-alternates:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:1.0625rem;line-height:1.5;font-family:GuardianTextEgyptian,"Guardian Text Egyptian Web",Georgia,serif;font-kerning:inherit;font-feature-settings:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;word-break:break-word;color:rgb(18,18,18)">"People lost their lives because they had no freedom of movement. The junta has been committing serious international crimes against the Rohingya for many decades. Their aim is to eliminate the entire population from the country."</p><div class="gmail-dcr-1t8m8f2" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><span class="gmail-dcr-evn1e9" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block"><img alt="A Rohingya woman holds her baby next to her destroyed house at Basara refugee camp in Sittwe." src="https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/516a12eb45b16f3e0d289a7cce22cb6ee4d757ff/0_0_6048_4024/master/6048.jpg?width=445&quality=85&dpr=1&s=none" width="445" height="296.07804232804233" class="gmail-dcr-evn1e9" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; display: block; height: 413px; width: 620px; object-fit: cover;"></span></div><span class="gmail-dcr-17eagbs" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 4px 0px 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;display:inline-block;width:1em"></span><span class="gmail-dcr-1y4fm6e" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline">A Rohingya woman holds her baby next to her destroyed house at Basara refugee camp in Sittwe.</span> Photograph: Sai Aung Main/AFP/Getty Images<div class="gmail-ad-slot-container gmail-ad-slot-container-2 gmail-offset-right gmail-ad-slot--offset-right gmail-ad-slot-container--offset-right" style="box-sizing:border-box;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-ligatures:common-ligatures;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-variant-alternates:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:medium;line-height:inherit;font-family:"Times New Roman";font-kerning:inherit;font-feature-settings:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;min-height:1018.5px;text-align:center;display:flex;float:right;max-width:300px;color:rgb(18,18,18)"><div id="gmail-dfp-ad--inline2" class="gmail-js-ad-slot gmail-ad-slot gmail-ad-slot--inline gmail-ad-slot--inline2 gmail-ad-slot--rendered" aria-hidden="true" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;min-height:274px"><div id="gmail-google_ads_iframe_/59666047/theguardian.com/global-development/article/ng_7__container__" class="gmail-ad-slot__content" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0pt none;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"></div></div></div><p class="gmail-dcr-n6w1lc" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 16px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-ligatures:common-ligatures;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-variant-alternates:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:1.0625rem;line-height:1.5;font-family:GuardianTextEgyptian,"Guardian Text Egyptian Web",Georgia,serif;font-kerning:inherit;font-feature-settings:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;word-break:break-word;color:rgb(18,18,18)">Islam said they were "living in hell". "We got more affected by the cyclone because our camp is close to the sea and our movement is under control," he said. "If we could stay in our original homes, it wouldn't have been that bad."</p><p class="gmail-dcr-n6w1lc" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 16px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-ligatures:common-ligatures;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-variant-alternates:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:1.0625rem;line-height:1.5;font-family:GuardianTextEgyptian,"Guardian Text Egyptian Web",Georgia,serif;font-kerning:inherit;font-feature-settings:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;word-break:break-word;color:rgb(18,18,18)">In Bangladesh, about 60,000 people were displaced and 30,000 homes damaged or destroyed in Cox's Bazar district, where more than 1 million Rohingya live in refugee camps.</p><p class="gmail-dcr-n6w1lc" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 16px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-ligatures:common-ligatures;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-variant-alternates:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:1.0625rem;line-height:1.5;font-family:GuardianTextEgyptian,"Guardian Text Egyptian Web",Georgia,serif;font-kerning:inherit;font-feature-settings:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;word-break:break-word;color:rgb(18,18,18)">Rohingya Refugee Response, which coordinates humanitarian support for more than 900,000 refugees in Bangladesh, said <a href="https://twitter.com/RohingyaResp/status/1658820905508966400" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-top-style:initial;border-right-style:initial;border-bottom-style:solid;border-left-style:initial;border-top-color:initial;border-right-color:initial;border-bottom-color:rgb(220,220,220);border-left-color:initial;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;text-decoration-line:none;color:rgb(199,0,0)">5,800 shelters were damaged</a> and 400 destroyed. Health and education centres and water points were damaged by landslides. UNHCR said it has been providing emergency shelter and other services in Bangladesh.</p><p class="gmail-dcr-n6w1lc" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 16px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-ligatures:common-ligatures;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-variant-alternates:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:1.0625rem;line-height:1.5;font-family:GuardianTextEgyptian,"Guardian Text Egyptian Web",Georgia,serif;font-kerning:inherit;font-feature-settings:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;word-break:break-word;color:rgb(18,18,18)">The worst conditions were on the southern-most tip of mainland Bangladesh and in the Nayapara refugee camp, where refugees who lost their homes to a fire two years ago again saw homes damaged.</p><span name="RichLinkComponent" style="box-sizing:border-box"><div class="gmail-dcr-186a21y" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;background-color:rgb(199,0,0)"><div class="gmail-dcr-qi930o" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;background-color:rgb(246,246,246)"><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/gallery/2023/may/19/bangladesh-shelters-as-cyclone-mocha-hits-land-in-pictures" class="gmail-dcr-79fz17" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-top-style:initial;border-right-style:initial;border-bottom-style:solid;border-left-style:initial;border-top-color:initial;border-right-color:initial;border-bottom-color:rgb(220,220,220);border-left-color:initial;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;text-decoration-line:none;color:rgb(199,0,0)"><div class="gmail-dcr-h95kme" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border-width:1px 0px 0px;border-top-style:solid;border-right-style:initial;border-bottom-style:initial;border-left-style:initial;border-top-color:rgb(199,0,0);border-right-color:initial;border-bottom-color:initial;border-left-color:initial;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"></div><div style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><img src="https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/af42f6b877b0eb4c802753e882b7f4eef779eb3b/0_133_2000_1201/master/2000.jpg?width=460&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=e53a1cd1c50a26d335b0a1520ee77df5" alt="A woman holding her child walks towards a shelter as Cyclone Mocha takes hold. All photographs: Abir Abdullah" width="2000" height="1201" class="gmail-dcr-1e3yjba" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; width: 140px; height: auto;"></div><div class="gmail-dcr-ut4tvs" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:2px 5px 5px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><div class="gmail-dcr-1yi924v" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 10px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><div class="gmail-dcr-12evv1c" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:1px 0px;border:0px;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:14px;line-height:1.15;font-family:"GH Guardian Headline","Guardian Egyptian Web",Georgia,serif;font-kerning:inherit;font-feature-settings:inherit;vertical-align:baseline">Bangladesh shelters as Cyclone Mocha hits land – in pictures</div></div><div class="gmail-dcr-6yyz1w" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:2px 0px 0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><div class="gmail-dcr-1i4hqwz" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 0px 4px;border:0px;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:14px;line-height:25px;font-family:"GH Guardian Headline","Guardian Egyptian Web",Georgia,serif;font-kerning:inherit;font-feature-settings:inherit;vertical-align:top;display:inline-block;height:30px">Read more</div></div></div></a></div></div></span><p class="gmail-dcr-n6w1lc" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 16px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-ligatures:common-ligatures;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-variant-alternates:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:1.0625rem;line-height:1.5;font-family:GuardianTextEgyptian,"Guardian Text Egyptian Web",Georgia,serif;font-kerning:inherit;font-feature-settings:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;word-break:break-word;color:rgb(18,18,18)">"Our block was already burned down and so the shelters were only light plastic and bamboo," said Amir Hossain, whose shelter was damaged. "People were worried before the cyclone hit the camp. As soon as the strong winds started, most of the tarpaulin roofs were blown away and only the frames of the homes were left.</p><p class="gmail-dcr-n6w1lc" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 16px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-ligatures:common-ligatures;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-variant-alternates:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:1.0625rem;line-height:1.5;font-family:GuardianTextEgyptian,"Guardian Text Egyptian Web",Georgia,serif;font-kerning:inherit;font-feature-settings:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;word-break:break-word;color:rgb(18,18,18)">"People are struggling to rebuild again, we have not got the materials to rebuild the shelters. Some people are living in community centres and schools for now," he said.</p><p class="gmail-dcr-n6w1lc" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 16px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-ligatures:common-ligatures;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-variant-alternates:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:1.0625rem;line-height:1.5;font-family:GuardianTextEgyptian,"Guardian Text Egyptian Web",Georgia,serif;font-kerning:inherit;font-feature-settings:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;word-break:break-word;color:rgb(18,18,18)">Amid the destruction, seven babies were born in one of the refugee camps further north, on Sunday, according to the NGO Friendship.</p></div></div><div style="text-align:center"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> brafahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05160310785311009150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9039266979086985431.post-72763188496956523802023-05-25T00:30:00.000-05:002023-05-25T00:31:00.832-05:00OP-ED: Seven Points All Myanmar People Want ASEAN to Consider<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div style="text-align:center"><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000">Source <a href="https://english.dvb.no/op-ed-seven-points-all-myanmar-people-want-asean-to-consider/?fbclid=IwAR2HYlHGhBGzXuSVVyor43wvQArEZm4lsdfELlmIb-3kkfKbOuaV_g4_L9o">DVB</a>, 2 May</font></div><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000"><br></font></div><div style="text-align:left"><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px auto 26px;font-family:Verdana,BlinkMacSystemFont,-apple-system,"segoe ui",Roboto,Oxygen,Ubuntu,Cantarell,"open sans","helvetica neue",sans-serif;font-size:15px">Indonesia is gearing up for the forthcoming ASEAN Summit. Its popular two-term, and hence outgoing, President Joko Widodo, and Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, have reportedly visited the site of the scheduled May 9-11 Summit in Labuan Bajo. One of the first things Indonesian leadership has embarked on is public diplomacy or strategic communications about what its leadership can and cannot do for the peoples of Myanmar through the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). </p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px auto 26px;font-family:Verdana,BlinkMacSystemFont,-apple-system,"segoe ui",Roboto,Oxygen,Ubuntu,Cantarell,"open sans","helvetica neue",sans-serif;font-size:15px">Amidst grumbles from international policy and activist circles with Myanmar concerns worldwide, the Indonesian leadership has been tight-lipped about what it's doing to address one of the hottest – and so far intractable perennial issues. As outrageous as it is, not even a textbook, full-blown genocide of Rohingyas had, in the past, inconvenienced the regional bloc, largely indifferent to ideals of human rights, in spite of its Human Rights Charter. Lest we forget that ASEAN legitimized and promoted Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge at the United Nations even after the fact that one-third of the Cambodian population had perished in less than four years (1975-79). </p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px auto 26px;font-family:Verdana,BlinkMacSystemFont,-apple-system,"segoe ui",Roboto,Oxygen,Ubuntu,Cantarell,"open sans","helvetica neue",sans-serif;font-size:15px">Two years before the coup, Malaysia's then Foreign Minister Saifuddin bin Abdullah said pointedly to a group of us visiting legal and genocide scholars with Rohingya concerns, in Putrajaya that he wanted today's ASEAN to do better than the original ASEAN of the 1970's. For the original ASEAN allowed the genocide in its own backyard and proceeded to protect the perpetrators as "representative" of Cambodia. Saifuddin's sentiment notwithstanding, objectively speaking, ASEAN has continued to fail Rohingya genocide victims, again, with ASEAN navies pushing away from their shores thousands of Rohingya boat people over the years, who are fleeing hell on the earth and risking life on the high seas in search of refuge in places like Aceh, Indonesia and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.<br></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px auto 26px;font-family:Verdana,BlinkMacSystemFont,-apple-system,"segoe ui",Roboto,Oxygen,Ubuntu,Cantarell,"open sans","helvetica neue",sans-serif;font-size:15px">Be that as it may, the 2021 Myanmar military coup and resulting bloodbath, still ongoing, has unnerved the rest of the ASEAN member states, including the money-obsessed Singapore (Myanmar's largest investor). The bloodbath of civilians by the military, and the ensuing armed revolution, ASEAN under the two previous chairs – Brunei and Cambodia – did not accomplish much in terms of either stopping the killings or starting a mediation process. Both Brunei and Cambodia continued to treat the coup regime of Min Aung Hlaing, as if the killers in green uniform were the sole representatives and spokespersons of Myanmar as a member state. <br></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px auto 26px;font-family:Verdana,BlinkMacSystemFont,-apple-system,"segoe ui",Roboto,Oxygen,Ubuntu,Cantarell,"open sans","helvetica neue",sans-serif;font-size:15px">So, Indonesia under Jokowi's leadership this year has ignited a widespread, if limited optimism, among Myanmar people. We have thought that Jakarta will at least use its renewed leadership position globally. This optimism is in significant part based on its successful role as the G-20 host that facilitated the first-ever substantive meeting in Bali of U.S. President Joe Biden and China's Xi Jinping, with their mutually hostile policies. A brief detour of Indonesia-Myanmar ties may be in order.<br></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px auto 26px;font-family:Verdana,BlinkMacSystemFont,-apple-system,"segoe ui",Roboto,Oxygen,Ubuntu,Cantarell,"open sans","helvetica neue",sans-serif;font-size:15px">Throughout the last 70 years since Myanmar and Indonesia shook off the yoke of colonial subjugation by their respective European abusers – the Dutch and the British, both civilian and military leaderships of these post-colonial countries had retained close ties. As a matter of fact, Myanmar people under Prime Minister U Nu contributed to the national liberation struggle of Indonesians by providing the latter with "rice and guns" (India under Nehru also shipped weapons to Rangoon where our democratic government was under siege by the then secessionist Karen National Defence Organization That is just what good neighbors do: offer rice and guns as an act of solidarity).<br></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px auto 26px;font-family:Verdana,BlinkMacSystemFont,-apple-system,"segoe ui",Roboto,Oxygen,Ubuntu,Cantarell,"open sans","helvetica neue",sans-serif;font-size:15px">President Sukarno and Prime Minister Nu were co-founders of the Non-aligned Movement, along with India's Nehru. Their non-aligned movement in the thick of the Cold War, was kicked off in the mountainous city of Bandung, Java. The likes of world revolutionaries – Che Guevara and Fidel Castro – were part of this movement. (The duo made a visit to Rangoon, staying at the colonial-era Strand Hotel, as part of their Asia-Africa tour, and told Rangoon's English language press that they were horrified to know that the Burmese elite learned about their Cuban Revolution from TIME magazine, which they apparently – and rightly – considered a U.S. imperialist propaganda publication on grocery check-out stands!)<br></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px auto 26px;font-family:Verdana,BlinkMacSystemFont,-apple-system,"segoe ui",Roboto,Oxygen,Ubuntu,Cantarell,"open sans","helvetica neue",sans-serif;font-size:15px">When the initial flames of democracy were extinguished by the U.S.-backed bloody military coups, waged ostensibly against "the Communist threats" in Rangoon in 1962 and Jakarta in 1965, the two usurpers – Generals Ne Win and Suharto – forged their dictatorial ties, while the Myanmar military began modeling itself after Indonesia's "dual function" paradigm – as the sole national defender and national (political) guardian. Both Ne Win and Suharto were forced out of power and died in disgrace, although Suharto continues to be given respect among some quarters in Indonesia, Ne Win remains one of the most universally hated military figures in Myanmar.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px auto 26px;font-family:Verdana,BlinkMacSystemFont,-apple-system,"segoe ui",Roboto,Oxygen,Ubuntu,Cantarell,"open sans","helvetica neue",sans-serif;font-size:15px">The top dishonor of the most reviled person goes to Min Aung Hlaing. Myanmar people will not accept that the man whom they consider not simply the deliverer of death and violence but the thief who has stolen their dreams of a better future. To remove this criminal and corrupt usurper from power is where some of us Myanmar activists look to Indonesia as a potential external actor. </p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px auto 26px;font-family:Verdana,BlinkMacSystemFont,-apple-system,"segoe ui",Roboto,Oxygen,Ubuntu,Cantarell,"open sans","helvetica neue",sans-serif;font-size:15px">So far, Indonesia has not disappointed. For starters, Jakarta publicly broke with the ASEAN customary behavior of only interacting with the ruling military and/or "political representatives" of the State in Myanmar since its admission into the bloc in 1997. During his state visit to Singapore, President Jokowi broke the news that his foreign policy team has been meeting with "all stakeholders" (including anti-coup ethnic revolutionary organizations, other ethnic armed organizations, the National Unity Government and the coup regime of Min Aung Hlaing). </p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px auto 26px;font-family:Verdana,BlinkMacSystemFont,-apple-system,"segoe ui",Roboto,Oxygen,Ubuntu,Cantarell,"open sans","helvetica neue",sans-serif;font-size:15px">To be sure, Jakarta is still operating with the framework of the Five Point Consensus (5-PC for short), including the cessation of violence and the starting of "all inclusive dialogue" among "stakeholders" of Myanmar – reached the Special Summit Jokowi hosted in Jakarta in April 2020, two months after the bloody coup in Myanmar. Significantly, Min Aung Hlaing was a key participant in that summit, not as Head of State of Myanmar, nonetheless as Commander-in-chief of the largest military force in the country. </p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px auto 26px;font-family:Verdana,BlinkMacSystemFont,-apple-system,"segoe ui",Roboto,Oxygen,Ubuntu,Cantarell,"open sans","helvetica neue",sans-serif;font-size:15px">Two full years on, objectively speaking again, Min Aung Hlaing and his deputies have binned the 5-PC, whatever the rest of the ASEAN think of the virtues and potentials of it. If in doubt, one only has to take a cursory glance at the 24-months of incessant, excessive and unlawful use of violence against civilians by the Myanmar military under his command. After a long lull in global reportage about Myanmar's repression and resistance, long overshadowed by the U.S. proxy war in Ukraine, the military's precision airstrikes on April 11 targeting a large gathering of civilians, with 170 killed, including 40 children, has put Myanmar back in the media spotlight. </p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px auto 26px;font-family:Verdana,BlinkMacSystemFont,-apple-system,"segoe ui",Roboto,Oxygen,Ubuntu,Cantarell,"open sans","helvetica neue",sans-serif;font-size:15px">To its credit, Indonesia officially issued a rather stinging response to the unacceptable use of airstrikes against civilians, in the form of Chair's Statement of "Strong Condemnation", which did not need ASEAN Consensus, but nonetheless reflects the widespread views throughout the ASEAN capitals. On his part, Min Aung Hlaing gave Jakarta a political equivalent of a fat finger by sending planes and gunship helicopters to strike civilian targets in Chin State, Karen State and Karenni State as recently as April 24. These bombing runs did not include a second airstrike at the same crime scene like in Pa Zi Gyi village on April 11. CNN framed the violence in its "killer always returns to the crime scene" television report.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px auto 26px;font-family:Verdana,BlinkMacSystemFont,-apple-system,"segoe ui",Roboto,Oxygen,Ubuntu,Cantarell,"open sans","helvetica neue",sans-serif;font-size:15px">At the forthcoming summit in Indonesia, the ASEAN heads of state and their teams are expected to review the implementation of their Myanmar template – the 5-PC. President Jokowi's Myanmar policy team headed by his Foreign Minister Marsudi, a career diplomat, has been holding consultation meetings with different "stakeholders." The Indonesians have amassed a wealth of raw intelligence, or "situation updates" about the violence, the civil war, the actors, the fighters, etc.They have for days listened to the concerns, the analyses, and the expectations of these Myanmar parties in conflict. It is worth sharing some of the common views and concerns which the Indonesians have been presented with. For it paints a general picture of what may be termed Myanmar's domestic consensus only on the basis of which a lasting solution for it can be found.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px auto 26px;font-family:Verdana,BlinkMacSystemFont,-apple-system,"segoe ui",Roboto,Oxygen,Ubuntu,Cantarell,"open sans","helvetica neue",sans-serif;font-size:15px">First, despite the typical framing of Myanmar resistance movements as simply "disunited," if not "in disarray," there has emerged a consensus that disparate groups and movements do share a unity of mission or purpose: every group and movement wants a federated democracy where basic human rights are guaranteed and protected, where the equality of ethnic groups is enshrined in the Constitution, and where the tyranny of ethnic majoritarian democracy such as the National League for Democracy (NLD) under Aung San Suu Kyi is prohibited by the electoral system.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px auto 26px;font-family:Verdana,BlinkMacSystemFont,-apple-system,"segoe ui",Roboto,Oxygen,Ubuntu,Cantarell,"open sans","helvetica neue",sans-serif;font-size:15px">Second, no civilian and political stakeholder will ever accept the 2008 Constitution which has in effect enshrined the eternal political role of Myanmar's military as if it were the sole guardian of the nation and the protector of the people. From this widely popular perspective, the 2008 Constitution with no sunset clause for the military to phase itself out of politics, cannot be revived under any circumstances. It goes without saying that the electoral legitimacy claimed through the elections held within this anti-democratic constitutional framework is no longer acceptable. This is a significant moral and intellectual challenge to the NLD old guards which are leading the Committee Representing People's Parliament (CRPH) and the National Unity Government (NUG). In addition to Aung San Suu Kyi, who at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) defended the military while discrediting Rohingya genocide rape victims. Many of them, these second and third line NLD leaders served as genocide cheerleaders, denialists, and supporters. This is something the Muslim-majority Indonesians have found extremely objectionable morally and spiritually. Certainly, the NUG will remain morally and intellectually damaged unless these old elements of criminality and racism are replaced by the younger more progressive representatives. </p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px auto 26px;font-family:Verdana,BlinkMacSystemFont,-apple-system,"segoe ui",Roboto,Oxygen,Ubuntu,Cantarell,"open sans","helvetica neue",sans-serif;font-size:15px">Third, all the civilian and political actors that participated in Jakarta's extensive and intensive consultation process – over four months – agree that elections held without a political settlement or a blueprint for Myanmar as a federal democracy is not a solution or a step forward. Quite the contrary, the elections in the middle of intensifying and expanding civil war will only add more fuel to the violence conflict. This much, the leaked Ministry of Home Affairs intelligence chiefs' meeting minutes of December 2022 has been observed already. </p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px auto 26px;font-family:Verdana,BlinkMacSystemFont,-apple-system,"segoe ui",Roboto,Oxygen,Ubuntu,Cantarell,"open sans","helvetica neue",sans-serif;font-size:15px">Fourth, all the pro-democracy participants share the view that the political settlement must involve the establishment of a transitional body which includes civil society actors such as women's organizations, political parties and ethnic armed organizations. This body will be tasked with both transitional governance and drafting a new People's Constitution on the basis of which a new election may be held.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px auto 26px;font-family:Verdana,BlinkMacSystemFont,-apple-system,"segoe ui",Roboto,Oxygen,Ubuntu,Cantarell,"open sans","helvetica neue",sans-serif;font-size:15px">Fifth, based on this Constitution of, for and by the People, the new electoral system will need to be designed to give multiple ethnic nations or electorates proportional representations – as opposed to the "Winner-Takes-All" electoral design which propelled the Bamar and Buddhist-centric NLD to power, with not a single Muslim MP in the parliament from 2015-20. This will in turn prevent the repeat of the emergence of the ethnic majoritarian democracy, or mono-ethnic control of the state and its organ, Myanmar's cardinal problem since its independence from Britain in 1948. </p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px auto 26px;font-family:Verdana,BlinkMacSystemFont,-apple-system,"segoe ui",Roboto,Oxygen,Ubuntu,Cantarell,"open sans","helvetica neue",sans-serif;font-size:15px">Sixth, no "stakeholder" from amongst Myanmar participants objects to the idea of "all inclusive dialogue" which ASEAN proposed as a step towards a peaceful resolution of Myanmar's violent crisis. However, the killings, including air strikes, legal murders, artillery fire, scorch-earth security operations, torture and jailing of civilians and activists, by the coup regime must stop, unconditionally, before any meaningful dialogue is morally acceptable and intellectually justifiable. </p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px auto 26px;font-family:Verdana,BlinkMacSystemFont,-apple-system,"segoe ui",Roboto,Oxygen,Ubuntu,Cantarell,"open sans","helvetica neue",sans-serif;font-size:15px">Finally, all Myanmar people, especially the ethnic nationalities communities, demand the establishment of a process for transitional justice – along different models be they South Africa's post-apartheid Truth and Reconciliation Commission or proper tribunal for those who the highest command responsibility for the numerous and grave crimes in international and national laws which Myanmar's military has perpetrated since it usurped the state's power in a coup in 1962. For more than half a century, the non-Bamar ethnic communities, including Rohingyas, have been subjected to variously genocidal and semi-genocidal abuses by Myanmar's military. For no oppressed society can move forward from the dark past unless perpetrators and victims come together and process the vast store of their collective trauma in their respective search for peace and reconciliation. </p><hr class="gmail-wp-block-separator" style="box-sizing:content-box;height:0px;border-top:none;border-bottom:2px solid rgb(143,152,161);border-left:none;border-right:none;max-width:100px;margin:1.65em auto;font-family:Verdana,BlinkMacSystemFont,-apple-system,"segoe ui",Roboto,Oxygen,Ubuntu,Cantarell,"open sans","helvetica neue",sans-serif;font-size:15px"><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px auto 26px;font-family:Verdana,BlinkMacSystemFont,-apple-system,"segoe ui",Roboto,Oxygen,Ubuntu,Cantarell,"open sans","helvetica neue",sans-serif;font-size:15px">Maung Zarni is the co-author of Essays on Myanmar's Genocide of Rohingyas (2012-18). He is a UK-based Burmese exile with over 30-years of first-hand involvement and scholarship in Burma affairs. </p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px auto 26px;font-family:Verdana,BlinkMacSystemFont,-apple-system,"segoe ui",Roboto,Oxygen,Ubuntu,Cantarell,"open sans","helvetica neue",sans-serif;font-size:15px">DVB publishes a diversity of opinions that does not reflect DVB editorial policy. We'd like to hear what you think about this or any of our stories: <a href="mailto:editor.english@dvb.no">editor.english@dvb.no</a></p><div class="gmail-google-auto-placed gmail-ap_container" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;font-family:Verdana,BlinkMacSystemFont,-apple-system,"segoe ui",Roboto,Oxygen,Ubuntu,Cantarell,"open sans","helvetica neue",sans-serif;font-size:15px;width:696px;height:auto;clear:both;text-align:center"><ins class="gmail-adsbygoogle gmail-adsbygoogle-noablate" style="box-sizing:border-box;background:transparent;text-decoration-line:none;display:block;margin:auto;height:280px"><div id="gmail-aswift_1_host" tabindex="0" title="Advertisement" aria-label="Advertisement" style="box-sizing:border-box;border:none;height:280px;width:696px;margin:0px;padding:0px;background-color:transparent;display:inline-block;overflow:visible"><br class="gmail-Apple-interchange-newline"></div></ins></div></div></div><div style="text-align:center"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> brafahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05160310785311009150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9039266979086985431.post-61623883073582604552023-05-25T00:22:00.001-05:002023-05-25T00:22:13.561-05:00Who will replace the military in Myanmar? The People’s Answer<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div style="text-align:center"><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000">Source<a href="https://forsea.co/who-will-replace-myanmar-military-in-myanmar-myanmar-peoples-answer/?fbclid=IwAR1hjAQKAI8oFRUDbWib2qKv8G0Ggqw5URVJCb4TEqzUQ_MyEV4VqTcYuoY"> Forsea</a>, 23 April</font></div><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000"><br></font></div><div style="text-align:left"><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,"Open Sans","Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:19px;margin:0px 0px 1.4em;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(52,62,71)">"Who will replace the military to hold Myanmar together?" This is the paramount question which looms large among those who think, operate, and interact in "state spaces", that is, the international policy circles of diplomats, UN bureaucrats, think tankers, geo-strategists, and military planners, as well as business lobbyists.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,"Open Sans","Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:19px;margin:0px 0px 1.4em;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(52,62,71)">Regarding Myanmar, the prevailing policy presumption seems to be as follows: in ethnically fractious states such as Myanmar where the state is violently contested by multiple populations or "stakeholders," the central military known as the Tatmadaw <em style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;font-family:inherit;font-weight:inherit;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline">is</em> stabilizer, the firm hand that keeps the country together. Whatever its crimes – including genocide and other atrocious crimes – all recurring and systemic, the military has been tolerated, within the ASEAN, for instance, at least until the coup two years ago.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,"Open Sans","Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:19px;margin:0px 0px 1.4em;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(52,62,71)">For its systemic human rights and atrocity crimes are not seen as having any disruptive impact on international trade, commerce and strategic interests of neighbours and other powerful external actors.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,"Open Sans","Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:19px;margin:0px 0px 1.4em;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(52,62,71)">This sadly reflects the rather regressive Westphalian thinking among those who speak on behalf of different external "state actors".</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,"Open Sans","Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:19px;margin:0px 0px 1.4em;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(52,62,71)">A cursory glance at the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westphalian_system" style="box-sizing:border-box;border-width:0px 0px 2px;border-top-style:initial;border-right-style:initial;border-bottom-style:solid;border-left-style:initial;border-top-color:initial;border-right-color:initial;border-bottom-color:rgb(196,209,224);border-left-color:initial;font-family:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(52,62,71);text-decoration-line:none">Wikipedia entry</a> of the Westphalian ideology of the sacrosanct or absolutist sovereignty of the states, as opposed to the people, is in order. The introduction of the entry reads:</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,"Open Sans","Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:19px;margin:0px 0px 1.4em;outline:0px;padding:0px 0px 0px 40px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(52,62,71)">The Westphalian system, also known as Westphalian sovereignty, is a principle in international law that each state has exclusive sovereignty over its territory. The principle underlies the modern international system of sovereign states and is enshrined in the United Nations Charter, which states that "nothing … shall authorize the United Nations to intervene in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any state.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,"Open Sans","Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:19px;margin:0px 0px 1.4em;outline:0px;padding:0px 0px 0px 40px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(52,62,71)">According to the principle, every state, no matter how large or small, has an equal right to sovereignty.[2] Political scientists have traced the concept to the Peace of Westphalia (1648), which ended the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) and Eighty Years' War (1568–1648).</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,"Open Sans","Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:19px;margin:0px 0px 1.4em;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(52,62,71)">Outside the neo-Westphalian state circles, the question of who will hold Myanmar together if the military are to be replaced confronts Myanmar's anti-dictatorship dissidents. They/we are envisaging <em style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;font-family:inherit;font-weight:inherit;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline">and</em> fighting for "another Myanmar" where what ASEAN leaders officially refer to as "the largest military force", no longer has monopoly grip over the country's politics, economy, and society.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,"Open Sans","Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:19px;margin:0px 0px 1.4em;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(52,62,71)">The difference between those who are in the spaces of "state think" and the "another Myanmar is possible" revolutionaries on the ground is this: <span style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;font-family:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-weight:700;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline">unlike the international policy makers who embrace the"stability, right or wrong" stance towards Myanmar's military, the instrument of genocide and terror, Myanmar, both the public and the dissidents, no longer believe and accept the military as their national armed forces.</span></p><div dir="auto" style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,"Open Sans","Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:19px;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(52,62,71)">There are many other viable "models" or scenarios between the disastrous extremes of, on one hand, the Washington-imposed regime change in Bagdad which involved dismantling the ruling Baathist party and the entire Iraqi armed forces and, ON THE OTHER HAND, continuing to want to keep Myanmar's genocidal military as "the Giver of Stability" (for the in-country foreign businesses and diplomatic missions in Yangon) and "the Holder of Myanmar State" (against the potential for Balkanization).</div><div class="gmail-yj6qo gmail-ajU" style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,"Open Sans","Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:19px;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(52,62,71)"><div id="gmail-:1am" class="gmail-ajR gmail-no-underline" tabindex="0" role="button" aria-label="Show trimmed content" aria-expanded="false" style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;font-family:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline"><img class="gmail-ajT gmail-lazyloaded" src="https://ssl.gstatic.com/ui/v1/icons/mail/images/cleardot.gif" style="box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; max-width: 100%;"></div><div class="gmail-ajR" tabindex="0" role="button" aria-label="Show trimmed content" aria-expanded="false" style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;font-family:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline">We don't need to travel to the Balkans or the Middle East or Latin America although many of us Myanmar have done that as well.</div></div><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,"Open Sans","Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:19px;margin:0px 0px 1.4em;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(52,62,71)">Blood-soaked post-genocidal and post-civil war Cambodia is a pertinent case study for all Myanmar. Whatever the form of the Hun Sen government today, the Cambodian strategy – called Win-Win – of replacing the Pol Pot's genocidal troops with the Hun Sen-led new Cambodian people's army while integrating all those rank and file, including Khmer Rouge officers, might offer a promising model.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,"Open Sans","Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:19px;margin:0px 0px 1.4em;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(52,62,71)">Last year, during Cambodia's ASEAN Chairship, (Sao) Harn Yawnghwe, the founding director of the Associates to Develop Democratic Burma, better known as<a href="http://www.euro-burma.eu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing:border-box;border-width:0px 0px 2px;border-top-style:initial;border-right-style:initial;border-bottom-style:solid;border-left-style:initial;border-top-color:initial;border-right-color:initial;border-bottom-color:rgb(196,209,224);border-left-color:initial;font-family:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(52,62,71);text-decoration-line:none"> the Euro-Burma Office</a>, and I travelled to Cambodia to learn how Cambodians and their international friends brought the bloody civil war to a close in their post-genocide society. We studied their "Win-Win Strategy" by which Vietnam-backed and Hun Sen-led anti-genocidal forces and Khmer Rouge genocidal military forces, supported by US, China and ASEAN, were integrated into a single national armed forces, something most relevant to our country with two dozen ethnic and pro-democracy armed forces.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,"Open Sans","Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:19px;margin:0px 0px 1.4em;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(52,62,71)">We are grateful to our Cambodian friends who made serious efforts to help with finding a peaceful Win-Win in a post-genocidal, civil war-torn Myanmar.</p><div id="gmail-attachment_7999" class="gmail-wp-caption gmail-aligncenter gmail-no-underline" style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,"Open Sans","Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:19px;margin:0px auto 1.5em;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;clear:both;max-width:100%;color:rgb(52,62,71);width:778px"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-7999" class="gmail-size-medium_large gmail-wp-image-7999 gmail-lazyautosizes gmail-lazyloaded" src="https://eg9dn5hbx3e.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Myanmar-Peoples-Answer-2-768x476.jpg?strip=all&lossy=1&ssl=1" alt="" width="768" height="476" style="box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; max-width: 100%; display: block; margin: 0px;"><p id="gmail-caption-attachment-7999" class="gmail-wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;font-family:inherit;font-size:15px;font-style:inherit;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:10px 0px 0px;vertical-align:baseline;width:730.188px;letter-spacing:0px;color:rgb(98,112,124)">The gathering of the two generation of exiles and revolutionaries at Harpers' Ferry, West Virginia, USA, February 1999. (Professor Kyaw Win, the late Dr Vun Sum, Naw May Oo Mutraw, Shan State Army commander and Shan scholar the late Dr Chao Tzang Yawnghwe, the exiled Prime Minister of the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma Dr Sein Win, the late Dr Marjolaine Law-Yone (Tin Nyo), Dr Maran Laraw, Dr and ex-Captain Thaung Tun, Zaw Oo, Dr Kyi May Kaung, Harn Yawnghwe and Maung Zarni, with an American dialogue facilitator.)</p></div><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,"Open Sans","Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:19px;margin:0px 0px 1.4em;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(52,62,71)">We know full-well what happened in Iraq when the entire national armed forces were dismantled – ala Saddam's armed forces in the name of "regime change". As Myanmar we have the greatest concerns for anarchy, chaos and more violence that may befall our people in transitional periods.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,"Open Sans","Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:19px;margin:0px 0px 1.4em;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(52,62,71)">Despite our different ethnic and religious backgrounds, and political choices, (Harn Yawnghwe and) I have worked closely over the last 25 years, and seen mutual appreciation and respect. Besides our circles, there are other dissidents and revolutionaries who have studied other transitional societies and systems.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,"Open Sans","Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:19px;margin:0px 0px 1.4em;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(52,62,71)">What Myanmar lack is not human talents or revolutionary experiences, but the international solidarity, especially solidarity from across different neighbours.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,"Open Sans","Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:19px;margin:0px 0px 1.4em;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(52,62,71)">One step towards, or one concrete form, offering Myanmar resistance its due solidarity is to re-assess this pervasive regressively Westphalian view that Myanmar military is the only organization capable of holding the country together, despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,"Open Sans","Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:19px;margin:0px 0px 1.4em;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(52,62,71)">The military under Min Aung Hlaing is proven to be the main de-stabilizer. It has violently deported nearly 1 million Muslim Rohingyas across the border onto Bangladeshi soil. In 24 months since the coup, its scorched-earth military operations have resulted in nearly 2 million war-fleeing refugees – called Internally Displaced Persons – in many regions of the country. It has caused the collapse of the country's informal economy which provided the majority of the people with livelihoods. It is the main cause of shame for ASEAN as its credibility has become the butt of international jokes.</p><div class="gmail_default" style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,"Open Sans","Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:19px;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(52,62,71)">To be sure, today's geopolitical situation around Myanmar which favours the status quo. China, India, Thailand and ASEAN, as well as EU view the genocidal military as the "country holder" and formulate their policies accordingly. Let's not be oblivious to the fact that no resistance or revolution is ever waged in ideal or favourable geopolitical and economic conditions.</div><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,"Open Sans","Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:19px;margin:0px 0px 1.4em;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(52,62,71)">Have a glance at the history of Khmer Rouge and see how it came about, who and how it was sustained and supported in the 1970's , and how it was treated as the legitimate representative of Cambodia even after the facts of genocide came to light, well into the 1980's. It swept into power amidst the carpet-bombing of Northern Vietnam and parts of Cambodia. It was financially sustained by China. And <a href="https://forsea.co/the-case-of-singapore-the-switzerland-of-southeast-asia/" style="box-sizing:border-box;border-width:0px 0px 2px;border-top-style:initial;border-right-style:initial;border-bottom-style:solid;border-left-style:initial;border-top-color:initial;border-right-color:initial;border-bottom-color:rgb(196,209,224);border-left-color:initial;font-family:inherit;font-style:inherit;font-weight:inherit;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(52,62,71);text-decoration-line:none">Singapore provided the genocidal regime</a> with fuel and helped generate foreign income by purchasing Cambodia fish wholesale. The United States and the United Kingdom gave blanket veto protection at the UN in New York. Thailand gave sanctuary to Pol Pot and his deputies to fight back the anti-genocidal forces of Hun Sen from their Thai-Khmer border based. ASEAN served as the genocidal regime's lobbyist in the international circles of state actors.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,"Open Sans","Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:19px;margin:0px 0px 1.4em;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(52,62,71)">As my Khmer brother Youk Chhang who directs the Documentation Center – Cambodia, put it, "although 2 million Cambodians were killed, 5 million of us survived and live to rebuild Cambodia."</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,"Open Sans","Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:19px;margin:0px 0px 1.4em;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(52,62,71)">Yes, Myanmar people are certainly victims of our own internal colonial regime that has turned genocidal towards different communities. As is typically the case with all genocidal regimes, there are also more than one group that suffered Myanmar military's crimes.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,"Open Sans","Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:19px;margin:0px 0px 1.4em;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(52,62,71)">Additionally, we are also the victims of the emerging geopolitics. But Myanmar people of all classes and ethnicities deserve a lot more credit to their resilience than they are given. We have preserved, against all odds, for six decades. We resent being seen and treated as mere subject of pity of sympathy.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,"Open Sans","Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:19px;margin:0px 0px 1.4em;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(52,62,71)">No other Asian society has lived 70+ years of civil war and state-directed repression. The three generations of Myanmar of all ethnic backgrounds – not just the Karens or Shan or Rakhine but the Bama Buddhists and communists alike – continue to struggle for another better Myanmar. We are not the people that ASEAN or the world should offer platitudes of sympathy. We don't want your sympathy. We demand solidarity as we have given our neighbours, far and near, a hand of solidarity, be they Indonesians seeking to expel their Dutch colonizers in the late 1940's or the East Pakistanis – now Bengali – in their War of Liberation in 1971. (Ask the Rohingyas about the solidarity and refuge they offered their anthropological kin across the border in Tek Naf and Cox's Bazaar.)</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,"Open Sans","Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:19px;margin:0px 0px 1.4em;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(52,62,71)">In the face of the dissolution of political parties, birthing and deaths of armed organisations, or wholesale purges of dreaded military intelligence services, scorched-earth operations – known as the Four Cuts – and airstrikes, both the Myanmar resistance and the public at large remain defiant and determined to create a better future for themselves and the generations to come.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,"Open Sans","Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:19px;margin:0px 0px 1.4em;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(52,62,71)">They/we will survive even if the military and its structures are radically overhauled to reinvent this institution as a force that protects its peoples, not perpetrate heinous crimes against the people in whose name it justifies its existence.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,"Open Sans","Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:19px;margin:0px 0px 1.4em;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(52,62,71)">This unacceptability of the military as it has existed in this repressive, predatory form, permeates the public thinking, irrespective of class, race/ethnicity, age group, gender, or religion. It is based on their decades-old painful experience of life under the boot.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,"Open Sans","Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:19px;margin:0px 0px 1.4em;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(52,62,71)">There is also another irreconcilable difference in Myanmar public's consensus view and the general consensus among external actors who typically operate in the state spaces – ASEAN, UN, EU, and so forth.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;font-family:proxima-nova-1,proxima-nova-2,"Open Sans","Helvetica Neue",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:19px;margin:0px 0px 1.4em;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(52,62,71)">Despite its genocides – note the plural,<em style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;font-family:inherit;font-weight:inherit;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline"> judicially recognized or not</em> – war crimes, and crimes against humanity, external actors continue to view the military as a legitimate stakeholder of Myanmar. They are still doing business with the military, albeit with a bit more public relations sensitivity: for regional stability; for military and intelligence cooperation; for trade and commerce; for geopolitical equations.</p></div></div><div style="text-align:center"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> brafahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05160310785311009150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9039266979086985431.post-9125174136380949702023-04-04T01:23:00.001-05:002023-04-04T01:23:59.473-05:00THE UNITED STATES IS NOT A FRIEND OF MYANMAR’S DEMOCRATIC RESISTANCE<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div style="text-align:center"><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000">Source <a href="https://english.dvb.no/the-united-states-is-not-a-friend-of-myanmars-democratic-resistance/">DVB</a>, 31 Mar</font></div><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000"><br></font></div><div style="text-align:left"><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 30px;color:rgb(66,71,76);font-family:Lato,sans-serif;font-size:14px">Guest contributor, Dr. Maung Zarni</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 30px;color:rgb(66,71,76);font-family:Lato,sans-serif;font-size:14px">For my fellow democrats from Myanmar, wherever they are, I have bad news. It is this: the United States (that is, the U.S. government) is not our friend in our uphill struggle for our basic human rights and democratic freedoms. As someone who was educated in the U.S., cut my political teeth as a grassroots activist and lived and worked there for 17 years, I have known this ugly fact for several decades. Washington talks the talk of democracy, human rights and freedom, but it typically fails to walk the talk. </p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 30px;color:rgb(66,71,76);font-family:Lato,sans-serif;font-size:14px">This absence of genuine support and solidarity for our pro-democracy Burmese opposition on the part of U.S. policymakers – not simply the hypocrisy of their government as a whole – was one of the principal reasons I ended my exile in the U.S. after 17 years (the other is its illegal and immoral second invasion of Iraq, accompanied by numerous war crimes during the U.S. occupation of that devastated society, on the bogus twin-pretext of Saddam's non-existent WMD and advancing "freedom and democracy" for Iraqi people).</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 30px;color:rgb(66,71,76);font-family:Lato,sans-serif;font-size:14px">Completely enamoured with the rhetoric of the U.S. as "the land of the free," I went to there as a young student in my twenties, one month before the '8888 Uprising'. But by the second invasion of Iraq, my youthful illusions of "democracy in America" (and by extension) its support for global democratic movement were irreversibly shattered. As a matter of fact, I was cautioned against my rose-tinted view of the U.S. as a bastion of global democracy by my close friend's father the late Dr. Tin Maung Aye. In his capacity as the Superintendent of Rangoon General Hospital, he buried the fourth year Engineering student Ko Phone Maw, the first casualty of the 1988 pro-democracy uprising. </p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 30px;color:rgb(66,71,76);font-family:Lato,sans-serif;font-size:14px">"You need to get rid of your jaundiced view of the USA and the West", were his perceptive words he uttered when I paid him a goodbye visit to his official residence in Rangoon a few days before I flew out to San Francisco. During my years as a grassroots organizer, first as a student activist and later as a start-up academic, I was intimately involved in and interacted with so many different American institutions and individuals who led or staffed them, from city councils, state legislatures, churches and student organizations all across the vast sub-continental country to the White House, U.S. State Department, Congress, U.S. government funding agencies (such as the U.S. Institute for Peace and the National Endowment for Democracy), and numerous think tanks of all ideological stripes and colours. There were so many wonderful Americans who cared, and who wanted to do the right thing – support democratic movements around the world. </p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 30px;color:rgb(66,71,76);font-family:Lato,sans-serif;font-size:14px">My old Free Burma Coalition colleague Naw May Oo, another American-educated refugee who now advises the Karen National Union (KNU) and I were fortunate enough to have met some of the straight-talking Americans who were part of Washington's Burma policy circles. They gave us an equivalent of a shock therapy when they told us very bluntly, out of appreciation for our committed activism. A few individuals deserve a mention for their honesty. Right after the infamous 2003 Depayin massacre during which the NLD leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her deputy U Tin Oo escaped the botched assassination, we met at a Senate office with the two key aides to the Chair and Ranking member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Senators Richard Lugar (Republican, Indiana) and John Kerry (Democrat, Massachusetts) to see if there could be stronger support for the flagship NLD opposition in the heartlands and the ethnic armed organizations in the conflict zones. </p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 30px;color:rgb(66,71,76);font-family:Lato,sans-serif;font-size:14px">Their response? One said to us, "If Aung San Suu Kyi were assassinated by the junta [Burmese democrats] would get a statement of condemnation from the United States government." Another chimed in, "You might also get a memorial service at the National Cathedral." [Given Aung San Suu Kyi's moral standing in the world today – because of her ignominious defence of the indefensible (the Rohingya genocide) at the International Court of Justice, even a memorial service in honour of the 77-year old Lady in captivity seems inconceivable.] Matthew P. Daley, a former Korean War vet who was then Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the East Asia Bureau within the State Department was far more specific and blunt. In our one-on-one conversation, he said, "I can't conscience my government's empty pro-democracy rhetoric. But in reality, we let pro-democracy dissidents mowed down by authoritarian regimes." </p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 30px;color:rgb(66,71,76);font-family:Lato,sans-serif;font-size:14px">He gave an example of the crushed Hungarian uprisings against the Soviet-backed regime in Budapest during the Eisenhower presidency in 1956. Over 20,000 Hungarian democratic activists were slaughtered, and Washington's support, which was never intended to be real, well, never came. He recounted in his meetings with the Chinese counterparts in Beijing, how he dropped the official script of Washington's pro-democracy concerns for Burma, in hopes that the Chinese Communist Party leadership may get the message that the giant neighbour had nothing to fear of U.S. backing for the Burmese democratic opposition. For there was no such thing! Since the Hungarian uprisings, there have been too many cases of pro-democratic and pro-Western movements and governments, that Washington has abandoned. Among them were Burma's neighbours, namely South Vietnam and Cambodia. The latest was Afghanistan falling back under the Taliban. Abandoned by their American allies in power, pro-American democrats in Saigon in the 1970's and Kabul in 2020, desperately trying to get on the last U.S. transport aircrafts, has now become a gut-wrenching iconic image in 'socio' media and on TV screens.</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 30px;color:rgb(66,71,76);font-family:Lato,sans-serif;font-size:14px">Alas, such warmth, honesty and solidarity don't extend beyond individual officials. You may be friends with U.S. officials. But their government is <em style="box-sizing:inherit">not </em>a friend of your struggle. That is, unless supporting your resistance advances America's core interests, ala Ukraine. This was a rude awakening for me personally, which in turn compelled me to seek an alternative of finding ways to reconcile with the oppressive military leadership. In the absence of real support from the U.S. in particular and the liberal West in general, I sought to explore ways to help end the country's vicious cycle of violence and counter-violence, repression and resistance. My efforts came to nothing. Now I feel I am back to where I started some 20 years ago when I split with Aung San Suu Kyi-led flagship opposition movement and advocated the stance, "we must talk to the generals".</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 30px;color:rgb(66,71,76);font-family:Lato,sans-serif;font-size:14px">I knew that Washington would sell us, democrats, down the river. Then President Barack Obama and his Secretary of State Hilary Clinton went to Aung San Suu Kyi's fabled colonial mansion in Rangoon, with global publicity and fanfare, but they removed her only leverage, namely financial sanctions against her military captors. According to Obama's National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes, in her meeting with the U.S. President at the Oval Office in 2013, the Burmese opposition leader did ask Obama to retain financial sanctions. She wanted to use them as bargaining chips in her dealings with the generals. But beholden to the interests of American corporations, Obama offered Suu Kyi an all-or-nothing option. U.S. businesses could not wait to enter Burma as the virgin economy where the Chinese, Singaporean, Thais, Malaysians, South Koreans and Taiwanese had already built toeholds during the years of sanctions.</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 30px;color:rgb(66,71,76);font-family:Lato,sans-serif;font-size:14px">To labour the obvious, the world's most powerful government would do anything to pursue its core interests – not values. Since its founding as a white settler colony, the U.S. has, according to the Congressional Research Services studies, waged over 300 wars and invasions, declared and undeclared wars, "legal" (that is, UN Security Council-authorized) and illegal invasions, covert and overt, sanctions or lifting them, at their convenience. There just isn't significant enough U.S. interests insofar as Myanmar for Washington to really support the Burmese democratic resistance – most violent, widespread and unprecedented in history – which sprang up organically in virtually all ethnic communities and in different social classes. </p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 30px;color:rgb(66,71,76);font-family:Lato,sans-serif;font-size:14px">Two years since the universally opposed military coup of February 2021, the U.S. has only offered the nationwide democratic resistance, made up of Generation Z fighters and several major ethnic resistance organizations (for instance, the Karen National Union, Chin National Front, and Karenni Progressive People's Party) "notional" support, to use former U.S. Ambassador to Burma Scot Marciel's adjective. In the face of 3,000 deaths and 20,000 arrests of Burmese resisters since the violent crackdown of nationwide peaceful protests began, all that the U.S., both Congress and the Biden Administration could do is the provision of "non-lethal assistance" and humanitarian assistance, in addition to a mix of empty statements of condemnation of this or that misdeed by the junta, and dribble of economic sanctions against a handful of Burmese businessmen and entities tied to the junta. </p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 30px;color:rgb(66,71,76);font-family:Lato,sans-serif;font-size:14px">Typically, U.S. officials such as Derek Cholet holds up photo ops with the leaders of the National Unity Government (NUG) and well-timed and well-publicized visits to its "Information Office" in Washington as Exhibit A of the American support. The Russian invasion of Ukraine and the reactive "unity of the West" in support of Ukrainian people's defence for their democratic rights have stripped bare Washington's pro-democracy rhetoric. The day NUG "Foreign Minister" Zin Mar Aung had a photo-op with British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly at the British Foreign Ministry in London, Washington's proxy-in-chief Zalensky addressed the British Parliament and openly demanded – I repeat demanded, not requested – fighter jets and more weapons.</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 30px;color:rgb(66,71,76);font-family:Lato,sans-serif;font-size:14px">Some 25 years ago, I met James Woosley, former CIA director and a staunch proponent of the regime change in Bagdad, at a close American friend's book launch party in Washington, DC. I asked the spook for his advice on the subject of removing the Burmese dictatorship "back home." He exclaimed, "you need a lot of money!". And the man knew what he was talking about. No resistance or regime change could be undertaken on empty stomach or with poor arms. Within seven days of Myanmar coup two years ago, President Joe Biden was seen on live TV news, talking tough against the Burmese coup regime while proceeding to announce his executive decision to freeze US$1 billion that belongs to Myanmar state (that is, people) as a first step towards supporting Myanmar's pro-democracy movement. Like Woosley, Biden, who routinely voted funding Israel, the largest recipient of U.S. military assistance, for 30 years and supported the invasions of Iraq by the two Bush presidencies, too knows very well how costly war and resistance financing is. </p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 30px;color:rgb(66,71,76);font-family:Lato,sans-serif;font-size:14px">And yet Biden refuses to release that $1 billion to be used for the resistance. The lame excuse from the Americans was that they were safekeeping the money for rebuilding Burma as a federal democracy. But without removing the dictatorship no possibility exists for any reconstruction of Burma. Biden's silence and omission of the Burmese resistance speaks volumes. In Biden's remarks at the Summit for Democracy Virtual Plenary on Democracy Delivering on Global Challenges" delivered in Washington on March 29, Biden singled out "the unprecedented unity we've seen from democracies condemning Russia's brutal war of aggression against Ukraine and standing in solidarity with the brave Ukrainian people as they defend their democracy". And yet the man who froze $1 billion USD and, only two years ago, promised more in action to support the Burmese people who too defend their democracy, however flawed, chose <em style="box-sizing:inherit">not</em> to even make an obligatory mention.</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 30px;color:rgb(66,71,76);font-family:Lato,sans-serif;font-size:14px">For revolutionary movements to succeed they need friends, particularly "frontline states", that is, neighbours adjacent to the theatres of resistance. To gain support and solidarity from neighbours is of paramount importance, particularly in light of the complete absence of real support from "democracies of the world". Admittedly, none of Burma's neighbours has shown any interest in or will to partner with or recognize the NUG, or support the broader resistance of ethnic resistance organizations and democratic resisters. As democrats we are in-between rock and the hard place. Beijing considers the Burmese resistance – in particular the NUG – as nothing but a semi-proxy propped up by Washington. As democrats and resisters against six decades of a mass-murderous military, we must bang our heads together and rethink the leadership, their orientation, capacities and achievements, against hard, cold odds. </p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 30px;color:rgb(66,71,76);font-family:Lato,sans-serif;font-size:14px">—</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 30px;color:rgb(66,71,76);font-family:Lato,sans-serif;font-size:14px">Maung Zarni is the co-author of Essays on Myanmar's Genocide of Rohingyas (2012-18). He is a UK-based Burmese exile with over 30-years of first-hand involvement and scholarship in Burma affairs. <br></p></div></div><div style="text-align:center"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> brafahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05160310785311009150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9039266979086985431.post-50507971477388541042023-04-04T01:15:00.001-05:002023-04-04T01:15:58.806-05:00How India Betrayed the Rakhine People – And Why It Matters Today<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div style="text-align:center"><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000">Source <a href="https://thediplomat.com/2023/02/how-india-betrayed-the-rakhine-people-and-why-it-matters-today/?fbclid=IwAR2UROrbDcf3VCo99MOhV64rSIE3QXDveupQeSYtDlCP9bDjsGaKLTRH2lI">TheDiplomat</a>, 10 Feb 2023</font></div><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000"><br></font></div><div style="text-align:left"><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;font-family:"Noto Serif",serif;font-size:18px;line-height:30px">Twenty-five years ago this week, India's government betrayed the people of Rakhine State in western Myanmar, when its armed forces smashed a nascent Rakhine revolutionary group in a remote part of the Andaman Islands. In the years since, the Indian government has never referred publicly to the incident, but it continues to resonate among the Rakhine people, who remember it as Gen. Khaing Raza's Day, or Betrayal of India over Rakhine Revolution Day. In a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Rogue-Agent-Military-Intelligence-Resistance/dp/0143064894" style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(0,150,136)">2009 book</a>, the prominent Indian human rights lawyer Nandita Haksar described the incident as "infamous."</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;font-family:"Noto Serif",serif;font-size:18px;line-height:30px">On the morning of February 11, 1998, the Indian military launched a brutal operation codenamed Leech, in which it raided Landfall Island in the Andaman Sea, arresting at least 73 people, and killing at least six rebels. These included the Arakan Army commander Gen. Khiang Raza and Maj. Soe Tun and two leaders of the Karen National Union.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;font-family:"Noto Serif",serif;font-size:18px;line-height:30px">As the India-based news outlet Quint <a href="https://www.thequint.com/news/india/indian-army-operation-leech-what-was-military-operation-what-went-down#read-more" style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(0,150,136)">reported</a> in 2019, 35 of the 73 people arrested were fishermen and were released after a year of detention on the island; two were Thai boatmen who were also released; two more reportedly tried to escape and went missing. The remaining 34 people were Rakhine and Karen rebels from Myanmar. Their trial took place in secret, and they were held in jail for 13 years, six-and-a-half of those years without charge. The 34 men were only released in 2011, when they were granted refugee status by the United Nations refugee agency and resettled in the Netherlands.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;font-family:"Noto Serif",serif;font-size:18px;line-height:30px">The violent incident brought to a premature end the first serious attempt to form a Rakhine nationalist resistance against Myanmar's military junta. The Arakan Army (AA) was initially formed in February 1991 by a group of patriotic Rakhines including Gen. Khaing Raza, with support from the Karen National Union (KNU), on the Myanmar-Thailand border. Shortly after its formation, at least 60 AA rebels attempted to travel from southeast Myanmar to Rakhine State on the Myanmar-Bangladesh border in early May 1991. The group confronted clashes for a month with the Myanmar military, and only 40 of them arrived at the border safely. In 1992, and 1993, the group sent a couple more consignments of troops and weapons from the Myanmar-Thailand border to the Bangladesh border area.</p><h3 style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;font-size:16px;line-height:24px;color:rgb(38,50,56)">DIPLOMAT BRIEF</h3><h4 style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;font-size:12px;line-height:13px;color:rgb(176,190,197)">WEEKLY NEWSLETTER</h4><span style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;font-family:"Noto Serif",serif;font-size:90px;line-height:66px;letter-spacing:0.05em;color:rgb(236,239,241)">N</span><div class="gmail-td-main" style="box-sizing:border-box;padding:12px 0px;color:rgb(69,90,100);border-top:2px solid rgb(236,239,241)"><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;font-family:"Noto Serif",serif;font-size:18px;line-height:30px">Get briefed on the story of the week, and developing stories to watch across the Asia-Pacific.</p><a class="gmail-td-btn gmail-td-btn--full-width gmail-td-btn--no-margin" href="https://thediplomat.com/newsletter/" style="background-color:rgb(124,163,168);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(255,255,255);text-decoration-line:none;display:block;font-size:0px;line-height:0;padding:6px;border:0px;margin:0px;white-space:nowrap;text-overflow:ellipsis;text-transform:uppercase;border-radius:4px;overflow:hidden;min-width:36px;min-height:36px;outline:none;width:300px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:12px;letter-spacing:0.025em;font-weight:700;line-height:24px;float:left;display:inline-block;padding:0px 6px">GET THE NEWSLETTER</span><i style="box-sizing:border-box;float:right;display:inline-block;width:24px;height:24px;vertical-align:middle"></i></a></div><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;font-family:"Noto Serif",serif;font-size:18px;line-height:30px">In January 1994, at least four Rakhine revolutionary groups made the historic decision to merge into a single organization: the National United Party of Arakan (NUPA), with an armed wing, also known as the Arakan Army (AA). The group's goal was home rule for the Rakhine. The AA was at this point re-formed under the leadership of seven commanders, including Gen. Khaing Raza and Maj. Saw Tun. By 1997, the strength of the army had grown to 500 troops armed with some 200 rifles, and it had established a small naval force.</p><p class="gmail-td-ad-inline gmail-td-ad-inline-txt" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;font-family:"Noto Serif",serif;font-size:18px;line-height:30px"><a href="https://thediplomat.com/subscriptions/" style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(0,150,136)"><span style="font-weight:bolder;box-sizing:border-box">Enjoying this article?</span> Click here to subscribe for full access. Just $5 a month.</a></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;font-family:"Noto Serif",serif;font-size:18px;line-height:30px"><span style="font-weight:bolder;box-sizing:border-box">India's Betrayal</span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;font-family:"Noto Serif",serif;font-size:18px;line-height:30px">After the Arakan Army (AA)'s formation in 1991, Khaing Raza established a good relationship with officers from the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), India's foreign intelligence agency, with whom he regularly shared information. Three years after the Rakhine revolutionary groups merged in 1994, these relations improved further and RAW officers eventually introduced Khaing Raza to a number of Indian military commanders and intelligence officers. Chief among these was the military intelligence officer Lt.-Col. Biswajit Singh Grewal, who notably had been born in Myanmar and studied at the University of Mandalay, and was fluent in the Burmese language. (He even had a Burmese name, Nay Win). In January 1995, Lt.-Gen. Pradeep Chandran Nair, commander in chief of the Assam Rifles, visited the NUPA/AA base along the India-Myanmar border, and met with Khaing Raza.</p><div id="gmail-attachment_237643" class="gmail-wp-caption gmail-alignright gmail-size-full gmail-wp-image-237643" style="box-sizing:border-box;background:rgb(236,239,241);font-size:18px;line-height:0;overflow:hidden;float:right;display:inline-block;max-width:100%"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-237643" class="gmail-size-full gmail-wp-image-237643" src="https://manage.thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/thediplomat_2023-02-10-091733.jpeg" alt="" width="2048" height="1705" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; width: 704px; height: auto;"><p id="gmail-caption-attachment-237643" class="gmail-wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;font-size:16px;line-height:24px;padding:6px 12px 12px;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial">Former Rakhine marine leaders (from left): Maj. Kyan Sein Maung, Maj. Khine Kyaw Khine, Gen. Khaing Raza, and Capt. Mra Aung. (Photo courtesy of Maj. Khine Kyaw Khine)</p></div>ADVERTISEMENT<div class="gmail-td-ad-body" style="box-sizing:border-box;border-top:2px solid rgb(236,239,241)"><div id="gmail-div-gpt-ad-1343666802946-2" class="gmail-td-ad gmail-td-ad--gpt" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:0px;line-height:0;text-align:center;padding:0px;margin:12px 0px"><div id="gmail-google_ads_iframe_/4711575/Medium-Rectangle_0__container__" style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0pt none;display:inline-block;width:300px;height:250px"></div></div></div><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;font-family:"Noto Serif",serif;font-size:18px;line-height:30px">In early 1997, the NUPA/AA and KNU top leaders decided to establish a base in the Andaman Sea, to provide them access to the Ayeyarwady River delta in southern Myanmar. Maj. Saw Tun spoke to Lt. Col. Grewal, who initially allowed the NUPA/AA to set up a base first on Narcondam island, and then on Landfall Island, in the north of the Andaman Islands chain, around 300 kilometers from Myanmar's coast.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;font-family:"Noto Serif",serif;font-size:18px;line-height:30px">A month later, Saw Tun was taken to Landfall Island on an Indian Army flight, alongside Grewal. In May of that year, the NUPA/AA marine commander, Maj. Khaing Kyaw Khaing, and his group had attempted to reach the island by sea, but they gave up due to a heavy storm in the area. Next month, Grewal flew to Bangkok to meet with KNU and NUPA/AA leaders, and agreed that they could relocate to the island on February 11, 1998.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;font-family:"Noto Serif",serif;font-size:18px;line-height:30px">On February 8, 1998, a group of 40 men – 27 from the NUPA/AA and 13 from the KNU – led by Khaing Raza and Saw Tun departed for Landfall Island in two ships from the coast of Tanintharyi Region in southern Myanmar. They arrived on the evening of February 10 and slept one night there.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;font-family:"Noto Serif",serif;font-size:18px;line-height:30px">Then, early the next morning, Indian military officers, including Grewal, launched Operation Leech, executing at least four leaders from the NUPA/AA including Khaing Raza and Saw Tun, two KNU leaders, and two other Myanmar rebels. As mentioned above, the remaining 34 were taken into custody.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;font-family:"Noto Serif",serif;font-size:18px;line-height:30px">The Indian military informed New Delhi that Operation Leech had smashed a group of "gunrunners" who had been aiding anti-Indian separatists in the country's northeast. However, former Khaing Kyaw Khaing, formerly one of seven founding commanders of the AA, told this author recently that the leaders aimed to fight the military regime in Myanmar, and went to Landfall Island trusting India's promise that it would allow them a safe haven there. He said that the Indian military completely destroyed the embryonic Rakhine revolutionary force, describing it as an unforgettable betrayal of "all of our Arakanese."</p><div id="gmail-attachment_237644" class="gmail-wp-caption gmail-alignright gmail-wp-image-237644 gmail-size-full" style="box-sizing:border-box;background:rgb(236,239,241);font-size:18px;line-height:0;overflow:hidden;float:right;display:inline-block;max-width:100%"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-237644" class="gmail-wp-image-237644 gmail-size-full" src="https://manage.thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/thediplomat_2023-02-10-091807.jpeg" alt="" width="2048" height="1627" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; width: 704px; height: auto;"><p id="gmail-caption-attachment-237644" class="gmail-wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;font-size:16px;line-height:24px;padding:6px 12px 12px;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial">Lt. Gen. Pradeep Chandran Nair, commander in chief of the Assam Rifles (center, in blue shirt), during a visit to the NUPA/AA base along the India-Myanmar border, January 23, 1995. (Photo courtesy Maj. Khine Kyaw Khine).</p></div><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;font-family:"Noto Serif",serif;font-size:18px;line-height:30px">Indeed, DB Nandi, a former Indian intelligence officer and RAW deputy chief who worked in Myanmar, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/oct/08/india.burma" style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(0,150,136)">told The Guardian in 2007</a> that the Indian military operation was explicitly intended to destroy the Rakhine revolutionary movement. In 2019, Grewal, now retired, <a href="https://www.thequint.com/news/india/indian-army-operation-leech-what-was-military-operation-what-went-down#read-more" style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(0,150,136)">told local news outlets</a> that the operation was not carried out on the army's own initiative, and that it had approval from New Delhi.</p><p class="gmail-td-ad-inline gmail-td-ad-inline-txt" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;font-family:"Noto Serif",serif;font-size:18px;line-height:30px"><a href="https://thediplomat.com/subscriptions/" style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(0,150,136)"><span style="font-weight:bolder;box-sizing:border-box">Enjoying this article?</span> Click here to subscribe for full access. Just $5 a month.</a></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;font-family:"Noto Serif",serif;font-size:18px;line-height:30px">After the events on Landfall Island in 1998, few people in western Myanmar believed that a Rakhine rebellion against the Myanmar military could succeed, given India's evident hostility to the cause and the group's inability to establish a base along the Myanmar-India border. It was only since the rebirth of the Arakan Army in 2009 that these dreams of Rakhine home rule have stirred back to life.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;font-family:"Noto Serif",serif;font-size:18px;line-height:30px"><span style="font-weight:bolder;box-sizing:border-box">The New Arakan Army and Its Relations with New Delhi</span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;font-family:"Noto Serif",serif;font-size:18px;line-height:30px">Fifteen years after the Indian army smashed the NUPA/AA on Landfall Island, another version of the Arakan Army was formed by Maj. Gen. Twan Mrat Naing and 25 comrades in April 2009 in Laiza, on the Chinese border in Kachin State, with support from the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).</p>ADVERTISEMENT<div class="gmail-td-ad-body" style="box-sizing:border-box;border-top:2px solid rgb(236,239,241)"><div id="gmail-div-gpt-ad-1572275980546-0" class="gmail-td-ad gmail-td-ad--gpt" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:0px;line-height:0;text-align:center;padding:0px;margin:12px 0px"><div id="gmail-google_ads_iframe_/4711575/Medium-Rectangle-2_0__container__" style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0pt none"></div></div></div><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;font-family:"Noto Serif",serif;font-size:18px;line-height:30px">In the years since, the AA has grown considerably. It now has <a href="https://asiatimes.com/2022/01/rebel-yell-arakan-army-leader-speaks-to-asia-times/" style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(0,150,136)">30,000 troops under arms</a>, mainly in Rakhine State, though at least 6,000 troops are stationed in areas controlled by the AA's allies in the north and northeast of the country. Recently, the group's political wing, the United League of Arakan (ULA), claimed that it enjoyed <a href="https://www.frontiermyanmar.net/en/arakan-army-extends-administrative-grip-on-rakhine-state/" style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(0,150,136)">de facto control over two-thirds of Rakhine</a>. During 2018-2020, analysts described fighting between the AA and the Myanmar military as <a href="https://www.crisisgroup.org/asia/south-east-asia/myanmar/b164-elections-ceasefire-myanmars-rakhine-state" style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(0,150,136)">the fiercest Myanmar had seen in decades</a>.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;font-family:"Noto Serif",serif;font-size:18px;line-height:30px">Relations between the New Delhi government and the ULA/AA during the armed conflict of 2018-2020 have been curious. Although India is the world's largest democracy, its government has traditionally maintained good relations with Myanmar's military. From February 17 to March 2, 2019, amid fighting between the AA and Myanmar military in Rakhine State, the Indian military took part in the <a href="http://www.indiandefencereview.com/news/operation-sunrise/" style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(0,150,136)">joint Operation Sunrise</a> with the Myanmar military against the AA in the India-Myanmar border area. Its operation was intended to eliminate the AA from the border region, where India is hoping to implement the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project connecting Mizoram to Kolkata via Rakhine State's capital Sittwe.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;font-family:"Noto Serif",serif;font-size:18px;line-height:30px">The Indian government seemingly believed that the armed movement of the ULA/AA was just a temporary uprising and that the Myanmar military would eventually be able to eradicate the insurgents. However, the armed conflict of 2018-2020 ended with AA still in control of its main strongholds in Rakhine, which seems to have shifted opinion within Indian decision-making circles about the need to negotiate with the ULA/AA. On August 11 of last year, for instance, the ULA/AA spokesperson said in an online press conference that the group had taken part in negotiations with New Delhi on the implementation of the Kaladan project.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;font-family:"Noto Serif",serif;font-size:18px;line-height:30px">However, the Indian government still hasn't openly engaged with the ULA/AA, and in order to maintain good relations with the Myanmar military, has remained mostly silent about the atrocities committed by the military since its coup on February 1, 2021, despite the junta <a href="https://aappb.org/?p=24038" style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(0,150,136)">arresting over 17,000 and killing nearly 2,900 of its own citizens</a>, including children. Instead, the Indian government is trying to <a href="https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/india-and-myanmar-junta-using-rakhine-truce-to-finalize-trade-corridor.html" style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(0,150,136)">finalize and implement the Kaladan transport project</a>. On January 9, India's Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said the project was "<a href="https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/sittwe-port-that-connects-myanmar-mizoram-ready-for-operation-minister-sarbananda-sonowal-3678003" style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(0,150,136)">ready to operate</a>."</p><div id="gmail-attachment_237642" class="gmail-wp-caption gmail-alignright gmail-size-full gmail-wp-image-237642" style="box-sizing:border-box;background:rgb(236,239,241);font-size:18px;line-height:0;overflow:hidden;float:right;display:inline-block;max-width:100%"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-237642" class="gmail-size-full gmail-wp-image-237642" src="https://manage.thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/thediplomat_2023-02-10-091730.jpeg" alt="" width="2048" height="1429" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; width: 704px; height: auto;"><p id="gmail-caption-attachment-237642" class="gmail-wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;font-size:16px;line-height:24px;padding:6px 12px 12px;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial">NULA/AA officials Khaing Mra Wa, Gen. Khaing Raza, and Maj. Khine Kyaw Khine after meeting with officers from the Indian intelligence agency RAW, at the Vara Va camp in the India-Bangladesh-Myanmar border area, December, 22, 1995. (Photo courtesy Maj. Khine Kyaw Khine)</p></div><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;font-family:"Noto Serif",serif;font-size:18px;line-height:30px">Overall, India's current approach toward Myanmar is puzzling. The local security apparatus in India's eastern provinces has frequently arrested not just the members of <a href="https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/explosives-for-myanmar-resistance-group-seized-in-india.html" style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(0,150,136)">the anti-junta resistance</a> but also <a href="https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/india-arrests-80-myanmar-refugees-who-fled-junta-attacks-in-sagaing.html#:~:text=India%20Arrests%2080%20Myanmar%20Refugees%20Who%20Fled%20Junta%20Attacks%20in%20Sagaing,-Indian%20police%20arrest&text=At%20least%2080%20mainly%20elderly,Sagaing%20Region%20a%20year%20ago." style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(0,150,136)">refugees</a> who have fled across the Myanmar-India border due to Myanmar military attacks. Another critical issue is the fact that the Myanmar junta forces have used <a href="https://www.irrawaddy.com/opinion/guest-column/indian-rebels-now-brothers-in-arms-with-myanmar-military.html" style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(0,150,136)">Indian rebel forces to stage attacks against</a> the resistance in the upper Sagaing Region, close to India's border.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;font-family:"Noto Serif",serif;font-size:18px;line-height:30px">However, the growing strength of the Rakhine movement for home rule, led by the ULA/AA, demonstrates that New Delhi's strategy toward the current junta is serving neither its national interest nor the interests of the Myanmar people. When it comes to the Kaladan project in northern Rakhine State, a priority for New Delhi, the government's current approach is mostly counterproductive, given the ULA/AA's influence over the Rakhine State.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;font-family:"Noto Serif",serif;font-size:18px;line-height:30px">Now is the time for New Delhi to remedy the mistakes in its policy toward the Rakhine conflict and the country's anti-junta resistance movement more broadly. A good place to start would be to acknowledge India's betrayal of the Rakhine revolution in 1998 and atone for its past mistakes by forging a new cooperative path with the Rakhine people.</p>AUTHORS<div class="gmail-td-posts" style="box-sizing:border-box;padding-bottom:3px;overflow:hidden"><div class="gmail-td-post" style="box-sizing:border-box;overflow:hidden;color:rgb(69,90,100);border-top:2px solid rgb(236,239,241);padding-bottom:10px"><img alt="Kyaw Hsan Hlaing" title="Kyaw Hsan Hlaing" src="https://thediplomat.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/sizes/td-list-xs-1/thediplomat_2023-02-08-023802.jpg" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; width: 58px; height: 58px; border-radius: 29px;"><h5 style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:12px 82px 0px 0px;font-size:10px;line-height:12px;color:rgb(204,0,0);text-transform:uppercase;white-space:nowrap;overflow:hidden;text-overflow:ellipsis">GUEST AUTHOR</h5><h4 style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 82px 0px 0px;line-height:24px;color:rgb(51,51,51);padding:5px 0px 0px">Kyaw Hsan Hlaing</h4><div style="box-sizing:border-box;padding:0px 0px 7px;margin:0px 82px 0px 0px"><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px">Kyaw Hsan Hlaing is an independent journalist and regular contributor to The Diplomat.</p></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000"><br></font></div></div><div style="text-align:center"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> brafahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05160310785311009150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9039266979086985431.post-34594425063038022392022-11-03T06:22:00.001-05:002022-11-03T06:22:22.446-05:00BURMA’S ARAKAN ARMY REPLICATES RUSSIA’S PROPAGANDA PLAYBOOK, ARGUES ZARNI<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div style="text-align:center"><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000">Source <a href="http://BURMA'S ARAKAN ARMY REPLICATES RUSSIA'S PROPAGANDA PLAYBOOK, ARGUES ZARNI">DVB</a>, 11 Oct</font></div><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000"><br></font></div><div style="text-align:left"><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 30px;color:rgb(66,71,76);font-family:Lato,sans-serif;font-size:14px">While the world's attention is fixated on the escalating NATO-Russia proxy war taking place on Ukraine's soil, with its nuclear saber-rattling and domino effect on the world's economy, on Burma's western front, the decades-old triangular conflict deserves some serious attention as the deeply troubled country's civil war has widened to engulf external powers, including the neighbouring country of Bangladesh.</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 30px;color:rgb(66,71,76);font-family:Lato,sans-serif;font-size:14px">This appears to be a case wherein one of Burma's key actors, namely the Arakan Army (AA) – with its Buddhist Rakhine nationalist base – is replicating Vladimir Putin's tactical moves in Ukraine. </p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 30px;color:rgb(66,71,76);font-family:Lato,sans-serif;font-size:14px">The AA is a separatist ethnic militia estimated to be 30,000-strong, and has been equipped with Chinese-made weapons. Its ethno-political base of Rakhine known for their genocidal racism and collaborative deeds against the Rohingya – reportedly base themselves among Rohingya villages – as opposed to their own Buddhist communities from which the AA draws its rank-and-file fighters. </p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 30px;color:rgb(66,71,76);font-family:Lato,sans-serif;font-size:14px">Rohingya activists in the diaspora have kept quiet about this deeply troubling development – that the AA have encamped themselves among Rohingya communities. Some tried to give the impression of impartiality that Rohingyas were being caught in the "crossfire" between the AA and the genocidal Burma Army. Understandably, Rohingyas are between a rock and a hard place – insofar as the collaborators in genocide against their communities are now fighting ferociously against each other. </p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 30px;color:rgb(66,71,76);font-family:Lato,sans-serif;font-size:14px">But that silence, and that "crossfire" narrative, came to a loud end when a Rakhine sniper killed Shekul Islam, a 45-year-old Rohingya community leader and educator who happened to be a close relative (uncle) of Wai Wai Nu, a celebrated human rights activist. </p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 30px;color:rgb(66,71,76);font-family:Lato,sans-serif;font-size:14px">Khaing Thukha, the AA spokesperson, denied responsibility for the killing and shifted the blame onto the Burma Army while speaking to RFA Burmese on Oct. 9. Tun Khin, president of the UK-based Burmese Rohingya Organization – UK (BROUK), took to Twitter: "Having spoken to the sources on the ground, it is clear that AA is responsible for (the) killing …."</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 30px;color:rgb(66,71,76);font-family:Lato,sans-serif;font-size:14px">The problem is incomparably bigger than the murder of a Rohingya leader and which party – the AA or the Burma Army – was behind the killing. Rather, it is the evidently sinister use of Rohingya villages and neighbourhoods along the Burma-Bangladesh border, as the chosen battlefield. </p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 30px;color:rgb(66,71,76);font-family:Lato,sans-serif;font-size:14px">Throughout my recent travels in the former Yugoslavia, I have had numerous in-depth discussions with my scholar friends who survived the "Balkanization" where ethno-religious triangular politics – among the Orthodox Serbs, Catholic Croats and Muslim Bosnians (or Bosniaks) – had produced nasty genocidal violence and concentration camps in the early 1990s. Some of them are now experts on the ethnic conflicts in their ancestral homelands. </p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 30px;color:rgb(66,71,76);font-family:Lato,sans-serif;font-size:14px">According to one scholar who specializes in paramilitaries and mercenaries across the Slavic regions – North and South (including Ukraine) – Putin has deployed the tactics of placing pro-Russian separatist militias in the civilian neighbourhoods of the Donbas region, where administrative buildings – including police and security stations – are mixed in with civilian homes and business. The move, explained my scholar friend, was designed to lure Ukraine's infamous neo-Nazi Azov regiment on to the battlefield. </p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 30px;color:rgb(66,71,76);font-family:Lato,sans-serif;font-size:14px">It worked as Moscow had anticipated. The Ukrainian Azov-commanded units launched a counter-offensive against the separatist militias, having killed an unknown number of Russian-speaking civilians. The Azov units handed Putin the much-desired evidence, which Moscow then used to make the case at the UN that the Russian Federation was acting as the benevolent protector of the Russian population in Ukraine bordering Russia. To be sure, no two parallels are identical in international politics or history of conflicts. Actors and contexts differ. </p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 30px;color:rgb(66,71,76);font-family:Lato,sans-serif;font-size:14px">The Rakhine separatist militia AA's reported use of Rohingya villages in Maungdaw Township as their temporary bases immediately adjacent to Bangladesh has become home to an estimated one million Rohingya genocide survivors. This strikes me as remarkably similar to Putin's cold-blooded, calculated, use of Russian civilians in the separatist Donbas region of Ukraine. </p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 30px;color:rgb(66,71,76);font-family:Lato,sans-serif;font-size:14px">In Burma, I have spent the last decade arguing that the genocide perpetrated against the Rohingyas can only be fully understood as the culmination of the triangular ethnic power struggle among the three primary parties in the conflict. The Burmese central government, both civilian and military, the Buddhist Rakhine, who make up roughly two-thirds of the population in the strategic coastal region (with their decades-old independence aspirations), and the predominantly Muslim Rohingyas whose mass exodus in 2016 and 2017 have been a topic of international judicial and policy concern among UN bodies (such as the International Court of Justice, or ICJ, and the International Criminal Court, or ICC, the UN Human Rights Council, along with technical agencies like the UNHCR), along with the UN Security Council, namely China and the U.S.</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 30px;color:rgb(66,71,76);font-family:Lato,sans-serif;font-size:14px">In the last and largest wave of genocidal violence against the Rohingya in 2017, both local Rakhine extremists and the Burma Army joined forces to ethnically cleanse the Rohingya Muslim villages, towns and cities. The Rohingya are forced to live in segregated neighbourhoods similar to those in Northern Ireland during the Troubles (between Protestant Unionists and Catholic Republicans). </p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 30px;color:rgb(66,71,76);font-family:Lato,sans-serif;font-size:14px">Because the global judicial processes have focussed on Burma's central role in perpetrating genocide, more specifically in 2016 and 2017, anti-Rohingya and anti-Muslim Rakhine nationalist leaders have busied themselves, reinventing their local communities as "justice-minded." </p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 30px;color:rgb(66,71,76);font-family:Lato,sans-serif;font-size:14px">The AA leadership has reportedly handed over one or two Burma Army defectors, whom they had captured alive, to UN investigators while dimming the light on their active complicity and collaboration five years ago. But now they are fighting for their (Rakhine) independence. </p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 30px;color:rgb(66,71,76);font-family:Lato,sans-serif;font-size:14px">But irrespective of which Rakhine nationalist leader or organization is in the driver's seat of the separatist movement, what universally undergirds its ethno-religious nationalism is the view that the majority Rakhine Buddhist population are the only indigenous or "sons of the fatherland" and hence the rightful owners of the region. </p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 30px;color:rgb(66,71,76);font-family:Lato,sans-serif;font-size:14px">Through this mono-ethnic nationalist lens, the rest of the region's inhabitants such as the Muslims, including the Rohingya whom Rakhine Buddhists outnumber by three-to-one, are "guests" or "migrants" from Bangladesh. As a matter of fact, while promoting itself as a modern, liberal pro-human rights group, the Rakhine nationalists in the media as well as the senior leadership of the AA have refused to allow them to self-identify as Rohingya. Strikingly, the Rakhine nationalist sentiments and views are no different from the Bama nationalist discourses, popularized across Burma's dominant Buddhist society and institutionalized within the Burma Army.</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 30px;color:rgb(66,71,76);font-family:Lato,sans-serif;font-size:14px">The AA Commander-in-Chief Twan Mrat Naing, formerly a Thailand-based English-tour-guide-turned-separatist-leader, has cleverly outfoxed the Bama leadership in terms of its propaganda aimed at human rights-sensitive audiences (that is, the international media, the UN, and foreign governments). </p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 30px;color:rgb(66,71,76);font-family:Lato,sans-serif;font-size:14px">You have to give it to Rakhine separatist media strategists for their brilliant manipulation of international concerns of Rohingya genocide survivors. They have been able to cultivate the image of themselves as an acceptable alternative to Burma's junta not only among international circles, including Bangladesh and U.S. government entities such as the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), and the Rohingya diaspora in both countries. </p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 30px;color:rgb(66,71,76);font-family:Lato,sans-serif;font-size:14px">It is utterly impossible for any armed group to be more ruthless and murderous than the Burma Army. After the killing of a Rohingya community leader, the community has exploded with all kinds of reports indicating that the AA has also been perpetrating numerous human rights violations, including gang-rape, extortions, kidnapping, torture, forced labour, murder and so on. It is time for the international policy circles and media to sober up and stop drinking the liberally-coated propaganda "Kool-Aid" by the genocidal Rakhine nationalists. </p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 30px;color:rgb(66,71,76);font-family:Lato,sans-serif;font-size:14px">—</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 30px;color:rgb(66,71,76);font-family:Lato,sans-serif;font-size:14px">Maung Zarni is the co-author of Essays on Myanmar's Genocide of Rohingyas (2012-18). He is a UK-based Burmese exile with over 30-years of first-hand involvement and scholarship in Burma affairs. </p></div></div><div style="text-align:center"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> brafahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05160310785311009150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9039266979086985431.post-46699916109903872962022-11-03T06:18:00.001-05:002022-11-03T06:18:23.505-05:00U.N. investigator says Facebook provided vast amount of Myanmar war crimes information<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div style="text-align:center"><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000">Source <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/un-investigator-says-facebook-provided-vast-amount-myanmar-war-crimes-2022-09-12/?fbclid=IwAR2C0N4W8RAJ0tnGtrNU8jj-sTG4nn4YN84dEUFvS1x0cEgNDoxh3qR5HVw">Reuters</a>, 13 Sept</font></div><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000"><br></font></div><div style="text-align:left"><div class="gmail-article-body__primary-asset__2nVOM" role="figure" aria-describedby="primary-image-caption" style="padding-top:1.66667vw;margin-bottom:1.66667vw;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"Times New Roman";font-size:medium"><div class="gmail-stateful-image__container__hH_Q_ gmail-stateful-image__light__2XHJA" style=""><div class="gmail-stateful-image__image__ThpeM" style="height:inherit;background:rgb(175,175,175)"><div class="gmail-image__container__3y02- gmail-image__cover___x5Qd gmail-image__center_center__1ZzJ2 gmail-image__transition__2ibuR gmail-image__lock-ratio__3SwNA" style="height:0px;padding-bottom:496.969px"><img src="https://cloudfront-us-east-2.images.arcpublishing.com/reuters/OWMFMILKGVK5FCY2NEZ6Y4HYZU.jpg" alt="Rohingya refugees gather to mark the fifth anniversary of their fleeing from neighbouring Myanmar to escape a military crackdown in 2017, in Cox's Bazar" class="gmail-image__image__2wACD" style="display: block; width: 745.469px; height: 496.969px; object-fit: cover; object-position: center center; animation: 0.8s ease 0s 1 normal both running image__fadein__4109E;"></div></div></div>Rohingya refugees hold placards as they gather at the Kutupalong Refugee Camp to mark the fifth anniversary of their fleeing from neighbouring Myanmar to escape a military crackdown in 2017, in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, August 25, 2022. REUTERS/Rafiqur Rahman/File Photo</div><div class="gmail-article-body__content__17Yit gmail-paywall-article" style="width:745.469px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"Times New Roman";font-size:medium"><p class="gmail-text__text__1FZLe gmail-text__dark-grey__3Ml43 gmail-text__regular__2N1Xr gmail-text__large__nEccO gmail-body__full_width__ekUdw gmail-body__large_body__FV5_X gmail-article-body__element__2p5pI" style="margin:2.22222vw 0px;padding:0px;line-height:1.6;letter-spacing:0px;font-size:20px;font-family:knowledge-regular,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(64,64,64);max-width:100%">GENEVA, Sept 12 (Reuters) - The head of a U.N. team of investigators on Myanmar said on Monday that Facebook has handed over millions of items that could support allegations of war crimes and genocide.</p><p class="gmail-text__text__1FZLe gmail-text__dark-grey__3Ml43 gmail-text__regular__2N1Xr gmail-text__large__nEccO gmail-body__full_width__ekUdw gmail-body__large_body__FV5_X gmail-article-body__element__2p5pI" style="margin:2.22222vw 0px;padding:0px;line-height:1.6;letter-spacing:0px;font-size:20px;font-family:knowledge-regular,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(64,64,64);max-width:100%">The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) aims to build case files for proceedings in national, regional or international courts. It was established in 2018 by the U.N. Human Rights Council and began work the following year.</p><p class="gmail-text__text__1FZLe gmail-text__dark-grey__3Ml43 gmail-text__regular__2N1Xr gmail-text__large__nEccO gmail-body__full_width__ekUdw gmail-body__large_body__FV5_X gmail-article-body__element__2p5pI" style="margin:2.22222vw 0px;padding:0px;line-height:1.6;letter-spacing:0px;font-size:20px;font-family:knowledge-regular,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(64,64,64);max-width:100%">"Facebook has shared with the mechanism millions of items from networks of accounts that were taken down by the company because they misrepresented their identity," Nicholas Koumjian, head of the IIMM, said in a speech to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.<br></p><p class="gmail-text__text__1FZLe gmail-text__dark-grey__3Ml43 gmail-text__regular__2N1Xr gmail-text__large__nEccO gmail-body__full_width__ekUdw gmail-body__large_body__FV5_X gmail-article-body__element__2p5pI" style="margin:2.22222vw 0px;padding:0px;line-height:1.6;letter-spacing:0px;font-size:20px;font-family:knowledge-regular,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(64,64,64);max-width:100%">Myanmar is facing charges of genocide at the UN's International Court of Justice (ICJ) over a 2017 military crackdown on the Rohingya that forced more than 730,000 people to flee into neighboring Bangladesh.<br></p><p class="gmail-text__text__1FZLe gmail-text__dark-grey__3Ml43 gmail-text__regular__2N1Xr gmail-text__large__nEccO gmail-body__full_width__ekUdw gmail-body__large_body__FV5_X gmail-article-body__element__2p5pI" style="margin:2.22222vw 0px;padding:0px;line-height:1.6;font-size:20px;font-family:knowledge-regular,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(64,64,64);max-width:100%">Facebook, whose parent company changed its name to Meta Platforms Inc <a href="https://www.reuters.com/companies/META.O" target="_blank" class="gmail-text__text__1FZLe gmail-text__dark-grey__3Ml43 gmail-text__medium__1kbOh gmail-text__large__nEccO gmail-link__underline_default__2prE_" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:1;letter-spacing:0px;font-family:knowledge-medium,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(64,64,64)">(META.O)</a> last year, said that they support international efforts for accountability for the crimes committed against the Rohingya.</p><p class="gmail-text__text__1FZLe gmail-text__dark-grey__3Ml43 gmail-text__regular__2N1Xr gmail-text__large__nEccO gmail-body__full_width__ekUdw gmail-body__large_body__FV5_X gmail-article-body__element__2p5pI" style="margin:2.22222vw 0px;padding:0px;line-height:1.6;font-size:20px;font-family:knowledge-regular,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(64,64,64);max-width:100%">"(We) have made voluntary, lawful disclosures to the U.N.'s investigative mechanism as well as disclosures of public information to The Gambia" which has filed the ICJ genocide case, Miranda Sissons, director of human rights policy at Meta, said in an e-mail.</p><div class="gmail-article-header__container__25s8m" style="padding-top:1.66667vw;display:grid;box-sizing:border-box"><div class="gmail-article-header__heading__15OpQ" style="min-height:140px;line-height:1.125;display:flex"><span class="gmail-date-line__date__23Ge-" style="line-height:1.42857">2 minute read</span><span class="gmail-date-line__date__23Ge-" style="line-height:1.42857">September 13, 2022</span><span class="gmail-date-line__date__23Ge-" style="line-height:1.42857">6:56 AM GMT+10</span><span class="gmail-date-line__date__23Ge-" style="line-height:1.42857">Last Updated 2 months ago</span><h1 class="gmail-text__text__1FZLe gmail-text__dark-grey__3Ml43 gmail-text__medium__1kbOh gmail-text__heading_2__1K_hh gmail-heading__base__2T28j gmail-heading__heading_2__3Fcw5" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:1.14;letter-spacing:0px;font-size:48px;font-family:knowledge-medium,Arial,sans-serif;font-weight:500;color:rgb(64,64,64)">U.N. investigator says Facebook provided vast amount of Myanmar war crimes information</h1><div class="gmail-text__text__1FZLe gmail-text__dark-grey__3Ml43 gmail-text__medium__1kbOh gmail-text__small__1kGq2 gmail-article-header__author__3PcB3" style="margin:16px 0px 0px;padding:0px;line-height:1;letter-spacing:0px;font-size:16px;font-family:knowledge-medium,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(64,64,64)"><a href="https://www.reuters.com/authors/reuters/" rel="author" class="gmail-author-name__author__1gx5k" style="display:inline;color:inherit;text-decoration-line:none;line-height:1.5">Reuters</a></div></div></div><div><div class="gmail-article-body__container__3ypuX gmail-article-body__over-6-para__1Ov64" style="display:grid;column-gap:2.22222vw"><div class="gmail-article-body__primary-asset__2nVOM" role="figure" aria-describedby="primary-image-caption" style="padding-top:1.66667vw;margin-bottom:1.66667vw"><div class="gmail-stateful-image__container__hH_Q_ gmail-stateful-image__light__2XHJA" style=""><div class="gmail-stateful-image__image__ThpeM" style="height:inherit;background:rgb(175,175,175)"><div class="gmail-image__container__3y02- gmail-image__cover___x5Qd gmail-image__center_center__1ZzJ2 gmail-image__transition__2ibuR gmail-image__lock-ratio__3SwNA" style="height:0px;padding-bottom:496.969px"><img src="https://cloudfront-us-east-2.images.arcpublishing.com/reuters/OWMFMILKGVK5FCY2NEZ6Y4HYZU.jpg" alt="Rohingya refugees gather to mark the fifth anniversary of their fleeing from neighbouring Myanmar to escape a military crackdown in 2017, in Cox's Bazar" class="gmail-image__image__2wACD" style="display: block; width: 745.469px; height: 496.969px; object-fit: cover; object-position: center center; animation: 0.8s ease 0s 1 normal both running image__fadein__4109E;"></div></div></div>Rohingya refugees hold placards as they gather at the Kutupalong Refugee Camp to mark the fifth anniversary of their fleeing from neighbouring Myanmar to escape a military crackdown in 2017, in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, August 25, 2022. REUTERS/Rafiqur Rahman/File Photo</div><div class="gmail-article-body__content__17Yit gmail-paywall-article" style="width:745.469px"><p class="gmail-text__text__1FZLe gmail-text__dark-grey__3Ml43 gmail-text__regular__2N1Xr gmail-text__large__nEccO gmail-body__full_width__ekUdw gmail-body__large_body__FV5_X gmail-article-body__element__2p5pI" style="margin:2.22222vw 0px;padding:0px;line-height:1.6;letter-spacing:0px;font-size:20px;font-family:knowledge-regular,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(64,64,64);max-width:100%">GENEVA, Sept 12 (Reuters) - The head of a U.N. team of investigators on Myanmar said on Monday that Facebook has handed over millions of items that could support allegations of war crimes and genocide.</p><p class="gmail-text__text__1FZLe gmail-text__dark-grey__3Ml43 gmail-text__regular__2N1Xr gmail-text__large__nEccO gmail-body__full_width__ekUdw gmail-body__large_body__FV5_X gmail-article-body__element__2p5pI" style="margin:2.22222vw 0px;padding:0px;line-height:1.6;letter-spacing:0px;font-size:20px;font-family:knowledge-regular,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(64,64,64);max-width:100%">The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) aims to build case files for proceedings in national, regional or international courts. It was established in 2018 by the U.N. Human Rights Council and began work the following year.</p><div class="gmail-spacing-container__container__2g5QT gmail-spacing-container__max-width__zScFd" style="margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;width:745.469px;box-sizing:border-box;max-width:1440px"><div class="gmail-ad-slot__container__FEnoz gmail-ad-slot__fixed-height__6m70D" style="min-height:415px;display:flex;border-top:1px solid rgb(208,208,208);border-bottom:1px solid rgb(208,208,208)"><span class="gmail-text__text__1FZLe gmail-text__dark-grey__3Ml43 gmail-text__regular__2N1Xr gmail-text__extra_small__1Mw6v gmail-label__label__f9Hew gmail-label__small__274ei gmail-ad-slot__scroll-notice__GCgrV" style="margin:6px 0px;padding:0px;line-height:1.333;letter-spacing:0px;font-size:14px;font-family:knowledge-regular,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(64,64,64);display:block">Advertisement · Scroll to continue</span><div class="gmail-ad-slot__inner__2u45U gmail-ad-slot__inline-canvas__7thaS" style="max-width:100%;width:745.469px;margin:auto 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0px;padding:0px;line-height:1.6;letter-spacing:0px;font-size:20px;font-family:knowledge-regular,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(64,64,64);max-width:100%">"Facebook has shared with the mechanism millions of items from networks of accounts that were taken down by the company because they misrepresented their identity," Nicholas Koumjian, head of the IIMM, said in a speech to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.</p><div class="gmail-article-prompt__container__3uXJV gmail-article-body__element__2p5pI" style="border:1px solid rgb(64,64,64);border-radius:8px;display:flex;overflow:hidden;margin:2.22222vw 0px"><div class="gmail-article-prompt__image-content__3MJtB" style="display:flex;margin-right:39px;height:100px;overflow:hidden"><div class="gmail-article-prompt__image__3RpAa" style="height:220px"><div class="gmail-image__container__3y02- gmail-image__cover___x5Qd gmail-image__center_center__1ZzJ2" style="height:inherit"><img 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now</span></span></button></div></div><p class="gmail-text__text__1FZLe gmail-text__dark-grey__3Ml43 gmail-text__regular__2N1Xr gmail-text__large__nEccO gmail-body__full_width__ekUdw gmail-body__large_body__FV5_X gmail-article-body__element__2p5pI" style="margin:2.22222vw 0px;padding:0px;line-height:1.6;letter-spacing:0px;font-size:20px;font-family:knowledge-regular,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(64,64,64);max-width:100%">Myanmar is facing charges of genocide at the UN's International Court of Justice (ICJ) over a 2017 military crackdown on the Rohingya that forced more than 730,000 people to flee into neighboring Bangladesh.</p><div class="gmail-spacing-container__container__2g5QT gmail-spacing-container__max-width__zScFd" style="margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;width:745.469px;box-sizing:border-box;max-width:1440px"><div class="gmail-desktop-latest-updates__container__3z03m" style="background-color:rgb(244,244,244);padding:8px 0px 20px 7px;width:745.469px"><h3 class="gmail-text__text__1FZLe gmail-text__dark-grey__3Ml43 gmail-text__medium__1kbOh gmail-text__heading_5__2krbj gmail-heading__base__2T28j gmail-heading__heading_5__2A2g- gmail-desktop-latest-updates__heading__2pJOJ" style="margin:0px 0px 8px 9px;padding:0px;line-height:1.25;letter-spacing:0px;font-size:24px;font-family:knowledge-medium,Arial,sans-serif;font-weight:500;color:rgb(64,64,64)">Latest Updates</h3><ul class="gmail-desktop-latest-updates__list__WA9J0" style="margin:0px;padding:0px 23px"><li class="gmail-text__text__1FZLe gmail-text__dark-grey__3Ml43 gmail-text__medium__1kbOh gmail-text__body__yKS5U gmail-body__base__22dCE gmail-body__body_alt__2kEQu gmail-desktop-latest-updates__list-item__1yn2z" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:1.75;letter-spacing:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:knowledge-medium,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(64,64,64);max-width:720px"><a 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href="https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/north-asia-gears-up-peak-winter-energy-demand-season-2022-11-03/" class="gmail-text__text__1FZLe gmail-text__inherit-color__3208F gmail-text__inherit-font__1Y8w3 gmail-text__inherit-size__1DZJi gmail-link__underline_on_hover__2zGL4" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:1;letter-spacing:0px;font-size:inherit;text-decoration-line:none;text-transform:inherit;color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit">Factbox: North Asia gears up for peak winter energy demand season</a></li><li class="gmail-text__text__1FZLe gmail-text__dark-grey__3Ml43 gmail-text__medium__1kbOh gmail-text__body__yKS5U gmail-body__base__22dCE gmail-body__body_alt__2kEQu gmail-desktop-latest-updates__list-item__1yn2z" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:1.75;letter-spacing:0px;font-size:18px;font-family:knowledge-medium,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(64,64,64);max-width:720px"><a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/myanmar-junta-responsible-crisis-says-indonesia-foreign-minister-2022-11-03/" class="gmail-text__text__1FZLe gmail-text__inherit-color__3208F gmail-text__inherit-font__1Y8w3 gmail-text__inherit-size__1DZJi gmail-link__underline_on_hover__2zGL4" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:1;letter-spacing:0px;font-size:inherit;text-decoration-line:none;text-transform:inherit;color:inherit;font-family:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-style:inherit">Myanmar junta responsible for crisis, says Indonesia foreign minister</a></li></ul></div></div><p class="gmail-text__text__1FZLe gmail-text__dark-grey__3Ml43 gmail-text__regular__2N1Xr gmail-text__large__nEccO gmail-body__full_width__ekUdw gmail-body__large_body__FV5_X gmail-article-body__element__2p5pI" style="margin:2.22222vw 0px;padding:0px;line-height:1.6;letter-spacing:0px;font-size:20px;font-family:knowledge-regular,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(64,64,64);max-width:100%">Facebook, whose parent company changed its name to Meta Platforms Inc <a href="https://www.reuters.com/companies/META.O" target="_blank" class="gmail-text__text__1FZLe gmail-text__dark-grey__3Ml43 gmail-text__medium__1kbOh gmail-text__large__nEccO gmail-link__underline_default__2prE_" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;line-height:1;letter-spacing:0px;font-family:knowledge-medium,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(64,64,64)">(META.O)</a> last year, said that they support international efforts for accountability for the crimes committed against the Rohingya.</p><p class="gmail-text__text__1FZLe gmail-text__dark-grey__3Ml43 gmail-text__regular__2N1Xr gmail-text__large__nEccO gmail-body__full_width__ekUdw gmail-body__large_body__FV5_X gmail-article-body__element__2p5pI" style="margin:2.22222vw 0px;padding:0px;line-height:1.6;letter-spacing:0px;font-size:20px;font-family:knowledge-regular,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(64,64,64);max-width:100%">"(We) have made voluntary, lawful disclosures to the U.N.'s investigative mechanism as well as disclosures of public information to The Gambia" which has filed the ICJ genocide case, Miranda Sissons, director of human rights policy at Meta, said in an e-mail.</p><div class="gmail-spacing-container__container__2g5QT gmail-spacing-container__max-width__zScFd" style="margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;width:745.469px;box-sizing:border-box;max-width:1440px"><div class="gmail-ad-slot__container__FEnoz gmail-ad-slot__fixed-height__6m70D" style="min-height:415px;display:flex;border-top:1px solid rgb(208,208,208);border-bottom:1px solid rgb(208,208,208)"><span class="gmail-text__text__1FZLe gmail-text__dark-grey__3Ml43 gmail-text__regular__2N1Xr gmail-text__extra_small__1Mw6v gmail-label__label__f9Hew gmail-label__small__274ei gmail-ad-slot__scroll-notice__GCgrV" style="margin:6px 0px;padding:0px;line-height:1.333;letter-spacing:0px;font-size:14px;font-family:knowledge-regular,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(64,64,64);display:block">Advertisement · Scroll to continue</span><div 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0px;padding:0px;line-height:1.6;letter-spacing:0px;font-size:20px;font-family:knowledge-regular,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(64,64,64);max-width:100%">In 2018, U.N. human rights investigators said the social media site had spread hate speech that fueled the violence in Myanmar. Facebook has said it is working to block hate speech.</p><p class="gmail-text__text__1FZLe gmail-text__dark-grey__3Ml43 gmail-text__regular__2N1Xr gmail-text__large__nEccO gmail-body__full_width__ekUdw gmail-body__large_body__FV5_X gmail-article-body__element__2p5pI" style="margin:2.22222vw 0px;padding:0px;line-height:1.6;letter-spacing:0px;font-size:20px;font-family:knowledge-regular,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(64,64,64);max-width:100%">With the Facebook items and other pieces of information from over 200 sources, the mechanism has prepared 67 "evidential and analytical packages." These packages are intended to be shared with judicial authorities, including the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the ICJ, Koumjian added.</p><p class="gmail-text__text__1FZLe gmail-text__dark-grey__3Ml43 gmail-text__regular__2N1Xr gmail-text__large__nEccO gmail-body__full_width__ekUdw gmail-body__large_body__FV5_X gmail-article-body__element__2p5pI" style="margin:2.22222vw 0px;padding:0px;line-height:1.6;letter-spacing:0px;font-size:20px;font-family:knowledge-regular,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(64,64,64);max-width:100%">The ICC has also opened a case looking at deportation and other crimes against humanity in relation to Rohingya refugees who were forced into ICC member state Bangladesh.</p><p class="gmail-text__text__1FZLe gmail-text__dark-grey__3Ml43 gmail-text__regular__2N1Xr gmail-text__large__nEccO gmail-body__full_width__ekUdw gmail-body__large_body__FV5_X gmail-article-body__element__2p5pI" style="margin:2.22222vw 0px;padding:0px;line-height:1.6;letter-spacing:0px;font-size:20px;font-family:knowledge-regular,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(64,64,64);max-width:100%">Myanmar denies genocide and says its armed forces were conducting legitimate operations against militants.</p><p class="gmail-text__text__1FZLe gmail-text__dark-grey__3Ml43 gmail-text__regular__2N1Xr gmail-text__large__nEccO gmail-body__full_width__ekUdw gmail-body__large_body__FV5_X gmail-article-body__element__2p5pI" style="margin:2.22222vw 0px;padding:0px;line-height:1.6;letter-spacing:0px;font-size:20px;font-family:knowledge-regular,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(64,64,64);max-width:100%"><br></p></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align:center"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> brafahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05160310785311009150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9039266979086985431.post-18811322436948216752022-11-03T06:14:00.001-05:002022-11-03T06:14:56.019-05:00Unprecedented Case Brought Against Myanmar Junta in Indonesia<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div style="text-align:center"><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000">Source <a href="https://en.tempo.co/read/1631323/unprecedented-case-brought-against-myanmar-junta-in-indonesia?fbclid=IwAR1HwMvQtf1NKx0mgn8kI9HRT_iOrb2TnVGaWv4Z60jyfpDkCl0f64rcIow">Tempo</a>, 7 Sept</font></div><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000"><br></font></div><div style="text-align:left"><div class="gmail-foto-detail gmail-margin-bottom-sm" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;width:736px;height:auto;overflow:hidden;color:rgb(66,66,66);font-family:"Open Sans",Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;background-color:rgb(254,254,254)"><br class="gmail-Apple-interchange-newline"><img src="https://statik.tempo.co/data/2021/04/24/id_1016834/1016834_720.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; display: block; width: 736px; height: auto;">Myanmar junta leader Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, who toppled the elected government in a coup on February 1, leads a military parade on Armed Forces Day in Naypyitaw, Myanmar, 27 March 2021. [REUTERS/Stringer]</div><div class="gmail-detail-in" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(66,66,66);font-family:"Open Sans",Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;background-color:rgb(254,254,254)"><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 32px;padding:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:29px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(102,102,102)"><b style="box-sizing:border-box"><a href="http://TEMPO.CO">TEMPO.CO</a></b></span>, <span style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(102,102,102)"><b style="box-sizing:border-box">Jakarta</b></span> - A group of public figures in Jakarta has formally submitted a petition to the Constitutional Court effectively asking it to permit a case against the <span style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(53,152,219)"><a href="https://en.tempo.co/read/1455987/jokowi-on-myanmar-crisis-violence-must-be-stopped-peace-must-be-returned" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(53,152,219);text-decoration-line:none;font-weight:600">Myanmar </a></span>junta, accused of crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide against the country's Muslim population.<br style="box-sizing:border-box">The move is unprecedented and could lead to the first universal jurisdiction case against the Myanmar military in an ASEAN member state.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 32px;padding:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:29px">One of the petitioners, former Attorney General, Marzuki Darusman, said "the Indonesian constitution is very clear that everyone, Indonesian and non-Indonesian, has the right to equal treatment before the law. That means the universal protection of human rights. One small change to the law governing the Human Rights Court would recognize this and pave the way to a trial in Indonesia for the crimes being committed by the Myanmar junta."</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 32px;padding:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:29px">The case for action is clear and urgent. At the end of July, the Myanmar military executed four prisoners of conscience, which drew widespread international condemnation. Dozens of other activists are awaiting execution.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 32px;padding:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:29px">Meanwhile, the number of people killed by the junta since the coup in February last year has passed two thousand; fifteen thousand have been arrested or have disappeared; 1.2 million people have been displaced and, according to the UN, over 14 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 32px;padding:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:29px">The sheer scale of this human tragedy in the East Asian region is an affront to Indonesia's 1945 Constitution.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 32px;padding:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:29px">There are well documented cases including the torture of journalists, health workers, teachers, lawyers and humanitarian workers. The Rohingya Muslims have been subjected to the same atrocities and despite investigations in the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court, they have not been granted justice.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 32px;padding:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:29px">Unless there is accountability against the junta, there will be further crimes and abuses and the continuation of the anti-Muslim genocide.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 32px;padding:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:29px">The people of Myanmar will never find justice through their own court system which has become a politicized tool in the hands of a vindictive junta. Meanwhile, cases against the Myanmar military at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC) are severely delayed.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 32px;padding:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:29px">This is why ASEAN countries, including Indonesia, must act now.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 32px;padding:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:29px">The Indonesian constitution guarantees the protection of human rights universally. This can be demonstrated by the use of the phrase "everyone" in the articles on human rights protection. The 1945 Constitution also protects human rights regardless of citizenship.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 32px;padding:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:29px">However, Article 5 of Law 26 dating from 2000, concerning the Human Rights Court, places restrictions on the protection of human rights that are contrary to the 1945 Constitution. The article stipulates that a trial of perpetrators of human rights violations can only be carried out if the crimes are committed "by Indonesian citizens."</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 32px;padding:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:29px">But the law does permit a degree of "extra-territoriality". If the human rights crimes occurred outside the territory of Indonesia, a court can be established as long as the perpetrator is an Indonesian citizen.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 32px;padding:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:29px">Not only does Article 5 violate the 1945 Constitution. It also limits Indonesia's role in realizing world peace and upholding the rule of law, as stipulated by the Constitution.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 32px;padding:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:29px">Indonesia has a particular imperative to act, as Jakarta is widely viewed as the "capital" of ASEAN in that it hosts the ASEAN Secretariat and is often visited by perpetrators of gross and widespread human rights violations from Myanmar.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 32px;padding:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:29px">Indonesia can live up to the commitments and ideals of the 1945 Constitution, in protecting human rights universally, if the phrase "by Indonesian citizens" is removed by the Constitutional Court.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 32px;padding:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:29px">That is why the Petitioners are asking the Constitutional Court to remove this phrase and thus allow the human rights of some 55 million <span style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(53,152,219)"><a href="https://en.tempo.co/read/1455987/jokowi-on-myanmar-crisis-violence-must-be-stopped-peace-must-be-returned" target="_blank" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(53,152,219);text-decoration-line:none;font-weight:600">Myanmar </a></span>people to be protected in accordance with Indonesia's 1945 Constitution.</p></div></div></div><div style="text-align:center"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> brafahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05160310785311009150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9039266979086985431.post-11094890105363095372022-07-26T01:41:00.001-05:002022-07-26T01:41:52.617-05:00ICJ ruling raises hope for Rohingya justice<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div style="text-align:center"><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000">Source <a href="https://asianews.network/icj-ruling-raises-hope-for-rohingya-justice/">Asia News</a>, 25 July</font></div><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000"><br></font></div><div style="text-align:left"><div><font size="4" face="arial, sans-serif"><strong style="color:rgb(85,85,85);font-style:inherit;box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;margin:0px;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline">DHAKA</strong><span style="color:rgb(85,85,85)"> </span><span style="color:rgb(85,85,85)">– We welcome the ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the legality of the trial of the Rohingya genocide case. This gives us hope that the Myanmar military will not be let off the legal hook easily, even as it continues to dillydally in the repatriation bid with Bangladesh. The court's ruling paves the way for the case to be heard in full, which we hope will lead to justice sooner than later. The trial and finding a long-lasting solution to the Rohingya crisis are both key priorities, and both should be given due importance.</span></font></div><div><font size="4" face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="color:rgb(85,85,85)"><br></span></font></div><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;margin:0px 0px 24px;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(85,85,85)"><font size="4" face="arial, sans-serif">It's been several years since the Myanmar military committed what has been termed "ethnic cleansing" with genocidal intent, the kind of which the world hasn't witnessed in recent decades. Although the junta has been rejecting the "genocide" aspect of the crisis, the World Court on Friday invalidated its objections. The central argument of Myanmar was that Gambia, which brought the suit, had no standing to do so at the top UN court. But the president of ICJ, Judge Joan Donoghue, made it clear that Gambia, as a state party to the 1948 Genocide Convention, can act to prevent genocide, and that the court has jurisdiction in this case.</font></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;margin:0px 0px 24px;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(85,85,85)"><font size="4" face="arial, sans-serif">The Rohingyas have had to go through a series of calamitous episodes since they were brutally murdered, raped and ousted from their ancestral homes in Myanmar. The trauma still haunts them as they wait in squalid camps in Bangladesh to go home and begin a new life. But safety, dignity and integration are of essence while their fate is being decided, and care should be taken so that they do not fall from the frying pan into the fire. No doubt the question of international justice and accountability will be crucial in finding a durable solution to the crisis. We believe all parties involved should maintain their focus on the question of confidence-building among Rohingyas, first by ensuring swift justice in the ICJ case, and then by ensuring that their return home is accompanied with their rights as citizens restored.</font></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px;margin:0px 0px 24px;outline:0px;padding:0px;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(85,85,85)"><font size="4" face="arial, sans-serif">In this regard, we would like to reiterate the importance of starting the repatriation process which has been dragging on for a couple of years. As well as getting justice for what happened to them in the past, the Rohingyas are equally concerned, and rightly so, about what will happen to them in the future. World leaders cannot champion the cause of justice on one front, and abandon its pursuit on another front.</font></p></div></div><div style="text-align:center"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> brafahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05160310785311009150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9039266979086985431.post-46118128624586075012022-07-26T01:37:00.001-05:002022-07-26T01:37:53.357-05:00Why Has the World Forgotten About Myanmar?<div dir="ltr"><p style="font-family:Rubik,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px;box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 24px;padding:0px;min-width:100%">Source <a href="https://hir.harvard.edu/why-has-the-world-forgotten-about-myanmar/?fbclid=IwAR1QPFJuA0pk0etDWTmKWAUzkJrEm0r2s_IQcElGIzLYGPoXur3dz7honKs">HIR</a>, 27 June</p><p style="font-family:Rubik,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px;box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 24px;padding:0px;min-width:100%">The world was stunned when the Tatmadaw, Myanmar's military, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-55902070" style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(34,34,34);box-sizing:inherit">deposed</a> popular civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a coup on January 21, 2021. As the opposition protests against the coup led to a violent retaliation by the military and the country <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-55902070" style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(34,34,34);box-sizing:inherit">dissolved</a> into civil war, the international community watched with concern. Nations condemned the military junta's actions, piled sanctions onto top military officials, and crossed their fingers. But the situation has <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-55902070" style="background-color:transparent;color:rgb(34,34,34);box-sizing:inherit">continued</a> to worsen, and now more than two years later, the country is in an all out civil war with no end in sight.<br></p><p style="font-family:Rubik,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px;box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 24px;padding:0px;min-width:100%">Despite Myanmar's continuing humanitarian crisis and democratic disintegration, the conflict has <a href="https://newint.org/features/2021/04/19/why-world-doing-more-help-myanmar" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);box-sizing:inherit;background-color:transparent">lost</a> the attention of the international community, particularly in the West. While this may at first seem like another tragic tale of affluent and powerful nations refusing to step in and help restore justice in less developed countries, the true picture is much more complicated. Substantial intervention by the US and other Western nations is highly unlikely, given the lack of economic potential in Myanmar and the loss of faith in the nation's democratic leadership. Moreover, intervention by Western powers may arguably be unwise due to Myanmar's deep-rooted national military culture as well as China and Russia's vested interests in Myanmar, both making the country a dangerous boat to rock.</p><h3 id="gmail-a-history-of-economic-isolationism" style="font-family:Rubik,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px 8px;padding:0px;font-weight:500;line-height:initial;font-size:24px;min-width:100%">A History of Economic Isolationism</h3><p style="font-family:Rubik,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px;box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 24px;padding:0px;min-width:100%">Myanmar's military has securely held power since 1962. There was a brief period of republican government after Myanmar's—then called Burma's—independence in 1948, but that period abruptly <a href="https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/myanmar-history-coup-military-rule-ethnic-conflict-rohingya" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);box-sizing:inherit;background-color:transparent">ended</a> with a military coup. For the following decades, the military tightly controlled Myanmar with an isolationist foreign policy and a tight grip on the economy. Because of this isolationist foreign policy, foreign firms were <a href="https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/myanmar-history-coup-military-rule-ethnic-conflict-rohingya" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);box-sizing:inherit;background-color:transparent">not incentivized</a> to invest in Myanmar. The military junta <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2021/2/2/analysis-why-is-myanmar-military-so-powerful" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);box-sizing:inherit;background-color:transparent">instituted</a> "the infamous 'Burmese Way to Socialism' – an ideology that resulted in unprecedented economic devastation and Myanmar's near-total isolation from the international community." Myanmar was <a href="http://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,940705-1,00.html" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);box-sizing:inherit;background-color:transparent">isolated</a> economically by the junta's increasing restrictions on foreign aid, nationalization of key industries, and tight control of foreign trade. Ideologically, the junta closed off Myanmar from the West by <a href="https://www.icj.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Myanmar-Burmese-way-fact-finding-report-1991-eng.pdf" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);box-sizing:inherit;background-color:transparent">removing</a> English education from primary schools, clamping down on visas to and from the West, and instituting harsh press censorship.</p><p style="font-family:Rubik,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px;box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 24px;padding:0px;min-width:100%">Myanmar's economic model changed after the Saffron Revolution protests, in which citizens protested the military junta government because of fuel price hikes. In response to the protests and international pressure, the Tatmadaw <a href="https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/myanmar-history-coup-military-rule-ethnic-conflict-rohingya" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);box-sizing:inherit;background-color:transparent">began</a> to loosen its grip on power. This loosening of the reigns continued for the next few years, and in 2011, the military junta officially dissolved and a military-dominated citizen parliament was created. The parliament <a href="https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/myanmar-history-coup-military-rule-ethnic-conflict-rohingya" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);box-sizing:inherit;background-color:transparent">engaged</a> in reforms such as decreasing media censorship and economic regulations, which encouraged international investment. Foreign countries <a href="https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/myanmar-history-coup-military-rule-ethnic-conflict-rohingya" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);box-sizing:inherit;background-color:transparent">started</a> to invest in Myanmar as the country looked to be entering into a new, more modern stage of development. In 2019, Myanmar's GDP <a href="https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/myanmar-history-coup-military-rule-ethnic-conflict-rohingya#chapter-title-0-6" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);box-sizing:inherit;background-color:transparent">had grown</a> to nearly double what it was in 2008, and the country's poverty rate declined from 48 percent in 2005 to 25 percent in 2017.</p><p style="font-family:Rubik,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px;box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 24px;padding:0px;min-width:100%">But since international investment in Myanmar only started to ramp up in 2011, and that investment was not substantial for most countries, few nations have deep economic ties with Myanmar. This lack of foreign investment is one reason many countries are not <a href="https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/myanmar-history-coup-military-rule-ethnic-conflict-rohingya" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);box-sizing:inherit;background-color:transparent">highly concerned</a> with the instability in Myanmar, since their companies and profits are not on the line.</p><h3 id="gmail-myanmar-s-democratic-transition" style="font-family:Rubik,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px 8px;padding:0px;font-weight:500;line-height:initial;font-size:24px;min-width:100%">Myanmar's Democratic Transition</h3><p style="font-family:Rubik,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px;box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 24px;padding:0px;min-width:100%">Also during this period of loosening, the call for democracy was strengthening in Myanmar. This movement was <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-55902070" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);box-sizing:inherit;background-color:transparent">led</a> by Aung San Suu Kyi, an activist whose fame entered the spotlight in the 1980s thanks to her democracy campaign in Myanmar. The campaign <a href="https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/myanmar-history-coup-military-rule-ethnic-conflict-rohingya" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);box-sizing:inherit;background-color:transparent">culminated</a> in a 2015 election in which the citizens of Myanmar voted for Suu Kyi by wide margins to run the country. The international community was <a href="https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/myanmar-history-coup-military-rule-ethnic-conflict-rohingya" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);box-sizing:inherit;background-color:transparent">ecstatic</a> about Myanmar's democratic transition, and hopes were high for the burgeoning democracy.</p><p style="font-family:Rubik,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px;box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 24px;padding:0px;min-width:100%">Countries around the world then had their hopes dashed when the military embarked on a <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41566561" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);box-sizing:inherit;background-color:transparent">genocide</a> campaign against the Rohingya Muslim population in Myanmar—and Aung San Suu Kyi defended the killings. Many <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41566561" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);box-sizing:inherit;background-color:transparent">lost</a> faith in her leadership, and this marked the beginning of the West's re-distancing from Myanmar. The moderate foreign investment that had just begun in 2011 was quickly reversed. The violence against the Rohingya population made foreign investors nervous, and many <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2021/2/18/for-foreign-investors-in-myanmar-coup-adds-new-uncertainties" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);box-sizing:inherit;background-color:transparent">pulled out</a> their already-meager investments. Along with the loss of faith in Suu Kyi, the divestment in Myanmar <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41566561" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);box-sizing:inherit;background-color:transparent">led</a> many countries to distance themselves from Myanmar diplomatically.</p><h3 id="gmail-the-2021-coup" style="font-family:Rubik,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px 8px;padding:0px;font-weight:500;line-height:initial;font-size:24px;min-width:100%">The 2021 Coup</h3><p style="font-family:Rubik,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px;box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 24px;padding:0px;min-width:100%">Despite the violence being carried out against citizens in Myanmar under Suu Kyi's presidency and her declining international popularity, Aung San Suu Kyi <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-55902070" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);box-sizing:inherit;background-color:transparent">remained popular </a>among the Buddhist majority in Myanmar. As a result, Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) party won the December 2020 elections by a landslide. The military had backed the opposition party, so they <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-55902070" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);box-sizing:inherit;background-color:transparent">claimed</a> that the election was fraudulent and demanded a rerun of the vote. When the election commissions proceeded to deny their claims of fraud, the military <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-55902070" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);box-sizing:inherit;background-color:transparent">carried out</a> a coup against Aung San Suu Kyi and other NLD leaders in February 2021, piling on accusations of corruption against Aung San Suu Kyi that could amount to 100 years in prison. But the citizens of Myanmar were not content to renounce their democratic progress without a fight. Opposition forces <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-55902070" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);box-sizing:inherit;background-color:transparent">reacted</a> to the coup with acts of civil disobedience, such as banging pots and boycotting military-supported companies, ultimately transitioning into mass protests.</p><p style="font-family:Rubik,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px;box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 24px;padding:0px;min-width:100%">The military has <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-55902070" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);box-sizing:inherit;background-color:transparent">reacted</a> violently to the protests with rubber bullets, water cannons, and fire directed at protesters. But the opposition movement did not acquiesce, so the civil war still rages on. The military's brutal tactics <a href="https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/myanmar-history-coup-military-rule-ethnic-conflict-rohingya" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);box-sizing:inherit;background-color:transparent">include</a> shooting live ammunition into homes and protesters, razing entire villages, and arresting over 8,000 suspected opposition forces. The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) reports that at least 1,500 people have <a href="https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/myanmar-history-coup-military-rule-ethnic-conflict-rohingya" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);box-sizing:inherit;background-color:transparent">been killed</a>, but this is likely a grave underestimate.</p><p style="font-family:Rubik,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px;box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 24px;padding:0px;min-width:100%">Beyond the suffering caused by direct violence, Myanmar citizens are <a href="https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/myanmar-history-coup-military-rule-ethnic-conflict-rohingya" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);box-sizing:inherit;background-color:transparent">victims</a> of a shrinking economy, a collapsed healthcare system, and skyrocketing poverty rates: millions of people in Myanmar have faced serious hunger crises, with poverty levels expected to double in 2022. CFR writer Joshua Kurlantzick <a href="https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/myanmar-history-coup-military-rule-ethnic-conflict-rohingya" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);box-sizing:inherit;background-color:transparent">explains</a> that "because of the coup, Myanmar has become a failing state." While some of this damage has been caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the civil war has greatly exacerbated the deteriorating living conditions of these citizens.</p><img src="https://hir.harvard.edu/content/images/2022/06/saw-wunna-mO4O1aMiODI-unsplash.jpg" class="gmail-kg-image" style="box-sizing: inherit; border-style: none; display: block; max-width: 100%; font-style: italic; cursor: -webkit-zoom-in;">A large protest following the 2021 military coup in Myanmar.<h3 id="gmail-an-anti-climactic-international-response" style="font-family:Rubik,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px 8px;padding:0px;font-weight:500;line-height:initial;font-size:24px;min-width:100%">An Anti-Climactic International Response</h3><p style="font-family:Rubik,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px;box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 24px;padding:0px;min-width:100%">The international community's response to the coup has been, on the whole, underwhelming. The Biden Administration has <a href="https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/myanmar-history-coup-military-rule-ethnic-conflict-rohingya" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);box-sizing:inherit;background-color:transparent">sanctioned</a> military officials and companies, condemned human rights abuses, and pressured the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to put more pressure on the military junta. But the administration <a href="https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/myanmar-history-coup-military-rule-ethnic-conflict-rohingya" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);box-sizing:inherit;background-color:transparent">could strengthen</a> their support by sanctioning Myanmar's oil and gas revenues, persuading other countries to stop supporting the junta, and increasing aid to the opposition movement. The UN has similarly come out with statements against the coup and the military's violent acts but has hesitated to directly intervene in Myanmar.</p><p style="font-family:Rubik,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px;box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 24px;padding:0px;min-width:100%">Some of the few countries that have remained highly involved in Myanmar are China and Russia, which are close allies of Myanmar's military junta. Due to China and Myanmar's close geographic proximity, China has been able to <a href="https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/myanmar-history-coup-military-rule-ethnic-conflict-rohingya" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);box-sizing:inherit;background-color:transparent">exert</a> significant economic and diplomatic influence over Myanmar. In fact, <a href="https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/myanmar-history-coup-military-rule-ethnic-conflict-rohingya" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);box-sizing:inherit;background-color:transparent">China</a> is the most supportive ally of Myanmar and its largest trading partner because of their extensive infrastructure and energy projects as part of the <a href="https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/myanmar-history-coup-military-rule-ethnic-conflict-rohingya" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);box-sizing:inherit;background-color:transparent">Belt and Road Initiative</a> (BRI). Therefore, China has a vested interest in <a href="https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/myanmar-history-coup-military-rule-ethnic-conflict-rohingya" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);box-sizing:inherit;background-color:transparent">preventing</a> violence and instability in Myanmar by keeping the junta in power, both because of its geographic proximity and China's economic interests in the county. Some military leaders in Myanmar are <a href="https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/myanmar-history-coup-military-rule-ethnic-conflict-rohingya" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);box-sizing:inherit;background-color:transparent">wary</a> of losing power to Chinese influence, but with the West's refusal to accept junta leadership, military leaders are forced to grow closer to China.</p><p style="font-family:Rubik,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px;box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 24px;padding:0px;min-width:100%">Russia is also an increasingly strong ally of the military junta. They did <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/02/28/myanmar-rohingya-trial-icj/" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);box-sizing:inherit;background-color:transparent">not support</a> an arms embargo on Myanmar and have not condemned the coup. In fact, Russia has even continued arms sales to Myanmar during the coup period. In return, Myanmar has wholeheartedly <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/02/28/myanmar-rohingya-trial-icj/" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);box-sizing:inherit;background-color:transparent">backed</a> Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Russia <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/02/28/myanmar-rohingya-trial-icj/" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);box-sizing:inherit;background-color:transparent">needs</a> strong allies right now, given the backlash they face over the war, so they have a clear interest in keeping the military in power.</p><p style="font-family:Rubik,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px;box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 24px;padding:0px;min-width:100%">China and Russia's vested interest in keeping the junta in power in Myanmar make intervention on the side of the opposition a formidable task. What's more, although the international community was optimistic about Myanmar's democratic transition, the military never really <a href="https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/myanmar-history-coup-military-rule-ethnic-conflict-rohingya#chapter-title-0-3" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);box-sizing:inherit;background-color:transparent">lost</a> its hold on power in Myanmar. Even when the parliamentary democracy was nominally in control, the Tatmadaw<em style="box-sizing:inherit"> </em>still <a href="https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/myanmar-history-coup-military-rule-ethnic-conflict-rohingya#chapter-title-0-3" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);box-sizing:inherit;background-color:transparent">maintained control</a> over foreign relations, domestic security, and many other policies. The military also has significant holdings in major national companies, so their control extends far into both the economic and political spheres.</p><p style="font-family:Rubik,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px;box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 24px;padding:0px;min-width:100%">That being said, the strength of the military junta is currently <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/02/28/myanmar-rohingya-trial-icj/" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);box-sizing:inherit;background-color:transparent">being questioned</a> given their struggle to crush the opposition movement and their lack of recognition internationally, as both the UN and ASEAN have refused to recognize the junta as the official government of Myanmar. But regardless, the military is so entrenched in Myanmar's systems and bent on holding power that replacing them with a democratic government is a task no nation wants to take on.</p><p style="font-family:Rubik,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px;box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 24px;padding:0px;min-width:100%">As such, the status quo of limited international intervention will likely remain. Western nations may continue to send hopes, prayers, and sanctions, but not much more. China and Russia will likely continue to support Myanmar's military but fall short of dedicating their forces to the fight. But not all is lost for democracy in Myanmar. The Tatmadaw<em style="box-sizing:inherit"> </em>has <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2021/2/2/analysis-why-is-myanmar-military-so-powerful" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);box-sizing:inherit;background-color:transparent">promised</a> to eventually return to democratic elections, a promise that does look admittedly questionable now but could be acted upon in the future. The opposition movement has also <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-55902070" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);box-sizing:inherit;background-color:transparent">managed</a> to put up an impressive fight against the Tatmadaw, with the military regularly losing battles to opposition forces. At the present moment, then, the military's victory is not a foregone conclusion; but it does seem that Myanmar's future is in no one's hands, but those of its people.</p></div> brafahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05160310785311009150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9039266979086985431.post-65026989496631897262022-07-26T01:33:00.001-05:002022-07-26T01:33:21.338-05:00Rohingya plight needs innovative solutions developed by themselves<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div style="text-align:center"><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000">Source <a href="https://www.arabnews.com/node/2110191?fbclid=IwAR3gXabEq8CnLp3dx1yq5Qtsvae4bCVFgLJ8MoHbhXchOSCpmloIzZU_2LY">Arab News</a>, 24 June</font></div><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000"><br></font></div><div style="text-align:left"><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 1.5rem;padding:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:1.4;font-family:"playfair display",serif,Helvetica,Roboto,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:rgb(236,240,231)">The Rohingya have been oppressed for decades by their own country, Myanmar, where successive governments have violated their rights to identity, nationality, and security through systemic discrimination, violence, and repression.</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 1.5rem;padding:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:1.4;font-family:"playfair display",serif,Helvetica,Roboto,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:rgb(236,240,231)">Myanmar's military, which again seized power from a temporary civilian government in a February 2021 coup, continues to commit atrocities against the Rohingya as part of its systematic denial of their right to live in peace and dignity as full citizens.</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 1.5rem;padding:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:1.4;font-family:"playfair display",serif,Helvetica,Roboto,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:rgb(236,240,231)">When some of the Rohingya sought refuge in neighboring countries, the welcome they received also often fell well below international standards of human rights law. While the international community has rightly condemned the atrocities against the Rohingya in Myanmar— including the recent genocide determination by the US — and provided them with substantial humanitarian assistance, long-term sustainable remedies for the destroyed lives of so many individuals and communities remain elusive.</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 1.5rem;padding:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:1.4;font-family:"playfair display",serif,Helvetica,Roboto,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:rgb(236,240,231)">I have spent almost a decade researching the Rohingya crisis, and wrote the first book on the Rohingya genocide, and it seems to me that even though most of the Rohingya have finally escaped the genocidal terror of the Myanmar army, their situation and prospects are, if anything, worsening. The concrete problems of how they are to live safe and free from the looming threat of extermination seem to be becoming more intractable, and long-term solutions more elusive by the year.</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 1.5rem;padding:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:1.4;font-family:"playfair display",serif,Helvetica,Roboto,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:rgb(236,240,231)">As things stand, we may reasonably expect the Rohingya identity to disappear completely within one generation. Their language, culture, history, their way of life, will all have been diluted to extinction in the multitude of refugee camps that are now home to the majority of people who call themselves by the centuries-old name, Rohingya.</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 1.5rem;padding:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:1.4;font-family:"playfair display",serif,Helvetica,Roboto,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:rgb(236,240,231)">And if we continue to limit ourselves to the bare minimum of measures to which the international community so often defaults in refugee crises, this future may already be a foregone conclusion. It is for this reason that the old, staid measures and the old approaches will not suffice. Innovative policy thinking is now desperately needed.</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 1.5rem;padding:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:1.4;font-family:"playfair display",serif,Helvetica,Roboto,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:rgb(236,240,231)">That is why the New Lines Institute is launching the Global Rohingya Initiative, a coordinated international effort to address this crisis in a more universal and inventive way, crafted in cooperation with, and centered entirely on the needs and aspirations of, the Rohingya themselves. Rohingya community leaders are obviously much better placed to understand the myriad complex problems facing their own people in exile, and a partnership between such community leaders and the major stakeholders in the aid efforts is the only realistic way to effectively tackle at least some of the existential threats that these communities face.</p><blockquote style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 2rem;padding:2.25rem 3.5rem;border-left:0px solid rgb(138,138,138);line-height:1.4;color:rgb(85,85,85);font-size:18px;font-style:italic;background:rgb(246,245,238);font-family:"playfair display",serif,Helvetica,Roboto,Arial,sans-serif"><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 1rem;padding:0px;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.4;font-family:inherit"><span style="box-sizing:inherit;font-weight:700;line-height:inherit">The Rohingya must be empowered to speak for themselves, represent themselves and develop solutions to their own problems in the manner best suited to them.</span></p><p class="gmail-rteright" style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:0.875rem;line-height:1.4;color:inherit;text-align:right;font-family:Isento-Medium;font-style:normal">Dr. Azeem Ibrahim</p></blockquote><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 1.5rem;padding:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:1.4;font-family:"playfair display",serif,Helvetica,Roboto,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:rgb(236,240,231)">Though this may depart from the current norms of providing basic material assistance to refugee camps on the limited assumption that their situation is temporary and easily reversible, the objective here is clear, and clearly necessary: to provide a platform for the Rohingya to address both the short-term material needs of individuals and communities in exile, but also, crucially, to help the Rohingya navigate through the continuing genocide as a common cultural group, and develop innovative policy ideas and solutions for the short, medium and long term.</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 1.5rem;padding:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:1.4;font-family:"playfair display",serif,Helvetica,Roboto,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:rgb(236,240,231)">The initiative will focus on three essential issues in the task of keeping the Rohingya together as a coherent cultural group: policy and politics, humanitarian issues, and accountability.</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 1.5rem;padding:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:1.4;font-family:"playfair display",serif,Helvetica,Roboto,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:rgb(236,240,231)">In policy and politics, we will aim to explore decades-old underlying political issues within the Myanmar civic and political structure, including identity, belonging, and security, which continue to support the marginalization and violent exclusion of Rohingya people from the body politic of the country of their birth. The initiative will help the Rohingya develop realistic solutions, and address the lack of meaningful policy and political mechanisms from the international community to support them.</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 1.5rem;padding:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:1.4;font-family:"playfair display",serif,Helvetica,Roboto,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:rgb(236,240,231)">The humanitarian focus will address the issues of resettlement, integration and the longer-term plans for the return of Rohingya refugees to their ancestral homeland in Myanmar. The initiative will explore the necessary conditions for a safe, voluntary, and durable return to their native Rakhine state in western Myanmar, and how the international community can support these efforts. This may not happen all at once, and it may not even start for some time. But the obstacles for the eventual return of the Rohingya have to be studied in detail, and solutions developed and implemented systematically.</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 1.5rem;padding:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:1.4;font-family:"playfair display",serif,Helvetica,Roboto,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:rgb(236,240,231)">Finally, the issue of accountability for the perpetrators of the crimes against the Rohingya will also be given due attention, because there can be no long lasting peace without justice. This initiative will discuss the role and responsibilities of nation states and international organizations in pursuing accountability for the Rohingya genocide and the intersection between accountability efforts and broader efforts to address impunity in Myanmar. It will examine ways in which current accountability mechanisms can be supported, and where necessary new mechanisms developed.</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 1.5rem;padding:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:1.4;font-family:"playfair display",serif,Helvetica,Roboto,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:rgb(236,240,231)">Overall the ambition of this project is to empower the Rohingya so they can take their destiny into their own hands. It is no longer acceptable for others to speak for them. The Rohingya must be empowered to speak for themselves, represent themselves and develop solutions to their own problems in the manner best suited to them. New Lines Institute simply aims to be the facilitator to these efforts, the ideas factory, the secretariat, and the platform by which the Rohingya address the international community in this endeavor.</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 1.5rem;padding:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:1.4;font-family:"playfair display",serif,Helvetica,Roboto,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:rgb(236,240,231)">Major stakeholders have already expressed their interest in supporting the initiative. So far, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the foreign ministry of Bangladesh, senior UN, US and UK officials and others have signaled their intent to do so.</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 1.5rem;padding:0px;font-size:18px;line-height:1.4;font-family:"playfair display",serif,Helvetica,Roboto,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:rgb(236,240,231)">Inevitably, however, addressing such complex historical problems always needs more innovative thinking and solution-building. We are therefore issuing a call for papers from innovative thinkers and experienced practitioners from around the world, to volunteer ideas and help us develop new lines of thinking for these complex problems.</p><ul style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px 0px 1.5rem 1.25rem;padding:0px;list-style-position:outside;line-height:1.4;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"playfair display",serif,Helvetica,Roboto,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:18px;background-color:rgb(236,240,231)"><li style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-size:inherit"><em style="box-sizing:inherit;line-height:inherit">Dr. Azeem Ibrahim is the director of special initiatives at the Newlines Institute for Strategy and Policy in Washington D.C. and author of "The Rohingyas: Inside Myanmar's Genocide" (Hurst, 2017). Twitter: @AzeemIbrahim</em></li></ul><div class="gmail-border gmail-gray gmail-font-italic" style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:0px;padding:5px;border:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"playfair display",serif,Helvetica,Roboto,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:18px;background-color:rgb(236,240,231);font-style:italic">Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not necessarily reflect Arab News' point of view</div></div></div><div style="text-align:center"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> brafahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05160310785311009150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9039266979086985431.post-60482363929553495162022-07-26T01:29:00.000-05:002022-07-26T01:30:08.006-05:00In six months, more than 600 Muslims were arrested across the country<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div style="text-align:center"><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000">Source <a href="https://www-rfa-org.translate.goog/burmese/program_2/arrested-over-600-muslims-within-six-months-06102022061818.html?_x_tr_sl=my&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc&fbclid=IwAR0waAQuLzV3SIl81a8pY7cy1nStNTPZY3PjTUmDIW_fMNqU_fMpDbzz_OU">RFA</a>, 10 June</font></div><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000"><br></font></div><div style="text-align:left"><div id="gmail-headerimg" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:table;float:left;width:1px;font-size:14px;line-height:17px;margin-bottom:36px;margin-right:36px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Pyidaungsu,sans-serif"><br class="gmail-Apple-interchange-newline"><img src="https://www.rfa.org/burmese/program_2/arrested-over-600-muslims-within-six-months-06102022061818.html/@@images/c2e9e54f-59a6-4ca2-98ef-2f6032846fee.jpeg" alt="In six months, more than 600 Muslims were arrested across the country" title="In six months, more than 600 Muslims were arrested across the country" height="348" width="620" style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; vertical-align: middle; height: auto;"><span class="gmail-lead_image_caption" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-weight:600;line-height:1.8em;display:block;caption-side:bottom;margin:12px 0.5em 0.7em 0.1em;width:620px"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">2022 </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">On May 21st, I saw the survivors of a boat capsized near Shwe Saingyan Beach, Pathein Township, Irrawaddy Division</font></font></span><div id="gmail-zoomattribute" style="box-sizing:border-box;text-align:right;width:620px;height:auto;vertical-align:middle;color:rgb(51,51,51);margin:0px;padding-right:15px"><a id="gmail-single_image" href="https://www-rfa-org.translate.goog/burmese/program_2/arrested-over-600-muslims-within-six-months-06102022061818.html/@@images/image?_x_tr_sl=my&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc" title="2022 On May 21st, I saw the survivors of a boat capsized near Shwe Saingyan Beach, Pathein Township, Irrawaddy Division" style="box-sizing:border-box;background:transparent;color:rgb(0,0,0);text-decoration-line:none"><img src="https://www.rfa.org/++plone++rfa-resources/img/icon-zoom.png" style="box-sizing: border-box; border: none; vertical-align: middle; height: auto;"> </a><span class="gmail-copyright" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:10px"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">Photo: HANDOUT / ANONYMOUS / AFP</font></font></span></div></div><div id="gmail-storytext" style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:Pyidaungsu,sans-serif;font-size:17px;line-height:30px;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><div id="gmail-storytext" style="box-sizing:border-box;line-height:30px"><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 20px;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0.2px"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">From December 2021 to early June this year, more than 600 Muslims have been arrested throughout Myanmar, including Rakhine State.</font></font></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 20px;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0.2px"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">According to data collected by RFA based on statements from the Rakhine State Military Council and reports from local media, last December 270 Muslims, </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">24 in January </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">135 in February </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">14 in March </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">35 in April </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">In May, 124 people were arrested for a total of 602 people.</font></font></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 20px;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0.2px"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">Muslims to Malaysia by waterways, </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">Trying to travel illegally by land, Rakhine sea, </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">Ann Township Checkpoint, </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">Yangon, </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">He was arrested in places like Irrawaddy.</font></font></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 20px;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0.2px"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">A Muslim from Maungdaw Township, who did not want to be named for security reasons, said that he tried to sell everything he owned to send his daughter to Malaysia, but was arrested on the way and almost lost his life.</font></font></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 20px;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0.2px"><strong style="box-sizing:border-box"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">"Because our family can't afford it, we have agreed that I will marry a man who is in Malaysia. Will I take my daughter? Will I take it? Will you pay half of the travel expenses? I will send it. I don't have fifty hundred thousand. I will sell my farm. I will sell my house. I will sell what I have and let her go. I ran out of property and was arrested. I have died. Now I have reached the end of my life."</font></font></strong></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 20px;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0.2px"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">On November 29th, his daughter was stranded on a boat with 228 people in the sea 17 miles northwest of Mayu Island near Sittwe. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">They were arrested en masse.</font></font></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 20px;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0.2px"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">109 of them were sentenced on December 14 by the Maungdaw District Court to the maximum penalty of five years in prison under Section-13(1) of the 1947 Immigration Recent Provisions Act. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">The rest of the minors were released.</font></font></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 20px;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0.2px"></p><div id="gmail-story_inline_youtube" style="box-sizing:border-box;width:620px;float:left;padding-bottom:15px"><div class="gmail-videoWrapper" style="box-sizing:border-box;padding-bottom:348.75px;padding-top:0px;height:0px;clear:both;margin-bottom:12px"></div></div><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 20px;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0.2px"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">Muslims are finding it difficult to live in the refugee camps and villages, so they sell what they have as mortgages and travel to Malaysia.</font></font></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 20px;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0.2px"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">They also said that if a person goes from Maungdaw Township to Malaysia, it costs 90,000,000 and if it goes from Sittwe Township, it costs 70,000,000.</font></font></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 20px;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0.2px"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">I don't have to pay that money all at once, but when I get from Maungdaw to Sittong, 20,000,000 kyats. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">30,000,000 if you come to Yangon from the war. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">10 lakhs from Yangon to Myawati </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">10,000,000 from Myawady to Thailand. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">When you arrive at the Malaysian border from Thailand, you have to pay 20,000,000 in one step. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">He also said that if he is arrested on the road, he will not get the money back.</font></font></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 20px;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0.2px"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">A Muslim from Kyauk Phyu Township who did not want to be named said that there are few jobs for Muslims in Rakhine State and they do not have the right to move freely.</font></font></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 20px;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0.2px"><strong style="box-sizing:border-box"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">"It's easy for people to be trafficked because our livelihood is difficult. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">The problem in Rakhine is that there is no freedom of movement. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">Economically, there are few employment opportunities when looking for food. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">I live in the refugee camp, so I can't go outside. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">Because of that, they ended up sacrificing their lives. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">If you die, the earth </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">If you live, they will leave as Shwe Hyo."</font></font></strong></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 20px;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0.2px"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">He said that there are people who have been arrested on the road while taking such a risk and have gone missing without any information or even died.</font></font></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 20px;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0.2px"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">Last May 21, a boat capsized near Shwe Sainyan Beach in Pathein Township, Ayeyarwady Region, and many Muslims drowned as a result of heavy rain and wind while leaving Rakhine from Rakhine State. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">There were about 90 Muslims in the boat. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">Of these, 17 Muslim corpses and more than 20 survivors, including a broker, were found on May 22 at the Shwe Taingyan beach. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">May 24 </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">On the 25th, eight Muslim bodies were found on the beach in Gu Township, Rakhine State. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">RFA has not been able to independently confirm the whereabouts of the 40 missing Muslims.</font></font></p><img alt="arrested-rohingya-thai.jpg" class="gmail-image-richtext gmail-image-inline" src="https://www.rfa.org/burmese/program_2/arrested-over-600-muslims-within-six-months-06102022061818.html/arrested-rohingya-thai.jpg/@@images/d210e26b-51ec-4544-9b3f-55fcbbe36d6e.jpeg" title="arrested-rohingya-thai.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; vertical-align: middle; float: none; max-width: 100%; height: auto; margin-top: 10px; margin-right: 15px; padding-bottom: 5px; width: auto;"><em style="box-sizing:border-box"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">2022 </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">Seeing the Rohingya who were arrested in Khotaung Island, southern Thailand on June 4 (Photo: HANDOUT / ROYAL THAI NAVY / AFP)</font></font></em><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 20px;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0.2px"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">In addition, 59 Muslims from Myanmar and Bangladesh were arrested on June 4 by Thai authorities on Khotaung Island in Sattun District, southern Thailand. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">The Thai authorities discovered that the Muslims had arrived in Malaysia after they were put off the boat. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">On June 7, Human Rights Watch (HRW) asked the Thai government to help them as refugees.</font></font></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 20px;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0.2px"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">U Tin Hlaing, a Muslim from Sakkyen Pyin village in Sittwe Township, who works to prevent human trafficking, told RFA that there are also victims of human trafficking who try to leave for other countries.</font></font></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 20px;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0.2px"><strong style="box-sizing:border-box"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">"I made a video of the traffickers beating the children to see how pitiful some of the children are. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">And that's their mother, </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">I sent it to my father. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">If you want your son to live, the remaining money to pay is 30,000,000. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">50 </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">20 </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">10 Send the money, </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">There are such types of typos. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">The parents are also in the refugee camp. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">There is no money to pay. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">If there is no more, what do they do? </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">I sold the food production book. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">Finally, they have no place to stay. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">There will be no more food. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">Because their children don't die. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">We have seen such situations."</font></font></strong></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 20px;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0.2px"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">In the midst of these conditions, young Muslims are fleeing and leaving abroad.</font></font></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 20px;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0.2px"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">RFA tried to contact the Rakhine Military Council regarding the situation of Muslims in Rakhine State, but they did not answer the phone.</font></font></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 20px;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0.2px"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">In addition to this, RFA contacted General Zaw Min Tun, who is allowed to speak on the Military Council, to ask about this by phone several times from June 8th to 10th, but he has not yet received an answer.</font></font></p><blockquote style="box-sizing:border-box"><p class="gmail-callout" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 20px;background:rgb(238,238,238);padding:1em;border-left:1em solid rgb(204,204,204);clear:both;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0.2px"><strong style="box-sizing:border-box"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">"In the entire country of Myanmar, all other people have the right to travel by road, water, etc., but the Rohingyas do not even have the right to use ordinary land or water.</font></font></strong><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"> "</font></font></p></blockquote><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 20px;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0.2px"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">Ko Ne San Lwin, the co-founder of the Rohingya Liberation Coalition, pointed out that these events are the consequence of the violation of Rohingya's basic rights in the region.</font></font></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 20px;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0.2px"><strong style="box-sizing:border-box"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">"If you can work and eat freely in your area, </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">If it was peaceful, no one would be moving. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">In the whole of Myanmar, all other people use land, road, </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">They have the right to travel by waterways, but the Rohingyas have the right to travel by land. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">They don't even have access to waterways. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">The right to work and eat in Rakhine, the homeland of the Rohingya. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">The fact that basic rights such as the right to move around are being prevented is a major violation of human rights."</font></font></strong></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 20px;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0.2px"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">In Rakhine State, since 2012, the war, </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">forest </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">Due to ethnic conflicts in townships such as Kyauk Phyu, many Muslims have fled to refugee camps.</font></font></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 20px;font-size:18px;letter-spacing:0.2px"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">In 2017, Buthidaung, </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">More than 700,000 Muslims had to flee to Bangladesh due to the army's clearing of Maungdaw townships.</font></font></p></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align:center"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> brafahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05160310785311009150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9039266979086985431.post-92115694813010334362022-05-20T04:36:00.000-05:002022-05-20T04:37:02.666-05:00U.N. Security Council: Impose Binding Arms Embargo On Myanmar<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div style="text-align:center"><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000">Source <a href="https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO2205/S00156/un-security-council-impose-binding-arms-embargo-on-myanmar.htm?fbclid=IwAR02R4RoiIdqE5edNzw0D3i7rmLCqw8zCEvze3gq-sVhJAgvS-5IvbGbOdo">Scoop</a>, 12 May</font></div><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000"><br></font></div><div style="text-align:left"><h3 style="font-size:24px;line-height:28px;margin-bottom:13px;color:rgb(30,30,30);font-family:"Source Sans Pro","Trebuchet MS",Arial,sans-serif;margin-left:0px"><i>President Biden due to meet ASEAN leaders in Washington, D.C.</i></h3><p style="width:initial;margin-bottom:33px;line-height:33px;color:rgb(100,100,100);font-family:"Open Sans",Arial,sans-serif;font-size:18px">(BANGKOK, May 12, 2022)—The United Nations Security Council should urgently convene an open session on Myanmar and pass a binding resolution on the situation in the country, Fortify Rights said today. A Security Council resolution on Myanmar should impose a global arms embargo on the military, refer the situation in the country to the International Criminal Court, and impose targeted sanctions.</p><p style="width:initial;margin-bottom:33px;line-height:33px;color:rgb(100,100,100);font-family:"Open Sans",Arial,sans-serif;font-size:18px">On May 12 and 13, nine high-level representatives from member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are scheduled to meet U.S. President Joe Biden during a special summit in Washington D.C., where the regional bloc's response to the crisis in Myanmar will be discussed.</p><blockquote style="border-bottom:4px solid rgb(245,90,63);border-radius:8px;color:black;padding:8px 16px 0px;background-color:rgba(245,90,63,0.12);font-family:"Open Sans",Arial,sans-serif;font-size:18px"><p style="width:initial;margin-bottom:33px;line-height:33px"><i>"ASEAN and its consensus have failed," </i>said Matthew Smith, Chief Executive Officer at Fortify Rights.<i> "The Security Council has a responsibility to act. The flow of arms and money to the junta must be stopped, and the Security Council is the key international body with a mandate to make that happen."</i></p></blockquote><p style="width:initial;margin-bottom:33px;line-height:33px;color:rgb(100,100,100);font-family:"Open Sans",Arial,sans-serif;font-size:18px">In April 2021, ASEAN leaders reached a "<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://fortifyrights.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f15b18127e37f74088063b773&id=10607d7d02&e=a71fd93a1e" style="color:rgb(245,90,63);text-decoration-line:none">Five-Point Consensus</a>" with the Myanmar military, aimed at putting the nation back on a path to peace following the February 2021 military <i>coup d'état</i> led by Myanmar Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. The Myanmar junta has flouted the agreement while committing mass atrocity crimes.</p><div class="gmail-article-left-box-wrapper" style="color:rgb(100,100,100);font-family:"Open Sans",Arial,sans-serif;font-size:18px"><div class="gmail-article-left-box" style="background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;float:left;clear:left;padding:0px 20px 0px 0px"><div class="gmail-headline-right"><div style="min-height:250px;min-width:300px"><div id="gmail-div-gpt-ad-1493962836337-4"><div id="gmail-google_ads_iframe_/1688062/Scoop_Super-Rectangle_0__container__" style="border:0pt none"></div></div></div></div></div></div><p style="width:initial;margin-bottom:33px;line-height:33px;color:rgb(100,100,100);font-family:"Open Sans",Arial,sans-serif;font-size:18px">The U.K. is the U.N. Security Council's "penholder" on Myanmar and should table a Chapter VII resolution mandating an arms embargo and referral to the ICC, and President Biden should use the occasion of the Special Summit to obtain ASEAN's support for such a move, Fortify Rights said.</p><p style="width:initial;margin-bottom:33px;line-height:33px;color:rgb(100,100,100);font-family:"Open Sans",Arial,sans-serif;font-size:18px">Chapter VII of the U.N. Charter enables the Security Council to take coercive action with respect to threats to international peace and security; Chapter VII resolutions are binding on all U.N. member states.<br> <br>The Myanmar military is responsible for <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://fortifyrights.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f15b18127e37f74088063b773&id=d8c95e4bdb&e=a71fd93a1e" style="color:rgb(245,90,63);text-decoration-line:none">genocide</a>, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://fortifyrights.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f15b18127e37f74088063b773&id=33b0cc2de7&e=a71fd93a1e" style="color:rgb(245,90,63);text-decoration-line:none">crimes against humanity</a>, and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://fortifyrights.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f15b18127e37f74088063b773&id=952e94eaa0&e=a71fd93a1e" style="color:rgb(245,90,63);text-decoration-line:none">war crimes</a> and has long posed a threat to international peace and security. Since launching a <i>coup d'éta</i>t on February 1, 2021, the Myanmar army and police have reportedly killed more than 1,800 people and detained more than 13,640.<br> <br>In a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://fortifyrights.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f15b18127e37f74088063b773&id=7fb90b8774&e=a71fd93a1e" style="color:rgb(245,90,63);text-decoration-line:none">193-page report</a> published in March, Fortify Rights and the Schell Center for International Human Rights at Yale Law School documented acts by the Myanmar junta that amount to crimes against humanity, including murder, imprisonment, torture, enforced disappearance, forced displacement, and persecution of civilians.<br> <br>Since the coup, the Security Council has issued four press statements and one Presidential Statement expressing various levels of condemnation of violence and atrocities in Myanmar, while also backing an ASEAN-led response to the crisis, with no discernible effect. Continued violations by the junta provide a context for heightened action by the body, said Fortify Rights.<br> <br>If a permanent member of the Security Council were to veto a resolution on Myanmar, then the U.N. General Assembly would be required to convene on the issue. On April 26, the U.N. General Assembly adopted a landmark resolution to hold the five permanent Security Council members accountable for their use of the veto. The resolution requires the General Assembly to convene within ten working days after a Security Council veto "to hold a debate on the situation as to which the veto was cast."<br> <br>While there has been no binding action on Myanmar from the Security Council or ASEAN, individual U.N. Member States have imposed arms embargoes and targeted sanctions on the Myanmar junta, including the U.K, U.S., Canada, Australia, as well as the European Union.<br> <br>In his <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://fortifyrights.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f15b18127e37f74088063b773&id=127fa91ef5&e=a71fd93a1e" style="color:rgb(245,90,63);text-decoration-line:none">report to the U.N. Human Rights Council</a> in February 2022, the U.N. Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Tom Andrews, identified U.N. Member States that continue to supply arms to the Myanmar military, including Security Council permanent members China and Russia. Fortify Rights and the Schell Center <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://fortifyrights.us10.list-manage.com/track/click?u=f15b18127e37f74088063b773&id=47947bc8e1&e=a71fd93a1e" style="color:rgb(245,90,63);text-decoration-line:none">identified 61 senior members of the Myanmar junta</a> who should be investigated for international crimes, only 20 of whom have been sanctioned by any government. The Japanese government also continues to provide training to the Myanmar military.<br> <br>In June 2021, the U.N. General Assembly adopted a non-binding resolution calling on "all member states to prevent the flow of arms into Myanmar." The resolution passed with the support of 119 countries, with one country–Belarus–opposing and 36—including Russia and China—abstaining.</p><p style="width:initial;margin-bottom:33px;line-height:33px;color:rgb(100,100,100);font-family:"Open Sans",Arial,sans-serif;font-size:18px">President Biden should also encourage ASEAN member states to engage the National Unity Government of Myanmar, as recommended by Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah. Thailand should be urged to stop returning refugees to Myanmar and to authorize cross-border humanitarian aid. The U.S. Government and ASEAN should also ensure that humanitarian aid to Myanmar is not directed through the military junta, said Fortify Rights.</p><blockquote style="border-bottom:4px solid rgb(245,90,63);border-radius:8px;color:black;padding:8px 16px 0px;background-color:rgba(245,90,63,0.12);font-family:"Open Sans",Arial,sans-serif;font-size:18px"><p style="width:initial;margin-bottom:33px;line-height:33px"><i>"The Myanmar junta is destabilizing the entire region, and ASEAN is at risk of losing all credibility for failing to take decisive action," </i>said Matthew Smith.<i> "All governments have a responsibility to protect the people of Myanmar from mass atrocities and that includes members of the Security Council."</i></p></blockquote></div></div><div style="text-align:center"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> brafahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05160310785311009150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9039266979086985431.post-28966993278409305892022-04-25T00:03:00.001-05:002022-04-25T00:03:39.645-05:00NST Leader: Rohingya refugees<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div style="text-align:center"><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000">Source <a href="https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/leaders/2022/04/791508/nst-leader-rohingya-refugees">NewStraitTimes</a>, 25 April</font></div><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000"><br></font></div><div style="text-align:left"><div class="gmail-d-block gmail-d-lg-flex gmail-mb-3" style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(33,37,41);font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;font-size:14.4px;display:flex;margin-bottom:1rem"><div class="gmail-social-share gmail-ml-auto" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin-left:auto"><div class="gmail-addthis_inline_share_toolbox" style="box-sizing:border-box;clear:both"><div id="gmail-atstbx" class="gmail-at-resp-share-element gmail-at-style-responsive gmail-addthis-smartlayers gmail-addthis-animated gmail-at4-show" aria-labelledby="at-8cf83b69-4d57-4923-b0d0-b9b049ba26b8" role="region" style="box-sizing:border-box;padding:0px;margin:0px;font-size:0px;line-height:0;opacity:1"><span id="gmail-at-8cf83b69-4d57-4923-b0d0-b9b049ba26b8" class="gmail-at4-visually-hidden" style="box-sizing:border-box;padding:0px;border:0px;overflow:hidden"><br class="gmail-Apple-interchange-newline"></span><div class="gmail-at-share-btn-elements" style="box-sizing:border-box"><a role="button" tabindex="0" class="gmail-at-icon-wrapper gmail-at-share-btn gmail-at-svc-whatsapp" style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(255,255,255);background-color:rgb(77,194,71);display:inline-block;overflow:hidden;margin:0px 2px 5px;padding:5px;line-height:0;border:0px;font-family:"helvetica neue",helvetica,arial,sans-serif;border-radius:16px"><span class="gmail-at4-visually-hidden" style="box-sizing:border-box;padding:0px;border:0px;overflow:hidden"></span><span class="gmail-at-icon-wrapper" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:inline-block;overflow:hidden;float:left;line-height:20px;height:20px;width:20px"></span></a><a role="button" tabindex="0" class="gmail-at-icon-wrapper gmail-at-share-btn gmail-at-svc-facebook" style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(255,255,255);background-color:rgb(59,89,152);display:inline-block;overflow:hidden;margin:0px 2px 5px;padding:5px;line-height:0;border:0px;font-family:"helvetica neue",helvetica,arial,sans-serif;border-radius:16px"><span class="gmail-at4-visually-hidden" style="box-sizing:border-box;padding:0px;border:0px;overflow:hidden"></span><span class="gmail-at-icon-wrapper" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:inline-block;overflow:hidden;float:left;line-height:20px;height:20px;width:20px"></span></a><a role="button" tabindex="0" class="gmail-at-icon-wrapper gmail-at-share-btn gmail-at-svc-twitter" style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(255,255,255);background-color:rgb(29,161,242);display:inline-block;overflow:hidden;margin:0px 2px 5px;padding:5px;line-height:0;border:0px;font-family:"helvetica neue",helvetica,arial,sans-serif;border-radius:16px"><span class="gmail-at4-visually-hidden" style="box-sizing:border-box;padding:0px;border:0px;overflow:hidden"></span><span class="gmail-at-icon-wrapper" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:inline-block;overflow:hidden;float:left;line-height:20px;height:20px;width:20px"></span></a><a role="button" tabindex="0" class="gmail-at-icon-wrapper gmail-at-share-btn gmail-at-svc-linkedin" style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(255,255,255);background-color:rgb(0,119,181);display:inline-block;overflow:hidden;margin:0px 2px 5px;padding:5px;line-height:0;border:0px;font-family:"helvetica neue",helvetica,arial,sans-serif;border-radius:16px"><span class="gmail-at4-visually-hidden" style="box-sizing:border-box;padding:0px;border:0px;overflow:hidden"></span><span class="gmail-at-icon-wrapper" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:inline-block;overflow:hidden;float:left;line-height:20px;height:20px;width:20px"></span></a><a role="button" tabindex="0" class="gmail-at-icon-wrapper gmail-at-share-btn gmail-at-svc-compact" style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(255,255,255);background-color:rgb(255,101,80);display:inline-block;overflow:hidden;margin:0px 2px 5px;padding:5px;line-height:0;border:0px;font-family:"helvetica neue",helvetica,arial,sans-serif;border-radius:16px"><span class="gmail-at4-visually-hidden" style="box-sizing:border-box;padding:0px;border:0px;overflow:hidden"></span><span class="gmail-at-icon-wrapper" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:inline-block;overflow:hidden;float:left;line-height:20px;height:20px;width:20px"></span></a></div></div></div></div></div><div class="gmail-article-content" style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(33,37,41);font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;font-size:14.4px"><div style="box-sizing:border-box"><div style="box-sizing:border-box"><div class="gmail-field gmail-field-featured-image" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin-bottom:20px"><img src="https://assets.nst.com.my/images/articles/dieijsda_1650817042.jpg" alt="This April 20, 2022, pic shows Immigration Department's trucks seen leaving an Immigration detention depot in Relau, Kedah. - BERNAMA PIC" class="gmail-img-fluid" style="box-sizing: border-box; border-style: none; vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 0px;" width="472" height="315">This April 20, 2022, pic shows Immigration Department's trucks seen leaving an Immigration detention depot in Relau, Kedah. - BERNAMA PIC</div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000"><br></font></div><div style="text-align:left"><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:1rem;padding-left:1.5rem;padding-right:1.5rem;color:rgb(33,37,41);font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;font-size:16px">It is not easy managing refugees. Malaysia, a small nation of limited resources, knows this only too well. But Malaysia can do better.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:1rem;padding-left:1.5rem;padding-right:1.5rem;color:rgb(33,37,41);font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;font-size:16px">Like being more humane. The Wednesday escape by 528 Rohingya refugees from the Immigration detention depot in Sungai Bakap, Kedah, is itself very telling. No words need be spoken.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:1rem;padding-left:1.5rem;padding-right:1.5rem;color:rgb(33,37,41);font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;font-size:16px">Their tale is that of tears of ones who have seen their days in the crowded detention depot grow into weeks, months and more.</p><div class="gmail-teads-adCall" style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(33,37,41);font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;font-size:16px"></div><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:1rem;padding-left:1.5rem;padding-right:1.5rem;color:rgb(33,37,41);font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;font-size:16px">Let's ask this, as Ab Jalil Backer of Angkatan Karyawan Nasional does in <em style="box-sizing:border-box">Sinar Ahad</em>: Would someone who had left his life's possessions behind, escaping murder and massacre at home, stay cooped up in a crowded depot for who knows how long? Granted, we are a nation of limited resources. But being humane to the refugees doesn't mean we are robbing Peter to pay Paul. There is no zero-sum game here. Have a heart.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:1rem;padding-left:1.5rem;padding-right:1.5rem;color:rgb(33,37,41);font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;font-size:16px">And here is how to do it. Firstly, alter our way of seeing. We must discard our old pair of spectacles. See, we are rushing to cancel the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) cards of the refugees. We shouldn't head that way. They are not criminals. Yes, they escaped, but who wouldn't? Besides, anything done in the heat of the moment is bound to be wrong. Think human beings.</p><div id="gmail-div-gpt-ad-1535527649803-0" style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(33,37,41);font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><div id="gmail-google_ads_iframe_/1009103/NST_1x1_Programmatic_0__container__" style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0pt none"></div></div><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:1rem;padding-left:1.5rem;padding-right:1.5rem;color:rgb(33,37,41);font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><b>The Rohingya are not flooding Malaysia because our country is better than Myanmar. No. However blessed Malaysia is — and it is very blessed — Myanmar is home. They are running away from genocide and a genocidal regime there. Who won't?</b></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:1rem;padding-left:1.5rem;padding-right:1.5rem;color:rgb(33,37,41);font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;font-size:16px">If things were as normal there as it is in Malaysia, they wouldn't come here. This is a fact we must learn to accept. And if Myanmar becomes hospitable to the Rohingya once again, they would surely rush home. As they say, home is where the heart is.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:1rem;padding-left:1.5rem;padding-right:1.5rem;color:rgb(33,37,41);font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;font-size:16px">Secondly, the refugees are a bank of human capital waiting to be tapped. Do not waste them away. But firstly we must nurture the human capital by giving them learning opportunities. As it is, they are left to teach themselves. Successful autodidacts are few and far between.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:1rem;padding-left:1.5rem;padding-right:1.5rem;color:rgb(33,37,41);font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;font-size:16px">The lucky ones are taught by non-governmental organisations, but these have limited resources to make learning last. And not all of them can teach living skills. Malaysia must learn how to be inclusive and allow them to attend schools as Malaysians do. This doesn't mean we are promising them a permanent stay here. No, this is a wrong way of seeing.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:1rem;padding-left:1.5rem;padding-right:1.5rem;color:rgb(33,37,41);font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;font-size:16px">Instead, we are preparing them with learning and living skills for their future in their adopted homes. Or better still, for their journey home when things become normal. Skilled refugees have a better prospect of being resettled in third countries.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:1rem;padding-left:1.5rem;padding-right:1.5rem;color:rgb(33,37,41);font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;font-size:16px"><b>Thirdly, since we are always short of foreign workers, why not tap the resources of the refugees</b>? According to the latest UNHCR data, there are 156,110 Myanmar refugees, including Rohingya, in the country. Minus some 50,000, who are children below 18, the labour force is still a good 100,000. With some training, they can be maids, plantation and factory workers.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:1rem;padding-left:1.5rem;padding-right:1.5rem;color:rgb(33,37,41);font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;font-size:16px">Malaysia needn't trouble itself spending time and energy negotiating with governments for foreign workers when we have plenty in the country.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin-top:0px;margin-bottom:1rem;padding-left:1.5rem;padding-right:1.5rem;color:rgb(33,37,41);font-family:Roboto,sans-serif;font-size:16px">Finally, by being humane to refugees, Malaysia would send a strong message to Myanmar, a country with genocidal tendencies, on how to treat fellow human beings.</p></div></div><div style="text-align:center"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> brafahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05160310785311009150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9039266979086985431.post-15437187611874032532022-04-17T19:31:00.001-05:002022-04-17T19:31:21.450-05:00Sixty Rohingyas arrested in forest in Ayeyarwady Region’s Pathein Township<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div style="text-align:center"><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000">Source <a href="https://www.mizzima.com/article/sixty-rohingyas-arrested-forest-ayeyarwady-regions-pathein-township?fbclid=IwAR3_1MhsbiUc8j4yiicsAFAUfRrhVUwgtGzWhhgw_lwKKcHgMpBntXJDytY">Mizzima</a>, 11 April</font></div><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000"><br></font></div><div style="text-align:left"><p style="margin:0px 0px 1.5em;font-family:Roboto,Myanmar3,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:15px;line-height:24px">About 60 Rohingya were arrested, for illegally leaving Rakhine State, in a forest, in Ayeyarwady Region's Pathein Township on 7 April, according to a police officer from the Pathein Township police station.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 1.5em;font-family:Roboto,Myanmar3,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:15px;line-height:24px">According to him, they were apprehended in a forest near to U To Village in Chaungtha Town. There were 34 men, 17 women, and 9 underage children in the group who had come from Rakhine State with the help of people smugglers.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 1.5em;font-family:Roboto,Myanmar3,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:15px;line-height:24px">"They [Rohingyas] coming from Rakhine State had to pay 1.5 million Kyat to the smugglers to go to Yangon. We were informed that the two traffickers live in Rathedaung and ArkarThaung villages. It is not yet known about where the Rohingya lived and came from", he added.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 1.5em;font-family:Roboto,Myanmar3,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:15px;line-height:24px"></p><div id="gmail-block-dfp-google-ads--2" class="gmail-block gmail-block-dfp gmail-no-title even gmail-block-count-2 gmail-block-region-block-inject-adv-1 gmail-block-google-ads" style="margin-bottom:0px;float:left;margin-right:20px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Roboto,Myanmar3,Arial,sans-serif;font-size:15px"><div class="gmail-block-inner gmail-clearfix" style="zoom:1;margin:0px"><div class="gmail-block-content gmail-content"><div id="gmail-dfp-ad-google_ads-wrapper" class="gmail-dfp-tag-wrapper"><div id="gmail-dfp-ad-google_ads" class="gmail-dfp-tag-wrapper"><div id="gmail-google_ads_iframe_/99726458/mizzima_medium_rectangle_b_300x250_0__container__" style="border:0pt none;display:inline-block;width:300px;height:250px"></div></div></div></div></div></div><p style="margin:0px 0px 1.5em;font-family:Roboto,Myanmar3,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:15px;line-height:24px">A human rights activist, who wishes to remain anonymous, said that he thinks the Rohingya must have paid money to junta troops to be able to travel through Rakhine State and Ayeyarwady Region.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 1.5em;font-family:Roboto,Myanmar3,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:15px;line-height:24px">Police officer Htun Shw from Ayeyarwady Region told Mizzima that the captured Rohingya are in the process of being charged, but he did not reveal where they are being held.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 1.5em;font-family:Roboto,Myanmar3,Arial,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-size:15px;line-height:24px">Under the 1982 Citizenship law, the Rohingya are not considered to be one of the indigenous races of Myanmar so they are not entitled to full citizenship. This means that there are severe restrictions on Rohingya freedom of movement, marriages, births and population control restrictions. These restrictions limit Rohingya access to health, education, livelihoods and family life.</p></div></div><div style="text-align:center"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> brafahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05160310785311009150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9039266979086985431.post-8576424348161995232022-04-02T00:06:00.001-05:002022-04-02T00:06:15.409-05:00Myanmar’s crimes against the Rohingya warrant UN intervention<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div style="text-align:center"><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000">Source <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/24/myanmar-crimes-against-the-rohingya-warrant-un-intervention?fbclid=IwAR2SrR2dfs5jk-Ze5hRR1kM_NXsYNngq7XkYSeBh4vutxLOjpEE0o7UB2Go">TheGuardian</a>, 25 March</font></div><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000"><br></font></div><div style="text-align:left"><div class="gmail-dcr-zjgnrw" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-ligatures:common-ligatures;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:medium;line-height:inherit;font-family:"Times New Roman";vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(18,18,18);background-color:rgb(254,249,245)"><div class="gmail-dcr-f5zpg" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:1.25rem;line-height:1.15;font-family:"GH Guardian Headline","Guardian Egyptian Web",Georgia,serif;vertical-align:baseline;max-width:540px"><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 8px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline">When individual states fail to protect their own populations, the international community must be prepared to act, writes <strong style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline">Chris Hughes</strong></p></div></div><div class="gmail-dcr-pn0kqp" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-ligatures:common-ligatures;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:medium;line-height:inherit;font-family:"Times New Roman";vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(18,18,18);background-color:rgb(254,249,245)"><div class="gmail-dcr-krkkhw" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;max-width:620px"><div class="gmail-dcr-16n5mgq" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;height:415.766px;min-height:1px"><div class="gmail-dcr-1b267dg" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><span style="box-sizing:border-box"><img alt="Children of Rohingya refugees play football at a camp in Ukhia." src="https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/36acd9c39cde6e45f770a95a7c62543fc4c34f19/0_238_3649_2190/master/3649.jpg?width=465&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&s=ea8414df63b93b716602cb6f09a34fe7" height="1200" width="2000" class="gmail-dcr-1989ovb" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font: inherit; vertical-align: middle; flex: 0 0 auto; width: 620px; height: 371.984px; object-fit: cover;"></span></div><span class="gmail-dcr-l6t30p" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><span class="gmail-dcr-1usbar2" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 4px 0px 0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;display:inline-block;width:1em"></span><span class="gmail-dcr-ochq61" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline">Rohingya refugees at a camp in Ukhia, Bangladesh. The US has declared that Myanmar's mass killing of Rohingya Muslims amounts to genocide.</span> Photograph: Munir Uz Zaman/AFP/Getty</span></div></div></div><div class="gmail-dcr-krkkhw" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;max-width:620px"><div class="gmail-dcr-ss9mnu" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><div class="gmail-dcr-1eucl2a" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:2px 0px 0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><div class="gmail-dcr-fj5ypv" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;display:flex"><div style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><address aria-label="Contributor info" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><div class="gmail-dcr-1c8zp3f" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px 0px 8px;border:0px;font-style:italic;font-variant:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:1.0625rem;line-height:1.15;font-family:"GH Guardian Headline","Guardian Egyptian Web",Georgia,serif;vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(199,70,0)">Letters</div></address>Fri 25 Mar 2022 04.54 AEDT</div></div><div class="gmail-dcr-15yir0q" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 6px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;display:flex"><div class="gmail-dcr-1jafwuq" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:6px 0px 0px;border-width:1px 0px 0px;border-top-style:solid;border-right-style:initial;border-bottom-style:initial;border-left-style:initial;border-top-color:rgb(220,220,220);border-right-color:initial;border-bottom-color:initial;border-left-color:initial;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><ul class="gmail-dcr-1n0u3w8" 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rgb(220,220,220);font:inherit;vertical-align:middle;white-space:nowrap;overflow:hidden;text-overflow:ellipsis;min-width:32px;max-width:100%;width:auto;height:32px;border-radius:50%;display:inline-block"></span></a></li></ul></div><div class="gmail-dcr-1ni4us3" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border-width:1px 0px 0px;border-top-style:solid;border-right-style:initial;border-bottom-style:initial;border-left-style:initial;border-top-color:rgb(220,220,220);border-right-color:initial;border-bottom-color:initial;border-left-color:initial;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;display:flex"><div class="gmail-dcr-1kr2ya4" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;display:flex"><div class="gmail-meta-number" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"></div><div class="gmail-meta-number" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="gmail-dcr-185kcx9" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant-ligatures:common-ligatures;font-variant-numeric:inherit;font-variant-east-asian:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:medium;line-height:inherit;font-family:"Times New Roman";vertical-align:baseline;color:rgb(18,18,18);background-color:rgb(254,249,245)"><div class="gmail-dcr-1t6t995" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;width:620px"><div class="gmail-dcr-krkkhw" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;max-width:620px"><div tabindex="0" id="gmail-maincontent" class="gmail-dcr-47hyjw" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><div class="gmail-article-body-commercial-selector gmail-article-body-viewer-selector gmail-dcr-ucgxn1" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><p class="gmail-dcr-go4h8e" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 1rem;padding:0px;border:0px;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:1.0625rem;line-height:1.5;font-family:GuardianTextEgyptian,"Guardian Text Egyptian Web",Georgia,serif;vertical-align:baseline;word-break:break-word">Now that the US has finally accepted that Myanmar's ethnic cleansing and mass murder of Rohingya Muslims amounts to genocide (<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/22/rohingya-refugees-welcome-us-decision-to-call-myanmar-atrocities-a-genocide" title="" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-top-style:initial;border-right-style:initial;border-bottom-style:solid;border-left-style:initial;border-top-color:initial;border-right-color:initial;border-bottom-color:rgb(220,220,220);border-left-color:initial;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;text-decoration-line:none;color:rgb(199,70,0)">Rohingya refugees welcome US decision to call Myanmar atrocities a genocide, 22 March</a>), the UN should enact its responsibility to prevent and respond to this most serious violation of international human rights and humanitarian law.</p><p class="gmail-dcr-go4h8e" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 1rem;padding:0px;border:0px;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:1.0625rem;line-height:1.5;font-family:GuardianTextEgyptian,"Guardian Text Egyptian Web",Georgia,serif;vertical-align:baseline;word-break:break-word">A 2005 UN world summit meeting agreed that all countries had a shared responsibility to do this. The summit <a href="https://www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/about-responsibility-to-protect.shtml" title="" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-top-style:initial;border-right-style:initial;border-bottom-style:solid;border-left-style:initial;border-top-color:initial;border-right-color:initial;border-bottom-color:rgb(220,220,220);border-left-color:initial;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;text-decoration-line:none;color:rgb(199,70,0)">agreed</a> that the principle of state sovereignty carried with it the obligation of the state to protect its own citizens. However, if a state was unable or unwilling to do so, the international community was empowered to intervene.</p><div id="gmail-sign-in-gate" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline"><span name="SignInGateSelector" style="box-sizing:border-box"></span></div><p class="gmail-dcr-go4h8e" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 1rem;padding:0px;border:0px;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:1.0625rem;line-height:1.5;font-family:GuardianTextEgyptian,"Guardian Text Egyptian Web",Georgia,serif;vertical-align:baseline;word-break:break-word">The <a href="https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/generalassembly/docs/globalcompact/A_RES_60_1.pdf" title="" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border-width:0px 0px 1px;border-top-style:initial;border-right-style:initial;border-bottom-style:solid;border-left-style:initial;border-top-color:initial;border-right-color:initial;border-bottom-color:rgb(220,220,220);border-left-color:initial;font:inherit;vertical-align:baseline;text-decoration-line:none;color:rgb(199,70,0)">summit outcome document</a> said "we are prepared to take collective action in a timely and decisive manner … should peaceful means be inadequate and national authorities are manifestly failing to protect their populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity". No doubt Russia and China would veto any such move, but it should be proposed.<br style="box-sizing:border-box"><strong style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline">Chris Hughes</strong><br style="box-sizing:border-box"><em style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;font-variant:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit;font-family:inherit;vertical-align:baseline">Leicester</em></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align:center"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> brafahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05160310785311009150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9039266979086985431.post-47441215631177003692022-02-11T02:23:00.000-06:002022-02-11T02:24:11.002-06:00Myanmar: while the world sits on its hands, people fight military junta with violence and silence<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div style="text-align:center"><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000">Source <a href="https://theconversation.com/myanmar-while-the-world-sits-on-its-hands-people-fight-military-junta-with-violence-and-silence-175950?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=bylinefacebookbutton&fbclid=IwAR0_3xyghDzyRmasgsdWwPj8JUxATijZXnjFkxw9O1-_T49FfgSYO1k0yYo">TheConversation</a>, 1 Feb</font></div><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000"><br></font></div><div style="text-align:left"><p style="margin:0px 0px 18px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:18px;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"Libre Baskerville",Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif">A year after a military coup, Myanmar remains mired in conflict. The country's military, the <em style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background:transparent">Tatmadaw</em>, has failed to convince most of Myanmar's 55 million people of the legitimacy of its rule. Anti-coup resistance continues to be widespread nationwide.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 18px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:18px;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"Libre Baskerville",Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif">The anniversary will be marked within Myanmar by a "<a href="https://www.myanmar-now.org/en/news/junta-threatens-silent-strike-participants-with-major-criminal-charges" style="color:rgb(56,56,56);outline:none;white-space:pre-wrap">silent strike</a>", with participants acknowledging those jailed or killed by the junta during the last year by avoiding public space, leaving Myanmar's streets empty. The junta has threatened participants with decades-long jail sentences and property confiscations. But if previous calls for anti-coup resistance are an indication, tens of millions of people will stay home and Myanmar's streets will be spookily empty.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 18px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:18px;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"Libre Baskerville",Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif">Silent strikers have a lot of people to acknowledge. The junta has <a href="https://twitter.com/aapp_burma/status/1488118908112752640" style="color:rgb(56,56,56);outline:none;white-space:pre-wrap">jailed 11,838</a> according to Myanmar's Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. This included State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint and as many of Myanmar's civilian politicians as the military could round up and have killed – 1,503 – often with appalling cruelty.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 18px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:18px;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"Libre Baskerville",Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif">In the immediate wake of the coup, hundreds of mostly young, peaceful protesters were killed by army snipers. In ethnic minority areas, soldiers replicated the kinds of scorched earth tactics used when the <em style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background:transparent">Tatmadaw</em> genocidally deported the Rohingya <a href="https://theconversation.com/rohingya-crisis-this-is-what-genocide-looks-like-83924" style="color:rgb(56,56,56);outline:none;white-space:pre-wrap">in 2017</a>.</p><div class="gmail-slot gmail-clear" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:18px;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;clear:both;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"Libre Baskerville",Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif"></div><div class="gmail-placeholder-container" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial"><img alt="Group of Burmese men carry injured man while shouting." class="gmail-lazyloaded" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/443457/original/file-20220131-117572-d50xz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; inset: 0px; width: 600px; height: 400.25px; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 0.5s ease 0s; object-fit: cover; display: block; max-width: 100%;"></div><span class="gmail-caption" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background:transparent">A crackdown after the coup killed hundreds of protestors.</span> <span class="gmail-attribution" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background:transparent"><span class="gmail-source" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background:transparent">EPA</span></span><p style="margin:0px 0px 18px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:18px;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"Libre Baskerville",Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif">Recent indiscriminate atrocities include the driving of a truck into a crowd of <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/12/5/myanmar-security-forces-ram-car-into-yangon-protest-report" style="color:rgb(56,56,56);outline:none;white-space:pre-wrap">peaceful protesters</a>, the burning alive of <a href="https://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/burned-12082021213116.html" style="color:rgb(56,56,56);outline:none;white-space:pre-wrap">11 people</a> including four children in retaliation for an attack by anti-junta militia, and the massacre of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/28/myanmar-massacre-two-save-the-children-staff-among-dead" style="color:rgb(56,56,56);outline:none;white-space:pre-wrap">31 people</a> fleeing violent clashes.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 18px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:18px;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"Libre Baskerville",Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif">Rather than quelling popular opposition to military rule, the junta's brutality and extreme violence has instead convinced many people of the necessity of removing the military from power for good. Resistance has encompassed a broad range of activities including peaceful protests that drew global attention, and civil disobedience and strikes that have paralysed the bureaucracy and transport sectors. Increasingly this has included violent opposition to the junta.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 18px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:18px;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"Libre Baskerville",Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif">Resistance is strongly encouraged by the <a href="https://gov.nugmyanmar.org/" style="color:rgb(56,56,56);outline:none;white-space:pre-wrap">National Unity Government</a> (NUG), a shadow government in exile that draws heavily from politicians elected at the 2020 general election. In September, NUG leaders announced a "<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/07/myanmar-opposition-announces-defensive-war-against-junta" style="color:rgb(56,56,56);outline:none;white-space:pre-wrap">defensive war</a>" against the junta, encouraging the creation of People's Defence Force militias to target the <em style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background:transparent">Tatmadaw</em> and its assets.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 18px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:18px;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"Libre Baskerville",Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif">These militias have increasingly linked with the armed wings of Myanmar's ethnic minority groups, of which there are dozens, many of whom have themselves been in conflict with the <em style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background:transparent">Tatmadaw</em> for decades. A nationwide united front of militias and ethnic armed groups has the potential to significantly stretch <em style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background:transparent">Tatmadaw</em> capabilities.</p><h2 style="margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:23px;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"Libre Baskerville",Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif">Economic shambles</h2><p style="margin:0px 0px 18px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:18px;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"Libre Baskerville",Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif">Creating a further challenge for the junta is the shambolic state of the economy. The World Bank estimated an 18% contraction during 2021 and predicted a paltry 1% growth in 2022, describing the economy as "<a href="https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/world-bank-expects-myanmar-growth-of-1-economy-critically-weak" style="color:rgb(56,56,56);outline:none;white-space:pre-wrap">critically weak</a>". The national currency, the kyat, has fallen to historic lows, losing 60% of its value in September alone.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 18px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:18px;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"Libre Baskerville",Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif">The World Food Program estimated a <a href="https://api.godocs.wfp.org/api/documents/bef7b4ad672a4b2a82c6c0287696fb33/download/?_ga=2.96528923.580029848.1643602001-1344326272.1643602001" style="color:rgb(56,56,56);outline:none;white-space:pre-wrap">29% rise</a> among a basket of basic foods, and a 71% hike in fuel prices during 2021, contributing to widespread food insecurity and pushing millions towards poverty.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 18px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:18px;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"Libre Baskerville",Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif">The perilous state of the economy has revived memories of the shockingly poor economic management during previous periods of military rule which saw Myanmar (then Burma), in 1987, designated a "<a href="https://www.un.org/development/desa/dpad/least-developed-country-category-myanmar.html" style="color:rgb(56,56,56);outline:none;white-space:pre-wrap">Least Developed Country</a>" by the UN.</p><h2 style="margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:23px;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"Libre Baskerville",Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif">Mixed diplomatic messages</h2><p style="margin:0px 0px 18px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:18px;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"Libre Baskerville",Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif">Internationally, the news for the junta is mixed. Military-ruled Myanmar is isolated diplomatically, the military government has been <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/oct/26/asean-summit-starts-with-myanmar-junta-excluded-for-ignoring-peace-deal" style="color:rgb(56,56,56);outline:none;white-space:pre-wrap">barred from participation</a> in meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/05/myanmars-un-envoy-accuses-regime-of-township-massacre" style="color:rgb(56,56,56);outline:none;white-space:pre-wrap">Myanmar's delegate</a> to the UN General Assembly speaks on behalf of the NUG, rather than the junta. But the generals have not had to face foreign intervention, an arms embargo, or even a UN Security Council referral to the International Criminal Court (ICC).</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 18px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:18px;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"Libre Baskerville",Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif">Western political leaders have been strong on anti-coup rhetoric and have imposed a range of economic sanctions, but there has been a studied reluctance to go beyond that. Most have been comfortable with Asean taking responsibility for addressing the situation in Myanmar. But the consensus-based regional bloc has proven unable to take decisive action, and its "<a href="https://asean.org/wp-content/uploads/Chairmans-Statement-on-ALM-Five-Point-Consensus-24-April-2021-FINAL-a-1.pdf" style="color:rgb(56,56,56);outline:none;white-space:pre-wrap">five-point consensus</a>" has been variously frustrated and ignored by the junta.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 18px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:18px;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"Libre Baskerville",Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif">At the security council, neither the US, UK, nor France, all permanent members who have condemned the coup, has been prepared to force a vote on imposing an arms embargo or referring Myanmar's generals to the ICC. This might at least encourage Myanmar's defenders at the UN and its major arms suppliers – China and Russia - to push the junta to moderate its actions.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 18px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:18px;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"Libre Baskerville",Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif">This situation is reminiscent of the west's response to the 2017 Rohingya crisis, when soaring rhetoric was not matched with actions to prevent criminality or achieve accountability. This arguably contributed to the <em style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background:transparent">Tatmadaw</em>'s sense of impunity which underpinned its decision to launch the current coup, convinced that it might face condemnatory rhetoric but little else from the UN or western governments.</p><div class="gmail-placeholder-container" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial"><img alt="Group of protestors making three-fingered salutes and holiding picture of Aung San Su Kyi with the word 'free'" class="gmail-lazyloaded" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/443460/original/file-20220131-15-15s8dr4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial; inset: 0px; width: 600px; height: 409.016px; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 0.5s ease 0s; object-fit: cover; display: block; max-width: 100%;"></div><span class="gmail-caption" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background:transparent">Civilian leader Aung San Su Kyi has been sentenced to six years in prison.</span> <span class="gmail-attribution" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background:transparent"><span class="gmail-source" style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background:transparent">EPA</span></span><h2 style="margin:0px 0px 12px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:23px;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"Libre Baskerville",Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif">Edge of collapse</h2><p style="margin:0px 0px 18px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:18px;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"Libre Baskerville",Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif">Military boss Min Aung Hlaing now presides over a crisis-riven country at the edge of complete political and economic collapse. While the junta has unquestionably failed to win hearts and minds and appears to have wildly underestimated the likely domestic opposition to renewed military rule, there are few indications the junta is considering any compromise that might see the <em style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background:transparent">Tatmadaw</em> return to its barracks.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 18px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:18px;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"Libre Baskerville",Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif">Meanwhile, held incommunicado for a year, Aung San Suu Kyi, the <a href="https://www.irrawaddy.com/elections/official-results-show-another-election-landslide-myanmars-ruling-nld.html#:%7E:text=By%20The%20Irrawaddy%2016%20November%202020.%20National%20League,affairs%20minister%20posts%2C%20giving%20it%20another%20landslide%20victory." style="color:rgb(56,56,56);outline:none;white-space:pre-wrap">winner of</a> the 2020 general election, has been recently sentenced to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jan/10/aun-san-suu-kyi-sentenced-to-four-years-in-prison-for-walkie-talkie-and-covid-rule-breaches" style="color:rgb(56,56,56);outline:none;white-space:pre-wrap">six years in jail</a> via an absurd, military-run court process.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 18px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:18px;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"Libre Baskerville",Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif">All this suggests Myanmar faces a worrying future: a military determined to rule and prepared to use appalling violence to achieve power, and a population equally determined to remove the military from power.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 18px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;font-size:18px;vertical-align:baseline;background-image:initial;background-position:initial;background-size:initial;background-repeat:initial;background-origin:initial;background-clip:initial;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:"Libre Baskerville",Georgia,Times,"Times New Roman",serif">A protracted conflict will have devastating consequences for Myanmar's people. By imposing an arms embargo on the <em style="margin:0px;padding:0px;border:0px;outline:0px;vertical-align:baseline;background:transparent">Tatmadaw</em>, the security council could help to defeat the junta more quickly. In the silent strike, millions of people will bravely risk decades in jail to protest military rule that is as illegitimate as it is cruel. They will be hoping the security council can show some bravery too.</p></div></div><div style="text-align:center"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> brafahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05160310785311009150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9039266979086985431.post-60943075823132401992022-01-28T04:41:00.000-06:002022-01-28T04:42:03.046-06:00Australia: Sanction Myanmar’s Coup Leaders<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div style="text-align:center"><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000">Source <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/01/27/australia-sanction-myanmars-coup-leaders">HRW,</a> 27 Jan</font></div><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000"><br></font></div><div style="text-align:left"><div class="embed gmail-align-center embedded-entity embedded-entity-type-media embedded-entity-bundle-image embedded-entity-viewmode-embeddable embed--center" style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px solid;margin:0.5rem 0px 2rem;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Freight Text W01",Georgia,Cambria,"Times New Roman",Times,serif;font-size:20px"><div class="gmail-figure__media gmail-relative gmail-inline-block gmail-mx-auto" style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px solid;display:inline-block;margin-left:auto;margin-right:auto;width:655.797px"><a href="https://www.hrw.org/modal/93737" rel="modal:open" class="gmail-figure__link" style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px solid;background-color:transparent"><img src="https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/styles/embed_xxl/public/media_2022/01/202201asia_myanmar_protest.jpg?itok=4Yks9IZF" width="850" height="567" alt="Demonstrators in Yangon protest the military coup in Myanmar" style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px solid; display: block; vertical-align: middle; max-width: 100%; height: auto;"><div class="gmail-figure__expand gmail-absolute gmail-block gmail-bottom-0 gmail-right-0 gmail-w-8 gmail-h-8 gmail-bg-white gmail-text-gray-500" style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px solid;height:2rem;width:2rem"><span class="gmail-sr-only" style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px solid;width:1px;height:1px;padding:0px;overflow:hidden;white-space:nowrap">Click to expand Image</span><div class="gmail-icon gmail-fill-current gmail-w-full gmail-inline-block" style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px solid;display:inline-block;width:32px"></div></div></a></div><span class="gmail-figure__caption" style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px solid">Demonstrators in Yangon protest the military coup in Myanmar, December 4, 2021.</span> <span class="gmail-figure__credit" style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px solid">© 2021 Santosh Krl / SOPA Images/Sipa USA via AP Images</span></div><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px solid;margin:0px 0px 1.5rem;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Freight Text W01",Georgia,Cambria,"Times New Roman",Times,serif;font-size:20px">(Sydney) – The <a href="https://www.hrw.org/asia/australia" style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px solid;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:inherit">Australian</a> government, one year after Myanmar's February 1, 2021 military coup, should impose targeted sanctions on <a href="https://www.hrw.org/asia/myanmar-burma" style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px solid;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:inherit">Myanmar</a>'s abusive military leaders and their business interests, six nongovernmental organizations said in a <a href="https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/media_2022/01/220117%20Joint%20Letter%20to%20Foreign%20Minister%20-%20Targeted%20Sanctions%20Against%20Myanmar%E2%80%99s%20Military%20Leaders%20and%20Their%20Business%20Interests.pdf" style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px solid;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:inherit">letter</a> to Foreign Minister Marise Payne released today.</p><div class="embed gmail-align-right embedded-entity embedded-entity-type-media embedded-entity-bundle-document embedded-entity-viewmode-embeddable embed--right" style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px solid;float:right;margin-bottom:2rem;margin-top:0.5rem;width:327.891px;padding-left:41.5312px;margin-right:0px;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Freight Text W01",Georgia,Cambria,"Times New Roman",Times,serif;font-size:20px"><div class="gmail-related-link gmail-flex gmail-py-1" style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px solid;display:flex;padding-top:0.25rem;padding-bottom:0.25rem"><a href="https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/media_2022/01/220117%20Joint%20Letter%20to%20Foreign%20Minister%20-%20Targeted%20Sanctions%20Against%20Myanmar%E2%80%99s%20Military%20Leaders%20and%20Their%20Business%20Interests.pdf" class="gmail-related-link__type-icon gmail-absolute gmail-py-1" title="Joint Letter to Australian Foreign Minister - Targeted Sanctions Against Myanmar's Coup Leaders" style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px solid;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:inherit;padding-top:0.25rem;padding-bottom:0.25rem"><div class="gmail-icon gmail-fill-current gmail-w-4 gmail-inline-block" style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px solid;display:inline-block;width:1rem"></div><span class="gmail-sr-only" style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px solid;width:1px;height:1px;padding:0px;overflow:hidden;white-space:nowrap">Joint Letter to Australian Foreign Minister - Targeted Sanctions Against Myanmar's Coup Leaders</span></a><span class="gmail-related-link__content" style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px solid;word-break:break-word"><a href="https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/media_2022/01/220117%20Joint%20Letter%20to%20Foreign%20Minister%20-%20Targeted%20Sanctions%20Against%20Myanmar%E2%80%99s%20Military%20Leaders%20and%20Their%20Business%20Interests.pdf" class="gmail-text-black gmail-svg-right-5 gmail-text-sm gmail-md:text-base gmail-lg:text-lg gmail-pl-6 gmail-font-sans gmail-font-medium" title="Joint Letter to Australian Foreign Minister - Targeted Sanctions Against Myanmar's Coup Leaders" style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px solid;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:inherit;font-size:1.125rem;padding-left:1.5rem"><span class="gmail-link-icon__text gmail-pr-2" style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px solid;padding-right:0.5rem">Joint Letter to Australian Foreign Minister - Targeted Sanctions Against Myanmar's Coup Leaders </span><div class="gmail-icon gmail-fill-current gmail-w-2 gmail-inline-block" style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px solid;display:inline-block;width:0.5rem"></div></a></span></div></div><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px solid;margin:0px 0px 1.5rem;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Freight Text W01",Georgia,Cambria,"Times New Roman",Times,serif;font-size:20px">In December the Australian government passed amendments to enable targeted sanctions against serious human rights abusers, but the sanctions have not been used. In the past year governments such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the European Union have imposed various targeted sanctions against Myanmar individuals and entities.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px solid;margin:1.5rem 0px;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Freight Text W01",Georgia,Cambria,"Times New Roman",Times,serif;font-size:20px">The letter was signed by the Australian Centre for International Justice, Australian Council for International Development, Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), Human Rights Watch, Publish What You Pay, and the Refugee Council of Australia.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px solid;margin:1.5rem 0px;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Freight Text W01",Georgia,Cambria,"Times New Roman",Times,serif;font-size:20px">Since the Myanmar military overthrew the elected civilian government last year, the Australian government has not imposed any additional sanctions on military leaders or their business interests. Since then, the military junta has carried out a nationwide crackdown on anti-junta protesters and the political opposition that amounts to <a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/07/31/myanmar-coup-leads-crimes-against-humanity" style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px solid;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:inherit">crimes against humanity</a>.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px solid;margin:1.5rem 0px;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Freight Text W01",Georgia,Cambria,"Times New Roman",Times,serif;font-size:20px">State security forces have killed more than 1,500 people, most recently the horrific summary execution of at least 39 people, including 4 children and 2 humanitarian workers, in Karenni State, yet no one has been held accountable for these crimes. Australia should demonstrate its strong public opposition to these atrocities by announcing targeted sanctions on February 1, 2022, the organizations said.<br style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px solid"><a id="gmail-_Hlk94244262" name="_Hlk94244262" style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px solid;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:inherit"></a></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px solid;margin:1.5rem 0px;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Freight Text W01",Georgia,Cambria,"Times New Roman",Times,serif;font-size:20px"><a id="gmail-_Hlk94244262" name="_Hlk94244262" style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px solid;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:inherit"></a>On January 27, the Australian company Woodside, a natural gas producer, announced it was exiting from Myanmar, underscoring the need for<a id="gmail-_Hlk94244262" name="_Hlk94244262" style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px solid;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:inherit"> </a><a href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/01/25/myanmar-urgent-action-needed-block-foreign-revenue" style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px solid;background-color:transparent;text-decoration:inherit">coordinated and targeted sanctions</a> from Australia, the US, EU, and other concerned governments on Myanmar's natural gas revenues.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px solid;margin:1.5rem 0px;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Freight Text W01",Georgia,Cambria,"Times New Roman",Times,serif;font-size:20px">The letter to Australia's foreign minister lists the individuals and entities who should face sanctions. Acting on that list should serve as a starting point for the Australian government to harmonize its position on Myanmar with like-minded governments.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px solid;margin:1.5rem 0px;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Freight Text W01",Georgia,Cambria,"Times New Roman",Times,serif;font-size:20px"><span style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px solid;font-weight:700">Quotes from signatories to the letter:</span></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px solid;margin:1.5rem 0px;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Freight Text W01",Georgia,Cambria,"Times New Roman",Times,serif;font-size:20px">"Australia should mark the one-year anniversary of Myanmar's coup by joining join its allies in imposing targeted sanctions against Myanmar's abusive generals and military-owned businesses. The Australian government should heed the calls of people in both Australia and Myanmar to help deprive the military of its revenue sources and to maximize pressure on the junta to end its campaign of terror."</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px solid;margin:1.5rem 0px;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Freight Text W01",Georgia,Cambria,"Times New Roman",Times,serif;font-size:20px">Elaine Pearson, Australia director at Human Rights Watch</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px solid;margin:1.5rem 0px;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Freight Text W01",Georgia,Cambria,"Times New Roman",Times,serif;font-size:20px">"The Australian government needs to act by introducing targeted sanctions, and not just wring its hands. The Myanmar generals stand accused of committing genocide and crimes against humanity against the Rohingya people and snuffing out democratic government, and attacking their own people for voicing democratic aspirations. When will the Australian government stand up for freedom and democracy?"</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px solid;margin:1.5rem 0px;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Freight Text W01",Georgia,Cambria,"Times New Roman",Times,serif;font-size:20px">Marc Purcell, chief executive officer of the Australian Council for International Development</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px solid;margin:1.5rem 0px;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Freight Text W01",Georgia,Cambria,"Times New Roman",Times,serif;font-size:20px">"A year on from the military coup in Myanmar, the Morrison government has failed to introduce further sanctions against Myanmar's military leaders and business interests – putting Australia behind likeminded countries like the US, UK and EU. Workers in Myanmar are risking their lives to protest the military takeover while the Morrison government sits idly by, when they should be taking action to support democracy."</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px solid;margin:1.5rem 0px;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Freight Text W01",Georgia,Cambria,"Times New Roman",Times,serif;font-size:20px">Michele O'Neil, president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU)</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px solid;margin:1.5rem 0px;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Freight Text W01",Georgia,Cambria,"Times New Roman",Times,serif;font-size:20px">"The mining, oil and gas sectors are like an ATM for Myanmar's murderous military. The Australian government should introduce sanctions that will outlaw Australian mining, oil and gas companies lining the pockets of the generals with tax and royalty payments."</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;border:0px solid;margin:1.5rem 0px 0px;clear:both;color:rgb(68,68,68);font-family:"Freight Text W01",Georgia,Cambria,"Times New Roman",Times,serif;font-size:20px">Clancy Moore, Australian director of Publish What You Pay</p></div></div><div style="text-align:center"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> brafahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05160310785311009150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9039266979086985431.post-20060311643475040032022-01-28T04:39:00.001-06:002022-01-28T04:39:43.563-06:00Rebel yell: Arakan Army leader speaks to Asia Times<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div style="text-align:center"><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000">Source <a href="https://asiatimes.com/2022/01/rebel-yell-arakan-army-leader-speaks-to-asia-times/">Asiatimes</a>, 18 Jan</font></div><div style="text-align:left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjERZ26hkAU4RzP2F5LZiBO6HTuJWhoIpzrf4ifSbPueCl-3PP8sJ3hNV8Mor3AJJZJR4k0xhhKeTsy8SPoShyphenhyphenwqRew_9V7sCKL6xF17PsmiZ1SmgRofe45A7bhQ3TBebVGcYbmrahisqUl/s1600/image-783579.png"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjERZ26hkAU4RzP2F5LZiBO6HTuJWhoIpzrf4ifSbPueCl-3PP8sJ3hNV8Mor3AJJZJR4k0xhhKeTsy8SPoShyphenhyphenwqRew_9V7sCKL6xF17PsmiZ1SmgRofe45A7bhQ3TBebVGcYbmrahisqUl/s320/image-783579.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_7058204870721741346" /></a><br></div><div style="text-align:left"><span width="1200" height="801" src="https://i0.wp.com/asiatimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Myanmar-Arakan-Army-Tun-Myat-Naing-e1556612296641.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1" class="gmail-attachment-newspack-featured-image gmail-size-newspack-featured-image gmail-wp-post-image gmail-amp-wp-enforced-sizes gmail-i-amphtml-layout-intrinsic gmail-i-amphtml-layout-size-defined gmail-i-amphtml-element gmail-i-amphtml-built gmail-i-amphtml-layout" alt="Tun Myat Naing, commander-in-chief of the Arakan Army (AA), attends a meeting of leaders of Myanmar's ethnic armed groups at the United Wa State Army (UWSA) headquarters in Pansang in Myanmar's northern Shan State, May 6, 2015. Rebel leaders in Myanmar on Wednesday urged the government to amend the military-drafted constitution to give more autonomy to ethnic minorities, a step they said would make it easier to sign a national ceasefire agreement. REUTERS/Stringer - RTX1BTVZ" style="box-sizing:inherit;border-style:none;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:inline-block;object-fit:contain;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Georgia,Georgia,"serif";font-size:20px;background-color:rgb(245,245,245);overflow:hidden"><img class="gmail-i-amphtml-fill-content gmail-i-amphtml-replaced-content" alt="Tun Myat Naing, commander-in-chief of the Arakan Army (AA), attends a meeting of leaders of Myanmar's ethnic armed groups at the United Wa State Army (UWSA) headquarters in Pansang in Myanmar's northern Shan State, May 6, 2015. Rebel leaders in Myanmar on Wednesday urged the government to amend the military-drafted constitution to give more autonomy to ethnic minorities, a step they said would make it easier to sign a national ceasefire agreement. REUTERS/Stringer - RTX1BTVZ" src="https://i0.wp.com/asiatimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Myanmar-Arakan-Army-Tun-Myat-Naing-e1556612296641.jpg?fit=1200%2C801&ssl=1" style="box-sizing: inherit; image-rendering: inherit; object-fit: inherit; object-position: inherit; display: block; height: 0px; max-height: 100%; max-width: 100%; min-height: 100%; min-width: 100%; width: 0px; margin: auto; inset: 0px; padding: 0px; border: none;"></span><span style="color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Georgia,Georgia,"serif";font-size:20px;background-color:rgb(245,245,245)"></span>Twan Mrat Naing, commander-in-chief of the Arakan Army, attends a meeting of leaders of Myanmar's ethnic armed groups at the United Wa State Army headquarters in Myanmar's northern Shan state, May 6, 2015. Photo: Twitter</div><div style="text-align:left"><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px;max-width:100%;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Georgia,Georgia,"serif";font-size:20px;background-color:rgb(245,245,245)">CHIANG MAI – At just 43, Major General Twan Mrat Naing may be the youngest and most successful rebel commanders in Myanmar. The force he leads, the Arakan Army (AA), has grown from a handful of recruits when it was first established in April 2009 into one of the war-torn nation's most powerful and potent ethnic armies.</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px;max-width:100%;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Georgia,Georgia,"serif";font-size:20px;background-color:rgb(245,245,245)">AA first waged war against the Myanmar military in 2012 in northern Kachin state arm-in-arm with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA). It later fought alongside the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) in northeastern Shan state before launching an insurgency in its home state of Rakhine, also known as Arakan, where thousands have flocked to join its ranks.</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px;max-width:100%;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Georgia,Georgia,"serif";font-size:20px;background-color:rgb(245,245,245)">Thanks to an unofficial ceasefire reached in late 2020, Rakhine state has not seen the kind of turmoil and violence that has engulfed the rest of the country since the military's democracy-suspending coup last February 1. In that relative vacuum, AA and its United League of Arakan (ULA) political wing have gradually built up a parallel administration and now effectively run much of the state, especially its northern regions.</p><div class="gmail-textwidget" style="box-sizing:inherit;display:flex"><div id="gmail-div-gpt-amp-asiatimes-atimes_amp-leaderboard_3_desktop-61f3c4fad4534-728x90" style="box-sizing:inherit"><span width="728px" height="90px" type="doubleclick" class="gmail-i-amphtml-layout-fixed gmail-i-amphtml-layout-size-defined gmail-i-amphtml-element gmail-i-amphtml-built gmail-i-amphtml-layout" style="box-sizing:inherit;display:inline-block;direction:ltr;width:728px;height:90px;overflow:hidden"></span></div></div><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px;max-width:100%;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Georgia,Georgia,"serif";font-size:20px;background-color:rgb(245,245,245)">But AA's rebel threat is alive and well, not least through its membership in three key anti-military alliances – the Brotherhood Alliance, the Northern Alliance and the Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee (FPNCC) – that combined account for most of the nation's ethnic fighting forces. If AA were to resume its hostilities full force, some believe it could critically overstretch the Tatmadaw. </p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px;max-width:100%;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Georgia,Georgia,"serif";font-size:20px;background-color:rgb(245,245,245)">In his first lengthy interview with international media, Twan Mrat Naing recently spoke over digital media with Asia Times' senior correspondent Bertil Lintner about the future of AA and prospects for Myanmar's spiraling civil war.</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px;max-width:100%;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Georgia,Georgia,"serif";font-size:20px;background-color:rgb(245,245,245)"><span style="box-sizing:inherit;font-weight:bolder">Asia Times:</span> The situation in Arakan (Rakhine) has been relatively calm since you entered into an informal ceasefire agreement with the Myanmar military shortly after the November 2020 election. But, given the fact that the rest of Myanmar is in turmoil, for how much longer do you expect the peace to last?</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px;max-width:100%;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Georgia,Georgia,"serif";font-size:20px;background-color:rgb(245,245,245)"><span style="box-sizing:inherit;font-weight:bolder">Twan Mrat Naing:</span> The informal ceasefire is not that stable. We have been at daggers drawn. It's uncertain how long the ceasefire will last, but we wish to have a meaningful ceasefire for mutual benefit and interests.</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px;max-width:100%;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Georgia,Georgia,"serif";font-size:20px;background-color:rgb(245,245,245)">The SAC [State Administration Council] is fighting on other fronts but with an ad hoc strategy. We know they are furious because we have established our own administration with judicial, taxation, public security branches and other governmental institutions.</p><div class="gmail-textwidget" style="box-sizing:inherit;display:flex"><div id="gmail-div-gpt-amp-asiatimes-atimes_amp-inarticle_house_1-61f3c4fad6982-728x90" style="box-sizing:inherit"><span width="728px" height="90px" type="doubleclick" class="gmail-i-amphtml-layout-fixed gmail-i-amphtml-layout-size-defined gmail-i-amphtml-element gmail-i-amphtml-built gmail-i-amphtml-layout" style="box-sizing:inherit;display:inline-block;direction:ltr;width:728px;height:90px;overflow:hidden"></span></div></div><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px;max-width:100%;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Georgia,Georgia,"serif";font-size:20px;background-color:rgb(245,245,245)"><span style="box-sizing:inherit;font-weight:bolder">Asia Times</span>: What is your relationship with other ethnic armed organizations in Myanmar, not only your allies but also the Karen National Union (KNU), the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP) and its Karenni Army, and the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), which are not members of any of the fronts to which you belong?</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px;max-width:100%;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Georgia,Georgia,"serif";font-size:20px;background-color:rgb(245,245,245)"><span style="box-sizing:inherit;font-weight:bolder">Twan Mrat Naing:</span> The Arakan Army is actively engaging in the operations of the Brotherhood Alliance and the Northern Alliance, and we are still a member of the FPNCC. We also maintain good relationships with the KNU, the KNPP as well as most other ethnic armed organizations.</p><span width="780" height="419" src="https://i0.wp.com/asiatimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Myanmar-Arakan-Army-Rebels-1-1-e1582528410449.jpg?resize=780%2C419&ssl=1" alt="" class="gmail-wp-image-461711 gmail-amp-wp-enforced-sizes gmail-i-amphtml-layout-intrinsic gmail-i-amphtml-layout-size-defined gmail-i-amphtml-element gmail-i-amphtml-built gmail-i-amphtml-layout" style="box-sizing:inherit;border-style:none;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block;object-fit:contain;vertical-align:bottom;border-radius:inherit;overflow:hidden"><span class="gmail-i-amphtml-sizer" style="box-sizing:inherit;max-width:100%;display:block"><img alt="" aria-hidden="true" class="gmail-i-amphtml-intrinsic-sizer" role="presentation" style="box-sizing: inherit; image-rendering: inherit; object-fit: inherit; object-position: inherit; max-width: 100%; display: block;"></span><img alt="" src="https://i0.wp.com/asiatimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Myanmar-Arakan-Army-Rebels-1-1-e1582528410449.jpg?resize=780%2C419&ssl=1" class="gmail-i-amphtml-fill-content gmail-i-amphtml-replaced-content" style="box-sizing: inherit; image-rendering: inherit; object-fit: inherit; object-position: inherit; display: block; height: 0px; max-height: 100%; max-width: 100%; min-height: 100%; min-width: 100%; width: 0px; margin: auto; inset: 0px; padding: 0px; border: none;"></span>Myanmar's insurgent Arakan Army has deployed hit-and-run tactics the military has found difficult to counter and combat. Photo: Twitter<p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px;max-width:100%;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Georgia,Georgia,"serif";font-size:20px;background-color:rgb(245,245,245)"><span style="box-sizing:inherit;font-weight:bolder">Asia Times:</span> What is your overall assessment of the SAC's performance since it seized power on February 1 last year? Are talks possible or is armed struggle the only way forward?</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px;max-width:100%;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Georgia,Georgia,"serif";font-size:20px;background-color:rgb(245,245,245)"><span style="box-sizing:inherit;font-weight:bolder">Twan Mrat Naing:</span> The SAC's health system is crumbling, economically the country is going bankrupt and the country is paralyzed politically. SAC is paranoid and has become more of a diplomatic pariah than ever before. And its military is overstretched on many fronts. The junta has found itself in the middle of a storm, and they do not have much leeway for any mistake.</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px;max-width:100%;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Georgia,Georgia,"serif";font-size:20px;background-color:rgb(245,245,245)">Once their chain of command and cohesion is disrupted with inner cleavages and mutinies, they could be blown out like a supernova. But we can't underestimate their military strength and resilience – they will do anything to remain in power and they have manifested that with indiscriminate barbarity.</p><div class="gmail-textwidget" style="box-sizing:inherit;display:flex"><div id="gmail-div-gpt-amp-asiatimes-atimes_amp-inarticle_house_2-61f3c4fad79f6-728x90" style="box-sizing:inherit"><span width="728px" height="90px" type="doubleclick" class="gmail-i-amphtml-layout-fixed gmail-i-amphtml-layout-size-defined gmail-i-amphtml-element gmail-i-amphtml-built gmail-i-amphtml-layout" style="box-sizing:inherit;display:inline-block;direction:ltr;width:728px;height:90px;overflow:hidden"></span></div></div><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px;max-width:100%;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Georgia,Georgia,"serif";font-size:20px;background-color:rgb(245,245,245)">It seems to me that peace talks are very unlikely under current circumstances. With such animosity prevailing, peace talks would amount to mere political rhetoric, not real negotiations.</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px;max-width:100%;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Georgia,Georgia,"serif";font-size:20px;background-color:rgb(245,245,245)"><span style="box-sizing:inherit;font-weight:bolder">Asia Times:</span> How do you view the National League for Democracy's role (NLD) in national politics and the Arakan National Party (ANP), the main overground political party in Rakhine state, in regional politics?</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px;max-width:100%;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Georgia,Georgia,"serif";font-size:20px;background-color:rgb(245,245,245)"><span style="box-sizing:inherit;font-weight:bolder">Twan Mrat Naing:</span> NLD is not in very good shape either, although it won the majority of votes in a staggering victory in the previous [2020] election. But with its aging and ossified leadership, its future does not look promising and is not up to the expectations of the people. The NLD needs a new leadership, or, for the good of the people of Myanmar, another new capable political force should take over in the political vacuum that exists today.</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px;max-width:100%;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Georgia,Georgia,"serif";font-size:20px;background-color:rgb(245,245,245)">In regard to the ANP, it would hinge on whether or not there will be an election in 2023, as promised by the SAC. [Myanmar's] political future is dire and unpredictable. Another likely scenario for ANP is that it could merge with the ULA along with other parties and individuals if there are no more elections in the years to come.</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px;max-width:100%;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Georgia,Georgia,"serif";font-size:20px;background-color:rgb(245,245,245)"><span style="box-sizing:inherit;font-weight:bolder">Asia Times:</span> Is your final goal independence for Arakan (Rakhine) or autonomy within a federal union? What kind of future state structure do you envisage for Myanmar?</p><div class="gmail-textwidget" style="box-sizing:inherit;display:flex"><div id="gmail-div-gpt-amp-asiatimes-atimes_amp-leaderboard_4_desktop-61f3c4fad857e-728x90" style="box-sizing:inherit"><span width="728px" height="90px" type="doubleclick" class="gmail-i-amphtml-layout-fixed gmail-i-amphtml-layout-size-defined gmail-i-amphtml-element gmail-i-amphtml-built gmail-i-amphtml-layout" style="box-sizing:inherit;display:inline-block;direction:ltr;width:728px;height:90px;overflow:hidden"></span></div></div><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px;max-width:100%;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Georgia,Georgia,"serif";font-size:20px;background-color:rgb(245,245,245)"><span style="box-sizing:inherit;font-weight:bolder">Twan Mrat Naing:</span> The right to self-determination and sovereignty is at the heart of our national movements. We will see whether a Federal Union of Myanmar will have the political space for the kind of confederation that our Arakanese people aspire for.</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px;max-width:100%;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Georgia,Georgia,"serif";font-size:20px;background-color:rgb(245,245,245)">We would prefer to remain with our [ethnic] brothers and sisters, but if our rightful political status which we desire is not accommodated within this union, it would behoove us to be a member of the international community on our own.</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px;max-width:100%;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Georgia,Georgia,"serif";font-size:20px;background-color:rgb(245,245,245)"><span style="box-sizing:inherit;font-weight:bolder">Asia Times:</span> How strong is your army and how much of Arakan (Rakhine) does it control?</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px;max-width:100%;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Georgia,Georgia,"serif";font-size:20px;background-color:rgb(245,245,245)"><span style="box-sizing:inherit;font-weight:bolder">Twan Mrat Naing:</span> We have trained over 30,000 soldiers in 13 years (since founding in 2009), and there are still more combatants undergoing training in command and control, and technical skills. Around 70% of our troops are battle-hardened and have combat experience. 5,000-6,000 thousand troops are deployed in our allies' areas, the rest are in Arakan (Rakhine).</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px;max-width:100%;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Georgia,Georgia,"serif";font-size:20px;background-color:rgb(245,245,245)">We control around 60% of the areas in the north of Arakan (Rakhine) but less in the south. In some areas, it is difficult to draw distinct lines of control between us and the Myanmar army. They still control urban areas and have to keep those for strategic reasons, but we still project our authority as required in those areas and there are still a lot of contested areas as well.</p><span width="780" height="441" src="https://i0.wp.com/asiatimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Myanmar-Arakan-Army-Insurgency-2018-Youtube-e1556613285111.jpg?resize=780%2C441&ssl=1" alt="An Arakan Army rebel soldier at an undisclosed location. Photo: Youtube" class="gmail-wp-image-296665 gmail-amp-wp-enforced-sizes gmail-i-amphtml-layout-intrinsic gmail-i-amphtml-layout-size-defined gmail-i-amphtml-element gmail-i-amphtml-built gmail-i-amphtml-layout" style="box-sizing:inherit;border-style:none;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block;object-fit:contain;vertical-align:bottom;border-radius:inherit;overflow:hidden"><span class="gmail-i-amphtml-sizer" style="box-sizing:inherit;max-width:100%;display:block"><img alt="" aria-hidden="true" class="gmail-i-amphtml-intrinsic-sizer" role="presentation" style="box-sizing: inherit; image-rendering: inherit; object-fit: inherit; object-position: inherit; max-width: 100%; display: block;"></span><img alt="An Arakan Army rebel soldier at an undisclosed location. Photo: Youtube" src="https://i0.wp.com/asiatimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Myanmar-Arakan-Army-Insurgency-2018-Youtube-e1556613285111.jpg?resize=780%2C441&ssl=1" class="gmail-i-amphtml-fill-content gmail-i-amphtml-replaced-content" style="box-sizing: inherit; image-rendering: inherit; object-fit: inherit; object-position: inherit; display: block; height: 0px; max-height: 100%; max-width: 100%; min-height: 100%; min-width: 100%; width: 0px; margin: auto; inset: 0px; padding: 0px; border: none;"></span>An Arakan Army rebel soldier at an undisclosed location. Photo: Youtube<p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px;max-width:100%;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Georgia,Georgia,"serif";font-size:20px;background-color:rgb(245,245,245)"><span style="box-sizing:inherit;font-weight:bolder">Asia Times:</span> What is your relationship with the People's Defense Forces and associated resistance armies in nearby Chin state?</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px;max-width:100%;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Georgia,Georgia,"serif";font-size:20px;background-color:rgb(245,245,245)"><span style="box-sizing:inherit;font-weight:bolder">Twan Mrat Naing:</span> So far, no significant cooperation. </p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px;max-width:100%;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Georgia,Georgia,"serif";font-size:20px;background-color:rgb(245,245,245)"><span style="box-sizing:inherit;font-weight:bolder">Asia Times:</span> You said in an interview published by Prothom Alo (Bangladesh) on January 2 that you recognize the human rights and citizenship rights of the Rohingyas. Does that mean you are advocating the return of Rohingya refugees now in Bangladesh and their right to citizenship?</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px;max-width:100%;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Georgia,Georgia,"serif";font-size:20px;background-color:rgb(245,245,245)"><span style="box-sizing:inherit;font-weight:bolder">Twan Mrat Naing:</span> We recognize the human rights and citizenship rights of all residents of Arakan (Rakhine), but a massive repatriation of refugees in the current situation could unleash a new wave of unrest. Any repatriation would have to be voluntary and be done by legal means under international supervision.</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px;max-width:100%;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Georgia,Georgia,"serif";font-size:20px;background-color:rgb(245,245,245)">A major issue for most Arakanese would also be the name with which the refugees would want to be identified. "Rohingya" is not a term that most Arakanese accept. They find it offensive as they feel that it deprives them of their history. They are the original inhabitants of the land.</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px;max-width:100%;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Georgia,Georgia,"serif";font-size:20px;background-color:rgb(245,245,245)">The Muslim population has come in different waves, and then chiefly when the country was under British rule. If they have lived in Arakan (Rakhine) for generations, they can become citizens. But it's also a question of identity.</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px;max-width:100%;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Georgia,Georgia,"serif";font-size:20px;background-color:rgb(245,245,245)"><span style="box-sizing:inherit;font-weight:bolder">Asia Times:</span> What are the chances of Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus and Christians being able to live together peacefully in Arakan (Rakhine)?</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px;max-width:100%;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Georgia,Georgia,"serif";font-size:20px;background-color:rgb(245,245,245)"><span style="box-sizing:inherit;font-weight:bolder">Twan Mrat Naing:</span> It is achievable when we don't have outsiders manipulating us and using one group against another. Evidently, our Arakan (Rakhine) state never had the current level of social stability and racial harmony during 1941/2 to 2019. Now, we have more social stability, racial tension has started to decline and more positive social activities can be found. These are observable shifts and more changes should be started from within.</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px;max-width:100%;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Georgia,Georgia,"serif";font-size:20px;background-color:rgb(245,245,245)"><span style="box-sizing:inherit;font-weight:bolder">Asia Times:</span> What is your view of Rohingya organizations such as the Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO) and the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA)?</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px;max-width:100%;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Georgia,Georgia,"serif";font-size:20px;background-color:rgb(245,245,245)"><span style="box-sizing:inherit;font-weight:bolder">Twan Mrat Naing:</span> We do not have any ties with either of them. The RSO appears to be politically more mature than ARSA. But ARSA has more networks and is more active. You can see what ARSA has been doing against their own community leaders at the villages inside Arakan (Rakhine) and at refugee camps in Bangladesh. Some educated Muslims in the diaspora are irresponsibly manipulating ARSA and exploiting the troubled political environment.</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px;max-width:100%;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Georgia,Georgia,"serif";font-size:20px;background-color:rgb(245,245,245)"><span style="box-sizing:inherit;font-weight:bolder">Asia Times:</span> Your only foreign neighbor is Bangladesh. How would you describe your relationship with authorities and people across the border, for instance the Marma community? And, a bit further afield, India?</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px;max-width:100%;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Georgia,Georgia,"serif";font-size:20px;background-color:rgb(245,245,245)"><span style="box-sizing:inherit;font-weight:bolder">Twan Mrat Naing:</span> The Marma, and the Magh (the Mog of Tripura) are of the same blood as us, as are other ethnic inhabitants across the tri-border region. They have a profound understanding of our movement and sympathy for us.</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px;max-width:100%;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Georgia,Georgia,"serif";font-size:20px;background-color:rgb(245,245,245)">In regard to Bangladesh's authorities, it's not that bad, but not yet so good either. We haven't noticed that the Bangladesh government has a clear policy or strategy for a formal or informal relationship with us yet.</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px;max-width:100%;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Georgia,Georgia,"serif";font-size:20px;background-color:rgb(245,245,245)">It should be improved though; they should take a step forward and do so proactively. A better relationship will be mutually beneficial for both of us, and, more importantly, in coping with the refugees, aid delivery, the pandemic and security issues. In order to better serve the interests of the people on both sides, the relationship could also be extended to include health care, education, trade and commerce and other sectors.</p><span width="780" height="520" src="https://i0.wp.com/asiatimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Myanmar-Rohingya-Maungdaw-September-2017.jpg?resize=780%2C520&ssl=1" alt="Rohingya men look at smoke billowing above what is believed to be a burning village in Myanmar's Rakhine state, as members of the Muslim minority group take shelter in a no-man's land between Bangladesh and Myanmar, in Ukhia on September 4, 2017. Photo: AFP/ K M Asad" class="gmail-wp-image-185190 gmail-amp-wp-enforced-sizes gmail-i-amphtml-layout-intrinsic gmail-i-amphtml-layout-size-defined gmail-i-amphtml-element gmail-i-amphtml-built gmail-i-amphtml-layout" style="box-sizing:inherit;border-style:none;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block;object-fit:contain;vertical-align:bottom;border-radius:inherit;overflow:hidden"><span class="gmail-i-amphtml-sizer" style="box-sizing:inherit;max-width:100%;display:block"><img alt="" aria-hidden="true" class="gmail-i-amphtml-intrinsic-sizer" role="presentation" style="box-sizing: inherit; image-rendering: inherit; object-fit: inherit; object-position: inherit; max-width: 100%; display: block;"></span><img alt="Rohingya men look at smoke billowing above what is believed to be a burning village in Myanmar's Rakhine state, as members of the Muslim minority group take shelter in a no-man's land between Bangladesh and Myanmar, in Ukhia on September 4, 2017. Photo: AFP/ K M Asad" src="https://i0.wp.com/asiatimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Myanmar-Rohingya-Maungdaw-September-2017.jpg?resize=780%2C520&ssl=1" class="gmail-i-amphtml-fill-content gmail-i-amphtml-replaced-content" style="box-sizing: inherit; image-rendering: inherit; object-fit: inherit; object-position: inherit; display: block; height: 0px; max-height: 100%; max-width: 100%; min-height: 100%; min-width: 100%; width: 0px; margin: auto; inset: 0px; padding: 0px; border: none;"></span>Rohingya men look at smoke billowing above what is believed to be a burning village in Myanmar's Rakhine state, as members of the Muslim minority group take shelter in a no-man's land between Bangladesh and Myanmar, in Ukhia on September 4, 2017. Photo: AFP / K M Asad<p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px;max-width:100%;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Georgia,Georgia,"serif";font-size:20px;background-color:rgb(245,245,245)"><span style="box-sizing:inherit;font-weight:bolder">Asia Times:</span> Can other countries such as China and Japan play a role in the efforts to reach a peaceful solution to the conflict in Arakan (Rakhine) and the rest of Myanmar? What about the strategic competition between China and the United States?</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px;max-width:100%;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Georgia,Georgia,"serif";font-size:20px;background-color:rgb(245,245,245)"><span style="box-sizing:inherit;font-weight:bolder">Twan Mrat Naing:</span> In theory, they can play a vital role but reality is more complex. Changes have to come from within, and that would sound more probable and realistic to me. But the odds are still unclear. The US-China competition has not affected us and is not our concern.</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px;max-width:100%;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Georgia,Georgia,"serif";font-size:20px;background-color:rgb(245,245,245)"><span style="box-sizing:inherit;font-weight:bolder">Asia Times:</span> And, lastly, a personal question: why and when did you decide to take up arms against the Myanmar military and the rule of the central government?</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px;max-width:100%;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Georgia,Georgia,"serif";font-size:20px;background-color:rgb(245,245,245)"><span style="box-sizing:inherit;font-weight:bolder">Twan Mrat Naing:</span> Myanmar does not have a healthy political space to settle political inequalities and entitlements. I won't be crying for the moon. My rationale is that we are not requesting or asking for what we want from our enemy who has deprived us by force.</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px;max-width:100%;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Georgia,Georgia,"serif";font-size:20px;background-color:rgb(245,245,245)">We shall create our own destiny with our own hands, no matter what they think. We must build on our own and earn what we deserve. My mission is to restore our sovereignty and reclaim a rightful political status for Arakan (Rakhine).</p><p style="box-sizing:inherit;margin:32px 0px;max-width:100%;color:rgb(17,17,17);font-family:Georgia,Georgia,"serif";font-size:20px;background-color:rgb(245,245,245)"><em style="box-sizing:inherit">Follow Bertil Lintner on Twitter at <a href="https://twitter.com/gardlunden" style="box-sizing:inherit;background-color:transparent;color:rgb(0,123,215)">@gardlunden</a></em></p></div></div><div style="text-align:center"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> brafahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05160310785311009150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9039266979086985431.post-36227566692415427032021-12-17T20:37:00.001-06:002021-12-17T20:37:26.983-06:00In Rakhine, more than 100 Rohingya were sentenced to five years in prison each<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div style="text-align:center"><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000">Source <a href="https://www-rfa-org.translate.goog/burmese/news/court-sentenced-one-hundred-rohingya-five-years-in-jail12162021055045.html?_x_tr_sl=my&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc">RFA</a>, 16 Dec</font></div><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000"><br></font></div><div style="text-align:left"><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:14.5px;letter-spacing:0.2px;line-height:24px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Pyidaungsu"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">aungdaw Township Court on December 14 sentenced 109 of the more than 190 Rohingya arrested in Rakhine State on a boat trip from Malaysia to Malaysia and sentenced them to five years in prison each, and sent them to Buthidaung Prison, a lawyer told RFA.</font></font></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:14.5px;letter-spacing:0.2px;line-height:24px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Pyidaungsu"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">The other 90 were released after being warned by a court they were under the age of 18.</font></font></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:14.5px;letter-spacing:0.2px;line-height:24px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Pyidaungsu"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">On November 29, the military arrested 228 people in a boat 17 miles northwest of Mayu Island near Sittwe, Rakhine State, along with a motorboat.</font></font></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:14.5px;letter-spacing:0.2px;line-height:24px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Pyidaungsu"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">Of those, 35 children under the age of 10 were released the same day, and the rest were prosecuted by the Maungdaw District Immigration Department.</font></font></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:14.5px;letter-spacing:0.2px;line-height:24px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Pyidaungsu"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">They are refugees from Rakhine State in a refugee camp in Bangladesh and have been sentenced to the maximum sentence under Section 13 (1) of the 1947 Immigration Act, "Tin Hlaing Oo, a lawyer representing the case, told RFA.</font></font></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:14.5px;letter-spacing:0.2px;line-height:24px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Pyidaungsu"><strong style="box-sizing:border-box"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">"They went to Malaysia illegally from Bangladesh," he said. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">Many of them took refuge in Bangladesh during the 2017 uprising. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">And there are five Burmans from Tanintharyi. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">And two Bangladeshi nationals. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">Section 13 (1) of the current provisions of the 1947 Immigration Act provides for a maximum sentence of five years in prison. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">We have clients who have been handed over to Thazin. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">"I will appeal to them."</font></font></strong></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:14.5px;letter-spacing:0.2px;line-height:24px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Pyidaungsu"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">Five Burmese nationals were among those arrested and imprisoned.</font></font></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:14.5px;letter-spacing:0.2px;line-height:24px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Pyidaungsu"></p><div id="gmail-story_inline_youtube" style="box-sizing:border-box;width:605px;float:left;padding-bottom:15px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Pyidaungsu;font-size:14.5px;letter-spacing:0.2px"><div class="gmail-videoWrapper" style="box-sizing:border-box;padding-bottom:340.312px;padding-top:0px;height:0px;clear:both;margin-bottom:12px"></div></div><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:14.5px;letter-spacing:0.2px;line-height:24px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Pyidaungsu"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">A family member of the detainee told RFA that the Rohingya had fled to Malaysia because they were facing difficulties in a refugee camp in Bangladesh.</font></font></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:14.5px;letter-spacing:0.2px;line-height:24px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Pyidaungsu"><strong style="box-sizing:border-box"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">"There are difficulties in the refugee camps in Bangladesh," he said. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">I am going to Malaysia because I do not want to live in a refugee camp because I can not live with the violence. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">Some people who have families in Malaysia go to their families. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">Some go to get married. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">Some took their brothers with them. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">It costs about 120 lakhs per person to go there. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">Some 110 lakhs. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">Some of them are 100 lakhs. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">In some cases, it costs 90 lakhs. "</font></font></strong></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:14.5px;letter-spacing:0.2px;line-height:24px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Pyidaungsu"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">They were killed during the 2017 conflict in Buthidaung. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">He said he had to flee from Maungdaw Township to a refugee camp in Bangladesh.</font></font></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:14.5px;letter-spacing:0.2px;line-height:24px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Pyidaungsu"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">A Muslim village head in Buthidaung Township, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told RFA that Muslims currently living in Rakhine State are also subject to travel restrictions.</font></font></p><blockquote style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Pyidaungsu;font-size:14.5px;letter-spacing:0.2px"><p class="gmail-callout" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 15px;background:rgb(238,238,238);padding:1em;border-left:1em solid rgb(204,204,204);clear:both;letter-spacing:0.2px;line-height:24px"><strong style="box-sizing:border-box"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">"Everywhere you look today, the tide of protectionist sentiment is flowing.</font></font></strong></p></blockquote><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:14.5px;letter-spacing:0.2px;line-height:24px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Pyidaungsu"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">They do not want to be named for security reasons, as they are often interrogated when reporting their problems to the media.</font></font></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:14.5px;letter-spacing:0.2px;line-height:24px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Pyidaungsu"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">On November 25, Muslims in Buthidaung Township were required to travel on Form 4, and the township administration issued a local order restricting them to three months.</font></font></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:14.5px;letter-spacing:0.2px;line-height:24px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Pyidaungsu"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">He said the ban on Rohingya Muslims from crossing the border and the arrest and imprisonment of them were inhumane.</font></font></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:14.5px;letter-spacing:0.2px;line-height:24px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Pyidaungsu"><strong style="box-sizing:border-box"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">"Wherever we find and arrest our people in Burma, we will be sentenced to two years in prison," he said. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">Three years </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">The five-year sentence is inhumane. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">That should not be the case. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">We can not go anywhere in Rakhine State where we now live. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">For example, </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">Maungdaw or Sittwe. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">If something goes wrong, do not go. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">He was arrested and interrogated. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">You have to take Form 4. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">It is not easy to take Form 4. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">There are difficulties. "</font></font></strong></p><img alt="rohingya.jpg" class="gmail-image-richtext gmail-image-inline" src="https://www.rfa.org/burmese/news/court-sentenced-one-hundred-rohingya-five-years-in-jail12162021055045.html/rohingya.jpg/@@images/ed3853a4-d69d-41c7-a25f-96ebc1d34f5e.jpeg" title="rohingya.jpg" style="box-sizing: border-box; border: 0px; vertical-align: middle; float: none; max-width: 100%; height: auto; margin-right: 15px; padding-bottom: 5px; width: auto;"><em style="box-sizing:border-box"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">(</font></font></em><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"> Photo: Tatmadaw News Agency) </font></font><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:14.5px;letter-spacing:0.2px;line-height:24px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Pyidaungsu"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">Nay San Lwin, co-founder of the Rohingya Liberation Coalition, said he could not accept the arrest.</font></font></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:14.5px;letter-spacing:0.2px;line-height:24px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Pyidaungsu"><strong style="box-sizing:border-box"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">"Imprisonment is not fair. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">According to Article 13 (1) of the Immigration Act, the minimum sentence is six months and the maximum is five years. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">But we do not care about the international community because of the pressure from the military on the Rohingya in the international community. </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">Last month's issuance of travel permits made it clear that the International Court of Justice could not comply with the order.</font></font></strong></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:14.5px;letter-spacing:0.2px;line-height:24px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Pyidaungsu"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">Buthidaung, Rakhine State </font><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">In Maungdaw townships, more than 600,000 Rohingya Muslims fled to Bangladesh in 2017 due to military clearance.</font></font></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:0px 0px 15px;font-size:14.5px;letter-spacing:0.2px;line-height:24px;color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Pyidaungsu"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit"><font style="box-sizing:border-box;vertical-align:inherit">They have not been able to return home and are still facing difficulties in the camps. </font></font></p></div></div><div style="text-align:center"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> brafahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05160310785311009150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9039266979086985431.post-79849320654905104422021-12-11T02:36:00.000-06:002021-12-11T02:37:00.258-06:00A Day After Rohingya Refugees Sued Facebook for $150B, the Company Announced Some Changes<div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div style="text-align:center"><div style="text-align:left"><font style="background-color:rgb(238,238,238)" color="#000000">Source <a href="https://time.com/6126566/rohingya-suing-facebook-changes/?fbclid=IwAR2MjYO0mXKBlVGHpQYvT6j9zDWHamj4_fCoC_KG1yVI4pH8I3SttIQEPzY">Time</a>, 8 Dec</font></div><div style="text-align:left"><span style="color:rgba(0,0,0,0.95);font-family:"PT Serif",georgia,times,serif;font-size:17px;letter-spacing:0.5px"><br></span></div><div style="text-align:left"><span style="color:rgba(0,0,0,0.95);font-family:"PT Serif",georgia,times,serif;font-size:17px;letter-spacing:0.5px">BANGKOK — Facebook's parent company Meta said Wednesday it has expanded its ban on postings linked to Myanmar's military to include all pages, groups, and accounts representing military-controlled businesses. It had already banned advertising from such businesses in February.</span><br></div><div style="text-align:left"><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:"PT Serif",georgia,times,serif;margin:28px 0px 28px auto;font-size:17px;line-height:28px;letter-spacing:0.5px;max-width:640px;width:640px;color:rgba(0,0,0,0.95)">The February action, which also banned military and military-controlled state and media entities from Facebook and Instagram, followed the army's seizure of power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:"PT Serif",georgia,times,serif;margin:28px 0px 28px auto;font-size:17px;line-height:28px;letter-spacing:0.5px;max-width:640px;width:640px;color:rgba(0,0,0,0.95)">The new action came just a day after a high-profile lawsuit was filed in California against Facebook parent Meta Platforms seeking over $150 billion for the company's alleged failure to stop hateful posts that incited violence against the Muslim Rohingya minority by Myanmar's military and its supporters, which crested in 2017.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:"PT Serif",georgia,times,serif;margin:28px 0px 28px auto;font-size:17px;line-height:28px;letter-spacing:0.5px;max-width:640px;width:640px;color:rgba(0,0,0,0.95)">The army, known in Myanmar as the Tatmadaw, was notorious for a brutal counterinsurgency campaign in Myanmar's western state of Rakhine, which drove more than 700,000 Rohingya to seek safety across the border in Bangladesh. Critics say the campaign, which included mass killings, rape and arson, constituted ethnic cleansing and possibly genocide.<br></p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:"PT Serif",georgia,times,serif;margin:28px 0px 28px auto;font-size:17px;line-height:28px;letter-spacing:0.5px;max-width:640px;width:640px;color:rgba(0,0,0,0.95)">Since February's takeover, security forces have used lethal force to put down nonviolent protests against military rule. At least 1,600 civilians have been killed by security forces, according to a detailed tally compiled by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners. The army also has been accused of abuses against villagers as it fights members of pro-democracy militias in the countryside.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:"PT Serif",georgia,times,serif;margin:28px 0px 28px auto;font-size:17px;line-height:28px;letter-spacing:0.5px;max-width:640px;width:640px;color:rgba(0,0,0,0.95)">Activists say the military uses the internet to spread disinformation and hate speech. In April, Facebook announced it was "implementing a specific policy for Myanmar to remove praise, support and advocacy of violence by Myanmar security forces and protestors from our platform."</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:"PT Serif",georgia,times,serif;margin:28px 0px 28px auto;font-size:17px;line-height:28px;letter-spacing:0.5px;max-width:640px;width:640px;color:rgba(0,0,0,0.95)">The group Burma Campaign UK, which had sought to get Facebook do more to curb the military's reach through its platforms, welcomed the move but noted that Facebook had resisted taking down military companies' pages.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:"PT Serif",georgia,times,serif;margin:28px 0px 28px auto;font-size:17px;line-height:28px;letter-spacing:0.5px;max-width:640px;width:640px;color:rgba(0,0,0,0.95)">"The belated decision to remove military company pages appears more an act of desperation after being sued for $150 billion for being involved in Rohingya genocide than any genuine concern for human rights," Burma Campaign UK's director, Mark Farmaner, said in a statement.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:"PT Serif",georgia,times,serif;margin:28px 0px 28px auto;font-size:17px;line-height:28px;letter-spacing:0.5px;max-width:640px;width:640px;color:rgba(0,0,0,0.95)">Wednesday's statement from Rafael Frankel, Asia-Pacific director of policy for Meta, said the company was taking action "based on extensive documentation by the international community of these businesses' direct role in funding the Tatmadaw's ongoing violence and human rights abuses in Myanmar."</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:"PT Serif",georgia,times,serif;margin:28px 0px 28px auto;font-size:17px;line-height:28px;letter-spacing:0.5px;max-width:640px;width:640px;color:rgba(0,0,0,0.95)">The military controls major portions of Myanmar's economy, largely through two big holding companies. Because corporate links are not always clear, Meta said it is using a report compiled by U.N, investigators in 2019 to identify relevant firms.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:"PT Serif",georgia,times,serif;margin:28px 0px 28px auto;font-size:17px;line-height:28px;letter-spacing:0.5px;max-width:640px;width:640px;color:rgba(0,0,0,0.95)">In response to the abuses committed against the Rohingya, Facebook in 2018 banned 20 military-linked individuals and organizations including Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, who now leads the army-installed government. From 2018 to 2010, Facebook removed six networks of accounts controlled by the military, which did not acknowledge the backing.</p><p style="box-sizing:border-box;font-family:"PT Serif",georgia,times,serif;margin:28px 0px 28px auto;font-size:17px;line-height:28px;letter-spacing:0.5px;max-width:640px;width:640px;color:rgba(0,0,0,0.95)">This year, Facebook disabled pages belonging to state media that violated Facebook rules about promoting violence and harm to others.</p><div class="gmail-component gmail-inline-article-recirc" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:inline-block;margin-left:auto;margin-right:0px;max-width:640px;width:640px;color:rgba(0,0,0,0.95);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:medium"><div class="gmail-title" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:flex"><br><br class="gmail-Apple-interchange-newline"></div></div></div></div><div style="text-align:center"></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> brafahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05160310785311009150noreply@blogger.com0