By Advait Moharir
Nobel Peace Prize winner and State Counsellor of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi, has been in the news recently, but for all the wrong reasons. After leading her party, the National League For Democracy, to a sweeping victory that ended decades of military rule, she has come under constant criticism for failing to curb the increasing human rights violations against Rohingya Muslims living in Myanmar.
The Rohingyas: Illegal immigrants or militants?
[su_pullquote]Viewed as ’illegal Bangladeshi immigrants’, the Rohingyas have been denied citizenship under the Citizenship Act due to lack of necessary resources and complicated legal procedures. [/su_pullquote]
The Rohingyas constitute around one million ethnic Muslims and thus form a minority in a Buddhist-majority state of 50 million. They are concentrated in Rakhine, which borders Bangladesh and is one of the poorest regions of the country. They have historically been denied citizenship under the Citizenship Act. The lack of necessary resources and complicated legal procedures have prevented them from acquiring it. The Myanmar government views them as ‘illegal Bangladeshi immigrants’. Furthermore, the Rakhine Buddhists consider themselves to be a separate race and thus, consistently discriminate against the ethnic Muslims. The persecution of the Rohingyas has been relentless and the state has turned a blind eye towards it, despite Suu Kyis rise to power. The Rohingyas’ plea for legal recognition and a humane response has now morphed into something that every government dreads – a militancy.
Myanmar Muslim migrants abandoned at sea have been ‘drinking their own urine to survive after Thailand refuses boat entry. | Photo Courtesy: The IndependentA case of ethnic cleansing
[su_pullquote align=”right”]The army of Myanmar has been accused of carrying out a sustained process of ‘ethnic cleansing’ against the state’s minority Rohingya Muslim community.[/su_pullquote]
On 9 October 2016, militants killed nine border police officials. Since then, a bloody struggle has emerged between the armed forces and militants during which many excesses have been reportedly committed by the army. These include rape, murder and massive destruction. Human rights organisations are not allowed to enter the territory. When the Human Rights Watch examined satellite footage, it found significant evidence of destruction of property. It is clear that what has been deemed by the state as a response to the militancy has transformed into a much more violent persecution of this minority. The relentless war has forced many Rohingyas to flee, some as far as Jammu in India. A UN refugee agency officer, John McKissich, has claimed that the Myanmar government is responsible for the ‘ethnic cleansing’ of the Rohingyas.
Suu Kyi’s unrelenting silence
A protestor displays a placard during a protest against the persecution of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. | Photo Courtesy: BBCThe most disappointing fact, however, has been Suu Kyis response to the events. The government has officially denied all reports of violence and has accused international agencies of perpetuating incorrect theories. Suu Kyi has redirected her focus to foreign trips and has been uncomfortably silent on the issue. There continues to be a tense relationship between her and the omnipresent army. It is clear that Suu Kyi is afraid of offending the Buddhist majority and wants to keep her hard-earned power intact.
With no end to the struggle in sight and the United Nations knocking on Myanmars doors, it is expected that Suu Kyi, being a Nobel Peace Prize winner, will address the issue.
Her continued silence belies her credentials as a principled proponent of democracy. The thin line between a politician and a statesman is drawn at the point where s/he either succumbs to power politics or accommodates different viewpoints in the hope of achieving long-term stability. Suu Kyi needs to start a dialogue between the Rakhine Muslims and Buddhists. She must emphasise long-term stability over short-term political gains.
It is up to Suu Kyi to either succumb to the emerging global trend of anti-immigrant policies or take a humane and principled stance to resolve the issue.
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