The USCIRF report will not Reform Myanmar
The US
Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has recently issued
its report on Myanmar ( Burma) .
The key
findings of the USCIRF are: “In 2014, religious and ethnic minorities in Burma
continued to experience intolerance, discrimination, and violence, particularly
Rohingya Muslims. Bigotry and chauvinism against religious and ethnic
minorities grew more pervasive, in some cases provoked by religious figures
within the Buddhist community, while the Burmese government demonstrated little
willingness to intervene, investigate properly, or prosecute those responsible
for abuses in a timely and transparent manner. While the government, at times,
denounced violence and incitement, its lack of strong and consistent leadership
to condemn intolerance enabled abuses to continue relatively unchecked.
Throughout 2014, the expansion of Internet availability and social media played
a role in propagating expressions of hatred and spurring violence directed
against minority populations. The introduction of four discriminatory race and
religion bills in 2014 could well further entrench such prejudices. Based on
these systematic, egregious, and ongoing violations, USCIRF continues to
recommend in 2015 that Burma
be designated as a ‘country of particular concern,’ or CPC, under the International
Religious Freedom Act (IRFA). The State Department has designated Burma a CPC
since 1999, most recently in July 2014.”
During its August 2014 meetings in Naypyidaw, the capital ofMyanmar , the USCIRF pointed out Burma 's
failure to redress serious violations of human rights of the minority Rohingya
and other persecuted folks. And yet, when Burma ’s Minister of Foreign
Affairs, U Wunna Maung Lwin, addressed the UN General Assembly in September
2014, he audaciously claimed that his country had addressed “all major concerns
related to human rights” and should be removed from the UN Human Rights
Council’s agenda. Obviously, the rogue state is not getting its message right and
continues to live in denial.
Rohingya Muslims inMyanmar
are the most persecuted people who face a unique level of discrimination,
disenfranchisement, and the denial of basic rights that is simply unknown in
our time. The government denies them citizenship, which precludes them from
ever attaining equal status in law or practice. They also are denied the right
to self-identify as Rohingya because many, including the government, claim that
they are illegal “Bengali” immigrants from next-door Bangladesh . In fact, a partially
implemented pilot verification program in the northern Rakhine (formerly
Arakan) State forced Rohingya Muslims to identify as Bengali if they wanted to
apply for citizenship, or face indefinite confinement in camps with limited
rights, mobility, and access to services.
What is worse, the government representatives at both the central level and withinRakhine State have reacted strongly to the use
of the term Rohingya by the international community, particularly the United
Nations. Rohingya Muslims are also now among those who will be ineligible to
vote in the constitutional referendum expected in May 2015 and likely the
general elections later in the year.
During its August 2014 meetings in Naypyidaw, the capital of
Rohingya Muslims in
What is worse, the government representatives at both the central level and within
More than
100,000 Rohingya are estimated to have fled Burma by boat since 2012, seeking a
better life but often facing trafficking, exploitation, and deplorable living
conditions. Mass graves of 32 Rohingyas have lately been unearthed in an
encampment in the jungle near a town called Padang Baser on the Thai-Malaysia
border. The involvement of the Thai officials with the human traffickers
has long been known, which has contributed to the misery of the fleeing
Rohingyas. They are treated in Thailand
as “illegal immigrants” subject to deportation without regard to the threats
facing them in Myanmar .
Rohingya men are sometimes detained in overcrowded immigration detention
facilities across the country, while women and children have been sent to
shelters operated by the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security.
Many more are believed to be transferred through corrupt arrangements into the
hands of human trafficking gangs where they face cruel treatment and no
prospect of assistance from Thai authorities. As with previous Thai governments,
the military junta of Prime Minister Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha does not permit the
office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to properly conduct
refugee status determination screenings of Rohingya.
The 2014 census,
The USCIRF report underscores the toxic and sinister influence of fascist elements within the Buddhist community in deciding the fate of
In January 2014, violence directed at Rohingya Muslims in Arakan resulted in the deaths of at least 40 people. The government’s investigation, however, concluded that only a policeman was killed in the violence, effectively denying the civilian Rohingya deaths despite detailed information provided by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and others. MSF’s role in reporting publicly the killings contributed to its nearly year-long expulsion from
Inter-communal
violence in Mandalay in July 2014 resulted in the deaths of two men – one
Muslim and one Buddhist – as well as several injuries and vandalized property
(almost all belonging to the Muslim community), including the burning of a
mosque and several copies of the Qur’an inside. The violence was spurred by a
blog post about an alleged rape, later proven to be fabricated, that was
circulated online and posted to the Facebook page of Wirathu – the terrorist
monk of Mandalay
who enjoys wide support inside the Buddhist community. Soon thereafter, the
members of his 969 fascist group viciously attacked the local Muslims and had
it not been for the efforts of the Mandalay Peace Keeping Committee, a
non-governmental group comprised of religious and community leaders of various
faiths, and others who had intervened the situation could have deteriorated
further.
Visits by the members of the international NGOs to the IDP camps for internally displaced persons in Meiktila and the Rakhine state have repeatedly revealed that much progress remains in finding a durable solution for the persecuted communities.
The USCIRF report noted that expressions of intolerance toward Muslims by senior political and Buddhist leaders are on the rise inBurma ,
particularly among those who seek to advance anti-Muslim agendas of hate and
discrimination. The growing use of social media to communicate messages of
intolerance has exacerbated tensions and encouraged violence. However,
intolerance is not only limited to online platforms or attacks on Muslims;
those rejecting anti-Muslim hatred and discrimination have also been targeted.
For example, former National League for Democracy (NLD) official Htin Lin Oo is
facing criminal charges of religious defamation and hurting religious feelings
for speaking out, in his capacity as a writer, against religious nationalism
and the use of Buddhism for extremist purposes in a public speech at an October
2014 literary event. After drawing the ire of Buddhist monks for allegedly
insulting the faith, NLD relieved him of his position within the party and he
was formally detained and indicted in December 2014. He faces three years in
jail. As I have noted before there is no denying that genocidal campaign
against Muslims has become a national project with deep rooted support enjoyed
from top to bottom of Myanmar 's
Buddhist community.
Many of the Buddhist hate provocateurs continue to play their sinister role to incite violence which has led to genocidal activities against the targeted minorities like the Rohingya Muslims. They need to be caught, tried for war crimes and punished. Interestingly, many such inciters of genocidal crimes live in places like theUSA , the UK , Germany
and Japan
(just to name a few countries). For instance, Aye Chan who teaches at Kanda University
lives in Japan .
The governments of these countries must list such nationals for their evil
deeds including inciting to violence. In the USA , such war criminals ought to be
included in the “specially designated nationals” list by the Treasury
Department’s Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) with respect to individuals
who have participated in human rights abuses, including religious freedom
violations, such as by instigating, carrying out, or supporting publicly
anti-Muslim violence and discrimination.
I am afraid that as long as we continue to let these hate provocateurs get away scot-free we shall continue to see the suffering of the Rohingya and other persecuted peoples, and all these USCIRF reports won't be worth the paper on which these are written.
The USCIRF has recommended that theUnited States
and the international community should continue to press the government of
Burma
to prioritize religious freedom and related human rights. Respecting the rights
and dignity of religious and ethnic minorities, particularly Rohingya
Muslims, is critical to the reform process, and the United States should continue to stress this
consistently at every level of its engagement with Burma . It urged the US government to
engage the government of Burma, the Buddhist community and especially its
leaders, and religious minorities on issues of religious freedom, tolerance,
inclusivity, and reconciliation to assist them in promoting understanding among
people of different religious faiths and to impress upon them the dangers of
de-linking political improvements from improvements in religious tolerance and
religious freedom; use the term Rohingya, both publicly and privately, in
respect for the Rohingya Muslim community’s right to identify as they
choose; encourage crucial legal and legislative reform that strengthens
protections for religious and ethnic minorities, including citizenship for
the Rohingya population through the review, amendment, or repeal the 1982
Citizenship Law or some other means, and support the proper training of
local government officials, lawyers, judges, police, and security forces
tasked with implementing, enforcing, and interpreting the rule of law; continue
to support the unconditional release of all persons detained for the peaceful
exercise of religious freedom and related human rights.
Visits by the members of the international NGOs to the IDP camps for internally displaced persons in Meiktila and the Rakhine state have repeatedly revealed that much progress remains in finding a durable solution for the persecuted communities.
The USCIRF report noted that expressions of intolerance toward Muslims by senior political and Buddhist leaders are on the rise in
Many of the Buddhist hate provocateurs continue to play their sinister role to incite violence which has led to genocidal activities against the targeted minorities like the Rohingya Muslims. They need to be caught, tried for war crimes and punished. Interestingly, many such inciters of genocidal crimes live in places like the
I am afraid that as long as we continue to let these hate provocateurs get away scot-free we shall continue to see the suffering of the Rohingya and other persecuted peoples, and all these USCIRF reports won't be worth the paper on which these are written.
The USCIRF has recommended that the
The USA government, disappointingly, beyond keeping
an existing arms embargo, has softened considerably its attitude towards Myanmar , which it continues to call by its
former name Burma .
Since President Obama’s and Secretary Clinton's visits, trade and commerce with
the pariah state has grown sharply. Myanmar has benefitted tremendously
as billions of dollars have poured into the country from greedy investors further
solidifying the regime’s grip on the once impoverished country while true
reform remains absent or a thing of a distant future.
Since
2012, many Rohingyas have lost everything that they once possessed. Some
140,000 of them are forced to live inside concentration camps, the so-called IDP (Internally
Displaced Person) camps. The living
condition there is simply deplorable and as recently noted in the Newsweek, it is also dangerous for
Muslims. Akyab (now called Sittwe), the town, which was home to many Rohingyas
who gave its original name, is now a town without any Muslim to be seen,
painfully reminding what has gone so wrong there. Before their recent plight, the
Muslim population comprised roughly half the total population in the town. They
have been ethnically cleansed by the terrorist Rakhine Buddhists as part of a
very organized and sinister plan.
To quote from the Newsweek article, “A tense normality has returned to Sittwe, but there are no Muslims to be seen. They are either in the ghettos sealed by police, or in the camps outside. Nazir quarter where they once lived is now an empty lot, reclaimed by tropical vegetation. But few of the Rohingya I spoke to have any doubt about the ultimate aim of this segregation. ‘The extremists want to ethnic cleanse,’ Mojuma Begum said. ‘They want to carry out genocide.’ A fear confirmed by the chilling words of a young Rakhine refugee. ‘I want to kill the Muslims,’ said Aung Ko Naing. ‘Many feel like me… I want to get rid of them all.’”
That is a grim reminder again of the genocide that is taking place insideMyanmar .
The powerful states of our time, sadly, are too keen on making money and
doing business, and have done nothing substantial that protects the
victims. It is shameful!
To quote from the Newsweek article, “A tense normality has returned to Sittwe, but there are no Muslims to be seen. They are either in the ghettos sealed by police, or in the camps outside. Nazir quarter where they once lived is now an empty lot, reclaimed by tropical vegetation. But few of the Rohingya I spoke to have any doubt about the ultimate aim of this segregation. ‘The extremists want to ethnic cleanse,’ Mojuma Begum said. ‘They want to carry out genocide.’ A fear confirmed by the chilling words of a young Rakhine refugee. ‘I want to kill the Muslims,’ said Aung Ko Naing. ‘Many feel like me… I want to get rid of them all.’”
That is a grim reminder again of the genocide that is taking place inside
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