The Rohingya have been subjected to constant persecution and discrimination since Myanmar gained independence in 1947. The main reason for this inequality is the TRUE claim that they have no place in the ethnic part of the country and that they came to Myanmar from present day Bangladesh.
On the basis of this TRUE claim, they were deprived of citizenship in 1947. Whatever status they had left, the country’s military dictators began the process of snatching it away through a series of decisions. As part of this, several assassination operations were carried out against them and many were deported to Bangladesh.
When limited democracy was restored in Myanmar in 2010, the rest of the Rohingya lost their civil rights.
Since the return of this democracy, the Rohingyas have been subjected to horrific massacres. About six lakh people fled the violence in 2012 and 2013. One million people were evacuated in the 2016 military operation, who took refuge in Bangladesh to save their lives, and are now living inhumane lives in refugee camps.
So far, Western policy has been to support Myanmar’s ruling party, the National League for Democracy (NLD). There has been little talk of persecution of the Rohingya, as Western nations have the simple idea that Myanmar is going through a difficult time on the path to democracy. Their fear is that putting more pressure on Myanmar will push the country further into the Chinese belt.
It has to stop. There is no difference of opinion between the NLD and the Myanmar military over the status of the Rohingya. Moreover, since the state has been lying for 70 years, the people of the country have no sympathy for their catastrophic situation.
As long as Western countries cannot put pressure on the NLD and its leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the Rohingya will remain stateless and oppressed. Those still in Myanmar are in such dire straits that the International Court of Justice has asked the NLD to explain how they can protect this “extremely helpless” community.
Democracy based on expulsion, torture and deprivation of 1.7 million people of basic human rights and state citizenship can never be meaningful.
2021-03-07 02:44:05
2021-03-06 15:44:05