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What's going on in Myanmar?
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The Rohingya Muslims are a Muslim sect numbering a few million. About
one million resided in the Rakhine state in Myanmar, comprising nearly
a third of the population and retaining their historic residence which
traces its origins to pre-colonial Arakan Kingdom. The majority Buddhist
population, primarily after Rakhine became Burmese (originally a British
India colony), often leads anti-Rohingya sectarian violence and the
government is complacent---the Rohingya's identification is not
considered legitimate and the group was considered "Bengali" in the last
census, reflecting the government's belief that Rohingya are illegal
immigrants. They also do not have full documentation of their presence
in Myanmar or in surrounding countries (like Bangladesh).
Murder, rape, dehumanization, and cultural erasure (requiring
Muslims to not wear headscarfs or to shave in wedding photos) are all
occurring as precursors to a genocide which has already started. Eight
hundred thousand Rohingya have already fled to nearby nations, including
Bangladesh where overcrowded refugee camps compound upon the military
oppression in their native Rakhine, which is claimed to be a response
to incredulous terrorist attacks by Rohingya.
Why are the Rohingya being targeted?
------------------
The Buddhist nationalist majority/government claims that the ARSA is a
Rohingya terror group intending to revolt against the population, and
continues to lead "security campaigns" because of explicit distrust
between the two groups. However, the Western community widely regards
these actions as ethnic cleansing because of cultural erasure,
unprompted attacks on civilians and their rights, and propaganda
claiming that the Rohingya are to blame for economic woes of the state.
The Myanmarese government continues to look the other way and is
supported by the regimes of China and Russia asking for "stability."
What are the similarities and differences between this genocide and
previous ones we've talked about?
------------------
This genocide, like the Rwandan genocide, has occurred mostly without
international interference, despite media outcry and extensive warning
signs: a strong military attacking a minority group, sectarian violence,
and "security campaigns." Also, like the German Kristallnacht, it
mounted into a single regional attack against a minority group, with
thousands of Rohingya killed in a month. Concentration camps designed
to isolate the Rohingya from the majority population and create "million
deaths is a statistic" thinking already exist and are likely leading to
extermination of the Rohingya. Unlike the German or Crimean genocides,
Western powers are avoiding stepping in because of undue timidity and
unreasonable belief that the government will do better soon.
What is the UN doing to help the Rohingya Muslims?
------------------
The UN signed a deal requiring the Myanmar government to reinstate the
Rohingya Muslims as full citizens, but this has holes: the Myanmarese
don't want to return to Myanmar because of the deplorable violence they
have to face, and there is no system of accountability. The government's
peace officer has stopped relations with UN officials, effectively
ending the deal. The deal also doesn't incorporate any Rohingya judg-
-ment, so it's a step in the right direction but insufficient to end the
concentration camp situation or allow for foreign intervention within
Myanmar because it's just a UNGA resolution since the UNSC would be
vetoed.
To what extent has inaction by the international community contributed
to the persecution of the Rohingya?
------------------
The Myanmar military has required the removal of Rohingya fences, the
limitation of Rohingya fertility, and insufficient medical care within
nearby states for refugees. The "easier" issue for the West to face is
the refugee crisis; relieving nearby countries, especially Bangladesh of
the Burden of thousands of refugees is amenable by the government and
would allow for fleeing of Myanmarese to be a reasonable decision and
reduce the holding power of the government. The other issue, preventing
persecution within the country itself, is much harder since the gov't
has overall improved: democratic elections are regularly held, human
rights are strengthening in general, and economic growth is occurring.
But the Rohingya aren't seeing any of that benefit; they can't par-
-ticipate in elections as full members of society because they are
treated as illegal immigrants, and they remain in the poorest region of
the country. The international community refuses to intervene, believing
that Buddhist nationalists will destabilize the state, and ignoring the
punishable acts which already happened.
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