Why Thein Sein Has Eaten Back His Words | M.S Anwar

Why has President Thein Sein eaten back his words? Thein Sein recently released an eighteen-paged statement on the violence in Arakan. In his statement, he said "some political parties, monks and individuals incited extreme racial hatred and encouraged people to commit irrational racial attacks against Bengali Muslims (his own term for Rohingya Muslims).” Thein Sein’s regime had kept denying any kind of ethnic cleansing against Rohinyas in Arakan and lying by insisting the violence as rather communal one than religious or racial until Human Rights Watch (HRW) and other International Observers exposed the reality on the ground level and abuses of Rohingyas by the state security forces. HRW’s report caused great troubles to Thein Sein’s strategic decision makers and hence they were caught in dilemmas. Subsequently, the regime met with international condemnation for the ethnic cleansing of Rohingyas.

In an effort to avoid further condemnation, delay the forthcoming general assembly relating to the violence at UN and shun the possibility of facing the cases of the crimes against humanity in the International Criminals Court of Justice (ICCJ) at the Hague, Thein Sein rather urgently set up an Inquiry Commission into the violence though the commission is made up of many culprits of the crimes themselves and released the statement. To Thein Sein’s shocking surprise, he came under fire and extreme pressures of Rakhine extremist politicians especially the members of Rakhine National Development Party (RNDP) led by Dr. Aye Maung, one of the main culprits in the violence. 

The statement had already been read out in some regional parliaments and people’s parliament (Pyithu Hluttaw), the lower house of Union Parliament (Pyitaungsu Hluttaw). But it could not reach and be read out in the upper house of Union Parliament, Ammyotha Hluttaw because it met with the fierce opposition from RNDP. Although the degree of Rakhine involvements in the ethnic cleansing of Rohingyas using the state-provided apparatus is incredibly high, yet the destructive and inflammatory role that Thein Sein's regime played in it can't be denied either.

However, the statement of Thein Sein bucked up all the crimes (they) committed together on Rakhines alone. It portrayed Rakhine extremists and their Monks to be the sole criminals of the violence so that Thein Sein and his government can portray image of just protectors and saviours of the people. Therefore, naturally, Rakhines had to respond because it was a do or die situation for them (Rakhines). 

As a matter of fact, Rakhine politicians coerced Thein Sein to change his statement on the violence, which made them (Rakhines) the sole culprits. According to internal source, they threatened the President Thein Sein to expose the government’s plot and their destructive role in the violence if he was not going to change his statement. Expectedly, the director of president’s office, Bawmuu Zaw Htay declared that the statement was not President’s own opinion on the violence but his analysis of the different reports submitted to him by different organizations, NGOs and INGOs etc. Thein Sein’s regime has already played “Cat and Rat Game” many times and people with right minds are not going to be into their blame-game trap. 

Regardless of whatever they say or do to deceive international community and cover up their crimes against humanity, both Thein Sein’s regime and Rakhines are equally responsible for the ethnic cleansing of Rohingyas for their respective gains. Hence, they must bear the punishments for the crimes. Therefore, it is the high time for the countries, UN, OIC, all other international communities to turn their vocal supports towards Rohingyas into actions to bring the criminals into International Criminal Court of Justice sooner rather than later. Or else, there will be another man-made human catastrophe which people will regret later as in the case of Jewish case holocaust during World War II. 

RB News Desk