Rohingya Issues Takes The Center Stage In The Testimony By ARU-DG Dr. Wakar Uddin At The US Congress Hearing

Washington - ARU-DG Dr. Wakar Uddin and three other witnesses testified at the US Congress Foreign Affairs Asia Sub-committee’ hearing “An Unclear Roadmap: Burma’s Fragile Political Reforms and Growing Ethnic Strife.” Strong testimonies were provided by the witnesses on the slow pace of reform, ethnic minority issues, and US Government’s relaxation of sanctions. Rohingya, Myanmar Muslim, and Kachin issues dominated most of the testimonies by the witnesses. Dr. Uddin asked the US Government to look into the inconsistencies between the often reconciliatory tone of Burmese Government at Nay Pyi Taw and the serious human right violations by the Burmese forces on the ground in Arakan and Kachin state. Dr. Uddin stated that it is imperative to know the cause of these persisting human right abuses – whether the signal for this is coming from the Nay Pyi Taw or there is a serious gap in enforcement of law and order in the lands those lands that the Government of Burma governs.

Dear Mr. Chairman: 

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to testify before the House Foreign Affairs Asia Sub-committee. The political climate in Burma has not fundamentally improved over the past two years, despite great expectations by the people of Burma and the international community for a genuine change, after half a century of dictatorial rule. The junta’s strategy of maintaining the “status quo” was effectively implemented through the national election in 2010. The impact of the false democratic process has disproportionately impacted the ethnic minorities including Rohingya, Kachin, and Myanmar Muslims over the Burmans/Bamma. The military junta’s imposition of its apartheid policies for Rohingya such as travel restrictions, marriage restrictions, land confiscation, deprivation of education, deprivation of freedom to worship, closure of places of worship, In fact, there has been further tightening of these impositions on the Rohingya in recent months in Rakhine/Arakan state. Currently, there are some elements within the Burmese Government colluding with Rakhine/Arakan state officials to make the (IDP) camps permanent or semi-permanent. The media is still not free for most people. Certain groups of people who have connections to the Government enjoy these rights than others. Rakhine National Democratic Party (RNDP), in collusion with the Burmese government and the Ministry of Immigration, has introduced legislation in the parliament to launch a re-investigation into the Rohingya MPs’ ancestral background. 

About US Government’s easing sanctions and overall engagement with Burmese Government, the Obama Administration has moved too quickly in easing the sanctions on Burma. We believe that moving too quickly to ease sanctions is shortsighted. The relaxation of the sanctions should have been more gradual and firmly incremental with benchmarks. The Burmese government should meet each expectation by the international community before the second bar may be lifted. About the United State’s military-to-military relations with Burma, I am not a military strategist who can provide a detailed analysis of proposed military-to- military relations between Burma and the United States. However, as a concerned citizen knowledgeable about the Burmese military establishment, I urge the US government to avoid military relations with governments guilty of some of the worst crimes of our time. Establishing military-to-military relations between the United States military and Burmese armed forces would be premature. 

Conflicts between Buddhist and Muslim populations are overwhelmingly one-sided attacks on the small Muslim minority by the Buddhist majority that have been backed by Burmese security forces. Denial of basic rights and systematic discrimination against Rohingya by the Burmese government created fertile ground for nationalist Rakhine leadership and radical Buddhist monks to instigate fresh violence against Rohingya that has spilled into Burmese Muslim areas across Burma. 

The “Burmanization” policy, an ideology of purity in race and religion of the Burmese government has been the primary cause for warfare in ethnic areas for the past several decades. The violence against Rohingya and Burmese Muslims is part of a pattern of ultra-Buddhist nationalism led by the 969 movement spearheaded by the radical Burmese monk Wirathu and his supporters. Recently, the Burmese government in coordination with Rakhine State and local officials reportedly designated the Rohingya prisoners as non-political prisoners. In recent days, hundreds of Rohingya prisoners (ages 12 to 60+) have been quickly sentenced to life or long jail terms. 

Achieving national reconciliation with the ethnic groups is not as complex as the Burmese government has painted it to be. Government is the key to this. Reconciliation between ethnic Rakhine and Rohingya can be achieved within a short period of time as the government has tremendous influence on nationalist Rakhine leadership. The Burmese Government must abandon its hostile policies against the Rohingya and position itself in the middle as true and sincere facilitator (for the peace, reconciliation, and communal harmony in Arakan, Burma). 

Thank you very much.

ARU Testimony At The US Congress Hearing