Latest Highlight

RB Channel

A man clears debris from the mosque that was burnt down in recent violence at Thapyuchai village, outside of Thandwe, in the Rakhine state, Oct. 3, 2013. 

October 3, 2013

THANDWE, BURMA — Fresh sectarian violence broke out this week between Buddhists and Muslims in Burma, reviving concerns that the country is not doing enough to alleviate tensions that the country’s president say are harming its national image. Like many past outbreaks, this week’s violence was located in Rakhine state. At least six Muslims were killed.

Witnesses say sectarian fighting overwhelmed the village of Hta Pyu Chai when a Buddhist mob torched most of the Muslim neighborhoods.

When Tun Tun Naing, 17, came out of hiding he discovered his father’s dead body lying in the mud near the burning embers of the village mosque.

His father, Khin Naing, had been hacked to death with a machete by the same Buddhist mob that came through town torching Muslim homes the day before.

Tun Tun said his father was not very good at running, and when the mob came through town he could not save himself.

The village is just a few kilometers away from what is considered Burma’s most popular tourist beach destination near the town of Thandwe.

There, days before, witnesses say an ethnic Kaman Muslim politician named Kyaw Zan Hla was involved in an argument over an inconveniently parked motorbike.

He was later arrested for insulting Buddhism. Buddhist mobs then gathered, armed themselves with slingshots, machetes, and other homemade weapons, and went to nearby Muslim villages and started burning homes.

Witnesses said they did not recognize the people in the mob who went on to burn dozens of homes in three villages.

The violence has gone unnoticed by tourists staying at the nearby beach resorts. A hotel manager said half of his guests do not even know about the fighting.

President Thein Sein was making his first visit to Rakhine state at the time of the violence. He visited Sittwe, Maungdaw, and Kyaukpyu, where similar incidents have taken place. He arrived in Thandwe on October 2 as homes in nearby villages continued to burn.

The U.S. embassy in Rangoon released a statement condemning the violence.

Similar incidents of communal violence have been occurring since June 2012, usually pitting Buddhists against their Muslim neighbors.

Maung Myint Htay is a Rakhine Buddhist from Hta Pyu Chai village who witnessed the violence. He said he does not know where the mob came from and that the view that the Muslims are not welcome and should be pushed out of the country is held by many.

“I don’t think what happened was not right. The people who came to burn homes, it’s their historical duty to do that,” said Maung Myint.

Myint Aung is one of Maung Myint’s neighbors. He said the rioters came at 3:30 a.m. and threw fire bombs at people's houses without knowing whether they were Muslims or Buddhists.

Six Buddhists were arrested Wednesday in connection to the riots in the village. One of them is a member of the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party, a predominantly Buddhist group.
Members of a Muslim family react to the loss of a relative who died in the recent spate of violence in Thapyu Kyain village, outside of Thandwe. (Photo: Reuters / Soe Zeya Tun)

By Al Jazeera
October 3, 2013






We call international intervention to stop continued violence against Muslims of Arakan

Press Release 
October 2, 2013

We, Burmese Rohingya Association in Japan (BRAJ), would like to draw international community attention to the violence perpetrated by Rakhine extremist and we thoroughly condemn the recent attack on Muslim minority in Thandwe. The Muslim community have been living in Arakan state western Myanmar for centuries but the sister community Rakhine, the successive regimes and the democratically elected government of President U Thein Sein denied their existence. A government sponsored very systematic and pre-planned crack down instigation designated to kill and drive out all Muslims inhabiting in Arakan since June 2012. The Muslims are targeted to eliminate from Arakan soil by various allegations such as “they are invaders or intruders into the sovereignty of Myanmar and illegal migrants” from the neighboring country Bangladesh while they are natives of it. And the current administration of central and local government has paralyzed the Muslims community by allowing spread of Muslim hate speech and leaf-lets nationwide.

Consequently, inter-communal violence has been breaking out between Buddhist and Muslims residents around Myanmar. A fresh systematic attack against Muslims of Thandwe Township in Arakan State is taking place since Saturday. According to the reliable information 3 Muslim villages in the town, southern Arakan State, Muslim houses in Thapyu Kyain and Pauk Taw village burnt down and a Mosque was destroyed, the available source reported that more than 35 people are mercilessly killed and many more injured. Some armless and innocent women and children were killed by the Rakhine extremist groups.

The President U Thein Sein makes his first official visit to the strife-torn region in Arakan, the authorities had been preparing for the visit and the Rakhine extremist took opportunity to kill minority Muslims and burn their homes. A curfew or state of emergency had been imposed in Thandwe Township barring residents from leaving their homes between 6pm to 6 am because of the tense situation in the town, however, only the Muslims are barred from leaving between the imposed hours while the Rakhine community are permitted to loot, kill and burn Muslim homes silently collaborating with local security forces.

The Muslim population of Thandwe comprises mostly Kaman and Rohingya Muslims, more than 100,000 people live in Thandwe, a coastal town in southern Arakan State and in the town and surrounding villages half of the population is estimated to be Muslims. Thapyu Kyain a Muslim village had first been attacked by an unidentified group of Rakhine extremist rioters, who tried to torched some Muslim houses, later the attack spread to other Muslims villages, the security forces are not interfered to stop the violence.

We, Burmese Rohingya Association in Japan, would like to appeal to the Government of Japan, ASEAN and western international community including United Nations that:

  • Establish an UN Inquiry Commission to find out the authentic situation of Arakan violence.
  • Press the Naypyidaw Government of President U Thein Sein to bring the perpetrators of crime against humanity to justice.
  • Stop praising and awarding the President of Myanmar who is the most responsible for the crime against humanity, genocide and ethnics cleansing of against Muslim community.
  • Initiate a dialog in the international level forum sponsored by UN to discuss and undertake the decision of the existence of Muslim including Rohingyas in Arakan since centuries ago which would emphasis real historical facts and guarantee their rights to live in Arakan.

(Khin Maung Win/ Associated Press ) - Totally blackened pillars stand among debris of a burnt building Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2013, in Thandwe, Rakhine State, western Myanmar. Terrified Muslim families hid in forests in western Myanmar on Wednesday, one day after rampaging Buddhist mobs killed a 94-year-old woman and burned dozens of homes despite the first trip to the volatile region by President Thein Sein since unrest erupted last year. The violence near Thandwe, a coastal town the president was due to visit later Wednesday on the second day of his tour of Rakhine state, raised new questions about government’s failure to curb anti-Muslim attacks and or protect the embattled minority.
October 2, 2013

THANDWE, Myanmar — Terrified Muslim families hid in forests in western Myanmar on Wednesday, one day after fleeing a new round of deadly sectarian violence that erupted even as the president toured the divided region. The discovery of four bodies brought the death toll from the latest clashes up to at least five.

Tuesday’s unrest near the coastal town of Thandwe, which saw Buddhist mobs kill a 94-year-old woman and four other Muslims and burn dozens of homes, underscored the government’s persistent failure to stop the sectarian violence from spreading.

Rights groups say President Thein Sein, visiting the region for the first time since clashes flared there last year, has done little to crack down on religious intolerance and failed to bridge a divide that has left hundreds of thousands of Muslims marginalized and segregated, many of them confined by security forces in inadequately equipped camps for those who fled their homes.

Thein Sein arrived in Thandwe on Wednesday, the second day of his visit to Rakhine state, and was to meet religious leaders from both communities.

While Thein Sein has condemned the violence in Rakhine state before, critics say his security forces have not done enough to contain it. They also say his government has failed to crack down on radical monks who have instilled hatred and fear of the nation’s Muslim minority, arguing they pose a threat to Buddhist culture and traditions.

In a message to religious leaders that ran in Myanmar’s state-run newspapers Wednesday, Thein Sein said the sectarian unrest threatens the government’s reform process “and tarnishes the national image internationally.”

“The constitution of Myanmar fully guarantees freedom of religion as the fundamental right of citizens,” Thein Sein said. “We all should never misuse this noble idea of freedom of religion, or use it as a springboard for any kind of extremism or for fueling hatred.”

Thein Sein has been widely praised for overseeing an unprecedented political opening in the Southeast Asian nation since the army ceded power two years ago to a nominally civilian government led by retired military officers.

Even with a boosted security presence, unrest engulfed several villages in the Thandwe area a day before the president’s arrival. Witnesses said soldiers and police made no efforts to step in to try to stop Tuesday’s violence.

In Thabyuchaing, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of Thandwe, more than 700 rioters, some swinging swords, took to the streets, police officer Kyaw Naing said. A 94-year-old Muslim woman died from stab wounds in the clashes that followed, the officer said, adding that between 70 and 80 houses were set on fire. Another officer, however, said only 19 homes were burned.

Thandwe township police confirmed Wednesday that the bodies of four Muslim men were in the village.

A Muslim resident of Thandwe, Myo Min, said a small mosque in Kyikanyet, about 43 kilometers (27 miles) from Thandwe, was burned by attackers Tuesday night. Police said they were trying to confirm that report.



October 2, 2013

Yangon – The United States is deeply concerned about recent reports of violence against Muslim-majority communities around Thandwe, Rakhine State. We are saddened to hear reports that at least one person was killed, several injured, and hundreds of civilians displaced in violence that included arson attacks destroying dozens of homes and several mosques. The United States strongly condemns such acts of violence.

The U.S. Embassy continues to monitor the situation in Rakhine State closely. We strongly urge the authorities to respond quickly and decisively to the violence to help protect all the region’s residents and their property. We further urge the authorities to thoroughly investigate and hold accountable those responsible for the violence, and provide all necessary protection and assistance to the victims and other vulnerable populations. The Union government and local authorities must also do more to ensure progress in security, rule of law, justice, humanitarian access, and reconciliation in Rakhine State to stem the sources of on-going tension, and create conditions for sustainable peace and development in the State.

Most importantly, we call on religious and civil society leaders, and all citizens throughout the country, to stand against continued violence targeting Muslim communities, and to promote understanding, mutual respect, and peaceful co-existence among all people in this diverse country.



Women and Children Killed and Urgent Action Needed to Stop Attacks against Muslims in Thandwe 

October 1, 2013

A systematic new attack against Muslims of Thandwe in Arakan State began on Saturday. During last few hours the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK) has received reports that many houses were burnt down in Dabru Shine village and Pauktaw village of Thandwe Township in Arakan State. According to our reliable source, some women and children were killed by Rakhine extremist groups. 

The Rakhine groups have targeted another 3 Muslim villages and are approaching those villages currently. Government security forces are not taking action instead encouraging those who are participating in attacks against Muslims in those villages.The Muslims in Thandwe are not safe and have become helpless in their own country. 

BROUK President Tun Khin said, “It has been four days since attacks against Muslims in Thandwe began and the government is still not taking any action. As with past attacks Thein Sein has failed to take action against those inciting violence, and failed to act swiftly once violence started. Thein Sein's support of 969 leader Wirathu and lack of effective action against those Organising violence encourages more violence to happen.”

Instead of praising President Thein Sein, David Cameron, Barack Obama and Ban Ki-Moon should provide multi-cultural forces to stop anti-Muslim violence in Burma. The international community has to stop closer relations and the relaxation of international pressure on the government of Burma should be put on hold until the government takes action to end the violence. Despite President Thein Sein is visiting in Arakan State the attacks are taking place.

We, BROUK would like to urge UN, EU, OIC, ASEAN, UK and US 

  1. To pressure President Thein Sein’s government to stop immediately attacks against Muslims in Thandwe and stop 969 anti-Muslim violence groups in Burma. 
  2. To send UN mandated International Observers to Arakan State, which may discourage further attacks and can provide the international community with reliable information.
  3. To support the establishment of a UN Commission of Inquiry into what has taken place in Arakan State since June 2012. A UN Inquiry is the only way the true facts can be established, those responsible can be held to account, and recommendations can be made to prevent further violence. 
  4. The British government and others must allocate significant resources to fund multi-faith initiatives and other initiatives to counter communal violence.
  5. The RNDP, including its MPs, should not be eligible to participate in internationally funded initiatives as long as they are involved in Organising attacks against Muslims. 

For more information please contact Tun Khin +44 (0) 7888714866

October 1, 2013

One woman killed and about 70 houses set on fire in trouble near coastal town of Thandwe, according to police.

President Sein plans to visit camps for internally displaced persons during his two-day visit to Rakhine state [EPA]
Hundreds of Buddhists have rioted in western Myanmar, killing a 94-year-old Muslim woman and setting more than 70 homes ablaze, police say. 

Kyaw Naing, a police officer, told the AP news agency that the clashes broke out on Tuesday in Thabyachaing village, about 20km north of the coastal town of Thandwe in Rakhine state. 

He says the 94-year-old woman died of stab wounds and between 70 and 80 houses were set on fire. Muslim residents said others were injured in the riot, but could not provide details. 

Myanmar's president, Thein Sein, has travelled to the western state of Rakhine on Tuesday in his first visit since sectarian violence broke out more than a year ago. 

He arrived in the state capital of Sittwe and was scheduled to travel to several more towns in the area, including aungdaw to the north and Thandwe to the south 

Sectarian clashes that began in Rakhine state in June 2012 have since morphed into an anti-Muslim campaign that has spread to towns and villages nationwide. 

So far, hundreds of people have been killed and more than 140,000 have fled their homes, the vast majority of them Muslims. 

Thein Sein, who has been praised for making moves to transition from half a century of military rule, has also been criticised for failing to contain the unrest and protect the country's embattled Muslim minority.

October 1, 2013

Foreign Minister says country will stop those eager to incite ethnic violence to exploit Myanmar's new openness.

Myanmar's Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin told UN there "are always people who wish to rock the boat" [Reuters]
Myanmar will not allow those eager to incite ethnic and religious violence to exploit the Southeast Asian country's newfound openness as it struggles along the path to democracy, Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin said on Monday. 

The comments from the country formerly known as Burma came as terrified Muslims hid in their homes in the Northwest after armed police dispersed a Buddhist mob that torched houses and surrounded a mosque - the latest outbreak of sectarian tension.

"There are always people who wish to rock the boat," Lwin told the annual meeting of the UN General Assembly in New York. "We will not let anyone take advantage of political openness to instigate violence among different ethnic or religious communities."

Clashes between majority Buddhists and Muslims in Myanmar have killed at least 237 people and left more than 150,000 homeless since June 2012.

The violence threatens to undermine political and economic reforms launched in the two years since a quasi-civilian government replaced a military government.

"Our reform process is still at a nascent and sensitive stage where there is little room for error," Lwin said. "With this in mind the President (Thein Sein) has publicly emphasised the need for everyone to refrain from doing anything that could jeopardise Myanmar's peaceful transition."

In April, the government said 192 people were killed in June and October 2012 clashes between ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims, most of whom Myanmar regards as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, despite roots going back generations.

The United Nations has described the Rohingya as "virtually friendless."

Clashes between Rohingya and Rakhines in June 2012 led to unrest elsewhere in the country, where other groups of Muslims have been targeted, including Kamans, who are of different ethnicity from Rohingyas. An estimated 5 percent of Myanmar's population of about 60 million is Muslim.

'Lasting peace'

Lwin also said that the government has made "tangible progress in our efforts towards national reconciliation."

"The government's peace overtures have led to reaching ceasefire agreements with all armed groups for the first time in 60 years," he told the 193-nation General Assembly. "We are hopeful that we will be able to celebrate the signing of a nationwide ceasefire agreement in Naypyitaw very soon."

He said a new round of political dialogue should commence soon to reach a "comprehensive and lasting peace agreement."

"We have no illusion that the next step will be an easy one," Lwin said. "But we are determined to pursue this path for the sake of our people as they deserve it for so long."

He reiterated the government's goal of releasing more prisoners from jail. "We are speedily working through a screening mechanism to ensure that no prisoner of conscience remains behind bar by the end of the year," Lwin said.

An attack on Muslim-owned homes in Thandwe in June left several homes destroyed. (Photo: Steve Tickner / The Irrawaddy)

By Lawi Weng
October 1, 2013

RANGOON — Inter-communal violence broke out between Buddhist and Muslim residents of at least three villages of Thandwe Township, southern Arakan State, on Tuesday morning. According to initial reports, 35 houses were burned down and a mosque was destroyed.

The violence comes as President Thein Sein makes his first official visit to the strife-torn region in western Burma.

The groups clashed in Thapyu Kyain village, a Muslim fishing village located about 15 miles (25 km) from Thandwe town, local National League for Democracy representative Win Naing said.

“I heard that 35 houses were burned down in Thapyu Kyain village,” he told The Irrawaddy early Tuesday afternoon. “The violence has now spread to another Muslim village named Paukdaw. These villages are 2 miles apart.”

A local policeman in Thandwe said a group of attackers had set fire to a number of houses in Thapyu Kyain village at around 10:15 am on Tuesday morning. “Our police stopped the fire at 11:50 am,” he added.

The officer estimated that “between 800 and 1,000 people” were involved in an attack on the Muslim village, adding that security forces had arrived there late Tuesday morning to end the unrest.

“We fired [warning] shots into the air and the crowd ran away,” said the officer, who declined to be named as he was unauthorized to speak to the media.

He said that in another village called Kyauk Gyi, located about 25 miles (40 km) from Thandwe town, mobs had destroyed a mosque on Monday night.

The officer said a curfew had been announced in Thandwe Township barring residents from leaving their homes between 6 pm to 6 am. “This is because of the tense situation in the town,” he added.

There were no initial reports about deaths or injuries during the violence.

A Muslim resident of Thandwe named Lu Lay said Thapyu Kyain village had first been attacked at around 3 am Tuesday morning by an unidentified group of rioters, who tried to torch some of the homes.

When Muslim residents approached the group fighting broke out, he said, adding that the attackers returned to the village on Tuesday morning and more clashes ensued.

A Muslim shop owner Bay Dar in Thandwe’s main market said the unrest had spread fear among the town’s inhabitants, who had closed their shops and markets on Tuesday.

“All Buddhist- and Muslim-owned shops have been shut down. The town is very quiet, not many people are walking on the streets,” he told The Irrawaddy.

Bay Dar said he was planning to move the electrical equipment that he sells out of his shop as he feared it could be destroyed if unrest escalates. “I saw some people driving around on motorbikes near my shop and they were looking very aggressive. That’s why I’m moving my goods from my shop,” he said.

On Sunday night, two Muslim-owned houses had already been burned down in Thandwe town’s Quarter No. 3. The violence began after local residents threw stones at a Muslim man’s house as he had become embroiled in a dispute with a Buddhist taxi driver.

Win Naing said he believed that “local residents and some outsiders were involved in these attacks” on Sunday night.

In late June, inter-communal unrest also broke out in Thandwe and four Muslim-owned homes were destroyed and several cars damaged.

More than 100,000 people live in Thandwe, a coastal town in southern Arakan State, and about a fifth of the population is Muslim. The town has an airport that is used by tourists visiting the popular beach resort Ngapali, located nearby.

The unrest comes during the first visit of President Thein Sein to Burma’s troubled western region since inter-communal broke out in June 2012.

The president arrived in the Arakan State capital Sittwe on Tuesday and was due to visit Mrauk-U town, the Associated Press reports.

NLD representative Win Naing said Thein Sein had also been expected to visit Thandwe on Wednesday.

“The township authorities had been preparing for the visit. They put up decorations along the streets,” he said, adding that residents hoped that the visit would continue and that it would help end the violence.

The Muslim population of Thandwe comprises mostly Kaman and other recognized Muslim minorities, unlike in northern Arakan State, which has a large Muslim population who identify themselves as Rohingyas. The latter group is not recognized by the government as Burmese citizens.

Thandwe Township was largely spared from the bloody inter-communal violence that broke out in Sittwe, Maungdaw and other townships farther north one year ago, where Arakanese Buddhists clashed with Rohingya Muslims. 

During last year’s outbreak of violence, 192 people were killed and about 140,000 people were displaced, most of them Muslims. About half of the displaced were Muslim residents who were chased out of the Arakan State capital Sittwe by local Buddhist Arakanese groups. Most of the displaced continue to reside in squalid, crowded camps.

RB News 
October 1, 2013 

Thandwe, Arakan – Rakhine extremists are continuing attempts to attack the local Muslims in Thandwe Township of Arakan State since last Saturday and have successfully committed arson attacks on Sunday and continued again on Monday night. 

Rakhine groups set fire to the house of U Hla Myint on Sunday night which is in Quarter (3) in Thandwe. They also set fire to the shop of U Ko Gyi Maung on that night. Extremist groups of Rakhine spread news that they will attack again on Monday night. As Rakhine Extremist groups spread threats and news of the attacks they set fire again to U Ko Gyi Maung’s shop. Moreover, they set fire to a hut situated in by a Cashew plant in Bawdi Gone quarter, which is owned by a Kaman Muslim, U Maung Maung. Then they again set fire to the hut of Molvi Thein Aung in Linn Thi village. 

There are several reports that the Rakhines group have also been trying to attack Mosques during these last two days, and finally they successfully torched a Mosque in Kyauk Gyi village. On Saturday there was a fight between a motorcyclist and Kaman National Party Chairman, U Kyaw Zan Hla. The authorities arrested U Kyaw Zan Hla for questioning and later he was released. However the authorities later arrested him again and sent to the Thandwe prison according to locals. 

Extremist Rakhines have been trying to attack local Muslims since August but were mostly unsuccessful, however tmany believe their plan is for attacks on Thandwe to be carried out in a similarly to last Spring's attacks on Meikhtila. 

Although the government knows that the attacks were led by Ye Aung Lan Kyaw Kyaw (aka) Tun Thant Kyaw, Htay Aung and Win Ko Lay, the authorities are not taking any action against them. 

The authorities imposed the curfew, section 144 in the region for the past a few months. However the Rakhines can go out at any time during the curfew hours and the security personnel are not taking any action against those who are torching the houses and mosque.


OIC Secretary General Prof. Dr. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu addresses the delegates at the OIC Ministerial Contact Group Meeting at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

RB News
September 30, 2013

New York - The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)’s Ministerial Contact Group Meeting was held at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on September 24, 2013. The meeting was attended by a number of delegates from OIC, including those from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Brunei, Djibouti, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Turkey, UAE, and other countries. The meeting was presided by His Excellency Secretary General Prof. Dr. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu. The incoming Secretary General of OIC His Excellency Iyad bin Amin Madani was also present at the meeting. In his opening remarks, Secretary General Dr. Ihsanoglu provided the details of all the Rohingya issues handled by OIC, and a number of developments in the international arena. Dr. Ihsanoglu opened the floor to the Ministerial delegations, and several delegates spoke on the current status of their efforts, their achievements on Rohingya issues through diplomacy, and future recommendations. Dr. Wakar Uddin, Director General of Arakan Rohingya Union (ARU), opened his statements by expressing his deep gratitude, on behalf of Rohingya people, to OIC Secretary General Dr. Ihsanoglu for his relentless efforts to find a solution to Rohingya issues and also extended his gratitude to OIC member states for their support and serious efforts in solving these issues. On behalf of Rohingya people, Dr. Uddin also expressed his deep gratitude to the Custodian of the Two Holy mosques His Majesty King Abdullah and the Government of Saudi Arabia for His Majesty’s sympathy and support for Rohingya people in Burma, and granting the temporary legal residency to Rohingya in Saudi Arabia.

ARU Director General Prof. Dr. Wakar Uddin provides the highlights of the current situation in Arakan and appeals to OIC member states to step by their efforts in addressing the Rohingya issues at the OIC Contact Group Meeting at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Incoming OIC Secretary General His Excellency Iyad bin Amin Madani and ARU Director General Prof. Dr. Wakar Uddin at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Dr. Uddin provided details of the current situation in Arakan state when he was given the floor. He outlined some of the serious and persisting issues as well as the significant developments in recent weeks. The most serious issues that Dr. Uddin has highlighted were the smuggling of Rohingya victims by Rakhine cartels to Thailand and Malyasia via sea routes as part of ethnic cleansing. “This exodus is rising at such an alarming rate that it is emerging as one of the most serious threats to very existence of Rohingya in their homeland in Arakan” he added. Dr. Uddin also explained why and how the current on-going mass arrests of Rohingya in Northern Arakan is taking place routinely with accelerated sentencing of them to life imprisonment or extended prison terms such as 7, 10, 20, or 30 years. “There have been movement spearheaded by leadership at Rakhine National Democratic Party (RNDP), in collusion with the ‘969’ terror network and some hardliners in the government, to falsely designate the Rohingya prisoners as ‘non-political prisoners”, in an attempt to exclude them from being released under an amnesty program for political prisoners that is reportedly under consideration by the Burmese Government’ he stated. Dr. Uddin also highlighted the Rohingya refugee issues in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Bangladesh. He further described the ARU’s efforts in Washington and New York, including the testimony in recent Congressional Hearing on ethnic strife during the transition to democracy in Burma. Dr. Uddin asked the OIC to continue its efforts for greater engagement with the Burmese Government, and also appealed to the OIC member states to use their leverage, using the bilateral relations with the Burmese Government to find a solution to the Rohingya political and human right issues.

RB News 
September 29, 2013 

Thandwe, Arakan – A Kaman Muslim house in Thandwe Township of Arakan State has been burned by Rakhine extremists this evening. The situation in Thandwe has been extremely tense since yesterday afternoon. 

At that time, a motorcycle taxi was placed in front of the shop of U Kyaw Zan Hla, who is a Kaman Muslim in Thandwe. The owner of the shop asked the owner of the motorcycle to remove the vehicle from where it was, as it was reserved for loading and unloading goods. The motorcycle had a 969 sticker on it. The motorcycle owner didn’t agree to move his vehicle from the place and started abusing the shop owner. Then he propagated in the town that the shop owner insulted 969. As the 969 group has been propagating to attack local Muslims since a long time, yesterday’s propaganda became a tool to attack local Muslims.

The 969 group members gathered in front of U Kyaw Zan Hla’s house in the late afternoon and tried to attack the house. But the authorities came and arrested U Kyaw Zan Hla and the crowd disappeared. Later the crowd appeared in front of police station and asked the police to handover U Kyaw Zan Hla. The extremist group dispersed from there in the late evening. The authorities released U Kyaw Zan Hla at 9 pm after signing the bond. 

The 969 group came to know the release of U Kyaw Zan Hla this morning and they gathered again in front of the house and started throwing stones into houses of U Kyaw Zan Hla and others. The authorities didn’t bother to stop them. Today at 7:30 pm, the 969 started burning a house of U Hla Myint which is located at Quarter 3, the corner of Gandama and Tarwatain Tha Streets. According to locals, the house was burnt to ashes. Although the authority in the town have been warning with loud speakers that they will arrest anyone out past curfew time, they didn’t stop the Rakhine extremists who are burning the houses. The extremists are organizing to attack the Mosque as well but so far have been unable to do so.


September 29, 2013

Turkish FM Davutoglu held bilateral meetings in New York, brought the issue of conflicts mostly faced in Muslim countries in recent years into question

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu brought the issue of conflicts mostly faced in Muslim countries in recent years into question at the annual coordination meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Foreign Ministers.

Held in New York on Friday, the meeting covered the developments in Syria and Palestine in particular. Foreign ministers of the countries emphasised that the destruction of Syria's chemical weapons would not stop the tragedy in the country.

Turkish minister Davutoglu also said last month's chemical weapons attack, which killed over a thousand civilians including children and women, was against the international law, adding that the perpetrators should be called to account, diplomatic sources said.

The UN Security Council should have a clear stance on implementing the agreement over destroying Syria's chemical weapons, Davutoglu said.

Touching on the peace talks between Israel and Palestine, he said the negotiations should end in the foundation of a Palestinian state with the capital of East Jerusalem. He also said Israel's illegal settlements as well as aggressive moves to the mosques and also provocative behaviours of Israeli security forces against Muslims harmed the peace talks.

Davutoglu reiterated that the deaths in Egypt, which he said a key country in the stability and democratisation of the region, created much sorrow in Muslim world. He once again called on the international community for respect to the national will in the country and underlined the need for an urgent return to democracy.

Discussing the condition of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, he said the planned visit of OIC to the country would help establish a constructive dialogue to bring an end to the violence against Muslims.

Turkish minister also held biletarel meetings in New York where he attended 68th UN General Assembly meetings. He met with EU Commissioner responsible for enlargement Stefan Fule, Secretary-General of the Arab League Nebil el-Arabi, and Myanmar Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin, in addition to the meetings with his counterparts from Andorra, Fiji, Mozambique, Malaysia, Singapore, Tanzania, Guatemala, Azerbaijan, Kuwait and Holland.

Leaders discussed bilateral relations as well as developments in the region and the non-permanent membership of Turkey to UN Security Council.
By WAM
September 29, 2013

NEW YORK - The UAE has expressed concern over the acts of violence which target the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar, and demanded the international community encourage the government of Myanmar to carry out its duty to put an end to these acts which contradict the basic principles of human rights, as well as to help the Rohingya restore their rights as a Muslim Minority in Myanmar. 

The UAE also re-affirmed that it will continue to provide humanitarian aid to the victims of violence in Myanmar and to defend the legitimate rights of the Muslim minority in the country.

This came in the UAE's statement at the meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Contact Group on Rohingya, held in New York, USA, under the chairmanship of Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the Secretary General of OIC, on the margins of the 68th United Nations General Assembly.

The UAE's statement at the OIC meeting in New York was read out by the Assistant Foreign Minister for International Organisations Affairs, Dr. Saeed Mohammed Al Shamsi.

The UAE official also demanded a unified and practical stance in order to motivate the United Nations and human rights bodies to take the necessary practical steps towards resolving the issue of the Rohingya Muslim minority and providing humanitarian and development aid.

This includes, according to the UAE statement, discussing the issue at the Human Rights Council, setting up of a fact-finding committee, continuous reporting on the issue by the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, and following up the issue by the UN Secretary General, as part of the UN's humanitarian and moral responsibilities, as well as backing all the aforementioned moves by a UN General Assembly resolution and any forms of international pressures towards finding a lasting solutions to the issue, preventing more sectarian conflicts and deterring extremists. 

Thanking the OIC Secretary General for his efforts for the issue, Dr. Al Shamsi emphasised the need for coming up with practical recommendations and mechanisms to come up with a unified stance at the current UN General Assembly in order to find acceptable solutions to the issue of the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar. 

By Dr. Habib Siddiqui
September 29, 2013

The U.S. Congressional panel recently had a hearing to examine the current political environment inside Burma (Myanmar), the growing human right abuses among its ethnic groups, and assess U.S. policy towards the country. Amongst other dignitaries Professor Wakar Uddin of the Arakan Rohingya Union was invited to answer a series of questions on the above subject. Hearings of this kind do show that the U.S. Congress is mindful of Myanmar and is interested to better the situation for all inside the country. I welcome such an initiative.

In my opinion, the changes that have happened in the state of Myanmar in the last couple of years are mostly cosmetic and not genuine. I wish I could have sounded more optimistic. But I can’t and I shall share why I feel this way. 

1. On the positive side, hundreds of political prisoners have been released from the prisons where once they had been rotting for years. A notable example in this regard is the much-demanded release of former Rohingya MP. 

2. There is even a parliament (with members coming mostly from the armed forces) that discusses national issues, but the debates there don’t reflect an environment of a genuine democracy. Important issues affecting the future of the state, the role of military, the nature of the ‘emerging democracy’ and federation needed for Myanmar to survive in the 21st century as a united country that is composed of many races, ethnicities and religions are mostly ignored. 

3. People, esp. the minorities – ethnic and religious – are discriminated in every strata of the society – from local levels to federal state of the government administration. The minority Rohingyas are still denied their basic rights to citizenship in spite of the fact that they are indigenous to the Arakan state, bordering Bangladesh. 

4. The government has not allowed freedom of trade unions to operate freely within the prevalent laws. 

5. There is no journalistic freedom to report from war-torn and riot (or more correctly pogrom) affected areas and express views that may be critical of the government.

6. Neo-Nazi Fascism is at an all time high inside much of Myanmar where the minority Muslims are forced to live a life of traumatic fear and absolute insecurity. Instead of much anticipated security and integration, insecurity and marginalization to the level of wholesale extinction have, sadly, become their lot in this ‘new’ Myanmar. They face ever increasing mob violence that is directed against them with full support from top to bottom – from those in administration to the security forces and local racist Buddhist politicians and extremist Buddhist monks. Sadly, there is no Buddhist voice of conscience except probably that of U Gambira condemning such ethnic cleansing drives against minority Muslims. If this situation is allowed to continue unchecked the Rohingyas of Myanmar will become an extinct people in our time. 

7. Succinctly put, while the outside world is somewhat amused with the political reforms initiated by the administration of President Thein Sein, such reforms are too little and far between to address the more pressing issues of Myanmar – its fractured society that is divided along ethnicities, nationalities, races, religions, etc., and the role of the politicians, government officials, and the society at large to building the foundations for a stable and viable democracy in this otherwise multi-racial, -religious, -ethnic country. Unless the reforms are genuine by all intent and purpose, I am afraid that Myanmar will continue to bleed internally widening the gaps between religious and ethnic communities, creating an environment in which Buddhist monk-encouraged, racist politicians-motivated and government supported pogroms against vulnerable minorities would become the norms and not the exceptions. This would have, something already witnessed, a very adverse impact in the entire South Asia and South-East Asia leading to permanent chaos, conflict, regional insecurity, and instability - none of which is desirable for our world. As a resource rich but structurally and technologically weak, Myanmar cannot afford such an outcome.

Questions have been raised if the Obama Administration has moved too quickly in easing sanctions on Burma and increasing its overall engagement efforts over the last two years. As any expert would tell the regimes like those of Thein Sein crave for opportunities that give a lift to their legitimacy. The visits of the former Secretary of State Mrs. Hillary Clinton and President Barak Obama to the state of Myanmar are what the Myanmar’s new government craved for its public image and to boost its standing at home and abroad. Such visits gave the impression that the U.S. government is okay with the so-called reform efforts and the direction in which Myanmar is heading. Naturally, with all the sanctions almost lifted, there is no bar any more for any U.S. company to do business with this government, which still runs an apartheid state by any definition. 

1. In my humble opinion, the Obama Administration has moved too quickly in easing sanctions on Burma. 

2. What was required was a slow - give and take policy in which the new regime had to prove its sincerity for true reform before it could extract such political, economic, trade privileges or concessions from the USA. 

3. The lifting of sanctions has been very counterproductive and damaging on the human rights front sanctifying violent and inhuman actions of the government as if those practices are okay. Thus, what we have been witnessing is an evolving face of Genocide of Muslims of Myanmar. And, there is no other way around to describe this ugliness. Neo-Nazi Fascism, a la Myanmar style, targeting minorities has become the new dark force of our century. Sadly, it is growing in a very calculated way but with devastating results, permanently altering the face of Myanmar. Unless, the UN and the USA see this danger nakedly and stop it now, I am afraid that the burden of doing too little and too late will haunt us much like when it came to

4. Many observers see such easing of U.S. sanctions as highly hypocritical in which U.S. policies are considered opportunistic and short-sighted that are more dollar-pleasing and conscience-starving! It is morally bankrupt and ill-advised, to say the least. 

3. Do you agree with the Obama Administration’s decision to start military-to-military relations with Burma?

Answer 

1. I am not a military strategist to be able to answer this question appositely. But as a concerned citizen, scientist and professor in a prestigious university, my preference would have been to avoid military relationship with any government that is guilty of some of the worst crimes of our time. 

2. A visit to the ethnic territories in the Arakan (Rakhine), Chin, Kachin, and Karen states inside today’s Myanmar and/or a mere research on what the Tadmadaw – the Burmese military and its hated NASAKA have done or have been doing for years would have been sufficient to show the unfathomed inhumanity and brutality of the apartheid regime. The Burmese military continues to practice and adopt means that are illegal and unacceptable per international laws and are simply criminal to the core. Such practices need to be condemned by all, and surely, not condoned.

3. So when a government like ours that is respected around the globe for its advocacy and promotion of law and order, human rights and integration of all people is seen as collaborating with a government that epitomizes intolerance, abuse, racism and bigotry and is known as the worst den of hatred and inhumanity in our time – I venture to say that it is immoral and wrong. The military collaboration with Myanmar should have been shunned and not promoted. 

4. Having said that, it would be foolish of anyone to ignore the importance of Burmese military in all things related to Myanmar. It has a long history dating back to the colonial times. It has ruled the country for almost its entire life. Her much celebrated founder Aung Saan (the father of Aung Sann Suu Kyi) himself was a military man who first collaborated with the Japanese Army against the Allied forces during the World War II, when Burma was a British colony and then switched side before the Allied victory. Ever since General Ne Win, a former comrade of Aung Saan, took power in 1962 through a military coup, military has continued to run the country. The current president Thein Sein is a former general, too. Most of the ministers and those in authority within the country have military connections. As a matter of fact, hardly anything happens without military involvement. The military continues to dominate the parliament and write policies and draft constitution so that none could challenge its grip on the country either today or tomorrow. Its philosophy has been described by area experts like Drs. Habib Siddiqui (the author of the books – The Forgotten Rohingya: their struggle for human rights in Burma; The Muslim Identity and Demography in the Arakan state of Burma; Imagine that you are a Rohingya) and Shah Nawaz Khan (alias Shwe Lu Maung – author of the book – the Price of Silence) as Myanmarism – a toxic cocktail of militarism, neo-Nazi fascism and ultra-racist-religious-Buddhism in which the Bamar (Burmese ethnic group) primarily rules and other secondary and tertiary races support the pyramid structure in an apartheid system. It is feudal and not progressive at all in its character. It is built on myths and astrology – concepts that are outdated and absolutely pre-modern. 

5. Whether we like it or not, the military will continue to play a dominant role inside Myanmar for a foreseeable future. Its empire of more than half a century would not be toppled down that fast and it won’t allow such from happening by hook or crook. It would, therefore, be years before we see a real transition to democracy in which the faces of leadership are all or mostly civilians. 

6. Thus, my short answer to your question is – no. I don’t agree that our US government should have military-to-military relationship with an apartheid regime which is guilty of some of the worst crimes of our time. Lest we forget, the regime exploits such collaboration with a powerful country like ours for boosting its image, solidifying its legitimacy and avoiding or delaying the true reform from taking place. What the ethnic minority states like Karen, Chin, Kachin, Rakhine (Arakan) and Shan, etc. need is a federal structure that allows all its people inclusion and not exclusion where they feel secure and safe, and enjoy the same rights and privileges, and surely not a program that strengthens the killing machines - killing them, dehumanizing and marginalizing them, and eventually pushing them out, leading them no option but to fight guerilla wars with no winners at the end. 

4. Please describe the growing conflicts between the Buddhist majority and Muslim minority. What implications does this conflict have for an end to inter-ethnic conflict and national reconciliation?How should the US better respond to escalating human rights abuses and mounting doubt that reforms will continue?

Answer: 

1. Since Thein Sein floated his so-called ‘reform’ government, the ethnic-religious-racial tensions are worse. In the last 17 months, we saw the worst violence against the minority Muslims not only in the Arakan state but also all across Burma. In May of last year, nearly a dozen innocent Muslims – heading for Yangon, the commercial capital of Myanmar, were pulled out from their bus and lynched to death mercilessly. Days later, Muslim villages and townships were burned down in a very organized manner in which the local Buddhist security forces, the police, politicians and preachers (monks) collaborated, inciting the Rakhine mobs to kill and destroy everything Muslim or Islamic. Even the government security forces were seen taking part in this murderous orgy. As a result, there is not a single functioning school, mosque, shop or business in territories that once had a solid Muslim majority in many parts of Burma, esp. in the Rakhine state. The pogroms against Muslims continued unabated for months and the entire city/town zones and villages in which they once lived became ghost towns with no Muslims to be found. 

2. According to reports shared by human rights groups, some 140,000 Muslims remain as IDPs (internally displaced people) inside the Rakhine (Arakan) state alone. Many of them are now living in squalid camps with less-than-adequate supplies. Many have tried to flee the country as unwanted refugees to places like Bangladesh, Thailand and beyond. They have been denied access in Bangladesh, imprisoned in Thailand and/or repatriated forcibly back to Myanmar, and worse still, some have been enslaved by Thai fishermen. Many have died trying to brave the ocean. 

3. The condition in these refugee camps where Muslims are kept are beyond description. From the statement of Thein Sein, it is obvious that the Myanmar authorities don’t want the Rohingya Muslim minorities living anywhere inside Myanmar. Thus, they are determined to starve them to death, unless they flee the country on their own. Even while fleeing the country, these unfortunate human beings have been shot at by the security forces. 

4. The international NGOs and human rights agencies were barred from opening offices to monitor and provide necessary humanitarian aid to Muslim victims. Even the OIC could not open office in the Rakhine state. Government sponsored mob demonstrations provided the justification to deny such rights to the OIC. 

5. The Buddhist monks have demanded that laws should be enacted that penalizes people from selling to and buying from Muslims. They also demanded that maximum quota for children for a Muslim family be limited to only two. It is all copycat of the Nazi era Germany that is being promoted in Buddhist Burma with the perpetrators being Buddhists and victims the Muslims. The formula is essentially the same!

6. The situation of the Muslims in other parts of Myanmar is also equally bad. Recent months have seen organized mob violence in many parts of the country that are far away from the Rakhine state. The Buddhist terrorist monks like Wirathu are increasingly playing a very divisive, an evil, role in such pogroms against the Muslim minorities. Muslims are safe nowhere today inside Myanmar. Just like in Nazi Germany, the Muslim properties are easy targets for destruction, looting, and pillage. Just a mere rumor is enough to incite such organized mob violence against them in which everyone in this Buddhist country is a participant. Even the so-called democracy icon –Suu Kyi – is a silent endorser to such horrendous crimes! I shall request my distinguished panel members and chairman to read Dr. Habib Siddiqui’s articles listed in the back on this subject (see, e.g., his blog: www.drhabibsiddiqui.blogspot.com)

7. In recent days, parts of Myanmar have seen demonstrations held by racist Buddhists opposing the resettlement of the Muslim victims. 

8. As noted by Dr. Siddiqui, it would be utterly foolish to ignore the evolving signs of genocide of the Muslim minorities inside Myanmar. It has become a national project in which every Buddhist is playing a role inside the country – overtly or covertly, if not silently through their impotence or hesitance to condemn what is morally wrong and unjustifiable. 

9. Many outside observers were surprised to see such outbreaks of targeted violence that have seen wholesale destruction of hundreds of Muslim villages and townships, esp. in the Rakhine state, the internal displacement of some 200,000 Muslims all across Burma, deaths of innumerable victims and rape of so many. But we knew better. Years before the current tragedy had hit Burma, we asked the leaders of the ENC and other so-called democracy groups operating inside Thailand and other parts of the world for a dialogue to discuss the problem of racial and religious tension and ethnic division inside Burma, and its transition to democracy but what we got was outright contempt and rejection. From the level of arrogance and intolerance, hatred and racism displayed by the so-called leaders and members of the ‘democracy’ movement, we knew too well that a simple transition to democracy won’t be able heal the wounds and stop the bleeding process; democracy would be abused, democratic means of voting would be used to impose majoritarian narratives on the marginalized minority, denying them basic rights. As we feared, mob violence against the targeted minorities is the new face of democracy in Myanmar. Apparently, minority rights have no place in this new jargon. The denial of citizenship right to the Rohingya and other Muslims is seen as a necessary means to cement this process of keeping them out of the political process – permanently denied and ignored.

10. For a national reconciliation process to succeed, I suggest that Rohingya and other minority Muslims, Hindus, Shikhs, Jews and Christians who have been born and live in Myanmar be given full citizenship rights forthright. They need to be integrated within the Myanmar society with all the rights and privileges as now enjoyed by the Buddhist majority. Quota systems must be allowed for these vulnerable minorities to make sure that not only are their views heard in the parliament but they have equitable representation in all sectors of the government. Without such a massive program to integrate the once-persecuted minority, there is no way to fully reconcile the various peoples who live in this fractured country on the right track. 

11. As to the refugees, now stranded or forced to live as unwanted refugees or temporary workers in foreign countries, provisions should be made under the supervision of the UN for their quick resettlement inside Myanmar.

12. Due compensation for the loss of properties should also be made by the Myanmar government to each of the victims so that they could restart their lives. 

13. On its part, the ruling elite and the dominant Bamar race ought to understand that ethnicity is a colonial era concept, which has no place in our time when we have moved to citizenship to foster group identity towards shared responsibility of nation building. By holding onto its divisive and racist character, Myanmar, instead, is doing harm to its own long-term goal of keeping the country together. It needs a federal system where every state from the western most Arakan state to the eastern-most Shan state would have rights similar to those enjoyed in the USA by any of its 50 states. Minus that formula, Myanmar will fight internally and eventually become a failed state disintegrating along ethnic/religious lines. Thus, it is to Myanmar’s best interest that I suggest that Rohingya and other minorities be accepted as full citizens of the country, allowing them every opportunity to build the country up so that once again Myanmar could become strong politically and economically. 

14. As well documented by Drs. Siddiqui and Abid Bahar in their massive works dealing with problems of xenophobia and racism inside Myanmar, I would like to point out the poisonous roles played by several ultra-racist provocateurs who continue to foment hatred in this country. Sadly, many of these ultra-racists, whose role have become akin to those played by Julius Streicher of the Nazi-era, have settled in the liberal west. The late Dr. Aye Kyaw who drafted the 1982 citizenship law disbarring the Rohingya was a professor at the NYU. Dr. Aye Chan, another academic, notorious for describing the Rohingya people as ‘virus’ and inciting extermination campaign against them is a US resident who teaches in Japan. There are many such hate provocateurs who don’t mind enjoying the liberal, open status that they enjoy here as a Buddhist minority, but are outright rejecters and deniers of such rights and privileges for the minority Muslims in their native country. Since their writings have been feeding hatred and justification for current and previous ethnic cleansing drives against the Rohingya and other Muslims, it is pertinent that such provocateurs of hatred and violence be prosecuted in the land of their residence. Those who incite genocide should never be allowed to continue their hateful mission that translates into loss of so many lives! They need to be held accountable for spreading intolerance and violence. 

15. As noted by Dr. Siddiqui in his keynote speech at Thammassat University, Bangkok, Thailand, a massive government undertaking is necessary for eradicating hard-core racism and xenophobia that has hitherto allowed the military brutal regimes to exploit the country through the old maxim of divide and rule. But in the new setup, such old techniques will prove to be devastating and suicidal. Old myths that degrade and dehumanize the ‘other’ people need to be replaced with new realities through massive education and propaganda campaigns that unite and foster citizenship with shared responsibility. 

16. The USA can play a very important role in this latter goal of reconciliation and nation building sharing its own experience how it has become a beacon of hope for all to jointly collaborate and gain, thereby strengthening the American nation. Pluralism, integration and multi-culturalism are the answers for curing Myanmar’s disease. 

Thank you all for listening to my talk.

Important citations:
















By Zin Linn
Asian Tribune
September 28, 2013

Burma/Myanmar remains one of the world’s least developed countries, and was ranked 138 out of 182 countries in the 2010 UN’s Human Development Index.

Burma is one of Asia’s poorest countries, reflected in its health indicators. It had the 44th highest infant mortality rate of the 193 countries listed by the UNICEF in its 2011 State of the World’s Children report.

Burma is regularly along with the most corrupt countries in the world by Transparency International’s annual Corruption Perceptions Index – in 2012, it was ranked 172 out of 174 countries, third from the bottom after Afghanistan and Somalia.

If one looked back in the near past, he could uncover an address made by President U Thein Sein during the ceremony of Rural Region Development and Socio-economic Improvement in Yangon Region at National Indoor Stadium on 2 June 2013, according to the state-run media.

In his address, the President said that utmost efforts had been made for the success of political, economic and administrative reforms throughout his period in office since March 2011.

While carrying out the development of peace and stability, national reconciliation and the rule of law, the nation had faced unforeseen challenges and difficulties. However, the government is determined to overcome these challenges and difficulties, the President said.

The President pointed out that without political stability economic development cannot be realized and without socioeconomic development political stability cannot be achieved, because politics and economy are interrelated.

“Although the country has economic potential, the appropriate size of population and territory, favorable weather patterns, a vast area of arable farmlands, a large workforce and natural resources, the country was listed as a LDC [Least Developed Country],” he said.

But he did not mention the misconducts of the consecutive military regimes including the previous junta which was run by himself as a prime minister.

He stressed the need for hard work to help Burma remove itself from the LDC list, adding that 70 per cent of the total citizens are extremely poor rural people whose livelihoods depend on the agricultural sector. He also acknowledged that city dwellers are kept in poverty by high interest rates, with much of their earnings going to business owners and moneylenders. But, at this point also, he failed to point out the military authorities’ abuses of power including monopoly of business opportunities and ignorance of citizens’ rights.

The President called for the establishment of cooperative societies and microfinance programs.

“Microfinance is intended not only to create immediate breathing space for citizens but also to enable them to stand on their own feet in the future,” the President said, calling for borrowers to make good use of loans and to repay in full when the time is due. Coincidentally, some ministries under his government have been criticized as a consequence of irregularities with their fiscal budgets.

However, the country’s Nobel laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi slammed the president’s reforms during an interview with Radio Free Asia (Burmese Service). She also said that more actions and less talk are required of the president if he is to complete the reform process.

President should discover some missing points on reform in Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s Nobel lecture. Burma’s Nobel laureate highlights points on Burma’s reform in her Nobel lecture:

“The reform measures that were put into motion by President U Thein Sein’s government can be sustained only with the intelligent cooperation of all internal forces: the military, our ethnic nationalities, political parties, the media, civil society organizations, the business community and, most important of all, the general public. We can say that reform is effective only if the lives of the people are improved and in this regard, the international community has a vital role to play.”

Currently, the military and their cronies have a huge amount of control over the country’s economy. The military-owned the Union of Myanmar Economic Holding Limited (UMEHL) and the Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC) are still exploiting the country’s key economic sectors with no information of financial flowing to the public sectors.

The country’s important natural resources and heavy industries including import, export and service sectors are dominated by UMEHL, MEC and their allies. Military-managed business firms and crony enterprises have copious opportunities and precious natural resources while the majority of citizens have been living under unpleasant scarcities for decades.

Despite much talk about needed economic reform, President failed to mention the corruption and unprofessional conduct of UMEHL and MEC. Without officially recognizing the well embedded corrupt practices in society, there can be no means to adequately address the issue.

The country’s citizens are very poor not because the country has no resources, but because the country’s leaders, including the new semi-elected government, refuses to acknowledge the extent of corruption and wealth amassed by the authoritative elites.

Without changing the functions and ownership of the military-run extra-large businesses, the President’s reform process will be of little real benefit to the general population. As foreign investment increases, the same military affiliated businesses and crony associates will be the biggest beneficiaries, not the citizens.

For example, in March this year, the parliamentary ‘Farmland Investigation Commission’ submitted its findings on land confiscation to the parliament. The report says that the military have taken almost 250,000 acres of land from villagers. The commission said that they had spoken to military leaders about the confiscation, and they acknowledged the army will return seized farmlands that are far-flung from army-bases. Moreover, the military authorities are also trying to provide compensation for farmers. But, most farmers refused to accept compensation since it was just like a token and did not meet the update price.

Nevertheless, the investigation is a step to the lead but there still maintain a range of considerable problems the commission has yet to be addressed. It was the first time that the commission only addressed land confiscated by the military. Even though the military has been involved in land confiscations, they are not the only one behind.

A case in point of shortfall of the commission’s report is the realism about the Letpadaung copper mine, which is not revealed by the commission since the land was not confiscated solely by the military. The government needs to release an immediate order to halt land-confiscation that is taking place now. It is seriously important to carry out comprehensive investigations throughout the country, proper legislation to address the issue, guarantees for adequate compensation and consultation with the local communities regarding any future development projects.

However, President U Thein Sein should not fail to remember that current reform process needs a genuine peaceful environment. With ongoing battles and land confiscation in ethnic areas, the country is not prepared to take delivery of International Development Aid as Donors have to ensure to stick to their ethical values. Hence, President should choose ‘taming of the military’ as his first priority – to stop not only conflict but also land grabbing.


    • Rohingya Exodus