Investigation by the Al Jazeera channel has uncovered evidence of government-led genocide in Myanmar where the minority Rohingya community is persecuted by the majority Buddhists. In a stunning report, the channel revealed that its investigative unit has obtained substantial eyewitness and documentary evidence that the government of Myanmar has been inciting violence for political gains. It’s a shocking finding, and should jolt the international community into action. Communal and ethnic rivalry and bloodshed are too common in several countries, but government collusion in such mindless violence is something unheard of.
Myanmar is going to the polls on November 8, the first in the once-military ruled country, and there are several ethnic and other parties in the fray -- the two most important being the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and the National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Nobel laureate Aung Sang Suu Kyi. The minority Rohingyas are hated in Myanmar, hunted and being driven out, and the party that plays this card stands to benefit immensely in the forthcoming polls. The Al Jazeera investigation has found that marginalizing Muslims and targeting them has been employed by the military-backed USDP to shore up its prospects. A cache of confidential documents recovered from the influential monks community showed that monks who protested against the military rule in 2007 and later imprisoned were offered money to support government-backed religious institutions upon their release. In another shocking finding, it said the government hired thugs to stoke communal violence. “The army controlled these events from behind the scenes. They were not directly involved,” a former member of Myanmar’s feared military intelligence said.
Myanmar has been under intense international pressure, including from the US, to stop mistreatment of Rohingyas. But it has seldom paid attention to these calls, and Muslims continue to be persecuted. Suu Kyi has especially been singled out for criticism on the ground that as a Nobel peace laureate, she has a moral and ethical responsibility to speak against these atrocities. But even Suu Kyi is finding herself shackled by the deep-rooted hatred of her people towards Rohingyas. The aggression is led by the religious and political leaders and any conspicuous support for the minorities will meet with intense opposition and disdain.
The onus is on the international community, especially the Islamic world, to force the new government in Myanmar to protect the human rights of all sections its society, irrespective of ethnicity and religion. It’s not easy. Myanmar has never listened to friendly advice and is unlikely to do so. The world needs to talk in the language of sanctions and continuation of atrocities must carry a heavy price. The problem is that the world has never talked tough.
Investigation by the Al Jazeera channel has uncovered evidence of government-led genocide in Myanmar where the minority Rohingya community is persecuted by the majority Buddhists. In a stunning report, the channel revealed that its investigative unit has obtained substantial eyewitness and documentary evidence that the government of Myanmar has been inciting violence for political gains. It’s a shocking finding, and should jolt the international community into action. Communal and ethnic rivalry and bloodshed are too common in several countries, but government collusion in such mindless violence is something unheard of.
Myanmar is going to the polls on November 8, the first in the once-military ruled country, and there are several ethnic and other parties in the fray -- the two most important being the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and the National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Nobel laureate Aung Sang Suu Kyi. The minority Rohingyas are hated in Myanmar, hunted and being driven out, and the party that plays this card stands to benefit immensely in the forthcoming polls. The Al Jazeera investigation has found that marginalizing Muslims and targeting them has been employed by the military-backed USDP to shore up its prospects. A cache of confidential documents recovered from the influential monks community showed that monks who protested against the military rule in 2007 and later imprisoned were offered money to support government-backed religious institutions upon their release. In another shocking finding, it said the government hired thugs to stoke communal violence. “The army controlled these events from behind the scenes. They were not directly involved,” a former member of Myanmar’s feared military intelligence said.
Myanmar has been under intense international pressure, including from the US, to stop mistreatment of Rohingyas. But it has seldom paid attention to these calls, and Muslims continue to be persecuted. Suu Kyi has especially been singled out for criticism on the ground that as a Nobel peace laureate, she has a moral and ethical responsibility to speak against these atrocities. But even Suu Kyi is finding herself shackled by the deep-rooted hatred of her people towards Rohingyas. The aggression is led by the religious and political leaders and any conspicuous support for the minorities will meet with intense opposition and disdain.
The onus is on the international community, especially the Islamic world, to force the new government in Myanmar to protect the human rights of all sections its society, irrespective of ethnicity and religion. It’s not easy. Myanmar has never listened to friendly advice and is unlikely to do so. The world needs to talk in the language of sanctions and continuation of atrocities must carry a heavy price. The problem is that the world has never talked tough.
