The Rohingya Muslims of northern Myanmar are one of many Muslim groups being persecuted by the government and military of this country, a prominent activist has said.
In an interview with Anadolu Agency, Kyaw Win, founder and executive director of the Burma Human Rights Network (BHRN), said Rohingya Muslims account for only 30 percent of Myanmar’s total Muslim population and that the persecution of the other 70 percent goes underreported.
“What we understand now is that the Rohingya suffers…genocide. But at the same time, the other 70 percent of the Muslim population also faces serious problems,” he said.
“One of the problems is that their citizenship has been denied and they have been put into a group that is ‘mixed blood,’” Win said.
“Being a Muslim, you cannot be a Burmese; only a Buddhist can be a Burmese. So the moment you say you’re a Muslim, you become a mixed blood group.”
Win underlined that Muslims in Myanmar had to prove their bloodline and are then forced to sign a document that will render them stateless and thus without citizenship.
He said Muslims in Myanmar are unable to apply for Burmese passports and are routinely harassed by the police and intelligence services because of their identity.
The Rohingya, according to Win, had faced these same problems 20 years ago, and the other Muslim communities are facing a similar “trend” that could lead to a similar fate.
“If we have failed with the Rohingya people, it means we are also failing with the other 70 percent,” Win said.
Win’s remarks come after the release of a UN report earlier this week documenting mass gang rapes, killings -- including of infants and young children -- brutal beatings and disappearances committed by Myanmar state forces. In its report, UN investigators said the violations may have constituted crimes against humanity.
The UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar has called for the trial of Myanmar’s top military officials, including army commander-in-chief Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, at the International Criminal Court for committing genocide against Rohingya Muslims.
Win labeled the recent UN report on the Rohingya crisis “strong” and “credible” and said it is an important time for the international community to support the Rohingya and minority issues in Myanmar and bring the perpetrators of this genocide to justice.
Criticizing Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi’s silence on the “genocide”, Win said it was “very appalling” for a person like her defending the military and that “she should not be taking that road; she should be aware of this”.
It is unfortunate, Win said, that Suu Kyi has argued that the military hasn’t committed any atrocities against the Rohingya Muslims when there is clear proof that such atrocities have occurred and continue to occur.
Win also criticized the government and military’s prevention of independent investigations in Rakhine state in northern Myanmar and blocking international media and human rights organizations from reporting on the ethnic cleansing and working with the Rohingya Muslims.
Win said Suu Kyi had the power to stop the genocide from occurring but she never raised the issue of the atrocities being carried out against the Rohingya.
“She intentionally kept silent,” Win said, adding “this was a very big mistake,” so she should be held to account for this.
Win said Suu Kyi described three generals who are war criminals as “sweet members of our cabinet“ during a visit to Singapore last year, which was “disturbing”.
He called for Suu Kyi to either resign or stand up to the genocide being committed against the Rohingya and put an end to the atrocities by bringing the perpetrators committing this war crime to justice.
Regarding Turkey’s role in the international community’s response to the Rohingya crisis, Win said it has a “very important role, historically and traditionally”.
Win underlined the strong relations between Turkish and Burmese Muslims and recalled a period during the First World War when the Burmese Muslim community raised funds for the Ottoman Sultan.
He said Turkey and Burmese Muslims maintain this historic and traditional relationship to this day and he is “very grateful to the Turkish government, the Turkish people that consistently support the Rohingya issues,” adding “not many world leaders have visited Rakhine state, but Turkish leaders have, and that is very encouraging”.
He pointed out that Turkey should engage with Muslim organizations and offer more support to the Muslim youth of Myanmar, who he said suffer from unemployment because they are Muslims.
He also emphasized that Turkey should work with neighboring countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia to form an alliance and to support the Rohingya and other Muslim communities and prevent such atrocities from occurring.
Win urged Muslim countries to not only focus on Muslim minorities but also on other minorities in Burma facing persecution, such as the Kachin and Karen Christians and the Shan Buddhists who also face routine persecution from the government.
According to Amnesty International, more than 750,000 Rohingya refugees, mostly women and children, have fled Myanmar and crossed into Bangladesh after Myanmar forces launched a crackdown on the minority Muslim community.
The Rohingya, described by the UN as the world's most persecuted people, have faced heightened fears of attack since dozens were killed in communal violence in 2012.
Since Aug. 25, 2017, nearly 24,000 Rohingya Muslims have been killed by Myanmar’s state forces, according to the Ontario International Development Agency.
