December 12, 2016
An uneasy calm currently prevails in the Maungdaw North region where Rohingyas have been on the receiving end of a military assault since October 9. The situation is still unpredictable and many Rohingyas fear the Tatmadaw led forces might continue the crackdown anytime.
The partial cessation of hostilities comes amid the visit of the vice president General Myint Swe to the now destroyed village tracts in the region. Myint Swe heads an investigation commission appointed by president U Htin Kyaw on December 1. No Rohingyas holds his (or her) breath waiting for justice. By now, it is almost universally accepted the quasi democratic government led by Aung San Suu Kyi has neither the aspiration, nor the authority to reign in the powerful armed forces which has long been involved in the genocide of the country’s ethnic minorities. Suu Kyi and her cohorts have stood firmly behind the security forces as they unleashed a pogrom of mass murder, rape and torture against the defenceless Muslim civilians of the Maungdaw North region.
Even then, some Rohingyas tried to meet up with commission members in Bali Bazar and Nga Khura. One might wonder why. Many Rohingyas who met up with Kofi Annan were arrested and tortured. Earlier, Muslims who talked to an UN investigation team were killed. Annan ended his visit on good terms with the genocidical regime, and basically excused the murderers when he hinted the Rohingya genocide was ‘not a genocide’. He also claimed the Rakhines were also afraid of the Muslims, toeing the government line which tries to portray the victims as the aggressors. The results of the earlier UN visit have been a little better. Despite the knack for many world powers to sacrifice the Rohingyas in favour of resource rich Myanmar, the UN has released some statements, including urging Suu Kyi to visit Arakan state and see the situation for herself. This is not totally a good thing, it shows how the international community is still keen to maintain the façade of the democratically elected Nobel prize winner to justify opening up the resource rich country to business even as the de facto leader presides on a murderous regime that continues to prey on ethnic minorities. But at the end of the day, they were international humanitarians, unlike Myint Swe who is one of the leading commanders of the very regime that presides over the ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims.
Yet, the reason behind the visit of Myint Swe might be pressure from ASEAN member states, read Malaysia and Indonesia, rather than the UN. While the two Muslim regional powers have traditionally kept aloof from persecution of their co-religionists in Myanmar, there are promising chances this might finally change. The commission lead by Myint Swe should be read as it is, an eyewash for ASEAN member states, not a genuine organisation to address the horrific crimes committed against the Rohingyas over the past two months.
In the meantime, the ethnic cleansing will continue.
