Asean can’t keep turning a blind eye to Rakhine

By The Nation

 

 

The Rohingya are suffering genocide, and the regional bloc must tackle this root cause of the crisis
 

Asean must address the root cause of the Rakhine crisis before a move to repatriate thousands of refugees to the strife-torn state in Myanmar gets underway. 

 

Last week, Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah said colleagues from Singapore and Thailand would travel to Myanmar to thrash out a deal for the safe repatriation of the more than 700,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.

 

Malaysia and Thailand share a concern that unless a sustainable solution for the crisis in Rakhine is found, Rohingya refugees will continue to pour into the two Asean countries.

 

More than 700,000 Rohingya have fled violence in their home state since August last year, when a militia’s attack on Myanmar security outposts triggered a “clearance operation” by the Myanmar military to eradicate the Muslim Rohingya from the predominantly Buddhist country.

 

The fleeing Rohingya joined hundreds of thousands who had sought refuge from violence in previous years, taking the number in Bangladesh camps to more than one million. Displaced into miserable temporary shelters in camps rife with disease, they are now desperately seeking better lives either in their homeland or elsewhere.

 

Resettlement abroad won’t be easy but returning home to the threat of violence is more daunting still.

 

News of the Rohingyas’ plight gets bleaker by the month. United Nations investigators last week presented a report to the Security Council that detailed an “ongoing genocide” against the Muslim minority in Rakhine.   

 

There has been some scepticism over whether the Rohingya are being targeted by genocide, but any doubts are dispelled by several detailed reports by the UN and human rights defenders. The UN investigators called for those responsible to face international 

justice.

 

The genocide in Rakhine state is marked not only by massacre of civilians but also by ostracisation of the Rohingya population, preventing them from having children, and interring them in camps, according to Marzuki Darusman, chairman of the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar.

 

Its 444-page report, first made public last month, called on the council to refer the issue to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, or to create an ad hoc tribunal.

 

Leaders of Asean, of which Myanmar is a member, know very well that many in the country – including the elite – harbour negative attitudes toward the Muslim minority in Rakhine. Calling them Bengali, the country denies them citizenship.

 

Asean has however turned a blind eye to the deep root of Rakhine genocide, pretending the issue is merely a humanitarian crisis and trying to force the Rohingya back into danger.

 

While the regional bloc has made several attempts over the past year to mediate the repatriation of Rohingya, the government in Nay Pyi Taw has been reluctant to welcome them back.

 

The negotiating task now falls to Singapore, as the current chair of the Asean, before Thailand takes the rotating chairmanship next year.

 

The attitude of the powers-that-be in Thailand towards the Rohingya issue is no better than that of their counterparts in Myanmar. Deputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan said last year that the Thais should  call the Muslim minority “Bengali”, to show solidarity with Nay Pyi Taw.

 

It is not difficult to imagine how the Thai government will approach the issue when it chairs Asean next year. Some Rohingya refugees might indeed return to Rakhine, either voluntarily or by force. But that will not be the end of the story.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/opinion/30357558

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-10-31

"...Asean can’t keep turning a blind eye to Rakhine..."

 

I say this with genuine, heart-felt, terrible sadness...

 

Yes, it can.

 

And, likely will.

 

 

8 minutes ago, Samui Bodoh said:

"...Asean can’t keep turning a blind eye to Rakhine..."

 

I say this with genuine, heart-felt, terrible sadness...

 

Yes, it can.

 

And, likely will.

 

 

.....as is their history regarding similar regional human tragedies. 

Sure they can. If they don't then maybe there will be a sharing out of all the refugees right across ASEAN.

 

Nobody wants that do they, but why not ?

 

They're just peaceful muslim victims of terror, right ? Or are they?

4 hours ago, ukrules said:

Sure they can. If they don't then maybe there will be a sharing out of all the refugees right across ASEAN.

 

Nobody wants that do they, but why not ?

 

They're just peaceful muslim victims of terror, right ? Or are they?

Not a chance Thailand would take any refugees. The Thais are impervious to the horrors that are taking place in Myanmar. The attitude is, nothing to do with us, their not Thai. ASEAN has been in existence for 50 years and I cant see much has been done. There is supposed to be a military pact between ASEAN countries. Didn't hear of  any  troops in Malawe Minaneao from ASEAN countries when the terrorists took control. Who helped them  out,  USA.

They have...they do...and they will!

????

It is called ASEAN not Asean.

ASEAN turns a blind eye to the Rohingyas as the world chooses to ignore Xinjiang (East Turkestan).

 

Sad to see how the world's muslim nations blithely ignore Rakhine and Xinjiang. In the latter case, must kowtow to China, keep those investment billions and tourist dollars flowing in.

20 minutes ago, certacito said:

It is called ASEAN not Asean.

Are you sure it's not Arsean

Give Frau Merkel a call. Germany surely has room for another million migrants. Sweden can take in a few hundred thousand more as well.

I just feel sad when I hear about human genocide. What drives people to flee their homes and travel to a place they know nothing about because the trauma in staying put is more severe? Then there are people that just say its not my problem.? Politicians and Generals. I would never pass the course on human cruelty. 

Lets just rewrite the history, Yea , that could work. Hey lets just

listen to Fox news and believe every word.  No Fake news there!

Geezer

 

9 hours ago, ukrules said:

Sure they can. If they don't then maybe there will be a sharing out of all the refugees right across ASEAN.

 

Nobody wants that do they, but why not ?

 

They're just peaceful muslim victims of terror, right ? Or are they?

No, they killed many Buddhists in Rakhine State. For some reason the media never report this.

26 minutes ago, Thingamabob said:

No, they killed many Buddhists in Rakhine State. For some reason the media never report this.

Well what about some balance.

 

The conflict is not new and my guess is not too many know the full history, I don't.

 

Further, perhaps there's a case to say the the Rakhine folks were just fighting back against outrageous attacks, slaughter and genocide against their own people.  It seems true that Buddhists were killed but were Buddhists singled out? Or were the Rakhine attacks in location where a very large% of folks are Buddhists? 

 

 

5 hours ago, certacito said:

It is called ASEAN not Asean.

Wo cares, it reads and sounds the same. 

9 hours ago, certacito said:

It is called ASEAN not Asean.

Pleased you cleared that up, that should sort out any problems

11 hours ago, Artisi said:

Pleased you cleared that up, that should sort out any problems

 

As the thread is an editorial, I would have hoped that they could have got the basics right. It does not bode well if the title of a piece is wrong.

22 hours ago, certacito said:

It is called ASEAN not Asean.

Sir, you are right. The full name in capital letters is clearly stipulated in the ASEAN charter and protected under specific article of the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property. Well done.

On 10/31/2018 at 10:54 AM, certacito said:

It is called ASEAN not Asean.

The rule for acronyms: if you can say it, it’s upper case then lower. So: Asean, Fifa, Uefa, Unesco. But, UNHCR, etc

ASEAN is all about trade and how to make money. Human rights, compassion, democracy or anything that might make you feel warm and fuzzy inside, forget it. 

You might think that the mostly Muslim countries of Malaysia or Indonesia would help. Think again.

7 hours ago, Groundcontrol said:

The rule for acronyms: if you can say it, it’s upper case then lower. So: Asean, Fifa, Uefa, Unesco. But, UNHCR, etc

 

That is not a rule, it is merely a recent popular convention.

 

By the way, FIFA disagrees with you.

 

https://www.fifa.com/

 

As does ASEAN

 

https://asean.org/

 

And UEFA

 

https://www.uefa.com/

 

 

Need I go on?

10 hours ago, certacito said:

 

That is not a rule, it is merely a recent popular convention.

 

By the way, FIFA disagrees with you.

 

https://www.fifa.com/

 

As does ASEAN

 

https://asean.org/

 

And UEFA

 

https://www.uefa.com/

 

 

Need I go on?

Granted, “rule” is a bit strong, as it’s far from universal. But “Asean” is standard usage at both English language papers here.