“THERE IS NO RULE OF LAW” IN MYANMAR: BUDDHISTS CONTINUE TO MASSACRE ROHINGYA MUSLIMS BY BURNING THEM ALIVE!
by Syarif Hidayat
Buddhists continue to massacre Rohingya Muslims by burning them alive: The carnage in Burma (Myanmar) finally has debunked the myth of “peaceful” Buddhists. At the same time, the so-called international community, led by Western countries, again showed to the world their duplicity and hypocrisy, writes UmmaNews.
Being “peaceful” or “humble” (as claimed by their biased supporters) is a far cry concerning the Burmese Buddhists. Their vindictive temperament prowls for vendetta, waiting to use even the most insignificant occurrence as an excuse to perpetrate violence on Burmese Muslims.
At any time, if there’s some ethnic disturbance between Muslims and Buddhists/Hindus in any other country, the Burmese Buddhists waste no time going on a murderous spry killing the Muslim minority in Burma.
A Burmese Buddhist Nobel Peace Prize winner lady and Myanmar’s opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi has been criticised for failing to speak out strongly in their defence.
Asked how she would describe what is happening there “On Talk to Al Jazeera” program, she says, “I don’t know what is happening there, but what has always concerned me from the very beginning and I have talked about it often, but nobody seems to be really interested in it, is the lack of rule of law. I have always said that the first step we must take is to establish rule of law, that both communities may feel safe, and then we can progress towards a situation where we can talk over the problems and try to find lasting solutions. But when there is no rule of law and people are in fear of their life and their security, it is very difficult for them to be able to sit down and talk things over.”
Aung San Suu Kyi says she cannot decide what is done in the Rakhine state. “I’m not part of the government …. I cannot say why there is no rule of law, but it is not for me to establish rule of law, I don’t have the authority. People forget that even as an opposition leader I am the leader of 44 MPs in a legislature of over 600, and yet they expect me to be able to do the things that only government really has the right or authority to do … I think this is the price you pay when you have received so much support and sympathy from the world all over, that they would expect you to live up to certain expectations, but I have never claimed that I could do everything I wanted in Burma,” she says.
“I don’t think one person can be wholly responsible for change in his or her country …. I have never claimed that I could do everything I wanted in Burma,” said Aung San Suu Kyi in an interview with Al Jazeera, December 28, 2013.
Myanmar is a country in transition. After years of unforgiving military rule its borders are beginning to open to outside scrutiny. The march to freedom is being led by Aung San Suu Kyi, Nobel Peace laureate and chairperson of the opposition National League for Democracy.
She had returned to Burma in 1988 after years of living abroad, only to encounter a violent military dictatorship. She became the loudest voice calling for democracy and human rights. It did not take the military junta long to recognise the threat she posed to them, and in 1989, the military government, which had renamed the country Myanmar, placed her under house arrest.
Aung San Suu Kyi spent the next 15 years in custody. In 1991, her determination to win democracy was rewarded with the Nobel Peace Prize. But today, as she makes the transition from activist to full-time politician pursuing her goal of being president, Aung San Suu Kyi faces many challenges, including the fate of the Rohingya people.
Described by the UN as being amongst the most persecuted communities in the world, the Rohingya saw more than 125,000 people internally displaced in 2012. The Rakhine state is one of the most impoverished of Myanmar, and the waves of violence in the region have worsened conditions.
The Western regimes duplicity and hypocrisy
If in the case of Syria, the West almost daily condemns “unacceptable violence against peaceful people”, ranting about freedom and humanity, and even studiously pretend that it tries to help the Syrian Muslims, alas, in the case of Burma, this activity is not anywhere seen.
Buddhist crowds have been carrying on with the terrifying violence for nearly a year, but the so-called international community remains stubbornly silent: there is no UN Security Council resolution, nor Obama’s threat of a “red line”, or the French and British proposal to provide “arms to insurgents”, or hints of introducing a no-fly zone over Burma.
The following video was shot in Meiktila during the recent violence. The entire video is accompanied by wild cries of Buddhists, including monks, looting the homes of Rohingya Muslims.
The clip of 1 minute 30 second in duration, captures a person lying on the ground. This Rohingya Muslim is condemned to a slow and painful death. His body was set on fire by Buddhists, it is all charred, but he is still alive and trying to make some kind of movement. He is surrounded by Buddhists and Burmese police.
One of those present calls to throw some water over the burning Muslim, but another voice immediately replies: “Let him die. For him, there is no water”.
The horrific images were captured by the police, who were standing on the sidelines. In the city of Meiktila an anti-Muslim gang, known as the “unit 969″, actively distributes leaflets with the number 969 printed on them, which is reported to have some secret meaning to Buddhists.
The current unrest is the repetition of the bloody violence in the past year in the state of Arakan. According to human rights NGOs, the police were mostly inactive or even joining Buddhist mobs, killing men, women and children in June and October 2012.
“Although in some cases the state security forces intervened to prevent violence and protect the fleeing Muslims, more often they just stood at the sidelines or directly supported the attackers who had committed murders and other offences”, says the report of the human rights defenders.
Recently, the official Burmese authorities reported that six Muslims had been charged for “alleged involvement” in death of Buddhist monk who took part in anti-Muslim riots. All six face the death penalty. Four more Muslims are being sought.
In March massacre in Meiktila, there were killed at least 43 people, 12,000 became refugees – most of them Muslims, reports the Associated Press. Buddhist mobs looted the houses of the Rohingya Muslims and burned the people alive, leaving the charred body of the believers lying on the streets of the cities of Burma.
Only last week, Buddhists burned down several Muslim villages north of Yangon. According to Agence France-Press, a part of the Buddhist monks were directly involved in the massacre of Muslims, while others were encouraging people to boycott all stores owned by the Rohingya Muslims.
Human rights activists have called what is happening in Burma “ethnic and religious genocide”, according to Department of Monitoring, Kavkaz Center.
Muslim nations must move to stop Rohingya massacre
“Well I think nobody is going to come to their rescue right now except, unless the international community and I think it is better for the UN and the international community including the Muslim nations to try to use influence on the central government to ease what is happening against the Rohingyas which is really outrageous,” said James Jennings, president of Conscience International in an interview with the Iranian Press TV.
A political analyst says the UN and the international community including the Muslim nations must put pressure on Myanmar government to end the ongoing violence against Rohingya Muslims in the Southeast Asian country.
The comments came after the United Nations said there are reports showing the government of Myanmar has been involved in recent deadly violence against Rohingya Muslims.
This is while Muslim leaders in Myanmar have also criticized state officials for failing to act against deadly attacks on country’s Muslims, blaming security forces for standing by as assailants go on rampage.
Press TV has conducted an interview with James Jennings, president of Conscience International, to further discuss the issue. What follows is an approximate transcription of the interview.
Press TV: James Jennings, a few months back when these clashes were reported, it was also reported that government forces were standing by as these Buddhists were attacking these Muslim minority population homing in on the Rohingyas and in some cases they were participating in that and now you have the President Thein Sein saying, he was threatening to use force. What is exactly going on here?
Jennings: Well first of all Myanmar is a very important country in South East Asia. That is demonstrated by the fact that one of the first trips that Obama has made in his second term was to Myanmar to consolidate that relationship but within the country there are many, many problems and after discussing the very critical issue on the Korean Peninsula, I hesitate to say that the difficulties in Myanmar will be with us for a very long time.
Right now the majority Buddhist population has several minority problems that they are dealing with. One of them is with the Rohingya Muslims. And the real, heart of the problem there is that the Rohingyas have not been accredited status within the country of Myanmar or Burma and without that citizenship status, I am afraid that not only the persecution but the repression and then the ethnic violence will continue.
Press TV: Well since you talked about the US, we know that Myanmar shares a border with China and they are obviously establishing some military bases there.
Is the US looking at Myanmar and not coming down on the government as hard as they should based on the strategic importance that it plays vis-à-vis China?
Jennings: Well it is a delicate balance with the new government that is emerging. You must remember we had over 50 years of military dictatorship, a closed country and now that is changing with the leadership of Aung San Suu Kyi but I do not think that either the government there is stable enough or the US influence is strong enough to really make a difference at this point.
And when we just recently heard a retrospective on the Vietnam War and many of the military officers from the US force were saying that certainly that was a failure and a failure of political imagination to begin with that we do not want to see the same kind of relationship in South East Asia again.
But Myanmar is certainly an important country. It has many ethnic minorities. Right now the central government is fighting. They are catching rebellions, the Kachins on the East bordering to China and also in the South of the country, the Karens.
This is really delicate and difficult problem. We do not want to see a repetition of what happened in Vietnam but it is not easy to sort it out. An US influence so I think is very limited.
Press TV: So who is going to save these Muslims especially the Rohingyas, who is going to come to their rescue?
Jennings: Well I think nobody is going to come to their rescue right now except, unless the international community and I think it is better for the UN and the international community including the Muslim nations to try to use influence on the central government to ease what is happening against the Rohingyas which is really outrageous.
They are being treated not as a minority but as non-existent persons and that is where the danger comes of what we have already seen the displacement of people, also the killing of many of those people and the unrest is not lessening right now, it is actually increasing with the majority Buddhist population getting very involved in the issue.
The World’s Muslims should unite to help Rohingya Muslims
A united ummah can effectively say no to anything that is wrong and stand up against any enemy of Allah.
In the Name of Allah, the beneficent, the merciful. Allah Almighty said in the Noble Al Qur’an: “And hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of Allâh (i.e. this Qur’ân), and be not divided among yourselves, and remember Allâh’s Favour on you, for you were enemies one to another but He joined your hearts together, so that, by His Grace, you became brethren (in Islâmic Faith), and you were on the brink of a pit of Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus Allâh makes His Ayât (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.,) clear to you, that you may be guided.” (Al-Qur’an, Surah Al-E-Imran, Verse:103)
“And spend in the Cause of Allâh (i.e. Jihâd of all kinds,) and do not throw yourselves into destruction (by not spending your wealth in the Cause of Allâh), and do good. Truly, Allâh loves Al-Muhsinûn (the good-doers).” (Al-Qur’an, Surah Al-Baqara, Verse:195)
“O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise each other). Verily the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full Knowledge and is well-acquainted (with all things).” (Al Qur’an, Surah Al-Hujarat, Verse:13)
“Mankind was one single nation, and Allah sent Messengers with glad tidings and warnings; and with them He sent the Book in truth, to judge between people in matters wherein they differed; but the People of the Book, after the clear Signs came to them did not differ among themselves, except through selfish contumacy. Allah by His Grace guided the believers to the Truth concerning that wherein they differed. For Allah guides whom He will to a path that is straight.” (Al-Qur’an, Surah Al-Baqara, Verse: 213)
The Prophet Muhammad PBUH more than 1400 year ago commanded us (Muslims) to maintain social solidarity and cooperation, to open our hearts to our fellows, and to help one another at all times. He said, “Do not cut relations between each other! Do not turn your backs on each other! Do not grow hatred between each other! O God’s servants! Become brothers and sisters!”
Prophet Muhammad PBUH said : “You will see the believers in their having mercy for one another, and in their love for one another, and in their kindness towards one another, like the human body: when one limb is ailing, the whole body feels it, one part calling out the other with sleeplessness and fever.” – (Sohih Bukhari.) (HSH)
Bibliotheque:
1. http://www.quranexplorer.com/Quran/Default.aspx
2. http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/talktojazeera/2013/12/
GLOBAL MARCH FOR PEACE! 