Myanmar has no Rohingyas and will not accept the term, Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing told a press conference held at his offices on May 13.
The Union Daily asked about unrest in Rakhine State in relation to the Rohingya issue and asked about the remarks about the Rohingya made by the US embassy.
Protesters marched on the US Embassy in Yangon last month after it used the word Rohingya in a statement of condolence for the deaths of at least 20 people whose boat capsized on April 19 off the Rakhine coast.
The commander-in-chief said there were no Rohingyas in the country. There were only "Bengalis", he said, referring to the term for people from Bangladesh. They were sent to Rakhine State after it was colonised by the British following the First Anglo-Burmese War of 1824. "They are large in number and have been called 'Bengalis'. They were called Rohingyas under former prime minister U Nu to win their votes. It was illegal. The term Rohingya does not exist and we will not accept it." (Courtesy of The Nation)
May 15, 2016
Myanmar's 'Rohingya' problem
Human rights groups say the Rohingya people are one of the most persecuted ethnic groups in the world. My own research work on endangered people has also shown that they are the most persecuted people in our time. More than a million people in Myanmar from the Muslim minority are currently stateless, and genocidal violence in the country's west has put nearly 140,000 of them in internment camps.
Although Myanmar has gone through a political change with an elected government running the state, it still doesn't want to recognize its Rohingya people whose ties to the soil of Arakan (Rakhine) state are older than others. This is a sad matter for all the human rights groups around the globe who expected better from a government that is now led by Suu Kyi. With her inexcusable silences to condemn the crimes of her Buddhist people against unarmed Rohingya and other minority Muslims living inside Myanmar she has been a disappointing icon since the latest genocidal pogroms started in 2012. But there was always that hope in the midst of hopelessness that she will eventually self-correct and do the right thing once put into power. (Courtesy of Asian Tribune)
Although Myanmar has gone through a political change with an elected government running the state, it still doesn't want to recognize its Rohingya people whose ties to the soil of Arakan (Rakhine) state are older than others. This is a sad matter for all the human rights groups around the globe who expected better from a government that is now led by Suu Kyi. With her inexcusable silences to condemn the crimes of her Buddhist people against unarmed Rohingya and other minority Muslims living inside Myanmar she has been a disappointing icon since the latest genocidal pogroms started in 2012. But there was always that hope in the midst of hopelessness that she will eventually self-correct and do the right thing once put into power. (Courtesy of Asian Tribune)
In Myanmar, Suu Kyi’s Brand Is a Double-Edged Sword
While Aung San Suu Kyi’s inauguration as Myanmar’s state councilor early last month was largely academic, it certainly wasn’t short on significance. With the globally revered democracy icon vowing to be “above the president” anyway, the international community is now queuing up to engage with the once pariah state.
But though Suu Kyi’s ‘brand’ has the power to attract rapid change for the nation, it could also quickly become Myanmar’s Achilles heel. (Courtesy of thediplomat.com)
But though Suu Kyi’s ‘brand’ has the power to attract rapid change for the nation, it could also quickly become Myanmar’s Achilles heel. (Courtesy of thediplomat.com)
US to renew most of its sanctions against Myanmar
Washington plans to renew most of its sanctions against Myanmar when they terminate next week, though the US will make some adjustments aimed at boosting investment and trade with the Asian country.
An announcement on extending considerable portions of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act may be made as soon as May 17 prior to an upcoming visit to Myanmar by US Secretary of State John Kerry on May 22, the Guardian reported Saturday citing senior American officials and congressional aides.
The development comes as the US Treasury Department has drastically eased sanctions against Myanmar’s government, infamous for carrying out massive human rights abuses against its Rohingya Muslim minority, by issuing general licenses that give companies and investors exemptions to sanctions that target over 100 individuals and businesses, including some of Myanmar’s biggest business figures. (Courtesy of eturbonews.com)
An announcement on extending considerable portions of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act may be made as soon as May 17 prior to an upcoming visit to Myanmar by US Secretary of State John Kerry on May 22, the Guardian reported Saturday citing senior American officials and congressional aides.
The development comes as the US Treasury Department has drastically eased sanctions against Myanmar’s government, infamous for carrying out massive human rights abuses against its Rohingya Muslim minority, by issuing general licenses that give companies and investors exemptions to sanctions that target over 100 individuals and businesses, including some of Myanmar’s biggest business figures. (Courtesy of eturbonews.com)
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