The Nation
In its editorial on April 19, the paper says that Myanmar
should provide more information on its longterm plan for the thousands of
people uprooted by violence in Rakhine.
The international community and particularly Asean
deserve to be fully apprised regarding the fate of thousands of displaced
people in Myanmar's Rakhine state. Instead, all we've had is a worrying
government announcement that refugee camps were being shut down. Nothing has
been said about what happens to them next. These people sought shelter five
years ago amid violent conflict between Buddhists and Muslims. Many fled the
country, retreating to the Bangladeshi frontier, but the government in Dhaka
was no more accepting than its neighbour to the east has been.
Thaung Tun, Myanmar's National Security Adviser, said
last week the government had begun shutting down three camps named in a report
compiled for de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi by a commission led by Kofi
Annan, the former United Nations secretary general. One camp shelters ethnic Rakhine
and another holds Kaman Muslims.
Suu Kyi had last year chosen Annan, a fellow Nobel
laureate, to head a commission seeking solutions to the crisis in Rakhine. It
was mandated to examine ways to develop the state, strengthen civic
institutions, provide humanitarian assistance, seek reconciliation and prevent
further conflict. But the mission was flawed from the start, restrained by a
law that doesn't recognise the Muslim Rohingya of Rakhine as citizens. Myanmar
is a predominantly Buddhist society and nationalist intolerance of other
religions is rife.
Annan's commission recommended that the government
formulate a comprehensive plan to close the displacement camps as part of any
attempt to curb festering communal tensions. It noted that efforts to relocate
the more than 120,000 "internally displaced persons" (IDP) in the
camps had "shown little progress" since 2012. A sounder strategy was
needed, it said, and a clear timeline.
The commission identified 335 households within the IDP
camps, a mix of Kaman, Rakhine and Muslim people who it said ought to be
allowed to return to their homes or be relocated elsewhere as an initial
expression of "goodwill".
In briefing foreign diplomats last week, Thaung Tun
unveiled no plan beyond the camps being shut down. He said nothing about
measures to relocate the refugees or about aid or facilities to be provided.
Thus international criticism of Myanmar over its official mistreatment of
Rakhine's million-plus Rohingya is unlikely to abate. Most of these people,
despite their families having lived in Myanmar for generations, are denied
citizenship and face severe restrictions in movement and access to education
and healthcare.
Matters have been muddled ever since the military -
reacting to militant Rohingya attacks on police border posts last October -
launched a bloody crackdown in north Rakhine that reportedly claimed hundreds
of lives.
UN investigators concluded that security forces might
have carried out crimes against humanity as well as ethnic cleansing.
Suu Kyi last week rejected the accusations, calling
"ethnic cleansing" "too strong an expression". Annan
agreed, while Thaung Tun insisted the authorities were doing their best to push
forward a process of citizenship verification.
The leaders of the Asean countries, presumably including
Myanmar President Htin Kyaw, will this month gather for a summit in the
Philippines, but, as usual, the subject of the Rohingya will remain off the
agenda, since members of the bloc are loathe to meddle in one another's
internal affairs. That doesn't prevent any members from raising concerns or
even suggesting possible solutions, however.
Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia have provided humanitarian assistance in the past. They and others should seek larger roles in helping Myanmar tackle the issue at its roots. At the very least, they should press Myanmar's representatives for more information about the latest developments and, better still, what the long-range plan is.
Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia have provided humanitarian assistance in the past. They and others should seek larger roles in helping Myanmar tackle the issue at its roots. At the very least, they should press Myanmar's representatives for more information about the latest developments and, better still, what the long-range plan is.
The Nation is a member of The Straits Times media partner
Asia News Network, an alliance of 22 news media entities.
Source: http://str.sg/4BpW
Related story: Myanmar army chief defends military
campaign in Rakhine http://str.sg/48UK