Suu Kyi
Appeals To Rohingyas To Join The Spring Revolution
Main
Points:
1. Suu Kyi's government-in-exile promises to
grant them equal rights
2. Her government promises to make Tatmadaw
accountable for the genocide of Rohingyas
3. Majority Burmese people apologise to
Rohingyas for supporting their persecution out of ignorance and misinformation
-----
New
Age Islam Special Correspondent
5 June 2021
Rohingya refugees at a makeshift
shelter after fleeing violence in Myanmar. Photograph: Rehman Asad / Barcroft
Images
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In a bid to
gain international support and recognition to her government-in-exile, the
National Unity Government (in exile) of Aung San Suu Kyi has recently released
a policy document on Rohingya in which it has promised citizenship to Rohingya
Muslims of Myanmar and the repatriation of Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh.
In return, it has sought their support in her fight against Tatmadaw ( Myanmar
military). The NUG government has promised to abolish or amend the 1982
Citizenship Laws brought by the military which excludes Rohingyas as citizens.
The policy
statement states:
"The
Rohingyas are entitled to citizenship by laws that will accord with fundamental
human rights and democratic federal principles."
It further
states:
"We
invite the Rohingyas to join hands with us and with others to participate in
this Spring Revolution against the military dictatorship in all possible ways."
The
dramatic change of events in Myanmar's politics holds a lot of hope for
Rohingya refugees who have been suffering all the hardships for the last four
years. The military coup in February that toppled Aung San Suu Kyi's
democratically elected government has not only changed the power equations but
also the outlook of the majority Barmar community towards the Rohingya minority
community. The brutal crackdown by Tatmadaw ( military) on the peaceful
protesters killing more than 700 Burmese people has made them realise how much
the Rohingya might have suffered at the hands of the military when they dont
spare the majority community.
Since the
month of March, Rohingya activists had hoped that the coup, the protests and
subsequent crackdown will bring some political change in their favour. The
majority Barmar community and other ethnic communities have begun to realise
that Rohingyas were wrongfully persecuted by the military. The crackdown has
united the entire Myanmarese society. Now the common people consider the army
their common enemy.
When the
hold of the army over the thought process of the Burmese people became loose
and they started reading literature about the history and roots of Rohingyas,
the common Barmar people generally and the young generation particularly
realised that the Rohingya people were not foreign invaders and that they were
the inhabitants of Myanmar for centuries. They realised that for all these
decades they had been brainwashed to see Rohingyas as foreigners. This
realisation has made them apologise to the Rohingyas on Facebook and other
social media platforms.
Aung San Suu Kyi
-----
Earlier Suu
Kyi was jailed from 1990 to 2015 by the Tatmadaw. In 2015 she was released and
elections were held in which she emerged victorious. But her re-election as the
head of state in the elections in 2019, made the military apprehemsive of her
growing power. So the military toppled her government after accusing her of
rigging in the elections and detained her.
However,
things don't seem easy for the military this time. She has formed a
Government-in-exile with elected members of her party National League for
Democracy ( NLD), and with representatives of ethnic insurgent groups and other
minor groups on April 16 2021. On May 5, the NUG ( National Unity Government)
formed its military wing People's Defence Force. The NUG has sought
international recognition for her government. The International Trade Union
Confederation has called for the recognition of the NUG government.
The
alliance of NLD with all the regional insurgent groups is going to cause
headache to Tatmadaw as they may join the People's Defence Force to fight the
military. The general protesters will also join this fight against the military
unitedly. Seeing the threat, the military has declared ceasefire with the
regional insurgents group. But the growing anger against the military is going
to be organised and directed by the People's Defence Force and the fight has
only begun.
Politically
and diplomatically Suu Kyi has decided to up the ante against the military
junta by announcing that her government-in-exile will try to make the army
accountable for their crime against not only the Rohingyas but also against the
peaceful protesters. The policy statement of NUG further states"
"We
shall actively seek justice and accountability for all crimes committed by the
military against the Rohingyas and all other people of Myanmar throughout our
history."
Her
government-in-exile has promised to abolish or amend the 2008 Constitution and
prepare a new constitution which will give equal rights to all the ethnic
communities including Rohingyas.
It should
be recalled that before the coup Aung San Suu Kyi played to the tune of the
army to retain power. She even defended the army in International Court of
Justice in December 2019 describing the killings of Rohingyas by the military
"with genocidal intent" as 'fake news'.
Now, that
political compulsions have made her take a U-turn in favour of Rohingyas, the
powerful countries like the US, the UK and particularly the Muslim countries
should recognise Suu Kyi's NUG and intensify their campaign against Myanmar's
military. Bangladesh, Pakistan, Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia, Iran, Qatar and
other Islamic countries can recognise Suu Kyi's government conditionally.
The fight
against Myanmar’s military is going to be long and the majority and minority
communities have come together against the military junta. In the coming days
and months, the protests against the military will only intensify and take the
form of a violent uprising. In March the Myanmar police had intercepted a cache
of arms from Thailand. This seems to be the beginning. The total number of
members of a dozen insurgent groups in the country is about 100,000 while the
total strength of Myanmar's military is 350,000. If all the insurgents come
under the umbrella of the People's Defence Force together with the common
protesters, they can pose a real problem to Tatmadaw.
Therefore,
Suu Kyi can put up a tough fight to the military in the coming days and months.
Any unfair trial of Suu Kyi by Tatmadaw will only add fuel to fire and
intensify the protests.
It remains
to be seen how the Bangladesh government and other Islamic countries use this
opportunity to resolve the Rohingya issue.
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-politics/suu-kyi-rohingya-myanmar/d/124935
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