Suu Kyi must speak up for Rohingya Muslims
The latest clash between the Rohingy's and the military in Myanmar has complicated a crisis that already posed a serious challenge to the democratic Government of the country. The weekend violence witnessed more than 30 insurgents killed by the military in the restive Rakhine Province, the home to the Rohingya Muslims. The operation was conducted by the Army to hunt the killers of the nine policemen who were eliminated by the miscreants belonging to the Rohingyas. Government sources reveal that the attackers were radicalised Rohingyas linked with foreign jihadis. If the radicalisation of the local Rohingyas intensifies in future, the Rakhine Province could well be a serious security challenge. As the country is fully dominated by the majority Burmans across all spheres, this crisis could help the global Islamists to incite the local Muslims to wage another war against the establishment. Constant denial of basic rights and opportunities to the Rohingyas may further motivate them to join the global jihadi network. It is the right moment for Aung San Suu Kyi to devise a concrete plan to handle the crisis.
Suu Kyi must remember that the people of Myanmar voted her National league for Democracy (NlD) to power with much hope. The junta who led the country for decades, ran the economy to the ground and suppressed the minorities and the opposition parties brutally. When Suu Kyi's NlD wrested power from the junta with an overwhelming support from the majority Burmans, now they expect her to deliver. Here comes her challenge, as they are vehemently against giving any leeway to the Rohingyas. Therefore, she was silent about the rehabilitation and atrocities against more than one million Rohinyas all through her election campaign. The current flare up between the Rohingyas and the security forces highlights grave violation of rights from the restive region. This has raised questions of ability of the new civilian Government to control the military's fire power. Reports say that the authorities have blocked all routes to the disturbed areas and hence, it is difficult to independently verify the abuse of forces as claimed by the human rights organisations. Suu Kyi must be aware that the Rohingyas can no more remain as the unwanted people of Myanmar. She faced criticism from the Buddhist monk-led nationalist movement for being too
sympathetic to the Rohingyas in the past. Today, she is under pressure to do more for them by foreign observers and human rights advocates. The apartheid like restrictions imposed on the Rohingyas must come to an end. Her Government needs to view the prolonged crisis from a humanitarian perspective. While respecting the concerns of the ethnic majority, she must come up with a clear policy plan to ensure the persecuted Rohingyas a hope for life and living within the territory of Myanmar.