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I live in Myanmar. A regular HN reader and a non-believer. I have never written comments, but there is so much misinformation going on regarding the current cri

I live in Myanmar. A regular HN reader and a non-believer. I have never written comments, but there is so much misinformation going on regarding the current crisis. The recent major terror by Islamist group (ARSA) attacks on thirty police outposts left a dozen police dead and a government office and a Buddhist monastery burnt. That was not the first time that happened but the biggest and deadliest we know of in the recent memory. All ethnic groups had to flee, including Rakhine Buddhists, Hindu, Myo, Thet, and Dinet. Very few knew. The international media seems to have slept through that episode and woke up when some Rohingya villages start fleeing once the army arrived to track down the villages where terrorists were sheltered. How many terrorists do you think are needed to attack 30 police outposts at the same time? One instance a Rakhine village was surrounded by hundreds of angry Islamists. Another instance, it is a Hindu village that was brutally attacked. Video links for the voices of the victims ignored in the media. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQf4DxgowbY&list=UUBwU9jzFLZNIOBSqlcaN9zA&index=2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQf4DxgowbY&list=UUBwU9jzFLZ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jB8K0pVAe8&list=UUBwU9jzFLZNIOBSqlcaN9zA&index=6 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jB8K0pVAe8&list=UUBwU9jzFLZ... My parents used to live in the conflict zone. I have been to the region several times. Tensions can be traced back over decades, but there was sectarian violence between Rohingya and Rakhine. Many of the times, the conflict started with initiating attacks by Islamist terrorists in the community. There were major attacks in 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. The affairs are far from one-sided bullying. That genocide claim is a stretch by a thousand miles. Two of my relatives, Buddhist Rakhines, who used to live there until a month ago, had to run and fled home due to the increasing threats of militant Islamist groups, and they do not ever want to go back the area. The other side of the story was never been heard in the media. One blatant lie is that of majority Buddhist persecuting the minority Muslims. I wonder if those journalists writing about the issue ever step a foot on the region. There is too much propaganda going on out there. I cannot believe what is going on. What you have to understand is that a conflict is happening in a remote and very isolated land even from other areas in Rakhine State, Myanmar. The sole mode of transportation is by river boats. The population of Rohingya Muslims outnumbers the combined population of Rakhine Buddhists, Hindu, and other ethnic groups by the ratio of six to one. Rakhine Buddhists were the majority in the region half a decade ago. Muslim population tripled since the 1980s. Islamist terror attacks have been more and more frequent. I am not here to downplay the plight of Rohingya, but framing the complex issue into a simplistic version to drive an agenda and demonizing the other side is evil. I am in the camp of giving citizenship to people who have legitimately lived there for generations. Leader Aung San Su Kyi has been working along with UN to draft guideline for citizenship and resolve this issue. Everyone is suffering. The rise of know-nothing activists, ivory tower commenters, and increasing radicalization in the region have made life very difficult for everyone in the region. The bottom line is that it is not one-sided bullying and people who have been to the region and studied the issue are very much aware of it. I have never been more disappointed in the integrity of the news media. If you want to learn nuanced and balanced analysis from an outsider who had actually been there and studied the issue, I recommend this article by Jasmine Chia, a Harvard student who did research in Rakhine State. http://thediplomat.com/2016/03/the-truth-about-myanmars-rohingya-issue/ http://thediplomat.com/2016/03/the-truth-about-myanmars-rohi... How about the interview with a US diplomat who used to work in Burma. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1MoehFI3io https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1MoehFI3io

hd4 9y ago
>wonder if those journalists writing about the issue ever step a foot on the region. How about your country starts by letting in international observers to witness exactly what is happening? From all accounts they are being prevented by the Myanmar government from doing so. When you prevent this, you look as if you have something to cover up after all.
ch4s3 9y ago
Let me start by saying that I've had a keen interest in Myanmar for years. I've opposed sanctions and supported open dialogue and normalization of relations. I don't mean to impugn average people of any ethnic, religious, or social group in the country. My criticism is focused on the government and a narrow complicit minority of people in Rakhine State. I also don't mean to downplay the role that ARSA has played in fanning flames in sectarian conflict. > but there is so much misinformation going on regarding the current crisis. If it's misinformation, let international observers in to see what's happening. Moreover, are the Rohingya women and children fleeing into Bangladesh with bullet entrance wounds in the backs of their arms and legs misinformation? They got shot by someone, and they say it was the army. Shooting fleeing women and children is very indicative of something like a genocide. >What you have to understand is that a conflict is happening in a remote and very isolated land even from other areas in Rakhine State, Myanmar Yes, we've seen maps. Not everyone in the West is totally ignorant of geography. >One blatant lie is that of majority Buddhist persecuting the minority Muslims. I didn't say that, and neither does the UN or any news outlet I read. I'd argue that the government is persecuting the Rohingya and some local Rakhine Buddhists appear from numerous reports to be complicit. Self identified Rakhine found at the sites of burning Rohingya villages has been confirmed by the BBC. >The population of Rohingya Muslims outnumbers the combined population of Rakhine Buddhists, Hindu, and other ethnic groups by the ratio of six to one. Rakhine Buddhists were the majority in the region half a decade ago. Muslim population tripled since the 1980s. Islamist terror attacks have been more and more frequent. I'm not sure A is necessary and sufficient to prove or lead to B in your argument. As seen elsewhere in the world Muslim population doesn't even correlate with terrorist attack frequency. > Aung San Su Kyi has been working along with UN to draft guideline for citizenship Which appears to be bullshit, because it requires documents that displaced Rohingya were long denied, and wouldn't have access to in the event that they fled across the border. To quote the article you linked: "It is clear that anti-Muslim propaganda has become part of regular nationalist discourse", which is sort of the crux of my criticism. The government leverages anti-muslim propaganda to legitimize the persecution of the Muslim population. *EDIT: Also, that you for adding your perspective to the discussion. It is rare in the rest of the world to hear perspectives from ordinary people in your country. I hope I haven't come across as too harsh, or combative. I do fundamentally agree that it is a messy complicated situation that is too often painted as a simplistic narrative.

hd4 9y ago

>wonder if those journalists writing about the issue ever step a foot on the region. How about your country starts by letting in international observers to witness exactly what is happening? From all accounts they are being prevented by the Myanmar government from doing so. When you prevent this, you look as if you have something to cover up after all.

ch4s3 9y ago

Let me start by saying that I've had a keen interest in Myanmar for years. I've opposed sanctions and supported open dialogue and normalization of relations. I don't mean to impugn average people of any ethnic, religious, or social group in the country. My criticism is focused on the government and a narrow complicit minority of people in Rakhine State. I also don't mean to downplay the role that ARSA has played in fanning flames in sectarian conflict. > but there is so much misinformation going on regarding the current crisis. If it's misinformation, let international observers in to see what's happening. Moreover, are the Rohingya women and children fleeing into Bangladesh with bullet entrance wounds in the backs of their arms and legs misinformation? They got shot by someone, and they say it was the army. Shooting fleeing women and children is very indicative of something like a genocide. >What you have to understand is that a conflict is happening in a remote and very isolated land even from other areas in Rakhine State, Myanmar Yes, we've seen maps. Not everyone in the West is totally ignorant of geography. >One blatant lie is that of majority Buddhist persecuting the minority Muslims. I didn't say that, and neither does the UN or any news outlet I read. I'd argue that the government is persecuting the Rohingya and some local Rakhine Buddhists appear from numerous reports to be complicit. Self identified Rakhine found at the sites of burning Rohingya villages has been confirmed by the BBC. >The population of Rohingya Muslims outnumbers the combined population of Rakhine Buddhists, Hindu, and other ethnic groups by the ratio of six to one. Rakhine Buddhists were the majority in the region half a decade ago. Muslim population tripled since the 1980s. Islamist terror attacks have been more and more frequent. I'm not sure A is necessary and sufficient to prove or lead to B in your argument. As seen elsewhere in the world Muslim population doesn't even correlate with terrorist attack frequency. > Aung San Su Kyi has been working along with UN to draft guideline for citizenship Which appears to be bullshit, because it requires documents that displaced Rohingya were long denied, and wouldn't have access to in the event that they fled across the border. To quote the article you linked: "It is clear that anti-Muslim propaganda has become part of regular nationalist discourse", which is sort of the crux of my criticism. The government leverages anti-muslim propaganda to legitimize the persecution of the Muslim population. *EDIT: Also, that you for adding your perspective to the discussion. It is rare in the rest of the world to hear perspectives from ordinary people in your country. I hope I haven't come across as too harsh, or combative. I do fundamentally agree that it is a messy complicated situation that is too often painted as a simplistic narrative.