It's a Great lie to State that "Suu Kyi has NO power to stop Genocide!"

[Banglar Bir]

EURO-BURMA OFFICE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
HARN YAWNGHWE:
SUU KYI IS NOT POWERLESS
Why did you criticize Aung San Suu Kyi through an open letter?
I became increasingly concerned about her autocratic style of government but still tried to facilitate the peace process with the ethnic armies.

When my visa was denied, it became clear that she does not appreciate my work and does not want me to continue to be involved. That was fine. But when the Rohingya issue exploded, I had to speak out.
What did you expect from Suu Kyi following your open letter?
I did not really expect her to read the letter or respond positively. She is not known for her humility. She will be very angry that I have dared to criticize her in public. But she needs to know that there are limits to what can be tolerated. I did not support her to become a dictator or a queen.
Why made you stand up for the Rohingya?
You cannot allow innocent people to be killed just because they happen to belong to a certain ethnicity or religion.That is totally wrong. There can be no justification.
I also do not agree with the decades of discrimination against the Rohingya people practiced by past military regimes.

Some people view Suu Kyi as not having a firm stance in addressing the Rohingya situation.
She is definitely not powerless. That is a myth. She knew the legal limitations before she took power. Knowing the limitations situations, she took the job because she believed she could make a difference. She is not doing anything regarding the Rohingya, because she does not want to.
How should Suu Kyi position herself?
The people of Myanmar are overwhelmingly Buddhists. Buddha taught compassion and tolerance. She could have used Buddhist values to control racial hatred and religious bigotry. Most people would have listened to her and moderated their positions. Even the military would not go against that because they too want to be popular and loved by the people.
Will the military truly relinquish its power?
As mentioned earlier, nobody expect-ed the military to give up power easily. But from holding 100 percent of the power, they retained 25 percent and was willing to experiment with democracy.The military does not think highly of civilian politicians. They think they are corrupt and self-serving. But (Suu Kyi) being who she is, the military decided to give her a chance. The military want-ed to prove that even without their intervention, Suu Kyi and a civilian government are not capable of governing the country. Their calculation seems to becoming true.
Are you planning to return to Myanmar and help solve the Rohingya crisis?
The Myanmar government does not want me to be involved in the Rohingya crisis. They say the Rohingya do not exist. I say they have existed for centuries.I have also seen old National ID cards identifying the holder as Rohingya. Government school textbooks also describe the Rohingya people as one of the peoples of Myanmar.
The 1947 Constitution says that all people (except those who opt to leave) within (the country’s boundaries) at independence in 1948 are citizens. General Ne Win changed the citizenship laws in 1982 to strip the Ro-hinya of their citizenship
OCTOBER 15, 2017

Recommended Documents
Documents About Myanmar

 

[Banglar Bir]

Aung San Suu Kyi reveals the strategic plans for Rakhine
Larry Jagan, October 19, 2017

At long last Aung San Suu Kyi has finally revealed the government’s new strategic plans for the trouble state of Rakhine. This is essentially the long-promised roadmap constructed around the recommendations of the Kofi Annan Advisory Commission on Rakhine, but without any timetable. Instead a new overarching committee, with Aung San Suu Kyi at its head, has been establish to oversee the implementation of these recommendations.

Since Kofi Annan submitted his report more than six weeks ago, the government has been working on a blue print to tackle the underlying causes of communal violence and mistrust in the strife -torn region of western Myanmar, as well as provide immediate humanitarian assistance to more than half a million Rohingya Muslims, who have fled across the border to Bangladesh over the past eight weeks.

A civilian-led agency – with foreign assistance — has been created, the National Enterprise for Humanitarian Assistance, Resettlement and Development in Rakhine State, which will deliver aid to the refugees, oversee their return and help resettle them. Aung San Suu Kyi made the announcement last Thursday in a televised address to the nation.

All along Aung San Suu Kyi’s plan was to implement Kofi Annan’s recommendations, according to government insiders, but the fresh violence that erupted the day after Kofi Annan made the commission’s recommendations public — and led to the exodus of thousands of Muslims to Bangladesh – threw a major spanner in the government’s intentions, creating perhaps the greatest humanitarian crises in the country’s history.

Law and order needed to be restored, before dealing with the return and resettlement of the refugees. The provision of humanitarian assistance to the refugees – in Bangladesh and Rakhine – was also the government’s immediate priority, before tackling the broader issues.

Aung San Suu Kyi has wrestled with what to do in Rakhine ever since the insurgent attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Solidarity Army [ARSA] in late August. “She always appreciated the desperate plight of the Muslims, and is appalled at the seriousness of the situation in Rakhine, but was at a loss to know how to fix the problems [till now],” a senior advisor to Aung San Suu Kyi involved in the government’s plans told SAM on condition of anonymity.

This dilemma was also compounded by an ongoing tussle between Aung San Suu Kyi and the military over the strategy for dealing with the situation in Rakhine. The army has continued to insist that the government declare a ‘state of emergency’ in Rakhine, which would give them added powers to control the situation on the ground. This has been something the civilian leader has continuously resisted — even cancelling her planned trip to the UN in New York last month to ensure the military did not get their way.

Now Aung San Suu Kyi and her government have come up with concrete plans, with the civilian administration firmly in control. She made it clear in her speech, that this is a Myanmar-led initiative — though there will some international participation, including from ASEAN, Japan, the UK and parts of the UN – and that it is a national project. The World Bank has also been asked to participate, as well as the private sector, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and both local and international Non-government Organisations (NGOs).

Aung San Suu Kyi is taking personal responsibility, by chairing the newly created committee.This is also meant to underline the government’s total commitment to delivering on its promises ad resolving the situation in Rakhine.
The plans centre around three phases: humanitarian relief, rebuilding the destroyed villages and reconstruction. This includes creating schools for all ethnic and religious groups in Arakan; there will be a mixture of Buddhist and Muslim teachers, and both the Myanmar language and the local languages will be taught. The plan also involves providing high standard hospitals and clinics as recommended by Kofi Annan’s Commission.

The penultimate stage will be resettlement. The repatriation of the refugees from Bangladesh will follow the terms agreed with the UN and Bangladesh in 1990, when Muslim refugees who fled the military crackdown at the time, were allowed to return. Of course also involves a process of verification, which has already begun. The longer-term objective is to bring development to the region and establishing a durable peace, she said in her speech.The military will have a role, a government insider told SAM: they will be invited to participate, but mainly to provide security. Aung San Suu Kyi is adamant that this is to be a civilian led process of reconciliation.

The humanitarian response is already in full swing, according to senior government officials. A new government-led mechanism, established in cooperation with the Red Cross Movement, has also already started distributing humanitarian assistance, according to these officials. It is a regional ministerial committee, led by the national Minister for Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, Dr Win Myat Aye. He is also the vice chairman of the new committee under Aung San Suu Kyi. This is to ensure decisions are streamlined and there is strong coordination between all those involved in looking after the welfare of the refugees and their resettlement in Rakhine.

Aung San Suu Kyi has been stung my recent international criticism of her and her government’s perceived failure to deal with the terrible situation in Rakhine – even before this latest outbreak of violence. Over the past year or so, the Nobel laureate has been heavily criticized for failing to denounce the army’s brutal crack down in Rakhine state, which has contributed significantly to the exodus of Muslim refugees. She has been disappointed and angered by the international community’s response.

This was also reflected in her speech last Thursday. “There has been a lot of criticisms against our country. We need to understand international opinion,” she said. “However, just as no one can fully understand the situation of our country the way we do, no one can desire peace and development for our country more than us.”

While this new initiative is intended to address the whole problem of Rakhine, the government’s hope that it will also deflect the virulent criticism of the Myanmar authorities, and help the country avoid any moves to re-introduce sanctions as result of the situation in Rakhine — in particular at the Security Council later this month. She studiously avoided criticizing, or even mentioning the allegation against the military in her speech.

Contrary to popular opinion, especially abroad, this does not indicate that she has sided with the military. Or as some activist, analysts and diplomats suggest, that she is in their pocket. “It is part of a detailed strategy, on her part,” according to a close confidante of Aung San Suu Kyi. “But rather wants to concentrate on the future. “Rather than rebutting criticisms and allegations with words, we will show the world by our actions and our deeds. In the Rakhine state, there are so many things to be done,” she said in her speech.

“She wants to move away from inflammatory and divisive remarks. She wants to take the steam out of the argument and language, which dominates the narrative,” he said. Her message – to the whole nation — emphasized Buddhist values. “I have no doubt that all of them [the people of Myanmar here and abroad] will come forth to help us with Metta (loving kindness) and Thitsa (Truth).”

The aim is to mobilize the nation behind the Buddhist tenets of love and kindness, and to wrestle Buddhism out of the hands of extremists, according to an advisor involved in the preparing the speech. “Our people are well known for their generosity and philanthropy and have even been ranked as number one in the world,” she said in her speech. “We will put to good use this generous nature of our people, systematically.”

So what Aung San Suu Kyi envisages is a coherent civilian-led national solution. But, as she stressed in her speech, this new initiative is to be judge “by our actions and our deeds” not words. She also appealed to the nation to recognize that this enterprise was not for Rakhine alone, but the whole nation. She understands that the future of the country and its democratic transition may depend on it, according to government sources close to Aung San Suu Kyi.

“I believe that we will be able to utilize the strength of will, determination, and knowledge; bravely and energetically,” she told the nation. “We will use the power of truth and purity, so that this Enterprise will be worthy of being called a ‘milestone’ in our history.”
http://southasianmonitor.com/2017/10/19/aung-san-suu-kyi-reveals-strategic-plans-rakhine/

 

[Radio Mirchi]

If BD decides to take Rohingya land, tiny Myanmar will be fighting a nation 3 times larger in populations and 3.5X GDP. China will sit back and do nothing.
Make no mistake, Myanmar will not be allowed to get away with this.

What kind of a comparison is this when you are talking about fighting another nation.
Don't you know that Myanmar military is way too powerful than Bangladesh?
If BD population is 3 times of Myanmar then Myanmar is almost 5 times bigger in terms of area. Their Armed forces are 3 times bigger than BD armed forces. Their Defence budget is usd 2.5 billion as against BD defence budget of 1.5 billion. Myanmar army, airforce and navy looks much stronger as compared to Bangladesh.

By making statements of bravado you are doing harm to your national interest. Strategically Myanmar is more important for both China & India and hence Myanmar will continue to enjoy privileges from both these nations. While BD can be used by China as an irritant for India and India will try to safeguard herself from such irritant, the strategic importance of BD is limited to that only.

Let us look for political solution to Rohingya crisis rather than fomenting war hysteria.

 

[Banglar Bir]

Let us look for political solution to Rohingya crisis rather than fomenting war hysteria.

This thread is not a warmongering one, rather meant for reaching a internationally acceptable diplomatic solution,perhaps a few Indian members are trolling and desperately trying to derail this thread,as you all are usually intentionally committing randomly, by discussing about military comparison in this thread,from which I am refraining from,till date.

 

[Radio Mirchi]

This thread is not a warmongering one, rather meant for reaching a internationally acceptable diplomatic solution,perhaps a few Indian members are trolling and desperately trying to derail this thread,as you all are usually intentionally committing randomly, by discussing about military comparison in this thread,from which I am refraining from,till date.

My response was to the comments of UK Bengali wherein he has tried to belittle Myanmar by saying that BD is 3 times bigger in population and that BD will eventually fight Myanmar and wrest Rakhine from it. He has also mentioned about future BD Airpower in 2020.
The thread is not about war mongering but some are doing it. You are taking names of Indians but see for yourself that a Pakistani member first instigated and UK Bengali succumbed to that and was further provoked by an Indian member and thats when he makes a foolish statement of war mongering and comparisons.
You have also chosen to reply to me and not to them on what they have commented.

It's a Great Lie to say that "Suu Kyi has NO power to stop Genocide!"

Wynston Lawrence
RB Opinion
October 12, 2017
Today so many people are giving reasons to mislead international communities that Suu has no power to stop Genocide or Ethnic Cleansing against Rohingya ethnic in Burma.

Their excuses were the Army who have had control defence forces of Burma. It's true that the Army has rights to propose three Ministers but the President has the rights to reject anyone and order the Army to propose another candidate. Well known fact is that Army took forcibly 25% of MPs in legislative power but Suu has more than enough MPs to propose any bill and enact any law, except the Constitution, without partnership with any political parties or the Army's MPs. All of following facts are what she can do according to the current Burmese laws and regulations.

1) She has an authority to recognise Rohingya as one of the indigenous ethnic groups of Burma according to the 1982 Burmese Citizenship Law and reinstate their rights. She no need to change the Law. She can do within weeks like her MPs had enacted the law to create her state counsellor position in 2016 within weeks.
Please note that Rohingya have been recognised as an indigenous ethnic group in the period of Democratic civilian U Nu government. Prime Minister U Nu also recognised Mayu District as autonomic region for Rohingya.
This Mayu district was directly administered by Central Government. Unfortunately, Dictator General Ne Win became in power 1962.
He later abolished Rohingya ethnic rights and autonomic District in his authoritarian rule.

2) She can form a large Emergency Immigration Team to process million of citizenship applications made by Rohingya ethnic.
Please note that if they have been recognised as indigenous ethnic group according to above-mentioned Act, Rohingya people will become native citizens of Burma if they can prove that they belong to Rohingya ethnic.
This may take some times but she can do within one year because of the previous dictatorship governments have already collected paramount datas for so many years, especially from 1974-2015. It's worthy to mention here that the previous President, ex-General Thein Sein admitted as "After we make ground investigation, there are nothing new comers from Bangladesh (after Burmese independent)." This interview was with VOA Burmese News.

And his immigration minister, ex-General Khin Yee also challenged the public who has doubts that there are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, they should come and check anytime. He told in interview with RFA Burmese News. He also pointed out that in Rakhine state, most of immigration officers and employees are Rakhine Buddhist ethnic."

He was right in this issue as there's no single ethnic Rohingya Muslim officer in immigration department. Rakhine authorities, they even have detail lists for animals that were owned by Rohingya ethnic. Suu can mobilise all available officers from every part of Burma to implement this mission. She can request technical and financial assistances from UN and INGO agencies.

3) She has more than enough MPs in Burmese Parliament to propose a bill of Racial Discrimination Act and vote to become a law of Burma. If this Act becomes active Law within one month, she can defeat any racists, religious bigots and trouble makers legally.

All of the Judges and lawyers of Burma are within her authority. It's true that she has no direct power over police forces and the Army but she can defeat them, if they create any minor problems, with the supports of lawyers, judges, political activists, NGO, INGO, international governments, UN and most importantly her largest supporters, the People.

4) She has power to make new an agreement with Bangladesh government to bring back all of the Rohingya refugees who have fled from ancestral home lands, Mayu District to Bangladesh because of Ethnic Cleansing. She announced that she will use an old agreement that was made by her enemies, previous dictator General Than Shwe government. She can do this within three months.

5) She has power to grant visas to the members of UN Facts Finding Mission to investigate human rights violations in Burma. They will investigate whether these violations are amounted to Ethnic Cleansing or NOT. This can be done within days.

6) She has power to give permission to National and International medias to go Rakhine state. She should respect freedom of press and allow them freely. But journalists need to agree any risks they may face from insurgents are totally depending on their own choices. She can give order to Minister of Home Affairs to provide security to journalists. If Minister is not agree, she has power to replace him via her puppet President.

7) She also has absolute power to allow any INGOs and NGOs to do their humanitarian works in Rakhine state and allow them to go freely within state. She need to lift any rules that were giving troubles to these agencies such as they need to apply repeated permissions to help who are in needs. She may face some troubles from Buddhist Rakhine who are very hostile to INGO and NGO although they have received more than fair shares from those organisations. But she can get supports from Police forces and media to enforce Rules of Laws. She can also do this within days.

8) She may face some protests for these implementations but she can persuade most of the people with short speech. Today there are a lot of rallies to express their standing with Suu. These will help her a lot. Some people need to be taken as seriously along with Police forces, local administrations, her MPs and part's members, democratic Saffron monks, medias and so on.

9) As she has no power to control the Army, she should agree to talk with ARSA insurgents for peace agreement. ARSA recently released a statement on Twitter, they are ready talk with Suu Kyist Administration for ceasefire.
She should not give full authority to Zaw Htay to speak on the behalf of her administration regarding with this issue. Zaw Htay is ex-militant and political critics have suspects regarding with his integrity, attitudes and background. He should be immediately replaced with someone who has reputation, skills and post democratic activist.

10) She should also conclude some portions of Rohingya ethnic leaders as Rakhine ethnic leaders in the Implementation Committee for the recommendations of Kofi Annan commission.
In conclusion, she can do most of the above-mentioned facts in short period of times if she is honest and free from racism as well as religious bigotry.
Wynston Lawrence is Political Analyst and Human Rights Activist based in Western Australia.
Follow on twitter @LawrenceWynston
http://www.rohingyablogger.com/2017/10/its-great-lies-to-say-that-suu-kyi-has.html

But Suu Kyi is not the Head of State of Myanmar. Although she lead her party to victory in Myanmar elections but she was barred from holding the top constitutional post for getting married to a foreigner.
No one is talking about the President and Army Chief of Myanmar but Suu Kyi because she is a nobel laureate and targetting her will reach more audience and will embarrass her more.

 

[Banglar Bir]

Radio Mirchi
FULL MEMBER
"targeting her will reach more audience and will embarrass her more".
That precisely what we are discussing here about,through her directly a message to her mentors. Diplomacy my dear.

 

[Banglar Bir]

‘Suu Kyi government played into the hands of the military’
Syed Zainul Abedin
Published at 09:00 PM October 24, 2017
Last updated at 11:36 PM October 24, 2017

Director of Euro-Burma Office Harn Yawnghwe Courtesy
Harn Yawnghwe, director of Euro-Burma Office (European Office for the Development of Democracy in Myanmar), Brussels, recently spoke to theDhaka Tribune’s Syed Zainul Abedin on the Rohingya issue and Myanmar leader Suu Kyi. He shed light on the political instability in Myanmar against the backdrop of recent developments in Rakhine.
Harn is the youngest son of Sao Shwe Thaike, the first president of the Republic of the Union of Burma. Sao was the president of the union from 1948 to 1952. He was arrested in a military coup led by General Ne Win and died in prison in November, 1962. Sao Shwe Thaike and General Aung San were the architects of the 1947 Panglong Agreement, which formed the basis for the modern nation of Burma (the colonial name for Myanmar).
Also Read- ‘The generals and Suu Kyi sing from the same Buddhist nationalist hymn book’
Harn has been in exile in Canada since he was 15 years old. He was forced to leave Myanmar along with his family following the coup on March 2, 1962.

Harn also served as Advisor to Dr Sein Win, prime minister of the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB), which claims to be Burma’s government in exile.
What is happening in the Rakhine state of Myanmar?
What is happening in Rakhine State is genocide. Article 2 of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1951) defines genocide as any of the following acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole, or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, as such: (a) Killing members of the group; (b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; (c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; (d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; (e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group. All these conditions apply to the Rohingya people in Myanmar.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres admitted as much when he said on September 13, 2017 that ethnic cleansing is taking place in Myanmar. Genocide includes ethnic cleansing. He did not use the word genocide because if he did, the UN would be legally obliged under the Genocide Convention to take action. For the UN to take action, the Security Council would have to authorise it. But Guterres knows that if he took it to the Security Council, Russia and China would veto it. That is the dilemma.

Rohingya refugees stretch their hands to receive aid distributed by local organisations at Balukhali makeshift camp in Cox’s Bazar on September 14, 2017 | Reuters
You have been working on the peace process in Myanmar/Burma for a long time. What are the hurdles in the way of the peace process?
First, the Myanmar military still believes that might is right. They entered into negotiations as a delaying tactic when the then President Thein Sein, a former military general himself, called for peace talks. He defined the peace talks as a political matter which under the 2008 Constitution falls under the mandate of the civilian government. Under the Suu Kyi government, the military has managed to define the peace talks as a security matter which under the constitution falls under the mandate of the military. This means the military will exert force on those who will not agree to peace on the government’s terms. If they continue to resist, they will be labeled ‘terrorists’ and the military can use full force against them – as they are doing now with the Rohingya. The Suu Kyi government does not have a plan or strategy on how to bring the peace talks back to the political arena. It also does not have experienced advisors and negotiators.
Also Read- Canada’s Trudeau tasks special envoy to press Myanmar on refugees
In the short-term, the future of the peace talks is bleak. The best that can be done is to keep the talks going in the hope that the government will change its position. Nobody wants to go back to war.
Why are the Rohingya people, from among 135 ethnic groups, being specifically targeted by the government/army of Myanmar?
Myanmar Commander-in-Chief Senior-General Min Aung Hlaing said on September 1, 2017, that the ongoing clearing operations in northern Rakhine is ‘unfinished business’ from World War 2. After the war, during the division of India, some Rohingya wanted to become part of East Pakistan. There was a Mujahid insurgency which the Myanmar military put down. His ‘unfinished business’, though, means that the Myanmar military does not accept the outcome of the political settlement in the early 1960’s that recognised the Rohingya as citizens of Myanmar.

The military also does not recognise the 1947 Constitution, which states that all people who live within the boundaries of Myanmar at independence (1948) are citizens. That is why after seizing power, General Ne Win launched an operation to drive out the Rohingya in 1978. Not satisfied with that, he also changed the Citizenship Law in 1982, making the Rohingya stateless. Another attempt was made in 1998 to drive out the Rohingya.

This third and current exodus is part of the same plan to make Myanmar a homogeneous and ‘pure’ nation. It is racist. The Rohingya being Muslim makes it easier for the military to garner support from the Buddhist majority who believe that it is their duty to protect Buddhism from all external influences.

FILE PHOTO: Rohingya refugees who fled from Myanmar wait to be let through by Bangladeshi border guards after crossing the border in Palang Khali on October 16, 2017 | Reuters
The future of democracy in Myanmar is precarious. Everybody wrongly believed that Aung San Suu Kyi would strengthen the democratic transition and make it impossible to return to a military dictatorship.

It is somewhat similar to the situation in Iran when the Shah was overthrown and the Ayatollah Khomeni came to power. He consolidated his power and imposed his own brand of authoritarian rule. The same is true in Myanmar. Democracy is not practiced within the ruling National League for Democracy. Aung San Suu Kyi makes all the decisions. Younger generation leaders are not being groomed. Internal dissent is not tolerated and opposition parties are not encouraged. The active civil society networks are shunned by the NLD and Aung San Suu Kyi. Other than the military-backed Union Solidarity Development Party, there are no viable nationwide political parties to choose from as an alternative to the NLD. Media freedom is also at risk.
Is there any geopolitical issue behind the ongoing situation in Myanmar, triggering this Rohingya crisis?
As mentioned before, geopolitics do play a part. Myanmar is considered to be in China’s backyard. Neither Russia nor China want Myanmar to move into the orbit of western powers. They have long seen human rights as a western tool to infiltrate into the region. But the main trigger is domestic. The Myanmar military does not want a democratically-elected government to succeed. It wants to prove that a civilian government does not have the capacity to govern Myanmar.
Also Read- Pope Francis deplores plight of Rohingya children
The Rohingya crisis was re-ignited in 2012 when the Thein Sein government started making headway with its peace talks with the other ethnic minorities. The crisis became full-fledged in 2016 after the Suu Kyi government took power. When it became clear that the Suu Kyi government did not have the capacity to deal with the peace talks, the military took advantage of that weakness to carry out its plan to finally expel the Rohingya as terrorists under the cover of a democratic government. The government’s denial of any human rights abuse by the military and the refusal of Suu Kyi to allow a UN Fact-Finding Mission have all played into the hands of the military.
How do you describe the communal harmony in Myanmar?
Myanmar is and has always been a multi-ethnic and a multi-religious society. Different communities used to exist harmoniously in the past. Things changed after Ne Win took over. He expelled all foreigners, especially Chinese and Indians, confiscating their businesses. His agenda, like the Shah’s, was to create a modern homogeneous nation and this created problems. Each ethnic group began to look after its own interests for survival. Today people look on each other with mistrust. Fake news and rumours can trigger inter-communal violence as it did in 2012. Many people today are preaching hatred and religious bigotry. People who disagree do not dare to speak out. Fear is beginning to take hold again.

A view of the the Rohingya refugee camp in Tang Khali near Cox’s Bazar, on October 18, 2017 | Reuters
How are the rest of the people in Myanmar responding to this crisis?
Most would not react unless it affected them personally. This is especially true of the ethnic minorities. They do not want to draw attention to themselves by speaking out about the Rohingya. But for the majority, they believe what the government is saying – that the Rohingya are foreigners who bought their way into Myanmar; they have four wives and their population is growing rapidly; their plan is to Islamise Myanmar.
Please describe the role of the state-run media in Myanmar.
The state-run media has been managed by the military for over 5 decades. They are putting out the same propaganda as when the country was still under military rule. The sad part is that the private media that used to fight for human rights have also started to toe the government line – that the Rohingya are terrorists and have to be defeated to protect Myanmar’s sovereignty.
Also Read- Suu Kyi donates $4000 to Rakhine peace and development
You wrote an open letter criticising Suu Kyi. Could you please elaborate on that?
I am concerned that she is not nurturing democracy for the time after she steps down. If we want democracy to flourish, we have to start practising it. Authoritarianism, no matter how well-intentioned, will not bring democracy. Democracy is messy and people make mistakes but without starting to practice it, we cannot expect democracy in Myanmar in the future.
Where does the solution to this crisis lie?
The crisis is two-fold. One is the crisis of democracy – how do we ensure that the military does not come back in the future? How can we entrench democracy in the nation? The solution lies with the people of Myanmar.
They need to wake up to the crisis and start practicing democracy.
It is not too late. We have until 2020, 3 years, to promote democracy.

The other crisis is the Rohingya people. We do not have time. People are dying and hundreds of thousands have been displaced. The clearing operations are continuing in spite of government denials.

The UN, Bangladesh and other neighbouring countries need to exercise their Responsibility to Protect.
If they do nothing now, the Rohingya will be driven out of Myanmar. But in the longer-term, the solution lies in treating the Rohingya as human beings created in the image of God, equal with all Myanmar citizens.

This will take moral courage on the part of the Myanmar government and determined and well-thought out long-term programmes to eliminate racism, and religious bigotry from Myanmar – something like the civil rights movement in the US.
http://www.dhakatribune.com/world/south-asia/2017/10/24/suu-kyi-government-harn/