Chinese opinion on the Rohingya issue

[BanglaBhoot]

Democracy no panacea for Myanmar's woes

Global Times | 2012-6-20 19:50:02

By Ding Gang

Myanmar's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi finally accepted the Nobel Peace Prize, which she won in 1991, and delivered a long-overdue speech in Norway on Saturday. The heads of some European countries also met with her, and held state-level receptions for her.

The enthusiasm of these European leaders is more like a demonstration of their "victory," rather than hospitality for Suu Kyi. Suu Kyi belongs to Myanmar, but she belongs more to Europe. In the eyes of these European leaders, without the political and economic pressure they helped exert, Myanmar wouldn't have witnessed the changes it's undergoing today.

However, at this stage, what most deserves attention is probably not Suu Kyi, but the complex ethnic and religious conflict taking place in Myanmar's Rakhine state, and the tens of thousands of stateless Rohingya refugees who live there.

After the clash between the Muslim Rohingya and the Buddhist Rakhine people, some Muslims in Rangoon visited Suu Kyi, in the hope of getting suggestions from Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) party. But Suu Kyi didn't seem to have a solution either. She briefly talked with them, and asked them to turn to the government to get the problem solved.

In fact, more than a few ethnic minority groups in Myanmar do not have enough trust in Suu Kyi and the NLD under her leadership. The NLD also lacks the capability to communicate and coordinate in this regard. If the NLD really hopes to achieve ethnic reconciliation, they have to set up more direct contacts and establish mutual trust with ethnic minority groups.

The violent conflict in the Rakhine state disclosed again the soft spot of Myanmar, its ethnic conflicts. This is directly related to the legacy of British colonial rule. In the frontier regions of Myanmar, local ethnic minority groups have never built up a sense of "national identity." And the Rohingya people have never been recognized as an indigenous ethnic group, and have thus become stateless refugees.

The reforms being carried out by the current Myanmese government, especially since the government has achieved a ceasefire agreement with the independent armed forces from many minority groups, are bringing unprecedented hope for the nation's prospects.

However, Myanmar's complex ethnic problems cannot be fixed either in the short term, or by the appearance of one or two opposition leaders. It is a political, economic, social, and cultural issue.

In fact, some Southeast Asian countries have already started to practice the Western-style democracy, but their ethnic conflicts remain. The problems of ethnic integration are still haunting these countries.

What's happening in West Asia and North Africa is also an example. The elections in Egypt may further split the society and even trigger more religious conflict.

True, there are indeed differences between countries in Southeast Asia and those in West Asia and North Africa. One of the differences is that Southeast Asian countries have better conditions of economic development.

Most Southeast Asian countries have already occupied a certain position in the global industrial chain, which provides an economic basis for them to solve ethnic conflicts.

However, a more severe challenge facing Southeast Asian countries like Myanmar is that if they are too heavily influenced by the West and excessively stress Western models during their system transformation, they may face long-term turbulence in the future. A weak, divided government isn't able to solve complex ethnic problems.

What's worse, situations in border areas may get worse and run out of control. Excessive and hasty democracy may bury the fragile reconciliation which has just been achieved.

John Funston, an Australian scholar and expert in Southeast Asian studies, wrote in his book Government and Politics in Southeast Asia (2001) that better governance, including more democracy, is widely seen as progress, but it's not the universal elixir that some believe in. More democracy may provide chances for all kinds of extremists.

The author is a senior editor with People's Daily. He is now stationed in Bangkok.

Democracy no panacea for Myanmar's woes - Globaltimes.cn

 

[ahfatzia]

Muslims in Rangoon visited Suu Kyi, in the hope of getting suggestions from Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) party. But Suu Kyi didn't seem to have a solution either. She briefly talked with them, and asked them to turn to the government to get the problem solved.


Poor Rahingyas, Suu Kyi is just too busy to go home (UK) to worry about their lives and deaths. And yet I always thought she's a champion of human rights.

 

[kalu_miah]

Muslims in Rangoon visited Suu Kyi, in the hope of getting suggestions from Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) party. But Suu Kyi didn't seem to have a solution either. She briefly talked with them, and asked them to turn to the government to get the problem solved.

Poor Rahingyas, Suu Kyi is just too busy to go home (UK) to worry about their lives and deaths. And yet I always thought she's a champion of human rights.

She is a nice lady but I am not sure about how she feels about this issue. Either she feels like other Bamar's that these people are not Myanmar citizens and should be expelled, or she is too cowardly to or too politically ambitious to go against Bamar majority opinion. Suu Kyi will not save the Rohingya's, may be the other ethnic minorities, but I doubt that too. In the worst case, she could just be a very famous "poster girl" to show a "democratic face" of Burma, essentially a PR stunt and a facade, so the USA/West can come in and exploit the resources, which China and to some extent India have been monopolizing for years.

My personal preference is to support all the insurgents such as Kachin, Karen, Mon, Shan and Rakhine to curve out their own independent countries, with help of sympathetic countries in the neighborhood, who may be given preference as "development partners" in the future for those countries.

Only when faced with a total defeat the Bamar junta may change their mind, but I think they cannot be trusted, so complete balkanization is the only long term stable solution in my opinion.

 

[ahfatzia]

She is a nice lady but I am not sure about how she feels about this issue. Either she feels like other Bamar's that these people are not Myanmar citizens and should be expelled, or she is too cowardly to or too politically ambitious to go against Bamar majority opinion. Suu Kyi will not save the Rohingya's, may be the other ethnic minorities, but I doubt that too. In the worst case, she could just be a very famous "poster girl" to show a "democratic face" of Burma, essentially a PR stunt and a facade, so the USA/West can come in and exploit the resources, which China and to some extent India have been monopolizing for years.

My personal preference is to support all the insurgents such as Kachin, Karen, Mon, Shan and Rakhine to curve out their own independent countries, with help of sympathetic countries in the neighborhood, who may be given preference as "development partners" in the future for those countries.

Only when faced with a total defeat the Bamar junta may change their mind, but I think they cannot be trusted, so complete balkanization is the only long term stable solution in my opinion.

There will be no international supports for independent of any ethnic groups in these area because every country around here basically have more 50 ethnic groups within their own borders. The Myanmar military would go all out war with any group that demands independent.

The international community, through the UN, have to finance, coerce or force the Myanmar Government to deal with the Rakhine State problems peacefully and find long term solutions. IMO, this is the only solution and better hurry before thing get out of hands.

 

[kalu_miah]

There will be no international supports for independent of any ethnic groups in these area because every country around here basically have more 50 ethnic groups within their own borders. The Myanmar military would go all out war with any group that demands independent.

The international community, through the UN, have to finance, coerce or force the Myanmar Government to deal with the Rakhine State problems peacefully and find long term solutions. IMO, this is the only solution and better hurry before thing get out of hands.

Myanmar military has been at war with 40 insurgencies for the past 60 years. Many of them agreed to cease fire but none have disarmed. I guess they want to see how many promises Myanmar govt. actually keep.

I doubt UN has the leverage within Myanmar to solve Rakhine state problem. There are estimated 1-3 million Rohingya refugee's scattered in many different countries. They might organize and fund an insurgency by themselves if the ethnic cleansing continues. Current Bangladesh govt. is India friendly, but in next election a more anti-India govt. may come to power and they may not stop Rohingya's to use Bangladesh as a conduit for this support.

 

[ahfatzia]

Myanmar military has been at war with 40 insurgencies for the past 60 years. Many of them agreed to cease fire but none have disarmed. I guess they want to see how many promises Myanmar govt. actually keep.

I doubt UN has the leverage within Myanmar to solve Rakhine state problem. There are estimated 1-3 million Rohingya refugee's scattered in many different countries. They might organize and fund an insurgency by themselves if the ethnic cleansing continues. Current Bangladesh govt. is India friendly, but in next election a more anti-India govt. may come to power and they may not stop Rohingya's to use Bangladesh as a conduit for this support.

I feel for the Rohingyas, however I don't think taking up arm is a solution and if Bangladesh supports that movement the country will be in a long term struggle with Myanmar and at the end both countries will be doomed economically and socially. In this stage and age , a country priority is to take care her own citizens' welfare first, every thing else comes in second. But for Myanmar, she has no choices but go to war if insurgencies occur.

The UN will have the leverage if both India and China would do a little pushing behind the scene. I know China probably would help if asked.

 

[kalu_miah]

I feel for the Rohingyas, however I don't think taking up arm is a solution and if Bangladesh supports that movement the country will be in a long term struggle with Myanmar and at the end both countries will be doomed economically and socially. In this stage and age , a country priority is to take care her own citizens' welfare first, every thing else comes in second. But for Myanmar, she has no choices but go to war if insurgencies occur.

The UN will have the leverage if both India and China would do a little pushing behind the scene. I know China probably would help if asked.

Bangladesh will never officially acknowledge any support, if a Rohingya insurgency actually start at some point, specially if the killing and ethnic cleansing continues.

But if you know about Bangladesh, we are at least 6-7 times bigger than their true Bamar population of 20-25 million, while the rest have minority ethnic affiliations, who may take advantage of a war situation to further their cause. We also have zero insurgency or ethnic problems within our country and the entire country will mobilize if threatened and I believe would have no problem defeating them in a long drawn out war if they bring it on us. Our army looks small on paper, but we have a total active force of about 6-7 million who can use guns and will mobilize in the event of war. So despite their outsize army which they need to fight insurgency, they will think twice before attacking or even threatening us.

Lets hope UN and China come forward and persuade the Bamar's to stop the killing and ethnic cleansing. About India, some Bangladeshi's are making allegations that India is instigating anti-Muslim sentiment among Burmese and Rakhines, not sure how much of it is rumor, so may be we should not expect too much from India to solve this problem.

 

[eastwatch]

Muslims in Rangoon visited Suu Kyi, in the hope of getting suggestions from Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy (NLD) party. But Suu Kyi didn't seem to have a solution either. She briefly talked with them, and asked them to turn to the government to get the problem solved.


Poor Rahingyas, Suu Kyi is just too busy to go home (UK) to worry about their lives and deaths. And yet I always thought she's a champion of human rights.

Suu Kyi has been made a champion by the western press and by the chance of being a daughter of her deceased famous father. She resisted the military rule for a long time I give credit to her. But, it seems she is more active in drawing western media attention to her when she is supposed to be more attentive to the need of her countrymen that consist not of Burmans only.

She should have enlarged her knowledge base during her house arrest on the ethnic conflicts Myanmar has been facing since its inception as a Union in 1948. At the same time, she should have thought about the solution of the issues and on how to start a peace initiative with all the ethnic groups of the country.

Now, she is found to have no idea at all. She is mum on the issue of Rohingya although this issue has newly came to the surface while she was filling her suitcases for a long journey to her europe. I guess this feeble minded simplton woman is no better than our half-educated twin political Begums.

 

[kobiraaz]

The political counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Dhaka, Yang Zhaohui, yesterday said China does not want to see any instability or unrest neither in Myanmar nor in Bangladesh.

On the ongoing sectarian violence in Myanmar, he said, “We want peace and development in our neighbouring countries.” Any ethnic or religious dispute should be settled peacefully, he added.

Zhaohui was addressing a press conference the embassy organised in the capital's Baridhara over the current dispute between China and the Philippines over Huangyan Island, situated in South China Sea and a part of Zhongsha Island.

Huangyan Island has been a part of Chinese territory since the 13th century and the country has been exercising effective jurisdiction on it. But since May 1997, the Philippines, with the help of some other countries, has been claiming ownership of the island, he said.

This has resulted in the deterioration of relations between the two countries, he said, adding, “We hope the dispute can be resolved through diplomatic initiatives.”

isnt is strange?? Chinese press conference In bangladesh on their dispute with some other country linking other countries ( possibly india and usa) ? or it is diplomatic norm??

 

[TopCat]

isnt is strange?? Chinese press conference In bangladesh on their dispute with some other country linking other countries ( possibly india and usa) ? or it is diplomatic norm??

Its probably an comprehensive effort to keep its ally informed regarding their conflict with Philipines.

 

[PlanetSoldier]

There will be no international supports for independent of any ethnic groups in these area because every country around here basically have more 50 ethnic groups within their own borders. The Myanmar military would go all out war with any group that demands independent.

The international community, through the UN, have to finance, coerce or force the Myanmar Government to deal with the Rakhine State problems peacefully and find long term solutions. IMO, this is the only solution and better hurry before thing get out of hands.

If we count the time of Rohingya ethnic cleansing process starting from 1978, it's 34 years now and if we do it from 1948, it's 64 years. Within this long we haven't seen any such international community handling the issue for a long term solutions. Fruit is going to Burmese basket as they are having the success of their initiated process without significant barrier from regional/international community. Consequently, we now see that the number of Rohingyas is more outside Burma spread throughout the world than in their motherland Burma. In a sense Burmese are successful and waiting for international community makes the sense fruitless.

I personally support Kalu Miah's view on raising insurgencies with a sure shot target though not achievable with current situation. Bangladesh has the responsibility to save any community in its neighborhood facing mass persecution. Unfortunately after 90 our status as a sovereign nation has reached to the bottom of its level in a way that we proved ourselves a failure to even save our own nationals let alone a persecuted minority in neighborhood. If we had that leadership, were an organized nation strong enough to deal some complex foreign affair business, I'd start advocating for raising insurgencies. For the time being I only have one thing to appeal towards Rohingyas bowing down my head "Forgive this most incapable, inept nation who you sought support on the ground of humanity and you were returned empty handed".

 

[alaungphaya]

Suu Kyi is our ace in the hole and she is playing this situation like a masterstroke. She has not said anything about the Rohingya because she doesn't want to isolate her Arakanese and nationalist support who have stuck with her through thick and thin. However, she has done this while increasing her esteem in the eyes of the west. Truly a win-win.

I've said before that I was not always her biggest fan but she just grows and grows in my estimation. She will be important to serve as the face of Myanmar Inc. to the west. If that means tap dancing for the benefit of idiots like Bono then so be it. As for the Rohingya issue, she has not left Myanmar for 24 years. I think her first trip to the west is far more important than the Rohingyas.

 

[PlanetSoldier]

I feel for the Rohingyas, however I don't think taking up arm is a solution and if Bangladesh supports that movement the country will be in a long term struggle with Myanmar and at the end both countries will be doomed economically and socially. In this stage and age , a country priority is to take care her own citizens' welfare first, every thing else comes in second. But for Myanmar, she has no choices but go to war if insurgencies occur.

The UN will have the leverage if both India and China would do a little pushing behind the scene. I know China probably would help if asked.

I know india probably would not, there are many clues that prove things happening on Burma frontier zone alongside BD are influenced by them.

 

[BanglaBhoot]

Suu Kyi is our ace in the hole and she is playing this situation like a masterstroke. She has not said anything about the Rohingya because she doesn't want to isolate her Arakanese and nationalist support who have stuck with her through thick and thin. However, she has done this while increasing her esteem in the eyes of the west. Truly a win-win.

I've said before that I was not always her biggest fan but she just grows and grows in my estimation. She will be important to serve as the face of Myanmar Inc. to the west. If that means tap dancing for the benefit of idiots like Bono then so be it. As for the Rohingya issue, she has not left Myanmar for 24 years. I think her first trip to the west is far more important than the Rohingyas.

The Rohingya issue was her first test of statesmanship and she failed miserably ......... Her credentials are in tatters .....

 

[alaungphaya]

The Rohingya issue was her first test of statesmanship and she failed miserably ......... Her credentials are in tatters .....

With who? With Rohingyas? With Bangladeshis? Her credentials couldn't be higher in the West and in Myanmar.

She held a reception in London for the UK based Burmese. The Kachins and more so the Rohingyas tried to kick up a stink but they were roundly ignored.