Security Council: Background Guide Topic: The Myanmar Conflict

Transcription

1 Security Council: Background Guide Topic: The Myanmar Conflict Letter from the Director Dear Delegates, It s my utmost pleasure to welcome you to the United Nations Security Council, the fastest paced committee and one of the strongholds in today s day and age when it comes to deciding solutions of globally prevalent matters that shake the very grounds of humanity. I am looking forward to seeing you debate at high intensity and find a cohesive solution that can pass in the UNSC. My name is Adnan Bahrainwala, and I am currently studying in the 12th grade. When not with academic work, I can be found honing my skills as a football and basketball player. Also, as cynical as this may sound I love arguing with anyone about anything, from whether demonetization is correct to whether brushing your teeth thrice a day is essential. I am incredibly passionate about debating, and I hope to see similar passions in all the delegates participating at SpringMUN My hobbies include watching YouTube, especially watching Casey Neistat. Also, I love running, anytime and anywhere. Scuba diving and visiting different places around the world are also other hobbies. My favourite subjects are Mathematics and Global Politics. Having MUNned for the past four years, I have experienced many different MUNs internationally, nationally as well as locally in Mumbai. I have made so many new friends that stay around the world, and I hope each aspiring MUNner gets the chance to do so. Although February 2018 may seem far, I would urge you to get familiarized with this topic. To ensure a meaningful experience in committee, I gently advise you to plan your research and avoid last minute preparation. The Security Council will tackle "The Myanmar conflict," a critical issue. During the conference, you will be called upon to demonstrate necessary skills like critical thinking, innovative ideas, multilateral collaboration and above all a robust diplomatic frontier. Moreover, this topic will require a high degree of negotiating power keeping in mind that your foreign policy may be at stake. Familiarize yourself thoroughly with this issue and always keep yourself updated with the current situations of the Myanmar conflict. I would like to encourage all delegates to participate in the debate and not be afraid of speaking in committee. Also, a note to the more experienced delegates: help younger delegates, make everyone feel involved and don't participate with the aim to win the best delegate. Just have a lot of fun. I am going to try my best to make this year's Security Council one of the best experiences you will ever have. MUN is not about winning an award, it is a learning experience for everyone, and it exposes you to current conflicts that our world faces, and it gives you the power to come up with robust, innovative and creative solutions. I am here to make sure you have a splendid experience dealing with this globally relevant topic of "The Myanmar conflict," and I hope that you delegates can find a cohesive resolution 1

2 to combat this morally and ethically challenging topic. If any doubts or queries arise in the course of your research, please don t hesitate to contact me. For now, goodbye. See you all, in February. Take care. Good luck! Regards, Adnan. Bahrainwala Director of the Security Council 2

3 Introduction (About the committee) Having chosen the United Nations Security Council, you have now entered a different committee, and hence it is incredibly vital to know what this committee is all about. Under the charter, the Security Council has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. Having 15 members, each has only one vote. The Security Council undoubtedly is the most powerful committee in the UN, and hence under the charter, all member states are obligated to comply with the Council decisions. The Security Council takes the lead in determining the existence of a threat to peace or an act of aggression. It calls upon the parties in a dispute to settle it by peaceful means and recommends methods of adjustment or terms of a settlement. In some cases, the Security Council can resort to imposing sanctions or even authorize the use of force to maintain or restore international peace and security. According to Article 27 of the Charter, each member of the Security Council shall have one vote. Secondly, decisions of the Security Council on procedural matters shall be made by an affirmative vote of nine members. Lastly, resolutions of the Security Council on all other issues shall be made by an affirmative vote of nine members including the concurring votes of the permanent members; provided that, in decisions under Chapter VI, and under paragraph 3 of Article 52, a party to a dispute shall abstain from voting. The permanent members of the Security Council, which are the p5, are the only countries to have a veto. The P5 nations are China, Russia, UK, France, and the USA. The next 10 are all rotating members of the Security Council, which are elected by the General Assembly for a two-year term. History of the Problem Discriminatory policies of Myanmar s government since the late 1970s have forced hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims to flee their homes in the predominantly Buddhist country of Myanmar. Most of these refugees have gone to Bangladesh by land, while others have taken to the sea to reach Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand to avoid discrimination. The Rohingyas are an ethnic minority group who practice a version of Sunni Islam. The Rohingya have suffered from human rights violations under past military dictatorships since Before the issue escalated, there were already over 307,500 Rohingya refugees living in camps and makeshift settlements according to the UNHCR. The Rohingya militant s attacks started on 25th August after years of facing discrimination and injustice they attacked approximately 30 police and army posts. However, this caused a ruthless military counter-attack which caused nearly half a million Rohingyas to flee to Bangladesh The Rohingya people are an ethnic minority that live mainly in the northern region of Rakhine State, Myanmar, and have been described as one of the world's most persecuted minorities. They describe themselves as descendants of Arab traders who settled in the region many generations ago. 3

4 With the Japanese invasion and withdrawal of the British administration, tensions in Arakan grew before the war erupted. The war caused inter-communal conflicts between the Arakanese Muslims and Buddhists. Muslims fled from Japanese-controlled and Buddhistmajority regions to Muslim-dominated northern Arakan with many being killed. In return, a "reverse ethnic cleansing" was carried out. The Muslim attacks caused the Buddhists to flee to southern Arakan. Attacks by Muslim villagers on Buddhists also caused retaliation. With the consolidation of their position throughout northern Arakan, the Rohingyas retaliated against Japanese collaborators, particularity Buddhists. Rohingya leaders believed that the British had promised them a "Muslim National Area" in the Maungdaw region. They were also apprehensive and against the formation of a future Buddhist-dominated government. In 1946, the leaders made calls for the annexation of the territory by Pakistan. Some also called for an independent state. The group has been denied citizenship by the government of Myanmar, which sees them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. Since then, Rohingya people have regularly been made the target of persecution by the government and nationalist Buddhists. Current Situation Who are the Rohingyas? Currently, the government in Myanmar doesn't grant the Rohingya citizenship, and as a result of this a vast majority of the group's members have no legal documentation and are therefore considered stateless. A majority of the one million Rohingyas are thought to stay in the Rakhine state which is located in the south west of Myanmar, where they account for nearly a third of the population of the area. Myanmar currently denies the Rohingya group recognition as one of the countries 135 ethnic groups as they claim the Rohingyas are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. Why are they fleeing Myanmar? Since August 2017 many atrocities have been committed against the Rohingyas to drive them out of Myanmar. Myanmar's military arrested and arbitrarily detained male Rohingyas who were between 15 to 40 years, Rohingya opinion makers, leaders, and cultural and religious personalities. Moreover, acts to deprive Rohingya villagers of access to necessary things such as food, water, and other necessities were carried out. Additionally, repeated acts of violence such as killings, disappearances, torture, and rape and other forms of sexual abuse occurred which have instilled deep fear and physical, emotional and psychological trauma in the Rohingyas. Till now at least 288 villages in the Rakhine province have been burned down and destroyed On 9 October 2016, hundreds of unidentified insurgents attacked three Burmese border posts along Myanmar's border with Bangladesh. According to government officials in the mainly Rohingya border town of Maungdaw, the attackers brandished knives, machetes and homemade slingshots that fired metal bolts. Several dozen firearms and boxes of ammunition were looted by the attackers from the border posts. The attack resulted in the deaths of nine border officers. 4

5 On 11 October 2016, four soldiers were killed on the third day of fighting. Following the attacks, reports emerged of several human rights violations allegedly perpetrated by Burmese security forces in their crackdown on suspected Rohingya insurgents. Government officials in Rakhine State initially blamed the RSO, an Islamist insurgent group mainly active in the 1980s and 1990s, for the attacks; however, on 17 October 2016, a group calling itself Harakah al-yaqin (Faith Movement in English) claimed responsibility. In the following days, six other groups released statements, all citing the same leader. The Myanmar Army announced on 15 November 2016 that 69 Rohingya insurgents and 17 security forces had been killed in recent clashes in northern Rakhine State, bringing the death toll to 134. It was also announced that 234 people suspected of being connected to the attack were arrested. Nearly two dozen prominent human rights activists, including Malala Yousafzai, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Richard Branson, called on the United Nations Security Council to intervene and end the "ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity" being perpetrated in northern Rakhine State. A police document obtained by Reuters in March 2017 listed 423 Rohingyas detained by the police since 9 October 2016, 13 of whom were children, the youngest being ten years old. Two police captains in Maungdaw verified the document and justified the arrests, with one of them saying, "We the police have to arrest those who collaborated with the attackers, children or not, but the court will decide if they are guilty; we are not the ones who decide." Myanmar police also claimed that the children had confessed to their alleged crimes during interrogations and that they were not beaten or pressured during questioning. The Myanmar Armed Forces (Tatmadaw) stated on 1 September 2017 that the death toll had risen to 370 insurgents, 13 security personnel, two government officials and 14 civilians. A one-month unilateral ceasefire was declared by the ARSA (Arsa is a community development block that forms an administrative division in Purulia Sadar West subdivision of Purulia district in the Indian state of West Bengal) on 9 September 2017, in an attempt to allow aid groups and humanitarian workers safe access to northern Rakhine State. In a statement, the group urged the government to lay down their arms and agree to their ceasefire, which would have been in effect from 10 September until 9 October. The government rejected the ceasefire, saying that they do not "negotiate with terrorists." On 11 October 2017, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights released a report titled the Mission report of OHCHR rapid response mission to Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, which detailed the Burmese military's "systematic process" of driving away hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas from Myanmar. The report noted that before the attacks on 25 August 2017 and the military crackdown that ensued, the military pursued a strategy to: 5

6 have male Rohingyas between the ages of years arrested and arbitrarily detained have Rohingya political, cultural and religious figures arrested and arbitrarily detained ensure that access to food, livelihoods and other means of conducting daily activities and life be taken away from Rohingya villagers drive out Rohingya villagers en masse through repeated acts of humiliation and violence, such as the incitement of sectarian hatred, violence, and killings instil deep and widespread fear and trauma (physical, emotional and psychological) in Rohingyas, through acts of brutality; namely killings, disappearances, torture, and rape (and other forms of sexual violence) The above was a report released by the Myanmar army, which shows that they openly agreed to conduct human right violations against the Rohingya Muslims. Relevant UN Actions: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the UN Security Council called on Myanmar's government to end its military campaign against the Rohingya Muslims. The 15-member Security Council met behind closed doors on the 12th September 2017, at the request of Sweden and Britain, to discuss the crisis for the second time since it began and agreed to condemn the situation publicly. Speaking before the meeting, Antonio Guterres called the situation for the Rohingya refugees "catastrophic" and "completely unacceptable," acknowledging that the minority group was being ethnically cleansed in the Buddhist-majority nation. "I call on the Myanmar authorities to suspend military action, end the violence, uphold the rule of law and recognize the right of return of all those who have had to leave the country," the UN chief said at the press conference in New York. Guterres also called on the authorities to allow the UN and NGOs into Rakhine State to provide humanitarian aid. The UN describes the Rohingya as the world's most persecuted people. The Rohingya have suffered years of discrimination and have been denied citizenship in Myanmar since Guterres has been urging the Myanmar government to grant the Rohingya nationality or legal status that would allow them to live a healthy life. The United Nations migration agency and its partners are supporting Bangladesh in coordinating assistance for the influx of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees, with clean water and sanitation, shelter, food and psychosocial care for the most vulnerable. The Bangladesh Government has confirmed that it will move an estimated 15,000 people currently stranded in a so-called no man's land near the Anjuman Para border crossing point in Cox's Bazar's Ukhia District, into more appropriate settlement areas. Since late August, IOM (International Organisation for migration) has scaled up quickly, providing: shelter to 379,000 people; health consultations to 47,000 individuals; over 11,000 dignity kits; 678,000 liters of water; and 200 staff to assist the Health Ministry in vaccinating 679,000 people against cholera. IOM staffing has also been boosted with 443 staff and incountry volunteers. 6

7 One must keep in mind, that as of now no sanctions have been imposed on Myanmar, despite the significant human right violations they are conducting. This could be the result of the already depleting economy of Myanmar; therefore sanctions may not be a solution, as it may not incentivize the government to stop their actions against the Rohingya Muslims, instead, it may act as a catalyst to further threatening the lives of the Rohingya minority. Questions a Resolution Must Answer 1. Which country will the Rohingyas be citizens of, Bangladesh or Myanmar, or will they get a state of their own? 2. What are the various steps that can be taken to prevent The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) from becoming an extremist organization and going rogue? 3. What are the possible methods to dissuade Myanmar from committing further human rights violations against the Rohingyas? 4. What are the possible methods to encourage peaceful co-existence in the future between the Rohingya and Myanmar s government? Possible Solutions Short term: Immediate steps should be taken to stop the violence and reduce the outflow of refugee More refugee camps should be built with proper sanitation near the borders of countries such as Bangladesh, and each refugee must be documented and given a legal status Camps should also be established within Myanmar for the Rohingyas, these camps will protect the displaced Rohingyas and the UNPKF can be deployed, to stabilize the region. Another short-term solution to curb the influx of refugees is to permit the Nansen passport, which will give individual qualification to the refugees, and it will be easier for the neighbouring countries to identify the refugees. Monetary aid and resources must come in abundance to the refugees in need, and camps need to be set up in countries such as Bangladesh, to control the influx of refugees pouring into the region. Long term: The Rakhine district in Myanmar can hold a referendum so that it can separate into a different country with a predominantly Rohingya Muslim population governed by their laws. If this is not allowed by the government, then the area should have a different set of rules which curb the injustice faced by the Rohingyas. Furthermore, the ACRS recommendations should be implemented as they prove to be extremely useful in maintaining a fixed government, which will support political stability. 7

8 Bloc Positions USA The United States is expressing deep concern about the situation in Myanmar's north-western Rakhine state, where tens of thousands of Rohingya Muslims have been forced to flee across the border to Bangladesh, and it says it is in close contact with the Naypyidaw government. State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert spoke to reporters about Myanmar, also known as Burma. "We are deeply concerned by the troubling situation in Burma's northern Rakhine state," she said. "There has been a significant displacement of local populations following serious allegations of human rights abuses, including mass burnings of Rohingya villages and violence conducted by security forces and also armed civilians. "We again condemn deadly attacks on Burmese security forces, but join the international community in calling on those forces to prevent further violence and protect local populations in ways that are consistent with the rule of law and with full respect for human rights," she said. "We urge all in Burma, including in the Rakhine state, to avoid actions that exacerbate tensions there." China China supports efforts by the Myanmar government to protect its national security and opposes recent violent attacks in the country's Rakhine state, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres. Wang told Guterres at a meeting at the United Nations that China "understands and supports" Myanmar's efforts to protect its security in Rakhine and hopes the "fire of war" can soon be extinguished. China also expresses sympathy with those who have fled into Bangladesh and will send humanitarian aid to Bangladesh. "China is willing to continue promoting peace talks in its way, and hopes the international community can play a constructive role to ease the situation and promote dialogue," he said. China and Myanmar have close economic and diplomatic ties and China has defied expectations that democratization in former Burma could lead to weaker relations between the two countries. Bangladesh and India India s position is the same as Bangladesh s over the Rohingya issue. India is willing to push Myanmar both bilaterally and multilaterally so that they take back their refugees. What India is saying is that Myanmar must stop atrocities against the Rohingya Muslims, and accept them as a legal community in their country. The Bangladesh government has designated land for makeshift shelters of the Rohingya people. However, it would pose a big problem for the country if the refugees stayed for long. India is also supporting Bangladesh in its efforts to accept the Rohingya refugees by sending 53 tonnes of relief materials to Bangladesh and vowed all assistance to Dhaka in tackling the ongoing crisis. Earlier, India s High Commissioner Harsh Vardhan Shringla had said that India would provide 7,000 tonnes of relief materials to Bangladesh. 8

9 United Kingdom The UK launched an appeal for funds to help the refugees and their overstretched host communities. UK prime minister Theresa May also said: "The military action in The Rakhine District in Myanmar had to stop." British intervention had led to the UN Security Council discussing the issue immediately, adding that the UK was one of the largest humanitarian donors to Burma and the Rakhine state, providing 30m in assistance on food and sanitation for more than 126,000 people over the last five years. The UK is the most significant single bilateral donor in Bangladesh supporting displaced Rohingya refugees and the vulnerable communities that host them and has allocated 20.9m for humanitarian aid between 2017 and However, with the aid going towards the Rohingya Muslims, one must keep in mind that the UK had sold weapons worth over 500,000 to the Myanmar government in the last three years, but the UK has currently suspended training courses for the Myanmar military. Russia The Russian government has not been transparent on its stance on what is going on in Myanmar. However, reports have stated that it follows a similar position to China, in supporting the Myanmar government as they are protecting national development, yet they still condemn the actions being carried out on the Rohingya Muslims. Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi has been criticized in particular for her silence and lack of action over the issue, as well as for failing to prevent human rights abuses by the military. In August 2017, Aung San Suu Kyi defended the government's actions, stating the government "...had already started defending all the people in Rakhine in the best way possible and expressed that there should be no misinformation to create trouble between the two countries. She denied that the security services were systematically abusing the Rohingya, claiming instead that they are merely trying to hunt down organized and violent Rohingya militants. Direct sanctions against the Myanmar military and penalties for firms that do business with companies linked to it, as were in place in America and other countries in the past, have been suggested as the best response to the violence. Position Paper Requirements: Your position paper should be approximately 750 words with a Times New Roman Font, with your name, grade, and topic in the top right corner. The position paper should be highlighted into three distinct paragraphs. The first paragraph should consist of your country's experience or particular connection to the topic. For instance, how has your country been affected by the problem mentioned above? Is your nation in a particularly vulnerable position concerning this topic? The second paragraph should discuss your nation's policy on the issues, as supported by relevant national documents. This differs from the first section because it should also include 9

10 a short description of agreements, statements, and lessons learned from your history and choices in the past. You should also discuss your current diplomatic arrangements with allied nations in this paragraph. Research for this paragraph could include speeches given by heads of state or ambassadors, or national studies and policy statements. The third, final, and most important paragraph is your country's plan going forward. Given your history and your policy going forward, what does your country believe is the best course of action to pursue? This should be a unique mixture of international work and your country's personal past and experiences. For example, given risk factors and past experiences, what is the most logical and efficient way to address these topics? What priorities does your country assign to different matters, and why? Delegates, you need to understand that this topic is a very complicated topic with many dimensions to it. I highly suggest you conduct your research in a very planned and focused way or else your effort will be unproductive. Further, carry out your research with vigour and curiosity. Please cite your sources in endnotes and create a bibliography at the end of the paper as well. Closing Remarks: I hope this study guide proves to be useful, and I cannot wait to see you all in February. Please research thoroughly on the topic at hand, and keep up to date with the news and the events occurring with the Rohingya Muslims. See you all in February. For now, that's all. And of course, please do not hesitate to contact us for any questions. Bibliography and suggestions for further research: 1. round %93present)