General Assembly 4: Special, Political and Decolonization Xenophobia against minorities in Myanmar Baran Alp Narinoğlu & Mehmet Cemal Borluk Alman Lisesi Model United Nations 2018
Introduction The Republic of the Union of Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) is a country located in Southeast Asia, bordering India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Laos and China. It is governed by a unitary parliamentary constitutional republic system, and the current state counsellor is Aung San Suu Kyi, who used to be held as a political prisoner by the military. The official language is Burmese but there are several other languages spoken by minorities. The majority of the country is Buddhist, however there are Muslim and Christian communities. It declared its independence in 1948. After a coup d état in 1962, the country was ruled by the military junta until the general elections in 2010 and the writing of a new constitution in 2011. Although the military doesn t officially govern the country anymore, they are still involved in politics. Myanmar has sparked controversy with their treatment of the stateless Rohingya people. Their numbers are approximately 400 thousand. In the past the government has refused to grant them citizenship. The Buddhist population in the country isn t fond of the Muslim Rohingyas. There have been several incidents sine 2012 which have worsened the situation, such as the 2012 Rakhine State riots, 2013 Anti-Muslim riots by Buddhists, the 2015 refugee crisis, and the 2016-2017 persecution of Rohingya people. Key Vocabulary Rohingya: a stateless ethnic group with communities all around the world, mostly Muslim Rakhine State: a state in Myanmar, home of the Rohingya people Arakan: the former name of the Rakhine State region Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA): a Rohingyan insurgent group established in 2013 fighting against the Myanmar army General Overview Who are the Rohingyas? The Rohingyas are the small minority in Myanmar living in Rakhine, one of the states in the country. There are, however, around two million Rohingyas worldwide. The exact origins of the Rohingyas have been interpreted differently by different groups, therefore it leads to a search for identity and recognition in their country and around the globe. The Rohingyan refugee crisis is one of the least attention-attracting regional refugee crisis today despite they are one of the most persecuted minorities across the globe. These people have been subject to racism and xenophobia for decades. The Rohingya people consider themselves as native ALMUN 2018 Study Guide - GA4: Special, Political and Decolonization 1
to the Rakhine State but the Burmese government accepts them as having settled the area after migrating from the Muslim settled lands to the east of Myanmar, which is known as Bangladesh today. As the claims of neither side has been confirmed the Rohingyas are stateless entities in the eyes of the Burmese government. Significance of the issue in present day From the 1950s onwards, the Rohingyas have come across different types of social discriminations. They have been denied from the right to citizenship, the right to self-identify, the right to vote etc. The two interpretations of history regarding the origin of Rohingya people causes them to remain in a limbo state in which they consider themselves natives to the region they are a minority in which is ruled by a group of people who don t want them. The problems such an uncertain situation can lead to have been shown during violent confrontations in 2012 and 2013 between the Muslim minority and Buddhist majority and onward. The immigration of Rohingya people from Myanmar to neighboring countries such as Bangladesh points out the need for international attention, which should focus on solving the refugee crisis which is affecting the lives of thousands of Rohingya people and negatively influencing the economies of neighboring countries as fast possible. These people have been suffering from crimes against humanity because of their involvement in this issue. The neighboring countries of Malaysia, Thailand, and Bangladesh have already let thousands of refugees in. Over 200,000 to 800,000 people have be displaced within Myanmar and the number is predicted to rise if the situation continues the same way and no intervention from the global community and other leading organizations fighting to overcome refugee crisis across the globe is seen. History of the topic Coming into 2012, the Myanmar people and government had just got rid of an oppressive military government which ruled over the country for about 50 years. 1. 2012-13 Riots Coming into 2012 ethnic and religious tensions have flared up. After the gang rape of a Buddhist woman by a number of Rohingyan men and several murders committed by Buddhists, violence erupted right away. 78 people were killed and 87 were injured. The government has been accused of committing violence and torture against the Rohingya. They also wanted to permanently resettle Rohingyans in Rakhine to Bangladesh, which was not accepted by any party or the UN. There were ALMUN 2018 Study Guide - GA4: Special, Political and Decolonization 2
more riots throughout the region in 2013, resulting in more than 50 deaths and more than 80 injuries. 2. 2015 Refugee Crisis In the year of 2015 started a huge influx of Rohingya refugees running from Myanmar. They mostly escaped to countries like Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand using very unsafe methods. The most common escape method were sailing through the dangerous waters of the Strait of Malacca and the Andaman Sea. Human traffickers would take advantage of the bad situation of the Rohingyas and take money from them to transport them elsewhere. Not only was the journey dangerous because the refugees were venturing out to open waters, but also because there were occasions in which refugees were abandoned at sea by their traffickers. In fact, approximately 150 died because of this. However, the total amount of refugees had reached 25000 from the beginning of the year until March. Fortunately, all countries in the region (except for India) agreed to help the refugees in some extent. 3. The Rakhine State Clashes and the Persecution of Rohingyas After ARSA (explained later) insurgents attacked Burmese border posts in late 2016, the Myanmar government approved the launch of clearance operations which lasted between October 2016 and June 2017. These operations resulted in the death of more than 1000 Rohingya civilians. The violence started in early October 2016, when unidentified men attacked Burmese border posts along the Bangladeshi border. These attacks caused the death of thirteen soldiers. This was the first armed attack by a group that calls itself Harakah al-yaqin, which means Faith Movement, also known as Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army or ARSA for short. After these attacks, the Myanmar Army started a military crackdown on the Rohingya people, resulting in many deaths, injuries and arrests. The army also blocked aid provided by World Food Programme from entering the area. Throughout the crackdown, the Myanmar Army reportedly engaged in many illegal activities such as extrajudicial killings, gang rapes and looting. By December 2016 the death toll had hit the hundreds, and the locals had started fleeing to Bangladesh. The Myanmar government has been accused of turning a blind eye to the crimes committed against the Rohingya people. The civilian leader of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi, is one of the main targets of criticism. Although she is seen as a symbol for democracy in her country and around the globe, she has failed to take decisive action against atrocities committed against the Rohingya people. There is an active campaign on the internet for the withdrawal of her Nobel Peace Prize. The United Nations believed that more than 1000 deaths had occurred by February 2017. The government has denied that rape was a common practice by the soldiers, but has acknowledged that such crimes have been committed by individual members of the security forces. Such ALMUN 2018 Study Guide - GA4: Special, Political and Decolonization 3
clashes continued until June. In August a series of attacks by ARSA happened. According to the government, 24 police posts and an army base were attacked by around 150 insurgents. It resulted in the death of 71 people, 59 of which were insurgents. ARSA claimed that the attacks were retaliation for the rape, starvation and the murder of innocent civilians. This led to another crackdown by the government. They claimed that the operations were against ARSA, but they kept on targeting civilians as well in an attempt to drive the Rohingya out completely. It has been reported that the government forces have gone as far as opening fire on civilians trying to escape into Bangladesh. More than 1000 people were killed by September according to a UN source. These clashes paved the way to another immense refugee crisis. By September 370000 refugees had left Myanmar and escaped into Bangladesh, citing the war as their reason. The refugees that entered Bangladesh were mostly injured, the most common reasons being getting shot or raped. The government has also been blamed of burning down villages. There is footage proving that there were burnt villages. The government accepts this, but insists that the Rohingya are burning down their own villages. Because of the nonstop attacks aimed at a certain ethnic group, many people believe that the Myanmar government is committing a genocide. The government has also been laying land mines, which is illegal under international law since 1997, so that the refugees who have left can t come back. By late September, the number of refugees in Bangladesh was over 430 thousand. With the beginning of October, the violence had slowed down. The latest attack was on January 5th 2018, when ARSA ambushed a military convoy. Major Parties Involved 1. Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) / Harakan al-yaqin The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army is an insurgent group which is still active. It was established in 2013, but began its armed operations in late 2016. The current leader of the organization is Ata Ullah. Their main ideology is Rohingyan nationalism. They are known for carrying out attacks throughout the Rakhine state against the Myanmar Army, and standing against the atrocities committed against Rohingya people. The group is not paramilitary. Most of its members are seen in civilian clothing, and they are not well equipped. To communicate with followers and gain support from the outside world, they use social media websites such as Twitter. 2. The government and army of Myanmar As mentioned previously, the government of Myanmar had been controlled by the military until very recently. The army still has a very big influence on the political matters involving Myanmar. ALMUN 2018 Study Guide - GA4: Special, Political and Decolonization 4
Myanmar, being a Buddhist majority country, doesn t want Muslims living among their people therefore they take morally questionable actions to drive them out. These actions include murder, rape, starvation, arson, theft etc. They have been receiving a lot of negative criticism on their treatment of Rohingya people. 3. The Rohingya civilians Not all Rohingyas are a part of ARSA. Many innocent Rohingyans have been suffering from crimes against humanity for decades. To avoid being murdered, raped and robbed, they are forced to leave the country to have a better life. 4. Neighboring countries There are approximately 500-800 thousand Rohingya refugees around the globe. Bangladesh has taken in the most, since they are closest to the affected region. Bangladesh is not capable of handling so many refugees, as a lot of infrastructure is required to host refugees properly. Bangladesh is a country which is underdeveloped. Most of its population live with poverty and they already have a huge issue of overcrowdedness. They would prefer that the influx of refugees to stop, since the refugee program gets more expensive every day. Previous Actions Taken Concerning the Issue Western countries such as United States of America, Canada, United Kingdom, Norway and Turkey and eastern countries such as South Korea and Japan have sent humanitarian aid to the region, although most efforts were blocked by the government of Myanmar. Non-governmental organizations have also taken action. Groups such as Human Rights Watch, the Arakan Project etc. have pushed for the recognition of the crimes committed by the government of Myanmar. Organizations such as the World Food Programme have been providing humanitarian aid with the help of the United Nations. Amnesty International has been providing accurate information on the lives of the refugees and civilians in the region efficiently and consistently. The United States of America, which had previously provided assistance and aid to the Myanmar Army, has since refused to work with soldiers with have been involved in the Rohingya issue. Related Documents and United Nations Resolutions United Nations Security Council Resolution S/PRST/2017/22: http://www.securitycouncilreport.org/atf/cf/%7b65bfcf9b-6d27-4e9c-8cd3- CF6E4FF96FF9%7D/s_prst_2017_22.pdf United Nations General Assembly Third Committee Resolution A/C.3/72/L.48: http://www.securitycouncilreport.org/atf/cf/%7b65bfcf9b-6d27-4e9c-8cd3- CF6E4FF96FF9%7D/a_c_3_72_l_48.pdf United Nations Special Rapporteur Report on the Human Rights Violations in Myanmar: ALMUN 2018 Study Guide - GA4: Special, Political and Decolonization 5
http://www.securitycouncilreport.org/atf/cf/%7b65bfcf9b-6d27-4e9c-8cd3- CF6E4FF96FF9%7D/a_72_382.pdf United Nation Secretary General Report to the General Assembly: http://burmacampaign.org.uk/media/sg-report-to-unga-20160805.pdf Points to Consider While discussing this issue delegates should keep in mind that this isn t just about religion or ethnicity. Yes, the main differences between the two sides are these two, but you should always remember what methods the both sides use to achieve what they want. If one were to look at this problem as something between the Myanmar Army and ARSA, he would be correct in saying that ARSA is an illegal organization which carries out armed attacks against the government. However, if one were to look at the issue from a larger perspective, and consider the problem to be between the government along with the majority of the general public and the Rohingyans, who are a minority which have been oppressed since almost a century. They have been denied the chance to earn a citizenship, just because of their different ethnicity and religious beliefs. After they tried to find their rights, they were confronted with the death of family members and friends, rape, theft, having their houses or their entire villages burnt down, etc. Therefore delegates should always think of this issue as a humanitarian crisis, and work to find a way to solve it. Some points which could be for Rohingyans and against the government are: Crimes Against Humanity Years of oppression Forced migration Bad living conditions No representation in government Bad treatment from the majority of the public Some points which could be against Rohingyans and for the government are: Actions of ARSA Disruptance of peace in public I hope that the conference goes well for every delegate in this committee. I would strongly recommend you to take a look at some of the articles and videos I linked below, because I think that they will help you get a better understanding on the issue. Good luck. Further Reading https://limun.org.uk/fckfiles/file/limun_hs_unhcr.pdf https://bratmun.sk/old/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/study-guide_unhrc.pdf http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41566561 https://edition.cnn.com/specials/asia/rohingya ALMUN 2018 Study Guide - GA4: Special, Political and Decolonization 6
https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/08/rohingya-muslims-170831065142812.html https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/rohingya-crisis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kt7quzjg0am https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4g4hrkssxgk Bibliography UN Documents on Burma. (n.d.). Retrieved March 07, 2018, from http://burmacampaign.org.uk/useful-resources/un-documents-on-burma/ (n.d.). Retrieved March 07, 2018, from http://www.securitycouncilreport.org/un-documents/myanmar/ 2017 Rohingya persecution in Myanmar. (n.d.). Retrieved March 07, 2018, from http://www.wikizero.com/index.php?q=ahr0chm6ly9lbi53awtpcgvkaweub3jnl3dpa2kvmjaxn19sb2hpbmd5yv9wzxjzzwn1dglvbl9pbl9newfubwfy 2016 Rohingya persecution in Myanmar. (n.d.). Retrieved March 07, 2018, from http://www.wikizero.com/index.php?q=ahr0chm6ly9lbi53awtpcgvkaweub3jnl3dpa2kvmjaxnivfmiu4mcu5mze3x1jvagluz3lhx3blcnnly3v0aw9ux2lux015yw5tyxi Rohingya conflict. (n.d.). Retrieved March 07, 2018, from http://www.wiki-zero.com/index.php?q=ahr0chm6ly9lbi53awtpcgvkaweub3jnl3dpa2kvum9oaw5newffy29uzmxpy3q Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army. (n.d.). Retrieved March 07, 2018, from http://www.wikizero.com/index.php?q=ahr0chm6ly9lbi53awtpcgvkaweub3jnl3dpa2kvqxjha2fux1jvagluz3lhx1nhbhzhdglvbl9bcm15 Rohingya Refugee Crisis. (2017, December 11). Retrieved March 07, 2018, from https://www.unocha.org/rohingya-refugee-crisis ALMUN 2018 Study Guide - GA4: Special, Political and Decolonization 7