Burma’s NLD-Government continues to exclude the Rohingya

The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) accuses the new Democratic Government of Burma (Myanmar) of continuing the policy of exclusion against the Muslim Rohingya. The previous government – led by the Buddhist nationalists – had consistently denied members of this ethnic group their basic rights. The STP also urged the European Union (EU) to put pressure on the Southeast Asian country to stop the apartheid-like discrimination against the minority group.

During talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday, Aung San Suu Kyi had asked for patience regarding a possible “mutually acceptable solution” for the Rohingya issue. In a press conference, she had also expressed disapproval of the self-designation “Rohingya”, as it would unnecessarily polarize the country. Officially, the Rohingya are called “Bengali”. However, the Rohingya themselves as well as the international community reject this name – as US ambassador Scot Marciel emphasized prior to Kerry’s visit to Burma.

“Aung San Suu Kyi’s statements are reminiscent of the dark age of the military junta and the undemocratic successor government,” said Ulrich Delius, the STP’s Asia consultant, on Monday. “If the Rohingya are not even granted their self-designation, how should they be able to live a life in freedom and in dignity? It is hardly credible that Aung San Suu Kyi is really trying to find a solution. Burma’s peace icon will continue to ignore the Rohingya issue – unless there is pressure from abroad.”

There are still 125,000 Rohingya refugees living in camps – with a lack of supplies, cut off from the outside world, and under inhumane conditions. The internally displaced persons and the Rohingya have to cope with severely limited freedom of movement and systematical violations of their personal rights (regarding their right to marriage, when searching for jobs, etc.). According to the UNHCR, the government is planning to reassess the Rohingya’s citizenship-status once again, instead of putting an end to the discrimination. The previous government had envisaged similar plans, but the members of the minority group had managed to resist. Burma’s authorities are denying the Rohingya their citizenship rights until today. 

Header Photo: © United to End Genocide via Flickr