Chapter IV: ANALYSIS OF THE ELECTED CENTRAL GOVERNMENTS
4.3 Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy
4.3.5 Hiding behind alibi commissions
國
立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
to account adequately for the events of 2016 and 2017. Regardless of previous commitments to a multi-ethnic state and promises of economic and constitutional reform in the state, the situation for Rohingya has in fact deteriorated significantly. Looking at positions taken by Suu Kyi and her party comrades, it is obvious that a will to address the Rohingya’s situation and to propose a solution was and is absent. The recent strategy is a mix of accepting the military’s independence, denying allegations, victim shaming and referring to a terrorist threat.
Nevertheless, this scheme was already visible before the ARSA attacks of 2017 and the resulting retaliation. In May 2016, Aung San Suu Kyi advised the US embassy in Myanmar not to use the term Rohingya. According to the New York Times, the foreign ministry official Kyaw Zay Ya, previously declared, “Our position is that using the controversial term does not support the national reconciliation process and solving problems.”381 Through regarding the term
“Rohingya” as an obstacle to national reconciliation, the government demonstrated that it tries to suppress Rohingya claims to nativity and favours their expulsion in the long run.
4.3.5 H
IDING BEHIND ALIBI COMMISSIONSInternational attention on the Rakhine State Crisis caused the Burmese government to allow international investigation. But the results are mostly ignored. Myanmar officials rather rely on their national (and clearly biased) reports. The UN fact-finding mission by Kofi Annan was rejected as a foreign intervention in internal affair by the Burmese public.382 The Rakhine State Parliament even rejected the commission’s findings and legitimacy.383 The central government seemingly does not take the commission’s advice serious. The implementation of the commission’s recommendations for addressing the citizenship crisis and socioeconomic development have been insufficient, causing critics to claim that Myanmar uses the Commission as a shield to deflect accusations and dodge responsibilities.384
Although the Burmese government has set up commissions to investigate violent incidents and uprisings in Rakhine state, the results and research methods are heavily criticised
381 Richard C. Paddock, "Aung San Suu Kyi Asks U.S. Not to Refer to ‘Rohingya’," The New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/07/world/asia/myanmar-rohingya-aung-san-suu-kyi.html.
382 Cameroon Intelligence Report, "Kofi Annan on a Fact-Finding Mission in Myanmar,"
http://www.cameroonintelligencereport.com/kofi-annan-on-a-fact-finding-mission-in-myanmar/.
383 Yi Ywal Myint, "Rejection of Rakhine Advisory Body Approved by State Hluttaw," The Myanmar Times, https://www.mmtimes.com/national-news/nay-pyi-taw/22535-rejection-of-rakhine-advisory-body-approved-by-state-hluttaw.html.
384 Fortify Rights, "Myanmar: Implement Recommendations of Kofi Annan-Led Commission," Reliefweb.int, https://reliefweb.int/report/myanmar/myanmar-implement-recommendations-kofi-annan-led-commission.
‧ 國
立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
by international organisations as the UNHCR and Human Rights Watch. According to government’s investigation of the 2016 violence, no cases of murder, rape and arson can be attributed to the Burmese security forces. Apart from denying any occurrence of genocidal acts, the government-issued reports purposefully direct attention to acts of terrorism and arson as well as killing and intimidation of natives allegedly conducted by “terrorist groups”.385 Myint Swe, Vice President of Myanmar, additionally claimed, “Some people from abroad have fabricated news claiming genocide had occurred.”386 Burmese officials also declared incidents of rape were “terrorist fabrications”, spread by biased foreign news agencies.387 This stands in contrast to the claims that were made by Rohingya refugees to human rights organisations388 and a surge in the birth rate among Rohingya exactly 9 months after the 2017 refugee exodus.389 In October 2017, Suu Kyi declared that she would lead the newly formed Union Enterprise for Humanitarian Assistance, Resettlement and Development in Rakhine. The organisation is meant to connect stakeholders, the central government and aid organisations in order to address the human rights crisis in Rakhine State.390 Announcing the organisation, Suu Kyi talks about challenges, “the Rakhine issue”, “terrorist attacks” and “those who are now in Bangladesh”, yet the whole speech does not contain the term Rohingya.391 Demonstrating the indifference towards Rohingya, website of the Union Enterprise prominently introduces the affected Rakhine nationalities, but omits Muslims or let alone Rohingya.392
A tangible reaction to the Rohingya crisis occurred more than half a year later. With the military facing a loss of partners and Suu Kyi confronted with shrinking FDI, 393 Suu Kyi signalled the will to cooperate with UN human rights and development organisations in May 2018. The government declared that it will set up an independent commission for the
385 Human Rights Watch, "Burma: National Commission Denies Atrocities," Human Rights Watch, https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/08/07/burma-national-commission-denies-atrocities.
386 Reuters, "Govt Rejects Allegations of Human Rights Abuses in Rakhine," The Irrawaddy,
https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/govt-rejects-allegations-human-rights-abuses-rakhine.html.
387 State Counsellor Office Information Committee, "Information Committee Refutes Rumours of Rape," The Republic of the Union of Myanmar - State Counsellor Office,
http://www.statecounsellor.gov.mm/en/node/551.
388 Human Rights Watch, "Burma: Security Forces Raped Rohingya Women, Girls," Human Rights Watch, https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/02/06/burma-security-forces-raped-rohingya-women-girls.
389 United Nations, "For Rohingya Refugees, Imminent Surge in Births Is Traumatic Legacy of Sexual Violence - Special Report," UN News, For Rohingya Refugees, Imminent Surge in Births is Traumatic Legacy of Sexual Violence - Special Report.
390 Nyein Nyein, "State Counselor Forms Enterprise on Rakhine State, Calls for ‘Unity’," The Irrawaddy, https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/state-counselor-forms-enterprise-rakhine-state-calls-unity.html.
391 Aung San Suu Kyi, "Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Report on the Rakhine Crisis," Voltairenet, http://www.voltairenet.org/article198352.html.
392 http://www.rakhine.unionenterprise.org/ [accessed 28.12.2018]
393 Motokazu Matsui, "Myanmar's Foreign Direct Investment Rush Recedes," The Financial Times, https://www.ft.com/content/f7bda5bc-e150-11e6-8405-9e5580d6e5fb.
‧ 國
立 政 治 大 學
‧
N a tio na
l C h engchi U ni ve rs it y
investigation of human rights violations in Rakhine and signed a Memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the UN and UNHCR on the strategy for refugee repatriation. 394 Meanwhile, a team of UN diplomats was able to visit the troubled regions. 395 They note some positive efforts in rebuilding villages and setting up facilities for the repatriation of refugees.
Despite these positive efforts, the diplomats also criticise that the infrastructure, as it is now, can only manage a few hundred refugees per day. 396 Myanmar’s Social Welfare Minister encouraged refugees to return and promised the construction of new villages with hospitals and schools, in addition to the issuing of national verification cards (NVC). These cards would make the holder eligible to apply for Burmese citizenship but do not grant full citizen’s rights by themselves.397 Despite criticisms by the UN that “conditions in Myanmar are not yet conducive for returns to be safe, dignified, and sustainable”,398 the government began repatriating selected families. The process of repatriation has otherwise been sluggish. Out of more than 600.000 refugees a list of 10.000 people has been created, of which 600 have been verified.399 According to Suu Kyi, the Burmese government has “carried out all [the] responsibilities in line with the MoU.”400 She now considers Bangladesh responsible to inform refugees about the possibilities and process of repatriation in order to initiate the return of displaced people. Blaming the need for profound negotiations and moving responsibilities to partners fits her strategy of passiveness and hushing up the problem. Apparently, she is still convinced that the problem will disappear when criticism fades over time.
In sum, we can see that the government appeals to the domestic audience by questioning the results of external commissions while simultaneously opening up to deepened scrutiny in order to satisfy the international community. But implementation of concrete measures has been inadequate and Burmese investigations fail to address human rights violation and accountability.
394 Taro Kono, "Establishment of an Independent Commission of Enquiry by the Myanmar Government and the Agreement on the Memorandum of Understanding (Mou) between Myanmar Government and the Un Agencies Concerning Their Activities in Northern Rakhine State," news release, 2018,
https://www.mofa.go.jp/press/release/press1e_000070.html.
395 Patrick Wintour, "Aung San Suu Kyi Seeks New Relationship with Un over Rohingya Crisis " The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/28/aung-san-suu-kyi-un-relationship-rohingya-crisis.
396 "Briefing by Security Council Mission to Bangladesh and Myanmar," (New York: United Nations Security Council, 2018).
397 Reuters, "Myanmar Minister Assures Rohingya in Bangladesh Repatriation Is a Priority," The Irrawaddy, https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/myanmar-minister-assures-rohingya-bangladesh-repatriation-priority.html.
398 UNHCR, "Bangladesh and Unhcr Agree on Voluntary Returns Framework for When Refugees Decide Conditions Are Right " UNHCR, http://www.unhcr.org/news/press/2018/4/5ad061d54/bangladesh-unhcr-agree-voluntary-returns-framework-refugees-decide-conditions.html.
399 Luke Hunt, "The Trouble with Myanmar and Rohingya Repatriation," The Diplomat, 2018 Apr 20 2018.
400 Orie Sugimoto and Aung San Suu Kyi, "Exclusive: Interview with Aung San Suu Kyi," Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK), https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/nhknewsline/inconversation/exclusiveaungsansuukyi/.