Rohingya at a Crossroads with the Arakan Army?
Rohingya's Complicated Relationship with the Arakan Army
I have just written an OpEd on recent developments. To make sense of it you will need to read the English translations - assuming you don’t understand Rohingya or Burmese - of two events.
First is the BBC Burmese interview conducted with Twan Mrat Naing, the head of the Arakan Army.
Here is the verbatim Burmese transcription followed by the English:
ဒီအရေးကြီးက တော်တော်လေးကို သတိထားပြီး ကိုင်တွယ်ရမယ်၊တော်တော်အရေးကြီးပါတယ်။ အရမ်းအရေးကြီးတဲ့ ကိစ္စကြီးတစ်ခု ဖြစ်တယ်။ ဆိုတော့ ဒီရိုဟင်ဂျာဆိုတဲ့ နာမည်ကအစပေါ့လေ ကျွန်တော်တို့ ရခိုင်နဲ့မြန်မာလူ့အဖွဲ့အစည်းထဲမှာ တော်တော်ကို Sensitive (ထိလွယ်ရှလွယ်) ဖြစ်ကြတယ်။ အဲဒီရိုဟင်ဂျာဆိုတဲ့ နာမည်ကတော့ အပြင်ဘက်က လူတွေက လူ့အခွင့်အရေးရှုထောင့်ကနေပြီးမှ လူမျိုးတစ်မျိုးဟာ ကိုယ်ကြိုက်တဲ့ နာမည်ကို ခံယူလို့ရပါတယ် ဆိုပြီးမှ လက်ခံထားကြတယ်။ ကျွန်တော်တို့လည်း ရှင်းရှင်းလင်းလင်းဆိုရင်တော့ လူ့အခွင့်အရေးနဲ့အညီ ခေါ်တာကို ငြင်းစရာတော့ မရှိပါဘူး။ သို့သော်လည်းပဲ ဒီနာမည်ကို သုံးစွဲလာပြီးမှ ဒီသမိုင်းဆိုင်ရာ Narrative (ဇာတ်ကြောင်း) တွေကို ပုံဖော်တဲ့အချိန်မှာကျတော့ ကျွန်တော်တို့ရခိုင်ဒေသရဲ့ သမိုင်းဆိုင်ရာမှန်ကန်မှုတွေကို ဖုံးကွယ်မယ့် အားထုတ်မှုတွေနဲ့ ပြောဆိုမှုတွေ ပါလာတယ်။ အဲဒီမှာ ကျွန်တော်တို့ဘက်က၊ ဒီရခိုင်တွေဘက်ကလည်း စိုးရိမ်မှုတွေအများကြီး ဖြစ်လာတာပေါ့။ ကျွန်တော်က ဒီကိစ္စကို တစ်ဖက်နဲ့တစ်ဖက်နားလည်မှုလွဲ၊ အမျိုးမျိုးထင်ပြီးမှ အကျယ်အကျယ်နဲ့ ငြင်းခုံစရာတွေဖြစ်အောင်တော့ မပြောလိုဘူး။ သို့သော်ကျွန်တော်တို့ပြောတာက နိုင်ငံရေးအရဆိုရင် ရိုဟင်ဂျာလို့ပဲခေါ် ခေါ်၊ ဘင်္ဂါလီလို့ပဲခေါ်ခေါ် Chittagonian (စစ်တကောင်းနယ်သား)လို့ပဲခေါ် ခေါ် ရခိုင်ဒေသကိုရောက်လာတဲ့ ရခိုင်ပြည်သားတစ်ယောက်ဆိုရင် ရခိုင်ပြည်သားတစ်ယောက်ရဲ့ နိုင်ငံသားအခွင့်အရေးက ရရမှာပဲ။ အဓိကအရေးကြီးတာက ကျွန်တော်တို့ လူ့အဖွဲ့အစည်းနှစ်ခု ငြိမ်းချမ်းစွာ သဟဇာတရှိရှိ နေထိုင်ဖို့ဆိုရင် ကျွန်တော်တို့ဘက်ကလည်း ဥပဒေနဲ့အညီ အသိအမှတ်ပြုမှုတွေကို တာဝန်ယူမှု တာဝန်ခံမှုနဲ့ လက်ခံဖို့အတွက်၊ တစ်ဖက်ကလည်း ရိုးသားစွာနဲ့ သမိုင်းဆိုင်ရာ ဖန်တီးမှုတွေ ပြောဆိုမှုတွေကို acknowledge (အသိအမှတ်ပြု၀န်ခံဖို့) လုပ်ဖို့တော့ လိုအပ်တယ်။ အဲလိုမျိုးမဟုတ်ဘဲနဲ့ ရခိုင်တွေက ဝေသာလီခေတ်မှာ ဘယ်လိုဖြစ်တယ်ဆိုတော့၊ ငါတို့က မင်းတို့ထက်စောပြီးမှ ဝေသာလီခေတ်မတိုင်ခင်ကတည်းကရောက်နေတာ၊ ဒီလောက် အိန္ဒိယသမုဒ္ဒရာနဲ့ Bay of Bengal (ဘင်္ဂလားပင်လယ်အော်)မှာ လူဦးရေ သန်း ၄၀၀ကျော်နေပြီးမှ မြစ်ကလေးတစ်ဖက် ဒီဘက်ကို ကူးလိုက်တာနဲ့ ဘင်္ဂါလီဆိုတာ တစ်ယောက်မှ မရှိတော့ဘူး၊ အဲလိုမျိုးအနေအထားတွေပေါ့လေ၊ ငါတို့က ၈ ရာစုကနေ ရောက်လာတဲ့ အာရပ်လူမျိုးတွေ ဖြစ်ပါတယ်ဆိုတဲ့ ဒီ Logical (ကျိုးကြောင်းဆီလျှော်မှု) လည်း မရှိဘူး။ သမိုင်း အထောက်အထားလည်း မရှိဘူး။ ဒါပေမဲ့ ကျွန်တော်တို့ ရခိုင်တွေက ကိုယ့်ဟာကိုယ် မကာကွယ်နိုင်ဘဲနဲ့ နိုင်ငံရေးအရလည်း ပြိုလဲနေတဲ့အချိန်မှာ ကျွန်တော်တို့ကို၊ နှစ်ပေါင်းထောင်ချီပြီးမှ နိုင်ငံအနေနဲ့နေလာတဲ့ လူမျိုးတွေကို Identity (ပင်ကိုယ်သွင်ပြင်လက္ခဏာ) အရရော နယ်မြေအရရော စိန်ခေါ် ပြီးမှ ပြိုင်ဆိုင်တိုးဝင်လာတဲ့ပုံစံမျိုးတွေကိုတော့ မလုပ်မိဖို့လိုတာပေါ့။ အဲလိုမျိုးလုပ်နေမယ်ဆိုရင်ကျွန်တော်တို့ အခု ကြိုးစားနေတဲ့ နှစ်ဖက် လူ့အသိုင်းအဝိုင်း အဖွဲ့အစည်းကြားမှာ Harmony (သဟဇာတ) ဖြစ်မယ့်စည်းစည်းလုံးလုံးနဲ့ တည်ငြိမ်တဲ့အနာဂတ်ကို တည်ဆောက်နိုင်မယ့် လုပ်ငန်းတွေကို အဲဒီပြောဆိုမှုတွေ တောင်းဆိုမှုတွေက အထောက်အကူပြုမှာ မဟုတ်ဘူး။ ကျွန်တော်တို့ဘက်ကလည်း သဘောထားကြီးပြီးမှ သင့်မြတ်ချစ်ခင်အောင် စည်းလုံးဖို့ လိုသလို တစ်ဖက်ကလည်း ရိုးသားပြီးမှ တည်ငြိမ်တဲ့ အနာဂတ်ကို ရှာဖွေဖို့ ပူးပေါင်းဆောင်ရွက်ဖို့တော့ လိုတာပေါ့။ ဒါက ဒီထက်ပိုပြီး ရှင်းပြဖို့လည်း လိုပါဦးမယ်။ သို့သော် ကျွန်တော် ဒီနေ့မှာတော့ ဒီမေးခွန်းအပေါ်မှာ ဒီလောက်ပဲ တုံ့ပြန်ပါရစေ။
English translation:
“This issue is quite important and needs careful handling; it's really significant. The name "Rohingya" is a starting point, and within the Rakhine and broader Myanmar community, it's quite sensitive. The use of the name "Rohingya" by people outside is accepted under the perspective of human rights, allowing a community to choose its own name. However, using this name to shape historical narratives can obscure the historical accuracies of the Rakhine region. This results in concerns from our side, and also significant worries from the Rakhine side. I don't want to delve into this issue in a way that leads to further disputes or misunderstandings. However, politically speaking, whether called Rohingya, Bengali, or Chittagonian, once someone arrives in the Rakhine region, they should have the same national rights as any resident of Rakhine. The most important thing is for our two communities to coexist peacefully, recognizing legal recognitions and responsibilities, and to acknowledge the historical creations and narratives honestly. If we don't handle these matters correctly, it will not help in building a stable and harmonious future between the communities. This needs further explanation, but for today, this is all I will say on the matter.”
The second event is a Facebook Live Event held by prominent Rohingya diaspora spokespersons/activists. Tun Khin of Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK), Nay San Lwin of Free Rohingya Coalition, and Reza Uddin of Arakan Rohingya Union. (Interestingly all three belong to Arakan Rohingya National Alliance but the event was not labelled as such. ARNA, in its founding statement in November 2022, explicitly wished to work together with the United Leage of Arakan and the National Unity Government).
Ro Nay San Lwin:
Assalamualaikum, I’m Nay San Lwin, and here are our brothers, Mr. Reza Uddin and Ko Tun Khin. They’re here with me today, and I appreciate it. Thank you, brother Reza Uddin, for taking the time to join us today, even though you’re traveling. And thanks to you too, Ko Tun Khin. Since November 13th of last year, when we observe the situation in Arakan, it’s evident that things are getting worse in various areas like Kyauktaw, Minbya, Buthidaung, Maungdaw, Akyab, and pretty much everywhere else.
Currently, the latest development in Arakan is that the military is attempting to recruit Rohingya youths by providing training and weapons for military service. We three have something important to share about this issue, so we’re going live on Facebook today to discuss it.
First and foremost, I want to emphasize that as members of an oppressed community, it’s our fundamental principle never to align with or collaborate with oppressors in any way. This principle must guide us.
Secondly, the first coup in Myanmar occurred in 1962, marking the beginning of a series of oppressive actions against us. Nay Win halted our radio programs and initiated widespread oppression and persecution against our community, which continues to this day. Lastly, they’ve backed us into a corner, pressuring us to accept NVCs. At times, oppressors speak to us in a seemingly sweet manner, suggesting they’ll restore our rights, but in reality, they never follow through. In the end, they carried out a devastating genocide against us, forcing the majority of our community to flee to Bangladesh in 2017. Despite the military junta’s attempts to deceive us with sweet words, we gain nothing from their promises.
Thirdly, following the military coup in 2021 across Myanmar, numerous youths, as well as members of other ethnic minorities, along with the entire nation, have taken up arms and are fighting against the military junta throughout the country in an effort to overthrow them. Looking at the current state of Myanmar’s politics and situation, it’s clear that the military’s ability to resist is dwindling. Therefore, this military rule is bound to come to an end.
Fourthly, in Arakan State, the Rohingya community is the second-largest, with the Rakhine community being the largest. Additionally, there are several other minority groups such as the Mro, Marma, Kamin, Thak, and Hindu communities. It’s essential for us to coexist peacefully with all these communities in Arakan State. It’s true that there are numerous misunderstandings between the Rohingya and Rakhine communities, and the Rakhine have made various mistakes against us. Despite these challenges, it’s crucial for us to make every effort to coexist peacefully, and the Rakhine community also needs to strive for peaceful coexistence. Currently, the military is pressuring Rohingya youths to join the military, and I have a request for the village chairmen in Arakan: Please do not force our Rohingya youths into military service, even if the military is compelling you to do so. If the military insists on coercion, I urge you to resign from your position. Please do not compel our youths to join the military; it’s a significant and perilous issue.
In my final message, it’s evident that the military is losing ground against the Arakan Army. During this time, the military is attempting to escalate tensions among religious communities and ethnic minorities. Currently, the military is resorting to this strategy. My main message is simple: please refrain from siding with the military under any circumstances. It’s crucial for us to grasp the situation and political dynamics in Myanmar. With that, I’ll conclude my remarks and pass the floor to brother Mr. Reza Uddin.
Reza Uddin:
Thank you, Nay San Lwin, for arranging this meeting on short notice. I’m grateful for the opportunity to join, even while I’m on the move. To all our Rohingya brothers and sisters around the world, whether you’re in refugee camps or elsewhere, including those in Arakan such as Kyauktaw, Minbya, Punna Chwem, Pauktaw, Rathedaung, Akyab, Maungdaw, and Buthidaung, I extend my heartfelt greetings to each of you on behalf of myself. We’re keeping you in our thoughts and prayers, hoping that our prayers are answered by the Almighty Allah, considering your situation. Today, the three of us are here with a mission. Even though you only see three of us here, we’re not alone. We stand alongside many youths, colleagues, politicians, veterans, Maulvis, and Hafizes who support our cause from behind the scenes. We must unite and work together for the betterment of our community. Today, as we stand before you, we carry the hope that all the individuals mentioned will join us in this collective effort.
We’ve been witnessing, hearing, and staying informed about the events unfolding since last November. Tragically, many lives have been lost and countless others injured in Kyauktaw, Minbya, and Buthidaung. Properties and wealth have been destroyed, and numerous homes have been burnt down. It feels like a grim reminder of the events that occurred in 2017. We must not let history repeat itself. We need to proceed with caution and make thoughtful decisions. Following the genocide in 2017, we made efforts to inform world leaders and advocate for recognition of the atrocities committed during that time. I’m delivering this message to nearly 600,000 people: Let’s not forget the events of 2017.
Firstly, since 1962, following independence, they have deliberately fueled violence between the two major communities, preventing them from coexisting peacefully. Everyone, including Rohingya Muslims, Rakhine people, and Kaman, is aware of who spreads hatred among the majority community in Arakan. Hence, we must exercise caution and thoughtfulness to avoid finding ourselves in the same situation once more. No one can compel another to comply, as everyone has their own perspectives. However, it’s essential to consider not just what benefits oneself, but also how it might impact others. We should approach decisions with careful consideration and tact.
Instead of dwelling solely on the present, past, or future actions, we should focus on what we can accomplish together by collectively addressing the current situation. Our Rohingya in camps and internally displaced persons (IDPs) should have the opportunity to return. However, it’s crucial to consider who they will live with upon their return and to establish effective communication and understanding with all parties involved to prevent the recurrence of violence. Let’s steer clear of their violent ideologies, deceptive rhetoric, and enticing offers driven by greed.
Hence, it’s in our best interest to seek solutions for coexistence with the community. Instead of resorting to conflict, let’s engage with them to find peaceful resolutions. At the same time, we need to approach engagement cautiously, as there may be individuals trying to sow discord among us to hinder our efforts in finding solutions. We, along with our colleagues, youths, veteran politicians, and others, must unite and work together to reclaim our rights. It’s essential that we stand in solidarity with other communities as we strive to regain the rights that have been unjustly denied to us. To secure our rights, we must collaborate with the international community, including organizations like the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the United States, with a special focus on engaging with Bangladesh. Additionally, we need to strengthen our capacity to consistently apply pressure until our rights are fully restored, involving everyone both within the country and abroad. This mission is our priority. Therefore, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to Bangladesh for providing us shelter and unwavering support. We want to let you know that we are committed to working alongside these organizations for the betterment of our community. All we ask from you is your prayers, so that we can successfully fulfill our mission. Even though we may be residing abroad, we promise to continue working tirelessly on behalf of our community.
Ro Nay San Lwin: Thank you. Now, I’ll pass the floor to Ko Tun Khin to keep the discussion concise.
Tun Khin:
Peace be upon you all. First and foremost, a heartfelt thank you to our brothers and sisters tuning in via Facebook. Secondly, I extend greetings to our brothers and sisters in Arakan, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, India, Malaysia, Dubai, Sri Lanka, and to all those currently facing hardships. You are in my thoughts 24/7. Especially noteworthy is the recent news coming from Arakan, where 600,000 Rohingya reside. What we’ve been hearing recently holds great significance for our community and for history itself. The military, who have deprived us of our rights since 1962 and perpetrated genocide in 2017, forced nearly 1 million Rohingya from our homeland, leading to a tragic exodus to Bangladesh where we met our brothers and sisters. They continue to endure immense suffering in the camps, stretching nearly seven years. Now, the very military responsible for their plight is attempting to enlist Rohingya into military service, potentially using them as human shields against the Arakan Army alongside the Rakhine community, with whom we have coexisted and will continue to do so. Our brothers and sisters must grasp that the military seeks to deploy our youths on the frontline in clashes with the Arakan Army. It’s disheartening to realize that, despite growing up in Arakan, most of us, including the three of us here, can’t remain there. Why did we have to leave Arakan? It’s solely because of the military. They played on divisions within the Rakhine community, aiding them in their efforts. We experienced this firsthand, having grown up in Arakan, and it’s clear that everyone, regardless of background, feels the impact of their actions.
However, amidst the present circumstances, it’s crucial that we avoid making any mistakes by carefully assessing the current political landscape. We need to acknowledge that the military is facing losses across the board nowadays. It’s essential to prioritize this fact. Additionally, the Arakan Army, the community with whom we coexist, has effectively weakened the military junta. In this scenario, the military is attempting to use us as shields against the Arakan Army. They have sown seeds of violence between these two communities for a long time, and now they’re trying to create further division, pitting us against each other once again. It’s crucial for everyone in Arakan to grasp this situation carefully. Dear brothers, while we are abroad working on these issues, it’s important for you, being in Arakan, to understand it thoroughly first.
For decades, they have been denying our rights, which according to international law constitutes genocide. The military has been perpetrating genocide since 1962, culminating in the expulsion of our people from the land in 2017. The military has long been a major oppressor, and their intentions towards us are far from benevolent. Let’s not be swayed by their deceitful rhetoric or fall into their trap. We must remember the emotions stirred by the fact that the Rakhine community was manipulated as a tool by the military against our own. Moreover, we should prioritize our return to Arakan with full rights, considering that there are still 1 million people residing in camps. If the military were to relinquish control of Arakan in the future, how would we secure our rights? What would be our entitlements, and how could we assert our claims? We need to adopt a different mindset. The involvement of youths is crucial, especially considering the advancements the world has seen. It’s not the same as it was in 1948 or 1962. With technology and globalization, the world is now a global village. Therefore, we must understand how to effectively play our role on the international stage, such as pursuing cases in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and engaging with Bangladesh.
We’ve never coexisted with the Burmese, but we have always lived alongside the Rakhine community, and it’s crucial that we continue to do so. Neither can drive the other out; instead, we must strive for peaceful coexistence. Reclaiming our rights is essential, and to achieve this, we must engage in dialogue and seek solutions together. We are prepared to go wherever necessary to secure our rights, and this is the message we wish to convey.
You mentioned the necessity of justice for the atrocities committed by our oppressors. Our mothers and sisters have been subjected to rape, while our brothers have been brutally murdered in front of their parents. We can never erase these horrific memories from our minds. The exact number of Rohingya killed remains unknown, with some NGOs estimating it to be around 20,000 or 25,000. Dear brothers and sisters, it’s imperative that we never forget the atrocities inflicted upon us, and morally, we cannot overlook those who tortured us. We must strive to reclaim our rights, regardless of the community we live among. Inshallah, I hope you understand the gravity of what I’m conveying.
We are committed to working unitedly for the betterment of our community, setting aside any organizational differences. The fact that we are gathered here together signifies that we have already taken steps in that direction. Moving forward, we will continue to collaborate for the collective welfare of our community. Inshallah, we remain hopeful that we will reclaim our rights. Your prayers for us and for yourselves are greatly appreciated and much needed. Wherever you are, particularly in Bangladesh, let’s strive to maintain peace so that we are embraced by others. Inshallah, one day we will all return to our homeland together. Assalamualaikum.
Ro Nay San Lwin: Thank you, Ko Tun Khin, and thank you to everyone who is listening to us. We pray for you and are tirelessly working to support and protect you. I remain hopeful that one day we will all live peacefully in our homeland. Assalamualaikum, brothers and sisters. I’ll end my words here.
So where is the complicated relationship? Where’s the “Crossroads” here? What the hell am I talking about, you are asking? You will have to wait for the OpEd! I will update you with another newsletter when it is published. In the meantime, here is some background reading.