Clear divisions are emerging among members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) over Myanmar’s military operations in Rakhine state, a diplomatic divide that threatens to split the regional grouping on religious lines.
Myanmar’s military-led “clearance operations” have led to civilian causalities, allegations of grotesque rights abuses and the displacement of over 500,000 ethnic Rohingya who have sought refuge in neighboring Bangladesh.
Malaysia took the rare step last week of disassociating itself from a joint statement issued by the Philippines, the grouping’s current chairman, because from Kuala Lumpur’s perspective it misrepresented the situation. Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman, in an unusually sharp rebuke, maintained that the chairman’s remarks failed to reflect Asean’s founding principle of consensus.
The Asean statement expressed support for Myanmar in efforts “to bring peace, stability, rule of law and to promote harmony and reconciliation between various communities,” and omitted the term “Rohingya” in referring to the persecuted Muslim minority group – in accordance with Naypyidaw’s opposition to its use as an official ethnic group classification.
Malaysia’s dissenting remarks followed on Prime Minister Najib Razak’s own activist stance on the issue, demonstrated by his championing of the Rohingya cause in the international arena and at political rallies at home where he has characterized Myanmar’s treatment of the minority community as an “insult to Islam.”
“What’s the use of Aung San Suu Kyi having a Nobel prize?” asked the premier referring to Myanmar’s de facto leader as he addressed a massive protest rally alongside the leader of the fundamentalist Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS) last December at a stadium in Kuala Lumpur. In the same address, he urged the United Nations to take action in support of the Rohingya.
Najib also expressed hope that the United States would play a positive role in diffusing the crisis during his recent meeting with President Donald Trump at the White House.
Malaysia has simultaneously called on China – which views the conflict as an “internal affair” and has welcomed Myanmar’s efforts to combat extremists – to help resolve the Rohingya refugee crisis. Najib has cultivated close economic and strategic ties with Beijing in recent years.
Muslim-majority Malaysia’s coast guard announced earlier this month that it would no longer turn away Rohingya fleeing Myanmar’s violence, promising to provide temporary shelter to refugees fleeing the Myanmar military’s scorched earth clearance operations.
That assault was triggered by surprise lethal attacks on police and military posts staged on August 25 by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), an emergent Rohingya militant group whose leadership has alleged ties to extremist elements in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan.
Although it is not a signatory to the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, Malaysia hosts an estimated 59,000 Rohingya refugees registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), although unofficial numbers are believed to be nearly double that number.
While Najib has provided generous amounts of humanitarian aid to refugees in Bangladesh and displayed broad solidarity with the Rohingya, asylum seekers in Malaysia are still considered illegal immigrants under local immigration laws, barring refugees from legal employment, access to state schools and leaving them subject to arrest, detention or deportation.
Critics of Malaysia’s premier, who has been embroiled in money laundering controversies related to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal, claim his proactive stance on the Rohingya issue falls short on solutions and appears motivated by political considerations to consolidate domestic Malay Muslim support ahead of general elections that must be held at the latest by August 2018.
Buddhist-majority Myanmar has accused Najib’s government of violating the Asean charter of non-interference and exploiting the crisis “to promote a certain political agenda.” Najib has also claimed that Myanmar’s de facto leader Suu Kyi has outright refused to meet Foreign Minister Anifah Aman to discuss the Rohingya issue.
The snub was part of a wider diplomatic spat. Last year, Naypyidaw barred its citizens from working in Malaysia, a top regional destination for migrant labor due to relatively higher wages, and suspended its policy of visas-on-arrival for Malaysians in January, making it the only Asean country whose citizens need to acquire a visa before visiting Myanmar.
Despite diplomatic tensions, bilateral trade has grown, up from around US$900 million in 2015 to US$1.15 billion in 2016, according to statistics from the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (Martrade). Around 4.5% of Myanmar’s imports originate from Malaysia, while Myanmar was Malaysia’s sixth largest trading partner within Asean in 2015.
“Asean risks losing credibility and international confidence if the regional grouping continues to ignore the plight of the Rohingya,” wrote former Asean secretary general Surin Pitsuwan, a Thai Muslim, in a recent editorial. “The regional grouping needs to act urgently to prevent the Rakhine crisis from spiraling into regional tensions.”
The Rohingya issue’s emotional pull in Asean areas with significant Muslim populations has sparked concerns of communal strife with security implications that could escalate well beyond Myanmar’s borders. Asean’s inability to contain the Rakhine crisis opens prospects for deepening cultural and religious divisions in Southeast Asia, where rising identity politics present myriad potential dangers.
Diplomats and observers believe Myanmar’s treatment of the Rohingya could become a magnet for international extremists, while government-sanctioned rallies condemning Myanmar can potentially backfire on political leaders, worsen ties between nations and fuel radicalization that risks inciting communal violence and instability in Asean’s mix of Buddhist, Christian and Muslim communities.
That appears to be happening already in spots. Mohamad Fuzi Harun, Malaysia’s police chief, recently disclosed intelligence that confirmed Malaysian citizens were present in Rakhine engaged in armed struggle against the Myanmar government, and that other Malaysian militants are quietly preparing to join the fight.
Malaysia’s anti-terror chief Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay made similar comments to local media claiming that Islamic State (IS) was actively using the Rohingya issue as a platform to recruit new members locally to carry out attacks, though he did not say whether the suspected Malaysian militants were fighting alongside ARSA in Rakhine.
IS-inspired militants from Malaysia, Indonesia and several Middle Eastern and Central Asian countries unexpectedly laid siege in May to the Philippine city of Marawi on the southern island of Mindanao. Fighting has continued with a pocket of militants holding a last position in the ruined city.
Security analysts believe IS fighters are in the process of shifting their militant activities from the Middle East to Southeast Asia, as counterterrorism efforts in Syria and Iraq roll back the terror organization’s territorial gains and influence.
“There is a danger that the situation in Rakhine will make the territory a hotbed of international terrorist activity, both for the IS and Al Qaeda,” said Jasminder Singh of the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.
He warned of the potential for attacks in Myanmar and against its interests in the region, seen in a recent petrol bomb attack on Naypyidaw’s embassy in Jakarta.
As the Rohingya issue becomes a regional lightning rod for communal divisions, inaction and the absence of a collective response may fuel further radicalization, raising the risk of terrorist militants opening a second Asean front in Myanmar’s now burning Rakhine state.
Feeding your own interest,Rohingya still suffering.Trade ($$$) come before human lives.Talks with no actions.
Myanmar must comply international laws. They should unconditionally implement Kofi Annan Commission’s recommendations.
Q: Are the Rohingya an ethnic group of Burma?
A: My answer is that Rohingya is not an ethnic concept. Okay, they can stand
up and say we are an ethnic group inside Myanmar.But I think that is not the
best way. When you argue we are Muslims and we have been living in Rankine for several generations, nobody can deny it. For me,Rohingya is the term,
which is an old word that has been claimed as above all as a political label >
after the independence of Myanmar.For the moment,I do not see that all the
people there readily submit to one and a single label. When I was in Banglad
-esh, people pointed out Muslims to me who originally lived in Rankine. They
have now moved to Bangladesh and when you ask them, “ are you Rohingya
coming from Rankine?” they say, “no, we are Muslims who live in Rankine,
we do not take for us the label Rohingya.”
Answer by
(Dr, Jacques Leider)
The tale of the Rohingyas certainly draws symapathy and support from many nations and countries are pressurising Myanmar to solve the issue amicably. Some people have accused Aung Saan Suu Kyi of complicity in the Rohingya exodus and went on to say that the Nobel should be taken back from her !
What utter nonsense !
The Islamic countries are up against Myanmar and accuse the Buddhist nation of persecuting the Rohingya muslims.
But why countries are under playing the role of the Rohingyas who attacked the Myanmar Police in a planned manner which forced the Buddhist nation to retaliate with force ? The situation is very similar like in Gujurat when muslims were killed but every body down played the incident which led to the Godhra carnage !!
In Gujrat Modi was implicated and in Myanmar Suu Kyi is accused of complicity.
What nobody is caring or daring to voice is the ever increasing confrontation of Islam with other major faiths of the world. Islamic terrorism has become a global problem and has become a cause of concern for nations.
Should or shouldnt a Buddhist Myanmar fight for its sovereignty and the safety of its majority Buddhist populace ?
ujjwall you are talking nonsense the rohinyas were being being killed in the thousands and driven from their homes long before the myanmar police were attacked would you not retialate if your people were being killed , as far as the hindus and modi is concerned you are again talking nonsense the muslims in india are being killed in the thousands even before the gujrat incidence modi is definetely involved because he is president they are not pursuing the case his bjp leaders have been charged for murdering muslims in the babri mosque incident in india you get killed for eating beef falsely. Choamsy will known professor from MIT America says India is the worst abuser of human rights in the world.
It is an internal issue of Myanmar . Let them sort out . Otherwise all the countries sympathetic to Rohingya should absorb them and provide shelter in their respective countries
Mahemud Afzal my dear brother let Myanmar sort out their issue . Why should others meddle . Or let other countries absorb them in their countries and provide shelter .
Parmeshwar Krishny you are so pathetic, your existence is just waste of oxygen. You are a worshiper of artificial land border rather than show sympathy towards humanity
I am Rohingya. ARSA is nothing to do with any Muslim. And it is real facts that ARSA is one of the creations of Myanmar army themselves. They are showing something ,doing something, lyiing something and showing something. You must remember that in 1962, most of the Hindu families were robbed and kicked away from country by Myanmar army, when army nationalized the all properties from Indian. You can go and ask the victims who are still living in Burma colony in India.
Now, you don’t know anything about the plight of Rohingyas. You shouldn’t comment abusively that you dont know.
Don’t compare Myanmar and India. Myanmar is only country where someone is prosecuted for someone. Father is prosecuted for son, son is prosecuted for brother etc. You can say Myanmar is one the Animal Kingdoms on earth.
Mahemud Afzal
Muslims are killed in thousands in India, therefore Indian Muslims grew to17% from 8% and in Pakistan Hindus are now down to 2% from 21% after the partition.
Why and why Islam alone has a problem with other religions world over ? Its not about India alone but this is the picture every where in the world. Islam is at war with Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists and even its Shia vs Sunni ! Why Islamic religious assertiveness would be tolerated in countries where some other dominant religion exists. Can the same argument hold good in Pakistan and other Islamic countries if the non-muslims of the Islamic countries behave like the confrontationist Muslims do in India, France, Belgium, UK, USA etc. ?
When prople are inspired and driven by some crude medieval doctrines its but natural that such confrontations are bound to occur.
There are about 50 rich Islamic countries in the world why cant it be that the muslims shift to these Islamic heavens and stay happily ever after and leaving kaffirs to fend for themselves ?
The solution is very simple the muslims in India should live like the Hindus live in Pakistan.
Afzal,
As an Indian I must stand up to a brainwashed boor like you who dont have any idea of India and conveniently forget the Islamic terrorist organizations that are killing people indiscriminately in India. Why there is not a word on Islamic terrorism that plagues the world ? You are as usual a schizophrenic person and dont know a thing beyond your crude medieval dogmatic doctrines. The whatever MIT professor you talk of may be your Allah because that suits you.
Now dear sir, whats your take on the condition of the Uighurs of China ?
Listen man, in Myanmar you have to live like the non-muslims live in Islamic countries, thats simple and clear and mind your business and we take care of our’s.
And by the way no body is obliged to take in Rohingya rufugees why dont your Islamic countries come to your rescue ? Are they ready to host you ? If yes, India can arrange to transport the Rohingyas to the Islamic countries. And by the way its to remind you we have sheltered about 50,000 Rohingyas in India. So stop your bloody lectures sitting abroad, come down and stand with your people you mean opportunist.
Malaysian and radical Muslim sponsored terrorist attack in Philipine , in sourthern Thailand, and now in western Myanmar. Who is promoting violence all over the world?
Those Bangali are migrated during the British rule without the consent of local people.
I wonder where all the sympathy towards humanity from certain class of people went when ethnic cleansing was going on in Sri Lanka?
Mahemud Afzal
You are a myopic, brainwashed, crude medievalist moron. Your kind have never learned to live harmoniously with other faiths. Thats the reason you people confront with every other religion world over and you people dont denounce terrorist
acts. Why should the world stand with such inconsiderate people ? You are responsible for your own situation in Myanmar and therefore you have to find a solution to stay in the Buddhist country or else go to any Islamic country.
Parmeshwar Krishnamani Yes I agree with you. You are right.
burmese leaders breed special terrorists in the army.these special agents perform as both heroes and villiains. sometimes the same troops can be killer, but when their brutality is publicly condemned they can swap to pretend themselves to be protectors. For ethnic minorities their military is the axis of all evils. the problem is suu kyi, who had promised military general that she would not rock the boat, which she still keeps, instead she put her blames on ethnic people saying they don’t pressure insurgents enough to come unilateral peace table of the government.
Religion poisons everything
The question everyone should be asking is why do seemingly devout muslims, for no apparent reason, kill innocent Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, Yazidis and muslims of other sects pretty much everywhere on earth?
ANSWER:
ISLAM IS NOT A RELIGION: Religions such as Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism, Judaism, etc.. have a common principle of humanity and morality (e.g. Thou shall not kill; Love thy neighbor, etc.) . On the other hand, Islam can best be described as a dictatorial pseudo-theocracy for world domination by any and all means as possible (including warfare, deception, infiltration i.e. jihad) until there are no other God but Allah. IN ISLAMIC PSEUDO-THEOCRACY, THE GREATEST CRIME IS TO BE A NON MUSLIMS (KAFIR OR INFIDEL), AND THEY (KAFIRS) MUST BE KILLED, MAIMED, RAPED AND ENSLAVED WITH IMPUNITY TO GLORIFY THEIR BLOODTHIRSTY GOD "ALLAH" (KORAN 9:5 COMMANDS "KILL THE INFIDEL WHEREVER YOU FIND THEM…). Thus, when a muslim behead or kills kafir or set off a suicide bomb, they always shout "Allah o Akbar" signifying that the muslim has sacrificed kafir(s) for the glory of Allah; very similar to what prehistoric people living under a volcano performed human sacrifices when the volcano erupts. The only difference is that muslims themselves are enslaved at all times by an imaginary angry god "Allah" of their own making. According to islamic "holy books" it is blasphemy to critically examine the theology of Islam and apostasy for a muslim to leave Islam which are both punishable by death. The only freedom of belief in Islam is the freedom to become Muslim. Thus, there is no way for a muslim to reform or assimilate and advance forward or freeing themselves towards a common humanity and morality.
Learn from people who have left Islam but who were devout Muslims until they start examining the core of Islam. Their insight and warnings about Islam, which most muslims are secretive about, are particularly eye opening, frightening, insightful, and more. Ali Sina, Ayan Hirsi Ali, Hassan Mosan Yousef, Nonie Darwish, Brigitte Gabriel, Wafi Sultan, Salman Rushdie, Ibn Warraq are all highly recommend – read their books, watch their youtube videos, see their websites…..
Stupid Najib. You will loose next election bcoz of 1MDB.
Some of these people probably have lived there for centuries but the vast majority are recent arrivals.
@ Thein Maung,
Wow !! Your insight and observation is wonderfully reflected in the article. Its a very honest and truthful analysis considering that you managed to keep your own religious leanings at bay to maintain objectivity.
Malaysia has taken a stance within the ASEAN on the Rohingya problem in Myanmar on the grounds that the Rohingya’s are a minorityMuslim Community, in other words a religion problem, rather than an ethnic problem, as no such voice has been raised on behalf of – with regards to the Karen problem.
Having done so the question of the rights of the minority’s in Malaysia ie. non-Bumiputras might be questioned?
if not, Myanmar might consider adopting the Malaysian Bumiputra/Non-Bumiputra ie, either all Muslims in Myanmar classified as non-bumiputras and or just the Rohingya Muslims as non-bumiputras – we might ask the Bamar Muslim Community for their opinion.
Fair echange no robbery
The news on the ban of visa-on-arrival is welcome as far as Malaysia goes. This country can also do the same to the Burmese who’re causing lots of problems especially related to health and hygenic.
Shamim Ahmed Which Muslim Nation shows humanity to non-Muslims?, please look up the World map, and you will find there is none…they all killed off or converted or exiled their minorities….don’t expect any sympathy from non-muslims, when Islam preaches hate, murder and subjugation of Kafirs. Its time Islam is banned in all non-Muslim countries, else they will be over run by over populating muslims.
Islam is not a religion, but political movement, just like Communism…
Which Muslim Nation shows humanity to non-Muslims?, please look up the World map, and you will find there is none…they all killed off or converted or exiled their minorities….don’t expect any sympathy from non-muslims, when Islam preaches hate, murder and subjugation of Kafirs. Its time Islam is banned in all non-Muslim countries, else they will be over run by over populating muslims.
Parmeshwar Krishnamani It is NOT internal when you drive people out of a country. Your statement is horrible and inhumane as well. It would be in your mind an "internal" matter that Hitler drove out Jews as well.