May Thingyan Hein(Myitmakha)
(This is the continued part of “How big is the Rohingya Dispute which can be reached by following the given link.)
http://on.fb.me/LVJAQp
It is said that the Rohingya crisis is certainly a big problem for our country. According to historical backgrounds, this is not just a regional problem of the Arakan State, but a national problem should not be forgotten.
Who did create the problem?
I have blamed the immigration department since I heard that in Buthi Tong and Maung Taw 90% of the locals is Bengalis, 7% is Arakanese and 3% is other ethnicities. Only after looking the historical facts, I realized that it is not right to blame the immigration department alone for such issue.
In the earlier colonial era, Arakan State has fallen under the control of British and was combined with Bengal State.
In 1839, the British government announced an agricultural extension, as a result Bengalis from SistaGung and Suyatis from Madayat entered to Arakan State as workers, described in historical documentations.
Before the World War II, Muslims from India asked to create the eastern Bengali State and western parts of India as Pakistan. According to a magazine published at the time around 1959-60, the act of requesting was obvious that the Bengalis tried to get their own country by working together with Pakistan. In respond, the British government said that was a wrong thing and suggested them the right things to do. And they followed the suggestions.
According to Series 10/1, Acc No.641, NAD, Maung Taw and Buthi Tong were asked to be included in eastern Pakistan in the report from May 15, 1947. Again in the under the governance of Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League, Mujahit Party sent a request document, asking to give them nationality status, to regard them as Arakanese-Muslims and as an ethnicity, to have the right to hold their own armed group, and to allow them to involve in government. The demands caused debates in Second Parliament Conference.
To win the election the Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League cooperated with the head of State Department U Amaung (aka) Adu Ladit and allowed the entering of Bengalis into the country. Also in Buthi Tong Township, the region chair-person of Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League Abu Khine and regional immigration offices issued them national identity cards.
That was a big mistake the government has done to the country, stated the report of 0H/p/0360/2009. In the historical review of the Anti-Fascist People's Freedom League, Muslims were granted to access into Parliament and some of them also became the heads in some Ministries.
After General Ne Win came to power, he rejected their requests and reduced their nationality status. In respond, the Bengalis from Arakan State reported they were Arakanese-Muslims. In Maung Taw Township historical reviews, the report was written former Parliament Member Gaphar. He held a press conference in 1960, quoting Rohingya ethnicity and Rohingya language.
Naga Min Mission
According to historical documents, Naga Min Mission was enforced to drive illegal immigrants out of the country. The mission started in Northern Arakan State so most of the Bengalis fled into the neighboring Bangladesh. The exiled Rohingya stated that the government was killing them as an attempt to wipe them out of the country. Those stories were described in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Malaysian newspapers and also in western newspapers.
Bengalis number around 15,000 fled to Bangladesh in 1975 and in 1978, the number was 200,000. In the country the missions were known as ones to defeat Bengali uprisings. However, Myanmar government and military were discredited by the international communities.
After the intervention of UNHCR, the government had to accept them back in the country and they settled in Arakan State.
Acts of terror committed by Rohingya before 88 uprising
The Bengalis took May 13 as the day to defeat Arakanese and in May 13, 1988, at 9 p.m. they started to attack Arakanese and burnt Myothit Monastery. Polices had to defense the public. During the unrests, their leader Dr. Htun Aung (Adu Laut) and a Bengali lawyer Shwe Maung stated Bengalis were Roingya and they were in Myanmar since 680 A.D. and they should the same rights as Arakanese and they have the right to have their own autonomy and state. That was written in Rohingya Bengali uprising page 146.
The movements of Rohingya after 1988
There were also missions to drive Rohingya in 1989, ’91 and ’92. Most of them fled into neighboring country but later returned after the interventions of UNHCR and international communities. Since then they asked to regard them as an ethnicity.
In 2003, Myanmar Rohingya Association (Japan) published a “Union of Myanmar and Rohingya Ethnic Minorities”. The book was sold in many countries and there were literature talks stating that Rohingya exit.
The international community accepted the idea and forced Myanmar to accept them. Given that, one can easily understand the current unrests between Rohingya and Arakanese.
‘There are no Rohingya in our place, only Arakanese, Myo, Kami, Kaman, Thet, Dynat and Mayamar Kyi. They are the seven diversities of Arakanese ethnicity. Rohingya are just illegal immigrants from the neighboring country.
Both American embassy and government need to know it. It is in fact an attempt to bring unrests into Myanmar and cause religious riots to say that Bengalis are one of our ethnicity.Although they sneaked into our country, we did not refuse them and lived with them peacefully. They got freedom of religious. But please do not make an attempt to regard them as one of our ethnicity. Most of the houses burnt are Arakanese properties. But it is described in Medias that Bengalis were being tortured.Arakanese died and Bengalis moved to the place. Now they claimed it is their land. However, we could do nothing to prevent it but the world has to know the truth.’ said U Aye Thar Aung of Arakanese League for Democracy.
For the current government, it’s a problem that should be solved with great care, taking the lessons from Gen. Ne Win’s acts and the uprising from May 13, 1988.
As for me, I suppose this is a national problem. A problem that test our acts of protecting our country.
References
D264, D272, D1313, D1315, D1316, D1317, D1318, D1319, DR491 (56) of Historical Department
Series 10/1, Acc No. 641. NAD
MF-962, OH/P/ 0354/2009, OH/P/ 0355/2009, OH/P/ 0356/2009 of Historical Department
‘The entering of Muslims into Arakan State and their political acts’ Historical Department, 2009 March
Khin Gyi Phyaw “What is Mujarhein from Arakan State” article ‘Arakan Tensong’ magazine Volume -1, No.8, 1959-60
‘Mayyu and Rohingya: confessions of San Htun Aung Oo, a witness’ by San Thar Aung, Uarnanda Sanda
‘Rohingya Ethnicities’ maruyama Corp, Tokyo.
Record of Second Parliament Conference (Sep. 20 1957)
History of internal insurgencies (second part)
History of Buthi Tong, Bon Paut Thar Kyaw, 1973 Yangon
Bon Paut Thar Kyaw, Arakan State and Rohingya Bengali unrests, 1989
1989 Maung Taw Hostory, Hostorical Department
Report on the future of Buddhism in Maung Taw, Sep. 28, 1988
Report on Arakan State, Myawaddy Magazine July 1960, Volume 8
Mujahit cease-fire, Myawaddy press
Arakanese force 2, Arakanese historical review group 1996
History of Yatae Tong, Historical Department 1981.
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