Conflict and Violence in Rakhine State, Myanmar

The violent conflict in Arakan is shrouded by history, and historic claims, and is misidentified and therefore misunderstood by many. And, with a massive amount of misinformed, and even fraudulent and manipulative media shaping the sympathy and perception of the conflict, assumptions have been made which are – in objective reality – quite erroneous. The Rakhine Buddhist people have been unfairly and unjustly vilified and demonized, and blamed and accused of that which they themselves have endured and suffered from.

Arakan Human Rights and Development Organization (AHRDO) has compiled a large and comprehensive report about the conflict and violence in Arakan (a.k.a. Rakhine State), in the western part of Burma (a.k.a. Myanmar), titled:

Conflict and Violence in Arakan (Rakhine) State, Myanmar (Burma): What is Happening, Why and What To Do – has been released, as of August 1, 2012, to bring focused attention to the history behind the conflict, and the roles that the British, various leaders of Burma, (U Nu, General Ne Win and others) the U.N. and the OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation) have played, and also bring attention to past and present parallel situations in southern Thailand, Bangladesh, Assam State of India, and China. The report makes clear the historic origin and development of the issues, how and why violence erupted in June and October of 2012 – as it has numerous times in the past – and the dynamics of the two faiths of Islam and Buddhism that are locked in struggle.

Much of the international media, NGOs, human rights groups, outside observers, and even the United Nations saw the June and October 2012 violence and ensuing refugee needs identified rather simply as the ‘Rohingya Refugees Fleeing by Boat Issue’ and that led to a simple ‘Rohingya Should Be Granted Citizenship’ appeal. And with that it is assumed, seemingly without question, that:

1) the Rohingya are actually indigenous to Arakan (as the Rakhine Buddhist are)
2) that the Rohingya actually are the victims of reasonless prejudice
3) that granting them citizenship should be unquestioned, and would alleviate the conflict and violence.

However, we clearly show, in the following report, that this massive conflict in Arakan has been mis-identified, and assumptions have been made which are – in objective reality – quite erroneous. And we show that there is a massive amount of manipulative and fraudulent media which has vilified and demonized the real victims of this conflict – the indigenous Rakhine Buddhist people.

There is also a massive amount of information both from historic realities, and from victims with human stories, as well as comparisons with other related conflicts, that will show the reality that the Buddhist Rakhine people are under a real and brutal campaign by Bengali Muslims, who have poured across a porous border and aspire o seize their centuries old cultural homeland and turn it into an Islamic State, without other people or religions tolerated.

Crucial to understanding the situation is knowing the history of the last 150 years in and around Arakan, and especially the history since WWII times. This report aims to show the real human suffering and tragic losses of the indigenous Rakhine Buddhist people. We have, in this report, many interviews with Rakhine elders, laborers, farmers, monks, teachers, authorities, mothers, widows, etc. All paint a terrifying picture of fears, violence, intolerance, fanaticism, and hopelessness.

We hope and request that the press, world leaderships, regional governments, human rights and aid organizations, and all those who are active or involved with the Arakan situation to please read, examine, and allow that the reality may be quite different than that which has been portrayed.

This Report has been made under the leadership and guidance of Aung Marm Oo, the Executive Director of AHRDO and Rick Heizman, the main writer of the report.

Media Contact: Aung Marm Oo- INFO@arakanhrdo.org Or AMO@arakanhrdo.org
Mobile: + 95 (0) 941000497
Rick Heizman- rickmusic4@gmail.com Or earthviewmusic@yahoo.com
+ 95 (0) 973151193

View media release as PDF in English, in Burmese

Click here to download the report.