Mohammad Amjad Hossain :
The situation in Myanmar has become complicated since the army known as Tatmadaw took over the administration in 1962 following independence in 1942 from the United Kingdom. In fact, the Burmese army was trained by Imperial Japan. Therefore, Japan invested in Burma after independence from the United Kingdom. As a result, Japan is still contributing significantly in Myanmar, for example, Japan’s Investment stands at $ 768 million in 2019- 2020. The country is full of mineral resources, including petroleum and natural gas, apart from precious and semi-precious stones.
Significantly Buddhist dominated population country but there are 135 ethnic minorities, including Rohingya living in Myanmar for generations. The military administration Gen, Ne Win declared Rohingya citizens of Myanmar as non-citizen who have been living in Rakhine state for generations.
Geographically Burma is surrounded by China, India, Bangladesh, Thailand and Laos. Of them, China and India have invested in Myanmar on a significant scale but none of the country around Myanmar has protested against military coup on first of February dislodging leaders of National League for democracy which secured 83 percent votes but military chief is reported to have said that there was fraud in the election since military supported party Union Solidarity and Development party secured a few seats. The same dump theory of former President Trump had been raised after the election.
As a result of military coup d’état on 1st of February President of the United States of America and Prime Minister of United Kingdom condemned and warned that economic sanction would follow.US foreign secretary, Mr. Antony Blinken , Britain, Germany and Japan, UN secretary general urged military to stop military repression on peaceful protests.
It is an irony that Burma has been under military rule since 1962 led to the end of democracy but returned to democracy in 2015 after 25 years. National League of Democracy headed by Aung San Suu kyi won the election in a landslide victory but she was not allowed to hold presidentship because her two sons hold foreign citizenship. She had served as State Counsellor of Myanmar and Minister of Foreign Affairs, but she lost her image as an icon of human rights which dashed to zero when she vehemently supported army’s atrocities against Rohingya Minority Muslims since 2016. Rohingya Minority community in Rakhine State of Myanmar is residing there for generation along with Buddhist community.
De facto leader of Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi also defended atrocities and genocide against Rohingya by the army of Myanmar at International Court of Justice on 11 December, 2019 by saying that Myanmar will have no tolerance for human rights abuses committed in Rakhine and prosecute the army if war crime has been committed there. At the same breath Suu Kyi is reported to have said the military had used disproportionate force but insisted the world had an incomplete and misleading picture of the Rohingya situation.
During the rule of the National League of Democracy journalists and activists were prosecuted using colonial era laws. It is an irony that Aung San Suu Kyi is now under house arrest who defended the army at the International court of Justice at Hague. The army also declared a state of emergency for one year on February first in accordance with article 417 of the 2008 constitution.
Apart from Rakhine state the situation in Kachin and Shan states is not normal. Myanmar army has been engaged in confronting Kachin Independence army in Muse while Myanmar troops clashed with the Shan state army in Southern Shan state. Here both the states are fighting to become independent from Myanmar.
The People’s Republic of China and Russia, both veto power in UN did not allow United Nation to impose sanction against Myanmar military for coup d’état on 1sf of February but President Joseph Biden of the United States has issued executive order to impose immediate sanction on the leaders responsible for coup on first of February while United Kingdom imposed sanction on 18 February.
In 2020, the human rights situation in Myanmar has been deteriorated including restriction on freedom of speech and peaceful assembly. At the same time fighting between Myanmar’s army and several ethnic armed groups in Rakhine, Kachin, Karen is on the increase.
Since the situation in Myanmar is complicated it is suggested that all members of the UN Security Council should consider having talks with military leaders to have a compromise solution.
(Mr. Hossain is a retired diplomat from Bangladesh and former President of Nova Toastmaster International Club of America, writes from Falls Church, Virginia).
