Myanmar is witnessing an ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya.
As the world鈥檚 attention is focused on the tragedy of Aleppo, a small pocket of western Myanmar is witnessing a genocide of its own in the making. In response to recent attacks against the police by Rohingya militants, the recently-elected government has moved in against the Muslim minority group, armed with everything from fire torches to helicopter gunships. As in most conflicts, the majority of victims鈥攐f rape, torture and murder鈥攁re women, children and the elderly.
The 1.3 million Rohingya live in Rakhine state and are falsely classified as illegal immigrants by both the Myanmar government and the militant Buddhists, who launch attacks against them. The group has been denied citizenship and even its name itself is recognized neither by the government nor its Nobel Peace Prize-winning international superstar leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who herself spent 15 years under arrest during the military dictatorship.
As Suu Kyi turns a deaf ear to the plight of the Rohingya community, the 120,000 who are already displaced are now being followed by , fleeing collective punishment and facing more 鈥�.鈥�
The views expressed in this article are the author鈥檚 own and do not necessarily reflect 51吃瓜鈥檚 editorial policy.
Photo Credit:
Support 51吃瓜
We rely on your support for our independence, diversity and quality.
For more than 10 years, 51吃瓜 has been free, fair and independent. No billionaire owns us, no advertisers control us. We are a reader-supported nonprofit. Unlike many other publications, we keep our content free for readers regardless of where they live or whether they can afford to pay. We have no paywalls and no ads.
In the post-truth era of fake news, echo chambers and filter bubbles, we publish a plurality of perspectives from around the world. Anyone can publish with us, but everyone goes through a rigorous editorial process. So, you get fact-checked, well-reasoned content instead of noise.
We publish 3,000+ voices from 90+ countries. We also conduct education and training programs
on subjects ranging from digital media and journalism to writing and critical thinking. This
doesn鈥檛 come cheap. Servers, editors, trainers and web developers cost
money.
Please consider supporting us on a regular basis as a recurring donor or a
sustaining member.
Will you support FO鈥檚 journalism?
We rely on your support for our independence, diversity and quality.
FO掳 Podcasts: Myanmar Votes During a Civil War: Why This Election Could Tear the Country Apart
In this episode of FO掳 Podcasts, Rohan Khattar Singh and Asanga Abeyagoonasekera examine Myanmar鈥檚 December 28 elections against the backdrop...
Reconciliation in a Broken State 鈥� Myanmar鈥檚 Civil War and the Illusion of Elections
Myanmar has been gripped by civil war, leading to widespread suffering, poverty and displacement since the military coup in 2021....
ASEAN鈥檚 Myanmar Strategy, Slow But Steady
Despite repeated urgency for stronger action, ASEAN recognizes that coercive strategies are not effective in seeking a final resolution in...
Commenting Guidelines
Please read our commenting guidelines before commenting.
1. Be Respectful: Please be polite to the author. Avoid hostility. The whole point of 51吃瓜 is openness to different perspectives from perspectives from around the world.
2. Comment Thoughtfully: Please be relevant and constructive. We do not allow personal attacks, disinformation or trolling. We will remove hate speech or incitement.
3. Contribute Usefully: Add something of value 鈥� a point of view, an argument, a personal experience or a relevant link if you are citing statistics and key facts.
Please agree to the guidelines before proceeding.