‘Self-Defense’: The Last resort for the persecuted ethnic Rohingya to recourse against tyranny and oppression

*Dr.HK Ibn Fayaz

Self-defense , a word that literarily denotes ‘the defense of one’s person, interest, especially through the use of physical force which is permitted in certain cases as an answer to a charge of violent crime’. The right of self-defense is the right for persons to use reasonable force or defensive force ( as compared with oppressor’s) for the purpose of defending one’s life, rights or beliefs. It has been an inborn fundamental right for the human being as recognized at the preamble Charter of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) of United Nations (UN). It is the legitimate right of oppressed people when non-violence’s philosophical appeals are in vain to the tyrannical forces.

As per the reports of different sources availed, as many as 500 to 600 people reportedly led three separate attacks on Kyi Kan Pyin (Khawar bil) , headquarter of BGP of southern Maungdaw and NgaKhuya (Nakfura) outpost in Maungdaw and Rathedaung township from 1.30am to 4.30am at early hours of Sunday, the 9th October 2016. The attackers equipped with bamboo sticks, kitchen knives, slingshots and a small collection of locally made arms. Nine police officers were killed and five others injured whereas 8 attackers were demanded to have killed with 2 others captured alive. At least 50 weapons and 10000 rounds of ammunition were looted by the assailants during the attack. There has been credible reports of several deadly clashes which continued every now and again where significant numbers of combatants of Tatmadaw infantry units (Burmese armed forces) were killed.

According to the press release from the presidential Office, the attacks in BGP posts were systematically planned in advance over a long period of time and were carried out by about 400 youths led by a local youth who got some training from outside Arakan. These attacks were assisted by significant financial support provided not by particular organizations, but was provided secretly through individuals originally from Maungdaw.

The Burmese armed forces under Tatmadaw Infantry Units together with Burmese Police Force have been carrying out relentless post-attack operations using it as a pretext for a crash down to the ethnic Rohingyas. They have been launching ‘Clearance Operations’ to uproot the Rohingyas from the land of their fore-fathers in the name of joint combat operations against attackers. These armed forces have been staging mass-killings of the innocent Rohingya civilians in Maungdaw and Rathedaung townships since the raid to the BGP posts. The authority has been on a Rohingya killing spree. It started raiding Rohingya villages, indiscriminately firing on, committing extra-judicial killings of unconcerned innocent Rohingya civilians en-mass. These innocent civilians have been shooting down out of control. The death toll has reportedly risen to more than 100 in a week following attack. At least three mass graves of Rohingya victims have been discovered. The additionally burned over 600 homes the ground displacing over 8000 Rohingya people. Thousands of Rohingya families were compelled to take shelter in nearby villages and in forest areas. Looting homes and shops of Muslims along with confiscation of properties by Buddhist Rakhine were reportedly rampant during the raid. Arbitrary arrest and atrocities in the name of searching the assailants by the Burmese forces have been reported. Random rape cases of Rohingya women and young girls have also been reported. As a result of chaotic situation, there has been acute shortages of food, water, fuel, medicines and proper health care facilities — a humanitarian crisis to be focused and met urgently. The post attack persecution has entered a new and more devastating phase.

The systematic extermination of ethnic Rohingyas by the tyrannical forces is not a new one. The world has been witnessing a multi-dimensional annihilation process subjected to the Rohingya prior to the independence of Burma. The harrowing tales of persecution meted out upon the Rohingya knew no bound. They had been persecuted-religiously, liquidated-politically, crippled- economically and degraded-socially since 1937, the year of granting ‘Home-Rule’ to the Burmans from British. The whole community is cornered and marginalized gradually facing them to escape in the worst possible conditions to the open sea. They have been the victims of widespread violations during different regimes in power till to-date. The International State Crime Initiative (ISCI) of Queen Mary University of London in research reports published in 2015 depicted the gradually decimated picture of Rohingya people which is summarized here-under chronologically:

A vivid picture of the atrocities of Burmese regime in a sequential manner

Yearly Action and Reactions

1938: A year after the granting ‘Home-Rule’ to the Burmans, the Rohingyas were made target to the dehumanization alleging them as pro-British supporters.

Aung San, (Father of Suu Kyi) leader of Thakin Party (an organization founded by young university students to free Burma from British) paid a secret visit to Arakan and propagated the policy of Muslim hatred in the minds of Rakhine with the ulterior motive of dividing the two sister communities.

1942: The Muslim massacre of 1942: The barbaric Muslim massacre was started on 28th March 1942 where the plunder, slaughter and rape of the Maghs and their Thankin masters were so great that more than 100,000 of innocent Muslim men, women and children were murdered. Thousands of villages were destroyed. The water of Lemro River turned red with the blood of innocent victims. Muslim majority areas had turned in a Muslim minority area.

1978: The King Dragon (Nagamin) Operation: The Arakan state authorities again carried out Muslim ethnic cleansing operation where the mass arrest, torture and killing of Muslims, male and female, young and old were held indiscriminately. About 300,000 Rohingyas compelled to take refuge in the makeshift camps in Bangladesh.

1982: Enactment of worst Citizenship Law and cancellation of the nationality of ethnic Rohingya minority with branding them as non-nationals.

1989: New citizenship scrutiny cards issued to Burmese nationals

1991-1992: Pyi Thaya operation in the northern Arakan state: Nearly 250,000 people flee Bangladesh to escape persecution.

1992:         NaSaKa military (Border force) established in northern Arakan state which became notorious for abuses of Human Rights of Rohingyas.

1993: Border immigration control restricted marriage of Rohingya in Maugdaw Township.

1994: Burmese regime stopped issuing birth certificates to Rohingya children

1997: Head of Sitwe immigration office restricts Rohingya traveling outside their township.

2001: 30 ancient and heritage mosques and Islamic schools destroyed in and around Maungdaw Township.

2005: Maungdaw Peace and Development Council restricted Rohinyga marriages and Birth rates.

2008-2009: Govt. allowed ‘spot-checks’ Rohinyga homes and restricts movements.

2012: State-patronized violence erupts in Arakan state between Buddhist and Muslims. Almost 140,000 people were displaced in -internal camps and squatting on the outskirts of villages at the mercy of their-persecutors and hundreds other killed.

2014: Rohingya was excluded from April Nation-wide Census.

2015: Parliament grants temporary white card holders (mostly Rohingya) the right to vote in planned Constitutional amendment in February while the president reverses the decision a few days later and declares white cards invalid.

It is crystal clear from the above data that a process of genocide against the Rohingya population is underway in Burma. Burmese officials, military forces, nationalist Rakhine politicians and civil society leaders and hard-line Buddhist Monks are central to this annihilation process. They have been the victims of worst kind of oppressions and scapegoating as to when considered historically and systematically reveal a bleak that the Rohinyga are gradually being decimated. Now , the Rohingya people potentially are facing the final stages of genocide- Mass annihilation followed by the erase of the glory from Burmese history.

World un-saturated response to the Annihilation of Rohinygas

The international community has been observing all the repressive and offensive measures of Burmese regime for the last 6 decades. Some quarters including United Nations (UN) having no power to apply by them have been raising their constant voice of concern regarding the sufferings of the Rohingya people. Their deep expressions were not enough to dismantle the ironic machinery of the oppressors. On the other hand, the mighty human rights watch-dogs have been playing a role of ‘mere spectators’ with eyes closed and ears deaf over the progressive deteriorating plight of Rohingyas- the world’s most persecuted minority. Their long standing grievances could not draw the attention of the world chieftains because of the complex regional monopoly of powers and politics. The dramatic conclusion has not been drawn effectively as because of the religious belief of the Rohingya Muslims in comparison to the people of East-Timur. The Christian nation of the East-Timur got the taste of independence under the UN sponsored act of self-determination when Indonesia has to relinquish its control of the territory in 2002. The failure to resolve the critical situation of the Rohingya can also be attributed in part to Burman’s political democratic transition that has absorbed attention of almost all the international community. With respect to the international community, the balance of attention towards the Rohinyga people at the moment is mainly negative. As a result, the Burmese forces became a hard nut to crack for the philanthropist and peace-lovers. No worthwhile ascension of their right of freedom and security has been occurring.

Self-Defense: The Last resort to recourse against oppression

In the welter of the prevailing situation, it has been hard for the oppressed people to get free and honor as human being unless and until they have fought back the oppressors. The Self-Defense has been the ‘One and Only’ justifiable way of emancipation against the tyrannical force when the opponent lacks conscience. It is clear and ahistorical that apartheid forces can never be defeated by pacifism or non-violence’s philosophical appeal. Nobody in the world or in the history has ever gotten their freedom by appealing to moral sense of the oppressors. The French revolution did never abolish the monarchy simply by pacifism. Similarly the oppressed Rohingya people now-a-days are seemed to exert an act of self-defense as a ‘necessary evil’ to restore the lost glory and live with full dignity and sovereignty. This self-defense of the Rohigya people has rarely been a first resort, rather it is the last resort left to recourse against the tyranny for their survival as a human being in the earth. The recent attack of oppressed Rohinyga in Arakan is an unpronounced illustration of self-defense to the oppressors. It seems to have no alternative to the youth ‘fighters’ except to defend their selves and to save the community from further suppressions of racist regime. The future belongs to those who prepare for it today. This ‘resistance’ and ‘self-defense’ has got much popularity among Rohingya themselves and the foreign rights activists. They have conceded that the attack have much trembled the Burmese authority ever stroked since 1965. The Rohingya right activists assumed the ‘resistance’ as the mass uprising against the oppressors.

As per a video clip released in the social media on October 14, ‘the fighters’ accused the successive Burmese tyrannical regime of genocidal mass killing subjected to the Rohingya people and expressed their concern over the silence and ignorance as well as apparent failure of the resourceful world to protect the innocent Rohinygas from the hands of Burmese offenders. These ‘fighters’ are ‘compelled’ by their dire situation to make their own destiny through “uprising, self-determination in self-defense” . They seek fundamental but legitimate rights and justice for the innocent Rohinygas dying to defend their mothers, sisters, elder persons and children from continuous military assault—the right never achieved from the so-called ‘civilized world’.

The defenders have put a 20 (twenty) points basic demands to be realized immediately for the defense ended successively. The national and international analyst ‘confess that the movement of self-defense to meet their basic demands were quite logical’ and not an act of terrorism as per definition of ‘UN report on Terrorism in November 2004’. The UN report described terrorism as ‘ any act intended to cause death or serious bodily harm to civilians or non-combatants with the purpose of intimidating a population or compelling a govt. or an international organization to do or abstain from doing any act’. As the attacks were only to combatant or armed forces and neither cause death or serious bodily harm to neither civilians nor non-combatants, it can be excluded from the act of terrorism and violence according to the UN report.

There are more than a dozen ethnic rebel armed groups fighting against the Burmese govt. for their rights and demands. What is more surprising to us that the Mon, Karen, Wa, Shan, Chin, Kachin and other ethnic groups have been waging their armed resistance against Burmese regime to separate their state from Burman nation while the Rohinyga resistance is simply to accept as a part of Burma nation. The govt. is trying to have negotiation with those who wants the separation but on the contrary warns of taking ‘effective action to defend against in accordance with the anti-terrorism law’. Instead of trying to understand the root of the problem on the ground and having more even-handed in its treatment, the authority has been painting it with the color of terrorism and violence. It is a matter of great concern that we could be witnessing of establishing another armed ethnic group- a one more to be added to Burma’s long list of rebellions if she would not address the grievances of the stateless Rohingya people.

Last but not the least; the world is gradually advancing to the path of peace and non-violence. Understanding the facts to the root of the crisis of all ethnic groups including the Rohingya through non-violence endurable way will bring the rebels to the knees of Burmese government. The government under the leadership of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi should immediately cease all military offensives against all the ethnic groups including the Rohingyas and thereby should understand the art of compromise and reiterate its commitment to peace and stability. The international community like- UN, EU, OIC, ASEAN, and the US should come forward and intervene to the current human crisis in Arakan as per the given ‘Responsibility to Protect (R2P) in the global political commitment to prevent genocide and ethnic cleansing. They should also pressurize the Burmese govt. to secure recognition and ensure rights and freedom of Rohingya Muslims in Arakan where no mass is tortured , no human being is killed, no woman is abused and no child is denied his/her dignity of citizenship of this peaceful world.

 *The author is a Human Rights activist

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https://arakanwatch.org/articles/self-defense-the-last-resort-for-the-persecuted-ethnic-rohingya-to-recourse-against-tyranny-and-oppression/

https://mirsdq.blogspot.com/2017/04/self-defense-last-resort-for-persecuted.html