Brutality continues over Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state for decades

Myanmar, also known as Burma, is a country in southeast Asia, bordering India, Bangladesh, China, Laos and Thailand. It is home to some 53 million indo-aryans who historically are a mixture of several races from the Mongolian invaders under Kublai Khan who penetrated the region in the 13th century and later unified by Anawrahta ,the great unifier, in 1044-1077.

In 1612, the British East India Company sent agents to Burma, but the Burmese doggedly resisted efforts of British, Dutch, and Portuguese traders to establish posts along the bay of Bengal.

Through the Anglo-Burmese war in 1824-1826 and two subsequent wars, the British East India Company expanded to the whole of Burma. And by 1886, Burma was annexed to India. it later became a separate colony in 1937.

Myanmar played a key role during world war ii, as it was a key battleground; the 800-mile Burma road was the allies' vital supply line to china. the japanese invaded the country in dec. 1941, and by may 1942, had occupied most of it, cutting off the Burma road.

After one of the most difficult campaigns of the war, allied forces liberated most of Burma prior to the japanese surrender in august 1945. Three years later, on jan. 4, 1948, Burma gained its independence from Great Britain.

General Aung San played a key role during Myanmar's fight for independence and he was revered as the father of Burma, he was later assassinated.

In 1962, left-wing general Ne Win staged a military coup, banned political opposition, suspended the constitution, and introduced the "Burmese way of socialism."

After 25 years of economic hardship and repression, the Burmese people held massive demonstrations in 1987 and 1988. These were brutally quashed by the state law and order council (slorc).

In 1989, the military government officially changed the name of the country from Burma to Myanmar. In may 1990 elections, the opposition national league for democracy (nld) won in a landslide. But the military, or slorc, refused to recognize the election results.

The leader of the opposition, Aung San Suu Kyi, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991, which focused world attention on SLORC's repressive policies.

Daughter of the assassinated General Aung San, who was revered as the father of Burmese independence, Suu Kyi remained under house arrest from 1989 until 1995.

Suu Kyi continued to protest against the government, but almost every move she made was answered with a counterblow from the brutal regime.

From 2000 to 2002, suu kyi was again placed under house arrest. in spring 2003, the government cracked down once again on the democracy movement, detaining Suu Kyi and shuttering NLD headquarters.

In Oct. 2004, the government arrested Prime Minister Gen. Khin Nyunt and charged him with corruption. He had angered the leadership of the junta with his recent experiments on reform, first by freeing Suu Kyi from house arrest and later for proposing a seven-step "road map to democracy."

November 13, 2005, the military junta-in a massive and secretive move-relocated the seat of government from the capital rangoon to a mountain compound called Pyinmanaa in Naypyidaw.

The move perplexed many, and the junta was vague in its explanation, saying, "due to changed circumstances, where Myanmar is trying to develop a modern nation, a more centrally located government seat has become a necessity."

AUGUST 2007
In a stunning show of defiance, widespread pro-democracy protests, prompted by a sharp increase in fuel prices, erupted throughout the country. participation in the peaceful protests ballooned over several weeks, and buddhist monks joined the throngs of protesters.

At least nine people were killed as the military cracked down on the protesters, firing into crowds, raiding pagodas, and arresting monks. the protests were by far the largest in the country in 20 years, with as many as 100,000 people marching.

MAY 3, 2008
Cyclone nargis ravaged the irrawaddy Delta and Yangon, killing 22,500 people and leaving up to a million homeless. Another 41,000 people were reported missing and feared dead. Most of the death and destruction was caused by a 12-foot high tidal wave that formed during the storm.

The isolated military junta accepted international aid, a tacit acknowledgement that it was ill-equipped to handle a disaster of such enormous scope. but once the aid began to arrive, the government limited distribution of the supplies, accepting only about 10% of what was needed.
As part of a transition to democracy, a date was set for 2010 to hold the country's first elections in 20 years, and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was freed after nearly 20 years in detention. Thousands of supporters gathered outside her home, where she gave a speech calling for a "peaceful revolution."

The elections, which the junta-backed union solidarity and development party won in a landslide, were widely criticized as rigged and an attempt to further empower the military government. Nevertheless, the junta presented the elections as evidence that the country had completed the transition from military government to a democracy.
The country's first parliament in 20 years convened in Jan. 2011 and elected Prime Minister Thein Sein as president. The military junta officially disbanded in March 2011. However, parliament is civilian largely in name only.

The military won about 60% of the seats in October 2010 elections, and another 25% are reserved for members of the military. In addition, the cabinet is largely comprised of former members of the junta. The national league for democracy dismissed the transition to a civilian government, calling it a futile gesture that will introduce no real change in power.

The NLD's predictions proved false, however. In his first year as president, Thein Sein initiated stunning changes in political and economic philosophy that saw a loosening of the tight grip the authoritarian junta held on the country.
He initiated talks with opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi; allowed her and her party, the nld, to run in upcoming parliamentary elections; and freed more than 800 political prisoners.

In response, the U.S. took dramatic steps to normalize relations with the formerly isolated and repressive regime. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited the country in December 2011-it was the first visit of a senior U.S. official in about 50 years.

in January 2012 the U.S. restored full diplomatic relations with Myanmar. That was followed by an easing of sanctions that allowed U.S. companies to "responsibly do business" in Myanmar.

In april 2012 parliamentary elections, the national league of democracy prevailed in 43 out of 45 districts that held races, including the capital, Naypyidaw.

Suu kyi, who in October 2010 was released after spending nearly 20 years under house arrest, won a seat in parliament and took office in May. It was a stunning victory for the opposition-and an equally symbolic defeat for the military.
Observers speculated that the opposition's victory would either prompt military rulers to respond to the will of the people and enact change or view the victory as a threat to its power.

After the country moved from dictatorship to democracy, newfound freedoms of expression gave voice to Buddhist extremists who spewed hatred against the Muslim minority and warned that Rohingya were taking over the country.

Ethnic violence broke out between Buddhists and Muslims in the western state of Rakhine. Revenge attacks followed, prompting Prime Minister Thein Sein to declare a state of emergency in June.

The Buddhists attacked and left up to 280 Muslims dead. Another 140,000 Rohingya were driven from their homes and are now living under apartheid-like conditions in crowded displacement camps.

Tension between the Buddhist majority and Muslim minority in Rakhine has been high for years. The government considers the Rohingyas illegal immigrants, discrimination against them is rampant, and they live in horrible conditions. All the Rohingya asked for was to have the same rights as others in Myanmar, starting with citizenship, good health care, education and freedom.

On Aug. 1, 2012, the international organization human rights watch published a 56-page report "the government could have stopped this" based on eyewitness reports of the acts of violence committed in Myanmar.

Sein's government stated that Rohingyas are "Bengali," a term that implies they are all illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. They are not eligible for citizenship under the country's old military-drafted 1982 law, because they are not on an "official" list of ethnic groups that had permanently settled in Myanmar since at least 1823.

Prime Minister Thein Sein continued his shift in political philosophy in September, announcing in a speech to the UN that the changes in Myanmar are "irreversible."

In response, President Barack Obama visited Myanmar in November-the first U.S. president to enter the country. President Obama lifted the 1996 ban on entry visas to the former Burma's military rulers, their business partners, and immediate families on May 2, 2013.

At the same time, however, the Obama administration approved another year of the national emergencies act, which prohibits business transactions with anyone in Myanmar involved in repression of the democracy movement.

This give-one, take-one approach was meant to encourage the democratization of Myanmar while simultaneously registering censure of the sectarian violence against Muslim minorities that erupted in March and has caused more than 80 deaths and has displaced an estimated 13,000.

Radical Buddhist monks have been indicted in these attacks between buddhists and minority (5% of population) muslims. While Myanmar has taken steps toward political and social reform in its slow transition to democracy, little has been done to reach a cease-fire with its many ethnic groups.

Part of the brutality by the government is to restrict aid agencies and increase difficulties in getting help to Rohingyas. Apart from the logistical problems created by the camps' isolation, the government has introduced bureaucratic obstacles, including serious delays in providing travel authorisations and visas for aid staff.

Suu Kyi complained in november 2014 that the reforms had stalled, noting that the military government is blocking her from running for president in 2015's elections.

During the summer of 2015, Aung San Suu Kyi announced that her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), would take part in the election after boycotting the previous one in 2010, which was condemned for irregularities by international organizations.

The leader of NLD, the main opposition party, and Myanmar's most popular politician, Aung San Suu Kyi released a video in early September as campaigning began. In the video, she said, "for the first time in decades, our people will have a real chance of bringing about real change. This is a chance that we cannot afford to let slip.

In August 2015, the country's electoral commission announced that candidates and political parties were forbidden from criticizing the military during their state media campaign speeches. Also, the 2015 election would still take place under a constitution that was written by the military, a constitution that many, including NLD view as fraudulent.

Results indicated that Aung San Suu Kyi's opposition party won Myanmar's landmark national elections by a landslide. the first official results had the opposition party winning the majority of seats in Yangon, Myanmar's largest city. Htin Kyaw emerged as the first educated president of Myanmar hoping to ease repression on minority groups.

However, about 18,000 Rohingya Muslims are estimated to have crossed into Bangladesh in the last week, according to the International Organization for Migration, seeking to escape the worst violence in Myanmar's northwest.

The Iom added that, it was difficult to estimate the number of people stranded in the no man's land at the border between the neighbours, but added there were "hundreds and hundreds" of people stuck there.

Mass gang-rape, killings -including babies and children- and disappearances have taken place in the region according to the united nations.

Rohingya staying in Malayisa, Ziaur Rahman saying: "I hope he will intervene to the Myanmar government and also Myanmar embassy in Malaysia, that he must pressure to the Myanmar government to stop the genocide. Because every time, now still going on, burning houses, burning people, raiding houses are still going on."

In the past week around 3,000 Rohingya Muslims have been killed in the violence. Turkey has urged all countries to stand up for the Rohingya, who face persecution and displacement by Myanmar security forces.

The international community must keep the pressure on the Burmese government to facilitate full humanitarian access to the Rohingya, end segregation in rakhine state, provide them with the protection they need to return home, and restore their Burmese citizenship.