The “ethnic cleansing” of Myanmar’s Rohingya Muslims, explained
Summary
TLDRThe video script highlights the ongoing humanitarian crisis involving the Rohingya, an ethnic minority in Myanmar, who have been subjected to brutal violence by the military. Since August 2017, about 400,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh, escaping what the UN describes as a 'textbook example of ethnic cleansing.' This persecution, rooted in decades of discrimination, has seen villages burned, people killed or raped, and their citizenship stripped. Despite international condemnation, Myanmar's government has downplayed the atrocities, leaving the Rohingya stateless and unable to return home.
Takeaways
- 🚶 Thousands of Rohingya refugees are fleeing to Bangladesh daily due to violent military attacks in Myanmar.
- 💣 The Myanmar military has launched a brutal offensive against the Rohingya, killing, raping, and burning villages.
- 📊 Since August 2017, around 400,000 Rohingya have fled their homes in Rakhine State, creating a massive refugee crisis.
- ❌ Myanmar has denied access to human rights investigators, making the situation hard to fully assess.
- 📚 The situation is considered a textbook example of ethnic cleansing, as defined by the UN.
- 🌍 The Rohingya, a Muslim minority in a Buddhist-majority country, have faced decades of discrimination and violence.
- 📜 In 1982, Myanmar passed a Citizenship Act, excluding the Rohingya from recognized ethnic groups, making them stateless.
- 🔥 Repeated military operations, like 'Operation Clean and Beautiful Nation,' have forced hundreds of thousands of Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh since the 1970s.
- 💥 The 2017 crisis was sparked by a Rohingya militant attack on Myanmar police, leading to a brutal military retaliation.
- 🛑 Myanmar’s government, including leader Aung San Suu Kyi, has largely ignored the atrocities, while reports suggest landmines have been planted to prevent Rohingya from returning.
Q & A
How many Rohingya people have fled their homes in Myanmar's Rakhine State since August 2017?
-Since August 2017, about 400,000 Rohingya men, women, and children have fled their homes in Myanmar's Rakhine State.
What has the United Nations reported about the situation involving the Rohingya in Myanmar?
-The United Nations has reported that the situation appears to be a textbook example of ethnic cleansing, with the military launching attacks on the Rohingya, a Muslim minority in a predominantly Buddhist country.
What is the definition of ethnic cleansing according to the UN?
-The UN defines ethnic cleansing as a purposeful policy designed by one ethnic or religious group to remove by violent and terror-inspiring means the civilian population of another ethnic or religious group from certain geographic areas.
Why have the Rohingya been targeted by the Myanmar military?
-The Rohingya have been targeted due to a pattern of discrimination that started over 50 years ago, with the military junta promoting nationalism based on the country's Buddhist identity and singling out the Rohingya as a common enemy.
What historical event contributed to the tensions between the Burmese Buddhist population and the Rohingya?
-Tensions between the Burmese Buddhist population and the Rohingya go back to the Second World War when each group supported opposing sides.
What was the impact of the 1982 Citizenship Act on the Rohingya?
-The 1982 Citizenship Act recognized 135 ethnic groups but did not include the Rohingya, who became stateless people.
What was the immediate cause of the current crisis against Rohingya civilians?
-The immediate cause of the current crisis was an attack on August 25th, 2017, by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army that left 12 police officers dead, which sparked brutal retaliation by state security forces.
How has the Myanmar government responded to the Rohingya crisis?
-The Myanmar government has been accused of systematically driving the Rohingya out of the country, stripping their citizenship, terrorizing them, and destroying their homes.
What has been the reaction of Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's de facto leader, to the Rohingya crisis?
-Aung San Suu Kyi has barely acknowledged the attacks and has downplayed the situation, stating that more than 50% of the villages of Muslims are intact.
What measures has the Myanmar military reportedly taken to prevent the Rohingya from returning?
-The military has reportedly planted landmines along the Bangladesh border to prevent the Rohingya from returning.
What humanitarian crisis has the violent campaign against the Rohingya triggered?
-The violent campaign has triggered the fastest-growing humanitarian crisis in recent years, with a mass exodus of about 400,000 Rohingya to Bangladesh and 210 villages burned to the ground.
Outlines
🆘 Mass Exodus of Rohingya Refugees
Every day, thousands of Rohingya refugees cross into Bangladesh to escape violence in Myanmar. Since August 2017, approximately 400,000 Rohingya men, women, and children have fled their homes in Myanmar’s Rakhine State due to a military crackdown. Reports indicate mass killings, rape, and the burning of Rohingya villages, corroborated by satellite imagery. Despite limited access to human rights investigators, the situation has been labeled as a potential case of ethnic cleansing, a term historically reserved for the gravest atrocities.
⚠️ Ethnic Cleansing in Myanmar
Ethnic cleansing, as defined by the UN, is a deliberate policy by one group to violently remove another group from certain areas. Myanmar’s actions fit this description, with its military targeting the Rohingya, a Muslim minority, in a Buddhist-majority country. The violent military campaign has caused tens of thousands of Rohingya to flee to neighboring countries, mainly Bangladesh, in what seems to be a systematic attempt to remove them from Myanmar.
⏳ Historical Discrimination Against the Rohingya
The violence against the Rohingya is part of a long history of discrimination. In 1962, the military took control of Myanmar (then Burma) in a coup, promoting nationalism based on Buddhist identity. The Rohingya were labeled as a threat and became a scapegoat for national unity. Tensions between the Rohingya and the Buddhist population date back to World War II, when the groups sided with opposing forces, with the Rohingya supporting the British and the Buddhists supporting the Japanese.
🔙 Forced Exodus of the Rohingya
The persecution of the Rohingya continued through the decades. Despite their presence in Myanmar since the 15th century, they were increasingly marginalized. In 1978, Operation Dragon King forced around 200,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh, with the military using violence and rape to drive them out. Though some returned, in 1982, the government stripped them of citizenship, making them stateless. Subsequent military campaigns, including Operation Clean and Beautiful Nation in 1991, forced further mass migration.
💥 Escalating Violence and Ethnic Cleansing
In 2012, violence escalated further when four Muslim men were accused of raping a Buddhist woman. Backed by security forces, Buddhist nationalists attacked Muslim neighborhoods, burning homes and displacing tens of thousands of Rohingya. Human Rights Watch called it an ethnic cleansing campaign. By then, the Rohingya were already stateless and disenfranchised, further cementing their vulnerable status in Myanmar.
🔫 Rise of Rohingya Militants and Retaliation
In 2016, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army emerged, launching small-scale attacks against Myanmar’s border police. One attack in August 2017, which left 12 police officers dead, triggered the current crisis, with the military launching brutal retaliatory actions. Since then, approximately 400,000 Rohingya have fled, and 210 villages have been destroyed. This violence has led to one of the fastest-growing humanitarian crises in recent years.
🎖️ Silence of Myanmar's Leaders
Myanmar’s de facto leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Aung San Suu Kyi, has faced criticism for her lack of response to the attacks. While she claims that 50% of Muslim villages remain intact, critics argue that the destruction of the other half represents a failure. Further reports suggest that the military has planted landmines along the Bangladesh border to prevent Rohingya refugees from returning, signaling the government’s systematic efforts to permanently remove the Rohingya population.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Refugees
💡Ethnic Cleansing
💡Rohingya
💡Myanmar Military
💡Stateless
💡Buddhist Nationalism
💡Military Junta
💡Citizenship Act of 1982
💡Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA)
💡Human Rights Watch
💡Aung San Suu Kyi
Highlights
Thousands of Rohingya refugees are entering Bangladesh daily due to violence in Myanmar.
The UN reports about 400,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar since August 2017.
The Myanmar military is accused of killing, raping, and burning Rohingya villages.
Satellite imagery confirms the destruction of Rohingya villages.
Myanmar has denied access to human rights investigators, hindering a full assessment of the crisis.
The situation is described as a 'textbook example of ethnic cleansing' by the UN.
The Rohingya are a Muslim minority in a predominantly Buddhist country.
Many Rohingya have fled to Malaysia, Thailand, and Bangladesh.
Discrimination against the Rohingya began over 50 years ago following a military coup in Myanmar.
The Rohingya were singled out as a common enemy to unite the population under military rule.
Tensions between Buddhists and Rohingya date back to World War II.
The government has been forcing Rohingya out, claiming they are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.
Operation Dragon King in 1978 forced 200,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh.
The 1982 Citizenship Act left the Rohingya stateless by not recognizing them as one of Myanmar's 135 ethnic groups.
In 1991, 'Operation clean and beautiful nation' led to another 250,000 Rohingya fleeing to Bangladesh.
Violence against Rohingya escalated in 2012 after the rape and murder of a Buddhist woman.
The Rohingya are persecuted, disenfranchised, and stateless.
The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army emerged in 2016, coordinating attacks on border police stations.
An attack in August 2017 sparked a brutal retaliation leading to about 400 deaths and mass displacement.
Since the August attack, 210 villages have been burned to the ground.
Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi has barely acknowledged the attacks.
The military is accused of planting landmines to prevent Rohingya from returning.
Over the last five decades, Myanmar has systematically driven the Rohingya out of the country.
Transcripts
There are thousands of refugees entering Bangladesh every day. They cross the
border of Myanmar where the state military has launched a violent
offensive against an ethnic minority group – the Rohingya. The UN reported
that since August 2017 about 400,000 Rohingya men women and children have
fled their homes in Myanmar's Rakhine State. Reports claimed that the military
has been killing and raping the Rohingya and has set their villages on fire.
Satellite imagery showing burned villages confirms those reports.
Because Myanmar has refused access to human rights investigators, the current
situation cannot yet be fully assessed but the situation remains or seems a
textbook example of ethnic cleansing. The term ethnic cleansing has
been reserved for some of the worst atrocities in history. The UN defines it
as a purposeful policy designed by one ethnic or religious group to remove by
violent and terror inspiring means the civilian population of another ethnic or
religious group from certain geographic areas.
What makes Myanmar a textbook example is that the military has been launching
attacks on the Rohingya – a Muslim minority in a majority Buddhist country.
Violent tactics have forced tens of thousands of Rohingya to flee their
homes. While many fled to Malaysia and Thailand most ended up in Bangladesh.
The recent wave of violence is the latest in a pattern of discrimination that started
over 50 years ago. In 1962, Myanmar – then called Burma – was taken over by the
military in a coup. They got rid of the country's constitution and created a
military junta. Like many dictatorships they promoted fierce nationalism based
on the country's Buddhist identity and when they needed a common enemy to help
unite the population the Rohingya were singled out as a threat. Tensions between
the Burmese Buddhist population and the Rohingya go back to the Second World War
when each group supported opposing sides. The Rohingya sided with the British
colonialists who ruled the country and the Buddhists mostly sided with the
Japanese invaders hoping they'd help end the British rule after the war. But even
in modern Myanmar the Rohingya minority continued to be an easy target.
Although their lineage can be traced back to 15th century Burma, the
government has been forcing them out claiming their illegal immigrants from
Bangladesh. It started in 1978 after a massive
crackdown called Operation Dragon King forced about 200,000 Rohingya to flee to
Bangladesh. The military reportedly used violence and rape to drive them out.
About a hundred and seventy thousand Rohingya reportedly returned to Burma. Then
in 1982, the government passed the Citizenship Act recognizing 135 ethnic
groups. The Rohingya, with a population of about 1 million, were not on the list
and became a stateless people. In 1991, Myanmar's military launched another
campaign literally called "Operation clean and beautiful nation." This time
about 250,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh. Tensions continued to build
against the Rohingya in the 2000s. Violence broke out in 2012
when four Muslim men were accused of raping and killing a buddhist woman in
Rakhine. Buddhist nationalist backed by security forces attacked Muslim
neighborhoods, burned homes displacing tens of thousands of Rohingya again.
Human Rights Watch deemed it an ethnic cleansing campaign. By this point the
Rohingya were persecuted disenfranchised and stateless. In 2016, a
Rohingya militant group, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, emerged and
coordinated small-scale attacks on border police stations. An attack on
August 25th 2017 left 12 police officers dead and sparked the current crisis
against Rohingya civilians. A brutal retaliation by the state security forces
has led to about 400 deaths and the mass exodus of about 400,000 Rohingya to
Bangladesh. Since the August attack 210 villages have been burned to the ground.
The violent campaign has triggered the fastest growing humanitarian crisis in
recent years, but Myanmar's de facto leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner
Aung San Suu Ky has barely acknowledged the attacks.
More than 50% of the villages of Muslims are intact they are as they were before
the attacks took place. When she says that, you know, 50% of the Muslim villages
are still present in Rakhine State wel,l I mean, what are we talking about? 50% are
gone. 50% are burnt out. You know in any school
I went to 50% is a failing grade. Recent reports claimed that the military has
planted landmines along the Bangladesh border to prevent the Rohingya from
returning. Myanmar's government has systematically
driven the Rohingya out of the country. Over the last five decades it has
stripped their citizenship, terrorized them, and destroyed their homes, and now
it wants to keep them from ever coming back.
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