The government-in-exile in Myanmar is asking the Rohingya for help in defeating the military junta. In return, they entice with citizenship.
When government soldiers chased 750,000 Rohingya out of Myanmar in the summer of 2017, very few protested internally in the country.
Years of propaganda had created the impression that the minority group did not belong in the country. That they actually came from Bangladesh, where they had now fled, even though their families had lived in Myanmar for many generations.
In a country with at least 135 different ethnic minorities, the Rohingya stood out by being denied citizenship. Thus, they also had no rights when they were chased across the border.
Now the refugees can see a hope of finally becoming citizens of Myanmar.
Why?
Promises citizenship of the Rohingya
Because the military coup in February has created new alliances. The self-proclaimed government-in-exile in Myanmar is now asking the Rohingya for help in removing the junta in power.
In an announcement on Thursday, the government in exile calls on all Rohingya to take part in the “spring revolution against the military dictatorship”.
And what will the Rohingya get in return for assisting in the fight? A promise to return to their homeland. And full citizenship.
The government in exile also promises to hold the military junta responsible for killing and expelling so many Rohingya from the country.
Coup leader Min Aung Hlaing has been in power in Myanmar for four months now. Photo: Lynn Bo Bo, Reuters / NTB
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The country’s former authorities have already been charged with genocide in the International Court of Justice. That government was led by Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi.
She has also been appointed head of the government-in-exile, but it is unclear whether they believe she can also be punished for her role in the abuses against the Rohingya population in 2017.
400 demonstrated in Yangon
Four months have passed since the coup. Juntal leader Min Aung Hlaing has not shown any signs of letting go of power. On Friday, he met two representatives of the regional cooperation group ASEAN. It testifies to self-confidence, writes the Japanese news service Nikkei.
But the population is also showing signs of fighting. The last few days have people demonstrated in several of the country’s largest cities. At least 400 people marched in a short-lived protest march in the former capital Yangon on Thursday. Before the security forces had time to react, the protesters had fled.
Fierce battles against guerrilla groups
At the same time, fierce, armed fighting is taking place between government soldiers and small rebel groups affiliated with minority groups.
Combat forces associated with the Karen people in the south, the Kachin people in the north and the Chin people in the west are just some of those who are now fighting in guerrilla battles against the military junta’s soldiers.
In the Kachin region, government soldiers have used heavy artillery in the fights. It has also affected the civilian population.
With fighting on all fronts, there is little time to rule the country. The economy is in crisis. The value of the local currency has fallen sharply, and there are large queues in front of ATMs because there has been a shortage of cash.
Now the pressure from outside is also increasing. EU countries are likely to impose new sanctions in a few days, according to Secretary of State Josep Borrell.
—-A Rohingya woman looks at Aftenposten’s photographer in the refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh in 2017. Photo: Jan T. Espedal
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And in the United States, President Joe Biden is under pressure to label the expulsion of Rohingya as genocide. Among those who demand this are law professors Michael P. Scharf, Paul R. Williams and Milena Sterio. All three are experts in international criminal law.
– By calling this a genocide, the Biden administration can confirm the US moral authority in human rights, they write on the website The Diplomat.
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