By Irving Feng
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia
NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar – Thousands of Buddhist monks in Myanmar took to the streets to protest the establishment of an Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) office which would supply aid to Rohingya Muslims in the country.
Three thousand monks marched through downtown Yangon, the former capital, holding banners which read “No OIC.” In Mandalay, Myanmar’s second largest city, thousands of protestors said they could not accept the establishment of an OIC office in the country. Further demonstrations sprang up in the town of Pakokku in the central region of the country.
Plans to set up an OIC office in the northwest Rakhine state had been in the works until the recent protests. Rakhine had been the stage for violent clashes between native Buddhists and the Rohingya Muslims in June which resulted in at least 77 deaths and displaced thousands more.
The demonstrations by the monks, a powerful political force in the predominately Buddhist country, was followed by an announcement by the president’s office which conveyed that an OIC office would not be opened in Rakhine after all. President Thein Sein’s office stated that due to the popular desire of the people, the government would not sanction the opening of the OIC office. It is uncertain whether or not the protests were directly linked to the government’s announcement.
The United Nations has described Rohingya Muslims as one of the most persecuted minority groups in the world. Human Rights watch has also found evidence of state sponsored discrimination and persecution against the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.
Myanmar is currently home to approximately 800,000 Rohingyas with no state to call home due to their illegal immigrant status. Thousands of Rohingya were displaced by the violence in Rakhine and have been seeking shelter in temporary homes and refugee camps. The conditions that Rohingya Muslims are currently living in are described as abject and dire.
Government officials have been criticized by the United Nations as contributing to the problem by allowing violence to occur against the Rohingyas rather than implementing policies to curb it. Lawmaker Aung San Suu Kyi, an advocate for Burmese rights, is under fire from the international community for failing to advocate for the Rohingyas. The Burmese are suffering from the same denial of basic rights.
Amidst the arsons, ethnic clashes and other violent displays directed at the Rohingyas, many have attempted to flee by sea to neighboring Bangladesh. Those that have attempted to fled, however, were met by Bengali security forces and turned away, forcing their return to Myanmar to endure persecution, discrimination and illegal status.
For further information, please see:
Al Arabiya News – Mass monk rallies against OIC in major Myanmar cities – 15 October 2012
Al Jazeera – Myanmar scraps Islamic group’s office plan – 15 October 2012
Press TV – Myanmar bans OIC from opening office for Rohingya Muslims – 15 October 2012
Reuters – Buddhist monks march in Myanmar to thwart Islamic office plan – 15 October 2012
