Arakan Rohingya National Organisation (ARNO) strongly condemned the recent two almost identical interviews of U Tin Oo, the Vice-President of National League for Democracy (NLD) with RFA and Burmese Immigration Minister U Khin Yi with BBC respectively on 2 October and 24 September calling the Muslim Rohingya illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. The oppressed and persecuted Rohingya people are not surprised at the false accusation of U Khin Yi. But we are grieved and disappointed over the statement of U Tin Oo which indicates good sense does not prevail yet in the mind of the former general even after he has held the office of highest public trust as a Vice-President of National League for Democracy (NLD) headed by democracy icon Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on whom the Rohingya people, nay, the whole people of Burma repose faith. It sounds that U Tin Oo is following the footstep of his former boss Gen. Ne Win, while endorsing xenophobic and anti-Muslim policy of the new government of U Thein Sein towards Rohingya people. His prejudiced statement is against the NLD’s commitments for democracy and universalism of human rights causing dismay among the Rohingyas and right minded people of the country. Now the question naturally arises here is whether his statement has been sanctioned by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. It may be mentioned that while Gen. Tin Oo was the Commander of Western Command in Akyab, he completely destroyed 32 Rohingya villages – 24 in northern Maungdaw and 8 from northern Buthidaung -- killing many people and driving the innocent villagers across the border to the then East Pakistan. It was he who first institutionalized the most debilitating Four Cuts Strategy of the Burma Army against the ethnic peoples as a Commander in Chief. During his election campaign tour, U Tin Oo met with a Rohingya delegation in Akyab (Sittwe). In response to a question about his questionable role against the Rohingya people whilst in the Burma army, he simply said, “I am not that Tin Oo now, I am a changed Tin Oo.” In fact, if U Tin Oo were not a close colleague of NLD leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, he and the party he belongs to would have been ostracized at least by the ethnic peoples. With the emergence of new Thein Sein Government in Burma, the Rohingyas are in a state of jeopardy. The Burmese Parliament, for the first time since independence, tag a label of illegal Bangladeshis to the Rohingya people and this wicked act was vehemently opposed by worldwide Rohingyas with Burma’s ethnic nationalities and international community. The international human rights organisations have warned that the Rohingyas are one of the world’s most persecuted, voiceless and underrepresented people in danger of extinction. We urge upon Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to clarify whether the statement of U Tin Oo is the party policy of the NLD towards Rohingya people. Meanwhile, we call upon the international community to extent international protection to the Rohingya people in the absence of national protection in Burma. For further information, please contact: Nurul Islam: AFK Jilani: Email: info@rohingya.org www.rohingya.org |
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