By Dr. Maung Zarni
Since the first wave of Rohingya genocide in Feb 1978 which expelled nearly 200,000 refugees from all across Western Burma in to the neighboring newly independent Bangladesh, Burma's military regimes have committed themselves to erasing that the Rohingya were a constitutive ethnic nationality group (or Tai-yin-thar), who 'are found on both sides of East Bengal (or now Bangladesh) and Burma. Their transboundaries community is not unlike the Shan or Tai of Burma and Northern Siam, the Jeng-hpaw of Northern Burma and Southern China, the Mons of southern Burma and Thailand, the Karens of Eastern Burma and Thailand. Myanmar authorities and scholars, as well as deeply ignorant Myanmar public have denied that these "Tai-yin-thar ever existed in Burma while insisting them to be nothing but 'illegal migrants' from Bangladesh - all despite available mountains of evidence to the contrary. On its part, the international media simply repeats Myanmar's official line - or lie - that the Rohingyas are state-less people, who have never been Tai-yin-thar or a constitutive ethnic group of Burma.
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| Transcript of Aung Gyi's speech |
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| Brigadier General Aung Gyi, Vice Chief of Staff of the Burmese Armed Forces (Army) and 2nd in command under General Ne Win seen here addressing THE ROHINGYA, singing the latter's praise as a good, cooperative national people, 15 Nov 1960 |
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| Esteemed Malvis, ROHINGYA Leaders, etc. "Today will go down in history as the greatest (modern) milestone, after our country's independence in 1948, in the history of May Yu district which had not seen peace since 1942. |
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| Prime Minister U Nu: "in the Bhu-thee-daung and Maung Daw areas adjacent to East Pakistan are found the Union nationalities called the ROHINGYA. They are Muslims". There are also Mujahaddins (across the borders in East Pakistan) who want to establish an independent Islamic state. |
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| The front cover of the Union of the Socialist Republic of Burma High School Geography Textbook cover (1978) |
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| In the High School Geography Textbook this illustration included ethnic distributions. On the northern most districts closest to Bangladesh in the coastal Arakan state are 'Rohingya", Thet, Khami,and Myo. |
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30 Years Anniversary Publication (book) of the Burmese Broadcasting Service, Government Printing Press
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Lumyo or race: Rohingya Muslim
Issued by Board of Management of the Rangoon Post
29 July 1968
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| In order to enhance union spirit among all ethnic nationalities (Tai-yin-thar) several national language programs are added to the existing Shan, etc. |
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| Head of Rohingya Taiyintar Language Program (U Ba Tun, BA, BL) |
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| Rohingya ethnic nationality language (Taiyinthar) is scheduled to broadcast 3 times a week 10 minutes each slot. |
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| The effective administration of the May Yu District of Northern Arakan State begins only in May 1961 for a variety of reasons although it was supposed to be administered directly by the Border Administration. |
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| Burmese Official Government-issued Encyclopedia (1964) |
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| May Yu districts has a total population of about 400,000 to 500,000. Seventy-five % of them are Rohingya and their religion is Islam. There are also Rakhine, Dai-net, Kha-mei, Myo, etc. Many of them are engaged in agriculture and fishing |
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The future of May Yu (District), second printing, 1960. Ministry of Defense
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