A friend’s appeal to Britain and United States by David Obama
JUNE
22, 2012
tags: Americans-British Association Press., Burma, David Obama, Human Rights, Myanmar, Rakhine, Rohingya, Terrorist Bengali
21 June 2012 (Thursday)
By David Obama
(Commentary) – The massacre in Arakan State by Islamic
Extremist Terrorist Bengali so-called Rohingya over the past two weeks has
caused disillusion for some, division among many, and shock and anguish for
everyone. Racial and religious tensions that have simmered just beneath the
surface for years have exploded into an ugly cycle of destruction and revenge
which threatens to derail Burma’s journey towards democracy and
peace.
Crude, racist abuse, deliberate misrepresentations,
doctored images, misinformation and biased reporting of so-called Rohingya
Bengali have added a cruel twist to an already bloody
tragedy.
Some people may call me biased, and to that charge I
plead guilty. But I am biased not in favour of one community over another, in
favour of one race or religion over another, in favour of one particular
political party over another. Instead, I am biased in favour of the universal
values of human rights, including religious freedom and I am in favour of
sovereignty and I am in favour of opposing terrorists and I am in favour of rule
of law and I am in favour of enforcing immigration laws.
I am biased in favour of mutual respect, equal rights,
peace and harmony between religions and races. I am biased in favour of the
dignity of each and every human being, whatever their ethnicity or religion. I
am biased against intolerance, hatred, racism and extremism.
The tragedy in Arakan State is that ordinary people
from Rakhine communities have suffered. Homes burned, Buddhist monasteries
desecrated, women raped, people killed – and for what purpose? It has been
claimed that as many as 30,000 people are displaced as a result of the violence,
although this figure is not verified because the UN has vacated its staff and
independent monitors have not had access to the area. One of the first things
the government of Burma should do is enforcing immigration laws to disperse
illegal immigrants entering Burma and to deport them to original
country.
I am writing this as a friend of Burma and all of
Burma’s people. I have worked for the cause of freedom, democracy and human
rights in Burma for the past 25 years, and travelled more than 100 times inside
the country and to all its borders. I have been working for democratisation of
Burma with all the ethnic people of Burma including Karen, Karenni, Shan, Mon,
Kachin, Chin, Rakhine, Bamar and Shan. I also write as someone with extensive
experience of other countries where religious intolerance is growing, often from
extremist Islamism: Afghanistan, Indonesia, Pakistan and The Maldives, in
particular.
And so with that background, I appeal to the
governments around the world and people of Burma especially Burmese and
international media not only to stop broadcasting biased news siding with
so-called Rohingya Bengali Islamic Extremist Terrorists but also to respect
ethnical media code of conduct and avoid taking under table money writing in
favour of articles for so-called Rohingya Bengali Islamic Extremist
Terrorists. They must stop Islamophilia and promoting religious intolerance and
racial hatred which have come to the fore in the past few weeks. I appeal to the
people of free world especially people of UK, USA and supporters around the
world to see true to everything that is good and noble in Burmese and Buddhist
culture, and to see reality to the values of freedom and human rights for which
they have been struggling. I make this appeal on several
grounds.
First, I appeal to human conscience on the grounds of
humanity and human rights. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is exactly
that: universal, for everyone. As Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said in her Nobel Peace
Prize Lecture last Saturday, human rights are “the birthright of all”. No human
being should be degraded, restricted or abused in the way the people of Burma
have been by the military regime for so long and that includes
Arakan.
Second, I appeal on religious grounds. From my basic
understanding of Islam, I know that there is a universal Muslim greeting called
“Salaam alaykum,” (“Peace be with you”). In Burmese Buddhist’s faith, people
learnt from the very young age that showing “Metta or Impassionate Love” toward
all the living beings. In Christianity, we are also taught to “love your
enemies.” But, Rohingya Bengali Islamic Extremist Terrorists are killing
peaceful Buddhist, Chyristian, Hindu Burmese and Arakan
people.
Last, if simple humanity, basic human rights and core
religious teachings cannot persuade people to exercise love, tolerance, respect
and peace, to safeguard equal rights for all, then I appeal on grounds of
self-interest.
If what I have said so far has not upset some, what I
am about to say will upset others, but I must say it anyway. The Rohingya people
are among the most Extremists and Radical people I have ever come across. I have
visited Maung Dtaw, Buu Thee Taung and Yathe Taung where Arakanese Buddhist are
living for centuries and seen the anxiety in their eyes. I have met Arakan
villagers, and seen the worry in their hearts. The Arakan I know are among the
most hospitable, kind, gentle, decent, tolerant, peace-loving human beings I
have ever met. They have clung on to human decency, even when others have tried
to torch their villages, massacring their Arakan people but they had shown their
love of humanity.
But I also know there is a danger ahead if they
continue to be massacred and genocide not only by the Bengali Rohingya, but by
Biased Media Society as well as Corrupted so-called Human Rights organisation,
and it is this: the danger of radicalization.
Since Rohingyas ‘terrorist’ are massacring Arakan
Burmese Buddhist without any foundation or substance but fuelled by Religious
extremists and greediness. But it could be a self-fulfilling prophecy. If the
Arakans are persecuted by the regime, marginalized by the Burmese media,
discriminated against and attacked by Islamic society and ignored by the
international media, if radical Nationalist organizations tap into the seething
despair among the Arakan people, and the Arakan feel they have nowhere else to
turn, then it is possible that more Arakan could be radicalized. Having seen
radical Nationalism in action in Russia, China, The North Korea and on the
streets of London, to name just a few places, I fear for Burma if it is added to
its woes. I am not talking about bombs and hijackings. I am talking about the
ideology of political Nationalism.
Marginalization and protectlessness could be a
breeding ground for nationalism. As Aung San Suu Kyi said in Oslo, “War is not
the only arena where peace is done to death. Wherever suffering is ignored,
there will be the seeds of conflict, for suffering degrades and embitters and
enrages.”
Don’t misunderstand me. What I have said must not be
used to justify attacks on the Arakan. Indeed, quite the opposite. To avoid
provoking Arakan Nationalism, the whole people of Burma should work with
moderate-minded Arakan whose only desire is to be protected their lives as
others, to be treated with respect and dignity, to live in peace. One of Arakan
several years ago described his vision beautifully to me when he described Burma
as a garden, in which various different flowers grow – and the Arakan are one of
those flowers and Rohingya is a snail trying to destroy the beautiful
flower.
There are two myths about the Arakan that need to be
dispelled. The first is the idea that Arakan simply hate Rohingya Bengali.
Arakan do not like the Rohingya simply because these aliens Rohingya Bengali
people forcefully robbing the Arakan lands by terrorizing such as torching fires
on Arakan villages, massacring Buddhists and raping Arakan
women.
The Arakan do not hate other people baselessly, but
they won’t hesitate to defend their land, their family and their children. They
just want to be protected as citizens of Burma. Even if they were attacked by
Islamic Extremist Bengali Rohingya Terrorists, there are no proper armed forces
to protect them in Buu Thee Taung, Yathe Taung and Maung Taw area of Arakan
where Burma shares the border with Bengali Bangladesh. As long as Arakan are not
protected them with assurance combined together with practical action, the
terrorist threat of Rohingya Bengali Islamic Extremist won’t
stop.
The second point is that Rohingya are part of Arakan.
This is totally wrong. The so-called Rohingya are Bengali illegal immigrants. To
prove this I have several reasons. The historical record is clear that the
Rohingyas have never lived in northern Arakan for generations. Scholars can
debate the precise record with civility and evidence and no one can doubt that
they haven’t been there for generations.
I would like to highlight here that the son of the
first President of Burma Sao Shwe Thaike, Harn Yaung
Wai, established The Euro-Burma Office (EBO) in
Brussels to sell Burma for money. He is one of the most responsible
persons bringing alien Rohingya Bengali into Burma crisis. He had pledged to his
Arab funders that if he cannot do Rohingya to belong to the Burma indigenous
races, then he won’t live anymore and commit suicide.”
Burma’s first Prime Minister U Nu, who used the
disputed term ‘Rohingya,’ in return for a few votes for his cling into power
betrayed Burma creating long-time unresolved problems. It was only
when 88-Generation Students Leaders take leading role, driven aliens
Rohingya fake histories lies with their brave leadership and nationalist stand,
that so-called Bengali Rohingya are exposed of with their barbaric cruelties,
Islamic extremism and radical terrorism.
In Europe, the son of the first President Sao
Shwe Thaike, Harn Yaung Wai, is promoting Rohingya Bengali terrorists as if part
of Burma crisis by using his DVB news media as a propaganda tool in
addition to appointing a story writer named Francis Wade for doing media
propaganda for so-called Rohingya Bengali.
In United States, Aung Din and his
group US Campaign for Burma (USCB) are selling Burma for money and
betraying Arakan by portraying Arakan as the villains and so-called Rohingya
Bengali as the victims but in reality it is other way round.
In UK, Mark Farmaner of Burma
Campaign UK and his second wife Zoya Phan are fiercely promoting
so-called Rohingya Bengali for money while their boyfriend, Benedict
Rogers of Christian Solidarity Worldwide, is mimicking whatever Burma
Campaign UK is telling lies and self-praise no-grace Maung Zar Ni is
promoting so-called Rohingya as if they are his son-in-laws.
In Thai-Burma border, Soe
Aung and Naing Aung of the Forum for Democracy in Burma
(FDB) are supporting Bengali Rohingya after receiving funding under the name
of human rights and equality.
In ASEAN, Soe Aung’s wife, Debbie
Stothard, a Malaysian Chinese who knows nothing about Burma is blindly
shouting for Rohingya by representing a group called ALSEAN comprising of her
and Arrr herself. Their boss is Mark Farmaner of Burma Campaign UK (BCUK) and
BCUK boss on Rohingya issue is Chris Lewa of Arakan Project. You can see clearly
that this is coordinated and planned plot to colonise and Islamise
Burma.
In reality, the BOSS of all Rohingya campaigners is
Chris Lewa, the Director at the Arakan Project who has been lobbying
for so-called Rohingya for decades. Even though Chris Lewa is seeking funding
with the Arakan Project but that person has never ever been working for Arakan
people but been working for Rohingya people under the name Arakan Project. This
is depressing, isn’t it?
But for the good side, Ko Ko Gyi led
88-Generation students are giving strong and firm leadership to people of Burma
and people around the world. The 88 Generation Students Leaders clearly stated
clearly that “Rohingyas are absolutely not a nationality of Burma. We absolutely
do not accept the interfering intrusion by the international community without
their full understanding of the domestic affairs of Burma; we consider it to be
a violation to the sovereignty of our country. We will not agree to, nor comply
with, nor accept them as destitute refugees, nor placate and appease the
pressures of the international community.
We would like to press here that a lot of the illegal
immigrants can speak the language of the host country very fluently. Even though
Rohingya are from Bangladesh, they can learn to speak Burmese fluently and can
have Burmese names? Even in USA, a lot of the Burmese have English names.
Bangladesh refuses them to give refuge Rohingya Bengali because they are
practicing Stalin like policy — shoot to kill anyone who flees from battle front
line. Even they are immigrants from Bangladesh, they do wish to stay in Burma
and make it their homeland, because it is their way of colonization and
Islamnization of Burma where they exploit Burma crisis, and terrorizing Arakan
people.
Bengali Rohingyas flee severe poverty, extreme
weather, land shortages and population booming of Bangladesh to places of
prosperity and freedom – Burma, India and around the world. Do not forget that
Bangladesh is ¼ the size of Burma and 4 times the size of population of Burma.
Additions, these Rohingya Bengali Terrorists have the hidden agenda of
Islamnization of Burma where they wishfully day dreaming of ruling Burma with
strict Islamic Sharia laws.
Some British have told me that due to be a porous
border, so they accept the facts that some who claim to be ‘Rohingya’ may be
illegal Bengali immigrants. They went on argue to give Burmese citizenship to
those who were born in Burma regardless. The fact is that Rohingya are illegal
immigrants and they are asking for the ethnic rights which we cannot give. Even
to be the citizen, we cannot give away Burmese citizenship easily to everyone
whoever enters into Burma illegally. We must clearly, precisely and strictly
define our citizenship laws and firmly implement immigration
policies.
Burma’s Arakan crisis has born a new hero — Ko Ko Gyi.
So it is time for everyone, in Burma and in the international community, who
cares about universal human rights, human dignity and peace, who cares about
national security and national interest to stand up and put an end to the
violence, to stand up and to put an end on Rohingya Bengali terrorist attacks
and begin the long hard road to reconstruction and reconciliation. Let that be
the way forward, for Arakan, Kachin, Karen, Shan, Chin, Mon and Bamar, for
government official and for Burmese citizen and foreign friends of Burma alike
to be united under the leadership of Ko Ko Gyi working for better, prosper and
safer Burma.
David Obama is the British-American Campaigner
working for Burma for more than two decades. His book True Stripe Appear in NGOs
& Media Society will be released this week from We Americans-British
Association Press.
Source: received from inside
Burma.
