• Burmese
Sunday, July 20, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
25 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home Opinion Commentary

Peace Process Should Remain the Priority

Lawi Weng by Lawi Weng
June 17, 2016
in Commentary
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0 0
A A
Peace Process Should Remain the Priority

A camp for displaced Muslims in Myebon

3.9k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

I am sometimes asked by foreign reporters why Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy (NLD) government is “ignoring” the Muslim Rohingya in Arakan State—a minority group suffering from discrimination and the denial of their human rights.

I reply that Suu Kyi is now a politician, not a human rights activist, and the Rohingya are not the only group to have suffered displacement and deprivation due to conflict. Suu Kyi will likely assist some Rohingya, in order to improve the international image of her government, but she will carefully avoid antagonizing the Buddhist majority in Arakan State.

Suu Kyi became the de facto authority behind the new government in April, after more than two decades of struggle against military rule—for which she was heralded internationally as an icon of democracy and human rights.

RelatedPosts

Myanmar People Skeptical of Junta’s Promises of Election, Peace

Myanmar People Skeptical of Junta’s Promises of Election, Peace

July 7, 2025
1.2k
Myanmar’s Dictator Extends Emergency Rule Again, Citing Election Preparations

Myanmar’s Dictator Extends Emergency Rule Again, Citing Election Preparations

July 31, 2024
3.2k
Governor of China’s Yunnan, Myanmar Junta Boss Discuss Ways to Resume Border Trade

Governor of China’s Yunnan, Myanmar Junta Boss Discuss Ways to Resume Border Trade

February 21, 2024
1.8k

Due to this legacy, Suu Kyi was assailed with angry voices from abroad when she, as Burma’s Foreign Minister, advised the US Embassy in Rangoon in early May not to use the word “Rohingya,” after an Embassy statement featuring the word sparked nationalist protests.

lawei
Lawi Weng is a Senior Reporter for The Irrawaddy English edition.

Earlier, Suu Kyi indicated to a Voice of America Burmese language reporter that they would continue the previous government’s policy of referring to the persecuted Muslim minority group as “Bengali,” a term which implies they are migrants from Bangladesh. She followed up by asking, rhetorically, whether word choice should outweigh a practical solution.

As someone who has conducted on-the-ground reporting on the conflict in Arakan State, I feel the time is overdue for the government to relocate the Rohingya from displaced persons’ camps back to their hometowns and villages, from where they were driven in 2012 and 2013. This seems more important than fighting over a name, which might be better done after relocation.

Displaced Rohingya have suffered deprivation for several years now, and had high expectations that the NLD government and Suu Kyi would oversee their return home. However, their future remains in the dark, and it is unclear what exactly the government is prepared to do for them.

Critics should understand that, without some form of approval from the Buddhist Arakanese majority, relocation and reintegration could not happen. Buddhist Arakanese and Rohingya Muslims can only live side-by-side again if both groups consent to do so.

Suu Kyi appears to understand this well, and knows that the Arakan State government—currently headed by an NLD chief minister—would not be able to function well without the consent of the Arakan National Party, which is the largest party in the state legislature and represents the interests of the Buddhist Arakanese majority.

The Rohingya issue is not the problem requiring the most urgent fix. Ethnic and religious strife in Burma is complex and deep-rooted; there are more than 12 ethnic armed groups who have not signed Burma’s nationwide ceasefire agreement, fighting is ongoing, and thousands of people from across different ethnic lines have been made refugees in the country’s civil war.

For example, after a 17-year ceasefire, fighting resumed in 2011 between the Burma Army and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in northern Burma’s Kachin State. The conflict has displaced more than 100,000 people, who remain in IDP camps in Kachin and neighboring Shan State, with dwindling funds from international agencies to support them.

While the numbers are lower than the 140,000 displaced by the communal conflict in Arakan State (the overwhelming majority of whom were Muslim Rohingya), those displaced from the Kachin conflict have suffered similar deprivations—particularly those caught behind KIA lines, largely out of reach of the major refugee agencies.

Although they generally enjoy more rights, on paper at least, than the stateless Rohingya, the chronic insecurity brought by war and the virtual absence of rule of law make it impossible for most to exercise their basic rights.

However, the plight of those caught up in conflict in Kachin State and elsewhere across Burma’s ethnic minority borderlands does not receive anything like the attention the Rohingya crisis receives in the international press—or anything like the criticism.

The current administration needs to address both the suffering of the Rohingya and that of Burma’s ethnic groups currently recognized by the government. As the Burma Army continues to wage campaigns against various ethnic armed groups—which include aerial bombing and the recent use of armed drones—the resolution of the peace process remains the correct priority of Suu Kyi and the NLD government.

Lawi Weng is a senior reporter for The Irrawaddy.

Your Thoughts …
Tags: A_FactivaConflict
Lawi Weng

Lawi Weng

The Irrawaddy

Similar Picks:

Myanmar’s Dictator Extends Emergency Rule Again, Citing Election Preparations
Politics

Myanmar’s Dictator Extends Emergency Rule Again, Citing Election Preparations

by The Irrawaddy
July 31, 2024
3.2k

Coup-maker Min Aung Hlaing says he needs another six months to impose stability and security, and compile accurate voter lists,...

Read moreDetails
Assamese Journalist Shines Light on One of Asia’s Murkiest Conflicts
Books

Assamese Journalist Shines Light on One of Asia’s Murkiest Conflicts

by Bertil Lintner
January 8, 2024
2.6k

A new book by Rajeev Bhattacharyya charts the history of ULFA, which continues to battle the Indian government, including from...

Read moreDetails
Firefight Erupts as Myanmar Junta Troops Halt PNLO Arms Convoy in Shan State
Burma

Firefight Erupts as Myanmar Junta Troops Halt PNLO Arms Convoy in Shan State

by Brian Wei
January 23, 2024
2.4k

The PNLO burned the weapons rather than hand them over. The group’s leader said the incident would not affect his...

Read moreDetails
Myanmar’s Northern Alliance ‘Not Interested’ in Empty Peace Talks With Junta
Interview

Myanmar’s Northern Alliance ‘Not Interested’ in Empty Peace Talks With Junta

by The Irrawaddy
July 27, 2023
2.2k

A representative from the ethnic armed coalition sheds light on its latest meeting with the military regime.

Read moreDetails
Governor of China’s Yunnan, Myanmar Junta Boss Discuss Ways to Resume Border Trade
Myanmar-China Watch

Governor of China’s Yunnan, Myanmar Junta Boss Discuss Ways to Resume Border Trade

by The Irrawaddy
February 21, 2024
1.8k

Wang Yubo’s visit to Naypyitaw is the first by a senior Chinese official since Beijing brokered a ceasefire between ethnic...

Read moreDetails
Inspiring Women of Burma  
Burma

Inspiring Women of Burma  

by The Irrawaddy
March 18, 2016
33.6k

The contributions of some of Burma’s leading female figures are highlighted in the final part of a series that ran...

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
USDP Denies Using Ma Ba Tha for Political Gain

USDP Denies Using Ma Ba Tha for Political Gain

Unseen Pressures Behind Refugees’ Voluntary Return

Unseen Pressures Behind Refugees’ Voluntary Return

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

What the ‘Snake Charmer’ Analogy Gets Wrong About Myanmar

What the ‘Snake Charmer’ Analogy Gets Wrong About Myanmar

4 days ago
1.5k
Chinese Investment Reshapes Myanmar’s N. Shan as MNDAA Consolidates Power

Chinese Investment Reshapes Myanmar’s N. Shan as MNDAA Consolidates Power

1 week ago
3.5k

Most Read

  • Myanmar Junta Airstrikes Protecting Irrawaddy Flotilla Kill 20

    Myanmar Junta Airstrikes Protecting Irrawaddy Flotilla Kill 20

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • More Than 20,000 Displaced As Myanmar Junta Burns Homes Around World Heritage Site

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta’s Recapture of Nawnghkio Shows Strategic Missteps by TNLA

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Indian Top Brass Visit Myanmar After Cross-Border Drone Attack

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Crisis Spells Opportunity for U.S.-India Cooperation

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.