Minorities in Burma

In Burma you can see some ethnic minorities such as the Karen. Evidences are there that suggest that Burmese regime has marked Karen for extinction which can also be called ‘Burmisation’. But this action has little effect in front of the mass killings in places like Rwanda.

According to Amnesty International, since 1978 the Muslim ‘Rohingya’ people have continual suffering from human rights violations. It has been done under the Burma junta. As a result of this many have fled to neighboring Bangladesh.

In Burma, The Rohingyas’ freedom of movement is severely restricted. Vast majority of the community have efficiently been denied Burma citizenship. It can be seen that they are subjugated to various forms of overcharge and arbitrary taxation. In some cases land confiscation can be seen. They also suffered from house destruction and forced eviction. Financial restrictions on marriage were also there. This Muslim community continues to be used as forced labourers at military camps and also on roads. It can be seen that in northern Rakhine State the amount of forced labour has decreased over the last decade.

In the year 1978 more than 200,000 Rohingyas fled to Bangladesh. The ‘Nagamin’ i.e. ‘Dragon King’ operation of the Burma army occurred at that time. This campaign is famous as it aimed at ‘scrutinizing’ each individual in the state. The designation of citizens was done. Foreigners were also designated in accordance with the law. The campaign is also remembered for taking actions against foreigners who have intruded into the country illegally. Civilians were directly targeted by this military campaign. The result is rape, mass killings, and destruction of mosques and various other religious monuments.

During 1991-92, more than million quarter Rohingyas fled to Bangladesh. They described the situation in Burma with forced labour, torture, summary executions, and rape, etc. Rohingyas even worked without payment by the Burma army.