AN ARGUMENT FOR RECONCILIATION: HOW THE BURMESE GOVERNMENT SHOULD LOOK TOWARD COUNTRIES LIKE GERMANY IN ORDER TO MEND THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE ROHINGYA.

• Author: Boesen, Lisa

1. INTRODUCTION

   In August of 2017, after years of persecution, the Burmese military planned and carried out a massacre of the Rohingya Muslims in the Rakhine State of Myanmar. (1) Rohingya villagers were raped and slaughtered, causing 700,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee into Bangladesh or other neighboring countries. (2) This came as a disappointment to the international community as the violence happened after the election of democracy advocate and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Aung San Suu Kyi (Suu Kyi), whom many hoped could bring democracy and prosperity to the struggling country. (3) Currently, the Burmese government is denying the atrocities and refuses to address this crisis. (4) Suu Kyi's government should look to the international community, specifically Germany, to model a proper response to reconcile with the Rohingya people. (5) Seeking reconciliation is not only the moral choice, but it is also necessary for the country to move toward development and prosperity. (6)

   This Note will make the argument that the Burmese government must begin and carry out the long and continuous process of reconciliation. (7) Part II of this Note will examine the origins of the conflict between the Burmese and the Rohingya, as well as the election of Suu Kyi. (8) Part II will briefly discuss the Jewish community's persecution within Germany. (9) Part III will discuss the Burmese government's actions (or lack thereof) during the current crisis. (10) Part IV will discuss reconciliation efforts taken by Germany post World War II. (11) Finally, Part V will discuss how the Burmese government can take steps similar to Germany, in order to reconcile with the Rohingya and gain a respectable position on the world stage. (12)

2. HISTORY

   1. Beginnings of the Burmese/Rohingya Conflict

      The conflict between the Muslim minority, known as the Rohingya, meaning "a person of Rohang," and the Buddhist majority in Myanmar dates as far back as 1430. (13) During World War II, the Rohingya sided with the Allied Powers while the Buddhists sided with the Axis powers. (14) In 1948, Myanmar gained its independence and the people lived in relative peace until 1962, when the government began to show animosity toward the Rohingya. (15) The new military government (or junta) adopted socialist policies and blamed the Rohingya for its economic downfalls. (16)

      In order to further distinguish the Rohingya from the rest of the country, the government passed laws denying the Rohingya citizenship in Myanmar. (17) The passage of these laws not only stripped the Rohingya of their citizenship, but also their basic human rights. (18) The Rohingya are unable to have individual autonomy or partake in any of the advantages of citizenship. (19)

      In 2012, tensions between the Rohingya Muslims and Buddhists erupted in violence. (20) As a result, pressure from the international community forced the military government to make a concession in the form of a reduced citizenship status that required Rohingya to register as Bengali. (21) This continued persecution of the Rohingya led to the ethnic minority to start fleeing the country. (22) In villages around Myanmar, signs banning Muslims were put up and angry groups of nationalists protested at the United States Embassy in April of 2016 demanding diplomats stop using the term "Rohingya" because nationalists believe that the Muslim minority consists of illegal immigrants. (23)

      Consequently, groups like the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) formed as a result of the anti-Rohingya backlash. (24)

      As pressure from the international community began to mount, the Burmese government announced in August 2016, that it would allow an advisory commission, led by former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, to examine the situation in the Rakhine State. (25) Later, in October of that same year, "Rohingya militants attacked three police outposts in Maungdaw and Rathedaung townships in Rakhine State, allegedly killing nine police officers." (26) As retaliation for the attack, the military began raiding villages as well as arresting, raping, killing, and displacing more than 90,000 Rohingya over a two month period. (27) The newly-formed government denied the violence against the Rohingya, calling the reports "rumors and onesided accusations." (28) On August 25, 2017, the government's state-run media claimed that ARSA attacked police officers in Rakhine, which resulted with the military to attacking hundreds of villages, resulting in 700,000 Rohingya fleeing Bangladesh. (20)

   2. The Election of Aung San Suu Kyi

      On November 13, 2010, the beloved opponent of the military government and Nobel Peace Laureate, Suu Kyi was released from house arrest after fifteen years. (30) Suu Kyi emerged as the leader of the Burmese political party, the National League for Democracy (NLD) and was admired around the country. (31) Despite her popularity with the common people, Suu Kyi was barred from running for president because she has two foreign-born sons. (32) However, in November of 2015, Suu Kyi's NLD won in the first open election since the 1960s." Due to the NLD's majority in the Burmese parliament, Suu Kyi's party was able to write a bill naming her the de-facto leader to get around the constitutional ban, giving her considerable power. (34) This historic election and Suu Kyi's rise to power led many to believe that this was a sign that Myanmar was moving in a more peaceful and democratic direction. (35)

   3. A Brief History of Jewish and Nazi Conflict in Germany

      In January of 1933, Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany. (36) Two months later, Hitler opened the first concentration camp in Dachau that was met with "public fanfare, with open and enthusiastic newspaper coverage." (37) In the 1930s a series of discriminatory laws were passed that singled out German Jews. (38) The Nazi government then began to implement anti-sematic policies and published propaganda in order to reduce their social, financial, and legal positions in Germany. (39) Moreover, the government began to restrict the freedom of Jews by preventing them from taking property out of the country without government permission and passed laws that would isolate them from the rest of the community. (40) At the end of October 1938, a German diplomat in Paris was shot by a polish Jew, which led to Nazis unleashing revenge on Jews throughout Europe, resulting in the death of at least one hundred Jews and the destruction of many Jewish homes and businesses. (41)

      As he began his conquest throughout Europe, Hitler focused on what he called "the final solution to the Jewish question." (42) Subsequently, Hitler began rounding up Jews to send them to death camps. (43) Hitler terrorized the Jewish people throughout Europe before committing suicide in 1945, leaving the Allied powers of Great Britain, France, the Soviet Union, the United States and China, to pick up the pieces of his mess. (44)

      1. Germany's Reconciliation with the Jewish Community

      After World War II and the separation of Germany, West Germany had to navigate reclaiming its place on the world's stage and making amends with countries that had once been their enemy. (43) For the first five years after the Holocaust, the German government did not immediately address the crimes against the Jewish community. (46) In September 1952, substantive negotiations took place at the Reparations Agreement Meeting in Luxemburg. (47) The government had been committed to intersocietal engagement through public acts such as creating thousands of memorials for victims of the Holocaust throughout the country. (48) Today, German politicians keep the past present by recognizing the historical tragedy suffered by the Jewish people as a lesson ingrained in their identity. (49) Many critics claim that countries should look to Germany as the model for reconciliation when genocide has been committed. (50)

3. FACTS

   1. The Current Crisis in Myanmar

      1. Government's Actions

         In March 2017, after hearing about the atrocities in Myanmar, the United Nations Human Rights Council investigated the actions of the military and security forces in Rakhine State. (51)

         Instead of cooperating with the recommendations made by the United Nations Human Rights Council's report, Myanmar cracked down further on the Rohingya and tried to control the narrative regarding the on-going conflict. (52) Standing disappointingly silent in the middle of the controversy is the Nobel Laureate, Suu Kyi, who only speaks of the crisis in the form of denials. (53) As pressure from the international community increases, the government claims it is allowing the Rohingya that have fled the country to return. (54) Officials in Suu Kyi's government are currently calling for cooperation from its citizens and continuously blame the Rohingya for the slow transition toward democratization. (55) This crisis has held Myanmar back from progressing into the democracy the world hoped it would become under Suu Kyi's leadership and from developing its economy. (56)

      2. The World's Reaction to the Burmese Government's Inaction

         Many public officials around the world have pleaded with Suu Kyi to step in and protect the Rohingya against the atrocities committed by her government. (57) Although Suu Kyi has not lost her Nobel Peace Prize as a consequence of her government's failure to act, other organizations have rescinded various honors given to her, as a way to exert pressure. (58) The government in Bangladesh has tried to compensate for Myanmar's failings, but are at a loss with what to do with the massive amount of people who are essentially homeless and encamped on their border. (59) Unfortunately, international pressure has not made an impact on Suu Kyi, as she has shown more drive and determination to maintain exclusive control over her country and government. (60) Currently, the International Court of Justice has charged the government with committing genocide against the Rohingya people, which Suu...