Vice World News
23.11.20
This photo taken on Oct. 3, 2019 shows a man driving his motorcycle past the ruins of a mosque in Kyaukphyu, Rakhine state, where Muslim residents have been forced to live in a camp for seven years after the inter-communal unrest tore apart the town. Photo: Ye Aung THU / AFP
A shared desire for justice is bringing formerly divided Rohingya and Rakhine communities together, but there is a long way to go.
Once bitter foes separated by violence, religion and competing historical claims, Rohingya Muslims and Rakhine Buddhists have shared rare moments of solidarity in recent months, finding common cause in demanding justice as victims of Myanmar’s bloody military campaigns.
“They have suffered bad things, and now we are suffering bad things too," said Toe Toe Aung, a 21-year-old ethnic Rakhine man who wants to build peace between the two communities.
Once bitter foes separated by violence, religion and competing historical claims, Rohingya Muslims and Rakhine Buddhists have shared rare moments of solidarity in recent months, finding common cause in demanding justice as victims of Myanmar’s bloody military campaigns.
“They have suffered bad things, and now we are suffering bad things too," said Toe Toe Aung, a 21-year-old ethnic Rakhine man who wants to build peace between the two communities.
Going back to fierce battles fought in western Myanmar’s Rakhine State during World War II, Rohingya and Rakhine have been pitted against each other for decades, usually at the behest of more powerful forces. Rohingya fought with the British, and Rakhine threw their lot in with the Japanese, who were ultimately defeated.
While there have been long stretches of peaceful coexistence, hundreds were killed during riots in 2012 that saw Rohingya sent to displacement camps and ghettos where they remain today. In 2017, local Rakhine residents participated, cheered or were indifferent to the Myanmar military’s ethnic cleansing campaign against Rohingya Muslims, helping drive hundreds of thousands into Bangladesh.
While there have been long stretches of peaceful coexistence, hundreds were killed during riots in 2012 that saw Rohingya sent to displacement camps and ghettos where they remain today. In 2017, local Rakhine residents participated, cheered or were indifferent to the Myanmar military’s ethnic cleansing campaign against Rohingya Muslims, helping drive hundreds of thousands into Bangladesh.
Empty benches in the segregated Rakhine state capital of Sittwe. Photo: Verena Hölzl
The Burmese-Buddhist majority that runs the country recognizes the Rakhine as citizens but views the Rohingya as outsiders, leading to a severe imbalance in rights, access to education and freedom of movement. But a shift started occurring this year as the military stepped up its campaign against the Rakhine people during an attempt to crush an insurgent group called the Arakan Army. The military launched indiscriminate airstrikes, disappeared men, and carried out extrajudicial executions, according to rights groups.
This has led to now almost-weekly cordial and sympathetic exchanges between the two groups. In October, Toe Toe Aung received a donation of about $380 from Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh to help people displaced by conflict in Myanmar, where soldiers are once again being accused of committing war crimes, this time against the Rakhine population.
“The suffering is bringing the two communities together. The Rakhine people have finally discovered who the common perpetrator is,” said Nyi Nyi Lwin, a Rakhine activist in Kuala Lumpur who is monitoring abuses against civilians.
At least 100,000 people have been displaced, according to the United Nations, with regular reports of killings by shelling or landmines.
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