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One of the curious things about flying into Sittwe, in western Myanmar’s Rakhine State, is that you tend to come in low and slow over the bay before wobbling across the fringes of the city and then down on to the tarmac.
The Sittwe prison sits right under the flight path. This image, snapped through the propellor in February 2013, gives a fair indication of the state of the prison, and its scale and surroundings.
In this day and age you can see the same from Google, but to my mind this angle puts the whole thing in human scale.
More generally, as Myanmar continues down its unsteady path towards greater democratisation, government responsiveness and popular participation, it strikes me that its mouldy gaols, some of which look like they have been neglected since before the British left, are likely to need serious reform, not least because of their role in disciplining generations of political activists.
For today, readers wanting more about life in Rakhine State right now will benefit from a piece just published by The Independent. It is a complicated, tragic, heart-breaking and confronting scene.
This is part of a series of micro-posts based on time in Myanmar, January-February 2013
Nich
This piece by Ms Violet Cho
http://www.newmandala.org/2012/06/13/racing-for-answers-in-divided-myanmar/
Described the problems, among which POVERTY has been the primary cause that fuel the ongoing situation in Western Myanmar.
HRW Matt Smith either think Myanmar citizenry has a short memory or worst not smart enough to realize the root of present problem “POVERTY” that HRW help to bring about by supporting and prolonging the useless careless policy of the West, in order to curry favor with sources of funding.
Thanks to HRW, and related org. Rohingyas, the poorest of poor even among the Bengali hierarchy, receiving the shortest end of the economic pie is not going to end anytime soon.
Call for remedy such as ‘citizenship’,to problems without recognizing the fundamentals, is at best grand standing and at the worst ludicrous.
Only concerted effort to create activities that alleviate poverty will eventual diminish these continual spastic cycles of ethnic violence overtime that center on religion, race or any irrelevant factors that have been clearly due to poverty.
Matt Smith will best serve the Rohingyas by stop blaming U Thein Sein/ Daw AUng San Suu Kyi government, admitting HRW contributions to present problems and concentrate doubly on immediately needed aide for looming disasters for now.
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This broken record has changed its tune. ASSK’s transformation has turned its hatred of the Lady for being such a spoil sport to lurrve. Economic aid sans political reforms is the be all and end all as far as this messianic message is concerned.
Prosperity to democracy. Well, Free Trade predates Free World by centuries. Today they must promote FW at least some semblance for FT which remains the bottom line. Not long now. Up FT.
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“This broken record has changed its tune. ASSK’s transformation has turned its hatred of the Lady for being such a spoil sport to lurrve. Economic aid sans political reforms is the be all and end all as far as this messianic message is concerned.”
Ko Moe Aung
The ‘Die hard xxxx’ slip of a “siempre revolucion” dogma is indeed too obvious.
Albeit ‘sans lurrve’ for the citizenry, a trade mark that begs to be recognized as next dictator.
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Let us put this present unprecedented ongoing situation in Myanmar into historical perspectives among other asian countries.
Taiwan:
1)Under Generalissimo Chiang Kai shek (KMT), the period under marshall law/no Rule of law (Rol) lasted longer than anywhere in hisory with Madame Chiang notorious pandering enjoy US support from ~1943.
2) Did not have armed ethnic strife after the initial massacre by the KMT of the native Taiwanese.
3) The country did not acquire a resemblance to democratic system of government/Rol until the late 90’s, a near half a century of blind/unquestioned support.
Similarly the Phillipines, S. Korea and even Vietnam can be examples of economic growth shaping the politcal changes. Only the last country suffered the wrath of the West, that show progress with normalization of relation with the West and same argument can be made on China today.
N. Korea has turned from bad to worst the only coutry still sanctioned and the West unrealistic/laughable hope of a N.Korean uprising to replace the Kims.
Economic growth will drive political reform in Myanmar as in other asian countries historical examples period.
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As aforementioned Free Trade predates Free World by centuries so yes, there’s hope according to your sage economic determinism. Let’s just ignore the small matter of ongoing land grabs, environmental devastation, civil war, persecution of the minorities and so forth. All in good time, eh? What’s another half century?
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“Let’s just ignore the small matter of ongoing land grabs, environmental devastation, civil war, persecution of the minorities and so forth. All in good time, eh? What’s another half century?”
Accepting “Free Trade predating Free World” contradict the HR and Eco related standard imposed on the present administration.
A standard that no other countries has to
live up to under ‘normal’ circumstances.
http://www.dvb.no/news/norway-slammed-for-silence-on-%E2%80%98stateless%E2%80%99-rohingya/26703
Even the Norwegian government can see this fact, a country with strong HR standing, of course to the chagrin of DVB and your ilk.
Exposing yet once again ‘anything or anyone but this government’ attitude of yours and DVB!
Ko Moe Aung
Do you deny this ongoing lifting of sanctions benefit the long suffering of the citizenry more?
A possibility denied that will have seen more middle class 3 decades ago?
As for the “civil war” Myanmar NEVER EVER has a “reset button” like the Thai on similar ethnic strives with the Shan, the Karen and the Mon etc. That is not even counting the historical Chinese Factors that U Nu has to deal with.
http://www.newmandala.org/2013/02/05/siamese-atrocities-in-chiang-kham/
This article in New Mandala just indicate a tip of the iceberg what Thai got away with.
Therefore a Thailand sans Shan problems today in the 3 Chiangs (Chiang Rai Chiang Mai and Chiang Khong).
All without any useless careless West even protesting.
Leaving Keng Tung once claim by the Thai as Chiang Tung with the continuing SSA problem.
Reset Button?
A wishful fantasy button once pushed will make Myanmar ‘without the goad in decades of useless careless policy imposed by the West, preceded by the unending and sustain curses of colonial legacy.
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‘Anything or anyone but this government’ is pretty patronizing, don’t you think? Certainly a better and truly patriotic one for a minimum.
However constantly you hark back to the country’s past, you simply have to deal with the reality of today’s interconnected world with all the HR and Eco even if it is little more than window dressing in the end to fit in with the bottom line which remains money making, market share and profits. Why do you reckon the entire consistent resource grabbing market snatching history of the West should be any different despite a different historical setting? It either makes a beeline where possible or go in a roundabout way through ‘freedom and democracy’ stops to get where it wants.
Burma is a great deal more complicated than Thailand in its ethnic composition and history. There is no reset or restart button available. You need to rewrite the programme, not dwell on its imperial past, and without seriously trying to end the civil war by realistic political means there is no way we are going to move forward as a nation. Your useless careless west is not only ready to lift your hated sanctions, something you share with the military rulers, but raring to go in with its business class chomping at the bit.
Your much lauded middle class will be more than happy for the scraps thrown from the lord’s table where the military, its cronies and foreign buddies sit, and the civil war will carry on smouldering and flaring up in turns forever. And the West? What’s a little local difficulty be it Christian, Muslim or Buddhist for that matter? It would be in perfect agreement with your economic determinism. Why let it get in the way of good business? That I repeat is the bottom line as far as you and your useless careless west are concerned.
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Ko Moe Aung
The reality,a quagmire getting to you yet?
Taste this lingering bile of reality and realize and remember that the citizenry had it much worse than being patronized.
May be the practical citizenry plight might just become the priority over any ideological,or political conviction.
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A quagmire all man made by the dead hand of the military elite and the plight of the citizenry set to be guided by the orthodoxy of neoliberalism with its own quicksand of a global crisis built in. Wonderful.
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Like an artist drawing a picture around a random scratch, the emerging picture of the drift of the thread has very little connection to the original post! An occurrence so common, one wonders whether a real article was needed to start any conversation. Like fish lure!
Arakan thing is definitely not helped by poor local economy but it is a hard sell to argue Arakan is more or less poorer compared to other parts of the country. And being rich sure does not protect a society from racial/ religious violence.
The Rohingya issue does carry many disturbing peculiarities. Biggest one is total lack of reliability of claims and counter claims by all parties involved, local and mostly by the players far from the scene.
There are some sure things. There is palpable and dangerous rise of chauvinism and condemn-able cruelty by sections of Arakanese and Bamar ethnic groups buoyed by the rise of most chauvinistic Sit-tut being unashamedly courted around the world in the face of worse repression of the citizenry around the country. And local Arakanese having to live in physical danger most of the time. Atrocious treatment of the Rohingya populace as they are now. And this i s a place where Rohingya are not only majority but has easy access to co-religious/ blood relatives just across the waters. While the majorities are demonstrably poor, there are people rich enough to bribe the Sit-tut and the administration to get whatever they want or need including passage to the mainland or beyond. And the recurrent accusation of collusion of the aid agencies siding with Rohingya who surely are found among the employees of multinational institutions. And most bizarrely all the pronouncement about the Rohingya by any one, any one at all, may start with any topic or event but always and always and always end up with calling for their citizenship. This is peculiar in the face of the even handedness of the Bamar Sit-tut who are raping, killing and maiming in most cruel acts (although their cheer leaders- the international communities choose to turn a blind eye on these acts) upon the certified citizens of the country Burma. Some 3 millions of those citizenship holding people are slaving in most inhumane and atrocious and exploitative condition around Asia mainly Thailand and Malaysia. How does being a citizen of Burma equate to not being ill-treated -if that is their reasoning- is beyond comprehension. Citizenship and repeatedly citizenship rather than to give food or clothing for example. Or to stop starving the people off to death. That coupled with repeated calls from many quarters with lack of renouncement of a caliphate in the geographic area of a state is the most threatening scenario for the Arakanese and the best recruitment call for Bamar chauvinists.
Current attempts by the international donors treating the locals in discriminating way is like stoking the fire with predictable consequences. As for the military they will simply keep this issue smoldering for their use every now and then when the need arises with other difficulties they are facing around the country as their calculated docile obedience of the masses to the wishes of well captured Aung San Suu Kyi is not happening. And will get worse. Once the Latpadaung report thing comes out white washing the most heinous acts of the Daddy’s Sit-tut, her standing, regardless of more prizes and historic but useless speeches and such BS around the world notwithstanding, will seriously diminish among the populace.
All these issues added with current Chinese arrogance and visible destruction of environment as well as collusion with the ruling authorities for their own benefit, a show down is only a matter of time. Chinese, Rohingya, Sit-tut, people- some reasonable, some extremists with many connected players directly affecting the balance from foreign governments, and international organizations. At the end only the people on the ground suffer. Both sides.
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