First of all, I am not going to take sides in the conflict. The truth is that I don’t know what is happening in Rohingya area. However, I know three things. One is that Myanmar army intelligent unit collaborated with ARSA and other groups before they lose their basement in the Rohingya area. I also know that Myanmar army had sent some unofficial missionary led by U Htay Aung to some Arab States and promised to give citizenship to Rohingya in exiles if OIC (Organisation of Islamic countries) withdraw its case against the junta in ICJ(International Court of Justice). I also know that some Rohingya houses were burnt down.
Aftermath of this massive fire, UN, US and the West rightly expressed their concern about the situation in Arakan State. However, I would like to point out that these killings and burning of villages are also happening in the central Burma as well. I noticed that there was a massive delay in the State Department in US and also in UN when issuing any statements for the majority Burmese people. So far, US didn’t provide any help to the proper Burma. All US aids go to some media and NGO via USAIDs. They spent on luxury houses and cars for high-ranking NGO officers. In return, those NGO and CSO who received aids from US and the West issue statements which are aligned with the interest of the US and the West. However, no aids flow to the majority Barman population. Most aid goes to the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh and may be some selected aid goes to the refugee camps near Thai-Burma border. This is the bitter truth we are facing. Some US representatives met with some NUG (the National Unity Government of Burma) ministers and said few warm words and tried to patronise what they need to do. However, no money goes to the NUG or the PDF(People Defence Force) under the NUG. I am not talking about any weapons assistance like in Ukraine here. The US and the West are not providing even the humanitarian aids to the Sagaing or other conflict areas rather than Rohingya. Although the US is not providing any help, its media and the NGOs and CSO which are funded by the US and the West are forcing the NUG to align with the West and tried to undermine the NUG. In public, these group will say that the NUG failed to convince the US to get any help. It is not the fault of the NUG but it is the US policy under Biden’s administration which is not providing any help to the NUG. When the US wants to help, it helps the exiled Iraqi’s group and also Juan Guaidó opposition government of Venezuela where there is no ground troops to support Guaidò. So it is more of the US policy who failed to provide any help to the NUG rather than the weakness of the NUG. On the other hand, China is very apprehensive of the NUG because of US’s lip service and also the statements of the NGOs and CSOs funded by the West. As a result, The NUG is caught between public hostility towards China and pressure from pro-Western media and NGOs. It is more difficult to get any help from China for the NUG because China thinks the NUG has close ties to the US. As a result, this revolution is taking longer than it should. In this case, there are no troops under the NUG in Arakan State and it is under AA which is led by General Twan Mrat Naing.
I do understand that the US and the UN may need permission from the junta to provide any humanitarian assistance to Burma in the past. Now, AA(Arakan Army) controls nearly all of the Arakan state and also the border between Bangladesh and Burma. In addition, Chin Army controls some border crossing between India and Burma as well. If US really wants to help, it can provide humanitarian aid to the Arakan and the Chin state via Bangladesh and India. US will not need permission from the junta. I am confident that the US can stop Burmese airforce’s attack on its humanitarian supply as well. The caveat is that US must provide aids not only to Rohingya but also to the people who live in the Arakan state and the Chin state as well. We need the leadership from President Biden rather than statements from the State Department and its allies NGOs and CSOs group. There is no need for special ship like in Gaza to help Rohingya. All we need is the will and there will be a way to do it. Of Course, US may need permission from AA but I don’t think they will deny it. US can talk via the NUG for this humanitarian assistance if it wants to provide it without any discrimination against any race or religion or it can talk to AA directly.
I hope that the State department can show leadership under President Biden and will do more than NGOs’s job. I think that this is the only way for Democrats to get vote from Muslim and the socialist by showing doing something in the Arakan state rather than lip service. I do remember that the candidate Biden criticised then State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi for not standing up to the military junta at that time. It is now time for the hypocrite to stand up to the tiny military junta and provide aids to Burma not only to the Rohingya but all in need of help. I think real Leadership needs action more than empty statements because statements without action will do nothing more than lip service.
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