Dozens Killed In Clashes Between Rohingya Rebels And Myanmar Army

[Coss]

It would appear that the Rohingya are noe pacifist peace loving victims in all of this...

 

 

Security forces among dead after pre-dawn raids on police posts in Rakhine state near Bangladesh border

 

 

 

Buddhist monks protest against what they say is UNHCR support for Rohingya militants. Photograph: Nyunt Win/EPA

 

 

At least 71 people, including 12 members of the security forces, have been killed in Myanmar’s northern Rakhine state after Rohingya militants attacked border police, ushering in the bloodiest day of fighting since conflict broke out last year.

 

The fighting exploded around Rathedaung township, where there has been a buildup of Myanmar troops over recent weeks after reports of murders by shadowy groups and an exodus of refugees across the border to Bangladesh.

 

About 20 police posts across the north of the state came under attack in the early hours of Friday by hundreds of insurgents, some carrying guns and using homemade explosives, Myanmar’s military said.

 

“The military and police members are fighting back together against extremist Bengali terrorists,†said Min Aung Hlaing, commander in chief on the armed forces, in a statement that used the state’s description for Rohingya militants.

 

The office of Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar state counsellor, said 12 security officials and 59 militants had been killed.....

 

more at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/25/rohingya-militants-blamed-as-attack-on-myanmar-border-kills-12#img-1

[bust]

I am not sure Suu Kyi's personal views are what is presented

[Coss]

I feel sorry for the lot of them, both sides. One a displaced minority, the other, a populace struggling to come out from under the pall of a dictatorship. And the Buddhists in all of this, have lost their way IMHO

[Coss]

 

 

[My Penis is hungry]

That's real budhism, good sign

[Flashermac]

A well known Thai Buddhist monk back in the 1970s publicly stated that killing communists wasn't a sin.

[My Penis is hungry]

I believe there is a current one who says the same about our mate the photo/journo

[bust]

Me thinks she has sat on her hands for way to long. Odd who she attacks though in her statement

 

YANGON — Myanmar State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi condemned Friday’s attacks in northern Rakhine State that saw 12 members of security forces and one immigration officer killed after Muslim militants raided 30 police and military targets.

“I strongly condemn today’s brutal attacks by terrorists on security forces in Rakhine State,†said she in a statement released on Friday evening.

Following a series of violent attacks in Rakhine State on Friday morning, the State Counselor held an urgent meeting with Union ministers of defense, home affairs and border affairs, as well as her national security adviser and deputy minister from the President’s Office in Naypyitaw on Friday afternoon.

According to a statement from the State Counselor’s Office, members of the security forces evacuated 600 Buddhist Arakanese residents from several villages in Buthidaung and Maungdaw townships, citing concerns for their safety.

Attacks on around 30 police outposts in Maungdaw, Buthidaung and Rathedaung townships on Friday caused the deaths of 10 policemen, one soldier, one immigration officer and 59 suspected militants.

In an additional statement from the State Counselor’s Office on Friday evening, Myanmar’s Counter-Terrorism Bureau—with the backing of the Union government—announced that any individuals involved in the attacks would be classified as members of a “terrorist organization.†Specifically mentioned was the ARSA (Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army), believed to be responsible for the attacks.

In her original statement, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi commended the members of the police and military who she described as acting with courage in the face of many challenges.

She suggested that the actions of militants were purportedly carried out to further undermine government action recommended by the Kofi Annan-led Rakhine State Advisory Commission on Thursday.

“It is clear that today’s attacks are a calculated attempt to undermine the efforts of those seeking to build peace and harmony in Rakhine State. We must not allow our work to be derailed by the violent actions of extremists,†Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is quoted as saying in the press release.

The statement also said that the government had been aware of a risk of attacks coinciding with the release of the commission’s final report, and that the current administration remains committed to “finding meaningful and lasting solutions for conflict-torn Rakhine.â€

[My Penis is hungry]

She is not who the west has longed dreamed fluffy white clouds about. She is far from it, never been a big supporter.

[bust]

Aung San Suu Kyi’s Canadian Visit Exposes Media Blind Spots in Reporting Burma

 

Anyone working for social justice in Burma should be disappointed by the mainstream media’s coverage of Aung San Suu Kyi’s visit to Canada last week. Given ongoing military abuses throughout Burma’s ethnic regions, it was frustrating to see headlines focusing again and again that Canada must press Aung San Suu Kyi regarding her government’s brutal treatment of Rohingya Muslim communities in Rakhine State, while ignoring the plight of other ethnic peoples in Burma.

Never once during the week was there any mention of the ongoing war in Kachin State that has displaced as many as a 100,000. On June 9, the day that Aung San Suu Kyi attended a Burmese community event at Toronto City Hall, was the sixth anniversary of the resumption of the Kachin war. However, the only Canadian media coverage of the event, an article in the Toronto Star, was silent on this issue. There was also no discussion of ongoing military occupation in ceasefire zones such as Karen State, where thousands of displaced villagers staged demonstrations last month.

In short, media coverage gave the Burmese military a free ride, while focusing all criticisms on Aung San Suu Kyi’s government’s treatment of the Rohingya.

The focus on Rohingya suffering is understandable, and we are certainly not arguing that this coverage should stop. To the contrary, it needs to be set in the context of historical and ongoing patterns of Burmese military abuses. Singularly focusing on the Rohingya does not do justice to the suffering of other non-Burman ethnic peoples in the country. It also creates the simplistic notion that if only the government would uphold human rights of Rohingya, Burma’s problems would be solved. However, Burmese military oppression is systemic in nature and permeates all of the military’s dealings with non-Burman ethnic communities.

Simplistic media portrayals of the situation in Burma are very troubling when we consider international development assistance to the central government. If international donors like Canada do not understand the complex situation in Burma, they risk subsidizing the Burmese government’s continuing efforts to oppress and control the ethnic peoples. Our Karen community in Canada is very concerned with recent funding announcements by the Canadian government totaling CAD $28.8 million. We are worried that this funding will be distributed through central Burmese government channels, marginalizing ethnic civil society that continues to be a much-needed lifeline for conflict-affected communities.

The following case illustrates the impact of ongoing media marginalization of our Karen community in Canada.

On June 9, our Karen community staged a demonstration in front of Toronto City Hall, while Aung San Suu Kyi attended an event with the Burmese community inside. Kachin and Rohingya communities staged concurrent protests. Our protest groups were gathered in the same area, all with strong messages condemning ongoing war, militarization, and human rights abuses in Burma. It was a perfect opportunity for Canadian news media to become more informed about the human rights situation in Burma. However, the resulting Toronto Star article only contained passing reference to the Rohingya protest, completely ignoring the Kachin and Karen demonstrations.

The Irrawaddy article covering our Karen demonstration made the opposite mistake, including reference to the Kachin protest nearby, but never mentioning the demonstration by our Rohingya brothers and sisters.

Media narratives that narrowly focus on single issues can be used to divides us and undermine our common struggle for justice. Following the demonstration, racist elements in the Burmese-Canadian community began attacking the Rohingya online. One of these attackers referenced incomplete coverage in both the Toronto Star and the Irrawaddy to bolster his attacks, taking to social media to claim that our Karen and Kachin protestors “keep a distance†from the Rohingya.

This is patently untrue. In fact, we collaborated with our Rohingya counterparts in organizing our joint events. Although there were times when our demonstrations diverged, we stood in solidarity together against the same oppressors – the Burmese military. We also agreed to work together more closely with our Rohingya brothers and sisters in the future, and to combat racist and Islamophobic attitudes that persist among some in the overseas Burmese community. There is no room for racism or discrimination in our movement.

The mainstream media’s singular focus on the Rohingya issue is unhelpful, as it overlooks ongoing suffering of other ethnic peoples under the same military oppression. There is a need for more informed media reporting on Burma issues to demonstrate that the plight of Rohingya and other ethnic nationalities in Burma are all part of the same root problem – denial of basic human rights and equal right to life for all ethnic peoples in Burma. This realization should build more unity in our resistance, for only in unity will we have the strength to prevail.

 

http://karennews.org/2017/06/aung-san-suu-kyis-canadian-visit-exposes-media-blind-spots-in-reporting-burma.html/