Last
week, when Burma rescued 208 boat people drifting off its coast it was not
difficult to predict that political troubles were at hand, for any new arrival
is associated by many there with the Rohingya issue, one of the most sensitive
topics in a country which abounds with contentious problems.
The
most immediate reaction to the boat crisis was a march organized by nationalist
groups in front of the Kyaikkasan sports center, in Yangon, on May 27. In the
early afternoon a few monks and a long queue of people dressed in white
t-shirts marched under a grey sky, fists in the air.
Once
inside a large grassy square, two rows of supporters carrying flags lined up on
each side of a podium and soon enough speakers were addressing the public about
Burmese traditions and history. Even the rain that poured right after the
speech began and transformed the streets in shallow torrents failed to cool the
inflamed atmosphere: nationalist passions, it seems, are water-proof.
The
major concern of the protesters is that some of the people who have been
rescued might wind up staying in the country as Rohingyas, a minority that is
currently stripped of its citizenship. They are referred to by authorities as
‘Bengalis’ and according to the United Nations are among the most persecuted
minorities in the world. Thousands of them have been forced to live in camps,
deprived of the possibility of receiving even basic services.
In
2012, clashes between the Buddhist majority and the Rohingya minority erupted
in Rakhine State in western Burma (Myanmar), leading to a number of deaths and
an estimated 140,000 people being displaced.
Two
years later the United Nations claimed they had credible information about the
death of 48 Rohingyas and called on Yangon to investigate the matter. The
government replied that such accusations were unacceptable: Ye Htut, spokesman
for the office of President Thein Sein, told the Irrawaddy that
“it was sad to see a statement issued by the UN, not using information from
their local office staff, but quoting unreliable information and issuing the
statement.” He also added that by acting in this fashion the UN would tarnish
its reputation among Burmese citizens.
The
people who rallied yesterday certainly did not have much faith in the UN. Many
of the banners on display explicitly attacked the institution: “UN, stop making
story on Rohingya. Boat People are not Myanmar,” said some. “Boat people are
not Myanmar. Boat people are Bangladesh,” stated others.
A
deal reached on May 26 between Yangon and Dhaka for the repatriation of 200 of
the rescued people did not seem to offer enough guarantees to the protesters.
“Usually
they say they will send them back, but we cannot trust whether the government
will do it or not,” a middle aged man told Asian Correspondent.
“There
are no Rohingyas in our history,” argued Raung Myat Thu, who said he is a
politician but was taking part to the protest as a private citizen.
“They
are migrant workers from Bangladesh. If they were from our country they would
speak our language,” he added.
Mr.
Raung did not spare harsh words for Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize
winner who has become an icon of the pro-democracy movement. According to him,
the leader of the National League for Democracy opposes nationalist movements
simply because she was once accused by the government of not loving her country
on the ground that she is married to a foreigner.
This
might not be the last time we hear about nationalist protests, for the boat
people crisis is far from over. According to a UNHCR report, “some 25,000 Rohingya
and Bangladeshis boarded smugglers’ boats between January and March this
year – almost double the number over the same period in 2014.” Following
a crackdown on trafficking by Thai authorities, smugglers abandoned their ships
at sea leaving thousands of people stranded
