Rohingya genocide in Myanmar

• Rejected by the country they were born in and shunned by the neighbouring states, the Rohingya are among the the most vulnerable amongst forcibly displaced groups. The Rohingya are impoverished, virtually stateless and have been fleeing Myanmar in droves.
• Rohingya are an ethnic group, largely comprising Muslims estimated at more than one million, who predominantly live in the Western Myanmar province of Rakhine. They speak a dialect of Bengali, as opposed to the commonly spoken Burmese language.
• Though they have been living in the Myanmar for generations, Myanmar considers them as persons who migrated to their land during the Colonial rule. So, it has not granted Rohingyas full citizenship. According the 1982 Burmese citizenship law, a Rohingya (or any ethnic minority) is eligible for citizenship only if he/she provides proof that his/her ancestors have lived in the country prior to 1823.
• Myanmar's government denies them citizenship and sees them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh - a common attitude among many Burmese.
• Discriminatory policies of Myanmar’s government since the late 1970s have compelled hundreds of thousands of Muslim Rohingya to flee their homes in Myanmar. Most have crossed by land into Bangladesh, while others have taken to the sea to reach Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.
• In July 1978, after intensive negotiations mediated by UN, Ne Win's government agreed to take back 200,000 refugees who settled in Arakan. In the same year as well as in 1992, a joint statement by governments of Myanmar and Bangladesh "acknowledged that the Rohingya were lawful Burmese residents". 
• The Rohingya trace their origins in the region to the fifteenth century, when thousands of Muslims came to the former Arakan Kingdom. Many others arrived during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when Rakhine was governed by colonial rule as part of British India. Since independence in 1948, successive governments in Myanmar, have refuted the Rohingya’s historical claims and denied the group recognition as an ethnic group. The Rohingya are largely considered illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.
• The Myanmar government has effectively institutionalized discrimination against the ethnic group through restrictions on marriage, family planning, employment, education, religious choice, and freedom of movement. 
• Widespread poverty, poor infrastructure, and a lack of employment opportunities in Rakhine have exacerbated the cleavage between Buddhists and Muslim Rohingya. 
• Violence broke out in 2012, when Rohingya men were accused of raping and killing a Buddhist woman. Buddhist nationalists responded by burning Rohingya homes, killing more than 280 people and displacing tens of thousands. Human Rights Watch characterized the anti-Rohingya violence as “crimes against humanity.” 
• Most displaced Rohingya have been forced to take shelter in squalid refugee camps. Others have turned to smugglers, paying for transport out of Myanmar. “The fact that thousands of Rohingya prefer a dangerous boat journey they may not survive to staying in Myanmar speaks volumes about the conditions they face there,” said Amnesty International in 2015.
• More than 370,000 Rohingya have left Myanmar, approximately a third of the estimated Rohingya population in the country. They migrated to Bangladesh, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.
• In 2016, Myanmar’s first democratically elected government came to power, but it has been reluctant to advocate for Rohingya and other Muslims for fear of alienating Buddhist nationalists and threatening the still fragile leadership.
• Since a dramatic Rohingya exodus from Myanmar in 2015, the political party of Nobel Peace Prize winner and democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi has taken power in a historic election, the first to be openly contested in 25 years. But little has changed for the Rohingya and Ms Suu Kyi's failure to condemn the current violence is an outrage and her failure to defend the Rohingya is extremely disappointing. The point is that Aung San Suu Kyi is covering up this crime perpetrated by the military.
• Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s de facto leader, has denied that ethnic cleansing is taking place and dismissed international criticism of her handling of the crisis, accusing critics of fueling resentment between Buddhists and Muslims in the country. In September 2017, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate said her government had “already started defending all the people in Rakhine in the best way possible.” Suu Kyi has little control over military and public opinion, with large number of Buddhist population is against Rohingyas.
• Suu Kyi has been criticised internationally for her attitude towards the Rohingya, and there have been calls for withdrawing the Nobel Peace Prize. But it was also at Suu Kyi’s instance that the Annan Commission was appointed, and she has welcomed the report. The powerful military has, however, has rejected the report.
• The United Nations reported in September 2017 that more than 120,000 Rohingya people have fled Myanmar for Bangladesh due to a recent rise in violence against them. The situation is expected to exacerbate the current refugee crisis as more than 400,000 Rohingya without citizenship are trapped in overcrowded camps and in conflict regions in Western Myanmar.
• Many Rohingyas have fled to southeastern Bangladesh, where there are over 900,000 refugees, as well as to India, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. More than 100,000 Rohingyas in Myanmar live in camps for internally displaced persons, and the authorities do not allow them to leave.
• About five lakh Rohingyas have already taken shelter in Bangladesh over the last two decades and is clearly unwilling to take in more. The country has opened its border for Rohingyas upon UNHCR’s request and continues to shelter Rohingya in over-crowded refugee camps at Cox Bazar.
• Approximately 40,000 Rohingyas living in India. They reached India from Bangladesh through the land route over the years. Rohingyas in India were “illegal immigrants” and they will be deported soon, a decision that has surprised many given the record of India accepting refugees.
• India’s national security fears are based on intelligence reports linking some Rohingya's front organisations with Pakistan and ISIS. But no individual Rohingya in India has yet been linked to any terror organisation. They live in dismal conditions in cities across India. Statements by MoS Home and some senior BJP members that the 40,000 Rohingya in India are a generalised threat, have fed off existing Hindu-Muslim communal faultlines.
• No one believes the Rohingya crisis will be resolved soon, leave alone Myanmar accepting the Rohingya as citizens. India’s plan to “deport” the 40,000 Rohingya refugees is impossible. There is nowhere to deport them. They belong to no country, and no country wants them.
• A UN spokeswoman in 2009 described the Rohingya as "probably the most friendless people in the world".
• In the past India had opened its doors to Tibetan refugees, Hindus migrating from Muslim-dominated Pakistan, and Tamils fleeing Sri Lanka during armed conflict between the Sri Lankan army and Tamil separatists. But all those are Hindus but Rohingyas are Muslims and Modi & BJP doesn't have any heart for Muslims but Rohingyas speak in a language that has predominant Bengali dialect.
• Modi had visited Myanmar and he only referred to “extremist violence” in Rakhine in his public remarks and the India-Myanmar joint statement only mentioned the terrorist attack by Rohingya militants against security personnel on Aug 25, 2017. 
• Faced with an upset Dhaka, India modified its position on Sep 9, 2017, when it issued a new press release acknowledging that the there was an “outflow of refugees” from Rakhine. Since then, New Delhi stepped up providing relief assistance to Bangladesh. The first plane carrying relief aid reached Chittagong on 14/9/17, and the second consignment reached on 15/9/17.

Persecution of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar has been described by UN's top human rights official as "ethnic cleansing". Aung San Suu Kyi, State Counsellor of Myanmar (akin to PM), claiming of being follower of Gandhism, maintaining stoic silence for the atrocities of Military on Rohingyas is totally unacceptable. Her noble prize must be withdrawn. Modi heading Hindutva government is unlikely to accommodate Rohingya Muslims in India as refugees. But deporting them back to Myanmar is neither easy nor feasible. And none in the world are much concerned about them except the neighboring Bangladesh & India. They hardly have any choice. What they will do, time will only unfold. Hard action on Myanmar is unlikely. See the Indira Gandhi's response in 1971 for resolving East Pakistan issue when her diplomatic efforts for over an year did achieve nothing. The least we should do is to keep sending relief material to Bangladesh to take care of lakhs of Rohingyas in their refugee camps, while pursuing diplomatic international pressure.

In the meeting of Indira Gandhi with Henry Kissinger at New Delhi in July 1971, Mrs Gandhi was persistent in asking Kissinger to plead with Nixon that he should try to restrain Pakistan from what was being done in East Pakistan because the conditions there were  becoming intolerable and it was almost becoming impossible for India to remain silent. Kissinger would not give any assurance that Nixon would do something about it. Rattled Mrs Gandhi said if that was the position she may have to do something herself which she was reluctant to do. At this, Kissinger asked her rather as to what she intended to do. She stood up and pointing towards the General Manekshaw (in full military uniform) told Kissinger that “if the US Government and US  President cannot control the situation then I am going to ask him to do the same”. And she did it later in Dec 1971 that led to liberation of Bangladesh.

India Pakistan war 1971: Reminiscences

The 1971 war is considered to be modern India’s finest hour, in military terms. The clinical professionalism of the Indian army, navy and air force; a charismatic brass led by the legendary Sam Maneckshaw; and ceaseless international lobbying by the political leadership worked brilliantly to set up a famous victory. After two weeks of vicious land, air and sea battles, nearly 100,000 Pakistani soldiers surrendered before India's rampaging army, the largest such capitulation since General Paulus' surrender at Stalingrad in 1943. However, it could all have come unstuck without help from veto-wielding Moscow, with which New Delhi had the foresight to sign a security treaty in 1970.

During the second week of July, 1971, Kissinger arrived in Beijing, where he heard the words by then Chinese Prime Minister Zhou Enlai: “In our opinion, if India continues on its present course in disregard of world opinion, it will continue to go on recklessly. We, however, support the stand of Pakistan. This is known to the world. If they [the Indians] are bent on provoking such a situation, then we cannot sit idly by.’

Pakistani Aircraft destined to East Pakistan flew taking a round of India via Sri Lanka, since they could not fly over Indian sky. This forced Pakistan to get its aircrafts refueled on the way. Sri Lanka eager to help Pakistan, allowed Pakistani aircrafts for refueling at the Bandaranaike airport.

As India had decided to go on with the war, and Indira Gandhi had failed to gain American support and sympathy for the Bengalis who were being tortured in East Pakistan, she finally took a hard move and on August 9, signed a treaty of peace, friendship and cooperation with Soviet Union. In the perspective of Washington, the crisis ratcheted up a dangerous notch, India and the Soviet Union have signed a treaty of peace, friendship and cooperation. It was a shock to America as this was what they feared, expansion of Soviet influence in South Asia. They feared that involvement of Soviet Union could sabotage their plan.

Prime Minister Indira Gandhi decided to tour most of the Western capitals to prove Indian stand and gain support and sympathy for the Bengalis of East Pakistan. On November 4th and 5th she met Nixon in Washington. Nixon straight forwardly told her that a new war in the subcontinent was out of the question. The next day, Nixon and Kissinger assessed the situation. Kissinger told Nixon: ‘The Indians are bastards anyway. They are plotting a war.’ The pressure increased in East Pakistan, which attracted Indian attention. Indians were preparing for war and were concentrated on the Eastern front. To divert the pressure, on December 3, in the dark of night, even before India could attack East Pakistan, Pakistan opened western front and air raided six Indian Airfields in Kashmir and Punjab and thus began the war.

India was reeling under  the refugee influx and yet it dared not attack East Bengal, because then  the world opinion would call it the aggressor. An excuse was necessary and Pakistan had now conveniently provided it. The war on the East Bengal front was weighed in favour of India. Though to start with some hard knocks were taken, it was a smooth march - the whole population of East Bengal was against Pakistan.

Indira Gandhi in her meeting with Kissinger in New Delhi in July 1971 explaining deteriorating situation in East Pakistan and warned if the US Government and US President cannot control the situation military action by India is imminent.

On December 4, just one day after Pakistan raided Indian airfields in Kashmir and Punjab declaring war on India, America’s proxy involvement in the war was becoming clear. Thinking that the Soviet Union might enter the war if they come to know this, which could cause a lot of destruction to Pakistan and American equipment given to Pakistan, US ambassador to the United Nations George H W Bush [later 41st president of the United States and father of George Bush] introduced a resolution in the UN Security Council, calling for a cease-fire and the withdrawal of armed forces by India and Pakistan. Believing India can win the war and Indira Gandhi being determined to protect the interest of Bengalis, Soviet Union vetoed out the resolution, thus letting India fight for the cause. Nixon and Kissinger pressurized Soviets to a very extent but luck did not support them.

US sympathized with Pakistan, because of various reasons. Among them two reasons were that: firstly, Pakistan belonged to American led military Pact, CENTO and SEATO; secondly, US believed any victory of India will be considered as the expansion of Soviet influence in the parts gained by India with the victory, as it was believed to be a pro Soviet nation, even though they were non aligned.

In a telegram sent to US Secretary of State Will Roger, on March 28, 1971, the staff of the US consulate in Dhaka complained, ‘Our government has failed to denounce the suppression of democracy. Our government has failed to denounce atrocities. Our government has failed to take forceful measures to protect its citizens while at the same time bending over backwards to placate the West Pakistan dominated government… We, as professional public servants express our dissent with current policy and fervently hope that our true and lasting interests here can be defined and our policies redirected in order to salvage our nation’s position as a moral leader of the free world.’

Less well known is Russia’s power play that prevented a joint British-American attack on India. But a lesser known fact is the Russian hand in this, when USA and UK had threatened to invade India to relieve pressure off East Pakistan (Now Bangladesh).

The CIA reported to the US President that Indian Prime Minister believes that the Chinese will never intervene militarily in North India, and thus, any action from China would be a surprise for India and Indian military might collapse in tensed situation caused by fighting in three different fronts (East, North and West). Hearing this, on December 9, Nixon decided to send the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise into the Bay of Bengal to threaten India. The plan was to Surround India from all four sides and force them to retreat and leave East Pakistan.

USA had moved its nuclear powered aircraft Carrier "Enterprise" into Indian Ocean with the explicit purpose of blackmailing and pressurising India so as to prevent collapse of Pakistan Army. UK's aircraft carrier "Eagle" had also joined Enterprise. While the British ships in the Arabian Sea would target India’s western coast, the Americans would make a dash into the Bay of Bengal in the east where 100,000 Pakistani troops were caught between the advancing Indian troops  and the sea. To counter this two-pronged British-American threat, Russia dispatched a nuclear-armed flotilla from Vladivostok on December 13. Russia’s entry thwarted a scenario that could have led to multiple pincer movements against India.

Besides moral support and help from USA, China and UK, the Pakistani military was being bolstered by aircraft from Jordan, Iran, Turkey and France.

Read Nixon Kissinger conversations during the course of war.

In fact, the myth of Chinese activity was also communicated to Pakistan’s army to boost their moral, to keep their will to fight and hope alive. Lieutenant General A A K Niazi, the Pakistani army commander in Dhaka, was informed: “NEFA front has been activated by Chinese, although the Indians, for obvious reasons, have not announced it.” But Beijing never did.

The Seventh Fleet, which was then stationed in the Gulf of Tonkin, was led by the 75,000 ton nuclear powered aircraft carrier, the USS Enterprise. The world’s largest warship, it carried more than 70 fighters and bombers. The Seventh Fleet also included the guided missile cruiser USS King, guided missile destroyers USS Decatur, Parsons and Tartar Sam, and a large amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli.

Standing between the Indian cities and the American ships was the Indian Navy’s Eastern Fleet led by the 20,000-ton aircraft carrier, Vikrant, with barely 20 light fighter aircraft. The Indian Air Force, has just wiped out the Pakistani Air Force within the first week of the war, was reported to be on alert for any possible intervention by aircraft from the Enterprise.

However, India did not panic. It quietly sent Moscow a request to activate a secret provision of the Indo-Soviet security treaty, under  which Russia was bound to defend India in case of any external aggression.

Russian Chief Commander’s order was that their submarines should surface when the Americans appear. It was done to demonstrate to them that they had nuclear submarines in the Indian Ocean. So when Rusiians subs surfaced, Americans recognised them. In the way of the American Navy stood the Soviet cruisers, destroyers and atomic submarines equipped with anti-ship missiles. They encircled and trained their missiles at the Enterprise. They blocked them and did not allow them to close in on Karachi, Chittagong or Dhaka. At this point, the commander of the British carrier battle group communicated to the Seventh Fleet commander: “Sir, we are too late. There are the Russian atomic submarines here, and a big collection of battleships.” The British ships fled towards Madagascar while the larger US task force stopped before entering the Bay of Bengal. Ultimately, the Soviets formed a ring around US naval forces thereby not allowing  the fleet to get close to Bangladesh hence helping India in securing the liberation of Bangladesh.

Indian Prime Minister went ahead with her plan to liberate Bangladesh despite inputs that the Americans had kept three battalions of Marines on standby to deter India, and that the American aircraft carrier USS Enterprise had orders to target the Indian Army, which had broken through the Pakistani Army’s defences and was thundering down the highway to the gates of Lahore, West Pakistan’s second largest city. The bomber force aboard the Enterprise had the US President's authority to undertake bombing of the Indian Army's communications, if necessary.

Despite Kissinger’s goading and desperate Pakistani calls for help, the Chinese did nothing. Soviets had factored in the possibility of Chinese intervention. The Chinese know that the Soviet Union would act in the Sinkiang region, if the Chinese were to become directly involved in the conflict. Soviet air support may also be made available to India at that time.

To make matters still easier the Indian Air Force had no  opposition and bombed General Niazi’s official bungalow. The panic and the utter helplessness at being bombed from above by enemy planes, it was inevitable that Niazi  surrendered without much time.

On December 14, General A.A.K. Niazi, Pakistan's military commander in East Pakistan, told the American consul-general in Dhaka that he was willing to surrender. The message was relayed to Washington, but it took the US 19 hours to relay it to New Delhi. Files suggest senior Indian diplomats suspected the delay was because Washington was possibly contemplating military action against India.

The violation of human rights on a massive scale as “selective genocide”—and the complete disregard for democracy were irrelevant to Nixon and Kissinger. In fact, the non-democratic aspects of Pakistani dictator Yahya Khan’s behaviour seemed to be what impressed them the most. As evidence mounted of military atrocities in East Pakistan, Nixon and Kissinger remained unmoved.

Nixon and Kissinger phoned Soviet President Leonid Brezhnev and asked for guarantees that India would not attack West Pakistan. Nixon was ready to link the future summit in Moscow to Soviet behaviour on this issue. The Soviets could not see why the White House supported Pakistan, who they believed had started the war against India. Brezhnev, puzzled at first, was soon enraged. Several years later, Brezhnev still reacted angrily and spoke spitefully about American behaviour.

A new country named Bangladesh was formed, which was recognized by the whole world and by Pakistan in the following year with Shimla Agreement.

The 1971 war victory is a tribute to India’s amazing plurality. The entire war planning was conducted by Field Marshal Sam Maneckshaw (a Zoroastrian); the Eastern Army that liberated Bangladesh was headed by Chief of Staff of the Indian Army's Eastern Command Jacob-Farj-Rafael Jacob (a Jew); the head of ground forces in the east was General Jagjit Singh Aurora (a Sikh); the man who set alight Karachi for a week was Chief of Staff of the Indian Navy, Admiral H.M. Nanda (a Hindu); and the  entire team was given ample freedom for their military operations by a Hindu Prime Minister.

Pakistan and India had put those sad memories behind  

since the past should not control the future of both the countries.