Myanmar: Rohingya Accused Of Islamic Terrorism

[Valin]

Strategy Page:

October 28, 2016:

 

The government blames an outbreak of Islamic terrorist activity in the northwest (Rakhine State) on the RSO (Rohingya Solidarity Organization) in cooperation with local Islamic terrorist groups that have been financed by organizations and wealthy individuals in Arabia. Within a week of the October 9 th attack on three border posts four local Islamic terror groups released videos on the Internet declaring war (jihad) on the government and calling on Moslems in Rakhine State to join fight to force the government to give the 1.1 million Rohingya Moslems citizenship and put a stop to all persecution of Burmese Moslems. The four local Islamic terrors groups were AMM (Aqa Mul Mujahidin), FMA (Faith Movement of Arakan), Harakat al Yaqin and KMR (Kebangkitan Mujahid Rohingya). The government says AMM was the main instigator and was working closely with RSO and Islamic terrorist groups in Pakistan. The government also fired the local border guard commander and ordered the army to find and destroy the Islamic terrorists responsible. The government says there are as many as 400 Islamic terrorists operation in Rakhine State, most of them with AMM. Some Rohingya have left Burma and joined Islamic terror groups elsewhere. India has identified Rohingya Islamic terrorists trained in Pakistan who were killed once they crossed into Indian Kashmir. It is also known that Pakistan supported Islamic terrorist groups like LeT (Lashkar e Taiba) train non-Pakistanis in several of their camps in northern Pakistan. Bangladesh has arrested some of these Pakistan trained Rohingya who had come to reinforce the beleaguered Islamic terrorist groups in Bangladesh (which is majority Moslem and generally a hostile place for Islamic terrorists). But it would be unusual for four Islamic terror groups to get organized in the north without the military noticing. Like much of what goes on with the army in the tribal territories, something does not seem quite right.

 

Some events are easier to verify. Since the October 9th attacks over 3,000 local Buddhists and over 15,000 local Moslems fled their homes to avoid the ensuing violence (mainly by the security forces). Food and other aid for the 87,000 Rohingya Moslems in a refugee camps near the state capital was interrupted for over a week after the attack.

 

Not everyone in the national government is convinced that this is an Islamic terrorist uprising as the army and national police have not produced much proof yet. Many Buddhist and Christian Burmese oppose the treatment of the Rohingya and have been holding protests in most major cities against the decision to deny the Rohingya citizenship and classify them as Bengalis. But this is a minority attitude as most of the voters will not back any pro-Rohingya moves. Despite that senior government officials called for a proper investigation to find out exactly what is happening up there. One thing most Burmese can agree on is that the army can’t be trusted to give an accurate account of anything going on in the north. The military has considered the tribal areas, mainly in the north and along the eastern borders, to be their territory and to do what they want. That usually involves illegal activities, most of them involved with making money using corrupt practices. This has caused more problems with the locals (mostly non-ethnic Burmese tribes) and China.

 

(Snip)