Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Never again should we bother with "never again" :(

Up until four years ago, I had no idea about the Rohingya--the Muslim community that stands out in a Buddhist Burma.  In fact, if things were going well, I would not have known about them at all.  Perhaps all the way till my own end.

But, I read about them because all was not well.  Buddhist maniacs, especially led by one with an ominous nickname--the Buddhist bin Laden--were engaging in violence of every possible kind in order to wipe out the Ronhingya from Burma.

It was even more depressing when the much lauded Nobel Peace Prize-winning Aung San Suu Kyi kept silent.  Not a word from her.

I understand that a nobody like me can express all the righteous indignation I want, but that politicians have to compromise on principles in order to get things done.  But, compromise is one thing, and ethnic-cleansing/genocide is entirely another.  This NY Times report is a tough read!

The NY Times editorial says everything that I want to say:
Last month, President Obama lifted sanctions against Myanmar, citing “substantial progress in improving human rights” following the historic election victory of the Nobel laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party in November 2015. Tragically, that praise is proving premature.
Premature because of "a military campaign against the Rohingya."  In addition to covering things up:
Myanmar’s government has barred independent journalists from the region, and dismissed reports of abuses as “fake news” and “fake rape.”
The US, under the demagogue and his minions, is now providing plenty of cover for regimes to criticize the media reports as fake.  A remarkably depressing beacon we have become for the world!  Further, with all the Muslim-bashing that the fuhrer and his people did and do, we have no moral ground to tell the likes of Burma to stop the atrocities.  Thanks, you atrocious Republican voters!

We will simply stand by and watch as more and more Rohingya sob while saying, “They killed my father and mother. What is left for me in this world?”  Or like this:
Noor Ankis, 25, said the next morning soldiers went from house to house looking for young women.
“They grouped the women together and brought them to one place,” she said. “The ones they liked they raped. It was just the girls and the military, no one else was there.”
She said the idea of trying to escape flickered through her head, but she was overcome by fatalism. “I felt there was no point in being alive,” she said.
"Never again" has become such a hollow phrase. Sad!

2 comments:

Ramesh said...

Very sad. Its not altogether clear why the Myanmarese army is so against the Rahongyas. What did they do to deserve this. And how can the most peaceable of all religions really tolerate such atrocities.

Your point about fake news or "post truth" is completely valid. These days it seems perfectly OK to say anything and there are no consequences. I now hereby declare that the great state of Oregon is the driest place on earth !!

Sriram Khé said...

It is amazing that from half way around the world you have figured out that Oregon is dry. It is. Right now. No rain. Sunshine. You are absolutely correct, my friend. ;)

I tell ya, Christianity is the only peace-loving religion. In the history of Christianity, you will never find an instance of Christians killing non-Christians. Which is why the US under trump--who is as devout and moral as a Christian can ever possibly be--is so welcoming of non-Christians.