Friday 19 October 2012

A snap shot of President Thein Sein's Race Riot Inquiry Commission

Extract from Dr Zarni's FB comment,
 
Here is a snap shot of President Thein Sein's Race Riot Inquiry Commission.

Zarganar, the only certifiable anti-racist member, is being too polite and diplomatic when he said locals were not cooperating with the inquiry. It is Naypyidaw who set it up to take the mounting pressure off OIC and UN for independent UN inquiry.

Remember it took 2 months for the British Government to open its official mouth about the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya. And Washington sat on its hand - and still does - and Ambassador Derek Mitchell finally had to say something about the plight of the Rohingya.

As with the Lady, it's not even worth mentioning her world-infamous silence and lack of any internalized humanistic and human rights principles.

Now take a look at the snapshot of the Commission:

1). 88-generation former student leader Ko Ko Gyi, who spent nearly 20 years behind bars barking Human Rights and Democracy is unabashed advocate of no-human-rights-for-the-Bengali.

2). The Chair of the Commission, Dr Myo Myint, a Monash and Cornell-trained historian of Mindon Era Burmese history, served both Ne Win and Than Shwe governments all his grown-up lives (first as a compiler in the Burma Socialist Program Party publications department and before his retirement was Director General of the Ministry of Religious Affairs).

3). The Commission's Secretary, another Cornell-trained political scientist Dr Kyaw Yin
Hlaing, is too busy serving as Presidential interpreter and Marketer of Thein Sein as "Arch-Reformist" to pay any attention to the Commission's work. He was known to have cancelled Commission's meetings because he was too busy advising Thein Sein).

4). Then Dr Yin Yin Nwe, Cambridge-trained retired geology lecturer and former UN staff, is Ne Win's ex-daughter-in-law. She didn't bother even showing up for a single meeting.

5). Khun Tun Oo, the Shan leader, holds the view that "Rohingya do not exist because 'they' don't want to be called Rohingya". (What this otherwise respectable Shan obviously does NOT know or seem to care to know is that the agents of "law enforcement" in Arakan State would beat the shit out of any Rohingya who say they are Rohingya.

6). Kyaw Thu, Free Funeral Services, was also no-show - despite President Thein Sein's characteristically strategic charm of "telling how much he would love and appreciate the presence of such respectable son on his Truth Commission about 'sectarian violence".

7). The Myanmar Muslim leaders on the Commission are known for being pliant when it comes to Burmese generals' desire on many matters, including those "illegal Bengali Muslims". The most they would do was to engage in a heated exchange once on the Commission with the certified racist Rakhine leaders such as Aye Thar Aung and Aye Maung (incidentally, Aye Thar Aung's views towards "sectarian violence" and the "Bengali" are said to be an important source of influence in terms of the Lady's political calculations as to speak or not to speak).

8). Rakhine Commissioners Aye Thar Aung and Aye Maung? Aye Maung openly advocated the idea of an official apartheid - Israeli style for those "Bengali".

President Thein Sein might as well have resurrected Heinrich Himmler and cloned them as commissioners here.

9). What about Thein Sein himself?

While stressing how important his Race Riot Commission's work is and how well-respected those individuals whom he had stacked the commission with during his historic UN General Assembly speech, the Commission has absolutely NO BUDGET, no office, no transport. Only 4 mobile phones have been granted by Thein Sein's government for the 27 commissioners. Former Pepsi rep Thein Tun was asked to patronize/fund the Commission - so the man kicked in 28 Lakhs as the Commission's fund.

Lt-General Thein Htay, in charge of Border Affairs, a Danu from Shan State, would shrug off any request from the Commission for access to heads of security units in Arakan.

In fact, many of them have been transferred across the country - to remote places - just prior to the setting up of the Commission.

So, do you still rely on - the opposition and the regime - to get to the bottom of anything in Burma?

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