Re: ''Myanmar's chance to help Rohingya'' (Commentary, June 14).
Myanmar's long-festering wound is bursting and, with the world watching, it needs to act swiftly as it will pose a threat to its nascent political and democratic reforms.
Decades of racial and religious animosity between the Buddhist community and the Rohingya in Rakhine, formerly Arakan, erupted in serious clashes that have left at least 20 people dead over the past week. The trigger for the violence was the alleged rape and murder of a Buddhist woman.
The Rohingya Muslims have for centuries lived in Rakhine, where their number is estimated at 750,000. But Myanmar has denied them citizenship and treats them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. During the long years of military rule, thousands of Rohingya fled to Bangladesh fearing persecution. Bangladesh does not recognise them as its own either and turned away hundreds of stateless Rohingya this week.
The troubles in Rakhine are a challenge to the gradual process of national reconciliation that President Thein Sein has set in motion since 2010. The process has been two-fold: democratic reforms in partnership with Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of Myanmar's pro-democracy movement, and peace-building with the many ethnic insurgencies on the country's borders with Thailand, India and China. The process of delayed nation-building would remain incomplete without the inclusion of the Rohingya.
The danger is that sections of the military that are unconvinced about the need for reforms may use the Rakhine incidents to advocate a roll-back. Rakhine has been placed under emergency rule already.
Myanmar's pro-democracy movement, which has a big stake in the reforms, must take the lead in pushing the demand for addressing the issues in Rakhine.
The National League for Democracy has kept away from the Rohingya cause all these years, perhaps because of concerns that it might not appeal to the majority Buddhist population, but it must now play an active part in building a new Myanmar.
R SRINATH
Assumption University
South cash not enough
Re: ''Deep South payouts set for approval'' (BP, June 13).
The family of missing human rights advocate lawyer Somchai Neelapaijit will finally be awarded 7.5 million baht in compensation, as will families of the innocent victims of the Tak Bai and Saba Yoi incidents. Families of those who died in the Krue Se tragedy will receive 4 million baht each.
This long-overdue but welcome gesture to attempt to compensate for hardship, bereavement and loss of breadwinners must now yield to a fair-minded investigation to determine guilt and uncover intolerant and indifferent denials by the Crime Suppression Division, protected by unchecked power, which has got off without even a reprimand.
The keys to resolving the conflict in the deep South include leadership accountability, military and police taking responsibility, attentive listening, heedful sensitivity and better understanding of the root causes, not divisive, iron-fisted confrontation, hastily conceived, discriminatory edicts and countless suspicious, discriminatory charges that have never been justifiably explained.
Socio-cultural alienation, as well as perceived ethnic harassment and religious persecution that have given rise to mistrust, dissent and unrest, must be re-examined objectively, while a mutually agreed, viable action plan focused on suggested remedies from local communities must be sought.
Attempts to stifle the media, censor emails, tap telephones, detain people without charges, allow house arrests and confiscate suspects' property violate fundamental civil and human rights, flagrantly bypassing constitutional protections. The valiant efforts of Anand Panyarachun and the National Reconciliation Commission have been summarily trashed in favour of smoke screens without any mechanism for justice or fairness.
CHARLES FREDERICKSON
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