Myanmar says monks, politicians kindle hate
25 Aug 2012 7:39 AM IST
Buddhist monks, politicians and other ethnic Rakhine figures are kindling hatred towards Muslim Rohingya in an area plagued by sectarian violence, Myanmar’s president has warned in a report.
In an unvarnished assessment of the role of Buddhists in unrest in Rakhine state, which has left scores dead on both sides and displaced tens of thousands of people, President Thein Sein also said ethnic Rakhine could not accept the Rohingya as fellow citizens.
Decades of discrimination have left the Rohingya stateless and Myanmar’s government considers their 800,000-strong population as foreigners, while many citizens see them as illegal immigrants from neighbouring Bangladesh and view them with hostility.
‘Political parties, some monks and some individuals are increasing the ethnic hatred. They even approach and lobby both the domestic and overseas Rakhine community,’ Thein Sein said in a report sent to Myanmar’s union parliament –which combines the upper and lower houses – on 17 August.
‘Rakhine people are continuously thinking to terrorise the Bengali Muslims living across the country,’ he said, using a term frequently used in Myanmar for Rohingya.
Thein Sein also said ethnic Rakhine could not envisage sharing their land with people they consider foreigners, echoing comments he made in July calling for camps or deportation of Rohingya.
‘They cannot consider a situation in which the Bengali Muslims can be citizens,’ the president said.
A leading Rakhine political party rejected the findings, saying it had already lodged ‘an objection’ over the report to parliament.
‘We don’t agree with their review... such a review should not be released in this current time..., it can worsen the clashes,’ said Aye Maung, chairman of Rakhine Nationalities Development Party.
Myanmar’s authorities have faced heavy criticism from rights groups after clashes between Rohingya and ethnic Rakhine, which according to government figures left 87 people dead. In response the government on 18 August announced a new 27-member investigating commission.
SOCIAL MEDIA HYPES VENEZUELAN ELECTION
With tweets, Facebook pages and YouTube videos, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and rival Henrique Capriles are waging an online battle ahead of the country’s 7 October elections.
Some 12 million Venezuelans – or 41 per cent of the population – surf the Internet, making it one of the most connected countries in Latin American.
Chavez, the leftist leader who has held power since 1999, easily wins the Twitter war with 3.3 million followers of his @chavezcandanga account – second only to US President Barack Obama among world leaders.
‘(Twitter) is his main social media weapon,’ Carlos Jimenez, director of the firm Digital Tendencies, told AFP.
While the president continues to campaign at huge rallies and makes lengthy television appearances, he has used Twitter to assail Capriles, as well as announce new laws and rail against the United States.
Capriles, who trails Chavez by 15 points in the latest opinion polls, has 1.1 million Twitter followers and uses the @hcapriles handle.
The former governor of Miranda state is a prolific tweeter, writing more than a dozen messages per day to criticise his challenger or reach out to supporters.
‘The candidate of the past is just a screen. All chatter, hours and hours of lies on TV, but Venezuela has woken up and the future is now!’ he tweeted recently.
Fran Monroy, a Venezuelan journalist, said Capriles has managed to get more re-tweets than his rival. Capriles and his team, who claim that Chavez unfairly uses state media and public funds as he seeks to secure a third term, have expanded their presence by using Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.
In an unvarnished assessment of the role of Buddhists in unrest in Rakhine state, which has left scores dead on both sides and displaced tens of thousands of people, President Thein Sein also said ethnic Rakhine could not accept the Rohingya as fellow citizens.
Decades of discrimination have left the Rohingya stateless and Myanmar’s government considers their 800,000-strong population as foreigners, while many citizens see them as illegal immigrants from neighbouring Bangladesh and view them with hostility.
‘Political parties, some monks and some individuals are increasing the ethnic hatred. They even approach and lobby both the domestic and overseas Rakhine community,’ Thein Sein said in a report sent to Myanmar’s union parliament –which combines the upper and lower houses – on 17 August.
‘Rakhine people are continuously thinking to terrorise the Bengali Muslims living across the country,’ he said, using a term frequently used in Myanmar for Rohingya.
Thein Sein also said ethnic Rakhine could not envisage sharing their land with people they consider foreigners, echoing comments he made in July calling for camps or deportation of Rohingya.
‘They cannot consider a situation in which the Bengali Muslims can be citizens,’ the president said.
A leading Rakhine political party rejected the findings, saying it had already lodged ‘an objection’ over the report to parliament.
‘We don’t agree with their review... such a review should not be released in this current time..., it can worsen the clashes,’ said Aye Maung, chairman of Rakhine Nationalities Development Party.
Myanmar’s authorities have faced heavy criticism from rights groups after clashes between Rohingya and ethnic Rakhine, which according to government figures left 87 people dead. In response the government on 18 August announced a new 27-member investigating commission.
SOCIAL MEDIA HYPES VENEZUELAN ELECTION
With tweets, Facebook pages and YouTube videos, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and rival Henrique Capriles are waging an online battle ahead of the country’s 7 October elections.
Some 12 million Venezuelans – or 41 per cent of the population – surf the Internet, making it one of the most connected countries in Latin American.
Chavez, the leftist leader who has held power since 1999, easily wins the Twitter war with 3.3 million followers of his @chavezcandanga account – second only to US President Barack Obama among world leaders.
‘(Twitter) is his main social media weapon,’ Carlos Jimenez, director of the firm Digital Tendencies, told AFP.
While the president continues to campaign at huge rallies and makes lengthy television appearances, he has used Twitter to assail Capriles, as well as announce new laws and rail against the United States.
Capriles, who trails Chavez by 15 points in the latest opinion polls, has 1.1 million Twitter followers and uses the @hcapriles handle.
The former governor of Miranda state is a prolific tweeter, writing more than a dozen messages per day to criticise his challenger or reach out to supporters.
‘The candidate of the past is just a screen. All chatter, hours and hours of lies on TV, but Venezuela has woken up and the future is now!’ he tweeted recently.
Fran Monroy, a Venezuelan journalist, said Capriles has managed to get more re-tweets than his rival. Capriles and his team, who claim that Chavez unfairly uses state media and public funds as he seeks to secure a third term, have expanded their presence by using Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.
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