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YANGON, Burma Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Islamic leaders expressed dismay Monday over plans by authorities in western Burma to revive a two-child limit on Muslim Rohingya families, a policy that does not apply to Buddhists and comes amid accusations of ethnic cleansing.
Some Buddhists, however, welcomed the plan for addressing their antiestéticar of a Muslim population explosion.
Authorities in strife-torn said this past weekend that they were restoring a measure imposed during past military rule that banned Rohingya families from having more than two children. Details about the policy and how it will be enforced have not been released, sparking calls for clarity and concerns of more discrimination against a group the U.N. calls one of the world's most persecuted people.
A Muslim Rohingya child plays at a camp for displaced persons on the outskirts of Sittwe, Rakhine state, Burma, on May 18, 2013.
/ Soe Than WIN/AFP/Getty Images
"If true, this is against the law," said Suu Kyi, the opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Suu Kyi has faced criticism for failing to defend the Rohingya amowing two waves of deadly sectarian violence last year. She told reporters she had not heard details of the latest measure but, if it exists, "It is discriminatory and also violates human rights."
The policy applies to two Rakhine townships that border Bangladesh and have the highest Muslim populations in the state. The townships, Buthidaung and Maungdaw, are about 95 percent Muslim. Nationwide, Jovenlandeses account for only about 4 percent of Burma's roughly 60 million people.
The order makes Burma (also known as Myanmar) perhaps the only country in the world to level such a restriction against a particular religious group, and is likely to bring further criticism that Jovenlandeses are being discriminated against in the Buddhist-majority country. The central government has not made any statement about the two-child policy since Rakhine state authorities quietly enacted the measure a week ago. Calls seeking comment from government spokesmen have not been returned.
Longstanding antipathy toward the Rohingya erupted last year into mob violence in which Rakhine Buddhists armed with machetes razed thousands of Muslim homes, leaving hundreds of people dead and forcing 125,000 to flee, mostly Jovenlandeses. The New York-based group Human Rights Watch has accused the government and security forces in Rakhine of fomenting an organized campaign of "ethnic cleansing" against the Rohingya, who are regarded as aliens.
"All You Can Do is Pray": Crimes Against Humanity and Ethnic Cleansing of Rohingya Jovenlandeses in Burma's Arakan State (HRW)
"Issues to Be Raised Concerning the Situation of Stateless Rohingya Children in Burma (Burma)" (The Arakan Project)
Since the violence, the religious unrest has expanded into a campaign against Muslim communities in other areas, posing a serious challenge to President Thein Sein's reformist government as it attempts to implement democratic reforms after nearly half a century of harsh military rule.
Rakhine state spokesman Win Myaing said over the weekend the policy was meant to stem population growth in the Muslim community, which a government-appointed commission last month identified as one of the causes of the sectarian violence. He said authorities have not determined how the measure will be enforced, but it will be mandatory.
"This is the best way to control the population explosion which is a threat to our national identity. If no measure is taken to control the population, there is a danger of losing our own identity," said National Affairs Minister for the Yangon Region Zaw Aye Maung, an ethnic Rakhine member of parliament. He said restricting the number of children in the poorer Muslim community will benefit them because smaller families are better able to feed, clothe and educate their children.
Burmese leader warns of force to stop religious rioting
U.N. official calls for help for Burma's displaced
Clashes between Muslim Rohingya minority, Buddhists leave 100 dead in Burma
An ethnic Rohingya refugee is seen through the window of an immigration quarantine center in Langsa district, Aceh province, Indonesia on March 2, 2013. She was among nearly 200 asylum-seekers from Burma who were rescued by fishermen off the waters of Sumatra island.
/ CHAIDEER MAHYUDDIN/AFP/Getty Images
A Buddhist monk in Maungdaw township was also enthusiastic.
"It's a good idea. If the government can really control the Bengali population in the area, the other communities will feel more secure and there will be less violence like what happened in the past," said monk Manithara from the Aungmyay Bawdi monastery, using the name "Bengali" that most Buddhists prefer to "Rohingya." "It's also a good step to develop the living standards of the people in the region. China also has this kind of policy."
Some Buddhists, however, welcomed the plan for addressing their antiestéticar of a Muslim population explosion.
Authorities in strife-torn said this past weekend that they were restoring a measure imposed during past military rule that banned Rohingya families from having more than two children. Details about the policy and how it will be enforced have not been released, sparking calls for clarity and concerns of more discrimination against a group the U.N. calls one of the world's most persecuted people.
A Muslim Rohingya child plays at a camp for displaced persons on the outskirts of Sittwe, Rakhine state, Burma, on May 18, 2013.
/ Soe Than WIN/AFP/Getty Images
"If true, this is against the law," said Suu Kyi, the opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Suu Kyi has faced criticism for failing to defend the Rohingya amowing two waves of deadly sectarian violence last year. She told reporters she had not heard details of the latest measure but, if it exists, "It is discriminatory and also violates human rights."
The policy applies to two Rakhine townships that border Bangladesh and have the highest Muslim populations in the state. The townships, Buthidaung and Maungdaw, are about 95 percent Muslim. Nationwide, Jovenlandeses account for only about 4 percent of Burma's roughly 60 million people.
The order makes Burma (also known as Myanmar) perhaps the only country in the world to level such a restriction against a particular religious group, and is likely to bring further criticism that Jovenlandeses are being discriminated against in the Buddhist-majority country. The central government has not made any statement about the two-child policy since Rakhine state authorities quietly enacted the measure a week ago. Calls seeking comment from government spokesmen have not been returned.
Longstanding antipathy toward the Rohingya erupted last year into mob violence in which Rakhine Buddhists armed with machetes razed thousands of Muslim homes, leaving hundreds of people dead and forcing 125,000 to flee, mostly Jovenlandeses. The New York-based group Human Rights Watch has accused the government and security forces in Rakhine of fomenting an organized campaign of "ethnic cleansing" against the Rohingya, who are regarded as aliens.
"All You Can Do is Pray": Crimes Against Humanity and Ethnic Cleansing of Rohingya Jovenlandeses in Burma's Arakan State (HRW)
"Issues to Be Raised Concerning the Situation of Stateless Rohingya Children in Burma (Burma)" (The Arakan Project)
Since the violence, the religious unrest has expanded into a campaign against Muslim communities in other areas, posing a serious challenge to President Thein Sein's reformist government as it attempts to implement democratic reforms after nearly half a century of harsh military rule.
Rakhine state spokesman Win Myaing said over the weekend the policy was meant to stem population growth in the Muslim community, which a government-appointed commission last month identified as one of the causes of the sectarian violence. He said authorities have not determined how the measure will be enforced, but it will be mandatory.
"This is the best way to control the population explosion which is a threat to our national identity. If no measure is taken to control the population, there is a danger of losing our own identity," said National Affairs Minister for the Yangon Region Zaw Aye Maung, an ethnic Rakhine member of parliament. He said restricting the number of children in the poorer Muslim community will benefit them because smaller families are better able to feed, clothe and educate their children.
Burmese leader warns of force to stop religious rioting
U.N. official calls for help for Burma's displaced
Clashes between Muslim Rohingya minority, Buddhists leave 100 dead in Burma
An ethnic Rohingya refugee is seen through the window of an immigration quarantine center in Langsa district, Aceh province, Indonesia on March 2, 2013. She was among nearly 200 asylum-seekers from Burma who were rescued by fishermen off the waters of Sumatra island.
/ CHAIDEER MAHYUDDIN/AFP/Getty Images
A Buddhist monk in Maungdaw township was also enthusiastic.
"It's a good idea. If the government can really control the Bengali population in the area, the other communities will feel more secure and there will be less violence like what happened in the past," said monk Manithara from the Aungmyay Bawdi monastery, using the name "Bengali" that most Buddhists prefer to "Rohingya." "It's also a good step to develop the living standards of the people in the region. China also has this kind of policy."
