Three Steps Myanmar Should Take To Turn The Rohingya Disaster Around
Dhaka Courier|February 2, 2018

Three Steps Myanmar Should Take To Turn The Rohingya Disaster Around

Bill Richardson
Three Steps Myanmar Should Take To Turn The Rohingya Disaster Around

For the past two months, I have served on an international panel designed to help the Myanmar government arrive at just and reasonable policies for its conflict in Rakhine state, including its long-suffering Rohingya minority. This week I resigned. The reason: I have little confidence in the body’s ability to address the critical challenges facing the region and the country.

Aung San Suu Kyi, the country’s effective leader, is isolated and unwilling to listen to constructive criticism. Her government is focused on getting things done quickly instead of getting them done right. If Myanmar, also known as Burma, is to have any hope of preventing a further downward spiral to the crisis in Rakhine state and restoring its international reputation, immediate and dramatic changes are required. A continuation of the current approach is likely to lead to a dangerous cycle of violence that threatens both Myanmar’s hopes for peace and democracy and broader regional stability.

To be sure, Myanmar faces daunting challenges on Rakhine. Coordinated attacks by a new Muslim militant group triggered a brutal and sustained “security clearance operations” by the Myanmar military that, in just 15 months, forced nearly 800,000 people to flee to Bangladesh. Deep-seated mistrust festers between Buddhist and Muslim communities in Rakhine, as well as between each of these communities and the government. Systemic discrimination against minority groups, especially Muslims, remains rampant. Major drug-smuggling and human-trafficking networks plague the region. And chronic underinvestment in health, education and the economy exacerbate the problems.

Denne historien er fra February 2, 2018-utgaven av Dhaka Courier.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra February 2, 2018-utgaven av Dhaka Courier.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA DHAKA COURIERSe alt
Rohingya: Walk A Mile In Their Shoes
Dhaka Courier

Rohingya: Walk A Mile In Their Shoes

My reminiscences of Cox’s Bazar are deeply rooted in my childhood during family vacations taken with my parents and three siblings - horse rides on the beach, sunsets against the widest horizon, charcoal barbecues by nightfall, and copious amounts of seafood throughout our stays. My recent trip to Cox’s Bazar, some 20 odd years later, however, was starkly contrasting in that the circumstance was dire, one which continues to sit steep in my mind.

time-read
5 mins  |
October 6, 2017
Suu Kyi Risks Losing Ground To Military Over Rakhine Crisis
Dhaka Courier

Suu Kyi Risks Losing Ground To Military Over Rakhine Crisis

YANGON • Locals like to joke that Myanmar has two governments. That’s not very far from the truth.

time-read
4 mins  |
October 6, 2017
Dhaka Courier

Satellite Images Show Sprawling Rohingya Refugee Camps

Massive, makeshift refugee camps are sprawling over farms and open land in southern Bangladesh as more than 500,000 Rohingya Muslims flee violent attacks in their predominantly Buddhist homeland of Myanmar.

time-read
2 mins  |
October 6, 2017
Akhtarun Nahar Ivy's 9
Dhaka Courier

Akhtarun Nahar Ivy's 9

UNB Cultural DeskArt is a unique, powerful tool of connecting people, culture, says Ahn Seong-Doo

time-read
3 mins  |
October 6, 2017
Ganasangeet Festival Still Showing Hope For Music
Dhaka Courier

Ganasangeet Festival Still Showing Hope For Music

Ganasangeet Festival Still Showing Hope For Music

time-read
1 min  |
April 6, 2018
Trump Hurtles Toward Three Nuclear Crises
Dhaka Courier

Trump Hurtles Toward Three Nuclear Crises

Trump Hurtles Toward Three Nuclear Crises

time-read
3 mins  |
April 6, 2018
What Bangladesh Stands To Gain From Bangabandhu-1
Dhaka Courier

What Bangladesh Stands To Gain From Bangabandhu-1

What Bangladesh Stands To Gain From Bangabandhu-1

time-read
2 mins  |
April 6, 2018
Where Good Voices Must Go Bad
Dhaka Courier

Where Good Voices Must Go Bad

Where Good Voices Must Go Bad

time-read
3 mins  |
April 13, 2018
The minister's one hundred taka
Dhaka Courier

The minister's one hundred taka

The minister’s one hundred taka

time-read
3 mins  |
April 13, 2018
Dhaka Wants Delhi Pressure For Rohingya Return
Dhaka Courier

Dhaka Wants Delhi Pressure For Rohingya Return

Indian foreign secretary visits Bangladesh, no development on Teesta front

time-read
6 mins  |
April 13, 2018