The Burmese community today marked the sixth anniversary of the start of the “Rohingya Genocide” at an event entitled “Never Again: Coup and Genocide” at a venue on the border of Thai-Myanmar.
At the event, Ms Chalida Tajaroensuk, a long-time Burma supporter and Chairperson of People’s Empowerment Foundation in Thailand called for solidarity amongst all Burmese people in the wake of the 2021 military coup.
“There should be solidarity with all of the Burmese to fight for democracy in Myanmar,” Khun Chalida told people at the event.
“I am waiting and would like to see the NUG (National Unity Government) come out with a statement on the issue of the Rohingya,” she said.
Khun Chalida said she hoped “the NUG would take the issue of the Rohingya as a priority,” noting that the Muslim minority are “one of the citizens of Myanmar.”
The Rohingya Genocide Remembrance Day is on 25 August, six years after the start of the onslaught by the Myanmar military in 2017.
On 25 August 2017, the Myanmar government announced that 71 people, one soldier, one immigration officer, 10 policemen and 59 insurgents had been killed overnight during coordinated attacks by up to 150 insurgents across 24 police posts and the 552nd Light Infantry Battalion army base in Rakhine State. The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) claimed they were taking "defensive actions" in 25 different locations and accused government soldiers of raping and killing civilians. The group also claimed that Rathedaung had been under a blockade for more than two weeks, starving the Rohingya, and that the government forces were preparing to do the same in Maungdaw.
The following onslaught by the Myanmar military appeared to use the ARSA insurgent attacks as an excuse to attack and slaughter thousands of Rohingya and drive over 700,000 into exile in Bangladesh.
The violence is the subject of an ongoing case accusing the Myanmar military of “genocide”. On 11 November 2019, The Gambia, with the support of the 57 nations of the Organization for Islamic Cooperation, filed a lawsuit against Myanmar in the UN International Court of Justice on behalf of the Rohingya. The Rohingya are arguably the most suppressed ethnic group in Myanmar, unable to obtain citizenship.
