How many Bengali were killed by Arakanese inside Arakan State of Burma? What is the meaning of “Arakani”? I never have been heart this. You cannot adop The Arakan into arakanistan like Parkistan, Afganistan and karkistan. The word Arakan is not for “nistan”

Khine Mra Thein

Abid Bahar

Ashin Nayaka a native of Arakan, Burma is a leading member of the International Burmese Monks Organization in USA and a visiting professor, Department of History at Columbia University, New York. Recently he gave testimony to the US senate led by United States Commission on International Religious Freedom. But unknown to the outside world, at home in Arakan he spreads xenophobia among the Rakhines against other ethnic Arakani minority people’s freedom. In a book written by U Shw zan and Dr. Aye Chan,(2005) Rohingya are being demonized as being “Influx Viruses.” Ashin Nayaka in encouraging the above ultra-nationalists wrote in the forward section of the book the following:

“Rohingya movements have been accompanied by certain dangers and challenges, particularly for the Arakan State and beyond.”

Here Asin Nayaka due to his ethnic superiority feelings refused to acknowledge Rohingyas as a people and says “dangers and challenges” should be feared by the Rakhine and the Burmese people. It is to note that Rohingyas are a racially and religiously different group of Burmese people.

About the book “Influx Viruses” he further says:

“I hope this collective contribution will give both a broader understanding of so-called Rohingya issues and practical measures to address challenges of the future. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to both contributors whose scholastic works are credibly expected to give appropriate answers to all…”

In dehumanizing the Rohingyas the authors of the “Influx Viruses” refused to accept the birth right of the Rohingyas and calls the Rohingyas as “Viruses.”

Ashin Nayaka justifies this claim by calling the Rohingyas as the “so-called-Rohingyas.” The “practical measures” he refers had been taken by the ultra-nationalists Rakhines in 2001 to destroy the Rohingya historic sites in Arakan and even before renamed the Rohingya names such as Akyab into Sittwe. And for the army ofcourse the “practical measures” were to exterminate the so-called Rohingya “virus.” It appears that Ashin Nayaka opposes the military rule in Burma but supports the military’s Rohingya extermination policy in Arakan.

Today, there are atleast 700,000 stateless Rohingya people live in Malaysia, Japan and in the Middle East and approximately 200,000 live in Bangladesh.

Surprisingly Ashin Nayaka is an honorable Buddhist Monk who is supposed to be preaching nonviolence. Whereas he keeps his xenophobia and hate in his closet at home in Arakan and pretends to be a great democracy movement Monk leader in abroad deserving a prize on behalf of the Monks of Burma.

As a democracy movement activist recently he said to the US Senate, “We remain steadfast in our commitment to the freedom in our country and the freedom in our own hearts. All these things Americans value and cherish. Freedom for the people of Burma cannot be denied. The cost of that freedom is the only question in Burma,”

This is Ashin Nayaka style of Burmese way to democracy. To him ofcourse human rights is only for its Buddhist majority. Due to such dual roles played by certain Monks as Ashin Nayaka and some ultra-nationalist Arakani intellectuals,like Aye Chan and Aye Kyaw, Rohingya people’s rights of citizenship were being officially denied by the military government. Rohingyas have been suffering genocidal repression inside Arakan state and outside the country sufferes as stateless people.

Remarkably, Ashin Nayaka’s style is a typical Burmese way to democracy by most Arakanese ultra-nationalists: xenophobia at home and great democratic demonstration in abroad. No wonder why the military government has been successful in ruling Burma for such a long time!

For dehumanizing the Burmese born Rohingyas, and misrepresenting Buddhism, inciting Rohingya genocide and helping the extermination policy in Arakan, and helping in jailing of Rohingya leaders in Burma, it is imperative on the genuine democracy movement leaders to seperate the fake democrat Monks like Ashin Nayaka along with his team of ultra-nationalists and refer them to the international tribunal.

(Dr. Abid Bahar, a Sociologist and historian of Arakan, during the 80’s wrote his thesis on Ethnic Relations in Burmese society.) abid.bahar@gmail.com