On the evoulution of Rohingya Problem

Dec 30th, 2009

On the Evoulution of Rohingya Problem

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23 Responses to “On the evoulution of Rohingya Problem”

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  • #4 Aye Chan Says:
    January 2nd, 2010 at 2:30 pm

    Hi Ko Myo Aung,

    Go to the British Library and National Archives in London for the colonial records that prove these people are the immigrants from Chittagong in colonial period. Can you give me any historical source either primary or secondary to prove there was an ethnic group “Rohingya” by name in Arakan prior to Burma gained independence in 1948?

    Aye Chan
    Department of International Cultures
    Kanda University of International Studies
    1-4-1 Wakaba, Mihamaku, Chiba 261-0014
    Japan
    Tel. 81-43-273-2897 (Office)

  • #5 Tha Hla Says:
    January 2nd, 2010 at 6:44 pm

    Dear U Khin Maung Saw,

    I congratulate you for posting your article at the heels of Zul
    Nurain’s. These who call themselves ‘Rohingyas’ are in desperation like a drowning person.
    Evidently, their wishful writings brought to no fruition.

    Tha Hla

  • #6 Noor Hashem Says:
    January 3rd, 2010 at 4:48 am

    Mrs. Aye Shan,

    Your comment is that the Rohingyas immigrated to Arakan after gained independence in 1948, you guys where did you get the Rohingyas to massacre about 100,000 people in 1942, did you massacre your Maugh or; You are not a real author or writer, the real author or writer never write imaginary histories or comments. You sometimes accept that the Rohingyas are the fact native people of Arakan when you drink and refuse that Rohingyas are from Chittagong Bangladesh when you come back to your normal knowledge. You and your uncle SPDC never hide the Rohingyas’ real history. The Rohingya will be owner of Arakan again today or tomorrow.

    Noor Hashem
    Canada

  • #7 Nyi Lay Maung Says:
    January 5th, 2010 at 5:17 pm

    Mr. Noor Hashem,

    I want to use ‘racial riots with bloodbaths’ rather than ‘Ethnic Cleansing’ as you said. Yes, there were racial riots with bloodbaths between Bangali Muslims and the Arakanese in 1942 . At that time, the name Rohingya did not exist.
    Just for your information, Mr. Abdul Gafar started using the term ‘Rohingya’ in Guardian Magazine in 1950. It was the first time, the name ‘Rohingya’ evolved. However, all four Muslim MPs from Maungdaw, Buthee Taung and Rathe Taung constituencies, Mr. A. Gafar, Mr. Sultan Mamood, Mr. Abul Kai and Mr. Abu Bawshaw never named themselves as ‘Rohingyas’ instead they used the term ‘Arakan Muslims’ until 1960.
    For the racial roits with blood baths, both sides (Bangali Muslims and Arakanese) were and are accusing each other of ‘Ethnic Cleansing’ done by the other side.
    Let us see the statistical facts. In 1941, there were 41,414 Arakanese in Maungdaw but only 5,808 in 1956. The Bangali population of Maungdaw in 1941 was 124452 and increased to 187792 in 1956.
    In 1941 there were not more than 1.5 Million Arakanese (Rakhines) all over the world, but there were at least 20 Million Chittagong Bangalis in the British Empire then.
    Hence, all readers can decide who had a better chance for ‘Ethnic Cleansing’! Which one is more logical?

    Nyi Lay Maung

  • #8 Noor Hashem Says:
    January 6th, 2010 at 1:43 am

    My dear countryman Mr. Nyi Lay Maung,
    Thanks for your response, I got a chance to write few lines regarding ongoing Rohingyas’ dilemmas. I am neither a politician nor author. I am a ordinary human want to point out some authentic chronicles, which should be known by every Arakanese.

    Whose names were mentioned in the comment of you wrote as Mr. Abdul Gaffor, Mr. Sultan Mohammod, Mr. Abul Bashar and Abdul Khair were real and intellectual politicians from the Rohingya community in Arakan regeon, don’t go to the deeper, you have to study at the law school to understand their politics what they played politics with the Maugh community and BSPP-SLORC as well. My regeonman you have erroneous and phony trace about the Arakan History, I never heard “Rakhine” in my life born to raised in Arakan, I have heard “Maugh” still today. My little siblings, neighbor kids and I were little, parents would say “Maugh Aiyer” that means, Maughs are coming when we used to cry because the Maughs’ activities were unsocial such as killing, raping, stabing, stealing, robbing, snatching still doing to Rohingyas. No one from Chittagong Bangladesh has been immigrated to Arakan in British era, the Arakanese immigrated to Cox’s Bazar Chittagong Bangladesh. Please assiduously read the following the historical facts prove.
    The following historical facts prove that the Rohingyas are indigenous people of Arakan. “Muslims arrived and settled since last 1000 to 1200 years in Burma” (The SLORC Publication ‘ Thasana Yongwa Htoonkazepo’ p.65).
    “Many Arab ships wrecked near Rambree Island of Arakan coast during the reign of Mahataing Sanda (788-810) and the crews and the traders of those ships were Muslims and they were sent to the Arakan proper and settled in villages, where the married local women. According to history, Islam came through the sea borne Sufis and merchants. These were testified by the darghas (shrines) which are dotted at the long coast of Arakan and Burma (British-Burma Gazetteers of 1879 page 16.) “The superior morality of those devout Muslims attracted large number of people towards Islam who embraced it enmasse” (The essential History of Burma by U Kyi P.160).
    “In 1430 A.D. Jalaluddin Mohammad Shah, the king of Bengal, sent Gen. Wali Khan at the head of 50,000 soldiers to conquer Arakan. Wali Khan drove the Burman and took control of power over Arakan for himself, introduced Persian as the court language of Arakan and appointed Muslim judges (Qazis)”, (Bangladesh District Gazetteers P.63).
    “Jalaluddin sent a second army under Gen. Sandi Khan who overthrew Wali Khan and restored Sulayman Shah to the throne of Arakan in 1430 A.D. From 1430 to 1638 Arakan was a Muslim state with a modern civilisation which resulted in renaissance” (Journal of Burma Research Society (JBRS) No.2. P.493).
    “From 1430 A.D. Arakan was ruled by the Muslims” (“The Arrival of Islam in Burma” by Zaya Kyaw Tin U Ba Shin P.5). “Muslim kingdom of Arakan was independent in the 14th and 15th centuries” (“Time Atlas of the World History”, edited in 1979 by Geoffrey Barraclough P.33).
    It had been reported that all the children born to the Dutch of Arakanese mothers were being brought up as Muslims (JBRS No.2 P.86).
    “The Mohammadans of Arakan were mostly the descendants of the slaves captured by Burmans and Arakanese kings in wars and were settled in Kyauktaw and Mrohaung Townships” (RB Smarts P.87).
    “In addition to the Muslim prisoners and slaves brought to Arakan from Bengal and even from North India, many more came to serve as mercenaries in the Arakanese army usually as the king’s body guards” (Siddiq Khan, op Cit: P.25).
    Dr. Than Tun, the rector of Mandalay University and professor of history wrote that “The kings of Arakan had Muslim titles, The Muslim kings mentioned in the Kyaukza (stone plates or stones tablets inscriptions of 1442) might be Rohingyas from the Mayu valley of the eastern Naf River (and the western Kaladan River) who claimed their existence of over thousand years. Their existence might be from the time of 1202 C.E. when their co-religious Muslim conquered Bengal, that is 800 years. It was written in the Kyaukza of 1442 that there were some Muslim kings of Arakan who were very friendly with the kings of Ava”. (Dr. Luce G.H., “Kyan (Chun)” Mru and Kumi (N.Arakan),” phases of pre-Pagan Burma languages and history, Oxford, SOAS, 1985-76-97). (Dr. Than Tun -Kalya Magazine – P.27-28, 1994, August).
    In 1660 A.C. the Mogul Prince Shah Shuja fled to Arakan. This important event brought a new wave of Muslim immigrants to the kingdom of Arakan. Shah Shuja, his family members and everyone found wearing beard had been beheaded by the king of Arakan for his lust for his daughter and his wish to molest the prince’s riches.
    From 1665 to 1710 the Muslims of Arakan became the king makers of Arakan. In 1666 the Mughal army captured Chittagong and Ramu from the rule of Maghs. During their retreat to Mrohaung the Magh army units were attacked by the local Muslims. The Maghs migrated to Mrohaung side, east of the Kaladan, and the Muslims from the east of Kaladan migrated to the Mayu valley since 1710. Thus from the Kaladan to the Naf the whole Mayu valley became a purely Muslim area.
    In 1785 when Burmese king Bodaw conquered Arakan many people crossed to Bengal. Captain Cox settled some of them in a place, which was later known as Cox’s Bazaar.
    At the time when British conquered Arakan in 1825, half of the population of Arakan was Muslims. Some of the people who migrated to Bengal 40 years ago due to political upheaval started to return to their former homes in Arakan. Hence, the population of Arakan increase rapidly and now Muslim constitute 90% of population in north Arakan.

    I hope you gonna get all points which are unknown to you.
    From the bottom of your heart,
    Noor Hashem

  • #9 Kyaw Tun Says:
    January 13th, 2010 at 5:36 am

    Dear Noor Hashem,
    You made me to be plain the nitty-gritty of so-called Rohingya’s story have proved that they are indigenous people of Middle East Countries or Bangladesh. I don’t belive that they are race of Arab and how to Muslims arrived to Arakan during the Vesali (Wethali) period (A.D 327-A.D 818)without evidence of beyond the World History
    “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam”. We call them Kula or Kalar (Pali), n. a race one whose race is distinctly marked, a person of caste, a nation of any country west of Burma according to Judson’s Burmese- English Dictionary. Our record of events, they are all Chittagongnian Bangli Muslims and neither indigenous people of Arakan or Burma is true.

    Kyaw Tun
    Phoenix
    Arizona
    U.S.A
    Cell: 602-349-6170

  • #10 Mg Pru Says:
    January 14th, 2010 at 3:46 am

    it has again and again been said by the kalas that they came to Arakan as shipwrecked people and that the Rakhaings were ‘barbarians’, for which they en masse converted to Islam. in Arakane there are Muslims who speak only Rakhaing language like the Kamans, and also some Baruas and Hindus who speak the Chittagonian dialect of Bengali. then there are these kalas or rohingyas who speak Chittagonian dialect of Bengali.

    Should Rohingyas have been the descendants of the Arabs, who do they speak in Chittagonian dialect is a mystery for me. Can any Rohingya or so-called Bangladeshi Bengali Rohingya scholars make it clear to me?

    the name Rocon or Rokon or Rakan (pronunciation of the Arabic word ‘ra-kaf-nun’ is clearly the Rakhaing and not the Rohingyas. Rohingya is a Bengali word for Rkhaing, and not the socalled rohingyas – clearly the word Rohingya was purposefully used by the separatist Bengalis of Arakan to demand for separation and join the socalled pan-Islamic terrorists.

    If you do not believe me, come to Chittagong in Bangladesh and i can show any Bengali Muslim who will tell you the truth.

  • #11 Mg Pru Says:
    January 14th, 2010 at 4:01 am

    re:evolution of rohingya

    the mughals who came to Arakan were not Arabs, they did not speak Arabic. Then in Bangladesh histories there are mention of some officials and court poets in the court of Arakan. But they never mentioned them as Rohingyas – Alaol mentioned clearly that in Arakan there were people from Middle East, Japan, Southeast Asia, and indian subcontinent. He never mentioned Rohingyas were there.

    Mr Noor Hashem you need to study such things as the Anandacandra Pillar inscription, that of Bangladesh history, besides the one-eyed terrorist Dr Yunus’ concocted history on Rohingyas. He never even mentioned that Alaol in his books (Padmavati) mention Roshang, and Roshang was clearly the Rakhaing as pronounced and spelt by the Bengali poet whose graveyard is supposedly in Fatehabad, Chittagong. Though he served under the Rakhaing king, he returned like many other Chittagonians to his home.

    Then about the Muslim names of the Rakhiang kings, the poet Alaol clearly said that though they were Buddhists they had muslim srnames. You should not forget that the period when the Arakanese (Name Arakan is derivative of Araksadesa – used by the kings of Arakan Vesali) kings adopted Muslim titles, the Mughals were in the ascendancy, and also that the trade with India was conducted with the Persian language used by the Indians, Arabs, Perisans alike. Besides there were Portuguese in the vicinity.

  • #12 Ja Nan Says:
    January 14th, 2010 at 12:07 pm

    This article gives me more knowledge of Rohingyas. I never know this people exist in Myanmar. I belong to Kachin ethnic group. I know Kachin, Kakyar, Kayin, Chin, Mon, Myanmar, Rakhine and Shan, Chinese and Indians, etc,.
    Sayar Khin Maung, You have done a great contribution to Burmese History. Would like to request more papers to come.

  • #13 Jimi Says:
    January 15th, 2010 at 7:11 am

    If shipwrecked Arabs became Rohingyas in Arakan why didn’t they evolve on other coastlands like Malaysia, Indonesia or Tenasserim? Or did Malays and Indonesians descend from Arabs?
    Why do Rohingyas speak Bengali rather than Arabic?
    Why do Kamans and Myedoos who descended historically from Indian subcontinent and still worship Islam speak Arakanese only while Rohingyas who claimed to be of more ancient settlement in Arakan speak only Bengali?

    Rohingya is merely a fiction. We should respect their human rights but we must acknowledge the truth.

  • #14 Myo Min Says:
    January 16th, 2010 at 5:03 am

    Dear Mr. Noor Hashem:
    I will give you some evidences and quotations from the British Administrative records that you can copy at British Library and National Archives in London and quotations from the writings of Foreign Scholars. One is Bangladeshi and one a French.

    “That the Arakanese are gradually being pushed out of Arakan before the steady wave of Chittagonian immigration from the west is only too well known. The reason why they cannot withstand this pressure is that they are extravagant and hire more labor than is necessary rather than do a fair share of work them. Among the reason brought forward by the Arakanese for not doing manual labor are that no two Arakanese can agree among themselves or trust each other and one will not take orders from another ….”
    Smart 1957: 85

    The report of the Settlement Officer witnesses the fact. The population of the whole tract is 127,831 of which the Naaf side contains 47,669 and the Kaladan side 80,162. This gives a density of 237per square mile for Naaf and 142 for Kaladan. The distribution of races is as follows:
    Burmese Chin Bengalis Mro Total
    Naaf 15,266 - 31,695 708 47,669
    Kaladan 69,797 1969 6976 1420 80162
    British Library, India Office Records: (RSO The Akyab District 1886 – 87, IOR V(9) 2163/2)

  • #15 Myo Min Says:
    January 16th, 2010 at 5:10 am

    Contd:
    “The Rohingyas are the descendants of the Muslims who hailed from Chittagong and now they are mainly concentrated in northern Arakan. Their migration in the past happened usually during the agricultural season when Arakan faced the problem of the shortage of agricultural laborers.”
    (Khan, Mabud. 1999. The Maughs. Dhaka University Press. p 9)

    “Since the Muslim traders had come to Arakan, we do not exactly know.
    Pretending that Arab traders had come to Arakan since the 8th and 9th century is largely a matter of speculation linked to the early history of Chittagong”

    Leider, Jacques. 2002. “ Arakan: Origins, Contexts, Means and Practice” The Maritime
    Frontier of Burma. (Edited by J. Gommans and Jacques Leider). KITLV Press. Amsterdam:

    OK! Are you going to lie again?

  • #16 Mg Pru Says:
    January 16th, 2010 at 8:11 am

    re: Rambre as referred by so-called dubious Rohingya intellectuals

    Abid Bahar, a Bengali Muslim from Bangladesh, may have a doctorate in the US, but for the history of Arakan, he is a man of dubious proficiency in Arakanese history because of his one-sided attempts at proving Arakanese kings to be Muslims and Arakan itself a Muslim kingdom.

    In one writing a supposed rohingya, like Abid Bahar, repeated the comment of medical doctor Yunus, about the root of the name Rambre Island to be Raham Burri – or something like it, meaning Arabic raham (spelt, ra-ha-mim
    in Arabic) to be blessing, and Burri meaning to shower by the
    shipwrecked Muslims from Arabia. What he actually did not know is
    that Burri has the root of Sanskrit Vars or Barsha, which means to
    shower. I don’t know how these shipwrecked Muslim sailors from Arabia
    learned the Sanskrit language to name Rambre as Rahamburri. This is
    so absurd.

    Then again they supposedly drew a conclusion at the superiority of the
    Muslim shipwrecked sailors, local indigenous Rakhaings en mass
    converted to Muslim. Rather it is possible that those marooned Arabs
    finding the magnanimity of the Arakanese king who gave shelter to
    them, and finding the universal message of love and humane practices
    in Buddhism, they must have abandoned their inferior Islamic
    fundamentalist faith and became Buddhists.

    I am sure it happened that way or else why should not there be Arabic
    speaking Muslims in Arakan?

  • #17 Myo Min Says:
    January 16th, 2010 at 8:39 am

    Dear Mr Pru:
    You should have understood why Abid Bahar is writing so. He wrote both MA and PhD theses on Rohingya. There is no Rohingya in the World History. He told lies for his Master’s and Doctor’s degrees. Now he is teaching at a small college in Canada. That’s pity. Let him keep his job till his retirement. He might have many children. He may be even a husband of two or three wives. He is naturalized Canadian now and does not need to go back to Chittagong or Cox’s Bazaar. Let him enjoy life in North America. Myo Min

  • #18 Aye Chan Says:
    January 16th, 2010 at 8:59 am

    Dear Noor Hashem:
    Where did you receive history training? Do you know even ABC of the historical research techniques. I can judge from your writing. You are completely ignorant of history. You rely only on the popular writings and secondary sources. I cannot waste time to aregue with such an uninformed guy like you. Inquire Aye Chan’s political background too. You know I have a doctorate. SPDC generals and Than Shwe will have affairs with the women from your family. Listen to my interviews with BBC. Ask famous activists in the U.S. Europe and Japan who Aye Chan is, and what he did in 1988. You can even ask DASSK if you have a chance. I think you don’t know how to get to the University Avenue in Rangoon. If you are polite I will be polite. I roar like a lion but never bark like a dog.

  • #19 David Star Says:
    January 18th, 2010 at 6:01 am

    Arakan

    Arakan was a country of great Buddhist kings who built numerous Buddhist temples such as Shite Thaung and Koe Thaung which can still be observed in Arakan.

    The people of Arakan are Buddhists and they live peacefully among the shades of those big, massive Buddhist temples.

    Arakan prospered through international trade which was dominated by Arab and Indian Muslisms. Arakan’s counterparts were Pegu, Ayuttaya and Melacca. Surprisingly, a Buddhist kingdom of Ayuttaya adopted Persian as the official language because of the trade influence.

    Best
    David

  • #20 Be bold to tell the truth Says:
    January 22nd, 2010 at 12:48 am

    My Burmese friends don’t close your eyelids. The moment you drop them, you will find them( Bengali people ) in your backyard. These people have become a nuisance for everyone to speak everywhere worldwide. Be it their neighbors Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and their northeastern neighbors of India. I can see a great deal of discomfort and anxiety even among their immediate northeastern neighbors. I am seeing another bloodbath on the horizon in the northeastern part of India in near future if the problem left unaddressed by their politicians.
    Lots of people in Nagaland, Munipur, ASSAM are openly showing their hostility and discontent, throwing their arms up in air with frustration.
    Don’t forget there was one memorable riot in ASSAM, I don’t remember the year. Many people died in that riot that sparked over the illegal Bengali presence. If the problem left unaddressed for far too long and let it fester, it will be difficult to resolve later. I remember their President saying to India that “those of whom residing there (ASSAM ) at least for 4 years ( illegally ) should be left undisturbed”. How dare he says this kind of thing ?. Don’t forget this is the fellow who asked his people to spread out on to their neighbors’ land to make room for other Bengali people in Bangladesh.

    Yangon-aut zi-umh-daeh
    Burma my-xia biah gau-jumh daeh
    Ghar bori puaha ba-nai-umh daeh
    Thar paur-ray jaga kah-ree loi-yum daeh

    Written by a aspiring poet.

  • #21 Aye Chan Says:
    January 25th, 2010 at 11:51 am

    The French historian Jacques Leider writes about these tales of Arab and Muslim sailors as:
    “When the Muslim traders had come to Arakan, we do not exactly know.
    Pretending that Arab traders had come to Arakan since the 8th and 9th century is largely a matter of speculation linked to the early history of Chittagong.”
    (Leider 1998:202)
    Do you want more comments on this problem. Let me know. I will post. Dont feel bad (Arr manar gya bar net).

  • #22 Abid Bahar Says:
    December 31st, 2011 at 11:17 pm

    The article by U Khain Maung Saw”On the Evolution of Rohingya Problems in Rakhine State ofBurma”
    Abid Bahar
    Link: http://burmadigest.info/2009/12/30/on-the-evoulution-of-rohingya-problem/
    Noor Hashim,
    You did a wonderful job but after reading the article by U Khain Maung Saw, and comments by Aye Chan and the others, I was disappointed to see the sorry state of Arakan’s educational system. I must say Rohingyas are behind but Rakhine Mogh community is also not so advanced. You will see in my review of Aye Chan’s “academic work”(he says) “Enclave with Influx Viruses Revisited” it is all but show with little beef in it. Rakhine Mogh scholars background is so miserably backward looking that sometimes I wonder how Aye Chan could finish his PhD. For the backwardness it is Ne Win’s military government’s educational system to blame. In my recent online debate with Aye Chan on “Aye Chan an Anti_Rohingya or a Historian”, I have addressed all these issues to him. At the end he couldn’t take it and called me with an abusive word. In the guise of an academician he is a true xenophob.
    Here reminds you about his profeciency in methodology but he himself is very weak in methodology. Please read my review of one of his best works in my ” Aye Chan’s Enclave with Influx Viruses Revisited” available online.
    After reading U Khain Maung Saw’s present article I thought I should ignore it but it is again very misleading to his readers that I am preparing a review on it as well.

  • #23 Abid Bahar Says:
    January 1st, 2012 at 12:04 am

    About the name “Rohingya”, readers might find the following brief note (abstract) interesting.
    —————————————————————————
    Constraints to Acceptance and the Discernment of the Symbiosis of Parasitism-A Study of the Rakhine-Rohinga Relations in Burma, paper presented in the English Department, Lethbridge University, Alberta.

    Abid Bahar, PhD
    When minority members from various splinter groups but with a common historic background of suffering and as a matter of survival mechanism takes on a common identity, it could be seen by the dominat group controling the scarce resources as a threat and dehumanize them to the symbiosis of parasitism.
    Burma is a country ruled by the military through the use of xenophobia against non-Buddhist ethnic and racial groups. A study done on the so-called “kulas”(connoting being inferior, dark skinned people) of the Arakan state of Burma (Kulas are the Rohingyas) shows that Rohingyas perhaps following the Rakhines (who upto the 30’s used to be called “Mogh” “Mug,” pirate took on the name Rakhines) similarly Rohingyas took on a new identity the “Rohingya”(People from the old village) but now been dubbed in race-based stereotyping by the Rakhine-Burman ultranationalist media in Arakan as being the”Influx Viruses” (dangerous foreigners) on one hand and on the other, for the new name the military junta government have officially declared the Rohingyas as the noncitizens of Burma.The official media now propagates saying “we have never heard of this people in Burma,” and forcefully exterminates them, an interesting case of an ethnic group’s identity formation in response to the constraints to acceptance, resulting in the smbiosis of parasites in their country of birth, resulting even in their becoming statelesss.

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