(MintPress) – President Barack Obama briefly addressed sectarian violence between the majority government-sponsored Rakhine Buddhists and the minority Rohingya Muslims during an address Monday in Myanmar, the country known formerly as Burma. The conflict has largely been in the shadows of the country, despite the fact that it has displaced more than 20,000 through arson and widespread torture.
While temporarily pleasing critics and bringing light to the issue, the U.S. continues to lift sanctions on the nation, citing improvements toward democracy and paving the way for trade relations and U.S. oil exploration.
Obama’s mention of the Rohingya was an unexpected move, as he was poised to solely address democratic reforms in the nation. He referenced the conflict for the first time during a speech Monday at Yangon University.
“National reconciliation will take time, but for the sake of our common humanity, and for the sake of this country’s future, it’s necessary to stop incitement and to stop violence. And I welcome the government’s commitment to address the issues of injustice and accountability … and humanitarian access and citizenship,” the president said to a packed room.
His recognition of citizenship was especially relevant to the conflict, as Rohingya Muslims have been denied citizenship in the country, despite the fact that their lineage goes back generations. Because of this, they are not awarded the same rights relating to education, health care and freedoms relating to marriage.
This was addressed prior to Obama’s visit to Myanmar by Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch (HRW).
“Obama should press Thein Sein to end discrimination and violence against the Rohingya and grant them citizenship on par with other ethnic nationalities,” Adams said in a press release send to MintPress. “He should stress the urgent need to allow international aid to reach the Rohingya and for security conditions that would allow them to return to their homes.”
HRW has been documenting the conflict in Myanmar since it erupted in June. In October, it released satellite imagery depicting areas in the Western Arakan State where structures belonging to the Rohingya population were being burned and destroyed by the government. At that time, the United Nations (U.N.) estimated 22,000 Rohingya Muslims throughout the nation were fleeing violence.
The group concluded that within a 24 hour period in October, more than 810 shelters were destroyed in a 35-acre area located in the coastal town of Kyauk Pyu. Those left without homes had nowhere to go, as they’re not recognized as citizens of any nation on earth. They are stateless, therefore considered one of the most prosecuted populations on earth.
And while the conflict goes both ways, HRW declared early on that the Rohingya are far more persecuted than the Rakhine and that the government has its hands in the persecution of the ethnic group.
Balancing recognition and action
In the leadup to his visit, the president was criticized and pressured to address the government-sponsored conflict that has killed and displaced thousands of Rohingya Muslims, the minority demographic in the nation. Instead, Obama was serving as the first president to visit the nation, under a platform of applause for a government taking steps toward democracy.
This movement, albeit slow, is celebrated through the release of Aung San Suu Kyi, a democracy advocate who was released from house arrest and now serves as a lawmaker. She represents political prisoners released by Sein. And while that may be cause for some recognition, human rights advocates question why the government is then still involved in what appears to be an ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya population.
While at first choosing to recognize democratic reforms taken over the last year, Obama’s mention of the plight of the Rohingyas satisfied those who had criticized the government prior to the trip.
Still, however, the U.S. has lifted sanctions on Myanmar, lifting trade barriers that allow imports from the nation and pave a way for U.S. companies to seek oil in what is considered robust untapped oil reserves.
While some have been released, there are still political prisoners being held by the Myanmar government. Also of concern is a dangerously close relationship between a corrupt military and government. Currently, the military holds a 25 percent quota for parliamentary seats — it also has responsibility in instituting laws that limit freedom of expression, association and assembly, according to HRW.
Lifting sanctions and not specifically hoisting this issues as top priority could alter the U.S. ability to push for real reform — that’s the concern of advocates who fear that sanctions speak louder than words.
“Obama’s trip to Burma risks providing an undeserved seal of approval to the military-dominated government that is still violating human rights,” Adams said. “Obama’s success in securing tangible commitments on human rights, not in his mere presence in the country, is crucial for promoting genuine and lasting reform.”
Forming a relationship
While Obama’s visit to Myanmar was the first of any U.S. president, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has previously met with Sein. During a trip to the country in September, Clinton also took part in applauding democratic reforms and lifting sanctions on the country.
It was celebrated as a victory between a Western power and an emerging democracy. Yet one month later, the government-sponsored burning of more than 800 Rohingya homes was documented. It didn’t look like the new democratic nation the U.S. referenced it to be.
This time around, Obama was careful to say that his visit was not a full-out endorsement of everything the nation is doing, but was rather an encouragement for it to continue in the right direction.
While attempting to tout the U.S. has a champion for human rights around the world, the relationship between the U.S. and China is one that is arguably winning the fight between global power, economic gain and human rights.
“The U.S. sees this pivot toward Asia as a way to counterbalance China’s growing influence in the region,” Global Policy Programs at the Asia Society Vice President Suzanne DiMaggio said in an interview with National Public Radio. “I think the U.S. looks to Asia and sees China’s fingerprints everywhere.”
And while that may be the case, placing human rights reform at the end of the line will do nothing for the Rohingya population. Already seeing sanctions lifted, Sein and his government have yet to be subject to real threats that could lead to peace in the nation.