MANDALAY — Thousands of protesters including hundreds of monks are holding a
two-day march in support of the president’s proposal to deport the Rohingya
Muslim minority group.
The rally began in Mandalay on
Sunday and was scheduled to continue until Tuesday, although the local
authorities called an end to the protests on Monday. It is believed that the
cancellation is due to the unexpectedly large turnout.
The protest demonstrates the deep
resentment felt against the Rohingya minority after June violence with ethnic
Arakanese (Rakhine) Buddhists left 80 people dead and tens of thousands
displaced. Monks held a banner saying, “Save your motherland Myanmar by supporting
the president.”
President Thein Sein suggested in
July that Burma sends all Rohingya to any country willing to take them, a
proposal quickly opposed by the UN refugee agency.
Despite only 100 residents of
Mandalay being officially allowed to protest, the city’s security forces stood
by and allowed thousands to march without hindrance. The protest was originally
permitted to take place from 10 am to 11 am for the three days, yet there was
also a second march from 1 pm to 2 pm on Sunday.
By contrast, repeated attempts by
market traders in recent days to protest strict new regulations have been
repeated turned down by the local authorities.
U Wirathu, a prominent monk of
the city’s Ma Soe Yein Monastery, is leading the demonstration. “This protest is
to support the president’s stand on the Rohingya issue,” he said.
Lay protesters are wearing
T-shirts with a photo of Thein Sein and a “tick” on the front and a picture of
UN human rights envoy Tomás Ojea Quintana crossed out on the back.
Demonstrators are complaining about international interference in the Arakan
sectarian violence, particularly from the UN.
Burma considers the Rohingya to
be illegal migrants from Bangladesh but Bangladesh also rejects them, rendering
them stateless. The UN estimates that 800,000 Rohingya live in Burma and
considers them one of the world’s most persecuted groups.
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