Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 21 September 2017
4. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on whether stronger measures should be taken against the Myanmar Government in view of the violence and discrimination carried out against the Rohingya people; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39963/17]
View answerDoes the Minister agree that the Government should make a very strong statement of condemnation of the genocidal violence by the Myanmar Government against the Rohingya ethnic minority? Does she agree with the growing calls for Aung San Suu Kyi to be stripped of the Nobel peace prize and of the freedom of Dublin city?
I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The Government is deeply concerned about the situation in Rakhine State, in particular the ongoing violence which has been taking place following the attacks which were undertaken by Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army militants on 25 August. The excessive response by the security forces in response to these attacks is deeply troubling. It is critical that an immediate end should be brought to the violence in Rakhine State. It has led to a severe humanitarian crisis both within Myanmar and across the border in Bangladesh, which is seeking to manage the humanitarian needs of well over 400,000 refugees.
My colleague, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Simon Coveney, issued a statement on 15 September in which he called on the security forces to de-escalate the situation, to respect international human rights law, and to ensure the protection of all civilians in the affected area. Along with other EU member states, Ireland has consistently urged the Government of Myanmar to restore access to Rakhine State by humanitarian actors and media organisations. We have also called on the Government of Myanmar to allow access to the UN fact-finding mission to the country.
Going beyond this immediate crisis, it is clear that there is a need to comprehensively tackle the long-standing drivers of the tensions which have existed in Rakhine State against the Rohingya community. In this context, Ireland urges the Government of Myanmar to take forward the recommendations which have been set out by the Kofi Annan-led Advisory Commission on Rakhine State as soon as possible. These measures provide the strongest path forward for the long-term peace and development for all communities in the region.
I thank the Minister of State for her response and for the Government's statement a few weeks ago. To describe what is happening as excessive violence by the Myanmar state is a significant understatement. What is happening appears to be ethnic cleansing carried out by the Myanmar military in collusion with Buddhist chauvinist mobs. The consequences are very shocking. More than 400,000 have fled in the last month into neighbouring Bangladesh and 20,000 are being forced to leave each day, according to the International Organization for Migration. UNICEF has stated that 250,000 children have left Myanmar in the last month, and that is on top of the broader repression and oppression over the Rohingya people.
Real questions have to be asked and a light shone on the role of Aung San Suu Kyi in this. She is portrayed in sections of the media as being stuck between a rock and a hard place. In reality, she has been covering up for these brutal acts by the Myanmar state. She was the one who coined the term "fake rape" to describe the violence against women that was being perpetrated by those linked to that state.
It is important that we recognise the extremely complex challenges the Government of Myanmar faces and that it has taken a range of positive steps in pursuit of peace, in reconciliation, in democratic reforms and economic growth. Ireland absolutely supports the democratic transition which is currently under way in Myanmar following the elections in 2015. It is important we address the root causes of the issues in Rakhine State. That is fundamental to ensuring the peace and the socio-economic development for all the communities in the region. As a Government, we very much welcome the commitment that the State Counsellor, Aung San Suu Kyi, has made in dealing with the root causes of the problems facing the region through the establishment of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State.
In terms of what we are doing in this regard, on 15 September the Minister, Deputy Simon Coveney, issued a statement again in which he expressed deep concern about the situation. The Government is also raising concerns through our bilateral contacts with the Government of Myanmar via our participation at the EU and the UN. Ireland's embassy in Bangkok, which is accredited to Myanmar, is monitoring the situation closely and the ambassador there has raised our concerns again and again regarding the situation in Rakhine State with the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs during a visit to the country in January. We are keeping in close communication in respect of what is happening.
The notion that slow and steady progress is being made towards democracy in what was Burma is contradicted by what is happening to the Rohingya people. They are a severely oppressed ethnic minority and they are not recognised as such, unlike 135 recognised ethnic groups in Myanmar. They have been denied citizenship under the 1982 law. The Government presents them as having come from Bangladesh, despite being a traditional, long-standing element of what was formerly Burmese society. Unfortunately, Aung San Suu Kyi got the votes of ethnic minorities and those who hoped for a break from the old military rule but she has been completely incorporated into a crony capitalist, military system with the increasing dominance of China. The Government should support the call for her Nobel Peace Prize and for the freedom of the city of Dublin to be taken from her. I support those on Dublin City Council who are trying to do that.
Ireland very much urges the Government of Myanmar to begin implementing all the recommendations contained in the final report of the advisory commission on the Rakhine State as soon as possible. We very much welcome the Government's announcement on 12 September of the formation of the implementation committee to take this forward. When the time comes, it is critical that the refugees and many of those to whom the Deputy referred who have fled their homes in Rakhine State are also allowed to return. The Government has called on the Government of Myanmar to end its discriminatory policies and practices towards the Rohingya people and to take comprehensive steps to address the root causes of the situation. We in Ireland understand that building peace and trust takes time and we are particularly aware that respect for human rights and access to livelihoods for all these communities is central to enabling long-term peace and stability.
