Sunday Punch 2
man. In June 2014, two people were killed and five hurt in Mandalay, Myanmar's second city, following a rumour that spread on social media that a Buddhist woman had been raped by one or more Muslim men In October 2016 nine police officers were killed by armed men, believed by officials to be Muslims. Amid the ensuing violence, as Britain’s Guardian newspaper has stated, 87,000 Rohingya Muslims fled to Bangladesh and government troops expanded their presence in Rakhine state, the homeland state of the Rohingyas.
On August 25th, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) struck again. They attacked government forces. In response the Myanmar army hit back. A clearance operation was launched. As the world press reported more than a thousand people were killed in the backlash. More than 300,000 were forced to flee their homes. The UN’s top human rights official Zeid said on 11th September, the military’s response was “clearly disproportionate” to insurgent attacks and warned that Myanmar’s treatment of its Rohingya minority appears to be a “textbook example” of ethnic cleansing.
But the politics of Myanmar need not concern us now. At least for the moment; and for the purpose of the issue at hand. To use international diplomatic jargon, we need not interfere at this time in the internal affairs of a sovereign Myanmar. Suffice to say, it was this UN labeled ‘ethnic cleansing’, that these 30 refugees were fleeing from. And they sought refuge in our home and, whilst this nation invited them in, even as 55 of them were embraced with hugs in 2008 and over 155 were kissed on both cheeks during the Rajapaksa regime and repatriated when a third country willing to accommodate them was found and not a murmur of protest was heard then, it is deplorable to see scenes of ignorance clad in saffron shrouds spout hate upon those who need human love, compassion and sympathy most. Lanka may not be a big country but surely it has a large compassionate heart to empathise with their plight. his son Arahant Mahinda to Lanka and carry with him the philosophy of the Buddha tucked in his begging bowl and offer it to Lanka’s King Devanampiyatissa as India’s greatest gift to this island nation – what would you say the presence of a saffron robe conveys today?
Today, the presence of a man in saffron robes outside the door does not evoke serenity but invokes fear in the downtrodden people’s heart, people who need compassion most. And, like a motorist, often irked by an errant driver on the road, shouts through his shutter, ‘who gave this fellow license to drive,’ one has come to the point when one must ask “who gave these men in robes, upasampada?”