Thanks to Dr. Khaled Batarfi for his article “Burma: The ignored genocide” (July 31). The socialist government led by Gen. Ne Win never in fact wanted to grant self-rule to the Rohingya Muslims of Arakan. In 1974, Ne Win changed the name of the Arakan state to Rakhine after suppressing the Muslim uprising. The infamous dictator had decimated the Mayo front after the 1962 coup d'état through ethnic cleansing. The citizenship law was enacted in 1982, placing the Rohingya in limbo and violating all international conventions and humanitarian norms. The move was criticized by all major human rights groups. Being one of the Rohingya, my intention is not to attack Batarfi's article but to set the records straight. Abu Mahiya Jeddah
