ONE of the iniquities of the Burmese government's treatment of the country's Rohingya Muslim minority has been the existence of an edict that families in the community may not have more than two children. This deplorable policy was introduced in 1992 by the country's then military rulers, on the grounds that the high birth rate among the Rohingya was leading to “ethnic tensions” in Rakhine state, where the majority of this community lives. However, it is not believed that the policy was widely enforced, until now that is. Despite the international outcry at last year's slaughter of Burmese Muslims by fanatical Buddhist extremists, often with the active connivance of police and army units — who were supposed to be protecting the Rohingya and keeping the peace — the local authorities have chosen this moment to reinforce the policy. The trigger for the move appears to come from the highly partial report from the government commission set up to “investigate” the horrors of last year's attacks on the Rohingya community, which forced thousands to flee into miserable refugee camps, while hundreds more took to flimsy boats to escape the country and seek asylum, particularly in Bangladesh and Malaysia. The report actually suggested the two-child policy be reactivated. However, there is one good outcome from this wicked move; it appears to have finally caused Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi to make a clear and specific statement explaining her disapproval of the way that the Rohingya are being treated. She said that any such move would be illegal. She warned that discrimination of any kind, but particularly of this nature would do no good. Moreover, she said bluntly that it was a violation of basic human rights. It is however odd that the Burmese government has thus far remained silent on the issue. Not only is the law iniquitous of itself and should be repealed as quickly as possible, it is also important that the local authorities in Rakhine state be ordered not to press on with their ill-advised and illegal implementation of this wicked policy. For them to do so, will not only inflame afresh tensions between the Rohingya and their Buddhist neighbors, but will also be seen by the bigots behind last year's violence, as a green light to renew their depravities. It is not hard to imagine the horrors that could happen, as thugs enter Rohingya communities looking for families with more than two children or mothers pregnant with another child, meaning that they will exceed the quota. It remains deeply worrying that the international business community appears eager to reopen economic, financial and trading links with resource-rich Burma, despite the evidence that not enough has changed in the way this country treats its own people. The deeply-flawed report of the government commission into last year's violence ought to have given serious pause for thought. It is no good welcoming Burma back into the international community if it still behaves in such a disgusting way to its minorities — and the Rohingya are not the only Burmese community to suffer this sort of discrimination. Before the lever to cause the Burmese government to change tack on the human rights as well as the economic front, is thrown away, the international community must say with one voice, that it expects far better of the Burmese authorities.
