The talk presented by Daw Saw Khin Tint,
the chairperson of Arakanese Literature and Cultural Association, at Aloetawpyi
Monastery of Rathetaung Township, Rakhine State,
on 27th June, 2012
........................................................................................
Today, I’d like to talk about some facts
that Arakanese should know.
In King Ananda Canda’s stone inscription
in the precinct of the Shitthoung Pagoda in Mrauk-Oo, our Arakan or Rakhine
Land was recorded as Arakkhadesh (Arakan Land).
Arakkhadesh, then Arakkha, next Rakkha
and from Rakkha to Rakhine, thus had changed, it was recorded.
Our land had been called Rakhine or
Arakkhadesh; likewise, all the nations like England, American, French,
Portuguese, Denmark, Norway, etc. have called our land “Arakan”.
So ‘Arakan’ is our land and some Rakhine
historical documents and eyewitnesses had been lost and our Arakan had been
occupied, we have been able to find the term ‘Arakan’ instead of ‘Rakhine’ in
all the research papers and historical books about which many prominent
researchers from the Western Countries had studied in various scientific ways.
So if one wants to find some information
about Rakhine in world history, one has to do so by using the term ‘Arakan’.
But during U Nu’s premiership in 1951,
Bengali people were given the posts of parliament representatives, whereby a
Muslim called Abdu Gava used a brand new term ‘Rohinger’ in 1951 and created a
brand new nationality ‘Rohingya’ in Arakan.
(So-called) Rohingyas who had been
created thus have presented to the world saying, “We, Rohingyas, have lived in
Arakan for about 1000 years – prior to the present Arakanese people. So Arakan
is our land. Arakanese are our nationality.”
As Saya U Bo Min Phyu has said, never
before 1949, i.e, until the end of World War (II) in world history, had this
name heard of in Buthitaung and Maungdaw.
But they submitted research papers to
the world, presenting themselves as a nationality who has been living in Arakan
for over 1000 years.
They have been so aggressive as to
submit the research papers for over 20 years.
We, Arakanese, didn’t know or find out
such a thing.
They are just invaders who have never
been hinted.
For over 40 years, they have received
financial support from the Muslim Circle to be able to make the world known
about their made-up story concerning their so-called history by saying
constantly in every possible way, “Arakan is our land. Rohinger is our name
that has been in existence since our first dwelling in Arakan. As we’d been
suppressed and oppressed by the Myanmar military junta, we Arakanese have been
oppressed. We’ve been deprived of human rights. We’ve been greatly oppressed.
We Muslims have been persecuted.”
As said before, for over 20 years, they
have been lying about the history depicting that Mrauk-Oo has been their
capital and Kings of Mrauk-Oo were their kings because the kings had adopted
their Muslim titles.
Concerning this matter, only about one
year ago did we find out that they have been using this term “Arakan”. When we
found it, we cooperatively made a decision by keeping in mind this idea, “Oh,
they’ve announced themselves Arakanese regardless of our authentic status of
being Arakanese. We can’t stand it lying down this time. We’ve got to object to
it. It’s now well over 20 years. How should we try to catch up with it? We must
oppose to this matter where we can catch up with under every possible
condition.” Keeping in mind it, experts about Arakanese history, all Arakanese
historians from Rakhine State and all the prominent historians from abroad
could collaboratively submit a letter of objection to all over Myanmar as well
as to the whole world with the theme words, “This term ‘Arakan’ is our
Arakanese’s patent word. So we strongly object to the made-up story of that
to-a-pinch unconcerned Bengali group about this term”.
It was one of the strongest objections
we have ever made towards them.
We Arakanese still have historical
documents.
Arakanese history cannot be rubbed out.
I’ve left at home the documents and
books written concerning these matters. So I’ll send them to you at a later
date.
I’d like to ask you to spare some time
to study those books and documents.
We all need to know about our own
history.
So they instill in their racial people
by saying this, “We Rohingyas are Arakanese. So we should be given the right to
live here. This is our land”.
They have carried it out by a gigantic
well-planned strategy.
Those Muslim children attending mosques
daily have been instilled in to stick in their heart with such words: “
Arakanese is actually what our nationality is called. Arakan is our nation.
This is our Muslim country. So we’ve got to take it back. This is our land.
‘Arakanese’is the term we are referred to, not those Rakhine people! This is
our place!”
By English term, their ‘instilling’ is ‘
brainwash’ _ they have made such false ideas adhere to their heads.
So a Muslim of about 40 years of age in
Myanmar really has such an idea as this, “Oh, Myanmar is our Muslim country
indeed. So we ought to possess it.” Such an idea has seeped through the flesh
and bones of those Muslims. Therefore, they’ve planned a scheme that they’ll
try to take back our country someday.”
Now, I want to paint out that Bengali
leaders who had dwelled, grew and became educated have carried out this scheme.
Educated Bengalis have been dairy this
but using the uneducated ones to make civil disorder in our country.
We have known that this danger is very
enormous as all the Muslim countries in the world stand behind them with all
the necessaries things supported for all their matters.
This enormous danger poses thread not
only for our Arakan but also for the whole Myanmar.
Their scheme won’t stop in Rakhine State
alone.
By finding and seeing the books and
documents they have written, we have actually known and recorded their ideas
and scheme with their resolution, ‘We’ll try to Islamize the whole Myanmar.” So
since about two months ago, we have said to the government repeatedly, “ This
is not just Rakhine State matter”, it’s also one of the crucial matters of the
Union of Myanmar. Please be serious about this matter. Make a haste in carrying
out this matter.”
We’ve known and seen in advance that it
would break out sooner or later.
So we’ve foreseen that this issue would
break out soon. Now it’s happening.
In Myanmar, too, it’s happening. It’s a
deal.
Although the problems are not so strong
as those in Rakhine State, there have been innumerable happenings.
So, while we’ve been constantly trying
to make the government really aware of all these matters, this issue arose.
So, we shouldn’t be negligent in this
matter, thinking that it’s just an ordinary matter. I’d like to point it out to
these Arakanese people.
They’ve been doing their utmost best with
a well-planned scheme to be able to occupy the whole Arakan without fail for
over 20 years.
Therefore, almost the whole world has
come to accept that a national race named Rohingya has been suppressed by the
Myanmar government, deprived of human rights and has been very pitiful. They
have also come to pose such a question as this: “Why hasn’t the Myanmar
government given them human rights?” The United Nations Organization has
accepted that so-called Rohingya as such a destitute people. The United States,
the United Kingdom and European countries have also accepted their destitution.
By this means, the so-called Rohingyas have uploaded a lot of falsely written
groundless history and articles of theirs on the world media day in, day out,
so that all the countries over the world will come to accept them as a
righteous national race of the Union of Myanmar.
No one could oppose to their enormous
tell-tale fully and well.
Such historical researchers as Dr. Aye
Kyaw, Dr. Aye Chan, etc., from America strongly oppose to it.
Young Patriotic Students’ Association
from Japan strongly protested their deeds.
The heated debate between the two groups
has persisted in the world for no less than 10 years.
But they have never retreated.
As the whole world has come to accept
their tell-tale, this alleged issue has spread the world of media and the whole
world has come to stand behind them. As a result, they have been greatly
strengthened.
So we made a strong determination to
submit our research paper to the whole world without fail. In the research
paper, we evidently pointed out that those Bengali people have lied to the
whole world, that they have been great liars, and that what they have so far
produced alphabetically as well as verbally concerning this problem are merely
nonsense. So we evidently showed what Mrauk-Oo kings had been like and why
those kings had taken Muslim titles.
At that time, the region which is now
named ‘Bangladesh’ was called ‘12 Benga towns’.
According to the evident historical
documents, as those 12 Benga towns had always been under Arakanese kings’
sovereignty, the kings had taken the Muslim titles so as to win the Bengali
Muslims’ awe and respect.
So, being devout Buddhists, those
Arakanese kings had built a lot of pagodas and stupas with their names
inscribed in their original Arakanese titles as well as in their given Bengali
titles. Such Buddhist religious structures can still be found in Arakan
(Rakhine State) as a firm proof of their belief in those periods of time.
Therefore, it is dead sure that they
were devout Buddhists.
The Bengalis have said and presented to
the whole world that Mrauk-Oo kings all bore Bengali titles and so were their
kings, and that as a result, Mrauk-Oo was their capital and its palace was also
theirs!
So, about last year, we submitted and
presented to the whole world a research paper evidently pointing out that this
group of Bengali people newly so-called “Rohingyas” have lied to the world for
over 3 decades.
In the ongoing manner, we’ll talk about
the real history of Arakan to the whole world so that all the world people will
come to realize it.
When US Foreign Minister Ms. Clinton
came to Myanmar, we gave her an open letter.
The reason for giving the letter was
concerned with the once-a-year issue of declaration of the United States for
Myanmar.
Under the topic named “People” of that
issue of declaration described as such: “The national races dwelling in Myanmar
are Shan, Chin, Kachin, Karen, Rohingya, Rakhine and Arakan.”
What I want to mean is that, in their
gazette issued to the world, the people with the so-called name “Rohingya” have
been accepted and included as one of the national races in Myanmar.
Myanmar has already legally stated thus:
“There is no such a national race called “Rohingya” out of all the 135 national
races in Myanmar.”
The Myanmar government has also held a
formal talk in the previous Supreme Legislative Body meeting. Leutenant
Commander Khin Yee had also expressed it.
Myanmar authority has already stated
that there is no such a national race called “Rohingya” in Myanmar.
So, Dr. Aye Kyaw issued a letter of
protest making a question: “When should the paper of declaration issued to the
world by the US have included as a national race have included as a national
race those people who have not been included in Myanmar national races.”
Other national races and Arakanese
people sent letters of protest (to the US).
That’s why we gave Ms. Clinton an open
letter concerning the issue when she came to Myanmar.
In our open letter, we expressed that
the intention of the people so-called “Rohingya” asking for citizenship as
Arakanese national race from Myanmar is dishonest; that their real intention
has been only to be able to set up an Islamic country in Arakan and that all
those facts had been written in those given books and magazines. We also
described that if Rakhine State (former Arakan) were to become an Islamic
country as a result of accepting them as a national race in such a way and if a
new nation like Palestine were to arise in South-east Asia, we wondered whether
the United States of yours, the UK and other countries would be able to
withstand the forthcoming situations. We went on describing that they American
are also responsible for it, and that the prevalent bad deeds of those Bengali
villains with a hunger for Rakhine State is not just the Rakhine state issue;
that it is also that of the Union of Myanmar as well as that of all the global
people.
As you all can see now, this issue has
come up! It didn’t take even 2 months.
Therefore, we’ve already seen in advance
that this issue would arise very soon.
So, everyone needs to realize these
incidents, too.
We also need to contemplate the reasons
why this issue arose so rapidly.
We’re strongly convinced that we
Arakanese need to realize the necessary things to be contemplated and known
over the prevalent issues.
From the fore to the present time,
Bengali people in Rakhine State will not have their actions stopped only in Rakhine
State.
They are entering Myanmar day in, day
out.
After entering Myanmar, what do those
Bengali people do?
They try to marry all kinds of Myanmar
national race girls.
A lot of Karen maidens in Ayeyarwady
Division, quite a few Burmese maidens, the people in about half of Mawlamein,
almost all the people in Mudon and the people nearly half of Taninsarin
Division have already been Islamized.
There have been numerous incidents in
which quite a few maidens of Shan, Kachin, Karen origin to Chinese hybrid in
Shweli were spoken in with the words: “We’re Arakanese” and were married to by
those Bengali people.
They have spread all over Myanmar.
This problem is not just ours.
We Arakanese are dutiful in this
respect.
We (Arakanese women) rarely marry
Bengali men.
“No one has ever done so?” you may ask.
Then I’ll say, “Yes, but only one out of a thousand, of ten thousand or of a
hundred thousand girls would do so!” if there were such a case, too, she’s no
more concerned with our Buddhist Arakanese.
So, if we solve the racial problem in
this way, we can definitely say up to now, “We’re Arakanese! They’re Bengali!”
How will the Union of Myanmar solve this
problem?
Isn’t this the important issue of
Myanmar?
If they marry and Islamize Myanmar women
of the present time and of the future generation by generation, how will we
solve the problem of increasing number of Muslims? How will we control them?
So I’ve always said, “This is not just
the Arakanese issue but also that of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar?”
So we Arakanese have had to sacrifice a
lot in the present issue; we’ve also lost much.
But, in the present time of Arakanese
people’s sacrifice, all the national races such as Kachin, Kayah, etc. in the
whole Myanmar have joined hand in hand with us in these incidents saying, “Oh,
right! These are the real truths. Those Bengali people are carrying out this
malicious scheme. Look! They’re doing such malicious things to our Arakanese
people!”
There were Burmese, Kachin, Shan, etc.
who come and donate cash and kind at the camps of victims we’ve opened.
They usually ask us, “Will our donations
reach Rakhine or Bengali people?” Only when we assure them that the donations
will reach Rakhine people, do they donate them!
Seeing their great anger and compassion,
and hearing them say, “We just want to go and kill all of those Bengali people
ourselves!” we’ve now got the advantage of gaining the support of all the
national races all over Myanmar on the incidents that we’ve sacrificed so far.
Another point is that they have promulgated
to the whole world all the time in this way, “Our Bengali people have been
cruelly oppressed and suppressed in Myanmar!”
Once something bad happens here, they
photograph it as a record and present the photograph to the world.
They make a complaint stating, “These
soldiers are killing us. The local Rakhine people are killing us. Our villages
are burnt down!”
But, in reality, the Bengali people set
fire to their own houses and then photograph the blazing houses, and after
that, they complained to the world, “The Rakhine people set fire to our houses
so that we’ll not be able to live here!”
After they have done so for over 20
years, the world citizens really come to believe the stories.
That’s why the world citizens have been
on their side.
What I want to say is that the whole
world has been bewildered by the Bengali or more exactly the Bengli people who
have been here in Rakhine.
Therefore, in the present time, the
whole world has already known well about the seriously sacrifices the Arakanese
people have made in the recent incidents.
Who were the real victims in the recent
incidents? Of course, Arakanese people! Buddhist Arakanese people!
Now, see how cruel and inhumane they
have been!
Now, we’ve got a complete collection of
documents.
The whole world, we need to show the 11
people who had been killed in Gudaung, the case of that raped girl from
Kyauknimaw, etc., and proclaim, “Well, you see for yourselves. Can you see now
how despicable and unruly those Bengali people are? Do you see how cruel they
are?” Our duty is to be able to present and spread their true colours to the
whole world without. We’ll also do our utmost best to be able to present our
documents to the whole world!
We’ll also submit our well-documented
research paper to the United Nations. We’ll try our best to be able to present
it all over the world!
We’ve got all the evidences and
eye-witnesses concerning these facts.
So, we have to try our best to be able
to gain all the possible rights that are really worthy of the sacrifices that
our Arakanese people have made up to now.
The important thing we Arakanese should
know is that as there is a tremendous financial backing behind those Bengali
people, they have made up all the things they’ve wanted with the money they
easily receive regularly. In other words, they have put all our national people
to death with their immense strength of wealth!
Therefore, in this issue, we’ve got to
keep trying to be able to do legislative measures towards those people who had
immigrated illegally, those who are not within the legal boundary, and those
who have become wealthy with the money they got illegally.
All of these proposals also need to
reach the Hluttaw (the Central Legislative Body). We need to make them known to
all the world citizens, too.
So, I’d like to add that this is not
just an ordinary honest matter.
We Arakanese people alone can’t stop
them from their forceful implementation of this well-backed scheme of
Islamizing the whole Myanmar – let alone Arakan!
Therefore, we must be able to work hard
so that all the Myanmar nationalities will join hand in hand with us. We must
also be able to send the proper messages to them in time as well as to receive
their positive messages. We must be able to tell them that we’re the rightful
members of the Union of Myanmar like them, as well.
Another point is that we must also
organize all the opposition parties in Myanmar so as for them to share the same
opinion as us and to join us in this matter.
We told the 88th Generation Students
about it. They also accepted our ideas as to the issue!
Therefore, we’re also responsible for
explaining or telling all these matters to all the heads of all the
organizations and the parties.
So, it’s our due right that we Arakanese
people have to go on within the legal boundary and to ask for as many of our
due rights as we can nowadays.
We don’t need to shut up our mouths!
Just go on within the legal boundary.
Everything we need will be gained!
For this privilege alone, we Arakanese
have paid too much.
So all of us must be able to tell all
kinds of people – no matter what their nationality is – about these real facts
– the facts or privileges that we Arakanese have had to keep in heart for 2
whole decades and that we have wanted to pour out.
So, don’t live recklessly. Please keep
your eyes and ears wide open. Everything about this case matters for every one
of us. If we don’t win these Bengalis in this issue, there’ll be no future for
us.
So we should bear in mind that we must
try our best to be able to beat those Bengalis in many different possible ways
nowadays. We should have contact with one another.
All the Arakanese people must be able to
link with and report to one another immediately concerning every event
happening in any ward, or village – wherever.
Those capable people from our side must
always be able to present these true incidents to the whole country as well as
to the entire world as much as they can.
We must be able to present all their
deeds to the whole world, too.
So when the whole world have come to
realize the fact: “There is no such a nationality called ‘Rohingya’ in Arakan
State; they are not our nationality”, (as they have invested millions of money
in creating the brand new national race called ‘Rohingya’ and trying to make
the world accept the presence of a national race named ‘Rohingya.’) they will
use hostile ways as an alternative of the peaceful means because their
activities have been discovered. It’s very sure!
So we Arakanese need to be extremely
conscious of everything happening.
Besides the fact that we need to present
and ask for the possibly necessary measures for our security to some extent, as
I have just said, the set-up of people’s force, Arakanese’s keeping their eyes
and ears wide open and having the national awareness that I’ve mentioned above
are the essential things that every Arakanese has to abide by and put into
practice.
We should never keep living recklessly
anymore!
For our part, too, we’ll try as hard as
we can to submit to those with the national authourity many evidences that
those Bengali people and we Arakanese cannot co-live with one another at any
rate.
Therefore, during the present time of
not having everything made possible yet, we should tolerate and always think
what exactly we should do. Not only women but also men should possess the
national awareness.
So, we all should bear in mind that this
issue won’t come to an end easily.
This issue can persist for years. Do you
think that, within this month alone, we or any of us will be able to solve
conclusively the scheme or matter that they have invested in for over 30 years?
No way! So, over their burning desire that they’ll try their utmost best for
this over-30-year-old scheme, we Arakanese should be much more careful and
extremely united, as well.
All the national races in Myanmar need
to be of the same mind with us! All the national leaders need to be on the same
side with us, too. The government also needs to be on our side. All the
national military regiments need to be on our side, as well. All the Arakanese
people must try, accept and be able to do for our own strength of unity
shrewdly and cleverly.
We must also organize them with patient,
clear and correct explanation so that they will be our supporters. If one of us
kicks them out, note very well that the whole group of ours is lost.
Therefore, a time will come when all the
members of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar will come to realize and
believe thus: “This Rakhine issue is not just their (Arakanese’s) issue; it’s
also the very issue of the Union of Myanmar!” If we can stand steadfast and
upright till that time really comes, there will be a lot of such questionable
points and outlets from the present bitterly awful situations as this: “How
will those Bengalis (so-called Rohingyas) be driven away without fail from this
country? How will they be temporarily placed? ” This is what we want to gain!
There’ll be a lot of consecutive tasks
to be suggested, submitted and carried out to the government of the Union of
Myanmar.
In conclusion, I’d like to say that,
until the above positive things are really fulfilled and implemented, we have
to live with special awareness, try to realize the above-mentioned
responsibilities without fail, put the responsibilities into practice by your
own conscience, and, lastly, always take special care of yourselves!!!
I’m greatly indebted to all those who
had helped me with completing this work with their might and main!
(My humble apology: Should there be any
mistakes in translating or writing the talk, please don’t hesitate commenting on
it openly. Open comments are warmly welcome!)
Transcribed from audio to text and
translated from Arakanese to English
by
Zwe Thit (Rammarmray)
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