Rohingya Genocide

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EquALLity
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Rohingya Genocide

Post by EquALLity »

Tfw there's a literal genocide that's happening and has been happening for many weeks, and all the news can talk about is Trump's opinion of the NFL...

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Re: Rohingya Genocide

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I agree that the media puts too much attention on local events compared to those happening far away in developing countries. However, if you are tired of American news there are other options. My only English news channel is Sky News and they haven't mentioned anything about Trump and the NFL. Instead I'm being smothered with a shitload of Brexit coverage.
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Re: Rohingya Genocide

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I don't know if the crackdown qualifies as genocide (or an attempt at it), I think it's more likely run of the mill military abuses (which are terrible, don't get me wrong).
The media covers things that people will tune into, and a downer on the other side of the world isn't a ratings draw. However, the US government is taking actions, along with the UN I think, to sanction them. So, people aren't turning a blind eye to this. Politicians are very involved despite the news being uninterested in covering it. Kind of shows that politicians do actually care... at least when something is easy and non-controversial.
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Re: Rohingya Genocide

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brimstoneSalad wrote: Tue Sep 26, 2017 2:36 am I don't know if the crackdown qualifies as genocide (or an attempt at it), I think it's more likely run of the mill military abuses (which are terrible, don't get me wrong).
The media covers things that people will tune into, and a downer on the other side of the world isn't a ratings draw. However, the US government is taking actions, along with the UN I think, to sanction them. So, people aren't turning a blind eye to this. Politicians are very involved despite the news being uninterested in covering it. Kind of shows that politicians do actually care... at least when something is easy and non-controversial.
Um, what?!

The United Nations described it as a TEXTBOOK ethnic cleansing... That's exactly what it is. The Rohingya are being killed indiscriminately. Children, innocent women and men... everyone. Their villages are being burned. They are fleeing into Bangladesh in massive numbers, because they have nowhere to go.

Textbook genocide.

If that's not a genocide to you, then neither is what happened in Rwanda, and neither is the Holocaust. After all, those were both military "crackdowns". The military killed people systematically/encouraged violence.

"Run of the mill"
Something that is run-of-the-mill is a common, everyday, ordinary item that does not stand out from the rest. Something or someone that is "run-of-the-mill" is probably not notable. The phrase "run of the mill" appears to have originated from early factory quality control and described work that had not been graded and was therefore unlikely to be either exceptionally good or exceptionally bad.[1]
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Ok. Yes, I'm sure if your house was burned and your loved ones were murdered, and the same happened to everyone in your group but not those outside of it, you would see it as run of the mill. It's just another normal occurrence, not very important... Yes.
Last edited by EquALLity on Tue Sep 26, 2017 5:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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EquALLity
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Re: Rohingya Genocide

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Jebus wrote: Tue Sep 26, 2017 1:37 am I agree that the media puts too much attention on local events compared to those happening far away in developing countries. However, if you are tired of American news there are other options. My only English news channel is Sky News and they haven't mentioned anything about Trump and the NFL. Instead I'm being smothered with a shitload of Brexit coverage.
Yes, I know. Bust most Americans do not seek out other news networks, and as a result, they are completely ignorant of what happens around the world.
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Re: Rohingya Genocide

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EquALLity wrote: Tue Sep 26, 2017 4:55 pm The United Nations described it as a TEXTBOOK ethnic cleansing... That's exactly what it is.
Could be, it's hard to know the motivations of the people leading this.
It seems like a reaction to an attack that they assume came from these people, so there may be hope that it's just an overreaction and military abuse.
EquALLity wrote: Tue Sep 26, 2017 4:55 pmThe Rohingya are being killed indiscriminately. Children, innocent women and men... everyone. Their villages are being burned. They are fleeing into Bangladesh in massive numbers, because they have nowhere to go.
American soldiers have done this stuff too. Didn't mean the U.S. was attempting to commit genocide. They believe these people are sheltering enemies, and so they see them as the enemy.

That's the problem with these guerrilla rebellion tactics, the enemies don't identify themselves clearly and it's assumed to be the people as a whole. When enemy combatants are part of and hide among civilian populations, it blurs the line between civilian and military targets and things like this can go terribly wrong.
I don't think we even know who started the attacks.
EquALLity wrote: Tue Sep 26, 2017 4:55 pm If that's not a genocide to you, then neither is what happened in Rwanda, and neither is the Holocaust. After all, those were both military "crackdowns". The military killed people systematically/encouraged violence.
The targets of the Nazi's holocaust were not usually rebels or insurgents of any kind. These were peaceful civilian populations in non-conflict zones under German control. It wasn't like an act of violence triggered that, it was purely motivated by ethnic purity.

It may be more similar to that of Rwanda, which was part of an ongoing civil war; tensions in this region have long been high. It's not clear if it will reach those levels yet. At least it's not clear from what I've read that they intend to commit genocide. It's something to keep an eye on, because this kind of violence can easily grow.

Normal war crimes or the start of a genocide -- I don't know.
EquALLity wrote: Tue Sep 26, 2017 4:55 pm Ok. Yes, I'm sure if your house was burned and your loved ones were murdered, and the same happened to everyone in your group but not those outside of it, you would see it as run of the mill. It's just another normal occurrence, not very important... Yes.
Unfortunately this kind of violence happens pretty regularly. :(
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Re: Rohingya Genocide

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^Not able to respond to this completely rn. It's a genocide, they're being targeted for their ethnic identity. A rebel group only attacked the military because they were being constantly discriminated against (because of their ethnicity).

Yes, we do know that the Rohingya children didn't start the attacks, actually... But yet they are still being massacred just for being Rohingya, and their ENTIRE villages are being burned. It's indiscriminant targeting of an ethnic group with the goal of annihilation. Literally the definition of genocide.
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Re: Rohingya Genocide

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EquALLity wrote: Tue Sep 26, 2017 6:59 pm ^Not able to respond to this completely rn. It's a genocide, they're being targeted for their ethnic identity.
I thought some Hindus living in the area got hit too.

Anyway, that in itself isn't genocide. In order to be genocide they would need to be trying to kill all of them, not just trying to kill all of them who may be rebels because they live in an area where that happened. The latter is a human rights abuse, but it follows from the logic of collateral damage.
EquALLity wrote: Tue Sep 26, 2017 6:59 pmA rebel group only attacked the military because they were being constantly discriminated against (because of their ethnicity).
Of course, that discrimination was wrong, but it wasn't genocide.
And hitting back with some serious collateral damage may not be genocide either, no matter how evil it is.

It's like if the U.S. just nuked Afghanistan after 9-11. It's a counterattack with a ridiculous amount of civilian collateral damage, but the intention isn't necessarily genocide.
EquALLity wrote: Tue Sep 26, 2017 6:59 pmYes, we do know that the Rohingya children didn't start the attacks, actually... But yet they are still being massacred just for being Rohingya, and their ENTIRE villages are being burned. It's indiscriminant targeting of an ethnic group with the goal of annihilation. Literally the definition of genocide.
The indiscriminate killing done by soldiers may be an issue of lack of military control or oversight. They might just not care what their soldiers are doing to people, much like many U.S. engagements where soldiers behaved wickedly.

It's not clear that this was the intent or comes as orders from high command.
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Re: Rohingya Genocide

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brimstoneSalad wrote: It may be more similar to that of Rwanda, which was part of an ongoing civil war; tensions in this region have long been high. It's not clear if it will reach those levels yet. At least it's not clear from what I've read that they intend to commit genocide. It's something to keep an eye on, because this kind of violence can easily grow.
The countries ethnic groups have been at war with each other nonstop since records began, if it was simply military overreach there'd be other examples comparable, Rohingya are the only group in the country which are deemed illegal immigrants, stateless peoples, and have had a violent campaign aimed at their expulsion, mass indiscriminate rape, murder, torture since the beginning of fascist military rule in the 60s.

Over half the villages burnt to cinder, refugees fleeing for the border shot at, land mines being layed both acting as deferent from returning and leaving so easily, it's terretorial, human lives genocide, the largest scale violence going on in the world right now against defenceless citizens.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHtRN7t08JM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVb9U-ajuoA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtAl9zJ3t-M
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Re: Rohingya Genocide

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NonZeroSum wrote: Wed Sep 27, 2017 1:49 am The countries ethnic groups have been at war with each other nonstop since records began, if it was simply military overreach there'd be other examples comparable,
I don't doubt that the indifference of the command and the cruelty of the soldiers is fueled by that multi-generational hatred. I'm just hesitant to use the g-word. Aung San Suu Kyi is a Nobel peace prize recipient. I know we don't know how much power she holds, but I don't want to jump to conclusions here about motivation.
War crimes, Crimes against humanity, etc. by the military, no doubt. It sounds like attempted Genocide, but I don't understand why Suu Kyi hasn't spoken up.

What's happening is terrible, but I have hope that it's an oversight and that sanctions against the military and government action will bring the military back under control, or a UN peacekeeping force will be sent in to stop uncontrollable soldiers who are acting in violation of orders, which maybe Suu Kyi will allow? I think she has to let them in.

Either way, this is pretty scary and threatens to destabilize the region.
Is this the early start of WWIII? There are connections to North Korea here as I understand.
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