Slowly, over the past three years, the generals of Myanmar have emerged from the shadows and set the country on a path to greater democratic freedom, opening up the reclusive regime to greater foreign investment and seizing trading opportunities. As a result, the international community has renewed its faith in Myanmar, loosening the bonds of economic sanctions.
However, in recent weeks, events in Myanmar have taken a turn for the worse. The plight of the Rohingyas has been a cause for concern, with the community being subject to acts of violence as their status and presence in the country are questioned. Now, over the past week, anti-Muslim mobs have rampaged through towns, burning homes of the faithful and torching mosques.
In an attempt to quell the sectarian violence, President Thein Sein has imposed a state of emergency in Central Myanmar and deployed troops.
Sadly, having troops deployed in Myanmar harkens back to the darkest days of the military junta. And it is casting a doubt over the president’s ability to control the people as his nation strives for democratic reforms. The hawks within the government and on the sidelines, in the military barracks, view the violence as a direct result of loosening rights and freedoms. Under military rule, they argue, such violence did not occur.
These are difficult times for the Myanmarese: They need to learn that religious expression and freedom are basic democratic rights.
