DMG requests to stop hate speech immediately

By DMG 15 Feb 2019

While the conflict between the Tatmadaw (Myanmar military) and the AA (Arakan Army) in Rakhine State intensifies, some people on social media have started creating an environment of hate speech, taking the relationship between the Bamar and the ethnic Rakhine population to a new low.

The online hate speech was recently instigated publicly in downtown Yangon. The former member of Upper House of the Parliament, U Hla Swe, did so at a mass rally on 3 February 2019 where people had come out to welcome the Tatmadaw’s announcement of a ceasefire and requesting all ethnic people to participate in peace process.

U Hla Swe expressed his dissatisfaction with the movements of the Arakan Army during the mass rally. U Hla Swe said that Rakhine was not Arakan and that the Muslim minorities would call Rakhine ‘Arakan’. He raised the question if the Arakan Army was actually a “Rakhine Army” or a “Bengali Army”. He also said that the Arakan Army would be an army to protect the Muslim minorities.

His remarks that “Arakan does not mean Rakhine people” is an insult to Rakhine people and they believe that it amounts to hate speech. With his remarks, U Hla Swe did not only focus on the Arakan Army; he also insulted the entire Rakhine population and they believe that it amounts to hate speech.

Thousands of Bamar people participated in the rally. U Hla Swe said during the event that Rakhine people are using the word that “Bengalis” address the Rakhine State with instead of using the word “Rakhine”. Therefore, some Bamar people might misunderstand Rakhine people and consequently they might be angry with or even hate the Rakhine people.

Meanwhile, the majority of Rakhine people support the Arakan Army. U Hla Swe said that the Arakan Army would be an army to protect “the Bengalis”.

Since the skirmishes between the Tatmadaw and the Arakan Army started in Rakhine State, some Bamar people feel hatred for the Rakhine people and have cursed them. That is why making such remarks during a public event does not set a good precedent, but could actually lead to more complications between these two communities.

Rakhine and Bamar people are not living in different places. They are peacefully coexisting in Myanmar. Numbers of Bamar people are living and working in Rakhine State while Rakhine people are living and working in other places in Myanmar such as Yangon and Mandalay.

If any problem occurs between Bamar and Rakhine people, the effect on both communities might be extremely harmful. A conflict between these two communities might not be settled overnight. It might exist for years or even decades. Thus, it is necessary to prevent these problems from occurring and not to increase tension by making misleading public statements and instigating hate speech in the social media sphere.

We need to try to avoid speaking in ways that could lead to problems between communities to prevent communal conflicts from occurring.

Meanwhile, the government and relevant people in powerful positions need to prevent manipulators and those using hate speech offline and online from causing problems between communities – both in society and on social media. If the situation is getting worse, the government needs to take immediate and effective action. If this is done, then further mutual friendships can be built among ethnic people in Myanmar.

Thus, the DMG calls on everybody to stop hate speech so that all ethnic nationalities in Myanmar can enjoy a period of peaceful coexistence.

Editorial >>> Issue 103, February 15, 2019, Development News Journal