YANBYE – Local people in a town of Myanmar’s western state of Rakhine took to the streets yesterday morning in protest against a United Nations human rights committee resolution urging Myanmar to grant the Bengalis citizenship under the name of Rohingya.
The protesters held their demonstration after seeking permission from the local police station. The protestors argued that the UN’s unilateral demand to accept a race that has never existed in Myanmar had encroached upon the national sovereignty.
“We marched in procession holding placards demanding three points—the UN to respect Myanmar’s sovereignty, no existence of Rohingya in Myanmar and the enforcement of the 1982 Citizenship Law. There are about 900 people, including Buddhist monks. We went around the town,” said Tun Kyi, one of the lead protestors.
The demonstration was staged by the Yanbye town dwellers on behalf of the Rakhine people because the UN demand is putting pressure on the Myanmar’s government for a totally impossible issue, according to the protestors.
“The UN’s resolution means that it is one-sidedly standing by the Bengalis. It is also tantamount to sowing discord among the ethnics. That is why we staged the protest to show we could not accept that,” said a protestor.