Assam Burning – Does this not signal a larger problem in the near future?

LS Tejaswi Surya, Bangalore
 
More than 40 people killed, over a lakh people displaced, hundreds of villages in flames, trains and bus services disrupted, large scale rioting, army called in to control the situation, curfew imposed in the violence-hit districts, refugees overflowing at relief camps, state government clueless, central government directionless, political leaders in denial of the real cause of the problem and the main stream media conveniently overlooking the real problem  – this is the grim and worrisome picture of Assam from the past 3 days.



Violence is not new to Assam. Neither is mainland India’s apathy towards Assam and our north-eastern states. For Assam to figure in our momentary discussion and debates, there has to be either a large scale violence or a natural disaster of epic proportions. But unlike the earlier cases of violence and rioting, this week’s disturbances are a clear warning of a dangerous and complex security problem looming large. What is disturbing, is the fact that neither our political parties – barring the BJP – nor our national media is making an attempt at acknowledging and understanding the real problem plaguing the strategically important north-eastern state – the problem of the large scale infiltration by Bangladeshis.

Ask any layman from Assam for the real cause of the disturbances and you will get an unadulterated answer – the unabated infiltration of Bangladeshis into the state and more shockingly, the covert support of the political leaders to the infiltrators to build up a large vote bank.  This week’s clashes between the Bodos and the immigrant Bangladeshi Muslims is a culmination of half a century long design by Bangladesh and Pakistan and the opportunistic mischief by our political parties.

That this infiltration is a part of a larger design is evident from what Zulfikar Ali Bhutto had said, even before the formation of Bangladesh in 1971 –

 “Our controversy with India is not on the problem of Kashmir only. In Assam, there are some Muslim majority districts which should have been given to Pakistan at the time of Partition, these districts were wrongly included in India..”.

If that does not suffice, the words of Mujibur Rahman are more revealing –

 “The population of East Bengal is increasing at alarming speed. The inhabitants face acute shortage of land. The Bengalis need land which can be given by Assam. Assam abounds in good forests and beautiful scenes of nature. If some inhabitants of Bangladesh migrate to Assam and settle there permanently, they will be very happy. Actually Assam should have been included in East Pakistan”.

But these words, again did not receive the kind of attention they warranted. More importantly, what Henry Kissinger foresaw, decades ago could have served to be a warning to us. He had predicted -

“The inevitable emergence of Bangladesh – which we had postulated- presented India with fierce long term problems. For Bangladesh was in effect East Bengal, separated only by religion from India’s most fractious and most separatist state. West Bengal. They share language, tradition, culture, and above all, a volatile national character. Whether it turned nationalist or radical, Bangladesh would over time accentuate India’s centrifugal tendencies. It might set a precedent for the creation of other Moslem states, carved this time out of India. Once it was independent, its Moslem heritage might eventually lead to a rapprochement with Pakistan.”

Sadly, we did not attach much importance to his words either.

However, there were a few thoughtful Indians who had raised this issue at both national and international platforms. Dr. Nagendra Singh, India’s representative in the Sixth Committee of the United Nations General Assembly, while speaking on the Definition of ‘Aggression’, made a statement, wherein he said: -
 
“……………..The first consideration, in the view of the Indian Delegation, is that aggression must be comprehensively defined… Aggression can be of several kinds such as direct or indirect, armed in nature or even without the use of any arms whatsoever.  There can be even direct aggression without arms….
 
For example, there could be a unique type of bloodless aggression from a vast and incessant flow of millions of human beings forced to flee into another State.  If this invasion of unarmed men in totally unmanageable proportion were to not only impair the economic and political well being of the receiving victim State but to threaten its very existence, I am afraid, Mr. Chairman, it would have to be categorized as aggression…” (Vol. 11 (1971) Indian Journal of International Law p. 724).

Even the the Law Commission of India in its 175th Report on the Foreigners (Amendment) Bill, 2000 (submitted in September 2000) dealt with this issue. While noting that entry of illegal migrants and other undesirable aliens into India posed a grave threat to our democracy and the security of India, especially for the eastern part of the country and Jammu and Kashmir, the Law Commission observed that influx of migrants from Bangladesh remained unabated and had acquired frightening proportions.

Lamentably, the governments of the day did little to check the constant infiltration of Bangladeshis into India. In fact, rather than making attempts to fence the long and porous Indo- Bangladesh border and deport the infiltrators, the government passed the Illegal Migrants Determination Tribunals (IMDT) Act, which became a great impediment in deporting the infiltrators.

The Supreme Court, while striking down the IMDT Act as unconstitutional, quoted these figures from the Directorate of Census, Government of India, which mirror the startling levels of infiltration –

ASSAM – Growth in Population

Years	Muslim %	Hindu %
1951-61	38.37	33.20
1961-71	30.98	37.18
1971-91	77.42	41.89

The Supreme Court further explained –

“The chart given above clearly indicates that Muslim population of Assam has shown a rise of 77.42% in 1971-1991, whereas Hindu population has risen by nearly 41.89% during the said period…. The growth of Muslim population has been emphasized in the previous paragraph to indicate the extent of illegal migration from Bangladesh to Assam because as stated earlier, the illegal migrants coming into India after 1971 have been almost exclusively Muslims.”

The Supreme Court also made specific note of a few districts in its judgment. Ironically, they are the very same districts that are reeling under the Bodo-immigrant clashes today. The SC observed-

“ There are three Districts in Assam, which has borders with Bangladesh viz. Karimganj, Cachar and Dhubri.  All India percentage of decadal increase in population during 1981-1991 is 23.85% whereas the Border districts of Assam namely, Karimganj shows decadal increase of 42.08%, Cachar district 47.59% and Dhubri district 56.57%.  From the above it can be assumed that the infiltration of foreigners from Bangladesh contributed significantly to the sharp increase of population in Assam.”

Not just the Supreme Court of the country, even the then Governor of Assam, Gen SK Sinha, in his report to the President of India on 8th November 1998 had extensively spoken about the infiltration problem. He warned of the disastrous consequences in these words –

“1. The unabated influx of illegal migrants from Bangladesh into Assam and the consequent perceptible change in the demographic pattern of the State has been a matter of grave concern.  It threatens to reduce the Assamese people to a minority in their own State, as happened in Tripura and Sikkim.
 
2. Illegal migration into Assam was the core issue behind the Assam student movement.  It was also the prime contributory factor behind the outbreak of insurgency in the State.  Yet we have not made much tangible progress in dealing with this all-important issue.
 
3. There is a tendency to view illegal migration into Assam as a regional matter affecting only the people of Assam.  It’s more dangerous dimensions of greatly undermining our national security is ignored.  The long cherished design of Greater East Pakistan/Bangladesh, making in-roads into strategic land link of Assam with the rest of the country, can lead to severing the entire landmass of the Northeast, with all its rich resources from the rest of the country.  They will have disastrous strategic and economic consequences”.

He further elaborated the dangers posed by the infiltrators to the indigenous population –

 “These immigrants are hardworking and are prepared to work as cheap labour and domestic help for lower remuneration than the local people. This makes them acceptable. Moreover, with corruption being all-pervasive, corrupt officials are bribed to provide help…..

As a result of population movement from Bangladesh, the spectre looms large of the indigenous people of Assam being reduced to a minority in their home State.  Their cultural survival will be in jeopardy, their political control will be weakened and their employment opportunities will be undermined…. ”

These reasons are precisely the cause for today’s clashes – the snatching away of land, employment and economic opportunities and the cultural subjugation of the local Assamese people. What we are witnessing is a mere backlash by a people fighting for their socio-economic and cultural survival in their own homeland. This is what Bhargabi Baruah, a law student from Naogaon – one of the highest infiltrated districts of Assam, has to say – “Most of the jobs in the government is taken by Bangladeshis. You find them in schools, colleges, courts, markets – practically everywhere. There are certain areas which are forcibly occupied by the infiltrators in the market places, so the entire local market is in their hands. They are also employed in tea estates and other agricultural activities. It is impossible to find a single rickshaw driver who is an Assamese. Sometimes I end up wondering if I am in Assam or in Bangladesh- that is the scale of infiltration. That day is not far when we might end up as refugees in our own land.”

What Bhargabi is saying is in no way an exaggeration. Today, there are more than 4 crore Bangladeshi infiltrators in the country! The significant rise in the population of the Bangladeshis has naturally resulted in their political dominance in the state. The infiltrators are today, the decisive voters in more than 50% of the Assembly constituencies in both Assam and West Bengal – a vote bank that the ‘secular’ parties are jealously guarding.  It won’t be a surprise if these voters will elect one of their own – an infiltrator – as their MP and MLA tomorrow. We will then be the only country in the world to have foreign infiltrators as our constitutional representatives. Our liberalists and secularists can then pat their own backs on having set a new benchmark of liberalism and secularism for the rest of the world to emulate!

In spite of such alarmingly high levels of danger posed by the infiltration, we continue to stay in a state of denial. Successive governments in Assam with the Center looking the other way have done nothing to tackle this issue head-on. Even after this week’s incalculable crises, our reactions and response remain the same – denial and complacency.

A television debate last night on a national TV channel was a clear indication of this. There were four panelists – a senior journalist, a former General of the Army, a spokeswoman from the BJP and the President of the Muslim Political Council of India. The journalist acknowledged the fact of the large scale influx; the former General of the Army explained the grave security threat posed by the infiltration; the BJP spokeswoman placed before the panel a wealth of statistics from various governmental reports on the scale of migration; the President of the Muslim Political Council of India plainly denied the presence of any infiltrators in the state. He did not stop there, he went on to lament on the poor condition of Muslims in the country and accused Assam Chief Minister, Tarun Gogoi of neglecting the welfare of Muslims in Assam – a clever ploy to give a communal colour to the issue. With that, what had to be an objective debate on an issue of prime national importance was calculatedly made a communal issue. The mischief was done – all that was remaining was for the liberal–secularist brigade to take on from there.

By looking at the state of affairs in Assam, one can say that there is not much hope left for the indigenous people of Assam. We need to understand that what we are witnessing today in Assam is not merely a humanitarian crisis, it is more of an alarm of a complex security crisis waiting at the corner. If we do not heed to these alarm calls now, that day is not too far when we will witness another exodus of the indigenous people of Assam from their homeland – just like we mutely witnessed the exodus of the Kashmiri Pandits.

The words of the 19^th century philosopher Augustus Comte are ominous in today’s circumstances – 

“Demography holds the key in a Democracy”.

Will we ever understand this all important lesson?

http://samvada.org/2012/articles/assam-burning-does-this-not-signal-a-larger-problem-in-the-near-future/

Comparison: Asom 2012 versus Gujarat 2002

by KIRAN KUMAR S, Bangalore

Right now Asom is burning, for the 7th day straight. The reason is very clearly the “Muslim settlers” as European media called or “minority” as Indian media hides or “Bangladeshi illegal migrants” as the reality stands. Better, call them imported Congress voters!

Asom 2012 versus Gujarat 2002

It’s a massive human tragedy unfolding right now. It shows how “secularism” works in India when reporting human tragedy.

Let’s do some comparison.

2002 Gujarat: Both parties in riots were Indian, local. Knew terrain well.
2012 Asom : One party is foreign illegal intruders, supported by “secularism” via voting cards and ration cards.

2002 Gujarat: The number of displaced at the peak was 200,000 or 10-15% more than that.
2012 Asom : Already hearing 400,000 and might even be getting beyond the 2008 precursor to these riots when 400,000 became homeless temporarily

 2002 Gujarat: BJP state govt and BJP central govt.
2012 Asom : Congress and Congress

2002 Gujarat: All Neighboring states were all Congress ruled.
2012 Asom : Most neighboring states, if not all are Congress or UPA ruled.

 2002 Gujarat: Cause of the riot was 48 hours before the riots flared (Godhra train).
2012 Asom : Cause of the riot (shooting of Bodo youth) was on 6th July, a full 2 weeks before riots flared up.

2002 Gujarat: Riot not very close to any international border.
2012 Asom : Riot within a walking distance (20KM) from 3 countries. Extremely vulnerable & vital link to the North East of India.

2002 Gujarat: Riots were reasonably controlled after the initial 3 days.
2012 Asom : Riots going unabated even after 1 week. Shoot at sight for days now.

2002 Gujarat: Media 24*7 covering
2012 Asom : Indian media hardly covered anything till social networks forced the media to reluctantly cover it.

 2002 Gujarat: Media openly using “Hindu” and “Muslim” terms flaring up passions during coverage.
2012 Asom : Media downplaying it as “ethnic” clash or using Bodo versus minorities. Reality is Bodos are 5% of Asom and Muslims are 30-35% now. Horrible hypocrisy displayed by media, particularly TV for the first few days.

2002 Gujarat: Modi made a TV appeal on the same day, passionately asking people not to take law into their hands. Accepted the riot situation. Was seen in public right from Godhra.
2012 Asom : Tarun Gogoi didn’t make any acceptance. In fact he is not even accepting (for years) that Bangladeshi Muslim illegals are even present in the state! Worse, this guy took over 6 days to even make his first public visit to riot hit area 

 2002 Gujarat: Maut Ka saudagar – Sack him screams. Anger in media against the Home Minister.
2012 Asom : No such thing. In fact, justifications all around to shield an inefficient CM-PM combo. No one heard anything meaningful from the HM

2002 Gujarat: TV channels like NDTV never reminded people about the bloody history of riots in Gujarat, particularly the 1969 one.
2012 Asom : TV channels like NDTV kept on flashing that Asom has had “bloody history” of riots, showing counts etc. from 2008.

 2002 Gujarat: No bickering between state and center BJP govts. Army & other help arrived.
2012 Asom : State government blames the center (both Congress) for 5 days delay in getting army.

There’s more. But the sheer level of hypocrisy on how “secular” media and parties are behaving in a comparable human tragedy, is sickening.

 And, in 1980s, Pandits comprised of 5% of Jammu and Kashmir. Today Bodos (Christians and Hindus together) comprise of 5% of Asom. We just hope that this is not a Pandit ethnic cleansing part 2 being played out, thanks to massive Bangladeshi illegals fully supported by Congress, TMC and Communists in the border states.

http://samvada.org/2012/assam-violence/comparison-asom-2012-versus-gujarat-2002/

BURMA TRAGEDY - FABRICATION OF FALSE IDENTITY: ROHINGYAS

FABRICATION OF FALSE IDENTITY: ROHINGYAS

ROHINGYAS!

Rohingyas are Ront-Gers, not Rohingyas.

Rohingya is a self-dubbed name, a complete Fabrication.

All so self-styled Rohingyas are descendants of Chittagongnian laborers.

Ront-Gers fabricate the name Rohingyas to conceal and belie of their real identity by naming themselves Rohingyas. They fabricated the name Rohingya to take advantage of the prevailing situation in Rakhine state.

All Muslims in Rakhine state are illegal immigrants, except some Ka Mans.

And all Muslims in Maung Daw-Buthedaung and Rathedaung are illegal infiltrators.

There is no Rohingya in Rakhine state neither at all nor in any other part of Myanmar.

All so called Rohingyas are Ront-Gers.

The term came to its existence only after about 1880.

How the Chittagonian laborers happened to come to Rakhine is a piece of history?  

History is a continuous, systematic narrative of past events as relating to a particular people, country, period etc. The records recorded by British administrators tell us of all past events, regarding Muslims in Rakhine. The records are very authentic to be confuted. 

The name Rohingya is a fabrication. It is an affront to history as well as to historians. Any fabrication or distortion done knowingly and willfully is a crime and is punishable by law.                                  

                                    

                                     A Glimpse of Muslims in Rakhine

Muslims living in Maung Daw-Buthedaung- Rathedaung came to the land of Rakhine as seasonal laborers during the rule of British in Burma.

In 1869 the Suez Canal was opened and rice became a great demand to be exported abroad. Rakhine is a fertile land where paddy grows in abundance. The East India Company was, then a trading company and the British government encouraged Rakhine to grow more paddy. The government exempted tax for 3 years and there was quantum leap in rice productions. Production increased from 1000 tons to 3000 tons.

 As the rapid rise of rice cultivation, the East India Company needed a huge number of laborers and to meet the demand the company brought Muslims laborers from east Bengal as seasonal workers. They were to harvest paddy in Rakhine and return home after harvest works were over somewhat like indentured laborers from India to Africa during the rule of British in India but had no proper records.

And, in 1850 Muslims from Chittagong areas infiltrated into Buthedaung en messe.

In 1916 The East India Company constructed a Rail-road between Kann Nyin Chaung and Buthedaung via Maung Daw.The railroad was built through the Mayu mountain range. The company brought thousands of Muslim workers from Chittagong areas and made them work in the construction. Paddy cultivation and railroad construction became a magnet for the Chittagonian Muslims to infiltrate into Rakhine.

In 1930-31 Directorate of Health issued a report and it records that  40000 Muslims came to Maung Daw.

At present there are incredible numbers of illegal Muslims in Rakhine state, especially in Maung Daw- Buthedaung -Rathedaung areas.

They infiltrate illegally sneaking through porous border since many ago, because Chittagong area, now Bangladesh was and is very poor with an exploding population.

Muslims in Mrauk-U were retinues of Rakhine King Min Saw Mon. They were Ka Man, archers by profession and they were few in number.

There are many records concerning Muslim influx into Rakhine, known to the west as Arakan.

Of many authentic records,  

C.E. Lucas Phillips, a Brigadier General in the British 14^th Army who fought during the Second World War, writes:

The Muslims had their origin in the District of Chiiagong,

In the Bengal province of British India, and all Muslims

Whether native of Arakan for generations or recent immigrants were known as Chittagonians or in the British Forces, as CFs’ a bewildering babel of languages was spoken by these people. The Arakanese spoke of Burmese, but the Chittagonians tuck to Bengali of their homeland, but, if educated spoke Urdu, as well.

                   

Burma Gazetteer by R.B. Smart records: The laborers came from Chittagong partly by district Steamer of the British Indian steam of the Navigation Company to Akyab, by Messers Turner, Morrion And Company’s steamers to Maung Daw, by the Arakan Flotilla Steamers down the Naff to Maung Daw or just across the Naff into the Maung Daw Township. Large numbers also come by boat from Chittagong ports to engage in the carrying trade.                           

Friend of India and Statesman states: About the tenth of the populations of Chittagong migrate annually to Arakan, where the demand for labor is much greater than at Chittagong R.B. Smart writes: Chittagonians have made certain villages on the banks of the kaladan their homes for generations and their numbers are constantly increased by fresh immigrants.

                                       

.                                      Educated Muslims in Rakhine

     

There are Bengali Hindus and Bengali Muslims in Rakhine, especially in Sittwe, Yangon, Pyi, Pegu who are not from Chittagong District but from Decca, Calcutta, Lahore, Delhi, Allahabad and etc. They know the Chittagongnian laborers very well.   

There are also Rakhine who lived in Decca,Chittagong, Comila, Feni, Rangpur and Calcutta before, and  these Rakhine have good knowledge of the Chittagongnian Muslims.

The eduacated Muslims are the elites of  the Muslim society. 

Almost all Muslims living in Sittwe and Thandway are educated Muslims and they are higher in social strata compared to the Muslims in Maung Daw-Buthedaung and Rathedaung. Most Muslims, especially of Sittwe and Kyauk Pru speak Rakhine and they are friendly with Rakhine. Thandway Muslims speak Rakhine like Rakhine and they are also friendly with Rakhine. Thandaway Muslims are a little refined than other Muslims in Rakhine State and are a little closer to Rakhine way of living.

                                           Chittagongnian Muslims

Muslims of Maung Daw-Buthedaung – Rathadaung are Chittagonians. They speak a rough kind of dialect of Chittagong. They are all illiterates. The way they lead their life is poor and low in standard. They came to Rakhine as laborers, farm-workers and coolies. They trade in all sorts of dirty occupations. They are illiterate Muslims and are religious fanatics.

One could find them very miserable to deal with.

There are very few people who are of good character.

                                                           

                                              Characteristic Trait

It was the East India Company which first brought Chittagongnian Muslims into Arakan as seasonal laborers in 1969 when Suez Canal was opened. In 1916 the East India Company brought Chittagonian Muslims for the second time and made them work in Railroad construction between Kan Gyan Chaung and Buthedaung in Arakan.

Most Chittagongnian Muslims who came as laborers had no family ties back home. All of them were poor, and the place from where they come was a country of grinding poverty, and for them to go back home in Chittagong area was like going back to their death bed. East Bengal was in Indian Territory before 1947.

This article is not an anti-Ront-Gers slur who fabricated a self dubbed name as Rohingyas  to hoodwink  the people of the world. It is written based on facts known to many people of today and of the people of the past.

                          

                                            Muslims vs. Muslims

There were and are Muslims in Sittwe,Mrauk –U, Kyauk Pru and Thandway in the State of Arakan. They are educated Muslims. Muslims in Yangon, Prome (Pyi) and Pegu in Burma know of the laborers from where they came together with their innate characters. Muslims in Rakhine, albeit they are, also illegal immigrant Muslims and Muslims of same faith, are different from the Muslims of Maung Daw-Buthedaung-Rathedaung. The ways the former lead are conspicuously different from those of the latter. Muslim males and females living in Maung Daw-Butthedaung-Rathedaung wear scalp-cap and female a burka, a loose garment covering the entire body and having a veiled opening for the eyes. But Males and females living in Sittwe, Thandway, Pyi, Yangon, Pegu and Mandalay do not wear such scalp cap and Burka. They do not trade in dirty kind of business like the Muslims of Maung Daw – Buthedaung-Rathedaung.  These Muslims are illiterates who are governed by fanaticism and who are of herd instinct. The Muslims of Maung Daw-Buthedaung-Rathedaung and some Muslims in rural areas of Sittwe speak a rustic kind of dialect of Chittagong called “Khaw Taw,” whereas educated Muslims speak Bengali –Sadhu Basha— and some Urdu, a fine language.

As they are as such, the educated Muslims in Sittwe, Thandway and in other parts of  the country do not have regard towards them. Educated Muslims used to treat them like people of low class Muslims like the West Pakistanis did towards East Pakistanis (now Bangladesh). The educated Muslims call Muslims in Maung Daw-Buthedaung-Rathedaung Ront-Gers or vagabond who are blown away from their homeland Chittagong areas to Arakan as jobless and homeless.      

Bengali Hindus and educated Muslims from other parts of Bengal– not from the areas of Chittagong– brand the Muslims of Maung Daw- Buthedaung-Rathedaung as Ront-Gers.

                           

                                          What Does Ront-Ger Mean?

                                      

Ront-Gers mean men who are blown away from/to and of no class or social strata.

A Ront-Ger is a Bum, a Vagabond.

The term “Ront-Ger,” came to its existence only in 19^th century, some-time after the Chittagonian laborers were brought into Rakhine state by the East India Company to be employed as harvest workers and as laborers to construct railroad.

The term “Ront-Ger,” is a combination of two words: Ront and Ger. Ront is a word of Rakhine and “Ger,” is of a Bengali Muslim. The meaning of the word “Ront” is blown away from/to and “Ger,” in Bengali Muslim means, a person belongs to a certain place.

“Tu Ko Rae Ger,” is Bengali, meaning “Where are you from?”  ”Anauk Ger,”is Bengali. Anauk is west, Ger is person and it means “man from the west.

Maung Daw Ger is man from Maung Daw. In Bengali Hindi, it is like “wallah”. Pani wallah, man who carries water and sells, Gari wallah, a person who draws cart, Doodh wallah, a person who sells milk, Capra wallah, a person who sells clothing and etc. 

                                               Like Salt to a Wound.

The word Ront-Ger is not music to the Muslims of Maung Daw-Buthedaung-Rathedaung. It is a word to them like putting salt to one’s wound. They detest the word Ront-Ger to hear and to bear it. It is like an insult calling them Vagabonds by their own Muslims and of same faith.

Self-dubbed Rohingas, in a statement made by them mentioned the term “Ront-Ger” and tried to whitewash it saying the term was used by Muslims living in Mrauk-U, Kyauk Taw Sittwe to refer to the Muslims residing in Mrauk and that the term ” Ront-Ger” is derogatory term of Rohingya used by other Muslims as the other Muslims could not pronounce articulately. This statement tries to mislead the reader by way of simulacrum. Ront-Ger and Rohingya are very similar with one another.Muslims in Mrauk-U, Sittwe, Kyauk Taw speak Rakhine as Rakhine does, and there could be no indistinction in pronunciation of the word. And the reason the statement brings forth is ridiculous to accept.

The Soi-dissent Rohingyas are all illegal immigrant Muslims in Myanmar and are in very critical position unable to create a kind of ethnic group among the ethnic groups of Myanmar in order to create a Muslim state within the state of Rakhine, because the Union government did not recognize them as an ethnic group. They are illegal immigrants originally from Bangladesh who tried to register as refugee taking advantage of situation during Operation Nagarmin launched by Myanmar government in 1974. The Bangladeshi government refused to take them back, albeit they are from Bangladesh.   

Now, they are desperately making endeavor to gain the sympathy of  people employing various sorts of subterfuge and chicanery, yammering aloud that they are “Rohingyas” from Myanmar which does not have a single grain of truth. The term “Rohingya” is a Hoax. It was concocted very recently to manipulate and it for their very own interest. They are at present a people of no country. Rohingyas are currently in a situation of drowning. 

They are taking military training at Al Qaeda camps in order to resort to terrorism.                         

            

                                     A  Very Recently Concocted Name

Rakhine who lived in Bengal before and who are now living in Rakhine state and Yangon also call them Ront-Gers not Rohingyas. The name Rohingya is a term concocted very recently, only about some 50 years ago. The meaning of Rohingya is “Descendants of Arab castaways. In reality, they are illegal infiltrators and have no papers to guard against them like Maxicans in Arizona. They are always living in fear of immi- gration check and they could enjoy no civil rights.

Rohingyas are trying to create a Muslim Islamic state within Arakan state. This is the reason they shamelessly fabricated the name.

                                           Aiming to Hold the Helm

Before 1942 there were very few Muslims in Maung Daw and Buthedaung with high school education –except 3/4 gentlemen with higher education. After 1955 young Muslims of Maung Daw and Buthedaung became educated. Some of them came out from the Rangoon University with Bachelor’s Degrees in Arts and Science.

Among the Muslims of Muang Daw and Buthedaung Muslims of Sittwe and and Kyauk Pru were and are the leading Muslims. Now the Muslims of Maung Daw and Buthedaung were not happy with the leading Muslims the way they were dealing with the Arakanese. They viewed them as brokers between Arakanese and Maung Daw Buthedaung Muslims. They take the leading Muslims playing Machieavallian tatics playing both sides against the middle.

                                             A Self-dubbed Name 

Early Muslims migrating in Maung Daw and Buthedaung, who indoctrinated the young Muslims in politics and religion, they have connections with Muslim countries abroad to give logistic backing to their giant plot which is to create a Muslim State in Arakan State.

And now the young Muslims, like Don Quix-o-te (of Cavantes )  who was inspired by lofty and chivalrous but impractical ideals, got inspired and enthused by the prospect of creating and gaining  Muslim State within Rakhine State, began to find a feat in Arakan to perform. 

Now with the number illegal infiltrators the Muslims in Maung Daw-Buthedaung- Rathedaung think the fruit is now ripe, ripe enough for them to pluck.

But the Muslims they have in Maung Daw-Buthedaung-Rathedaung are all illegal infiltrators, not indigenes. They need a kind of people who must be Muslims and who belong to an ethnic group of Burma. There is no such kind of Muslim in Maung Daw-Buthedaung-Rathedaung. They need to create a group of people who are indigenous Muslims of Burma to advance a legal claim as a one. This is the reason they fabricated the name Rohingya of which there is no record at all.

                                           Conjurers’ Trick: Similacrum

There is another chicanery they try to hoodwink people by pulling wool over people’s eyes.   

The two terms Ront-Ger and Rohingyas are very similar to one another that people might not notice the difference between them at a glance. These two terms are easy to mislead general people.   This is a SIMULACRUM to mislead and belie people.

                                         The Paranormal of Ront-Gers           

Concocting the name “Rohingyas,” they claim themselves as the descendants of Arabs and simultaneously endeavor to get the name registered as such with the government of Myanmar.

We do not need to delve deep into history to find out if they are the descendants of Arab castaways or the descendants of the Chittagongnian laborers. There are records written by British administrators and according to those records, the name they bring forth is a charade, a farce. It is a Paranormal of the Ront-Gers.

A test of DNA would prove whether they are: The descendants of Arab castaways or the descendants of Chittagongnian laborers.                               

               

                                                 Holier-Than-Thou

There is another trick Ront-Gers  seize advantage over  the Muslims who brand them Ront-Gers, by bringing forth the story of Arab castaways and making themselves the descendants of the Arabs, the Ront-Gers do one-upmanship over the Muslims: ” We are Holier-Than -Thou.”

The rationales behind the Ront-Gers’ concoction  the name Rohingyas  is mainly to advancing a legal claim to ethnic grouping of the Union of Myanmar with an intent to be able to create a Muslim state Maung Daw-Buthedaung-Rathedaung  within Rakhine state. Look at Kashmir. Kashmir is a state that belongs to India. Majority of the population is Muslim and Muslims are fighting for Kashmir to makes it a Muslim state on the strength of the population. They are trying to create a situation in Rakhine like in Kashmir. Almost all Muslims are covetous, with bad habit of looting precious things that belongs to others. Kashmir is the best example they are trying to loot.

                                      Toward A Creation of Muslim State

They have another giant plan to create a Muslim Islamic state within Arakan state. They are illegal infiltrators and they need to make them-selves an ethnic group of the Union of Myanmar. They fabricate the name Roingya and tried to legalize their status, claiming themselves that they are the descendants of Arab castaways. With this they make endeavor to inter their real identity belying general people who are ignorant of their origin and to advance a legal claim to the ethnic groupings of the Union of Myanmar.

                                             Pandora’s Box of Rohingyas

In1990 the faked Rohingyas tried to register the name with the Election Committee of 1990. The Committee turned down their application on the ground that there is no such name or race in Myanmar. And, in February 1992, the minister of Foreign Affairs of State Law and Order Restoration Council government issued the following statement in the conference of February ’92.

“Although there are 135 national racesliving in Myanmartoday, the so-called Rohinger people is not one of them. Historically there has never been a Rohinger race in Myanmar. People of Muslim faith from the adjacent country illegally entered into Myanmar Naingan particularly the Rakhine state. “

The Ront-Gers tried to create a box called “Rohingya” distort history by bringing forth the Arab shipwreck story and Arab castaways, making themselves descendants of the same and self-dubbing the name “The Rohingya.” But when the box was opened people found it as a stink bomb.

  

The self-named Rohingyas or Rohingers are no other than “Ront-Gers,” branded by their own erudite Muslims and Rakhines who know their progenitors very well.  

It is a big shame for the Ront-gers to brazenly and shamelessly try to belie people.

                    

             INTERNATIONAL BASKET: BANGLADESHIS

                     Infiltration of Muslims into Myanmar, Why and how?

One might remember the name “An International Basket,” dubbed to people of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) “by Dr. Henry Kissinger, the former US Secretary of State.  The name branded by Mr. Kissinger is a perfect one, for it is a country of grinding poverty in the Indian Sub-Continent with an area of 144,000 sq. miles and with an ever exploding population of 130 million plus because of system of marriage by which they wrangle to rule the world by 21 C or 768.

Bangladesh is bordered by the Bay of Bengal in the south, while in three other directions by bordered by India and Myanmar. It is more than 3 times smaller than Myanmar. On the southern edge, it has a small border with Myanmar. Myanmar has about 55 million in population whereas Bangladesh has 130 million plus.

Bangladesh is an agricultural country and most people work in farms and paddy fields. The country’s main product is Jute. It has some other small businesses such as fishing, growing seasonal beans and tobacco etc. The country is bordered by Bay of Bengal in the south for many miles and storms used to visit the country during rainy season from May to September. June and July are paddy growing season and during this period, storms rage with heavy rain and flood and ravage all paddy plants that could feed the people. Rice in Bangladesh is so scarce and expensive that people die of hunger every year.

Bengalis called Myanmar Shuna Bhumi or the Land of gold. On the southern edge of the country, there is a small border with Myanmar. There is no border-guard or patrol to stem and curb sneaking Bangladeshis. For an infiltrator there is no desert to trek thro like the one between Mexico and Arizona and Texas to trek across. And to sneak into Myanmar is not a Himalayan trek. It is a trip of two or two hours and the route is through green trees bearing fruits and through green forests.

In about 15-20 years, the number of illegal infiltrators swelled to incredible number.

In 1978, Myanmar government launched Operation Nagarmin. It was a nation-wide-scale as part of a demographic survey. For fear of facing immigration check, a large number of Muslims fled to Bangladesh, the country from where they sneaked into Myanmar. Why did they flee? There is no reason if they are not illegal infiltrators they fled because they are illegal infiltrators.

United Nations built make- shifts camps and even before the camps were erected many Muslim Bangladeshis rushed to the camp called as Refugee Camps, and taking advantage of the situation tried to register as refugees feigning as Muslims who fled from Myanmar.

The number of those who fled was set as 156630, but the government accepted back total 186,965 Bengali Muslims.

Those who were not taken back are Bangladeshis but Muslims write that they are refugees whom Myanmar government refused to accept and they are in miserable situation of being starved. These are all their chicaneries. These Muslims are classic and exemplary bluffers.

                                                    Recounted Message

On the 12^th of May in Minkan, Sittwe, all the Arakanese people were inhumanely killed by the so-called Rohingers cutting the former into pieces like killing cows. All the houses in Hmansi Street, Ohhdan Street, and Kyaunggyi Street from Aungbarlar Bengali Village were burnt down by the so-called Rohingers themselves and declared and accused the Arakanese people of doing the arson. They made it known to the world that the Arakanese did it to annihilate them so that the United Nations and many powerful countries like the USA and UK will try to negotiate with the Myanmar government to give them the rights to dwell in Myanmar and to rule over Maungdaw, Buthidaung and Sittwe.

They have financial support from Arab countries to do their invasions to other countries. They have been found to possess a lot of weapons like guns of all sorts and knives in their houses since a long time ago. By using those weapons, they have killed the Arakanese people and fought against the government troops. in such situations, Arakanese people have had no weapons except rare small knives in some _not all_ houses to fight against the so-called Rohingers. They received large boxes full of weapons as a support for them from the NGO called AZD. What now, all the Arakanese people have been living in great fear.

All the so-called Rohingyas have been used to killing animals as they have been killing cows, chicken and all sorts of animals in cold blood in the meanest killing way_ the so-called Halal of beheading. So they have been killing Arakanese people by means of even-worse-than-Halal method_ cutting Arakanese of any age or any gender into pieces. Frankly and boldly speaking, those who have been exposed to the government newspapers may think that Rakhine State is now under peaceful and controllable conditions. But I am not exaggerating on the above things; I can guarantee and take the oath as saying quite real truths. As for the Arakanese people, they have not dared to kill those Rohingyas because they strongly believe that as Buddhists, killing a living thing is very inhuman and bad thing and that they will go to hell if they do so. In Rakhine, most of the people try to avoid killing a mosquito let alone a human being. Therefore, they just took the Rohingers to the police stations when they happened to captured them. If they were to be unavoidably killed, the Arakanese people closed their eyes and cut the Rohingers with knives. But the Rohingers did not die and ran away to come again to do arson to Rakhine houses.

On the 12^th of May, the presiding monk of Taungshae Village Monastery in Sittwe was stabbed to unconsciousness and propagandized that Rohingers were charging Taungshae Village and that it needed help from Rakhine people. Upon hearing the propaganda, the Arakanese people from the neighboring villages happened to believe it and marched in rush towards the village. But they were bewildered and those wives and children of theirs who left in their respective villages were killed and all the houses were burnt down.

Moreover, when some of the so-called Rohingers‘houses were observed, it was also found that they have basements in their houses where they keep weapons. In the daytime, will not be seen but when night comes, they come out of their basements and do their awful arson to Arakanese houses. As the electricity has been cut off in Sittwe, it is pitch-dark at night. Taking advantage of the darkness, the so-called Rohingers went to the monasteries, wearing saffron robes, and then did arson to the monasteries. They also assume the forms of auxiliary firefighters, wearing their uniforms, and come out with the purpose of setting fire to the Arakanese houses. They also set fire to their own houses, make other Arakanese houses ablaze and ran away shouting that the Arakanese people have set fire to their houses.

Besides, it was also heard that four or five mosques were set fire to by the so-called Rohingyas themselves and passed the buck at the Arakanese people for the arson. The Rohingyas also let it known that they discovered a bomb in one of the mosques in Sittwe. But it is very sure that they did it themselves and made Arakanese people notorious to other outsiders like the UN and the USA and others so that the organization and the countries will feel great pity on them and force pressure on the Myanmar government to let them live there like their own homeland.

Those written above are not my personal conjectures, nor exaggerations; they are the accounts of a victim girl living in the hell-like Sittwe at the present time. She was very embarrassed and upset about the conditions in which the so-called Rohingers have done any possible fiery and disgusted ways of destroying Rakhine State as well as Rakhine or Arakanese people and attributed their bad deeds to the Arakanese people and about those in which only a few Arakanese people write about the real situations in the state and cannot make the situations really widely known to the whole world.

Arakanese people are the minority; they are Buddhists who don’t want to kill other people. They also don’t have any weapons – not even usably large knives – to fight against their enemies. They just have to get easily killed without any response by the enemies. The so-called Rohingyas have a lot of weapons like guns. Now Arakanese people have to live with their lives packed in leaves! For the time being, Arakanese people are alive but the later date or time is not certain for them and their family. At present, the number of the so-called Rohingya insurgents and that of the special Myanmar troops are in proportionately different. The number of the Myanmar soldiers is much less. If the government doesn’t help us, the victims, this very time, when will they do so? Now Arakanese people are in shortage of food. They have to pass night after night sleepless. Other native people are also the same as Arakanese people. 

Arakanese people can’t use internet in Sittwe now and they need help with making the real conditions known to the world. Today, the national newspapers just bluff about the news on Rakhine State with a lot of vague words – we can’t decide who did bad things to whom exactly. Maybe the government is very afraid or worried about the fire or danger of the so-called Rohingers to other parts of the country. But doesn’t the government take the present victims, in a bit of consideration!”  

Truths should and must be truths.

May the Arakanese people be free from all sorts of dangers!

May the Rakhine State be free from the so-called Rohingers soon!

May the government be able to stand from the right stance and put an end to this crisis in no time!

May all those who read this writing also be free from all sorts of dangers!

https://bdcburma.wordpress.com/2012/06/21/fabrication-of-false-identity-rohingyas/

BURMA TRAGEDY - A British-American appeals to UK & USA

 Burma Democratic Concern (BDC)

By David Obama




(Commentary) – The massacre in Arakan State by Islamic Extremist Terrorist Bengali so-called Rohingya over the past two weeks has caused disillusion for some, division among many, and shock and anguish for everyone. Racial and religious tensions that have simmered just beneath the surface for years have exploded into an ugly cycle of destruction and revenge which threatens to derail Burma’s journey towards democracy and peace.

Crude, racist abuse, deliberate misrepresentations, doctored images, misinformation and biased reporting of so-called Rohingya Bengali have added a cruel twist to an already bloody tragedy.

Some people may call me biased, and to that charge I plead guilty. But I am biased not in favour of one community over another, in favour of one race or religion over another, in favour of one particular political party over another. Instead, I am biased in favour of the universal values of human rights, including religious freedom and I am in favour of sovereignty and I am in favour of opposing terrorists and I am in favour of rule of law and I am in favour of enforcing immigration laws.

I am biased in favour of mutual respect, equal rights, peace and harmony between religions and races. I am biased in favour of the dignity of each and every human being, whatever their ethnicity or religion. I am biased against intolerance, hatred, racism and extremism.

The tragedy in Arakan State is that ordinary people from Rakhine communities have suffered. Homes burned, Buddhist monasteries desecrated, women raped, people killed – and for what purpose? It has been claimed that as many as 30,000 people are displaced as a result of the violence, although this figure is not verified because the UN has vacated its staff and independent monitors have not had access to the area. One of the first things the government of Burma should do is enforcing immigration laws to disperse illegal immigrants entering Burma and to deport them to original country.

I am writing this as a friend of Burma and all of Burma’s people. I have worked for the cause of freedom, democracy and human rights in Burma for the past 25 years, and travelled more than 100 times inside the country and to all its borders. I have been working for democratisation of Burma with all the ethnic people of Burma including Karen, Karenni, Shan, Mon, Kachin, Chin, Rakhine, Bamar and Shan. I also write as someone with extensive experience of other countries where religious intolerance is growing, often from extremist Islamism: Afghanistan, Indonesia, Pakistan and The Maldives, in particular.

And so with that background, I appeal to the governments around the world and people of Burma especially Burmese and international media not only to stop broadcasting biased news siding with so-called Rohingya Bengali Islamic Extremist Terrorists but also to respect ethnical media code of conduct and avoid taking under table money writing in favour of articles for so-called Rohingya Bengali Islamic Extremist Terrorists.  They must stop Islamophilia and promoting religious intolerance and racial hatred which have come to the fore in the past few weeks. I appeal to the people of free world especially people of UK, USA and supporters around the world to see true to everything that is good and noble in Burmese and Buddhist culture, and to see reality to the values of freedom and human rights for which they have been struggling. I make this appeal on several grounds.

First, I appeal to human conscience on the grounds of humanity and human rights. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is exactly that: universal, for everyone. As Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said in her Nobel Peace Prize Lecture last Saturday, human rights are “the birthright of all”. No human being should be degraded, restricted or abused in the way the people of Burma have been by the military regime for so long and that includes Arakan.

Second, I appeal on religious grounds. From my basic understanding of Islam, I know that there is a universal Muslim greeting called “Salaam alaykum,” (“Peace be with you”). In Burmese Buddhist’s faith, people learnt from the very young age that showing “Metta or Impassionate Love” toward all the living beings. In Christianity, we are also taught to “love your enemies.” But, Rohingya Bengali Islamic Extremist Terrorists are killing peaceful Buddhist, Chyristian, Hindu Burmese and Arakan people.

Last, if simple humanity, basic human rights and core religious teachings cannot persuade people to exercise love, tolerance, respect and peace, to safeguard equal rights for all, then I appeal on grounds of self-interest.

If what I have said so far has not upset some, what I am about to say will upset others, but I must say it anyway. The Rohingya people are among the most Extremists and Radical people I have ever come across. I have visited Maung Dtaw, Buu Thee Taung and Yathe Taung where Arakanese Buddhist are living for centuries and seen the anxiety in their eyes. I have met Arakan villagers, and seen the worry in their hearts. The Arakan I know are among the most hospitable, kind, gentle, decent, tolerant, peace-loving human beings I have ever met. They have clung on to human decency, even when others have tried to torch their villages, massacring their Arakan people but they had shown their love of humanity.

But I also know there is a danger ahead if they continue to be massacred and genocide not only by the Bengali Rohingya, but by Biased Media Society as well as Corrupted so-called Human Rights organisation, and it is this: the danger of radicalization.

Since Rohingyas ‘terrorist’ are massacring Arakan Burmese Buddhist without any foundation or substance but fuelled by Religious extremists and greediness. But it could be a self-fulfilling prophecy. If the Arakans are persecuted by the regime, marginalized by the Burmese media, discriminated against and attacked by Islamic society and ignored by the international media, if radical Nationalist organizations tap into the seething despair among the Arakan people, and the Arakan feel they have nowhere else to turn, then it is possible that more Arakan could be radicalized. Having seen radical Nationalism in action in Russia, China, The North Korea and on the streets of London, to name just a few places, I fear for Burma if it is added to its woes. I am not talking about bombs and hijackings. I am talking about the ideology of political Nationalism.

Marginalization and protectlessness could be a breeding ground for nationalism. As Aung San Suu Kyi said in Oslo, “War is not the only arena where peace is done to death. Wherever suffering is ignored, there will be the seeds of conflict, for suffering degrades and embitters and enrages.”

Don’t misunderstand me. What I have said must not be used to justify attacks on the Arakan. Indeed, quite the opposite. To avoid provoking Arakan Nationalism, the whole people of Burma should work with moderate-minded Arakan whose only desire is to be protected their lives as others, to be treated with respect and dignity, to live in peace. One of Arakan several years ago described his vision beautifully to me when he described Burma as a garden, in which various different flowers grow – and the Arakan are one of those flowers and Rohingya is a snail trying to destroy the beautiful flower.

There are two myths about the Arakan that need to be dispelled. The first is the idea that Arakan simply hate Rohingya Bengali. Arakan do not like the Rohingya simply because these aliens Rohingya Bengali people forcefully robbing the Arakan lands by terrorizing such as torching fires on Arakan villages, massacring Buddhists and raping Arakan women.

The Arakan do not hate other people baselessly, but they won’t hesitate to defend their land, their family and their children. They just want to be protected as citizens of Burma. Even if they were attacked by Islamic Extremist Bengali Rohingya Terrorists, there are no proper armed forces to protect them in Buu Thee Taung, Yathe Taung and Maung Taw area of Arakan where Burma shares the border with Bengali Bangladesh. As long as Arakan are not protected them with assurance combined together with practical action, the terrorist threat of Rohingya Bengali Islamic Extremist won’t stop.

The second point is that Rohingya are part of Arakan. This is totally wrong. The so-called Rohingya are Bengali illegal immigrants. To prove this I have several reasons. The historical record is clear that the Rohingyas have never lived in northern Arakan for generations. Scholars can debate the precise record with civility and evidence and no one can doubt that they haven’t been there for generations.

I would like to highlight here that the son of the first President of Burma Sao Shwe Thaike, Harn Yaung Wai, established The Euro-Burma Office (EBO) in Brussels to sell Burma for money. He is one of the most responsible persons bringing alien Rohingya Bengali into Burma crisis. He had pledged to his Arab funders that if he cannot do Rohingya to belong to the Burma indigenous races, then he won’t live anymore and commit suicide.”

Burma’s first Prime Minister U Nu, who used the disputed term ‘Rohingya,’ in return for a few votes for his cling into power betrayed Burma creating long-time unresolved problems. It was only when 88-Generation Students Leaders take leading role, driven aliens Rohingya fake histories lies with their brave leadership and nationalist stand, that so-called Bengali Rohingya are exposed of with their barbaric cruelties, Islamic extremism and radical terrorism.

In Europe, the son of the first President Sao Shwe Thaike, Harn Yaung Wai, is promoting Rohingya Bengali terrorists as if part of Burma crisis by using his DVB news media as a propaganda tool in addition to appointing a story writer named Francis Wade for doing media propaganda for so-called Rohingya Bengali.

In United States, Aung Din and his group US Campaign for Burma (USCB) are selling Burma for money and betraying Arakan by portraying Arakan as the villains and so-called Rohingya Bengali as the victims but in reality it is other way round.

In UK, Mark Farmaner of Burma Campaign UK and his second wife Zoya Phan are fiercely promoting so-called Rohingya Bengali for money while their boyfriend, Benedict Rogers of Christian Solidarity Worldwide, is mimicking whatever Burma Campaign UK is telling lies and self-praise no-grace Maung Zar Ni is promoting so-called Rohingya as if they are his son-in-laws.

In Thai-Burma border, Soe Aung and Naing Aung of the Forum for Democracy in Burma (FDB) are supporting Bengali Rohingya after receiving funding under the name of human rights and equality.

In ASEAN, Soe Aung’s wife, Debbie Stothard, a Malaysian Chinese who knows nothing about Burma is blindly shouting for Rohingya by representing a group called ALSEAN comprising of her and Arrr herself. Their boss is Mark Farmaner of Burma Campaign UK (BCUK) and BCUK boss on Rohingya issue is Chris Lewa of Arakan Project. You can see clearly that this is coordinated and planned plot to colonise and Islamise Burma.

In reality, the BOSS of all Rohingya campaigners is Chris Lewa, the Director at the Arakan Project who has been lobbying for so-called Rohingya for decades. Even though Chris Lewa is seeking funding with the Arakan Project but that person has never ever been working for Arakan people but been working for Rohingya people under the name Arakan Project. This is depressing, isn’t it?

But for the good side, Ko Ko Gyi led 88-Generation students are giving strong and firm leadership to people of Burma and people around the world. The 88 Generation Students Leaders clearly stated clearly that “Rohingyas are absolutely not a nationality of Burma. We absolutely do not accept the interfering intrusion by the international community without their full understanding of the domestic affairs of Burma; we consider it to be a violation to the sovereignty of our country. We will not agree to, nor comply with, nor accept them as destitute refugees, nor placate and appease the pressures of the international community.

We would like to press here that a lot of the illegal immigrants can speak the language of the host country very fluently. Even though Rohingya are from Bangladesh, they can learn to speak Burmese fluently and can have Burmese names? Even in USA, a lot of the Burmese have English names. Bangladesh refuses them to give refuge Rohingya Bengali because they are practicing Stalin like policy — shoot to kill anyone who flees from battle front line. Even they are immigrants from Bangladesh, they do wish to stay in Burma and make it their homeland, because it is their way of colonization and Islamnization of Burma where they exploit Burma crisis, and terrorizing Arakan people.

Bengali Rohingyas flee severe poverty, extreme weather, land shortages and population booming of Bangladesh to places of prosperity and freedom –  Burma, India and around the world. Do not forget that Bangladesh is ¼ the size of Burma and 4 times the size of population of Burma. Additions, these Rohingya Bengali Terrorists have the hidden agenda of Islamnization of Burma where they wishfully day dreaming of ruling Burma with strict Islamic Sharia laws.

Some British have told me that due to be a porous border, so they accept the facts that some who claim to be ‘Rohingya’ may be illegal Bengali immigrants. They went on argue to give Burmese citizenship to those who were born in Burma regardless. The fact is that Rohingya are illegal immigrants and they are asking for the ethnic rights which we cannot give. Even to be the citizen, we cannot give away Burmese citizenship easily to everyone whoever enters into Burma illegally. We must clearly, precisely and strictly define our citizenship laws and firmly implement immigration policies.

Burma’s Arakan crisis has born a new hero — Ko Ko Gyi. So it is time for everyone, in Burma and in the international community, who cares about universal human rights, human dignity and peace, who cares about national security and national interest to stand up and put an end to the violence, to stand up and to put an end on Rohingya Bengali terrorist attacks and begin the long hard road to reconstruction and reconciliation. Let that be the way forward, for Arakan, Kachin, Karen, Shan, Chin, Mon and Bamar, for government official and for Burmese citizen and foreign friends of Burma alike to be united under the leadership of Ko Ko Gyi working for better, prosper and safer Burma.

David Obama is the British-American Campaigner working for Burma for more than two decades. His book True Stripe Appear in NGOs & Media Society will be released this week from We Americans-British Association Press.
Source: received from inside Burma.

http://democracyforburma.wordpress.com/2012/06/22/a-friends-appeal-to-britain-and-united-states-by-david-obama/

Bangladeshi Illegal Migration into Assam: Issues and Concerns from the Field

Assamese political and social discourses fear that this unchecked migration from across the border will subvert their way of life and change the demographic profile of the state in the near future. The lack of authentic data on illegal migrant flows only adds to the discomfort. This Issue Brief traces the political, social, economic and security discourses within Assam in response to the migrant issue. Based on insights from the field, the author offers certain policy recommendations to deal with the
illegal Bangladeshi migrant issue in a cost effective and timely manner.

Illegal migration from Bangladesh into Assam has been a major political, economic, social and security issue for Assamese society, so much so that it evoked the non-violent, highly visible, Assam Agitation (1979-1985) spearheaded by the All Assam Students Union (AASU). That agitation resulted in the Assam Accord of 1985 which stated that anybody settled in Assam from Bangladesh after March 25, 1971 is not a citizen, but an illegal immigrant. This provision of the Accord has not been implemented and has therefore failed to change the nature of Bangladeshi immigration into Assam, now termed as a “silent invasion” with the majority of the infiltration taking place through the Dhubri district in lower Assam bordering West Bengal, the districts of Cachar and Karimganj in Assam bordering Bangladesh and the 443 km Bangladesh-Meghalaya border. Assam shares a highly porous 262 kilometre border with Bangladesh with portions of it left completely unchecked due to the difficult nature of the terrain.

Though there is no documented data on the number of illegal migration, it is assumed that out of the 26 million people residing in Assam, around six million are illegal Bangladeshi migrants. Influential Assamese intellectuals like Dhiren Bezboruah, who is also the editor of The Sentinel warns that Assam could become a part of “Greater Bangladesh” with districts like Dhubri and Goalpara witnessing a change in their demographic profile by becoming migrant-dominated while other districts like Barpeta, Nalbari, Nagaon and Darrang are also heading in that direction.

Local politicians in Assam are mostly blamed by Assamese society for not doing enough about illegal migration influenced as they are by “vote bank” politics. Consequently, the first voter list discrepancy in Assam was noticed way back in 1979 when 45,000 illegal migrant names were found in the Mangaldoi Assembly election voters’ list. From 1994 to 1997, 57 out of 126 constituencies in Assam showed an increase of 20 per cent in the number of voters whereas the all India average was 7.4 per cent for the same period. This rather unnatural increase in the number of voters in Assam is perhaps due to the addition of names to the voters’ list through dubious means. Consequently, the illegal Bangladeshi migrants issue tends to dominate the political, economic, social, and security discourses in Assam with residents of the state expressing concern of being taken over demographically by this silent invasion. The lack of data on migration adds to a sense of being ‘under siege’ by outsiders as no one is sure as to the number of migrants visibly infiltrating all walks of life in Assam. In a visit to Sibsagar and Dibrugarh districts in December 2009, this author observed that most local people, while worried about the issue of illegal migration, were also desperate for an effective resolution of the issue at the earliest.

How BANGLADESHI MUSLIMS wiped the Assamese out in their OWN land

http://www.assam.org/news/how-bangladeshi-muslims-wiped-assamese-out-their-own-land

In the absence of any definite policy of the Government, the infiltration gradually assumed an alarming proportion and the aliens became politically so strong that no political party in this state is in a position to form the government without their support.

British annexed Assam in 1826 and placed it under the administrative unit of Bengal Province . They brought educated and English knowing Bengalese to assist them in its administration. After partition of Bengal in 1905 the geo-political reconstitution of the region increased the flow of Bengali speaking population particularly the Muslim peasantry from the over populated East Bengal to sparsely populated fertile lands of Brahmaputra and Surma valleys of this isolated northeast corner of India. The formation of All India Muslim League (AIML) in 1906 at Dhaka also hatched a political conspiracy to expand its numerical strength in Assam and initiated organised migration of Muslims from East Bengal . Nawab Salim Ullah Khan, a prominent Muslim leader and one of the founder members of AIML in his public meeting after the concluding session of the League, “exhorted the Muslims to migrate to Assam and settle there”.

The alarming forecast of Census Superintendent C. S. Mullan in his Census report of 1931validated the political conspiracy of AIML in Assam :

“Probably the most important event in the province during the last 25 years – an event, moreover, which seems likely to alter permanently the whole feature of Assam and to destroy the whole structure of Assamese culture and civilisation has been the invasion of a vast horde of land-hungry immigrants mostly Muslims, from the districts of East Bengal. … wheresoever the carcass, there the vultures will be gathered together ” (Politics of Migration by Dr. Manju Singh, Anita Publications, Jaipur, 1990, Page 59).

By late nineteen thirties the AIML turned its expansionist design into a confrontationist Muslim politics in Assam . It encouraged the Muslim migrants to settle in Assam and since then the immigrants have became a chronic problem in the provincial politics of the state. Influx of Muslim peasantry in Assam converted its wastelands into cultivable fields and helped in development of its economy. But exposure of this otherwise closed society to new socio-political environment adversely affected its socio-cultural scenario.

After 1937 election, Gopi Nath Bordoloi headed a Congress led coalition Government in Assam and tried to stop the unhindered flow of immigrant Muslims. But his Government had to resign in November 1939 to respond to the Congress High Command’s call for resignation of all its Provincial Governments in protest against the War policy of the British. This decision of the party however facilitated the formation of an alternative Coalition Government in Assam headed by Sir Saadullah of AIML. “During the period between 1939-1941, Saadullah Government allotted one Lakh bighas (Little less than an acre) of land in Assam valley for the settlement of East Bengal immigrants” (Political History of Assam – Edited by A. C. Bhuyan and Shibopada De, Vol. III, Publication Board of Assam, 1999, Page 262). He ignored the protest of Assam Congress leaders like Bishnuram Medhi and others on the plea that the Muslim exodus from Bengal to Assam was necessary for the success of ‘Grow more food’ scheme in the state.

Lord Wavel, Viceroy of India in the Viceroy’s Journal, London Publication,December 22, 1943 said: ” …The chief political problem is the desire of Muslim Ministers of Assam to increase the immigrations into uncultivated Government lands in Assam under the slogan of ‘Grow more food’ but what really is to ‘Grow more Muslims’ (Politics of Migration by Dr. Manju Singh, Anita Publications, Jaipur, 1990, Page 70). Mahatma Gandhi too expressed his concern over the problem of such unrestricted immigration but he could not do anything to check the exodus for the reason best known to him.The resignation of Congress led Government in Assam was the first blunder committed by the party in respect of its policy on Muslim immigration. Even Subash Chandra Bose and the Congress leaders of Assam had argued for exemption of Assam from the decision of the party on the plea that it would help the AIML in settling the Muslim immigrants in the state. The Congress High Command was however, not convinced.

With large-scale settlement of alien immigrants following the installation of Saadullah Government, AIML established a tremendous influence on the Muslim population of Assam , who later aggressively supported the demand for Pakistan . After 1946 general election Bordoloi again headed the Congress Government and took a firm and tough stand for eviction of immigrants. Alarmed with the eviction plan of Bordoloi, AIML Legislators’ Convention held at Delhi in April 1946, demanded inclusion of Assam in Pakistan and strongly opposed the eviction plan of immigrant Muslims. Abdul Hamid Khan, popularly known as Maulana Bhasani, a volatile League leader, who had dominated Muslim politics in Assam till partition was deputed to execute the “AIML plan to turn the non-Muslim majority state of Assam into Muslim majority state”. Meanwhile Jinnah came up with the demand of the League for inclusion of Assam in proposed Pakistan . The central leadership of the Congress party had virtually made up its mind to give up its claim over Assam and Bordoloi had to run from pillar to post and convince Mahatma Gandhi whose intervention could only save Assam from going to Pakistan . Since whole energy of Bordoloi was to save Assam from the geo-political design of AIML, he failed to give proper attention to implement his plan to cleanse Assam from Muslim immigrants. Assamese people for their centuries old closeness with cultural current of India had fought shoulder to shoulder with the freedom fighters of the country against the British power, but the attitude of the Congress High Command created an emotional distance from the centre.

After partition, the Assamese people expected that there would not be any further trans-migration of Muslims from East Pakistan to their new political territory. Muslim populations in Assam considerably decreased in 1947 partly due to inclusion of Sylhet in Pakistan and also return of sizeable number of earlier immigrants to their original land due to fear of backlash. But the situation changed, when Mainul Haq Chaudhary, the Private Secretary of Jinnah and also a prominent leader of the youth wing of AIML till partition joined Congress party along with the supporters of Pakistan en-mass. On the eve of partition, he was shaky whether to opt for Pakistan or stay back in India . He was however told by Jinnah, “wait for ten years, I shall present Assam on a silver plate to you” (Politics of Alienation in Assam by Bhawani Singh, 1984, Page 72). Jinnah died in 1948 but the Congress Party fulfilled his promise by inducting Chaudhary in the Cabinet of Congress Government led by Gopi Nath Bordoloi. It is often alleged that Chaudhary stayed back in Assam on the advice of Jinnah and other Pakistani leaders to help the immigrants from Pakistan for their settlement in Assam .

After Independence the flow of illegal migration from East Pakistan again increased aggressively as in absence of any population planning by its government or any social movement for creating awareness to control population, its people remained facing the problem of living space for survival. To carry forward the political legacy of AIML that East Pakistan / Bangladesh needed more lebensraum or living space, its leaders continued their plan for Islamic expansionism in Assam through infiltration of Muslims as the country was unable to shoulder the burden of its multiplying population. The successive governments in Pakistan pursued the twin policy of squeezing out the Hindus and infiltrating the Muslims to settle down in Assam and other bordering states in India .

Against the evil geo-political design of Pakistan , which scared the Assamese middle class of the threat to their marginalisation in their own land, Government of India never had any organised plan or definite policy. Nehru-Liaquat Pact (April 1950) with “special provisions for restoration of rights of immigrants over their properties if they would choose to return not later than the 31st December 1950″ (Assam Issue -The Biginning – The End -The Beginning by Vijay Kumar Dewan, United Publishers Guwahati, 1985, Page 34-35) rather facilitated the Pakistan Government to accelerate infiltration. The Pact, which validated the entry of immigrants up to 31.12.50, was against the spirit of Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam ) Act 1950 enacted by Parliament on 13.2.1950. It is said that the Congress leadership applauded the increase of Muslim immigrants as a God sent opportunity to consolidate the ‘Muslim vote banks’ and accordingly ruled Assam without any break for thirty years.

In early sixties, the Government of Assam under the leadership of Congress Chief Minister Bimala Prasad Chaliha launched an aggressive campaign to flush out the immigrants, who settled in Assam since January 1951. He even disregarded Prime Minister Nehru’s plea to go slow on the issue. “Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru wanted the Assam Chief Minister, Bimala Prasad Chaliha to go easy on deportations and even stop them. Chaliha refused, saying that the problem was so critical that Assam ‘s demography and culture would be permanently changed” (Rites of Passage by Sanjoy Hazarika, Penguin Books, 2000, Page 60).

Chaliha Government armed itself with Prevention of Infiltration from Pakistan (PIP) Act 1964 and pursued the campaign. Even though, the Muslim leaders encouraged the Bengali speaking Muslim immigrants to declare Assamese as their mother tongue to dodge the police of their detection, Chaliha’s campaign against the infiltrators pressed a panic button among them. However, twenty Muslim MLAs in the Government threatened him to topple his ministry if he does not stop deportations. Chaliha had to succumb to this pressure and the PIP Act was put in cold storage (Ibid.). Those who, were deported earlier gradually returned and again settled in Assam .

As per conservative assessment about a million of Muslim infiltrators settled down in the vacant areas contiguous to the areas where Muslim migrants in British India were already settled. Moinul Huq Choudhury, who later became a Minister in the Union Cabinet of Indira Gandhi Government and former President of India Fakharuddin Ali Ahmad were widely known for being instrumental in the settlement of illegal Muslim immigrants. Gradually, the Muslim population in Assam , which was about 19 Lakhs in 1947, increased to about 36 Lakhs within 25 years of Independence by 1972. “Late B.K.Nehru, the Governor of Assam between 1968 and 1973, condemned the infiltration as vote bank politics by the Congress” (Prafulla Goradia in Pioneer dated September 15, 2005). “Over the years, the Congress with its activist pro-minority plank was seen as a party which supported the interest of the settlers. It was thus labeled pro-’Bangladeshi’ by its opponents” (Rites of Passage by Sanjoy Hazarika, Penguin Books, 2000, Page 69).

In 1971Bangladesh emerged as a sovereign nation after liberation war against Pakistan with the help of Indian Army. In stead of being grateful, the new nation maintained the same policy of Pakistan on Muslim infiltration in Assam . People of India in general and Assam in particular failed to understand that when the changed geo-political reality of Indian sub-continent in 1947 sealed their political destiny with the respective country of India and Pakistan , how come the infiltration continue? The argument of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the first president of Bangladesh that, “without the inclusion of Assam the East Bengal economy could not be balanced” is ridiculous as a sovereign nation cannot throw its burden on another countries. If he was unable to bear the responsibility of his own people, he should not have gone for liberation of Bangladesh . Such an attitude of Sheikh Mujib proved that he also carried forward the AIML legacy of Muslim expansionism in Assam . He was an equal partner in implementation of the geo-political design of Pakistan to destablise Assam and balkanise it on the basis of religion. Z.A Bhutto had spelt out this design as far back as in 1968. “The late Prime Minister of Pakistan, Z.A.Bhutto, wrote about the geo-political aims of Pakistan in 1968 in his book, The Myth of Independence where he elaborated that it would be wrong to think that Kashmir is the only dispute that divides India and Pakistan, though it is undoubtedly the most significant one, at least is nearly as important as the Kashmir dispute is that of ASSAM and some districts adjacent to East Pakistan” (Insurgency in North-East India-The Role of Bangladesh, Edited by Dipankar Sengupta and Sudhir Kumar Singh, Authors Press, 2004, Page 73-74).
Even after liberation, a huge number of Bangladeshi Muslims stayed back in Assam and helped their co-religionists in influencing the electoral politics of this state. They not only further increased the demographic imbalance in the state but also scared the Assamese middle class of the danger to their socio-cultural identity. One may like to recall that it was a shocking revelation of detection of thousands of Bangladeshi Muslims in the revision of electoral rolls in Mangaldoi Parliamentry constituency in 1979, which sparked the Assam agitation led by All Assam Students Union (AASU) against the Bangladeshi infiltrators.

When the Assam agitation reached to its climax and turned violent, two separate delegations one of legislators (16) led by Janata Party leader Golap Barbora and another of writers(4) led by Dr. Birendra Kumar Bhattacharyya emphatically narrated the alarming problem of illegal Muslim immigration in Assam in their respective memorandum to the Rajya Sabha Committee of Petitions. Seventy -third Report of the Committee of Petitions, Rajya Sabha dated March 22, 1982 while quoting the memorandum said:

“The official statistics showed that a total of 2,20,690 Pakistani infiltrators were detected in the state during the period 1950-1961 and another 1,92, 339 were spotted in the following decade. During the Bangladesh War of Liberation (1971) a total of 1,00,000 immigrants stayed behind even after Independence of their country. … The prime factor responsible for this abnormal growth (of Muslims) was the geo-political ambition of Pakistan over Assam ” (Page 2 of the Report).

The Report quoting the memorandum of Legislators led by Golap Barbora maintained:

“No sovereign nation can permit the influx of foreign nationals into its territory. But the North Eastern region of the country in general and Assam in particular have been experiencing the area being utilised as the dumping ground for a large numbers of foreigners being vomited out by a neighbouring country since a long time. Besides, a large number of such foreigners were appeased with political rights by entering their names in the voters’ list of the state for petty political games at the instance of the vested political forces that were at the helm of affairs since Independence” (Ibid.).

The Report quoting the memorandum signed by the writers of Assam said:

“That the problem of infiltration of foreigners in large scale has reached such a stage that unless immediate drastic steps were taken to solve it, the state of Assam , and for that matter, the entire North Eastern Region, faces the danger of being over run by foreigners in the next few years”. The memorandum also quoted the written address of the Chief Election Commissioner to the Chief Election Officers Conference at Ootacamund on 24th September 1978. He said: “I would like to refer to the alarming situation in some states, specially in the North Eastern Region, wherefrom disturbing reports are coming regarding large scale inclusion of foreign nationals in the electoral rolls”. Refering to Assam the Chief Election Commissioner further said: “The influx has become a very regular feature. I think that it may not be wrong assessment to make that on the basis of increase of 34.98 percent between the two Census (1961-1971), the increase that is likely to be recorded in the 1991 Census would be more than 100 percent over the 1961 Census. ..”Another disturbing factor in this regard in the demand made by the political parties for the inclusion in the electoral rolls of the name of such migrants who are not Indian citizens” (Ibid. Page 18-19).

Replying to the debate in Rajya Sabha, the Home Ministry maintained that “the Government is fully seized of the matter. Efforts towards finding a solution satisfactory to all concerned are continuing” (Ibid. Page 25).

During negotiation with the agitating AASU leaders, the Government wanted 1971 as cut-off year for treating the immigrants as foreigners, which meant that all the alien infiltrators, who settled in Assam between 1951 and 1971 were to be accorded Indian citizenship. However, the negotiation broke down as AASU insisted on January 1951 as cut-off year. One fails to understand that why Government of India did not take a tough stand on the cut -off year for the citizenship on the basis of the National Register of 1951? Since infiltrators were the foreigners they would not have been given the citizenship of the country. Justice M.C.Chagla, former Education Minister once said:

“We have our constitution, we have citizenship laws. There are decisions by the highest courts to indicate who is a national and who is a foreigner. What does it matter when a person came to Assam if he is not a national but a foreigner. The year of his entry does not change his legal status. Unnecessary complications have been introduced by talking of the cut-off year”(‘ Assam ’s Agony by Amiya Kumar Das, Lancer’s Publication Delhi, 1982, Page 132). Such logic of an eminent personality had no meaning in the vote bank politics of the Congress.

When the movement picked up momentum the Congress Government at centre led by Indira Gandhi pushed legislation in Parliament in 1983 called Illegal Migrants Determination by Tribunal (IMDT) Act. Tribunal was set up in each district of Assam to decide upon the presence of illegal migrants. Under IMDT Act onus lied on prosecution to prove before the tribunal that the suspect was foreigner. This was against the provision of the Foreigner Act under which suspect was to prove his or her Indian citizenship. This lacuna in the new Act hardly brought desired result. Ironically, AASU leaders never raised this point assertively and after repeated negotiations signed Assam Accord in the early hour of August 15, 1985. Violating all the constitutional provisions, the Accord accepted the infiltrators between 1951 to 1971 as genuine citizens of the country. The Accord maintained 1971 as cut-off year for detection, deletion from voters’ list and deportation.

Assamese people, who were tired of long agitation from 1979 to 1985 celebrated the Accord. The power hungry AASU leaders, while taking it as their first political victory formed a political organisation namely Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and contested subsequent Assembly election held by the end of 1985. As expected, they got a landslide victory and formed Government. Soon after forming the Government, they fell into the trap of vested interests and the problem of infiltration went to the back burner. Meanwhile, ULFA an off shoot of AASU/AGP raised armed rebellion against Government of India for cessation of Assam from India .

The people belonging to Bengali descent apprehended a danger to their deportation following the Assam Accord but thanks to Muslim lobby, the process of detection, deletion and deportation remained as slow as it was before the Accord. One may laugh to know that ” between 1983 to 2000, the sixteen tribunals in various districts…. have located about 10,000 illegals (immigrants) of which a bare 1,400 have been deported” (Rites of Passage by Sanjoy Hazarika, Penguin Books, 2000, Page 70).

Ironically, even after the alarming report on the ‘demographic invasion’ by Bangladesh by the Governor of Assam in 1998 the problem of Muslim infiltrators remains as acute in Assam as ever. Report on ‘Illegal Migration into Assam as submitted to the President of India by the Governor, Lt. Gen.(Retd.) S. K. Sinha in 1998 “warned that if the present trends are not arrested, the indigenous people of Assam would be reduced to a minority and there may, in course of time, be a demand for the merger of Muslim dominated bordering districts with Bangladesh” (Insurgency in North-East India: The Role of Bangladesh – Dipankar Sengupta -Sudhir Kumar Singh, Authorspress, Delhi 2004, Page 73). Governor’s report, which called the infiltration a “national threat” and the report “worked out by Group of Ministers, headed by Union Home Minister in 2001 noted that more than 15 million illegal immigrants have entered India over the last five decades from Bangladesh, an intrusion that has completely changed the demography of large parts of Assam, Meghalaya, West Bengal, Tripura and Bihar” (Ibid.).

“The 1991 census shows that the Muslim population of the country increased by 4.02 million, or 65.4 7 per cent over that of 1971, in Assam the increase has been by 77.42 per cent. Muslims now form a majority in the district of Dhubri (70.42%), Goalpara (50.18%), Barpeta (56.07%) and Hailakandi (55.18%)” (Insurgency in North-East India-The Role of Bangladesh, Edited by Dipankar Sengupta and Sudhir Kumar Singh, Authors Press, 2004, Page 51). In addition to these four Muslim majority districts other five districts namely Bongaigaon (32.74 %), Morigaon (45.31 %), Nagaon (47.19 %), Karimganj (49.17 %) and Cachar (34.49 %) are having Muslim population varying between 32.74 percent to 49.17 percent. “Although the 2001Religion census is yet to be declared, an independent analysis that was conducted seems to show that there has been a sizeable growth in population among Muslims in Assam . It records that as a community the Muslims had registered an increase of 16.17 percent growth in 2001 figures (Terror Sans Frontier:Islamic Militancy in North India by Jaideep Saikia, Ford Fellow, July 2003, page 17).

“According to a study conducted by a few scholars of Toronto University and the American Academy of Arts and Science, 15 Million Bangladesh nationals have infiltrated in India . According to another study done by another American organisation, namely, The Advancement of Science, 20 million Bangladesh nationals are presently staying in India” (The Silent Invasion by Hiranya Kumar Bhattacharyya, Spectrum Publications, Guwahat:Delhi, 2001, Page 83). Muslim infiltration from Bangladesh into India is somewhere between 10 millions to 20 millions (Pioneer dated 22.9. 2004 by S.Gurumurthy, a widely known economists). Despite these observations on infiltration, Bangladesh never accepted the illegal migration of its people and often blamed India for deliberately pushing out its principal religious minority to their territory. Infiltration being one of the reasons behind the troubled relation between the two countries but Bangladesh in assistance with Pakistan continues fighting against India for Islamic expansionism as a result Assam has become its first victim. The political leadership as well as the officials, who govern the country are fully aware of this hard reality of infiltration but ironically they close their eyes due to the expediency of the vote bank politics. In absence of any accountably they overlooked the problem of undocumented illegal immigrants settled in Indian soil and threw the Assamese in the cesspool of Muslim vote bank politics.

“The Assam Police claimed to have arrested four hardcore ISI functionaries arrested by Assam Police on August 7, 1999. It was disclosed by them that “ISI had plans to train 10000 people in Assam for jehad to liberate Assam and establish an Islamic country comprising the territory of the state and some other parts of North-Eastern India” (Insurgency in North-East India-The Role of Bangladesh, Edited by Dipankar Sengupta and Sudhir Kumar Singh, Authors Press, 2004 Page 74).

One may wonder how the Muslim population of Assam from19, 81857 in 1951 increased to 63,73,204 in 1991. Census figure suggests over 30 percent growth in Muslim population of Assam after 1951.Taking into account the pace of growth rate between 1951 to 1991 the Muslim populatioin in Assam might have increased to at least 33 percent by 2005. It means the present Muslim population in the State might have increased to another 3 percent. On the other hand Hindu population in the State decreased from 72.51 percent in 1971 to 67.13 percent in 1991. It means the decrease rate of about 5 percent in 20 years. If the trends are allowed to continue a day will come when indigenous people of State may come under Islamic subjugation and would ultimately be forced to face a serious threat to their identity as happened in the case of Kashmir (Terror Sans Frontier:Islamic Militancy in North India by Jaideep Saikia, Ford Fellow, July 2003).

After 22 years of the enactment of IMDT Act the Supreme Court repealed it in last July. The Muslim leaders, who are not happy with the verdict of the highest court in the country already started their arm twisting approach to ensure that the ruling party at centre could bring another legislation or ordinance for a substitute of IMDT Act. Baduddin Azmal, President Jaiat – Ulema -e- Hind , Assam expressed his anguish against the Congress for its failure to defend the IMDT Act. He is also exploring the possibility of mobilising the various Muslim organisations to bring them under a political party for contesting next year Assembly elections. Muslims now constitute over 30 percent of about 26 million population of Assam . They are now at the centre stage of Assam politics due to their commanding influence in about 40 of the total 126 Assembly constituencies. Sensing the mood of the Muslim leaders all the political parties except the Bhartiya Janata Party have already started hobnobbing with Muslim leaders for electoral alliance with them for next year Assembly elections in the state. It is an irony of fate that even AGP and its splinter group AGP (Progressive), whose leaders had led a high voltage agitation against the immigrants are also speaking the same language to appease the Muslim leaders for their support in election as Congress has been doing since Independence .

The higher growth of Muslim population in Assam due to unrestricted infiltration for consolidating the Muslim votes is a threat to its socio-cultural subjugation. It is one of the major sources of bitterness and tension in the region. Now the political clout of Muslim leaders is so strong that no political party is in a position to take a tough stand against the illegal immigrants in this state. But it is ridiculous that United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), an offshoot of ASSU, which fought for detection, deletion (from voters’ list) and deportation of these foreigners – demands cessation of Assam from India with the support of same Bangladesh and Pakistan against whom they had launched agitation. Due to lack of vision they do not understand the design of the communal politics of the Muslims of Assam and neighbouring Bangladesh . They must know that once, Assam is ceded from India , the Muslim militants will throw away the Hindus in Assam as they did in Pakistan and Bangladesh . Their condition will be same as of the Kashmiri Pundits. They must take a lesson from the political vision of the former leaders of Assam like Gopi Nath Bordoloi, Bisnu Ram Medhi and B.P.Chaliha who even at the cost of humiliation by the Congress High Command never thought of secession and pursue their political fight against infiltration to the best of their capacity.

(Email: ramashray60@rediffmail.com)