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COUNTDOWN TO ANNIHILATION: <strong>GENOCIDE</strong> <strong>IN</strong> <strong>MYANMAR</strong><br />
• I managed 200 people [before the conflict], Muslims and Rakhine, 80 Muslims. They used to<br />
work together eagerly… I still communicate a little with people from Thandoli village [Muslim]<br />
but I can’t bring them here because other people might make problems for me. The Rakhine<br />
have hate. And the headmaster was killed in Maung Daw… I hired Muslims to carry rice from<br />
paddy fields to my house. When we had festivals, we invited them. When they had Eid, we<br />
would go. And also, Novus ceremony, we would sit together, drink alcohol, no problem, always<br />
people keep in touch. Now I’m scared to see them in person. 131<br />
• No one will buy from Muslim people because they are afraid of being killed and they think food<br />
might be poisoned. I think Muslim intentions are not good. I don’t want to communicate with<br />
Muslim people anymore. 132<br />
• I used to work with ‘kalar’. I would buy from ‘kalar’ shops, but I didn’t have any ‘kalar’ friends…<br />
Before the conflict I didn’t think ‘kalar’ were bad, but I think that their behaviour recently is<br />
very bad… I don’t want to live near them anymore, especially after the conflict I feel this way. 133<br />
• Rakhine are the native people, Muslims should have a sense of respect towards them. I used<br />
to stay at a Muslim friend’s house in Maungdaw, but I don’t go anymore because I’m afraid.<br />
The Muslim friends I used to have, they were close to Rakhine people and they understand<br />
them. But there are extreme people and those are the problem. I would like to meet my Muslim<br />
friends again, but I’m too afraid to go to Maungdaw... We have no contact with Muslim people<br />
since the conflict. I’m willing to work with them but it depends how the Muslims react to us…<br />
We need Muslim leaders who are trusted and vice versa. Rakhine trusted leaders and then,<br />
they can liaise with each other towards coming to a solution with the government’s help…<br />
I need permission from the government but if I do this [engage in interfaith activities], I think<br />
people might think I’m working too closely with the government, which isn’t good. 134<br />
• Today, both sides are scared of each other. We visited Muslim villages during the day but not<br />
at night. Even the police say not to visit at night… Before the conflict, we would sleep and eat<br />
at each other’s villages. The Muslims can speak Muslim and Rakhine. And a few Rakhine can<br />
speak Muslim that is Bengali. We were eating and sleeping together before. Cooking, eating,<br />
doing business, enjoying each other’s culture. In Maungdaw and Kyauk Phyu, many houses<br />
were burned down. There were so many reasons that started the conflict. That’s why we’ve<br />
lost trust. 135<br />
Against this background, the road to genocide was well under way.<br />
131 Rakhine man, aged 45, informal village administrator, interviewed in village on outskirts of Sittwe, 6 December 2014.<br />
132 Rakhine woman, aged 40, interviewed in Sittwe on 4 December 2015.<br />
133 Rakhine woman, aged 43, interviewed in Sittwe on 28 November 2014.<br />
134 Rakhine civil society activist, interview conducted in Sittwe on 24 November 2014.<br />
135 Ye Seni Pyen Village Group, 28 November 2014.<br />
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