GENOCIDE IN MYANMAR

COUNTDOWN TO ANNIHILATION: GENOCIDE IN MYANMAR
Compelling evidence also suggests that since the 1990s, local authorities have used the justification of
‘population explosion’ to impose severe restrictions relating to marriage, birth control, child rights and
travel on the Muslim residents of Rakhine state. 216 The use of forced contraceptives was reported as early
as 1995, when a UNHCR official informed Human Rights Watch that Ministry of Health officials were using
contraceptive injections on returning Rohingya refugees. 217
In 1994 the authorities ceased issuing birth certificates to Rohingya babies. Many Rohingya parents
have been prevented from complying with other registration procedures for their children because of
restrictions on movement and lack of awareness and resources. 218 Punishment for the violation of childbirth
restrictions can result in imprisonment of up to 10 years. Children whose birth is considered to have
violated these restrictions are ‘blacklisted’ and thus denied many basic services.
Race and religion laws
The State has long driven Rohingya-targeted policies of cultural and political exclusion. For example, on
1 May 2005 the Maungdaw Township Peace and Development Council released Regional Order 1/2005,
outlining a number of restrictions on marriage and mandating that ‘those who have permission to marry
must limit the number of children, in order to control the birth rate….’ An addenda to this order instructed
law enforcement officials to make ‘people use pills, injections, and condoms for birth control’. 219
The most recent demonstration of institutionalised discrimination came with the passing of what are
known as the ‘four laws to protect race and religion’ – the Population Control and Health Care Law (19
May 2015), 220 Buddhist Women’s Special Marriage Law (7 July 2015), Monogamy Law (22 July 2015), 221
and Religious Conversion Law (20 August 2015). 222
The swift passing of these laws is seen as providing electoral advantage to the ruling USDP in the run-up
to the November elections.
The Population Control and Health Care Bill was passed into law 10 days before the 2014 census results
were released. The law, promoted by nationalist Buddhist groups, allows local authorities to request the
President to introduce birth-spacing measures 223 if surveys in their area demonstrate that ‘resources are un
216 Township Peace and Development Council, Maungdaw, Regional Order No. (1/2005) (1 May 2005), reproduced in Fortify
Rights, Policies of Persecution, p. 33.
217 Human Rights Watch, Burma: The Rohingya Muslims: Ending a Cycle of Exodus? (New York: Human Rights Watch, September
1996). http://www.hrw.org/reports/pdfs/b/burma/burma969.pdf. Accessed 20 October 2015.
218 See, for example: The Arakan Project, ‘Issues to be Raised Concerning the Situation of Stateless Rohingya Women in
Myanmar (Burma)’, Submission to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), October 2008,
p. 3. http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs6/CEDAW_Myanmar_AP_Submission-Final-Web.pdf.
219 As cited by Fortify Rights, Policies of Persecution, p. 33.
220 Dinmore, G and Shwe Yee Saw Myint, ‘President signs off on population control law’, Myanmar Times, 25 May 2015:
http://www.mmtimes.com/index.php/national-news/14648-president-signs-off-on-population-control-law.html. Accessed
10 October 2015.
221 Soe, P, ‘Monogamy Bill sails through Lower House’, DVB, 23 July 2015: http://www.dvb.no/news/monogamy-bill-sailsthrough-lower-house/55068;
Solomon, F. ‘Burma Parliament Approves Contentious Race and Religion Bills’, The Irrawaddy,
20 August 2015: http://www.irrawaddy.org/burma/burma-parliament-approves-contentious-race-and-religion-bills.html.
Both accessed 10 October 2015.
222 ‘Myanmar president signs two controversial religion bills’, dpa-international, 29 August 2015: http://www.dpa-international.
com/news/asia/myanmar-president-signs-two-controversial-religion-bills-a-46437122.html. Accessed 10 October 2015.
223 Whereby women must leave 36 months between the birth of children.
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