This thread is getting attention, so I wanted to add a post-script: IMO, there are two reasons horrific treatment of the #Rohingya flies under the radar, both counter-intuitive in the west. 1) The concept of ethno-Buddhist hatred, which many find hard to credit, but is v real...
Exhibit A is Gen Manas, an amulet-wearing believer in Buddhist primacy, who saw Muslim Rohingya as subhuman in same way as, Exhibit B: diplomat Ye Myint Aung, who reject the idea that these dark-skinned "ogres" could possibly be connected to Myanmar scmp.com/article/669529…
Exhibit C is even more jarring: Aung San Suu Kyi. Yes, her with the Nobel Peace Prize, who tainted herself with genocide apologia, and sided with the militant ultranationalist Buddhist monks (also a thing) who sought to kill/expel the Rohingya nytimes.com/2019/12/11/wor…
Counter-intuitive aspect #2) This unfolded in places generally seen in the West and on Instagram as a free-and-easy Nirvana. Aspects of this Great Evil literally took place in plain view of frolicking Western tourists in bikinis and boardshorts. Look:
Those are Rohingya refugees, being rounded up by soldiers toting M-16s on the island of Similan Eight. These refugees ended up being cast adrift. They probably died. This was Dec 23, 2008, on the tourist island of Similan 8
The tourist who took these pics only contacted the SCMP after we had started reporting on what the Thai military was up to. How many others witnessed this and shrugged, happy in the belief that Thailand is the Land of Smiles?
Share this Scrolly Tale with your friends.
A Scrolly Tale is a new way to read Twitter threads with a more visually immersive experience.
Discover more beautiful Scrolly Tales like this.