Myanmar ethnic tensions pose risks to responsible business

After five decades of military dictatorship and isolation, Myanmar has been working hard to portray a more responsible international image, hosting the Southeast Asian Games, last month and releasing what it said was the last of its political prisoners. In taking over the rotating chair of ASEAN this month, it assumed a responsibility the government considers prestigious. But a new report from the UN has put a spotlight on the country's continuing religious and ethnic strife, human rights abuses and what many say is a flawed response from both government and the opposition.

The United Nations report on the violence in northern Rakhine State is almost certain to add to criticism of the government for its failure to aggressively investigate the killings of Muslims since 2012. Human rights groups say that with the latest round of anti-Muslim violence, the government now appears to be trying to cover up the problem. Frequent bursts of violence have driven 100,000 Rohingya Muslims from their homes and leaving at least 200 dead.

The government has said that the claims of violence against the Rohingya are being exaggerated and has accused international news agencies of falsely reporting violence in Rakhine State, even suggesting that news agency reports seemed to instigate the unrest. The opposition has been strangely silent on the issue.

Recent violence erupted after extremist monks from a group known as 969 descended on the area and began calling for the expulsion of all the Rohingya, according to local news media accounts. Human Rights Watch said that police officials in Rakhine had issued an order allowing for the arrest of all Rohingya men over the age of 10.

Anti-Muslim feelings run deep in Myanmar, partly because the estimated one million Rohingya, the largest Muslim group in the country, are considered illegal migrants. That sentiment, among the Buddhist-Burmese majority, is a legacy of colonial times, when large numbers of South Asians were brought into Burma by the British. The Myanmar government refuses to use the term Rohingya, preferring to call the group Bengalis.

What has been revealed by the UN and human rights groups is nevertheless indicative of wider tensions between many ethnic groups in Myanmar. Many minority groups have been marginalised over decades and subject to some of the worst human rights violations committed by the previous military regimes. Many ethnic groups also display strong rivalries between each other and clashes are still not uncommon.

As more businesses seek to enter Myanmar, they will have to realise that ongoing ethnic tensions and consequent human rights abuses will create significant risks (especially when doing business in ethnic minority areas). Businesses that consider themselves to be responsible will have to be well prepared. This means:

• Having a clear policy on human rights that is embedded into the organisation and where staff receive adequate training on its implementation on the ground. International norms of behaviour and respect for human rights should be central to such a policy.


• Carrying out proper risks assessments associated with human rights risks wherever there are business operations. This requires an understanding of not only current conflict but of history as well.


• Developing a comprehensive stakeholder engagement platform, at the local level, to better understand complex social relationships and the needs and aspirations of different groups. This means engaging with communities, NGOs, local government and other stakeholders, particularly in areas of present or past conflict.


• Developing a strategy to ensure that business operations are not complicit with human rights abuses and being part of finding solutions to reverse the impacts of past human rights abuses in those areas where the company operates.


• Putting in place grievance measures for communities and individuals that consider their human rights have been abused.

The ethnic tensions in Myanmar will take a long time to heal and there is a role for the private sector in that respect. However, in the immediate future, responsible businesses need to ensure that their presence does not make situations worse and lead to damage to their own operations, reputation and brand.

http://www.information.myanmaronlinecentre.com/myanmar-ethnic-tensions-pose-risks-to-responsible-business/