What in effect Sithu Aung Myint is saying is that the West should be lenient to the Tatmadaw or Military for its “disproportionate use of force”, which have killed some 3000 Rohingyas, burnt down thousands of their homes and drove another 600,000 to Bangladesh, so that it won’t act more negatively and also to safe the nascent democratization process of Myanmar or Burma, including the State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi’s reputation.

But making use of the “disproportionate use of force” from the part of the Tatmadaw is something that it should have calculated before taking action and not regret it only after the international ire and anger became apparent.

All should understand that there are a set of international norms and attitudes that democratic, civilized nations should follow and adhere, although they may not be binding or in some cases even controversial. And the handling of the Rohingya crisis that what the UN depicted as “ethnic cleansing” is the case in point.

In a nutshell, the international community would like Burma to instill awareness on anti-racism behavior across ethnic lines, encompassing the whole country, and meaningful accommodation to achieve harmonious living together among all ethnic groups, Rohingya included.

Until the international community is convinced that such measures and policy implementations are, at least, on the government’s agendas, there is little hope that the Military could avoid the international condemnation and eventual sanctions that could be reimposed. And of course, Aung San Suu Kyi’s reputation and the country’s democratization process will also be put in jeopardy, whether we like it or not.

Link to the story: https://frontiermyanmar.net/en/sanctions-against-tatmadaw-leaders-would-be-counterproductive