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The Voice WeeklyEDITORIAL

Extreme condemnation of Bangkok Post's editorial about Myanmar

An editorial was found in the July 20th edition of the Bangkok Post, a Bangkok based newspaperpublished in English, that strongly criticized Myanmar and President U Thein Sein. The editorial

is likely to be a bitter denunciation of Myanmar written on behalf of Thai citizens and

government officials who are worried about the international community predicting thatMyanmar will become the new Asian tiger following its democratic reforms, and of some

Bangkok-based international organizations that are spending millions of dollars on projects in

Myanmar.

Not only is the Bangkok Post's account of President U Thein Sein's cancellation of two Thai trips

prior to his recent visit biased, but it also damages the relations between two long-standing

oppositions working together on the country's move towards democracy. According to the

account, the reason behind the President postponing the trip to Thailand was that popularopposition leader Daw Aung San Su Kyi received a warm invitation to address the World

Economic Forum on East Asia in Bangkok. The Bangkok Post can note that this information willserve to create a misunderstanding between the President and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who have

reached a certain level of understanding after their face-to-face discussion.

Historical records show that Thailand has exploited instabilities in certain countries to further thecountry's economic aims. The Vietnam and Korean Wars, the Cambodian Civil War, the half-

century long civil war in Myanmar, and the weaknesses of Burmese dictatorship are the factors

that have enabled Thailand to be the country it is today.

Thailand is especially worried that the country's interests, which stem from Myanmar's past

problems, will be reduced by the democratization and development of present day Myanmar. For

instance, Thailand is the center of the branches of Western non-governmental organizations,humanitarian organizations, foreign-based Myanmar organizations, foreign-based Myanmar

media groups, and local and foreign non-governmental organzations, which were founded on the

basis of Myanmar's human rights abuses, civil war, political issues, and environmental problemsin the past 20 years. The expenditures of those branches and Thai-based non-governmental

organizations enter Myanmar and the Thai market via the banks in Thailand.

At the same time, Thailand greatly benefits from the low income of Myanmar immigrant

workers, both official and unofficial, in Thailand, the right to oppress them to any extent, and the

low production costs of Thai factories and marine projects.

The Bangkok Post asserts that Thailand and its neighbours are well aware of the Rohingya

conflict and that the Thai authorities will not accept immigrant Rohingyas for they view the

ethnic group as a problem of Myanmar, showing that the newspaper has no precise knowledge of

the history of Rohingya, Myanmar, Bengladesh, and Rakhine State. This also proves that theBangkok Post is trying to point out the mistakes of the former Burmese government and that it is

simply echoing the voices of the Western media, who have been spreading propaganda about the

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7/31/2019 The Voice Weekly Rebuttal on Bkk Post

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Rohingya conflict. Therefore, the Voice Weekly views the editorial as a personal insult on

President U Thein Sein for implementing democratic reforms after having been a proponent ofthe old authoritarian government. The Bangkok Post, which claims itself to be a dignified

publication, has never been in Myanmar, attended ASEAN summits, or officially interviewed the

Myanmar President. Even the Washington Post of the United States, the Suddeutsche Zeitung of

Germany, Channel NewsAsia of Singapore, have held a face-to-face interview with President UThein Sein. Therefore, as the Bangkok Post has never conversed with the President, the

newspaper's portrayal of religious violence on the basis of the Rohingya conflict can be seen as

an inadequate criticism.

As the Bangkok Post uses subjective reasoning (without studying the history of Rakhine State

and investigating the ongoing events in the region), to condemn the Myanmar President, it seemsmore like a media spreading propaganda than a professional media.

The Bangkok Post, which accuses President U Thein Sein's claim regarding the Rohingyas of

being influenced by nationalism and ethnic hatred, should be questioned why it has always

remained silent about the Thai authorities and media, Human Rights Watch, and the UnitedNations Commission on Human Rights neglecting such issues as Thai films on the historical

background of Myanmar and Thailand, Thai newspaper coverage of the historical conquest ofThailand by Burmese Kings (which serves to promote Thai nationalism and animosity towards

Burmese), the discrimination of Thai police, gangs, and citizens against immigrant Burmese

workers (including blackmail, murder, and robbery), and the rape and trafficking of Burmese

women to Malaysia and fishing industries. It is also questionable why the Bangkok Postemphasizes the affairs of Cambodia, Myanmar, and other countries who recently had border

conflicts with Thailand, yet barely mentions such local topics as the long-standing tension and

killings between Buddhists and Muslims who want to set up a separate Islamic state in SouthernThailand, the Thai military's violence during Thaksin's reign, and the Thai army's repression of

'red shirt' protestors.

Everyone needs to note that as the Bangkok Post has given a biased account of the easingRakhine conflict, the newspaper will be held absolutely responsible should any dispute or

misunderstanding revive between Myanmar's ethnic nationalities and between the Muslims and

Buddhist Rakhines, who have been living in peace with each other for years.

Written by Editor (25.7.2012)