The Impact of Ethnic Conflict on Myanmar Paper Example

Introduction

"We have to take care of our citizens. We have to take care of everybody who is in our country, whether or not they are our citizens." These were the words of Aung San Suu Kyi, the State Counselor of Myanmar, for Asian News International. She spoke in behalf of the Rohingya Crisis of her country which became increasingly worse from 2017 to the present day. The question, however, remained whether or not Myanmar is taking any and every step necessary to keep its citizens safe to avoid further conflict.

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Ethnic conflicts in Myanmar

Generally, ethnic conflict affects the economy of Myanmar in many ways. This can be evident through investigations that may determine the extent to which the economy of a country is stable. This is well curtailed in all the economic activities of the state. Myanmar depends majorly on agriculture and minerals to sustain its economy. According to Ahmed, "though perceived with low interest by many countries, the economy of Myanmar is on a dwindling rate due to people neglecting crucial economic activities" (Ahmed). Rohingya Muslims feel betrayed by British soldiers after being promised goodies during the fight between British and Japanese armies in Myanmar. After attaining independence, the government of Myanmar was majorly composed of Rakhine Buddhists.

Establishment of conflicts

Consequently, this resulted in the uprising by the Rohingya Muslims to be given a stake in the government. As a result, war broke up between the two religious groups forcing the Rohingya to flee to the jungle and the Pakistan border. As a result, the Northern part where the Rohingya Muslims occupied remained deserted with no severe economic activities taking place. The government has neglected the region by allocating minimal funds to the area.

Moreover, Northern Myanmar remained marginalized to date. Due to citizens fleeing to the neighboring countries, the workforce in the country has significantly reduced leading to a shortage of skilled and unskilled labor in the country. Vital industries in Myanmar are closing up because of insufficient work and lack of raw materials to sustain the industries. This is explicitly affecting agricultural based sectors which depend on agriculture for the raw materials. At the same time, Fortino ascertains that China and India have taken advantage of the situation to exploit the significant economic resources in Myanmar (Forrino). Such resources include timber and minerals in Myanmar that they export to their countries. Therefore, the economic reservoir of the country gets depleted indiscriminately.

Results of the conflict

Furthermore, the tourism sector contributes immensely to the economy of Myanmar. The international community issued travel advisories to its citizens, as a result, the tourism sector has been dramatically affected. As a result of the endless ethnic conflict between the two groups, the economy of Myanmar has been affected by an equal proportion by the two warring religious groups. Ethnic conflicts may bring about political instability in a nation (Forrino).

Additionally, Politics plays a significant role in shaping the destiny and future of citizens in a country. Just like in Myanmar, the endless conflict has been catalyzed by the influence of Politics which is displayed Myanmar's government rejection of Muslims from Rohingya. Majority of the senior government officials originate from the Hindu Buddhists who control political power in the country (Vatican). In addition to that, the army is also substantially composed of the Buddhists which in the real sense show the extent to which Rohingya Muslims are despised in Myanmar.

The war in Myanmar is still escalating at a greater height; as a result, political instability has led to the packing of potential investors who feel threatened by the constant military presence in the major towns of Myanmar. Jolliffe notes that the conflict in Myanmar has produced more refugees to the neighboring countries hence destabilizing the government operations in the country (Jolliffe). Myanmar also received threats from European countries more so those allied to the ethnic groups thus reducing the country's sovereign power.

Psychological issues caused by the conflicts

Psychology dictates a lot on a day to day activity of a person. The state mind controls an individual, and furthermore, the environment plays a crucial role in dictating the character of a person. As a result, when the atmosphere is peaceful, an individual will possess the character trait of a friendly person and vice versa. The conflict in Myanmar has caused mental torture to its citizens (Vatican). This significantly affects the children who have been born when the war started and had lived much of their life escaping militants and government missiles. Being a refugee creates a sort of mental slavery in a child's mind. Children are characterized to be jovial and positively relate to the surrounding. When a child is confined to a refugee camp, definitely the brain becomes obscure, and a sense of rebellion is triggered in mind. Such kids suffer from trauma and are perceived to experience anti-social disorders. Fazel ascertains that children have been forced to join the conflict either directly or indirectly (Fazel). In a situation that the parent is killed, the child might decide to revenge by joining the war. In addition to that, the women and young girls have continuously been raped by government soldiers and the warring groups. Such heinous acts affect girls mentally and lead to endless psychological torture. Experts argue that, if severe measures are not taken rapidly, the war might escalate to greater heights and cause genocide like a scene in the country. Be it as it may, the leadership in Myanmar should embrace diverse cultural and religious groups to maintain peace in the country.

The ethnic cleansing in Myanmar led to increased suffering among both the minority Muslim and majority Buddhist communities. The human cost of the conflict is felt as loved ones are killed leaving health distress to the remaining family members, friends, and close associates. Such health costs are massive, that is why conflict becomes a cycle of violence. The survivors are left in poor conditions with no homes or employment conditions and afraid for their lives. A large number of Rohingya immigrants moving to Bangladesh receive less mental attention as the nation lacks established policies and resources to deal with such challenges. Most of the young girls and wives are forced to engage in prostitution and other forms of immoral activities as a means of providing for their children. However, such acts are informed by the elevated mental health associated with the history of sexual violence such as rape (Krumrei-Mancuso, 2017). The overcrowded refugee camps are also a breeding ground for child traumatic incidences practices such as sexual abuse (Miller & Rasmussen, 2010). However, the child with experience of war becomes out of sync with such adversities as they consider events such as mass killings to as part of their daily stressors.

Typically, peaceful coexistence between communities in a country is essential for promoting economic growth and development. Myanmar, formerly called Burma had experienced a series of conflict even before it attained its independence. The ethnic strife spreads across all the major communities in the country. Being a multi-ethnic country, much of the feud is based on a combination of religious and ethnic divisions. Religiously, Myanmar is divided between Rohingya Muslims and Rakhine Buddhist who are the major religious groups in the state. However, the Christian community amounts to a minimal percentage in the country. The endless conflict between the two groups is deeply rooted in the minds of all the previous generations. So many people have suffered either physically, mentally and materially since the genesis of the Rohingya war. Tracing back the feud, Myanmar confirms that the country's conflict has been neglected for so many years by the international community who give minimal attention to the war.

Consequently, the country's plight for peaceful solutions has been met by several backlashes due to the vested interest of the two religious groups. In addition to that, the neighboring countries have shown no genuine interest in helping provide a permanent solution to the conflict. Therefore, it raises so many unanswered queries that linger in the minds Myanmar citizens. Not only that, Myanmar's economy is in turmoil and the leadership in Myanmar should embrace diverse cultural and religious groups to maintain peace in the country.

Thus, the research topic I will analyze the establishment of ethnic conflicts and its results in the politics of Myanmar and will outline how these disputes lead to psychological and economic disorders in Myanmar. Moreover, I will be focusing on both qualitative as well as quantitative data to see how the Rohingya Crisis has impacted the mental health and economy of Myanmar. My research will answer the question of to what extent does an ethnic conflict impact a country; more so focusing on how it affects the economy of Myanmar while also having a substantial negative impact on the psychological health of its people.

Ethnic Conflicts have ravaged Myanmar since it gained its independence from Britain in 1948 and it is indeed not a problem which can be resolved overnight. The advent of a new quasi-civilian government has caused a significant change in the political atmosphere, raising the prospect of fundamental reforms in national politics and economics for the first time in many decades. The current talks must move beyond establishing new cease-fires and be fostered by an inclusive political dialogue at the national level (Kramer). Myanmar is home to 135 ethnic groups, the majority of who are ethnic Burmans living in the central plains (Lewa). Other significant ethnicities are the Kachin residing in the far north near the Chinese border, the Karen who inhabit by Thailand and make up the bulk of refugees living on the Myanmar/Thai border, the Shan near the border with Laos, the Chin, Arakanese and Rohingya who live near the border with Bangladesh. Furthermore, the ethnic Rohingya continue to be persecuted, and the number of refugees who have crossed the Naf River into Bangladesh has swelled from 20,000 to an estimated 200,000 within the past few years (Refugees International, 2012). Bangladesh refused to accent the Rohingya anymore because providing them with necessities like healthcare, food, water, and shelter was causing more and more refugees to arrive in Bangladesh which was a massive economic burden on the country, similar to Myanmar. As a result, many of the refugees now turn to countries that are a bit farther like Thailand, India, and Malaysia.

Economic Downfall of Myanmar

The Rohingya Crisis has taken a heavy toll on Myanmar's economy. As reported by Scott Heidler from Al Jazeera News, "The country has been seeking foreign money, but the Rohingya crisis has alarmed potential investors." According to of the World Bank, (2018), statistics Myanmar is a middle-income nation with a gross national income (GNI) per capita of $1,455 for the year 2017. From 2005 to 2015 the country has experienced strong economic transitions which have led to the reduction of poverty from 48 to 32%. The strong industrial performance (garment manufacturing) has played a vital role in the economic growth of the nation. The economy of Myanmar is estimated to have grown from 5.9% in the financial year 2016/2017 to 6.4% in 2017/2018 (World Bank, 2018). Changes have been seen regarding access to electricity, education, technology use, and goods ownership. The survey carried out in 2017 reflects a change in the living conditions of the people of Myanmar...