Here’s the one man in Myanmar who can end Rohingya misery
General Min Aung Hlaing is arguably ‘the most powerful man in the land’. Even foreign governments – including China and the US – appear unwilling to stand in his way
If there’s one person who can immediately end the brutal scorched-earth campaign against the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar’s Rakhine region, it is Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. But as the number of refugees fleeing the violence for neighbouring Bangladesh rapidly rises towards 400,000, there is little sign the 61-year-old military chief is considering a cessation of hostilities.
On the contrary, international rights groups like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch say the military – known locally as the Tatmadaw – appears determined to continue its campaign of arson to drive out the Muslim population.
The United Nations last Monday branded the government offensive a “cruel military operation” which “seems a textbook example of ethnic cleansing”.
Observers say such harsh words are unlikely to move Min Aung Hlaing, who has led the Tatmadaw since 2011. He is eighth in rank in the official national leadership hierarchy but wields outsize influence as military powers permeate every part of society.
Power ostensibly resides in the hands of Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the country’s democratically elected National League of Democracy, and Myanmar’s state counsellor. She spent decades behind bars during junta rule before her release in 2010.