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Why I Recognize the Rohingyas?
APUF (Arakan People Unity Forum) Moderator Ako Mong Mra Wa asked me to answer why I recognize the Rohingyas as my Rakkhapura (Arakan) citizens and my compatriots. Many times I have simply answered that I recognize them because they are the descendants of the medieval Rakkhapura (i.e. Arakan Empire, 1430 CE to 1666 CE). Now, I shall give additional political reasons.
Dear Friends and Compatriots,
Ako Mra Wa (in real) APUF moderator asked me to write why I recognize the Rohingyas as Rakhaingpray ethnic people and compatriot citizens. I will do so with due respect to APUF members. However, I want to urge all of you to give due credit and reference to me when to write, use or refer to my writings. I am mentioning this point clearly because a group called Overseas Arakan Youth Association copied all my writings from my book Burma: Nationalism and ideology and published it as their own writing. This is violation of the copyrights or intellectual properties. You can read it at http://www.ibiblio.org/obl/reg.burma/archives/199807/msg00575.html. I do not appreciation this kind of violation, because I am responsible for my views and my philosophy and I am responsible to answer the questions, just like in the present case. At the same time I do not want to see that my presentations are used out of context, leading to the distortion of the original meaning. Keeping this in mind I shall write.
Rightful recognition of the Rohingyas in the family of Rakhaingpray (Arakan) and Burma (Myanmar) is long due process. I recognized the Rohingya nationals as our people, as our brethren, as our compatriots and one of our numerous ethnic cultures in the light of the following philosophy of democracy.
We all belong to the family of mankind and are governed by the natural laws of humanity. Two political natural laws of humanity are mentioned below.
1. Everyone is born equal.
2. Everyone is endowed with the right to self-determination. The right to self-determination is the universal principle of freedom, which is characterized by justice, liberty and equality.
A sector of the people of Arakan (Rhine State in today Myanmar) exercise the right to self-determination and determine that they are the Rohingyas. The determination is soundly based upon their culture. I fully respect their right to self-determination. Accordingly, I respect their determination that they are the Rohingyas. Therefore, I duly recognize them as the Rohingyas. I shall elaborate my propositions to make it crystalline.
1. Everyone is born equal: - Is there anybody who disagrees with this universal law of humanity? The Declaration of the Independence of the United States of America on the 4th of July 1776 clearly recognized that everyone is born when it says, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness….". Please read the full text at http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/index.htm. The people who call themselves
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