Blogs

        Blogs and Op-Eds  by Derek Tonkin on the situation in Myanmar

          Preliminary Thoughts on the Argentine Universal Jurisdiction case

          TOAEP  Policy Brief Series No. 169: 11 March 2025

          A Critical Analysis of the IIMM Report on Anti-Rohingya Hate Speech - 11 April 2024

          An examination of the low threshold for "hate speech" set by the IIMM

          In Defence of Aung San Suu Kyi - 22 February 2024

          Why Daw Suu could not "speak out" on the Rohingya crisis - Lowy "Interpreter"

          Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her Struggle for Democracy at The Hague - 9 February 2024

          Daw Suu pursued her fight for democracy against the Military even at the ICC.

          Notes on the Revocation of Suu Ki's Freedom of the City in Brighton - 28 October 2023

          A critique of the briefing for the Brighton and Hove City Council meeting on 19 October

          The Labyrinth of the Rohingya Conundrum: “The Burmese Path to Genocide" July 2023

          U Nu as presented in the Special Exhibition in the US Holocaust Memorial Museum

A Critique of the UEC Report of the 2020 Election Process - 12 January 2023

          The grounds given for annulling the results of the 2020 Election have no serious basis.

          Notes on progress towards Self-Government and Independence 1945-47

          A Study of the Executive Councils appointed by British Governors prior to Independence

          A Critical Assessment of the Exhibition "Burma's Path to Genocide" - July 2022

          The US Holocaust Memorial Museum might wish to review a fallacious narrative

          Myanmar: Anatomy of a Sanctions Campaign Disaster - 25 January 2022

           The withdrawal of Total and Chevron from Myanmar likely have unexpected results

          The Distortion of British Colonial Archives - 31 August 2021

          Critique of Chapter 2 of Ronan Lee's Book on "Myanmar's Rohingya Genocide"

          Notes on a Letter to Dominic Raab from the APPG on Rohingya Rights - 6 January 2021

          An analysis of inaccuracies in the APPG letter     

          Note on the International Utilisation of the "Rohingya" Designation - April 2020

          An analysis of the use of the term "Rohingya" internationally; 1991-92 as the likely start

          Mission Creep Untramelled: The UN Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar - April 2020         

          The Fact-Finding Mission exceeded its mandate, notably in recommendations made

          The UN Fact-Finding Mission's Mischievous Use of Historical Resources - 1 March 2020

          A  further examination of misrepresentation and factual inaccuracy in the Report

          Historical Bias in the Report of the UN Fact-Finding Mission - 7 December 2019

          A critique of the partisan and biased historical approach by the Mission

          Migration from Bengal to Arakan during British Rule 1826-1948 - 6 December 2019

          Reflections on the British role in settlement from the Chittagong Region of Bengal

          Inaccuracies in Gert Rosenthal's Inquiry Report on the UN in Myanmar - 20 June 2019

          The report makes commendable recommendations, but the historical background

          presented lacks authority

           Comments on a speech by Dr Radhika Coomoaraswamy in Colombo on 3 May 2018

          The speech makes numerous bizarre and inaccurate statements which undermine her status

           Problems with the Kofi Annan recommendations on citizenship - 16 December 2018

          Why the Myanmar Government may have difficulty while accepting 81 of the 88 recommendations

          A specious argument concerning the right to citizenship of many Rohingyas

          The designation "Rohingya" conspicuous by its absence from Burmese law

          Comments on "Myanmar's 'Rohingya' Problem by Anthony Ware and Costas Laoutides

          A critical analysis of some aspects of this important publication

           Letter to "Myanmar Times" on "The Border between Bengal and Arakan" - 24 May 2018

          Analysis of some historical aspects of an article in "The Myanmar Times" by Harn Yawnghwe

           The Muslim Presence in Arakan: Four Important Historical Documents - 2 January 2018

           A submission by Mr Derek Tonkin to the UN HRC Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar

           Written Evidence submitted in October 2017 to the Foreign Affairs Committee

          Conflicting narratives concerning the origins of "Rohingya", with recommendations

          The Rohingya Conundrum - October 2017

          The nature of the threat posed by ARSA, examined in an historical context

          Exploring the Issue of Citizenship in Rakhine State - September 2017

          A fresh look at the claims of Rakhine Muslims to citizenship under the 1982 Law

          An Innocent in La La Land? Misinformation in Dr Ibrahim's Book - 1 March 2017

          A critique of "The Rohingyas: Inside Myanmar's Genocide" by Azeem Ibrahim

          Myanmar, Human Rights and Academic Integrity - 4 November 2015

          An analysis of the recent report by Yale International Human Rights Clinic on possible genocide

          Rohingya: Breaking the deadlock - The Diplomat 16 October 2015

          Might a UN 'Committee of Wise Men' point the way towards an eventual resolution?

          Shenanigans in Oslo - 9 May 2015

          A critical appreciation of the forthcoming Conference in Oslo on the Rohingya.

          The Rohingya Situation - 23 April 2015

          Background Paper used for a short presentation at the London School of Economics

           Je suis Rohinga": The West's Dilemma - The Myanmar Times 23 February 2015

          The grounds on which citizenship should be restored to Rakhine Muslims

           The Power of the R-word: Daw Suu's dilemma - 3 January 2015

          Aung San Suu Kyi has a difficult choice about how to designate Arakan Muslims

          The Mujahid Revolt in Arakan - 17 September 2014
           Commentary on a 1952 analysis by the British Foreign Office of the Mujahid rebellion

           The R-word and its ramifications: DVB - 17 August 2014 
          How the insistence on 'Rohingya' ethnicity has led Muslims to deny their Bengali roots

          The 'Rohingya' Identity - Arithmetic of the Absurd: 9 May 2014
         A response to U Kyaw Min who challenged my understanding of the 'Rohingya' issue
 
          The 'Rohingya' Identity - Further Thoughts: 19 April 2014
          Further history on the identity of Muslim groups in Arakan and its relevance today

          The British Experience in Arakan 1826 - 1948 - 9 April 2014
          A brief review of how the British coped with the Muslim issue in Arakan in their censuses

          The death of Aung San in 1947 - 8 October 2013

          The significance of the release of the full text of a 1948 letter from Ambassador Bowker

          A Fresh Perspective on the Muslims of Myanmar - 7 July 2013
         An independent examination of the problems facing Muslims in Arakan 

          Presentation to ISEAS Singapore by Derek Tonkin on the UNSC Vote on 12 January 2007

          An analysis of the inevitability of a double China/Russia veto on a UK/US sponsored draft