Armed struggle is not an option for the Rohingyas in Myanmar. They are roughly 1 million people in a country of over 53 million. They have no weapons, no financing, no training. The government claims that there is an insurgency, and there is, in fact, a very small, disorganized group armed with farming tools, but they have attempted only a few poorly executed operations against security forces. The result of these operations was intensified repression and atrocities against civilians. No, the Rohingyas are in a situation where armed resistance is not feasible. They are defenseless. If a handful of people take action against security forces, the army will slaughter whole villages.
The Rohingyas literally have no options. If we do not intervene and support them, they have no one else. What we are doing now with our current campaign, is to pressure multinational corporations to condemn the state violence and repression in Arakan state; beginning with Unilever. We are leveraging the power of big business to force the government to stop the atrocities. We know the government will not listen to us, but they have no choice but to listen to major foreign companies that have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in the country, and which posses tremendous economic and political power. And we CAN make those companies listen to us.
Initially, we are reaching out to corporations in a positive, friendly, and supportive way. We are asking them for their help. But this campaign is following a multi-stage strategy that includes a plan for escalation if necessary. It is important for us to be able to show them that we can mobilize considerable support from the beginning; that we have the numbers and the regional reach to significantly impact their company’s reputation and thus, its profitability. We are not taking an antagonistic tone, but it goes without saying that we have the ability shift into a confrontational mode if necessary; and we hope the companies will prefer to avoid that.