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Cate Blanchett: Nothing prepared me for Rohingya suffering

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By Edith M Lederer

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Little Steven of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band got a bunch of musicians together in 1985 to make an album called 'Sun City'. This group was Artists United Against Apartheid. It endorsed Archbishop Desmond Tutu's call for the UN to impose economic sanctions on South Africa to end its totalitarian policy of apartheid. South Africa became a multi-racial democracy on May 10, 1994.

U2 has co-started War Child for child victims of the Yugoslavia wars but now covers all child war victims.

Bob Geldof of the Boomtown Rats started up Band Aid and the Live Aid shows to raise money for the starving victims of a devastating drought in Africa in 1984-85.

John 'Hoosier' Mellencamp, Willie Nelson and Neil Young started up the Farm Aid movement in 1985 to help besieged farmers in North America and it continues every year to this day.

Many stars got together for the Haiti quake relief project to assist UN help. The song was horrible (bleecch) but a lot of disaster relief was raised from it.  There's been other celebrities raising notice of things.

What's so wrong with a celebrity bringing up bad situations like this one? I don't care what the excuses are or even how long it's been brewing in Myanmar. The totalitarian Myanmar government is committing genocide against the Rohingya people. It's indefensible, inexcusable, immoral, evil, ugly, unjustified and it's wrong. I felt the same way when I was in college and the genocides of Yugoslavia and Rwanda occurred.  If having a celebrity actress like Cate Blanchett or anybody else is what it takes to draw attention to this crisis then so be it. I don't think this is a case of fame-enhancing here. The Rohingya crisis is a very serious and horrible situation and the UN MUST do something about it. We are all God's children and there's no excuses for ignoring crap like this.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

Chopchop, Fizz, I agree.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

@PT

As usual, attacking my opinion while avoiding the information. So typical.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

These celebrities seem to be mouthpieces for the corporate state/CIA rather than digging for the truth.

"WikiLeaks cables: Americans funded groups that stalled Burma dam project".

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/sep/30/us-embassy-cables-burma-myitsone-dam

So the truth is is that there is much more going on here than just "ethnic cleansing" going back many years and many decades. It's mostly about China's growing influence in the region and oil and gas (isn't it always).

Chop Chop is correct in pointing out the imported influence of ISIS, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in Bangladesh and spreading to Rakhine for many years now.

“This is a story that I have been wanting to work on since the liberal ‘atheist’ bloggers started to be attacked in 2013. Things got even worse when in September 2015 an Italian citizen, Caesar Tavello, was shot and killed in what is considered to be one of the safest neighborhoods in Dhaka. The attack was claimed by ISIS, the first attack of its kind in Bangladesh, and it kicked off a series of attacks on foreigners and religious minorities across Bangladesh. Since Sept. 28, 2015, there have been seventeen attacks claimed by ISIS and Islamic extremists and since Feb. 15, 2013, six bloggers have been murdered, and many others injured in attacks.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/in-sight/wp/2016/04/26/the-islamic-state-and-islamic-fundamentalism-on-the-rise-in-bangladesh/?utm_term=.1040a501e406

Atrocity Propoganda

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Who's hateful? I just am disappointed in the general public that it takes someone that you saw in a movie to get an article published about atrocities. It shouldn't take Cate Blanchett thinking of her children for an article to be published about Rohingya. Which is the only reason the story is being printed. The press cares that Blanchett went there, not what's actually happening.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

No, it's irrational and hateful when it is used to generate more vocal outrage about a celebrity with an opinion than about an attempted genocide.

I don't see 'anger' as you pointed in your first post among the critical comments on Blanchett, just sceptism or cynicism and the opinion of the posters about the genocide or attempted genocide remains unclear..

-4 ( +4 / -8 )

NetgrumpToday  06:55 am JST

Is sceptism 'irrational hateful' just because it doesn't fit into your narrative? :)

No, it's irrational and hateful when it is used to generate more vocal outrage about a celebrity with an opinion than about an attempted genocide.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

NetgrumpToday  06:29 am JST

'I saw myself in every parent' is something anyone can think of by watching those refugees on TV or internet, so what's the added value of a two-time Academy Award winner ?

It got JT to run another story about Rohingya. When was the last time that happened?

Nobody credible thinks that celebrities raising awareness about these issues actually solves them. But it's sad to see people so irrationally hateful towards celebrities that they have to try and distract from people's lives being destroyed just to condemn a celebrity for having an opinion about it.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

@katsu78

That's my point. It shouldn't take a celebrity to point it out, yet that's the only time anyone seems to care. But even when they do, nothing substantial is ever really done about it, so it just turns into a PR piece for the celebrity.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

that misery among **

-6 ( +1 / -7 )

If only there would come a time when people get as angry about ethnic cleansing as they currently do about celebrities pointing out that it's happening.

The article is about a celebrity so it's legitimate for people here to show their sceptism and so do I. Already allergic since that Irish chap 'Bono' was looking for a gig :)

The press gave enough information about the ethnic cleansing but we've seen before these days misery that among people with a certain faith leads to lukewarm reactions among people in the West and elsewhere.

'I saw myself in every parent' is something anyone can think of by watching those refugees on TV or internet, so what's the added value of a two-time Academy Award winner ?

-4 ( +5 / -9 )

If only there would come a time when people get as angry about ethnic cleansing as they currently do about celebrities pointing out that it's happening.

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

The refugee exodus was created by the UN, the UNHCR and the OIC.

There will be no refugees on the Bangladeshi border if the UN, the UNHCR and the OIC were not interfered in Burmese domestic affair and did not encourage the ARSA to attack Burmese Border Guard Posts and innocent Buddhist villagers and Hindus villagers.

There's no ethnic problem in Rakhine State before the UN Chief Ban KI-moon had officially recognized Illegal Bengali migrants from the Bangladesh as Rohingya ethnic and native Rakhine ethnic of Burma. The situation Rakhine State was becoming worsening after the Jordanian diplomat Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein becoming the UN High Commission for Human Rights organization. He never criticized the Islamic terrorist group the ARSA’s terrorism act and war crime. I don't know why?

Also, the OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation) has never criticized the Islamic terrorist group the ARSA too even though the Islamic terrorist the ARSA was committed terrorist act and massacred over 100 Hindu villagers. They have encouraged and supported the Islamic terrorist group ARSA to attack Burmese Border Guard Posts and innocent villagers.

The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), led by Attaullah Abu Ammar Jununi – who was born in Pakistan and raised in Saudi Arabia. He studies Islamic religion in Saudi Arabia. The group was trained in Pakistani border with Afghanistan by Taliban militant group. The group was support by Islamic religion group in Saudi Arabia and Middle East. Also some of OIC member states have direct contact with the Islamic terrorist group the ARSA. The ARSA wants to establish its base in Northern Rakhine State and want to declare Northern RAkhine State as Independent Islamic State.

The attack on Burmese Border guard posts were well planned and timing with the UN General Conference and UN Security Council meeting. This is not coincident after all.

The ARSA Islamic terrorists attack in Rakhine state was well planned and calculated provocation attack on Burmese Military. It was carefully prepared operation by the Islamic terrorist group the ARSA help with the OIC and Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein UN OHCHR and as well as media like Al Jazeera. They knew the Burmese military will launch counter-operations against the ARSA if they have attacked on 30 Border Guard Posts because the Islamic terrorist group ARSA members are living Bengali Rohingya Muslim villagers. They know Burmese soldiers will come and look for the Islamic terrorists in the villages.

After attacked on Burmese border guard posts and Buddhist villages, the ARSA had ordered Rohingya Bengali Muslim villagers to torch their homes and flee to Bangladeshi border where the UNHCR has already prepared to accept the Bengali Muslim refugees from Rakhine State.

The OIC and the UN Human Rights’ Commissioner Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein’s plan was to demand for to establish a Safe Zone for Rohingya Bengali Muslims under protection by UN forces in Northern Rakhine State at UN Security Council meeting by producing fabricated photos and rape stories and ethnic cleansing against Rohingya Bengali Muslim in Rakhine State. However, the massacred of the Hindu villager's children, women and men by the ARSA was uncovered before the UN Security Council meeting schedule and their attempt to establish a safe zone for the Bengali Rohingya was unsuccessful.

Over 100 Hindus children, men and women were slaughtered by the Islamic terrorist group the ARSA because they refused to convert to Islam religion. Only 7 Hindu women were survived by agreeing to convert to Islam religion and two underage girls were forced to marry with two Bengali Rohingya Muslim men. The ARSA took them to a refugee camp on the Bangladeshi border. Also the ARSA had kidnapped over 100 of Hindu villagers.

The surviving member of Hindu women in Refugee camp has contacted to their Hindus Community in Rakhin state and let them know where the mass graves of fellow Hindu bodies were buried. The Hindus Community in Rakhine State has recovered 92 children, women and men's bodies in mass graves. The information was given by surviving members of Hindu women. Otherwise, the Media, the UNHCR and the OIC will accuse Buddhist Rakhine and Burmese Army for responsible for those 92 children, women and men's bodies.

The AP reporter had reported about 400 the Rohingya Bengali Muslims were massacred by the Myanmar Army and armed Rakhine locals in a football game at the GU Dar Pyin village’s village football field on 27 August 2017. The Bodies were buried on the ground of village cemetery and the survivor had produced evidence pictures of dead bodies.

The Burmese authority was accompanied by the Rohingya Muslim village head and villagers and the reporters have gone to find the bodies of those murdered in the village cemetery but no bodies were found. The Bengali Muslim headman and the Muslim villagers said they never heard of shooting and killing at the village football game. The Gu Dar Pyin Village was a small village and they will know if there mass shooting was ever happened.

The AP reporter was reporting fabricated story gave him by the refugee. I’m not sure how much they reporter had paid for the false and fabricated story.

There are false accusation about rape and massacre stories on the International media and the UNHCR news. They are telling lie for to get aid and money from the UN and the reporters. Those refugee women were told to lie by the ARSA and activists.

Also, Phil Robertson, the International Human Right Organization, the UNHCR staffs and the Human Rights’ High Commissioner Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein had accused Burmese security Force for committing war crime and massacred of 25,000 Rohingya Bengali Muslims but they do not tell where those bodies were buried.

Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussien and the UNHCR must tell to the Burmese Government and International Diplomats where about those 25,000 Rohingya Bengali bodies were buried. The Military cannot hide 25.000 bodies.

Now the refugees are refusing to go back to poor Rakhine State after the Canada Government talk about it country will take some Rohingya refugees from the camp. They want to go the US, Canada and Australia instead of return to poor Rakhaine State.

So, the Rohingya Bengali Muslim refugees are creating faked story about prosecution and persecution against Muslim refugees returned from the Camps. Actually, there’s no Rohingya Bengali Muslim refugees were repatriated to Rakhine State from Bangladesh and only some Hindu refugees were repatriated to Rakhine State. The Rohingya Bengali refugees want to go to the wealthy Western Countries instead of return to poor Rakhine State, Burma.

I’m sorry for those refugees who are now living in Bangladeshi border. They are victims of the ARSA, the OIC, the UNHCR and International media. Now they will be difficult to go back to Burma because most of them were moving illegal into Burma not long ago and they cannot prove their grandparents were born in Burma.

The UNHCR using celebrity for publicity is looking good but the lives of refugees in the camps are miserable and hopeless. She was reading statement given her by the UNHCR.

I hope Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein and the OIC involvement in the Islamic terrorist group ARSA attacking on Burmese border guard posts and innocent Buddhist villagers will uncover one day.

The UNHCR and the UN organization were used by Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein and the OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation).

1 ( +6 / -5 )

Can someone tell me again why celebrities are needed to tell us there is suffering in the world? Well, we just have to do something about it now, that lady who played Thor's sister said how it made her feel bad.

Hey UN, now that random famous person #23735 has reported how terrible something is, what are you going to do about it? Oh, you'll start another committee...

-1 ( +6 / -7 )

All very heartwarming and makes them all feel worthy.  But then this all results in no action.  and nothing was done to try and prevent the suffering in the first place.  UN is more and more a total waste of time.

5 ( +9 / -4 )

Its all so fake. The cause thing is a modern celebrity phenomenon - their agents and managers reccommend it - it keeps them in the public eye between movies ( or albums/tours), sets them up for awards, and lets them virtue signal to a gullible public.

They ARE the power - thats the irony.

-5 ( +7 / -12 )

PTownsend,

You gotta be kidding.

-4 ( +6 / -10 )

oh no. Another celebrity with a cause.

Good. Protecting free speech for all, including celebrities, is essential for those who support properly functioning democracies. Fight the power!

0 ( +8 / -8 )

oh no. Another celebrity with a cause.

1 ( +10 / -9 )

Well said Cate Blanchett ""We have failed the Rohingya before," Blanchett said. "Please, let us not fail them again.""

However, this failure not only for Rohingya but also for all refugee in this world.

We are afraid, since Myanmar has natural resources, which are attractive for giant members of U.N. Security Council, then no action will be taken by U.N. Security Council and U.N. refugee agency.

4 ( +7 / -3 )

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