In reality, the past and ongoing military campaigns against the EAOs are efforts to suppress those that would challenge the Tatmadaw’s hold on power. From EAOs to political opponents, civilian protestors, and human rights defenders, all forms of dissent are seen as threats to be crushed. The country’s human rights record is marred with systemic abuse and grave human rights violations committed by the military. Examples of violations that persist in Myanmar, span the spectrum of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights to include: excessive use of force, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, sexual violence, torture, arbitrary detention, forced labour, land confiscation, internal displacement, and mass expulsion of ethnic and religious minorities. The global community responded in the 1990s by placing sanctions against Myanmar, adopting United Nations’ General Assembly resolutions16 and assigning a Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar.17 All six Special Rapporteurs to have held the role since then, including the current mandate holder Tom Andrews, have highlighted the gross and systematic nature of human rights violations in Myanmar, as well as the impunity for human rights violations that may amount to crimes against humanity, war crimes, and in the case of the Rohingya, perhaps even genocide.18 The Rohingya Out of all the ethnic minority communities persecuted by the Tatmadaw, none bear the brunt of hate and violence more so than the Rohingya. The Rohingya, an ethnic Muslim minority from northern Rakhine State on the border of Bangladesh, were described by the United Nations “as the most persecuted minority in the world.”19 Even though many generations of Rohingya have lived in Myanmar, having no other home, in the eyes of the Tatmadaw the Rohingya are perpetual “crows living among peacocks, who cannot become peacocks.”20 The Tatmadaw even rejects the chosen name of Rohingya, referring to the community as “illegal Bengali immigrants” and foreign interlopers.21 16 United Nations General Assembly, Situation in Myanmar, December 17, 1991, A/RES/46/132, https://undocs.org/en/A/RES/46/132. 17 Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Situation of human rights in Myanmar – Commission on Human rights resolution 1992/58, 1992, E/CN.4/RES/1992/58, https://www.securitycouncilreport.org/atf/cf/%7B65BFCF9B-6D27-4E9C-8CD3CF6E4FF96FF9%7D/Myan%20E%20CN4%20RES%201992%2058.pdf. 18 “Myanmar: Tamdaw leaders must be investigated for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes – UN report,” United Nations Human Rights Council, , https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/Pages/NewsDetail.aspx?NewsID=23475&LangID=E. 19 Bruce Matthews, “Religious Minorities in Myanmar-Hints of the Shadow,” Contemporary South Asia 4, no. 3 (1995): 287-308. 20 Peacocks are a national symbol representing Myanmar identity. Cheesman, “How in Myanmar,” 461483. 21 Cheesman, “How in Myanmar,” 461-483. 8