Faizel Patel, Radio Islam News-2013-05-28

Authorities in Myanmar’s western Rakhine State (also known as Arakan state) is implementing a two-child limit for Muslim Rohingya families. The new measures however does not affect  Buddhists in the country with some welcoming the plan for addressing their fear of a Muslim population explosion.

The law or policy which is similar to that of China’s one-child policy, but it is not instigated by religious affiliation will be carried out in the Myanmar communities of Buthidaung and Maungdaw, which are about 95 percent Muslim. A second point in the policy will also ban polygamy.

Nyunt Maung Shein, head of  Myanmar's Islamic Religious Affairs Council said, "This restriction violates human rights. Even if it existed under the military regime, it should be considered inappropriate under the democratic system."

Longstanding antipathy toward the Rohingya erupted last year into mob violence in which Rakhine Buddhists armed with machetes razed thousands of Muslim homes, leaving hundreds of people dead and forcing 125,000 to flee, mostly Muslims.

The New York-based group Human Rights Watch has accused the government and security forces in Rakhine of fomenting an organized campaign of “ethnic cleansing” against the Rohingya, who are regarded as aliens. Phil Robertson of the organization called the development "outrageous," noting that the commission's report stated that any form of population control must be "voluntary" and conform to human rights standards.

"This is a step precisely in the wrong direction — going exactly the wrong direction from reconciliation and respect for human rights," said Robertson.

Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Islamic leaders expressed dismay over decisions by authorities in western Myanmar to restore a two-child limit on Muslim Rohingya families. If true, this is against the law,” said the opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

It is undetermined how authorities plan to enforce the two-child policy, but it will be mandatory for all Rohaingya Muslims in Buthidaung and Maungdaw. Other Islamic communities in Myanmar however will not be affected.

While the population of the western Rakhine states may be dominated by Muslims, their presence in the country only accounts for 4 percent out of Myanmar’s roughly 60 million people.

The predominantly Buddhist Myanmar does not consider the Rohingya as one of their 135 recognized ethnicities. Rohingya Muslims are also considered illegal immigrants of Bangladesh and denies them citizenship.

Officials in Bangladesh say the Rohingya have lived in Myanmar for centuries and should be recognized as citizens of the country.