Twitter CEO under fire for tweeting about Myanmar trip without mentioning human rights abuses

[steven36]

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey sparked criticism after he encouraged his Twitter followers to visit Myanmar, the government of which has been accused of genocide against the Muslim Rohingya people.

 

 

 

  "f you're willing to travel a bit, go to Myanmar," Dorsey tweeted after traveling to the country for a meditation retreat.

 

Quote

 

And if you’re willing to travel a bit, go to Myanmar: https://t.co/9qKm78uq7o

— jack (@jack) December 9, 2018

 

"Myanmar is an absolutely beautiful country," he added. "The people are full of joy and the food is amazing.

"I visited the cities of Yangon, Mandalay, and Bagan. We visited and meditated at many monasteries around the country." 

 

Quote

 

Myanmar is an absolutely beautiful country. The people are full of joy and the food is amazing. I visited the cities of Yangon, Mandalay, and Bagan. We visited and meditated at many monasteries around the country. pic.twitter.com/wMp3cmkfwi

— jack (@jack) December 9, 2018

 

Twitter users took issue with Dorsey's tweets, given that Myanmar's military has been accused of ravaging the Rohingya in what the United Nations has deemed a genocide.

"Sure, if you arent bothered by literal ethnic cleansing, it's probably real nice scenery," wrote one Twitter user.

 

Quote

 

Sure, if you arent bothered by literal ethnic cleansing, it's probably real nice scenery.

— Ang (@Anghellik9) December 9, 2018

 

"The people are so full of joy! I suppose you didn't visit any of the hundreds of villages burnt by government forces or talk to any of the more than half million Rohingya forced to flee the country who are now living in overwhelmed refugee camps in Bangladesh," another wrote. "Meditate on THAT."

 

Quote

 

The people are so full of joy! I suppose you didn't visit any of the hundreds of villages burnt by government forces or talk to any of the more than half million Rohingya forced to flee the country who are now living in overwhelmed refugee camps in Bangladesh? Meditate on THAT.

— Techie no longer on island time (@Infoseepage) December 9, 2018

 

"It's a country actively committing genocide against its own people, but great job advertising for them," wrote another user.

 

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It’s a country actively committing genocide against its own people, but great job advertising for them

— newtman (@newtman) December 9, 2018

 

Twitter did not immediately respond to The Hill's request for comment.

 

A source familiar with Dorsey's intentions in visiting Myanmar, however, told The Hill that the Twitter CEO visited the country because it is the only place where the particular type of meditation he practices is done in its original form.

 

"The culture of Myanmar is the only one that retains the original teachings," the source said. "So he wanted to go and experience this particular type of meditation where it is still practiced traditionally."

 

--This report was updated at 12:13 p.m.

 

Source

[nir]

1 hour ago, steven36 said:

"Myanmar is an absolutely beautiful country," he added. "The people are full of joy and the food is amazing.

Very true.  These days people get so easily offended.  No people, no religion, no culture and no country is perfect. 

[BioHazard]

The only country is perfect is the mighty USA 🇺🇸.  🙀

[The AchieVer]

Twitter's chief executive has been criticised for promoting Myanmar as a tourist destination despite widespread allegations of human rights abuses in the country.

In a series of tweets, Jack Dorsey said he had travelled to northern Myanmar last month for a meditation retreat.

"The people are full of joy and the food is amazing," he said, before encouraging his 4m followers to visit.

But some accused him of ignoring the plight of the Muslim Rohingya minority.

Last year, Myanmar's military launched a violent crackdown after Rohingya militants carried out attacks on several police posts.

Thousands of people have been killed, and human rights organisations say the army has burned land and committed arbitrary killings and rape.

• What you need to know about the crisis
• How a 'genocide' was investigated
• What will happen next after damning UN report?

"Writing what is effectively a free tourism advert for them at this time is reprehensible," one Twitter user wrote in response to Mr Dorsey's tweets.

"The tone-deafness here is... wow," another user said.

"This is an extremely irresponsible recommendation," one response reads. "Does he pay no attention to the news and the outcry on his own platform?"

 

The military crackdown sparked an exodus of more than 700,000 Rohingya who have since fled to neighbouring Bangladesh to escape the violence and the destruction of their homes.

The UN has described the operation as a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing" and says senior Myanmar officials should be investigated and tried for genocide.

The army has previously cleared itself of all wrongdoing and rejects the UN's allegations.

Mohammed Jamjoom, a correspondent for Al Jazeera who has interviewed Rohingya refugees, said he was left "utterly speechless" by Mr Dorsey's tweets.

 

Others pointed to the role social media platforms, such as the one Mr Dorsey heads up, have played in the Rohingya crisis.

Last month, Facebook said it agreed with a report that found it failed to prevent its platform from being used to "incite offline violence" in Myanmar.

"Social media [is] amplifying the genocide and meanwhile, Jack Dorsey proudly tweets about the amazing silent retreat he did," one tweet reads.

"While you were meditating in Myanmar, any revelations on how you're going to stop their [government] and supporters from using your platform?"

 

Mr Dorsey has not responded to the criticism, but earlier said he would track the responses to his tweets.

 

 

Source

[Karamjit]

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