At 4:20 am – a time which was deemed auspicious by a Burmese astrologer – on the 4th of January 1948, a new nation was born. Myanmar celebrates the 70th anniversary of its independence from the British today.

The problem with using historical narratives to justify actions is that it is often difficult to establish an agreed upon timeframe and narrative from which one’s arguments can be advanced. Such is the case with the “Rohingya” or “Bengali” migrants – depending on who one talks to – whom according to the UN (United Nations), are the most prosecuted minority group in the world with the ongoing crisis in the Rakhine State of Myanmar.