Rohingya Refugees
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May
2015: Hundreds of Rohingya refugees were found abandoned in the waters off the
coasts of Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.
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Pope
Francis compared the plight of the Rohingyas to that of the Yezidi and
Christian minorities under Islamic State Rule in Iraq and Syria
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Illegal
camps to house the refugees were set up along the Thailand – Malaysian border
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Preferred
destination of the Rohingyas was Malaysia (a Muslim majority country and the
fastest-growing economy in the region); around 100000 Rohingyas are in Malaysia
already
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May
2015: More than 100 graves were found in a remote area in Malaysia near the
border with Thailand. Dozens of mass graves containing the bodies of Rohingya,
Myanmaerese and Bangladeshi migrants have also been discovered in Myanmar and
Thailand
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International
agencies say 25000 Rohingya refugees have fled Myanmar since the beginning of
the year.
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Three
Governments (Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand) had come in for increasing
international criticism for the inhumane policies they were adopting towards
the migrants.
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Singapore
and Australia refused to accommodate any boat people (Rohingyas)
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Indonesia
and Malaysia said that they would repatriate (send back to original countries)
the limited number of refugees that they had accepted within a year.
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Indonesia
would be repatriating 720 Bangladeshi refugees as they were ‘economic
migrants’. Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina has publicly criticized migrants from
her country for tainting the Bangladesh image in the international arena.
Humanitarian
Assistance
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Indonesia
and Malaysia also announced that they would provide humanitarian assistance to
those 7000 irregular migrants that are at sea. The agreement came after
fishermen in the Sumatra region of Indonesia rescued more than 300 refugees
from a sinking boat.
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Myanmar
is unresponsive to any international appeals; also refused to attend the
regional conference in Bangkok that was convened to discuss the refugee crisis
Who are Rohingyas?
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Rohingyas
are the most persecuted minority in the world – UN
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They
have been denied citizenship in a country in which their ancestor lived for
many centuries.
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Historical
records show that they have been in the Burmese Kingdom of Arakan since the 8th
century
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Colonial
records also testify that the community, which had embraced Islam has been part
and parcel of Burmese society since then.,
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In
the medieval kingdom of Arakan, the Buddhist majority and the Rohingya minority
had a harmonious relationship
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The
sufferings of Rohingas started, after Burma gained independence since in 1948
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The
Rohingyas, who number around million and a half, were given full citizenship
rights and recognised as a separate race only in 1959 when the country
experienced a brief democratic lull under Prime Minister U Nu.
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A
military coup by the ultranationalist Gen. Ne Win in 1962 brought things back
to square one for the hapless Rohingyas. Citizenship rights were once again
summarily revoked, and the Rohingyas have since been marginalized and
suppressed by the military regimes.
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In
1978, the community was first violently targeted by the military. Hundreds of
Rohingyas were massacred.
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As
many as 250000 Rohingyas fled to neighbouring Bangladesh.
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In
1991, the military regime launched anti-Rohingya drive, code-named as “Operation Clean and Prosperous Nation”.
Some 200000 Rohingya were forced to flee the country. Most of them ended in
Bangladesh.
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But
Bangladesh government rejected to accept them as citizens. Rohingyas have been
subjected to even more abuses, including the arbitrary seizure of property,
forced labour, torture and rape at the hands of authorities.
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In
2011, a repatriation agreement was signed between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina
and Myanmarese President Thein Sein. The Rohingyas were excluded from the
repatriation pact as the Myanmerese authorities refused to grant citizenship
status to the community.
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In
their home state of Rakhine, the authorities have imposed a ‘two child’ limit
for Rohingya families. In 2014, the government banned the use of the word
‘Rohingya’ and decreed that they be called ‘Bengalis’
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The
government continues to be label them as ‘illegal Bengali migrants’ in the
ongoing efforts to ethnically cleanse the country
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More
recently, the government had decreed that all Rohingyas will have to surrender
their temporary ‘white cards’ which are their only identification papers now.
This will further curtail their freedom of movement.
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Even
the opposition Leader and Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi maintained
silence in this issue. She has been completely focused on cultivating the
Buddhist majority, whose support is essential if her party has to win the
elections schedule for 2016.
Buddhist Terror
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The
government is not doing anything to curtail the Buddhist extremist groups which
are openly targeting the Muslim minority.
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One
such individual is a monk by the name of Ashin Wirathu. He has been dubbed by
the regional media as the “Buddhist bin Laden” for his activities. He is
allowed to spew venom freely, and the radical group he heads was responsible
for much of the communal violence in recent years.
International
countries stand
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US
and its allies in the region have all been publicly sympathetic to the plight
of the Rohingya refugees but have not done anything meaningful to pressure the
government in Myanmar to take actions.
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Obama
administration has forged very strong links with the military-dominated
government and is not interested in raising the issue of human rights in the
country in international forums
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Malaysia
and Indonesia want the ASEAN grouping (Myanmar also a member of ASEAN) to
discuss the issue. Myanmar on its part has refused to attend any meeting to
discuss the issue if the word ‘Rohingya’ is mentioned. [ASEAN has a policy of
non-interference in the international affairs of member countries]
Rohingya Muslims are illegally migrating to
India via Bangladesh, due to on-going tussle with Buddhist in their native
land, Rakhine in Myanmar. However, Indian authorities cannot send them back
because neither Myanmar nor Bangladesh willing to recognizes them. Some of
these migrants involved with Lashkar-e-Toiba & other militant groups active
in Chittagong hills in Bangladesh, who to use the plight of Rohingyas to
increase hostility among India, Bangladesh and Myanmar. LeT even created an
outfit “Difa-E-Muslman” in Myanmar for this.
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