Rohingya

ROHINGYA

by Athena Cara Yauder

“There is a reason why violence, anger and war are spreading in this time when realpolitik has superseded humanity, when politics is perceived as oppression and when countries ally themselves around self- interest rather than love. The people of a country have for years been living under persecution and facing genocide before the eyes of theworld, and the world knows this, but still says nothing. This means the problem is one of conscience, not evidence.” -Harun Yahya

In the country of Myanmar (Burma), where majority of its people are Buddhists, Rohingya Muslims have always been considered as an ethnic Muslim minority. They form the largest single group of “stateless” people in the world; making them considered as the world’s most persecuted minority. Burma has numerous ethnic groups of which there are nearly 140 ethnic races are living within 60% of its area and Rohingya is one of them, which majority are living in Arakan. (Islam, 2006)

Atrocities and the practice of genocide against the Rohingya minority with manifest intention to destroy the Rohingya people from their ancestral homeland of Arakan/Burma have long been enduring. This large scale persecution through ethnic cleansing and genocidal action of the Myanmar/Burmese government against these people has caused them to flee the country to seek refuge against humanitarian abuses. According to a non- profit group Physicians for Human Rights, in their 2013, there have been human rights abuses committed by the Burmese military. Rohingya Muslims have been long denied evidently of their citizenship and freedom and worse, even of their basic rights such as of having food, access to medical treatments, right to family, education and right to movement. (BBC News, 2015) They have been forced to leave since Burmese independence in 1948 and are now mostly found in Burma’s neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and even in the lands of Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand. There were unprecedented refugee influxes mostly in Bangladesh once in 1978 and the other in between 1991- 1992 with constant trickle of refugee exodus all along. (Islam, 2006) In search for better life, many relied on trafficking and smuggling networks with some of these countries. (The Guardian, 2015)

The situation in Myanmar has gotten worse as its government had just recently (last 2010) transitioned from a military- led government to a somewhat “more” democratic system; causing violence against Muslims in its worst form. Despite the effort of the Rohingya Muslims to seek for help from these countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia; initially, they did not approve for any extension of help the refugees, claiming that they are financially unable to accept these unfortunate people. It was only last 2012 that the world became more concerned with their situation following the violent attacks and acts of arson to the Rohingya Muslims in the Rakhine State. The United Nations last 2012 have finally advocated for the protection of the rights of the Rohingya Muslims, on April 2013, the Rakhine State Conflicts Investigation Commission has strengthened security actions in Rakhine, and also there has been a help from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR), helping local authorities provide assistance to the migrants. Malaysia and Indonesia have finally opened their doors to accept the migrants for one year, or until they can be resettled or repatriated with the help of international agencies. (Rappler, 2015) With the intervention of the from the international community (Association of the South- East Asian Nations, and United Nations), the Myanmar government had somehow taken some action plan to also create a resolution to the escalating conflict and restore back the peace and harmony within its territory, through ensuring justice and communal coordination. However, just as what Yahya (2014) noted in his article from what Phil Robertson, deputy director for Asia at Human Rights Watch has expressed, the plan is extremely disconcerting; the fact that whichever of the two options in the resolution they have introduced to the United Nations, still it will give the Rohingya no rights whatsoever and make them helpless prisoners.

Despite the country’s transition of its government ruling, anti- Muslim chauvinism is unfortunately still very evident indeed. The way they have been treating people have given many reasons to be more prone to humanitarian abuse and violence; leading them to submit to any kind of transaction without considering the legality, just to survive, giving advantage to criminals to profit from them, knowing that these hopeless people no longer have any option. Despite some actions from the members of ASEAN, it is believed that there are actually no sanctions being imposed directly on the Myanmar government, afraid that it might alter and risk commercial and even economic relations. 740

SOURCES:

BBC News. (2015, June 19). BBC. Retrieved August 21, 2015, from BBC News Website: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-12990563

BBC News. (2015, June 10). BBC. Retrieved August 21, 2015, from BBC News Website: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-33007536

Islam, N. (2006, October 5). Arakan Rohingya National Organization (ARNO). Retrieved August 21, 2015, from ARNO: http://www.rohingya.org/portal/index.php/learn-about-rohingya.html

Rappler. (2015, May 27). RapplerIQ Newsbreak. Retrieved August 21, 2015, from Rappler.com: http://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/iq/93786-fast-facts-rohingya

The Guardian. (2015, June 14). The Guardian. Retrieved August 21, 2015, from The Guardian Website: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/14/un-concern-at-bangladesh-plan-to-move-thousands-of-rohingya-to-flooded-island

Yahya, H. (2014, December 1). Defeaning silence over Rohingya Issue. Retrieved August 21, 2015, from Arakan Rohingya National Organisation (ARNO): http://www.rohingya.org/portal/index.php/scholars/68-harun-yahya-/1096-deafening-silence-over-rohingya-issue.html