The Rohingya are one of Myanmar’s many ethnic minorities. According to the Human Rights Watch, they are one of the largest stateless populations in the world. The Rohingya have faced decades of discrimmination and oppression under the Myanmar government, Antonio Guetteres, United Nations Secretary General, describes them as “one of, if not the, most discriminated people in the world.” As of 2017, more than half a million Rohingya have fled from Myanmar, causing large numbers of displacement and evoking a refugee crisis.
According to BBC news, the Rohingya Muslims represent the largest percentage of Muslims in Myanmar. As a predominantly Buddhist country, Myanmar constantly excludes and denies the Rohingya basic human rights and citizenship. The government has even removed the entire ethnic minority off of the 2014 consensus, despite evidence that the Rohingya have inhabited Myanmar for hundreds of years. According to the Human Rights Watch, they were effectively denied citizenship under the 1982 citizenship law, thus rendering the ethnic group as “illegal”.
Attacks on the Rohingya have been systematic and widespread, dating back to World War II where tensions between the Muslims and Buddhists wavered. According to the United Nations, persecution of the Rohingya executed by Myanmar forced them to flee to Bangladesh. However, the crisis officially began in 2015, where militaries and citizens attacked and burnt homes of the Rohingya. On August 2017, a violent military crackdown reports of targeted attacks, murder and arson. This forces thousands to flee in fear. According to the United Nations, this marks the beginning of the largest exodus of Rohingya refugees to Bangladesh. Rohingyas arriving in Bangladesh say that they fled after military troops, backed by local Buddhist mobs, began burning, attacking and killing civilians. According to Médicins Sans Frontiers (Doctors Without Borders), at least 6,700 Rohingya, including 730 children under the age of 5, were killed in a month after the violence broke out. Claims of rape and abuse of Rohingya women have also surfaced during that time. According to the BBC News, at least 288 villages were partially or totally destroyed by fire.
International response to the intensified attacks have been calling for emergency measures to be taken against the Myanmar Military. India and China both have ignored the emergency outcries. According to the Australian Institute of International Affairs, China has blocked attempts to meaningfully address the situation at the United Nations Security Council. On the other hand, India has deepened the relationship with the Myanmar Military, and has announced that it will deport 40,000 Rohingya who have fled to India for asylum. Unfortunately, Bangladesh which has been a haven for Rohingya refugees, has been pushing refugees back into Myanmar. Although other international responses have not been as harsh as China, India and Bangladesh's actions, help required remains ineffective.
Presently, in January 2020, the International Criminal Court has approved a full investigation into the case of the Rohingya in Myanmar (BBC News). Recently, 300 refugees landed in Indonesia after months at sea. Especially with the current pandemic, Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand and Malaysia have refused to provide shelter for the Rohingya. Stripped of their own citizenship and rights, the Rohingya have nowhere left to go. The crisis still continues as more than half a million Rohingya are believed to be still living in Myanmar (BBC News). Risks of rape, torture, displacement and other human right violations still pose a threat to the Rohingya in all locations. Refugee camps are over swamped and are in poor quality. Human traffickers continue to place the Rohingya in inhumane conditions and with the current pandemic going on, the Rohingya face a devastating future if no immediate action is taken.
Sources
Written by JoYii Phnom Penh, Cambodia
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