Bangladesh and Myanmar, agreed this week to set up an anti-trafficking task force to deal with the unprecedented human trafficking crisis that has baffled the world. A meeting of South-east Asian leaders held in Bangkok late last week approved a wide-ranging list of recommendations to tackle the 'root causes' of the crisis.
But ironically, the plan of action approved in the meeting failed to criticise Myanmar, the country wherefrom the root causes of the problem emerged. The Buddhist-majority state does not recognise the Rohingyas as its own citizens, throwing them effectively stateless. It does not call them Rohingya but refers to them as Bengalis, indicating they are from Bangladesh
In fact, South-East Asia's migrant scandal began to unfurl at the start of this month after a Thai crackdown on people smuggling threw the multi-million dollar industry into disarray. It led gang-masters to abandon their victims on land and at sea, and images of stick-thin, dazed migrants trapped on boats or stumbling onto shores and out of forests shocked the world, creating pressure on Southeast Asian nations to act.
The majority of the migrants are Rohingya Muslims, who are pariahs in Myanmar's Buddhist-majority western Rakhine State, and people fleeing poverty from neighbouring Bangladesh. Thailand described the day-long talks as "very constructive", saying all 17 countries at the meeting agreed on a statement to provide humanitarian help to 2,500 migrants believed to still be adrift at sea, as well as to the 3,500 who have already made it to Thai, Malaysian and Indonesian shores since May 01.
Bangladesh has welcomed the outcome of the Bangkok meeting describing it very productive. The country decided to bring back its nationals, who had been victims of trafficking.
Malaysia has reportedly taken 120,000 illegal immigrants from Myanmar last week. The country is set to give temporary shelter to those migrants already at sea, but that the international community must shoulder the burden of resettling them, it said.
On the other hand, Thailand refused to allow the boats to land, saying it has already sheltered more than 100,000 migrants from Myanmar. The country has deployed a naval task force to offer medical aid at sea.
Meantime, Myanmar released the final results of its first nationwide census in 30 years late last week. The count excluded the country's Muslim Rohingya minority, as well as sensitive data on ethnicity and the religious beliefs of its 51.5 million people. Most of Myanmar's 1.10 million Rohingyas are stateless and live in apartheid-like conditions in the western state of Rakhine.
Almost 140,000 were displaced in deadly clashes with majority Buddhists in Rakhine in 2012. They are denied citizenship and have long complained of state-sanctioned discrimination.
The count has also been criticised after its organisers based it on a list of 135 ethnic groups, which activists and critics say is outdated and inaccurate.
It is very surprising that Aung San Suu Kyi, once an indisputable champion of Myanmar's powerless people, refused to speak up for a persecuted Muslim minority at the heart of the migrant crisis. This has cast doubt over her moral force.
Even Nobel Peace laureate Dalai Lama, who spoke loudly for the persecuted Muslims, criticised her for her conspicuous silence. The Buddhist spiritual leader recognised the difficulty of her position in a nation where expressing sympathy for the Muslim group brings ready condemnation. But, in spite of that she can do something, he added.
On its part, Bangladesh is preparing a new 'work plan' to stop the crime amid growing menace of human trafficking to some South Asian countries through risky sea routes. The labour ministry is planning to create a 'special squad' with members of different law-enforcement agencies to conduct drives against human traffickers on maritime border areas of Cox's Bazar and Chittagong.
There are fears that the rising human trafficking incidents may close the door of Bangladeshi workers in labour markets of the Middle East and Malaysia. The country's labour and welfare minister said the recent incidents will spoil the country's image and goodwill in the international labour market. Even some countries might stop hiring Bangladeshi workers.
The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and the Coast Guard have been directed by the authorities to apply rigorous strategies as per the new plan to arrest brokers and human traffickers. The government warned punitive actions against the human traffickers in accordance with the relevant law.
In an effort to prevent human trafficking, every fisherman and boatman, who work in the sea, will be given an identity card while each boat will be given a registration number. The government is, of late, trying to resolve the problem diplomatically through government-to-government (G-to-G) communication.
According to international media reports, a large number of Bangladeshi citizens and Rohingyas are still stranded on boats in the Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean following recent crackdown on human traffickers by some South Asian countries.
Images of hungry migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh hauled from vessels to Southeast Asian shores after months at sea have spurred calls for immediate humanitarian action to be matched by moves to address the root causes of the crisis.
In fact, the plight of the Rohingya, one of the world's most persecuted minorities, has worsened dramatically since 2012 when communal bloodshed left scores dead and some 140,000 people confined in miserable camps.
The violence triggered a wave of deadly anti-Muslim unrest in Myanmar and coincided with rising Buddhist nationalism that has further entrenched animosity towards the minority.
Encircled by a hostile Buddhist majority, which also restricts their travel and work, the Rohingyas have taken to boats in increasing numbers headed for Malaysia.
Against the backdrop of visceral hatred towards the Rohingyas, South-Eastern nations and the international community need to play a positive role in order to save this persecuted nation from extinction. They should also make a passionate appeal to the Myanmar government to bring back the Rohingyas from overseas camps and recognise them as their own citizens.
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