At this time, the plight of the Rohingya people is much talked about all over the world. Over the last few days, several reports were published in the media on the distressing state of the Rohingya refugees from Myanmar on the Andaman Sea which has caused global awareness about their sufferings. It is unbelievable that the incumbent authorities, if not the international community, are still silent on this humanitarian issue.
Moreover, recent investigations have revealed that Myanmar's south-eastern neighbour, Thailand, is being utilised as the regional hub for human trafficking with the assistance of high-ranking officials inside Thai government, including the military.
In fact, Rohingya Muslims have been living in Myanmar since the 18th century. According to a UN population report published in 2013, there are approximately 735,000 Rohingyas who currently reside in the country's Rakhine State, adjacent to Cox's Bazar district of Bangladesh. Unfortunately, the Rohingya people are not recognised as citizens by the national constitution of Myanmar. It is the result of a historical mistake committed by the pre-independence politicians of Myanmar.
In 1947, a year before Myanmar achieved its independence from Britain, the Panglong Conference was convened by General Aung San (father of Aung San Suu Kyi) - considered to be the leading architect of the country's independence. Key issues, such as the constitutional future of Myanmar and the political status of its Rohingya population, were discussed at this multilateral conference. However, not a single delegate from the Rohingya community was present at the conference. Nevertheless, delegates had come to the conclusion that Rohingya Muslims should not be given the right to citizenship and thus overlooked the issue at the first place.
Ever since, Rohingyas are considered to be a nation without a state of their own. Rohingyas have been oppressed in various ways by the Myanmar government in collaboration with its citizens. Murder, abduction, eviction, sexual harassment and rape on Rohingya women are some of the horrible features of their existence in the Rakhine State. Yet, the authorities are silent in this regard. Trafficking of Rohingyas has come to an outrageous level and crossed the limit of human tolerance. Different international humanitarian groups have called for immediate action to solve this debacle. In spite of the growing concern, the government of Myanmar is reluctant to act wisely in terms of political responsibilities.
On May 26, a conference was held at the Nobel Institute in Oslo, the capital of Norway where seven Nobel laureates expressed their concern about the Rohingyas and neutrality of Aung San Suu Kyi. Among them, South Africa's anti-apartheid leader Desmond Tutu pointed to Suu Kyi, saying, "If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor."Â Â
The writer teaches History at Jahangirnagar University.
Miseries of the Rohingya people
Lutfar Rahman | Published: June 16, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00
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