Rohingyas in Myanmar: Target of fresh discrimination

Myanmar has announced that the Muslims in the violence-prone Rakhine state will not be allowed to register their ethnicity in the nationwide census. This has come as a fresh discrimination against them. The authorities ordered that these people be registered as "Bengalees" in the face of threats by the radical Buddhists, who have been targeting the Rohingyas for last three years on religious grounds.
The Rohingya issue is often discussed at various international forums since they are being identified by the United Nations as a 'persecuted' community. Foreign dignitaries often give vent to the discriminations being meted out to these people by both the radical Buddhists and the state authorities.
Former US President Bill Clinton is one of the important international figures to visit Myanmar when he made a surprise visit to the country late last year and called upon all concerned for cessation of sectarian violence. His visit coincided with the three-day visit of a high powered European Union delegation, led by its foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, which also expressed concern on the issue. No less important is the visit of an Islamic delegation headed by the then Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu. Members of the delegation included representatives from several member nations including Bangladesh. The delegation sought to get into the bottom of the problem arising out of the treatment to the Rohingya Muslims by the hard-line Buddhists.
Earlier, the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warned Myanmar that it must stop attacks on the minority Muslims if it wants to be seen as a credible nation. He urged the Yangoon government for necessary measures to address the legitimate grievances of the Muslims. What had been particularly noteworthy in the statement of the UN chief was that he stressed on the need for responding to the demands of the Rohingyas for citizenship of Myanmar.
The issue undoubtedly received greater focus in the international arena following the visit of US President Barack Obama in late 2012 to Myanmar when he, among other matters, discussed the subject with Myanmar authorities. It was expected that Myanmar would take care that its people are not subjected to undue harassment and coerced to leave their country for being minority Muslims. But nothing much has occurred in that direction so far.
What is really needed now is serious endeavour on the part of all concerned, including the international community, to prevent the Rohingya issue from further snowballing -- although the matter is a domestic issue of Myanmar. The international community is required to remain conscious so that a community categorised by the UN as 'persecuted' can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
President Obama visited three South East Asian nations - Thailand, Myanmar and Combodia, and undeniably the focus was more on the visit to Myanmar for obvious reasons. Here is a country which is admirably coming out of its isolationist policy and gradually opening up to pluralistic society much to the commendation of the democratic world. Although the present rulers represent only a semblance of democratic rule with real power resting with the military junta, Myanmar's recent record in reforming the society is praiseworthy.
The treatment of the minority Rohingyas in Myanmar has come up for criticisms even from some fellow South East Asian nations -- let alone many democratic and Islamic countries. Bangladesh, as a neighbour of Myanmar, has given shelter to many Rohingyas who fled their homes in the past accusing repression, but could not take further burden when those people looked for shelter during the violence a couple of years back. This raised some controversy both at home and outside on whether Dhaka was right in shutting its doors to those refugees. While many feel that Bangladesh is no longer in a position to carry further load by giving them shelter, an impression also exists that humanitarian aspect should not be ignored. While the government defends its policy, critics say that the authorities were too stringent on the issue.
The bottom line is that the Rohingyas need better and rightful treatment. Several incidents of violence took place against the Rohingyas in recent times, resulting in the exodus of more of these people to other countries including Indonesia and Thailand. Thousands left their homes for safer places within Myanmar. What is worse, an impression has gained that the authorities did not respond to protecting these people in the face of killings and repression by the radical Buddhists.
In 1982, Myanmar passed a citizenship law recognising eight races and 130 minority groups, but left out the nation's eight hundred thousand Rohingyas from the country's 60 million people. This is clearly unfair and the emphasis by the UN chief on their citizenship issue should assume particular importance. But, the recent decision by the authorities to exclude them as Rogingyas in the census is another grave injustice to them. The decision, all conscientious communities around the globe will agree, needs to be corrected.
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