The Journey of Becoming Stateless

It is very grievous that another year has passed without any solution to the Rohingya problem. The plight of the oppressed Rohingya in Myanmar's northern Rakhine state continues unabated.

According to a UN report, the Rohingyas are victims of heinous crimes. Accountability for human rights violations against the Rohingya is a very important issue to ensure sustainable, safe and voluntary return.

The Rohingya is one of the ingenious ethnic minority groups in Arakan (Rakhine) State, Myanmar. Approximately 800,000 to a million of the world’s 3.5 million Rohingya live in Myanmar.

The Rohingya became stateless through the “1982 Burmese Citizenship Act” passed by independent Myanmar and have experienced several crackdowns since military rule was established in the country in 1962.

More than a million Rohingyas took refuge in Bangladesh within a few months after the start of the military operation in Rakhine ‍State of Myanmar on August 25, 2016.

Bangladesh has given shelter to 1.1 million Rohingyas since then only considering the humanitarian aspect. But now it is going beyond the capacity of Bangladesh. On the other hand, Rohingyas are living an inhuman life becoming the most oppressed community in the world.

The Last Episode

On August 25, 2017, twelve security personnel were killed in an attack by Rohingya rebels. After that, the Myanmar army launched a "clearance operation" against the Rohingya that took the life of 400-3000 Rohingyas. Besides, many Rohingyas were injured, tortured and raped. Their homes were set on fire and more than 400,000 (40% of total Rohingyas in Myanmar) Rohingyas fled and took refuge at the Teknaf border of Bangladesh.

Even before 2017, Rohingyas have faced military torture and repression in 1961, 1991-1992, 2012, 2015 and 2016.

Every time, a large number of Rohingyas took shelter mainly in Bangladesh, but the last time in 2017, the number was the largest.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNOCHA), there are currently only 10 percent, or 69,038 Rohingyas, in three cities in Rakhine. UNOCHA's Rohingya statistics show that about 90 percent of Rakhine Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh.

The statistics of 90 percent Rohingyas fleeing to Bangladesh have been highlighted does not include those killed, missing or arrested. In addition, the country's military operations did not include internally displaced persons, killed Rohingyas, injured Hindus or Rakhine people.

There are allegations that the Myanmar army and the government of Rakhine State have been persecuting people of all religions and castes for a long time. Myanmar's military forces are cleverly entering various villages, torturing, raping, looting and setting fire to houses of Rohingya Muslims. Millions of Rohingya and Rakhine communities have been tortured and displaced for these inhumane attacks.

All types of internet services have been shut down in Rakhine State for more than a year. Because the only purpose is to cover up all the genocide news by disconnecting all kinds of social media in Rakhine State.

However, the Myanmar government initially said it was conducting the operation to stop the activities of armed groups in the Rakhine state. And there were no incidents of genocide or rape or looting. But the Myanmar military's statement contradicts the confessions of the two soldiers.

The Myanmar government has blamed ‘Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army’ for the renewed unrest in Myanmar's Rakhine state.

In a video statement published in September 2020, two Myanmar soldiers acknowledged that they had received clear instructions from the commander during the army operation in Rakhine in August 2017 to "shoot anyone they see".

The two soldiers have admitted that they gave mass graves after killing more than a dozen villagers in the northern Rohingya-dominated Rakhine state.

The ICC launched an investigation in November 2019 into whether Myanmar committed war crimes during a military operation against Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine.

However, Myanmar claimed the ICC's war crimes investigation against them is illegal as Myanmar has not signed the ICC Charter. So they are not members of this tribunal. But the ICC says it has jurisdiction to investigate because Bangladesh is a part of the Rohingya refugee crisis and it is a member of the organization (ICC).

Former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan paints a grim picture of Myanmar's military crackdown on Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State in June 2018 in an international commission report.

The report described the Rohingya as the world's largest stateless community and called on the Myanmar government to facilitate Rohingya citizenship.

Satellite imagery shows the Kan Kya (South), a Rohingya village, was destroyed by fire. The images also confirms the presence of at least 19 new structures, most of them long rectangular buildings with red roofs. The new structures are surrounded by a perimeter fence, which is similar to the fencing found around known security force bases.

UN officials have called the action of the Myanmar military as a "crime against humanity" after allegations of widespread rape and torture of Rohingya women by Burmese troops.

Imposed Identity Crisis

Arakan (now Rakhine State) bordering Bangladesh is a province of Myanmar (formerly Burma). This strip of land on the east coast of the Bay of Bengal stretches from the Naf River bordering Chittagong to Cape Negris. Rakhine State between the Yuma Range of Arakan and the Bay of Bengal.

The Yuma Range, which stretches from north to south, separates the province from the rest of Myanmar. The total area of Arakan is 13,540 square miles. Its population is about 20 lakhs.

Politics and violence in this state related to the Rohingya people and their identities have been continuing for centuries.

Since the eighth century, Rohingyas began living in the then independent State Arakan which is now known as the Rakhine state of Myanmar.

According to historians, Rohingyas came in contact with Islam through Arab traders. Then a connection was established between Arakan and East Bengal.

Rohingyas first felt into trouble when Burman King Bodawpaya conquers Arakan that's make them flee to Bengal at that time. After that, this dispute and misery of Rohingyas have become a never ending process.

Despite centuries of settlement in the Arakan region (now Rakhine State), the Rohingya population are denied citizenship and other basic rights under several controversial Myanmar laws (particularly the 1982 Myanmar nationality law).

INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE TO THE ROHINGYA CRISIS

The Rohingya crisis is not only an internal matter for Myanmar, as it has destabilized the regional tranquility of South and Southeast Asia and triggered a global outcry. major states, such as China, India, Russia, and the US, have adopted a policy of overlooking the Rohingya crisis.

Since the last Rohingya migration happened several world leaders and their representatives, top UN officials, UNICEF goodwill ambassadors and several humanitarian organizations have visited the Rohingya camp located in Cox's Bazar of Bangladesh.

On November 11, 2019 The Gambia has filed a case against Myanmar at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for the alleged genocide of the Rohingya.

PRESS RELEASE: the #ICJ indicates provisional measures in order to preserve certain rights claimed by The Gambia for the protection of the Rohingya in Myanmar in the case of #TheGambia v. #Myanmar https://t.co/zeSwnY6mqd pic.twitter.com/GM66BzfKOL
— CIJ_ICJ (@CIJ_ICJ) January 23, 2020

A 46-page application has been submitted to the international court of justice by the Gambia, alleging Myanmar has carried out mass murder, rape and destruction of communities in Rakhine state.

In response to this, the Nobel peace prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has defended her government against accusations of genocide at the international court of justice on December 11, 2019, calling the allegations an “incomplete and misleading factual picture of the situation”.

Addressing a bench of 17 judges from around the world, the 74-year-old leader dismissed reports of state violence against Rohingya Muslims and blamed the conflict on an uprising by sectarian insurgents.

Rohingya crisis as a political issue. Its origins are deeply rooted in Myanmar. So the solution to this crisis must be found inside Myanmar. The Rohingya must be sent back to their homeland, where they have lived for centuries.
- Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh

Moved to a Remote Island

Bangladesh has moved around 2500 Rohingya families from camps near the Myanmar border to a settlement on a remote island, Bhasan Char, despite concerns about its safety and a lack of consent from the refugees.

The government of Bangladesh launched a project named Asrayan-3 to relocate one lakh Rohingyas from Cox's Bazar to Bhasanchar of Noakhali in November 2017.

The Bangladesh Navy was given the responsibility to implement the project. But since their first relocation was planned in 2018, Rohingyas have been reluctant to go there.

The international community, including the United Nations, has always said that Rohingya refugees should not be pressured to move to Bhasanchar, but that they should make informed and free decisions.

At present, more than 10 lakh Rohingyas are taking shelter in 34 camps in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. The Bangladesh government has planned to relocate about one lakh Rohingyas to Bhasanchar from there.

The government has said that the standard of living in Bhasanchar is better than the refugee camp in Cox's Bazar. However, the UN said the agency was not allowed to conduct any 'safety assessment' in Bhasanchar.

Despite pledges of 600 million dollars in humanitarian aid for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, none of them have been repatriated to Myanmar in the past three years. Moreover, the humanitarian aid that is coming is less than needed.

International aid for Rohingya refugees is declining, and the issue of repatriation is no longer being discussed in international forums.

Bangladesh-Myanmar bilateral agreement on Rohingyas was signed in 2018. But since then, not a single Rohingya has returned to Myanmar. The Government of Bangladesh says that the international community must come forward to create an environment where the Rohingya can return quickly.

World leaders and analysts believe that the Rohingya problem can only be resolved through their repatriation to Myanmar, and that should be emphasized first.

Sources: Bangladesh government and UNHCR

Photo: Reuters

The Journey of Becoming Stateless

The Last Episode

The Myanmar government has blamed ‘Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army’ for the renewed unrest in Myanmar's Rakhine state.

Image captions

Imposed Identity Crisis

INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE TO THE ROHINGYA CRISIS

The Rohingya crisis is not only an internal matter for Myanmar, as it has destabilized the regional tranquility of South and Southeast Asia and triggered a global outcry. major states, such as China, India, Russia, and the US, have adopted a policy of overlooking the Rohingya crisis.

Moved to a Remote Island

Bangladesh has moved around 2500 Rohingya families from camps near the Myanmar border to a settlement on a remote island, Bhasan Char, despite concerns about its safety and a lack of consent from the refugees.

Image captions

This is only a preview. Start publishing!

This is only a preview.
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The Last Episode

The Myanmar government has blamed ‘Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army’ for the renewed unrest in Myanmar's Rakhine state.

Image captions

Imposed Identity Crisis

INTERNATIONAL RESPONSE TO THE ROHINGYA CRISIS

The Rohingya crisis is not only an internal matter for Myanmar, as it has destabilized the regional tranquility of South and Southeast Asia and triggered a global outcry. major states, such as China, India, Russia, and the US, have adopted a policy of overlooking the Rohingya crisis.

Moved to a Remote Island

Bangladesh has moved around 2500 Rohingya families from camps near the Myanmar border to a settlement on a remote island, Bhasan Char, despite concerns about its safety and a lack of consent from the refugees.

Image captions

This is only a preview. Start publishing!

This is only a preview. Start publishing!

As used by

The Rohingya crisis is not only an internal matter for Myanmar, as it has destabilized the regional tranquility of South and Southeast Asia and triggered a global outcry. major states, such as China, India, Russia, and the US, have adopted a policy of overlooking the Rohingya crisis.

This is only a preview.
Start publishing!