Abstract
Despite fledging hopes of a change, Aung San Suu Kyi’s victory in Myanmar’s parliamentary election ushered no real improvement in Rohingyas deplorable conditions. In August 2017 the situation worsened sharply as the Myanmar army unleashed unfettered violence and arson against Rohingyas; causing massive flights of Rohingyas— [numbering a total of 655,000 by the end of 2017—] to Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh. Most were sheltered in makeshift camps with few basic amenities of life. A brewing humanitarian crisis apart, the situation held the potential risk of wider interfaith tensions and conflict between predominantly Muslim and Buddhist countries in the region and beyond. A programme of short-term remedial measures combined with long-term promotional activities is needed to restore interfaith confidence and reconciliation. Western countries can play a crucial supportive role while keeping a low profile to avoid a nationalist backlash.
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Notes
- 1.
The number (70) of deaths shown on the map refers to the month of May alone.
- 2.
Michael Peel, “Asia ’s Boat People”, Financial Times , 3 June 2015.
- 3.
Agence France Presse (AFP), 10 November 2015.
- 4.
Puttenee Kangkur , a specialist at the human rights group Fortify Rights , The Straits Times, Singapore, 19 July 2017.
- 5.
In a paper published in 1979, soon after the 1978 influx of Rohingya refugees to Bangladesh, Alan Lindquist, then UNHCR representative in southern Bangladesh commented: “the objective of the Bangladesh government from the beginning was that the refugees should go back to Burma (Myanmar) as quickly as possible, whatever they may feel about it”, cited in The Economist, 21 October 2017.
- 6.
As of September 2017, Bangladesh had a total of some 800,000 Rohingyas, according to IOM . It had already been hosting approximately 300,000 in official and informal centres, accepted 74,000 after the outbreak of violence in October 2016 and had been sheltering a further 429,000 Rohingyas following the incidents in 25 August 2017; at the time of writing, the inflow had not to totally stopped. By 18 September 2017, it may have swelled to 582,000, according to UNHCR , and by November to over 617,000, as estimated by IOM.
- 7.
“Local people told me boatmen caught dropping Rohingya people here are having their boats burned as a punishment and warning. It’s deemed necessary as border control”. Ashiqur Rahman at Odhikar, a Bangladesh human rights group. Kathleen Prior, The Telegraph, 22 September 2017.
- 8.
IOM Press release, 14 November 2017.
- 9.
Ashraful Azad, “Banishing refugees to a flood-prone island will not solve Bangladesh ’s Rohingya refugee crisis ”. The Conversation, 27 March 2017.
- 10.
Reflections of a tearful Ziaur Rahman of the Rohingya ethnic group. Cited in Financial Times , 3 January 2015.
- 11.
Gavin Jacobson , “Aung San Suu Kyi , The ignoble laureate”, The New Yorker, 15 September 2017.
- 12.
The Economist , 4 June 2015.
- 13.
In subsequent official statements, India lowered the tone and the threat may remain unimplemented, unless there is new evidence of Rohingyas’ links with terrorism.
- 14.
Amy Kazman, “Deportation hangs over India ’s Rohingya”, Financial Times , 11 September 2017.
- 15.
Cited in The Economist , 13 June 2015.
- 16.
The conflict-ridden Arab countries, which have already been fighting these radical Islamist groups, are in a different situation. They are more concerned that their involvement in the Rohingya crisis might give a new impetus to the radical Islamist groups which have lately become weakened inside their own countries and only open for them a new front to fight. “As an Arab diplomat observed, the last thing we need is an open confrontation between Muslims and Buddhists”. James M. Dorsey, “Plight of Myanmar ’s Rohingya: Militant Islam ’s next rallying call?” http://www.scmp.com/author/James-m-dorsey.
- 17.
Myanmar ’ Enemy Within: Buddhist Violence and the Making of a Muslim “Other”, Zed Books, 2017.
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Ghosh, B. (2018). South-East Asia: The Sad Plight of the Rohingya. In: Refugee and Mixed Migration Flows. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-75274-7_11
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-75274-7_11
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