NEVER-ENDING WOES OF THE ROHINGYA

From heartless killings, destruction of homes, rapes, burning and drowning of babies, the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar have suffered it all and yet, strangely, there seems to be no concrete action to bring the monstrous perpetrators to justice or to allow the Rohingya to return home in peace. More than 600,000 ROHINGYA HAVE ALREADY LED to BANGLADESH since late August, driven out by a counter-insurgency clearance operation In RAKHINE state AND UN oficials HAVE CALLED Myanmar military’s operation a textbook case of ethnic cleansing.

In spite of all the awareness of the global community, on the ground the plight of the Rohingya is far from over.

If this is not considered a blot on humanity, what else will? Washington, which proclaims itself as a torchbearer of democracy and human rights, has clearly not done enough to make Myanmar see reason.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson should be stern when he meets the head of Myanmar’s military on Wednesday. Mere words will not do. Washington needs to impose economic sanctions and travel restrictions targeting the military and its business interests.

Pramila Patten, the UN special representative of the secretaryGENERAL on sexual violence In Conlict, HAS promised to RAISE accusations against the Myanmar military with the International Criminal Court in the Hague. She should certainly do so.

Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi’s utter failure to speak out strongly about the plight of the Rohingya has widely damaged her reputation and rightly raised questions about her role as a stateswoman.

In another worrisome development, the innovative data collection technology Employed By THE UN REFUGEE AGENCY For THE irst STAGE of Rohingya family counting in Bangladesh has revealed a worrying statistic: one-third of the refugee population is vulnerable.

It is stated that 14 per cent are single mothers holding their families together with little support in harsh camp conditions. Others are struggling with serious health problems or disabilities.

There is also a high proportion of elderly people at risk, unaccompanied and separated children – some of them taking care of younger siblings. Children and women have made up more than half of the total population.

It is clear that the Myanmar military is engaged in a coordinated and systematic attempt to purge the region of Rohingya. Myanmar military’s claims of investigation are nothing but a whitewash. What is needed is for UN and independent investigators to be allowed into the country. ■■■