The shadow on the Rohingya deal
THERE was welcome news last Thursday when the governments of Bangladesh and Myanmar announced a deal had been reached over the repatriation of Rohingya refugees. But optimism was tempered by the utter lack of details on what conditions will apply.
The deal signed in Naypyidaw will ostensibly see the repatriation of more than half a million Muslim Rohingya who had fled across the border from the violent and concerted assault on their communities by state troops and vigilantes described as Buddhist nationalists. But it remains unclear when the Rohingya can begin returning home and what kind of screening process will be in place. As well, the announcement indicated that the two countries are at odds over how the deal will be implemented. Myanmar said the arrange- ment would be based on the terms of a 1992 joint statement. Bangladesh said the situation has changed so much in the 25 years since then that that accord cannot be applied.
More than 620,000 Rohingya fled Rakhine when the massive assault on their communities began in retribution for a Rohingya militant group’s armed attack on several security outposts in August. The government described the backlash as a “clearance operation” aimed at tracking down the militants, but hundreds of thousands of innocent Rohingya were displaced and there have been reports of widespread rape and killings. The UN dubbed the state operation ethnic cleansing.
Discrimination have forced the Rohingya to leave the country on several occasions in the past. They are classified as Bengalis in Buddhist Myanmar – a term chosen to undermine the fact they have been residents of Burma and Myanmar for a century.
Despite their long presence, they are not recognised as citizens and are thus denied fundamental rights. Even before the latest wave of violence began in August, Bangladesh was sheltering 300,000 undocumented Rohingya who arrived between 2005 and 2015. Another 30,000 have been formally granted refugee status, but remain in border camps with nowhere to go.
Last week’s announcement made no mention of these factors, leaving critics wondering how the repatriation can proceed. Who among the Rohingya refugees would be allowed to return? Myanmar seems to be maintaining strict terms: They can’t go back unless they have the proper documentation. And yet Myanmar is withholding perhaps the very documentation they need. It says granting them citizenship is out of the question. Other personal papers could well have been destroyed in the mass assault or lost in transit. The UN has raised concern over the lack of a guarantee for their safety. Amnesty International warns that the Rohingya would be returning to a “system of apartheid” – denied citizenship, basic services and freedom of movement.
Aung San Suu Kyi, the country’s de facto leader, has had in her hands a fair solution to the crisis. Fellow Nobel laureate, the former UN chief Kofi Annan, looked into the situation at her request and recommended a series of actions. First, he advised, grant the Rohingya citizenship.