GRIM REALITIES
As violence against the Rohingyas in Myanmar intensifies, neighbouring nations must engage or prepare for a humanitarian crisis, refugees warn
Hajee Ismail has hardly slept since receiving news late last month from his family in Buthidaung township that the Myanmar military had begun a brutal crackdown of Rohingya villages in Rakhine state. Ismail’s community where he once played as a young boy had been burnt down.
Ismail, head of the Rohingya Peace Network in Thailand, is one of 5,000 Rohingya minorities residing in Thailand who are worried about the fate of their loved ones in Myanmar.
Buthidaung, Maungdaw and Rathedaung townships have experienced nightmarish repercussions after the Myanmar Army retaliated against attacks by Rohingya militants on police check points that killed a dozen local officers. While the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), the Rohingya insurgent group, have taken up arms, it’s the disproportionate crackdown by the army that has attracted international criticism, confirming the status of the Rohingya by the United Nations as “the most persecuted minorities in the world”. Since violence erupted on Aug 25, tens of thousands of Rohingyas have been uprooted and forced to flee their homes, many trying to cross the border into Bangladesh.
Ismail, who has made Thailand his permanent home for more than two decades, is visibly distraught upon learning that three of his relatives were killed in the violence, which is being defined by the international community as ethnic cleansing and genocide.
“I lost my mother, younger brother and nephew to the genocide taking place in my country, only 13 of my relatives remain in Buthidaung, the rest have fled with the basic necessities on their backs for Bangladesh border.
“In Rakhine state, for decades we have experienced all sorts of atrocities, but this time around, it has been more wider in scale, and from the killings, I would say more lethal,” he said.
Ismail, 44, who works as an interpreter and human rights activist, said the scale with which Rohingya Muslims are being murdered and displaced hardly has any precedent in modern history.
The Myanmar government has vehemently denied its campaign of brutality, saying the international media distorts information to favour the Rohingya and ignore the fact that the “Muslim terrorists” have also committed their share of violence in Rakhine.
But the international community and human rights groups focus their condemnation on the large-scale violence perpetrated against innocent people of the minority group. Meanwhile, a few Rohingya dismiss the terrorist theory outright.
“I honestly do not believe that the Rohingya, who for decades have been suppressed and persecuted so they lack basic education, self worth and hope for a better tomorrow, can carry out such a daring act against authorities that they have been taught to fear,” said Ismail.
“The entire world is focused on Burma today, if the military has nothing to hide, they should be more transparent, allow media and NGOs free access to investigate the truth. Let them get first-hand information from survivors, without intimidation, this will prove their credibility.”
Ismail believes there is little hope for the Rohingya population to survive in these grim circumstances. All that can be done, he said, was for neighbouring countries and the international committee to offer humanitarian assistance to the displaced.
“It has become obvious that the systematic killings of my people are not just motivated because of their ethnicity but also religion. Anti-Muslim sentiments have been around for years. Today it is no longer confined to Rakhine state, but to larger cities like Yangon.”
Ismail believes Thailand can play a tantamount role in addressing this Rohingya issue, saying: “Myanmar and Thailand are neighbours. If neighbour A’s house is on fire, will neighbour B not go out of his way to help extinguish the fire before it reaches his house?”
Min*, who has recently arrived in Thailand in the hopes of gaining refugee status, is one among many Rohingya who believe being a Muslim in Myanmar is no longer safe. The 51-year-old, who has lived in Yangon with his family for most of his life, is originally from Rakhine’s Maungdaw township.
“I am a Rohingya Muslim but opted to keep my status confidential in the hopes that I would not be persecuted in my country,” said the businessman. “I have a clothes business in Yangon and have coexisted with my Buddhist neighbours and staff very well for years.
“My fears for my well being and that of my family were heightened when violence broke out in Rakhine state. My country is already a very divided nation and as the situation began to deteriorate, tension could be felt in Yangon. I knew I had to take drastic measures for the safety of my family, so I decided to fly to Bangkok on a valid Myanmar passport. Being a refugee doesn’t mean I want to get resettled. All I want is to be in a safe country until my own country is safe to return.”
Min said about a hundred of his relatives have been displaced and one has died, so far. Daily reports from home tell of atrocities and carnage. The only way to survive is to flee, he said.
He believes the solution to this problem rests on the military’s ideology towards the Rohingya. His best case scenario is watching his people displaced across the world until the military have a change of heart.
“What I have seen so far makes me very disheartened about our future,” said Min. “We cannot depend on Aung San Suu Kyi or for that matter the UN. I feel it is a lost cause. All that can be done is for humanitarian relief to be sent to survivors of this mayhem.”
Min also refuted support of the ARSA by the Rohingya. By and large he said such groups create problems than solutions. That is why their attempts to recruit villagers has not been successful. However, due to illiteracy, Min said most villagers are easily instigated by people who want to create trouble.
Besides humanitarian relief, he said a more proactive approach by Asean would be a step forward to addressing this ongoing crisis.
“The world can no longer say the killings of the Rohingya is Burma’s problem. The non-interference policy by Asean should be revised so some sort of pressure is put on the military to soften its stance on the annihilation of my people.”