‘I haven’t seen my siblings for 32 years’
CONFLICT: Escalating violence prevents Rohingya man from reuniting with brothers
THERE is nothing more that Mohd Noor Abu Bakar wants than to see his two siblings who are caught in the violence that has once again gripped Rakhine state in Myanmar.
The 50-year-old ethnic Rohingya has not seen his brothers for the last 32 years ever since he fled his hometown of Buthidaung in Rakhine in 1984 following escalating clashes between Muslims and Buddhists.
“Until today, I regret not being able to see my mother before she died and there is nothing more that I wish for right now than to reunite with my brothers,” said Noor, who is also the Myanmar Ethnic Rohingya Human Rights Organisa- tion Malaysia Kedah Chapter chairman.
However, he knows that this is next to impossible in view of the crackdown against the Rohingya in recent weeks, displacing some 30,000 Rohingya, many of whom have tried to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh.
His only means of keeping track of his brothers is by phone. But even that is not easy.
“I call them as often as I can and fear the worse if I can’t reach them.
“It brings back sad memories of the time when I called home in 1997 but could not get hold of my mother.
“I later found out from my brothers that she had died. So, it’s a relief when I heard from them.”
Noor said his brothers had to be careful not to be caught having a phone in the house or they risked meeting a horrible fate at the hands of the security forces.
“That is why they have to switch the phone off most of the time,” he told the New Straits Times.
He fled his hometown in 1984, a year after his father was allegedly shot dead by a Myanmar soldier while he was on his way to a mosque for Asar prayers.
He said prior to the incident, his father had lodged a report about a group of non-Muslim youngsters who threw stones at the congregation praying at the mosque.
He claimed his father’s report had irked some quarters, which led to the shooting.
Four years after fleeing his hometown, Noor attempted to return to Rakhine to visit his mother.
However, he had to turn back to Malaysia when he heard about the escalating violence as he reached the Myanmar border.
“Until today, I regret not being able to see my mother before she died. This is why I wish to be reunited with my brothers.
“They are the only close relatives who I have left,” said the father of three.
His brothers had told him that the border security control was getting tighter by the day and the brutality against the Rohingya was becoming unbearable.
At least 86 people were reported to have been killed in the crackdown. The thousands who have fled to Bangladesh told horrifying stories of gang rape, torture and murder at the hands of Myanmar’s security forces.
Media Prima Bhd recently launched the Tabung Kemanusiaan Rohingya Media Prima to enable individuals and organisations to contribute and ease the plight of those caught in the conflict.