Sunday 20 November 2016

Will anyone help the Rohingya people?


The Rohingya are ethnic, linguistic and peace loving minority group who belongs to Arakan state and faced persecution by its own government and its sponsored group several times. Due to which they fled to Bangladesh, India, Thailand and Malaysia and many more countries since decades due to state sponsored violence.

Rohingya people are suffering around the world. Over two million have become stateless and refugees to other countries because of persecution in Myanmar, especially the conflict happened in 2012. Rohingya  people have been forced to leave their country in record numbers who are in the condition of beggars for seeking safety in other countries to be able to save their future with well living in the hope of building up of their family life.

During the violence and attack on people in Arakan State of Myanmar in 2012, thousands of Rohingya left the country while many of them were killed and most of the women were raped by human traffickers on the way to Malaysia, especially in Thai human trafficking camps. Most of the people were also arrested in Myanmar, Bangladesh, India, Thailand and Malaysia. A few have got release with the help of UNHCR. But, a few of them were able to go to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through Bangladesh, India and Nepal. Unfortunately, most of them were arrested in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia whereas some are missing.

Still, their families are crying with dreams and hopes of getting good information. As the world people know, Myanmar government is still carrying on persecution on Arakanese Rohingya in the form of an ethnic cleansing. Besides, people are also suffering in prisons in Myanmar, Bangladesh, India, Thailand, Malaysia, and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia who have been sentenced to jail for one, two or three years for no crime other than seeking asylum. Actually, rohingya people did not wish to leave their community and their country. Nevertheless, they only fled to other countries because of avoiding unbearable and inhumane persecutions of Myanmar government.

Even though Rohingya are indigenous in Myanmar, we are made stateless with increasingly daily persecution in our country. We are scattered all over the word but we do not involve in any criminal activities and are not trying to harm or degrade any community. I always grieve for my people. It is a shame for those countries where helpless people are neglected, hated and persecuted.

Rohingya people are deprived of human rights both in Myanmar and Bangladesh. They are not recognized as citizens of Myanmar which is their own land .The ethnic minority group in Myanmar are not only victim of communal or racial, but also state sponsored violence. They have no rights of formal education in Myanmar and as well as other countries where they fled to. And moreover many remained unregistered as refugees in Bangladesh and many other countries as well.The non- registered Rohingya refugee cannot engage in any business or retail, cannot work legally and cannot be employed due to their lack of citizenship or international refugee rights and documentation.

Due to persecution in Arakan they have started their movement to Bangladesh before nearly twenty four years ago. According to UNHCR, there are almost 25000 Rohingya people in Bangladesh but only 30000 people in Kutupalong and Nayapara camp of Cox’sBazar are registered refugees. UNHCR has not been permitted to register newly arriving Rohingya since mid-1992. The vast majority of Rohingya are living in villages and towns in the area and receive little or no assistance as UNHCR is only allowed to assist those who are registered. Those who have born in Bangladesh before 18 years can be given citizenship right. But it has become a burden for Bangladesh. Bangladesh is an over populated country.So giving citizenship right to all Rohingya people may not be possible. But Bangladesh should give them the Refugee right according to the UNHCR convention of 1951 from humanitarian appeal that provides basic human rights for Refugees. But Bangladesh has not signed yet to UNHCR convention of 1951.

Bangladesh is providing citizenship right and minority right to the all ethnic minor people and they have their own culture, identity, language, religion etc. They are got extra privileges (quota) form the government in university job, government job etc. But Myanmar is depriving the Rohingya people for their own self-centered objectives. Buddhist extremism in Myanmar against Muslim is a revealed fact. Following that Bangladesh as well as international community need to focus their attention to ensure citizenship right and human rights of Rohingya people in Myanmar and to repatriate Rohingya people in Myanmar from Bangladesh.


Rohingya people are in poverty, lack of quality food, education, health care etc. in Bangladesh. Bangladesh government, UNHCR and other organizations are helping the registered 30000 Rohingya people in Kutupalong and Nayapara camp. But financial and food help to the people is not sustainable strategy. If they have freedom to take higher education, to work, to involve in business they could have develop themselves in a better way. Citizenship right is one of the basic rights for a human being. Without a citizenship and legal documentation, this whole minority group became deprived and barricaded to education, employment, business, free movement etc. If it is not possible to repatriate Rohingya people in Myanmar, Bangladesh needs to implement practical solution for the survival and development of the people. Following international human rights as humans, they should not be kept in exploited and inhuman situation for long time. Bangladesh must permit UNHCR to register all Rohingyas to ensure their human rights as refugee. If all the Rohingya people are registered as refugee, national and international organization can help them and can work for their upcoming development and improvement.

source 
1. Rohingya Vision 
2. UNHCR, The UN Refugee Agency

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