Fleeing Buddhist Rakhine residents arrive by ship in Maungdaw region, Myanmar, on Tuesday. Recent violence in Myanmar\'s western Rakhine State has driven out thousands of Muslim Rohingya, who are fleeing toward Bangladesh for safety. But less noticed is a smaller exodus of Buddhists from the Rakhine minority.
YANGON, TUESDAY – The crisis in Myanmar’s Rakhine state may potentially turn into a humanitarian crisis. At least 6,000 Rohingya people are currently stranded on the border between Myanmar and Bangladesh after fleeing their homes in war-torn Rakhine. They are living in uncertainty since the Bangladeshi authority banned them from entering the country on Tuesday (29/8).
The huts they had erected in the borderland area were torn down by the military’s border security. A number of refugees have been separated from their families. “I was in the toilet when the border patrol evicted my parents. Where can I find them now?” Rohingya girl Marium, 11, said with tears in her eyes after she was separated from her parents.
Since Friday, there has been a continuous influx of refugees as clashes between the Myanmar military and Rohingya militants rage in Rohingya villages. The United Nations’ High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) said that at least 5,200 Rohingya people had attempted to cross into Bangladesh. A majority of them, however, were stopped at the border.
They were not allowed to enter Bangladeshi territory despite the ongoing hostilities in Rakhine. A Bangladeshi border patrol officer said that more than 10,000 Rohingya people currently live in uncertainty and danger. They are believed to be hiding in the hills and forests.
Since the sectarian conflict erupted along the Myanmar-Bangladesh border, including the attacks on police posts in Maungdauw late last year, the Cox’s Bazaar refugee camp in Bangladesh has been packed with Rohingya refugees. Around 400,000 Rohingya people are currently living in huts and tents at the camp.
Based on the increasingly critical situation in Rakhine, UNHCR spokesperson Adrian Edwards urged Bangladesh to open its border gates. Edwards reaffirmed UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres’s request for Bangladesh to help the Rohingya people, especially those who were injured.
Instead of helping, the Bangladeshi authority has proposed a joint operation with Myanmar to fight Rohingya militants of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), which has said that they would fight to protect the Rohingya people. The joint operation will be taken to curb the influx of refugees.
Apart from the Rohingya, thousands of other villagers in northern Rakhine have also been evacuated to cities, monasteries and police stations. The Myanmarese government said that around 500 people had arrived in Rakhine’s capital of Sittwe.
International response
In Myanmar, the Rohingya people are not acknowledged as citizens. They are called Bengals – a name for illegal migrants from Bangladesh. In Rakhine, their mobility is limited and the provision of basic services are strictly controlled or even neglected. Myanmarese Home Affairs Minister Kyaw Swe’s statement in Yangon, that there were no Rohingya in Myanmar, reaffirmed the stigma on illegal migrants.
In response to the social, political and security situation in Rakhine, former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, who leads an independent commission, has urged Myanmarese authorities to find a solution to acknowledge the citizenship of Rohingya people. The UN has also urged the Myanmarese forces to restrain themselves.
Meanwhile, Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said that the country would be prepared to receive Rohingnya refugees. “We will give them a secure place to live, like we did before, and we will send them back home once they are ready,” Prayuth said.
Thailand is a transit route for Rohingya people fleeing their homes in Rakhine. However, they often fall victim to human smuggling and trafficking. An operation by the Thai police in 2015 caused a human trafficking syndicate to switch its operations to a sea-based route.
In Jakarta, the Indonesian government asked all parties involved in the Rakhine conflict to end the violence. Foreign Minister Retno Lestari Priansari Marsudi said that all parties involved in the conflict must consider humanitarian issues. “We should not create more victims, especially among civilians. We emphasize all parties not to commit violence that will exacerbate the situation,” Retno said at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta.
Retno said that she regretted and was concerned over the reemerging violence, which would only create a new cycle of violence. Indonesia continued to observe the situation as it developed.
She said inclusive security and protection must be provided for the people in Rakhine. Retno added that she was in contact with Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Abul Hasan Mahmood Ali and Kofi Annan.
“In my talk with the Myanmarese National Security Adviser, I emphasized that Indonesia remained committed to working together and providing assistance to the Myanmarese government in order to resolve the situation and to build peace in Rakhine state,” said Retno.
