2015 Rohingya refugee crisis

The 2015 Rohingya refugee crisis refers to the mass migration of people from Myanmar (formerly known as Burma) in 2015, collectively dubbed "boat people" by international media.[1][2] Nearly all who fled traveled to Southeast Asian countries including Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand by rickety boats via the waters of the Strait of Malacca and the Andaman Sea.[2][3][4][5]

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that 25,000 people have been taken to boats from January to March in 2015 by migrant smugglers.[6][7] There are claims that, while on their journey, around 100 people died in Indonesia,[8] 200 in Malaysia,[9] and 10 in Thailand,[10] after the traffickers abandoned them at sea.[11][12]

In October 2015, researchers from the International State Crime Initiative at Queen Mary University of London released a report drawing on leaked government documents that reveal an increasing "ghettoization, sporadic massacres, and restrictions on movement" on Rohingya peoples. The researchers suggest that the Myanmar government are in the final stages of an organized process of genocide against the Rohingya and have called upon the international community to redress the situation as such.[13]But not all refugees are Rohingya. Many Bangladeshis trying to escape grinding poverty are also among the migrants. So, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina slammed the country's economic migrants, many of whom are stranded in dire conditions at sea, calling them "mentally sick" and accusing them of hurting the country's image. Calling the boat people from Bangladesh "mentally sick" for fleeing in search of jobs, the premier said they "could have better lives in Bangladesh".[14]

Background

The Rohingya people are a Muslim minority group residing in the western state of Rakhine, Myanmar, formerly known as Arakan.[15] The religion of this ethnic group is a variation of the Sunni religion. The Rohingya people are considered "stateless entities", as the Myanmar government does not recognize them as an ethnic group. Thus, they lack legal protection from the Government of Myanmar, are regarded as refugees from Bangladesh, and face strong hostility in the country. The Rohingya people have been described as one of the most persecuted people on earth.[16][17][18] The Rohingya often try to enter Southeast Asian states illegally and request humanitarian support from host countries.[19]

According to the historians,"Rohingya have been living in Arakan (referred to the area now known as Rakhine) from time immemorial." During the British colonization of Myanmar (then Burma) between 1824 and 1948, migration of laborers from India and Bangladesh to Myanmar was significant. Bangladesh was formed in 1971 as a result of partition of India and Pakistan after 1947. According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), this kind of migration was considered an internal movement because the British administered Myanmar as a province of India, although the native population viewed the migration of laborers negatively. After the independence of Myanmar in 1948, the government declared this migration illegal. Citizenship was denied to the Rohingya population. The Rohingya were excluded from the Union Citizenship Act. In 1982, a new citizenship law was passed that also did not include Rohingya in the list of country's 135 ethnic groups. The law established three levels of citizenship, the most basic level, naturalization, requiring proof of family living in Myanmar prior to 1948. The Rohingya generally lacked such documents as their family were initially denied citizenship. In the 1970s, the Myanmar military began a campaign of brutal crackdowns in Rohingya villages, forcing the Rohingya population to flee Myanmar.[20] Many Rohingya migrated illegally to predominantly Buddhist Bengali villages.

On 1 May, 2015, some 32 shallow graves were discovered on a remote mountain in Thailand, at a so-called "waiting area" where illegal migrants were being held before being smuggled into Malaysia. A Bangladeshi migrant was found alive in the grave and was later treated at a local hospital, as related to Thai news agencies.[21][22] On 22 May, 2015, however, the Myanmar navy rescued 208 migrants at sea. These migrants confirmed having fled from Bangladesh.[23] Following this incident, nationalist protests erupted in the capital, calling for the international community to stop blaming Myanmar for the Rohingya crisis.[24]

On 24 May 2015, Malaysian police discovered 139 suspected graves in a series of abandoned camps used by human traffickers on the border with Thailand where Rohingya Muslims fleeing Burma were believed to have been held.[25][26]

The dominant ethnic group in the region, the Rakhine, reject the label "Rohingya". Specific laws pertaining to this population impose restrictions on "marriage, family planning, employment, education, religious choice, and freedom of movement" (Albert 3). The people in Myanmar also face widespread poverty, with 78% of families living below the poverty line. Tensions between the Rohingya and the other religious groups have recently exploded into conflict. Beginning in 2012, the first incident occurred when a group of Rohingya men were accused of the rape and murder of a Buddhist woman (Albert 4). Buddhist nationalists retaliated by killing and burning Rohingya homes. The international community responded by denouncing this "campaign of ethnic cleansing". Many Rohingya were placed in internment camps, and more than 120,000 remain housed there. In 2015, "more than 40 Rohingya were massacred in the village of Du Chee Yar Tan by local men, the U.N. confirmed. Among the findings were 10 severed heads in a water tank, including those of children" (Westcott 1).

Statistics

Bangladesh is home to 32,000 registered Rohingya refugees who are sheltering in two camps in the southeastern district of Cox’s Bazar.[27] Agence France-Presse reported in May 2015 that another 300,000[28] unregistered Rohingya refugees were living in Bangladesh, most of them near the two official camps.[29]

According to Reuters, more than 140,000 of the estimated 800,000 to 1,100,000 Rohingya[30] have been forced to seek refuge in displacement camps after the 2012 Rakhine State riots.[31] To escape the systemic violence and persecution in Myanmar, an estimated 100,000 people[32] have since fled the camps.[33]

In late May, 2015, about 3,000 - 3,500 Rohingya refugees traveling to other countries in Southeast Asia, from Myanmar and Bangladesh, had been rescued, or had swum to shore — while several thousand more were believed to be trapped with little food or water on the boats floating at sea.[29][34]

The number of Rohingya refugees in the U.S. has increased significantly since 2014. In 2015, the number of Refugees from Myanmar jumped from 650 to 2,573. Another 2,173 Rohingya refugees arrived in 2016. President Obama removed the sanctions originally imposed on Myanmar which enabled the U.S. to help more refugees. Migration to the United States from Asia rose after passage of the Immigration and Nationality Act passed in 1965. With these two acts, the quota for immigrants was lifted and Asian and Arab immigrants were once again able to come to the United States. Today the biggest population of Rohingya refugees and immigrants in the U.S. can be found in Chicago, Illinois.

Responses

Malaysia

Malaysia had at first refused to provide refuge to the people reaching its shore but agreed to "provide provisions and send them away".[35] Malaysia and Indonesia later agreed to provide temporary refuge to the Rohingya.[36]

Indonesia

Indonesia, concurrent with Malaysia, agreed to provide temporary refuge to the Rohingya.[36]

Australian foreign affairs minister Julie Bishop said that Indonesia believed only 30 to 40 percent of those at sea were Rohingya, with the remainder mostly being Bangladeshi "illegal labourers."[37]

Thailand

Thailand said that it would provide humanitarian assistance and would not turn away boats that wish to enter its waters.[38]

Philippines

In 2015, under the administration of President Noynoy Aquino, the Philippines government expressed their wish to provide shelter for up to 3,000 "boat people" from Myanmar and Bangladesh. As a signatory to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, the country abides by the rules of international law and will provide assistance to refugees.[39] Malacañang Palace also noted in a statement that this follows the country's harbouring and assistance to Vietnamese boat people fleeing from Vietnam in the late 1970s.[40]

The Gambia

The government of The Gambia also expressed their concern and wished to take in stranded boat people saying, “it is a sacred duty to help alleviate the untold hardships and sufferings fellow human beings are confronted with.”[41]

Bangladesh

Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina called her own country's economic migrants "mentally sick" and said that they could have better lives in Bangladesh, and complained they were discrediting Bangladesh by leaving.[42]

Shortly thereafter, the Bangladeshi Government announced plans to relocate the 32,000 registered Rohingya refugees who have spent years in camps near the Myanmar border (the 200,000 unregistered other refugees were not officially part of the government's relocation plan.)[29][43] Initially, Thengar Char, an island 18 miles east of Hatiya Island was reportedly selected for the relocation.[44] A subsequent report put the location as 200 hectares selected on Hatiya Island, a nine-hour, land-and-sea journey from the camps.[29]

On 28 September 2018, Sheikh Hasina the president of Bangladesh spoke at the 73rd united nations General Assembly. She said there are 1.1 million Rohingya refugees now in Bangladesh.[45]

Mohammad Islam, a Rohingya leader living in one of the camps, asked the Bangladesh government to reconsider, citing extensive suffering already endured by the displaced Rohingyas, and insisted that they want the Bangladeshi government and international organizations to solve the Rohingya's future while the remain the current camps. The UN refugee agency that has been aiding the camp refugees, since 1991, said such a relocation would have to be voluntary if it is to succeed.[29]

India

India refused to let the refugees enter their country because it posed national security threats. However, it was found that around 40,000 Rohingya's immigrants have taken shelter in Assam, West Bengal and Jammu & Kashmir. The news created a dissatisfaction among the general public that Rohingya Muslim settlements in Jammu (city) will change the demography of Hindu majority and may lead to violence in the future by giving reference to the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus by Kashmiri Muslims earlier. The presence of Rohingya Muslims in Jammu is thus considered as a sensitive issue for Indian security. The Indian security establishments opinioned that "Some Rohingyas sympathizing with many militant group's ideologies may be active in Jammu, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Mewat and can be a potential threat to internal security."[46]

On September 7, 2017 Kiren Rijiju, junior Home Minister of India have said "all the Rohingya refugees are illegal immigrants and will be deported back".[47] He, however, refused to mention when, where and how they will be deported back. The statement invited criticism from United Nations on which Rijiju responded by saying "India has the highest number of refugees in the entire world[48], hence India does not need lecture on refugee crisis and Management." On Sept 10, 2017, Ministry of External Affairs (India) on request of Govt. of Bangladesh urged Govt. of Myanmar through an official response to end violence, to restore normalcy in the State, and to "act restraint" with the issue in the Rakhine state, as many refugees flee to the neighbouring countries.

A case by the name of "Muhammad Salimullah v UOI" has been also filed by Rohingya Muslims to challenge the Indian government's decision to deport them back[49]. The Supreme Court of India has stated that it will hear the arguments based only on points of law and have asked to avoid emotional arguments as the issue is related to the humanitarian cause. The court heard the case on 3rd Oct and fixed October 13 as the next hearing.[50] Indian Government lawyer Tushar Mehta told the court during the last hearing that Rohingya refugees will add economic pressure on Indian populace and also due to their militant activities against Myanmar government can pose a security threat to an already existing militancy situation prevailing in India unleashed by such like-minded organization. The last hearings happened on 31st January 2018 where Senior Counsel Prashant Bhushan appearing for petitioners argued that Rohingya Refugees are being denied bare necessities like medical care and access to school. He also prayed that Right to Non- Refoulment (Right against expulsion) should be applied to Rohingya trying to enter India also and not just to Rohingya already living in India. The matter has been listed for 22nd February 2018[51].

The Rohingya Refugee crises has become a major issue for India and Bangladesh. Fleeing population blames the security forces back in Myanmar for burning their villages, rapes, and mass killings. In addition, the Rohingya Muslim population is now stateless as Myanmar rejected citizenship to Rohingya people. Myanmar does not want its 1.1m Rohingya population because they are considered as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.[52] Due to this refugee crises, refugees are entering Bangladesh and Indian territory by illegal means. Bangladesh foreign secretary Md. Shahidul Haque has said, "We look forward to resolving the issue peacefully and expect that the international community will support that, especially our close friend, India."[53]

After Bangladesh informed India about the problem of rising Rohingya Refugees, India extended its support with the "Operation Insaniyat". The word Insaniyat is an Urdu word, which means "Humanity" in English. On September 14, in response to the crises, the Government of India began "Operation Insaniyat" as Humanitarian aid to Bangladesh Government to manage the huge Rohingya refugee influx. Indian foreign ministry stated that India will provide free food materials, tea, mosquito nets and technical assistance to Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.[54]

Under the "Operation Insaniyat", a group of Sikh volunteers of Khalsa from India reached Bangladesh-Myanmar Border and organized Langar (Sikhism) for thousands of refugees living in camps. On September 14, the volunteers prepared food for some 35,000 refugees. The Indian government has also sent 53 Tonnes of relief materials like ready to eat noodles, salt, biscuits, mosquito nets, pulses, sugar, etc.[55] The relief materials were brought by the Indian air force plane to Chittagong on September 14, 2017.

United States

The State Department of United States expressed its intent to take in Rohingya refugees as part of international efforts.[56]

Then US president Barack Obama urged Myanmar to end discrimination against the Rohingya minority on 2 June 2015.[57]

Since 2002 the United States has allowed 13,000 Myanmar refugees. Chicago, home to RefugeeOne, has one of the largest populations of Rohingyas in the United States. However, even with the refugees finding safe haven in Chicago, there is still a hard life to face. The new immigrant children whose parents are not with them are easy pickings for the gangs in Chicago. “When we are selecting neighborhoods we have to be very careful about the crime rate and gang recruitment, because the majority of refugees come with kids" (Mclauglin 1).

References

  1. ↑ Dipankan Bandopadhyay. "Reflections on the Rohingya Crisis". Politics Now. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  2. 1 2 "The Rohingya boat crisis: why refugees are fleeing Burma". Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  3. ↑ Hookway, James (22 May 2015). "Rohingya Refugee Crisis Likely to Ease During Monsoon, but Only Temporarily". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  4. ↑ "South-east Asia migrant crisis: Gambia offers to resettle all Rohingya refugees". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  5. ↑ Al-Zaquan Amer Hamzah; Aubrey Belford (17 May 2015). "Pressure mounts on Myanmar over Asia 'boat people' crisis". Reuters. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  6. ↑ "Malaysia tells thousands of Rohingya refugees to 'go back to your country'". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  7. ↑ "Bay of Bengal people-smuggling doubles in 2015: UNHCR". Reuters. 8 May 2015.
  8. ↑ "Rohingya migrants 'died in fight for food' on boat". The Pakistan Today. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  9. ↑ Langsa, Kate Lamb in. "'They hit us, with hammers, by knife': Rohingya migrants tell of horror at sea". the Guardian. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  10. ↑ "SE Asia migrants 'killed in fight for food' on boat - BBC News". Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  11. ↑ Ng, Eileen (25 May 2015). "Rohingya seek better life in Malaysia, but reality is stark". Huffington Post. AP. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  12. ↑ Rachman, Anita; Mahtani, Shibani (25 May 2015). "Indonesia Joins Search for Bangladeshi and Rohingya Muslim Migrants at Sea". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  13. ↑ "Campaigns of violence towards Rohingya are highly organised and genocidal in intent". Queen Mary University of London. 29 October 2015. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
  14. ↑ "Migrants 'mentally sick', says Bangladeshi PM". 25 May 2015. Archived from the original on 25 May 2015. Retrieved 13 June 2018.
  15. ↑ Sydney, By. "Who are the Rohingya are boat people?". The Telegraph. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  16. ↑ "Rohingya boat people: Myanmar's shame". The Economist. 23 May 2015. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  17. ↑ "Report documents 'Rohingya persecution'". Al Jazeera. 23 April 2013. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  18. ↑ "Why Burma's Rohingya Muslims are among the world's most persecuted people". CBC News. 25 May 2015. Retrieved 31 May 2015.
  19. ↑ "Rohingya refugee crisis shames Southeast Asia | The Japan Times". Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  20. ↑ "Myanmar: Who are the Rohingya?". Aljazeera. 28 September 2017. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
  21. ↑ Star Online Report. "Bangladeshi migrants' mass grave in Thailand!". The Daily Star. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  22. ↑ "Bangladeshi migrants' mass grave in Thailand!". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  23. ↑ "The Latest on Rohingya: US envoy says address root causes". Retrieved 28 May 2015.
  24. ↑ "Monks, Activists Stage Protest Against Rohingya in Myanmar". Radio Free Asia. Retrieved 28 May 2015.
  25. ↑ "Malaysia finds mass graves of suspected migrants". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  26. ↑ "Malaysia finds 'migrant' mass graves near Thai border". BBC News. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  27. ↑ "Food cards for 32,000 Rohingya refugees". Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  28. ↑ "Intent to deceive". The Daily Star. 2018-03-31. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
  29. 1 2 3 4 5 Agence France-Presse report: "Bangladesh plans to move Rohingya refugees to island in the south," 2015-05-27 The Guardian, retrieved 19 February 2017
  30. ↑ "Myanmar's Rakhine State denies persecution at root of migrant crisis". Reuters. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  31. ↑ "Burma military chief claims refugees pretending to be Rohingya to get aid". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  32. ↑ "More than 100,000 'have now fled Myanmar'". Aljazeera. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  33. ↑ "More Than 10,000 People Fled Myanmar In 2 Weeks". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  34. ↑ "Migrant crisis — the boats and the numbers". Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  35. ↑ "Pushed back - Malaysia refuses safe haven to abandoned refugees". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  36. 1 2 "The Latest on Rohingya: Australia won't take in migrants". The San Diego Union Tribune. Associated Press. 19 May 2015.
  37. ↑ "Crisis refugees Bangladeshi workers: Indo". AAP. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  38. ↑ "Indonesia and Malaysia Agree to Take Rohingya and Bangladeshi Boat Migrants". Newsweek. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  39. ↑ Esmaquel II, Paterno (18 May 2015). "PH open to sheltering 3,000 'boat people'". Rappler. Agence France-Presse. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  40. ↑ Beh, Lih Yi; various, agencies (19 May 2015). "Philippines offers refuge to desperate migrants trapped on boats". Retrieved 31 May 2015. “The Philippines has extended humanitarian assistance to ... ‘boat people’ and had even established a processing centre for Vietnamese travellers in the 70s”, said Herminio Coloma, a spokesman for the president, Benigno Aquino.
  41. ↑ France-Presse, Agence. "South-east Asia migrant crisis: Gambia offers to resettle all Rohingya refugees". the Guardian. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  42. ↑ "Migrants 'mentally sick', says Bangladeshi PM". The Malaysian Insider. Agence France-Presse. Archived from the original on 25 May 2015. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
  43. ↑ "Bangladesh plans to move Rohingya refugees to island in the south". the Guardian. Agence France-Presse. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  44. ↑ "Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh face relocation to island". BBC. 30 January 2017. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
  45. ↑ Bangladesh point finger at Myanmar for Rohingya 'genocide'
  46. ↑ "Rohingya presence poses national security threat: Centre to SC". September 18, 2017. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
  47. ↑ "Rohingyas to be deported, don't preach India on refugees: Kiren Rijiju - The Economic Times". 2017-09-27. Retrieved 2017-09-28.
  48. ↑ "Ten countries host half of the world's refugees: report". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2018-04-21.
  49. ↑ http://scobserver.clpr.org.in/cases/rohingya-deportation-case/
  50. ↑ "SC to hear Rohingya refugees' plea on October 13". Times of India. October 3, 2017. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
  51. ↑ http://scobserver.clpr.org.in/rohingya-deportation-case-day-3-arguments/
  52. ↑ "India Calls On Myanmar To Act With Restraint In Rakhine". NDTV. September 10, 2017. Retrieved 7 October 2017.
  53. ↑ Mohan, Geeta. "India, Bangladesh discuss Rohingya crisis". indiatoday. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
  54. ↑ "Operation Insaniyat - Humanitarian assistance to Bangladesh on account of influx of refugees". MEA, Government of India. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
  55. ↑ "Sikh Group Begins Aid Work In Bangladesh, Langar Feeds 35,000 Rohingya Muslims On The First Day". india times. September 15, 2017. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
  56. ↑ "U.S. Is Willing to Take in Rohingya Boat People". Time Magazine. Associated Press. 20 May 2015. Archived from the original on 20 June 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  57. ↑ "Obama calls on Myanmar to end 'discrimination' against Rohingya". The Times of India. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
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