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| Steve Gumaer/Creative Commons |
The refugees are fleeing persecution in the predominantly Buddhist country where they are denied rights and citizenship. In 2012, tensions between the Rohingya Muslims and ethnic Rakhine Buddhists erupted into bloody riots and since then, there has been an anti-Muslim sentiment throughout the country. The last major assault before the most recent one was in 2016, when nine policemen died on border patrol. The government cracked down on the attacks, which spread allegations of rape, torture, and killing of Rohingya in Myanmar.
Last week, Rohingya insurgents (Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army) attacked a few dozen Rakhine police posts. The violence has prompted a response from the security forces, and over 100 people have died and 27,000 were forced to relocate from their home in northern Rakhine to the neighboring country Bangladesh. The Myanmar police are brutal, with satellite imagery from the Human Rights Watch showing them burning the homes of refugees and attacking any non-Buddhists with sticks, guns, and knives. Some Hindus and other Buddhists have fled the country as well after being attacked by Rakhine forces. Hundreds of people are currently stranded in no-man's land at the country's border.
Rohingya Refugee Map
Discussion Questions:
Should the United States intervene and help with this situation? Should the United Nations do more? How and why?
Are human rights laws being violated? If so, what consequences should the Burmese government (government of Myanmar) face?
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4 comments:
I do not believe the United States nor the UN are on any grounds to intervene in Myanmar on behalf of the Rohingya because the evidence that has been provided has been very minimal and nearly no country would want to bear the weight of nearly 1 million refugees on their economy. One interesting part of the crisis is that the Rohingya are not even recognized as an ethnic group and haven't been since the Burmese Military Junta took control of the government in 1962. The Rohingya have been trying to establish their independence since 1947 and initially utilized brutal jihadist tactics to spread fear in surrounding communities. On the flip side, the Burmese military had been equally as harsh, waging war against the Rohingya for nearly 30 years. Neither side is absolved of guilt and it will remain this way until the mentality changes. Having visited Myanmar, I first hand heard how the Bamar people perceived Muslims, as "terrorists with no morals."
I think if we have learned anything from the Israel/ Palestine situation it is that no religious discrepancies can be resolved overnight, especially when violence is a cornerstone tactic for the advancement of a group's cause.
Yes, human rights might be violated but if the government is so protective of the situation as to prevent any journalists from witnessing actual evidence of atrocities, it just looks like the boy who cried wolf.
-Nick Hudson
I believe that the UN should intervene in this because human rights are concerned and the refugee crisis is spreading around the world to societies with unstable or corrupt governments. However, like Nick said in his comment, there cannot be just one ocuntry to take in all of these immigrants. Much like how the Syrian refugee crisis has been handled, it takes the effort of multiple countries to take in their fair shares of refugees. Preferably these countries would be close to Burma so that it is logistically easier and there's not so much of a culture change when they reach new lands. I do believe that human rights are being violated, however, I also believe that no country is sovereign over another, so I'm not sure what the consequences would be for the Burmese government except condemnation and maybe trade embargoes from neighboring countries.
I agree with aspects of Nick and Theo's comments. I support the US's non-involvement in the issue, as it has attempted to intervene in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and lacked a consistent policy to aid negotiations. Religious conflicts are also dicey, and, like Theo said, require the aid of multiple countries. The problem with third-party intervention is the aiding countries usually have something to gain from a certain negotiation, and therefore can not remain objective. Because the US's foreign policy often shifts every 4 years, miring itself in another religious conflict would be detrimental. That said, the US can aid refugees through the UN, or through private charities.
For the human rights violation, personally I believe the religious persecution of any group, especially one that involves violence and the displacement of people native to the region, is a human rights violation. However, I recognize the UN has established criteria to determine an official human rights violation, and I am not familiar with these enough to take an objective stance.
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