Image: BBC
This morning, Myanmar and Bangladesh had reached an agreement to return many Rohingya, a Muslim ethnic minority, that had fled Myanmar after being persecuted by the army there. This comes a day after the United States called the crisis an "ethnic cleansing," as well as the UN condemning the situation. The return will take place in two months, however, the details of the exchange are vague. Bangladesh does not want to take in any more, as it currently had more than 400,000 refugees in the country before a recent influx that increased the total to close to 1 million Rohingya.
Many view this as a step in the right direction to solve the issue. But, many Rohingya refugees are skeptical and terrified of this agreement, citing the mistreatment by Burmese army. They are also concerned about the ethnic Buddhist majority in Myanmar, as they have been accused of aiding the pogroms from the army. Lastly, many Rohingya want their land back, as the Burmese government had confiscated it, as well as to be treated as citizens.
The Burmese government has vehemently denied the claims, as well as they have not recognized the Rohingya as an ethnic minority, not using the term "Rohingya" in a released statement.
Questions
Do you think that this solution will work? If not, what can be done to help the Rohingya?
What should the international community do? Should there be more intervention/pressuring of the international community?
As shown, with pressure from the international community, the Burmese government has responded by making a deal with the Bangladeshi government. Maybe more can be done to
Links:
NY Times
Washington Post
BBC
2 comments:
This solution will not work. If the Rohingya are sent back to Myanmar they would only be subjected more abuse. I do not understand why Myanmar would want the Rohingya repatriated if they were treated as second class citizens and were subjected to genocide. The Rohingya should not be forced to return their countries even if the Myanmar promises their safety. Even though there has been a clear Myanmar/Rohingya crisis Myanmar has denied all claims of genocide and ethnic cleansing against them. I think there needs to be an intervention. These Rohingya need a new home and forcing them back to Myanmar is not a good deal for them.
I agree with Tommy, I don't think forcing the Rohingya back to Myanmar will solve the issue of ethnic cleansing, and I think that other countries should open up their borders and allow the Rohingya to take refuge. The international community can help pressure the government by using the media to bring attention to this issue. There is a lack of focus on foreign events in the US and they are not covered as often as domestic issues, so the media could play a huge role by showing the world the violence occurring in Myanmar and raise awareness on this issue.
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