The crisis among the Rohingya seems to have come a full circle in Myanmar with many members of the minority community attempting to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh, to escape escalating violence and an alleged military crackdown in their Rakhine state. This is ironic: Rakhine is home to more than a million Rohingya Muslims. Yet, they are not recognised as Myanmar’s citizens.
While the Myanmar government has rejected accusations that the military has killed Rohingya residents fleeing the conflict in the north-west of the country, witnesses and Bangladeshi officials say that some people trying to flee have been shot and killed. Local activists have also claimed that hundreds of homes have been razed, a claim the government rejects. Instead, it points to attacks by alleged militants on Myanmar border posts on October 9, which triggered an unprecedented mobilisation of soldiers into the area.
There has been a condemnable turn of events in a country where the foreign minister is a Nobel Peace Prize winner and a veteran champion of human rights. Contrary to the claims of Aung San Suu Kyi, independent observers agree that the Myanmar government has hardly made any effort to look into the allegations of human rights violations against the Rohingya. Instead, the military apparatus seems to have been given a carte blanche to step up their operations.
Like any other community in the world, the Rohingya should also have access to fundamental civil rights: Citizenship, freedom of worship, education, marriage and travel. It is therefore incumbent upon the Myanmar government to provide the community the basic safety and security that any human being deserves and also engage it in fruitful dialogue to settle all outstanding issues. The language of violence will only perpetuate further turmoil and tragedy before spiralling out of control.
