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No place at home for forgotten minority
Nyi Nyi Kyaw Mon, Feb 25, 2008 The Straits Times
THE stateless Rohingya Muslims of Myanmar have been discriminated against and excluded by consecutive governments since the 1960s, causing an exodus of the people to Bangladesh, Pakistan, Thailand, Malaysia and other countries. The mounting jihadist propaganda of today may push the more desperate Rohingyas towards extremism. To defuse this potential threat, international action and support may be necessary. The Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar's northern Rakhine (former Arakan) state number about two million, including a substantial diaspora community. Although among Myanmar's largest ethno-religious minority groups, the Rohingyas are not recognised as a distinct ethnic group by the military regime. Medicins Sans Frontieres, which has been involved in humanitarian assistance projects in Bangladesh, says the human rights violations suffered by the Rohingyas at the hands of the government are among the world's top 10 most under-reported stories of 2007.

An estimated 200,000 Rohingyas live in abject poverty across the border in Bangladesh. A small number of them - about 26,000 - are in refugee camps scattered along the Myanmar-Bangladesh border.

The Rohingyas were recognised as an indigenous ethnic group by the then-U Nu government during the parliamentary era of the 1950s. But the group lost its political and constitutional identity when the military government of General Ne Win promulgated the Citizenship Act of Burma in 1983, which effectively denied the Rohingyas recognition of their status as an ethnic minority group. Harsh discrimination soon followed.

This lack of citizenship has severely curtailed the group's economic opportunities and access to health and educational facilities. Their plight has been compounded by social customs which forbid the females of the tribe from seeking work outside the community. Not surprisingly, such conditions have sparked a migration of Rohingyas in search of a better life overseas.

Besides Bangladesh, the Rohingyas have fled to Thailand and Malaysia, at times by precarious means such as overcrowded boats. According to sources, about 15,000 Rohingyas entered Thailand last year alone. In many instances, they were arrested upon arrival as illegal immigrants and repatriated to Myanmar. But this outflow still continues.

In a press statement issued by Myanmar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Feb 26, 1992, the government declared: 'In actual fact, although there are (135) national races living in Myanmar today, the so-called Rohingya people are not one of them. Historically, there has never been a 'Rohingya' race in Myanmar.'

In response to criticisms from the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child in April 2004, the junta replied that it had granted full and equal treatment to the Rohingyas, as with other races, in matters relating to birth and death registration, education, health and social affairs.

The junta also said the Rohingyas are listed as a Bengali racial group and recognised as permanent residents of Myanmar.

In practice, the rights of the Rohingyas remain greatly restricted. The presence of the UNHCR (UN High Commissioner for Refugees) and other international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in northern Rakhine can only ameliorate the current plight of the Rohingyas. But without political will, their plight cannot be resolved.

The junta continues to deny full citizenship to the Rohingyas, curb their movements and control the growth of their population through restrictions in birth, death and marriage registration. Many in the community have been used as forced labour to build 'model' villages in Rakhine as part of resettlement initiatives targeted at increasing the non-Rohingya population in traditional Rohingya lands.

The plight of the Rohingyas has spawned several armed groups since the advent of military rule in 1962. These include the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO) and the Arakan Rohingya Islamic Front (ARIF) - both of which merged in 1996 to form the Rohingya National Alliance. In 1998, two RSO factions and ARIF merged to form the Arakan Rohingya National Organisation.

After the arrival of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh in 1991-1992, some armed Rohingya groups became active in the camps. Amnesty International says these groups have split into several smaller factions in recent years and are reportedly operating from small bases along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border. They do not appear to command a large following.

However, there is a possibility of these resistance groups linking up with foreign extremist organisations. Several reports have surfaced of the activities of foreign extremists among Rohingya populations, though the evidence is sketchy. Some 350,000 Rohingyas are thought to be living in Pakistan, where a climate of sectarianism and religious extremism looms large.

While it is difficult to see light at the end of the tunnel, recent developments might alleviate the plight of the Rohingyas. For example, Bangladesh has softened its position on Rohingya refugees on its soil and allowed humanitarian support to trickle through.

Last December, the European Union donated US$15 million (S$21 million) to help in the relocation of thousands of Rohingyas from their overcrowded refugee camps in Bangladesh to new shelters.

Still, there is much more that the international community can and should do to improve the living and education standards of Myanmar's forgotten Rohingya minority, as well as press for its political recognition.

This is vital if the marginalised Rohingyas are to be insulated from the forces of extremism and jihadism, which are ever on the lookout for new and fertile soil to grow.

The writer, a Muslim native of Myanmar, is studying for his MSc at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Singapore.

STATE OF DENIAL

"In actual fact, although there are (135) national races living in Myanmar today, the so-called Rohingya people are not one of them. Historically, there has never been a 'Rohingya' race in Myanmar."
MYANMAR'S MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, in 1992