Bangladesh: Keep Border Open For Rohingya Refugees

This post is part of our special coverage Myanmar's Rohingya.

After a recent sectarian violence between Rohingya and Rakhaine in Western Mayanmar, Bangladesh has ordered its border guards, coast guards and local administration to heighten vigilance along its border with Myanmar anticipating an influx of refugees. The decision certainly surprised the human rights groups and the UN as the country is already sheltering hundreds of thousands of Rohinga refugees who crossed the border due to repression during the last three decades. Bangladeshi netizens questions the decision of the government on humane grounds, though admitting as well that the country is incapable of hosting more refugees.

Rohingya minorities are considered as the most persecuted group in Asia. About 800,000 Rohingyas live in Myanmar, and 200,000 are living in miserable conditions in Bangladesh as a refugees. Rohingya blogger reports:

Discrimination against the Rohingyas has never been subtle. They are not allowed to travel within Myanmar, nor to serve in the police—technically, they do not even have citizenship (though this has been questioned in parliament). But their persecution has suddenly turned fervid. [..]

Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya have crossed into Bangladesh since Burma’s independence, fleeing racial and religious persecution not just at the hands of their Buddhist countrymen, the Buddhist Rakhines, but also the Burmese national authorities.

Many Rohingyas are migrating to Bangladesh due to unstable situation in Myanmar. Image by Khamin. Copyright Demotix.

These people are also being persecuted online calling them as “Bengalis”, notes Rohingya blogger:

Many of the comments posted online call for ethnic cleansing.

Todd Pitman posts the background about this hatred in Huffington post:

The Myanmar government regards Rohingyas mostly as illegal migrants from Bangladesh, even though many of their families have lived in Myanmar for generations. Bangladesh rejects them just as stridently.

Myanmar's consul general in Hong Kong – now a U.N. ambassador – described the Rohingya as “ugly as ogres” in an open letter to diplomats in which he compared their “dark brown” skin to that of the “fair and soft” ethnic Burmese majority. [..]

One Burmese actress posted “I hate them 100%” on her Facebook wall on Monday as the fires burned. By Thursday, her comment had nearly 250 “likes.”

The Bangladeshi netizens are divided on this issue as intense debate is ensuing on how to help solve the problem. Blogger Probir Bidhan reminded that 10 million Bangladeshi refugees were sheltered by India during the country's liberation war and most of them returned. He urged to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh [bn]:

এদের চিকিৎসা নিশ্চিত করুন এবং দাঙ্গা না থামা পর্যন্ত কিছুদিনের জন্য এদের থাকতে দিন;পাশাপাশি এখন থেকেই কূটনৈতিক কার্যক্রমকে এগিয়ে নিন। যেন পরিস্থিতি শান্ত হলে সকল শরনার্থীদের ফেরত পাঠানো যায়।

Please ensure medical treatment to them (Rohinga refugees) and let them stay for a few days till the riots come to an end. Simultaneously please go ahead with diplomatic negotiations so that the refugees can be sent back after the situation calms down.

Sultan Mirza points [bn] that many Rohingya refugees are living in deplorable conditions in Bangladesh camps which has not improved even after receiving the UN and other international aids. He wrote,

শরনার্থী শিবিরে রোহিঙ্গারা বসবাস করছে মানবেতর অবস্থায়। বাংলাদেশে আশ্রয় নেওয়া রোহিঙ্গারা বিভিন্ন ধরনের অপরাধমূলক কর্মকান্ডে জড়িয়ে পড়ছে। কক্সবাজার, টেকনাফ সীমান্ত এলাকায় রোহিঙ্গা শরণার্থীরা যুক্ত হয়ে পড়েছে মাদক ব্যবসায়ের সাথে। চোরাপথে অস্ত্র ও মাদক ব্যবসায়ে রোহিঙ্গাদের সম্পৃক্ততার প্রমাণ আছে। তাছাড়া দেশে জঙ্গী শক্তি বিকাশে রোহিঙ্গারা সম্পৃক্ত তারও প্রমাণ আছে।

In the refugee camps, Rohingyas are living miserably. Few of them had indulged into criminal activities. In the border of Cox’s Bazar and Teknaf they are involved in drug peddling. Their involvement in gun smuggling and drug trafficking has been proven. There are evidences of their linkage with the Islamic militancy.

Uttar Purush commented on that post criticizing the UN for not been able to send the Rohingyas from the refugee camps back to Myanmar in decades and revealed a popular conspiracy theory:

বাংলাদেশের জামাত ও জামাত পন্থী গোষ্ঠী সমূহ এবং কিছু আরব দেশ কিন্তু খানিকটে বাড়িয়েই চিন্তা করছে গত কয়েক দশক যাবত আর সেটি হচ্ছে পার্বত্য চট্টগ্রাম ও আরাকানকে নিয়ে একটি মুসলিম রাষ্ট্র গঠন করার পরিকল্পনা।

Jamat-e-Islami (an Islamic Party in Bangladesh) and it’s alliances with support form few Middle Eastern countries have a plan to create a Muslim Country comprising of Chittagong Hill Tracts (Bangladesh) and Arakan (Burma).

Islami Chhatra Morcha conduct a procession in the city protesting against the killing of Rohingya muslims in Myanmar. Hundreds of Muslims fleeing sectarian violence in Myanmar tried to enter Bangladesh, but many were turned away. Image by Firoz Ahmed. Copyright Demotix (June 14, 2012)

The Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Dr. Dipu Moni has recently told in parliament [bn] that Myanmar has complained to Bangladesh that Jamaat-e-Islami is creating unrest in Myanmar by instigating violence through Rohingyas. She also urged the international aid agencies to help the Rohingyas inside Myanmar as sanctions have already been lifted from Myanmar.

Blogger & poet Bratya Raisu wrote in his facebook criticizing the government move to not accept the refugees in distress on the ground that some of them are involved in crime. Digital Sannashi questions:

রোহিঙ্গাদের রক্তের রঙ কি কালো? সব রোহিঙ্গা কি অপরাধী? নিষ্পাপ শিশুগুলো ও কি ইয়াবা পাচার করে?

Is the color of the Rohingya blood black? Is every Rohingya criminal? Do innocent children also smuggle Yaba (a popular intoxicating drug from Burma)?

Blogger Syed Riaz [bn] wrote about the history of Rohingya influx in Bangladesh which begun during World War-II. When Japan invaded Burma, Rohingyas were in the side of British Forces. Later while occupying the Arakan, Japanese troups killed Rohingyas indiscriminately. 40 thousand Rohinga fled into Chittagong hill tracts under the then British regime.

Syed Riaz also added that during 1991-1992 another phase of persecution took place and more than 250,000 Rohingyas crossed the border. If nobody gives them shelter, where this homeless Rohinga will go?

Maniruzzaman Sazal wites [bn]:

আমি নিজেও চাই না ওরা মারা যাক। কিন্তু আমরা আর কত করবো? জাতিসংঘ এগিয়ে আসা মানে বাংলাদেশও এগিয়ে আসা। বাংলাদেশ জাতিসংঘের বাইরে নয়। আর অন্যদিকে জাতিসংঘ বাংলাদেশের উপর দায়িত্ব চাপিয়ে দিয়ে নিজেদের দায়িত্বকে এড়িয়ে যাচ্ছে।

I do not want them to die. But how long we will be supporting the Rohingyas? If UN comes forward for a solution that means Bangladesh is coming forward as well, because Bangladesh is a part of UN. But the UN is putting all responsibility on Bangladesh's shoulder and ignoring their responsibility.

Poet and blogger Tokon Thakur criticized [bn] Myanmar opposition leader Aung Saan Suu kyi in his facebook status:

মিয়ানমার বা প্রতিবেশি বাংলাদেশ রোহিঙ্গাদের নিজেদের নাগরিক বলে স্বীকার করে না। মিয়ানমার সরকার ও বার্মিজ জাতির অনেকেই তাদের ‘রোহিঙ্গা’ বলেও স্বীকার করে না,তাদের ‘বাঙালি’ হিসেবে চিহ্নিত করে।'কী দুর্ভাগ্য এই মানুষগুলোর! এদের একটি দেশ নেই! তাহলে পৃথিবীর সঙ্গে ‘রোহিঙ্গা’দের সম্পর্কটা কী? একজন রোহিঙ্গা শিশু পৃথিবীকে কীভাবে দেখছে আজ? মন খুব বিষণ্ন হয়ে যাচ্ছে আমার। নোবেল বিজয়ী মার্কিনী গণতন্ত্রের উজ্জয়িনী অং সান সুচি এখন ব্যস্ত ইউরোপ সফরে।

Myanmar or neighboring Bangladesh do not consider Rohingyas as their citizen. Many from Myanmar government and many citizens don’t consider them as Rohingya either, they call them Bengalis. What a misfortune of these people! They don’t have a country! After that what is the relation between Rohingya and the earth? How does a Rohingya child look at the world today? I am saddened. Nobel laureate Aung Saan Suu Kyi, motivated by American style democracy, is now busy with her tour to Europe (with no words of protest against these crimes).

In fact Suu Kyi has called for clarity of Myanmar citizenship laws after the recent violence. Habib Siddiqui writes an open letter to Daw Aung Saan Suu Kyie to address Rohingya's demand for equality in citizenship rights.

You can sign petitions here & here if you want to request the Bangladesh government not to close the door on Rohingyas.

This post is part of our special coverage Myanmar's Rohingya.

14 comments

  • Picachualex

    The real thing is the rohingyas killed and burned the Rahkhine people and their house as well..what a terrorist manner…so a lot of rahkhine people are homeless now..I am so disappointed those people(include US, CNN, BBC, VOA etc…) who support that kind of terrorist manner of Rohingyas..So nobody think about rohingyas raped and murdered the Rahkhine girl from Myanmar? how pity she is and her family are!! U guys shouting as don’t killed or bully that rohingya terrorist..what a funny and I m laughing loud out…Our Myanmar people never start the problems like Rohingyas. So Please learn carefully about Myanmar history before u guys post out somethings wrong information. Next time, please write what is really happening in Rahkhine state and stop saying as rubbish and wrong information..By the way, If you guys are really kindness and pity on those rohingyas , why don’t u let them stay on your country…lolll..don’t pressure on and blame on us..these rohingyas are not our myanmar ethnic…It’s true as well as can not be erased that real thing…

    PS…Our Myanmar country and ethnic don’t want terrorist people like other countries….

  • Saminaproma

    For my job purpose I travelled to Teknaaf several times and stayed there for som time. I also visited the Rohinga camps. as far I gathered information— the issue of Rohingaa is an issue of Racial Discrimibnation fueled by political miscrients who want to tske gain over it ( mainly the Army Dictators). On the other hand there is no doubt about the miserable lives they are having at the refugee camps– that is smply inhuman.
     Again this is also true that the influx of Rohingaas in Teknaaf and C. Bazzar border areas is causing social disturbances. They are discriminated and opressed with no identity this induces them to be involve in crimes. Though they are supposed to stay at camps virtually they spill over to the manstreamand creates problem in the locallity. My personal opinion is international humanitorian assopciations should create pressure on Myanmaar and alos social advocacy to be on process so that the racial hatred reduces!!

  • […] of two things: the historic European visit of Nobel Peace prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, and the violence in Rakhine State located west of the […]

  • ziaush shams

    This hapless boat people should not be driven away. We know there are at least 3 lakhs of them already in the southern part of Cox’s Bazar district and they are not welcome by the locals. But we cannot act like super rich Australia in dealing with boat people of almost  similar nature. We should provide them with shelter purely on a temporary basis. If necessary, funds should be allocated from our relief fund. We are poor but not heartless. We cannot just remain as a silent spectator to this appalling human tragedy created by cruel junta-led government of Myanmar.  

  • ziaush shams

    Oh yeah! No wonder you are laughing, during this great human tragedy, for you probably belong to self-proclaimed ‘superior’ brand of ‘Burmese natives’. Now we are also beginning to realize why  the Nobel prize winner leader of Burma is not very optimistic about bringing back peace in your region. By the way, do you really think the boat people are terrorist? Could you please give your definition of ‘terrorism’?
     We are already feeding more than three hundred thousand refugees fleeing from Arakan state. If necessary, we may take another 31,000 or so of them. Don’t worry and waste your valuable ‘superior’ time thinking about dark skinned ‘inferior’ people. We are so unfortunate to have such a cruel neighbor. For the sake of Geography, we have no choice but to leave with it.

    • Hello! We have already had several lakhs of self claimed Rohingyas in our under-developed land which can’t feed enough even for own people. Have you heard what our Nobel Laureate DASSK spoke about those self claimed refugees? We are NOT saying we won’t accept any innocent refugees. We have agreed to grant them citizenship by applying rule of law. The problem is just that we can’t accept those who started riot attack in a stable and peaceful land. In which country, refugees could do such violences??

      Tons of self claimed Rohingyas have been supported by UNHCR and many other NGOs while local Arakanese have no enough support from both Myanmar government & International NGOs. Who do you think is more poor and innocent?

      • ziaush shams

        Very respected, campion of democratic movement, Nobel Luareate DASSK have had very rightly said that ‘the Rohingya problem’ can be solved under ‘….strict enforcement of law’. Hope, you have understood the meaning of her statement. This statement indicates that the present junta of your country, disguised in civil dress, can at best provide lip services to these unfortunate people in mitigating the ethnical violence arising out of their (junta’s) indiscriminate repression of this hapless ethnic minority, who are conveniently percieved as not belonging to the majority group of the so called ‘ethnic Burmese’ identiy, to serve their selfish ends of prolonging military rule even beyond 2015 by ardently following the Brtish Raj’s infamous ‘divide and rule’ policy. 

  • […] Schlagzeilen: die historische Europareise der Friedensnobelpreisträgerin Aung San Suu Kyi und die Gewalt [en] im Rakhaing-Staat im Westen des […]

  •  Hi Picachualex, when this state and boundary imposed in this region? when we got independence? After how many centuries of people living in a certain land, that will be theirs? You just show me a country where people have not come from outside and settled down? I can’t believe that in this world still we have people who think of removing a race from the country for not into the major ethnic group?

    • myday dream

      Hi there, only after 1950, the term Rohingya was invented. Before when British Emperor ruled Myanmar for about 100 years, there was not such term in whole archives of their records though they were well known for recording every single details. So, self-claimed Rohingyas are pure guests for Myanmar.

      Plus, there’s no group called major ethnic group, Myanmar already had 135 ethnics who have been living and racial and religion harmony. And answer me, can Thailand grant all Myanmar refugees who have been lived there years ago as their ethnics? Do your maths and understand the root cause.

  • […] the Rakhine province and they are seeking refuge in neighboring Bangladesh. But the government of Bangladesh is not letting them in leaving them floating on the sea with their lives in […]

  • ziaush shams

    This is a good news that your President is visiting Bangladesh on a three day official tour starting from July 15. Your Foreign Minister is also scheduled to visit us early next month. Hopefully Burma will deal with the situation diligently and with positive frame of mind. 

  • ziaush shams

    This is very unfortunate that The Burmese President’s official visit to Bangladesh scheduled to take place from July 15 has been cancelled by the relevent Burmese authorities. We are having some kind of disaster arising out of flash floods in the piedmont valleys of Chittagong, Cox’s bazar and Banderban districts. It will be difficult to reahabilitate a few thousand boat people in that area at present. The Burmese authorities are requested to take some measures to minimize the agonies of their own people for the time being. Bangladesh is a very pro-active member of the UN. We should also urge upon the UN to do something for these hapless people. The nobel lauriate leader DASSK should also try to impress upon the treasury bench to take some urgent remedial measures purely on humanitarian basis. 

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