by Krishna Kumar Saha 26 February 2023
Many years have passed since the massive influx of Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh to escape the atrocities of the Myanmar government, military, and the nationalist Buddhist Monks on 25 August 2017. That was one of the latest exodus by the Rohingyas from their homeland when the violence broke out in Myanmar’s Rakhine State. In the past, there have been several times that the Rohingyas have fled their homeland to escape from the violence and abuse by the majority Buddhist population and security forces of Myanmar. However, August 2017 was the latest and the biggest of them all. It broke all the previous records in the number of Rohingyas who fled Myanmar and took shelter in different refugee camps in the South-Eastern district of Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh.
Due to the contested history of the Rohingya population in Myanmar and their ethnic-religious background, they had to face eviction from their place of habitation. In addition, they are being denied citizenship in their homeland. They couldn’t receive sympathy from another ethnicity because they didn’t speak the Burmese language even though they followed Islam as their religious belief, like Shan and Kamein (Kaman). They were not integrated with the Burmese nationhood, so their participation was limited to business, education, jobs, and national activities. They couldn’t move freely in Myanmar, and there were restrictions for Rohingyas in leaving certain areas of their habitation. After the massive influx in August 2017, Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, mainly referred to as Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals (FDMNs) from Myanmar, live in Bangladesh.
Nevertheless, since the independence of Myanmar (then Burma), the Rohingyas have been suffering from oppression from the state and the majority Buddhist population. On several occasions, they have fled from their own country and taken shelter in several countries in South-East Asia and other countries of the world. Not only that, but they also have diaspora organizations consisting of the Rohingyas who fled the oppressions in Western and Northern developed countries fighting for the rights of the Rohingyas refugees and Rohingyas still living in Myanmar. In addition, many of these diasporic organizations have successfully moved governments from those developed countries and insisted on imposing sanctions on the current Myanmar regime. However, the pressure has not been enough so that the Myanmar government will accept the Rohingya refugees as citizens with their rights and due respect.
On the other hand, the Bangladesh government has been struggling to manage this outrageous refugee population in congested camps. Also, the donors have failed to secure funding for the management of those camps and have no hope for changing the situation in those camps for those refugees. Likewise, the countries like India, China, Japan, the UK, and the USA kept their bilateral relationship without imposing any kind of restriction or sanctions on the state of Myanmar. In addition, those countries and businesspeople from those countries are using the liberal business policy to invest and start new businesses in Myanmar. With no hope of a change in the current situation, the Bangladesh government has been active in the diplomatic pursuit of a durable solution to the Rohingya problem. However, no significant success has been noticed or a possibility of a solution for the problem soon.
After several failed attempts at Rohingya repatriation due to the lack of cooperation from the Myanmar government, the Bangladesh government has started relocating them to an island in the Bay of Bengal. The island is very remote, without regular transportation, and prone to floods and natural disasters. In the beginning, there was strong resistance from the NGOs who are working for the Rohingya refugees, but after many international organizations accepted the plea from the Bangladesh government and started working together with the government in the process of Rohingya relocation and helping with funds and logistics along with earning support for both the Rohingya refugees and the Bangladesh government.
However, on top of all these problems, there have been differences in opinion about the repatriation process of Rohingya refugees living in the refugee camps of Bangladesh. This group of Rohingya refugees wants to return to their homeland and fight for their rights while living there. There was a significant movement among the Rohingya refugees led by Rohingya leader Mohib Ullah, also an Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights (ARSPH) leader. The campaign was about ‘Let’s Go Home,’ with specific 19 points demands at the beginning of 2019. However, many claim it is not a new movement; the movement and campaign have been there for a long. However, there was a massive march of tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees in the Kutupalong refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, which took the attention of the world community. Even the leader Mohib Ullah went to the White House to meet the then-American President Donald J. Trump.
On the other hand, the group who were against the idea of already going back to Myanmar was not very happy with this massive movement, and they took revenge by killing their leader in one of the camps. Experts and security forces suspect the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) was behind this killing, but there is no significant evidence behind that claim. This ARSA attacked the security forces and killed several members, instigating the latest oppression against the Rohingya community in Myanmar in August 2017. In addition, many media outlet, experts, and the Myanmar government claim that the ARSA has ties with several Islamic militant groups like ISIS, Taliban, and other foreign Islamists. Myanmar and Malaysia also consider this organization a terrorist organization. However, the ARSA head Ataullah Abu Ammar Jununi called these claims baseless and said they are only fighting for the rights of the prosecuted Rohingyas.
Nonetheless, the killing didn’t stop there and continued till recent times. Similarly, the symptoms of killings are in a similar fashion. They kill those who are active within the community and work for the betterment of the community or get selected by the government of Bangladesh to lead the community are the main target of the killer groups. So far, there have been many arrests for these killings but no significant change in the situation, but the majority blamed the ARSA for these killings. The security forces of Bangladesh carry out operations to capture the perpetrators, but the situation remains the same. Those whoever vocal in the dispute of ARSA is the target.
On the other hand, the Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO) has been trying to hold its ground against the activities of ARSA. Recently (January 2023), there was a big fight between the RSO and ARSA in the no man’s land to establish supremacy in these camps, leaving one dead and two gun wounded. However, the ARSA claimed that the Bangladeshi security forces (Rapid Action Battalion and Armed Police Battalion) were fighting with the RSO against them. But there was no evidence to justify the claims. Pointing out those facts, the Home Minister of Bangladesh flagged the risks of terrorist activities at the Rohingya camps. Still, they are trying to take the necessary steps to prevent the breeding grounds for terrorists.
Many media reports and experts have claimed, with evidence from reports of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and International Organization for Migration (IOM), that there has been a sharp increase in the drag and human trafficking in the region after the Rohingya Refugee crisis erupted. It will continue to rise if there is no durable solution to the existing problem. The Bangladesh government is relocating the Rohingya refugees to a remote island will bring a temporary solution to the congestion problem of the refugee camps, but a durable solution remains with the full repatriation of Myanmar’s forcibly displaced Rohingya people. In this regard, it is not possible for the Bangladesh government alone. International communities need to come forward to bring the Myanmar government to the negotiation table to hear the demands of the Rohingya refugees and take steps to make the environment conducive for them to return to their homeland.