Myanmar authorities must find a quick solution
The recent remark of John McKissick, an official from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), on the plight of the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, deserves attention, though it’s possible that he may have over-reacted. He reportedly said that the Myanmar troops have been “killing men, shooting them, slaughtering children, raping women, burning and looting houses, and forcing these people to cross the river” into neighbouring Bangladesh. He went to the extent of blaming the Myanmar Government for pursuing a high-handed agenda of “ethnic cleansing” of the Muslim minorities in the country. Now, the onus falls on the leadership of Aung San Suu Kyi, to bring an immediate end to the sufferings of the Rohingyas. Yet, it’s disheartening to note that both the UNHCR and Amnesty International together accused the Suu Kyi-led Government for “collective punishment” meted out to the Rohingyas in the name of carrying out counter-terror operations in the restive Rakhine Province.
The Government has justified its action by saying that the current military operations are to track the locals who were responsible for killing more than nine soldiers in the area. It also made it clear that many of the Rohingyas have already joined the international jihadi groups and are now poised to spread the network across the state. However, this does not permit the military of a civilian Government to call for a complete lockdown in the areas, where the anti-terror operations are on since October 9. The military there enjoys overriding influence even when a democratically elected Government is in place. It has the task of tackling ethnic unrest that can destabilise the nation. The military controls three sensitive and powerful ministries of the country —Home Affairs, Border Affairs and Defence. Now, Suu Kyi must ensure that, while her nation’s territorial integrity and social harmony are maintained, the minorities too are taken care of and not hounded. The problematic ones among them must, of course, be severely dealt with.
To date, thousands of Rohingyas are languishing in squalid aid camps. They have no access to basic facilities and are not allowed to move freely within that area. Increasing number of Rohingyas crossing the international border line will create havoc in neighbouring Bangladesh. Besides, they are also not accepted as refugees by Dhaka. If Bangladesh does so, many fear that the Myanmar military will hit the Rohingyas so hard that nearly all of them could leave for Bangladesh. International human rights advocates say that decades of ‘state-sponsored’ violence against the Rohingyas must end. The plight of the Rohingyas has raised questions about Suu Kyi's complete commitment to human rights. As her National league for Democracy had received solid support from the majority community in the last election, she should find a middle path to address the concerns of the Rohingyas without displeasing her core voters.