Rohingya muslims

 Rohingya

The Rohingya are a Muslim ethnic group who originally lived in the Rakhine state of Myanmar. They are distinct in their language, culture, and religious beliefs. Many of the Rohingya are denied citizenship in Myanmar, which has led to their displacement from the country.

Following a crackdown by the Myanmar military in 2017, large numbers of Rohingya fled to Bangladesh, creating a major refugee crisis. Most of the Rohingya currently live in refugee camps in Cox's Bazar district.

Rohingya  refugees

In 2017, ethnic persecution and violence escalated in Myanmar's Rakhine State. The Myanmar military launched an offensive against the Rohingya, known as the 'Rohingya crisis' or 'Rohingya genocide'. When the Myanmar military launched a massive offensive in August 2017, nearly 700,000 Rohingya refugees fled to Bangladesh. Many of them are living in refugee camps in Cox's Bazar district, Bangladesh.

Current situation of the Rohingya

The Rohingya are currently living in refugee camps in the Cox's Bazar region of Bangladesh, where they are dependent on humanitarian assistance. While their civil rights, security and freedoms are being undermined in Myanmar, many efforts are being made by the international community to protect their rights.

This is a brief summary, but the history of the Rohingya is much deeper and more complex, which can be analyzed in more detail from political, cultural and religious perspectives.

The situation of the Rohingy

The Rohingya are mainly located in two main regions:

1. Myanmar (Rakhine State)

The Rohingya originally lived in the Rakhine State (also known as Arakan) region of Myanmar. Rakhine State is located in the western part of Myanmar and is a coastal region of the Bay of Bengal. The Rohingya have lived in this region for centuries. However, since 2017, when the army attacked and started violence against the Rohingya, they were forced to flee this region. Now, although there is a small part of the Rohingya in Myanmar, most of the Rohingya have taken refuge in other countries as refugees.

2. Bangladesh

A large number of Rohingya fled to Bangladesh after the Myanmar army's operation in August 2017. Currently, more than one million Rohingya refugees are living in refugee camps in Cox's Bazar district. These refugees are receiving food, medical care and shelter with the help of the Bangladesh government and international organizations. The refugee camps in Cox's Bazar are one of the largest refugee camps in the world.

3.  In other countries

Outside Bangladesh, Rohingyas are also living as refugees in other countries, including Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates). However, their stay in these countries is largely temporary and they are in a human rights crisis.

The international community is concerned about the situation of the Rohingya, as they are displaced and various countries and organizations are working to protect their basic rights...

Rohingya problem and solution

Seven years have passed since the nearly 1.2 million Rohingyas, who fled to Bangladesh after being subjected to widespread persecution by the Myanmar army, took refuge there, but there is no sign of a solution to the crisis. The international community's interest in the Rohingya is fading day by day. The Rohingya crisis is being driven by regional and international politics and commercial interests. However, if the international community had wanted to, this problem could have been solved much earlier.

Experts believe that Myanmar's two neighboring economic superpowers, India and China, are not taking any effective steps on the Rohingya issue for their own geopolitical interests. The role of the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan is also unclear as they have investments in Myanmar. Although the United Nations, various donor organizations and influential countries are aware of this problem, no visible steps are being taken to solve it.

According to international relations analysts, although the repatriation of the Rohingyas to their own country is the only solution, the repatriation process is stuck in various complications. Multi-faceted diplomatic efforts are essential to resolve the Rohingya crisis. Influential countries must take effective initiatives to stop the war and restore stability in Myanmar and Rakhine State.

 In a joint press conference with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who recently visited Bangladesh, our Principal Advisor Dr. Muhammad Yunus called the long-standing unresolved Rohingya crisis a ticking time bomb and warned the international community that it could explode at any time. He said, the solution to this problem is not in the hands of Bangladesh, but in the hands of the international community. We cannot wait indefinitely. This is something that we need to solve as soon as possible.

Dr. Yunus said, this is not just a problem for Bangladesh, it is also a problem for Malaysia. We need to find a solution to this problem and we will work together through ASEAN, the Malaysian government and the international community.

Earlier, at a high-level discussion on the Rohingya crisis on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Principal Advisor Dr. Yunus called on the international community to come forward to solve the Rohingya crisis. At that time, he said, we need to be careful, if this crisis is not resolved, not only Bangladesh but the entire region will be in trouble.

 With various countries including China, India, Russia, and Japan having economic and strategic interests in Rakhine, the issue of Rohingya repatriation is becoming quite uncertain for Bangladesh. We can hope that the United Nations, influential and donor countries, humanitarian aid and cooperation organizations, and organizations working for the interests and rights of the Rohingya will play an active role in resolving this problem and accelerate repatriation.

Proposing a new way for the international community to think about resolving the Rohingya crisis, he said, first of all, we want the UN Secretary-General to organize a conference on the Rohingya crisis as soon as possible in the presence of all parties. He said that the international community must come forward with sincere support to ensure justice for the genocide committed against the Rohingya people at the conference.

At the conference, IOM Director-General Amy Pope said, the Rohingya people should not be forgotten. We need to do more to resolve this crisis and continue the necessary assistance and long-term solution process.  In this high-level discussion on the Rohingya crisis, the United States announced a new assistance of about 199 million US dollars for Rohingya refugees.

The Rohingya crisis that has been going on for seven years is putting pressure on Bangladesh from various angles. Due to the delay in repatriation, terrorism and criminal activities are increasing day by day in the Rohingya camps. There is information that they are involved in serious crimes including drug and arms smuggling. There are also allegations that many Rohingyas are harming the country's labor market by going abroad with Bangladeshi passports. There is also evidence of their involvement in militancy, as a result of which the Rohingyas have become a threat to the national security of Bangladesh. This is not only a security threat to Bangladesh but also to the entire region.

In the unstable and conflict-ridden situation going on around the world, we must all be vigilant so that this problem does not lose its importance. The role of major countries is very important in meeting this challenge and facilitating repatriation. China has always had close relations with Myanmar.

In the past, China has always vetoed the resolutions brought against the military junta of Myanmar at the United Nations.  Because China wants a friendly government in Myanmar. China also has extensive economic and commercial interests in Myanmar. China also has interests in the Arakan region of Myanmar. China should use this relationship to increase its pressure on Myanmar to resolve the Rohingya crisis.