BROUK press release on Virus
Media Release
from Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK
For Immediate
Release: 25th March 2020
Myanmar’s
Approach to Coronavirus is Putting Lives at Risk
The government
of Myanmar is putting lives at risk, including tens of thousands of Rohingya
people trapped in camps in Rakhine State, by turning a blind eye to the threat
of
corona-virus, the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK) said today.
Although
Southeast Asia is among the regions in the world most affected by the COVID-19
pandemic, Myanmar has so far claimed that only two cases have been discovered
inside its borders.
“Once again,
the government of Myanmar is proving that it has a problem with the truth. Until
recently, authorities claimed that not a single case had been found in the
country – this is not just absurd, but also dangerous and deeply
irresponsible,” said Tun Khin, President of BROUK.
“The
government must immediately provide transparent information to people in
Myanmar about the virus outbreak, and take all necessary steps to protect and
provide care to those in need. This is particularly true for the tens of
thousands of vulnerable people who live in overcrowded and unhygienic
displacement camps across the country.”
Myanmar
shares a land border with China, where the virus originated, and other
countries that have reported a substantial number of cases, including Thailand
and India. According to the Myanmar Ministry of Health, however, only some 200
tests have been carried out in a population of more than 53 million people
since the virus started spreading.
On Monday 23rd
March, authorities said they had identified the first two cases in the
country. Media reports also claimed that at least four people have died in
quarantine in Myanmar. Over the past weeks, authorities have taken some steps
to contain the virus, including closing its borders to foreigners and limiting
public gatherings.
Refugees and
internally displaced persons (IDPs) are particularly vulnerable to the virus,
as they often live in overcrowded camps where freedom of movement and access to
healthcare is limited.
There are
currently some 241,00 people living in camps or camp-like situations in
Myanmar, in Kachin, Kayin, Shan and Rakhine States. These include almost
128,000 mainly Rohingya who have been trapped in de facto internment camps in
Rakhine State since state-sponsored violence against Muslims swept the state in
2012.
The
government continues to impose a ban on mobile data services across parts of
Rakhine and Chin States, limiting people’s access to information about the
virus.
“Myanmar
authorities must immediately lift all restrictions on humanitarian access
across the country, and ensure that those who have been forced to flee their
homes can reach the healthcare they need. Tens of thousands of people in
displacement camps in Kachin, Kayin, Shan and Rakhine States are extremely
vulnerable to the virus,” said Tun Khin.
“For Rohingya
in Rakhine State, life resembles an open-air prison where their freedom of
movement is already extremely limited. The threat of COVID-19 has now made a
hellish situation even worse, while the government is standing idly by.”
Restrictions
in Bangladesh
BROUK is
concerned about the situation facing close to one million Rohingya refugees in
Bangladesh, the majority of whom live in overcrowded refugee camps in Cox’s
Bazar. Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fled into Bangladesh after Myanmar
launched genocidal attacks in Rakhine State in 2016 and 2017, killing thousands
and torching whole villages to the ground.
Access to
healthcare is already challenging in the camps, while the Bangladeshi
authorities have in recent weeks started fencing in the major settlements,
further restricting the already limited freedom of movement of refugees.
The
government has restricted mobile data services in the camps since September
2019. This not only makes refugees’ ability to access information about the
pandemic more difficult but has also complicated the efforts of humanitarian
aid groups.
“Bangladesh
has been exceptionally generous in opening its borders to hundreds of thousands
of Rohingya who are fleeing genocide. It is concerning, however, that at a time
when refugees need access to information and quality services more than ever,
authorities are tightening restrictions in the camps,” said Tun Khin.
“We urge the
government of Bangladesh to do everything it can to ensure that Rohingya
refugees are protected from the virus, including by lifting the ban on internet
services, and ending fencing around the camps.”
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