Rohingyas — a forgotten chapter?

 

SHIHAB SARKAR

Published : Feb 27, 2023 06:23 AM

 

Even 2/3 years ago, the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh occupied a remarkable place in the world news media. After the Covid-19 pandemic and the outbreak of the Ukraine war, a fatigue appears to have gripped nations, especially those in the greater south and south-east Asian regions. Almost all of them have been hard hit by the post-corona economic impasse. Coming to the Rohingya crisis, many would like to describe the present situation as something like 'all quiet on the Rohingya front'. More than a couple of months after the Rohingya border guards' firing of shells visibly targeting the refugees, no major incidents occurred in Teknaf's Ukhiya area. The said area hosts 750,000 refugees who arrived in Bangladesh in 2017 fleeing the Myanmar Army's genocide in their native villages in the Rakhine state of the country.

It's after a considerably long hiatus, that Bangladesh has raised the refugee issue. News reports have it that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on February 22 urged the United Nations to help Bangladesh in relocating Rohingyas to Bhasan Char, a coastal island in the Bay of Bengal. The Prime Minister made the plea while UN Resident Coordinator Gwyn Lewis called on her at her official residence Ganobhaban on the day. Elaborating, the Prime Minister mentioned that over one million Myanmar nationals, the Rohingyas, were now a big burden for Bangladesh. "Their return to their homeland soon is uncertain. So I am requesting the UN to help Bangladesh relocate the Rohingyas to Bhasan Char," the PM said adding the island had been developed to provide better living condition to the Myanmar nationals.

The PM said the forcibly displaced Rohingyas were living in an inhuman condition in Cox's Bazar amid uncertainty about their repatriation soon. Bangladesh has so far moved about 30,000 Rohingya refugees to Bhasan Char "to ease crowding in the camps at Cox's Bazar." The Prime Minister's reference to the Bhasan Char refugees is set to give a new lease of life for the hapless refugees. On the other hand, many of them are reluctant to go back to Myanmar, and face fresh rounds of ethnic persecutions in the forms of killings, arson and sexual harassments let lose by the members of the country's military junta. Moreover, there is the anti-repatriation insurgent group ARSA (Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army) whose members have allegedly killed the pro-repatriation leader Muhibullah. Majority of the Rohingya refugees are peaceful and love to remain settled in the Rakhine state of Myanmar.

With a view to making their life hazard-free, they wistfully looked to the democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Her role as a silent spectator to the Rohingya 'ethnic cleansing' has only appalled them. In media interviews at the refugee camps in Bangladesh, the Rohingya Muslim refugees seemed unanimous in their view that they didn't want to leave Rakhine. They have extended full support to Suu Kyi as their liberator. They were puzzled to find a different'democracy icon' in the later times.

Many suspect that in spite of her humane and egalitarian policy, Suu Kyi used to oscillate between her youth's liberal humanism and her middle-age leaning towards extremism. Unfortunately, it has failed to save her. At the end, many feel like blaming Suu Kyi for driving a wedge between the common Rohingya Muslims and the Myanmar general people. It seems surprising that many countries around the world have extended their support to Bangladesh in its efforts to deal with the Rohingya refugee issue over the years; but finally they became less vocal. In the fast changing global scenario the Rohingya refugee issue began losing its relevance. In the meantime, the refugees still without regular shelters veritably swarmed on the Teknaf upazila's hilly areas and plain lands. Trees were felled indiscriminately and improvised huts built giving the neighbourhoods a shambolic look. It took a couple of years before the rehabilitation authorities were able to erect camps to house thousands of Rohingya refugees.

In time Bangladesh realised that it had been caught in the soup. Some of the refugees were found involved in various kinds of illicit activities like human and drug trafficking, infightings and militant activities. Bangladesh had never thought that it would ever be sucked into a maze created by the Myanmar refugees. The case for the involvement of Bangladesh in the Rohingya imbroglio was not accidental. Watching the streams of refugees from the Rakhine state in Myanmar pour into Bangladesh to flee genocidal killings, Bangladesh welcomed them. Itself a developing country, it provided them with initial relief goods and shelter. Bangladesh had never thought that the Rohingyas would one day prove themselves to be the old man on the shoulders of the Sindbad. At present, few nations and organisations are by its side; it has to devise its own way in dealing with the Myanmar nationals. The Bhasan Char island-based shelter is one of them.

Burdened with a total of one million Rohingya refugees including the earlier ones, Bangladesh now desperately looks for a way out of the deadlock. With few to turn to in these critical times, shelters on the islands may serve as a stopgap solution. It shouldn't stop Bangladesh or the regional powers from arranging meaningful talks with the Myanmar military junta. As a last resort, the nation can approach the West African nation Gambia to raise its voice one more time against Myanmar at the International Court of Justice.