On October 4, Malaysia deported around 1,500 Myanmar nationals by naval vessel, ignoring UN warnings that returnees could face persecution and forced conscription in a country at war. Myanmar says they were convicted of immigration violations and are “genuine citizens.” Whether any were Rohingya is unclear.
The deportation reopens a much older question — what happens to a people no country will claim? The Rohingya, a largely Muslim minority from Rakhine State, were effectively made stateless by Myanmar’s 1982 citizenship law. Decades of discrimination and waves of violence followed, with major episodes in 1978, 1991, 2012, 2016 and 2017. Myanmar offers citizenship only if they accept the label “Bengali,” which many see as a denial of who they are.
Click here to read more: Rohingya crisis explained: deportations, citizenship, and the genocide case - Telegraph India
No comments:
Post a Comment