“I HAVE been a refugee three times,” said Rashida (not her real name) a 50-year-old Rohingya woman at a camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.
“Without full citizenship, I cannot return to Myanmar. So many times, the governments negotiated and we were repatriated. But we had to leave again and flee for our lives. We need the international community to help us resolve this problem.”
As Asean leaders meet this week in Singapore, it’s vital that they work together to find lasting solutions for the Rohingya refugees across the region, and to address the root cause of the statelessness and displacement crisis in Myanmar’s Rakhine State. It is now clear that this is a regional crisis that needs regional solutions. The largest refugee camp in the world sits at the doorstep of Asean.
In addition to the nearly one million Rohingya refugees now living in makeshift conditions in Bangladesh, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees have fled decades of persecution and discrimination in Myanmar to find refuge in other countries throughout the region. Earlier this week, a group of Rohingya went again on dangerous sea journeys across the Bay of Bengal to seek refuge in Malaysia and Thailand. But without laws to recognise and protect them, Rohingya refugees across Southeast Asia are perpetually at risk of arrest and detention.
Asean should commit to a concrete plan to improve conditions for and uphold the rights of the Rohingya refugees in the region.
The increased engagement of Asean leaders in finding solutions to the crisis and the condition of the refugees in Bangladesh, as affirmed by Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan during his recent visits to Bangladesh and Myanmar, is encouraging. However, calls for the refugees to return quickly to Myanmar are premature. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has said conditions in Myanmar remain unsafe. The head of the UN human rights investigation on Myanmar said last month genocide against the Muslim Rohingya was ongoing. The announcement by Myanmar and Bangladesh that the first group of 2,260 refugees will be repatriated immediately, therefore, is worrying.
Bangladesh and Myanmar have made commitments that refugees will only go back voluntarily when conditions are safe. It’s crucial that this is adhered to — it is a process in line with international standards and monitored by UNHCR.
Refugees say that, ultimately, they want to go home; but only when they feel confident that they will be able to live freely, without fear. For that to happen, they want to see justice served and an end to the violence. They need equal rights, including citizenship, instead of restrictions that prevent them from finding work, attending school or seeing a doctor. They need assurance they will be allowed back to their villages — not trapped in camps, unable to leave and dependent on aid, as has been the experience of around 128,000 Rohingya and other Muslims in central Rakhine State for the past six years.
Asean should urge Myanmar to create the conditions in Rakhine State that will allow the Rohingya to return safely and with equal rights. This means putting diplomatic pressure on Myanmar to end discrimination and human rights abuses against the Rohingya; providing practical assistance such as healthcare, education and jobs for all vulnerable communities; and helping to build a foundation of trust and tolerance between communities, rather than fear and hatred.
The mistakes of the past must not be repeated. It’s time to break the cycle of persecution and flight to ensure that the Rohingya can enjoy the brighter and fairer future that they deserve.
Liliane Fan, Chair, Rohingya Working Group, Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network and Rachael Reilly, of Oxfam Rohingya Crisis Regional Advocacy manager