Who are the Rohingya? The Rohingya
are a Muslim ethnic minority living in northern Arakan/Rakhine State in western
Burma. They have faced severe persecution and violence at the hands of the
state and national governments for decades. According to an article published
on http://uscampaignforburma.org/
entitled “Rohingya: Ethnic Cleansing”,
there are approximately 1.33 million Rohingya in Burma, but the country's 1982
Citizenship Law denies them citizenship in spite of the fact that Rohingya have
lived in Burma for generations. Burmese President Thein Sein outright
denies the existence of the Rohingya as an ethnic group of
Burma, calling them "Bengali" instead. Labeling the Rohingya
"Bengali" is a discriminatory, xenophobic way of erroneously implying
that Rohingya are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.
As mentioned on http://www.bbc.com/, The United Nations (UN)
described The Rohingyas as religious and linguistic minorities from western of
Myanmar. It says the Rohingya are one of the most persecuted minorities in the
world. Over the last two years accusations of sexual assault and local disputes
have created violence that has quickly escalated into widespread communal
clashes.
- The first
and most deadly incident happened in June 2012 when riot is spreading
clashes between Rakhine Buddhist and Rohingya Moslems allegedly due to the
rape of a young Buddhist woman. There were 200 people dead and displaced
thousands.
- The
second one was an argument in a gold shop in Meiktila in central Myanmar
led to violence between Buddhists and Muslims which left more than 40
people dead and entire neighborhoods razed.
- In August
2013 rioters burnt Muslim-owned houses and shops in the central town
of Kanbalu after police refused to hand over a Muslim man accused of
raping a Buddhist woman.
- In January
2014, the UN said that more than 40 Rohingya men, women and children were
killed in Rakhine state in violence that flared after accusations that
Rohingyas killed a Rakhine policeman.
- In June
2014, two people were killed and five hurt in Mandalay, Myanmar's second
city, following a rumour that spread on social media that a Buddhist woman
had been raped by one or more Muslim men.
Following up this list of
conflicts, thousands of people flee Myanmar to seek safety and stability
overseas. UNHCR spokesman, Adrian Edwards, told a journalist in Geneva that
UNHCR estimates more than 86,000 people have left on boats since June 2012. The
majority are Rohingyas, although there are also proportions of Bangladeshis.
They have to pay smugglers to let them flee Myanmar to other countries like
Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia using the smugglers’ boats. More than 1000 refugees have died on the boat due
to running out of foods and drinks or died from disease.
The three countries; Thailand,
Indonesia, and Malaysia were initially abandoned their neighbors, but now they
prepare to provide at least temporary rescue and shelter for the refugees. The
Thai authorities have conducted several raids on these camps, rescuing hundreds
of people, including some 500 Rohingya earlier this year. UNHCR staff in Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia have helped more than 120 Rohingya identified with Beriberi
due to Vitamin B1 deficiency. In Indonesia, the Rohingya now number more than
1,200 people. Registration numbers peaked during the second half of 2013 with
474 new arrivals after several boats arrived
from Thailand; others also crossed over from Malaysia. These data are as posted
on an article from http://www.unhcr.org/ entitled
“As thousands continue to flee Myanmar, UNHCR concerned about growing reports
of abuse”.
From my point of view, this problem
of conflict will pose threats to Myanmar as a state. These problems are being
seen as a key test for Myanmar’s Government after decades of oppressive
military rule. People are watching how they will handle tensions between its
many communities. Myanmar needs to be seen as a stable state, but it is always
going to have to contend with the fact that it is one of Asia's most ethnically
diverse countries. These clashes also have raised concerns about the fragility
of Myanmar's democracy.
In my personal opinion the conflict
that happened to the Rohingya ethnic community of Burmese should not be claimed
as a religious conflict, as it is merely a violation of human rights. Religious
matters could become very sensitive to most of people. If the media lean to
religious issue in spreading the news about this conflict, society will think
that it is actually a religious conflict. We do not want this issue to be brought
to another conflict as what happened in Makassar, South Sulawesi in 2012 where
a temple was burnt by Moslem groups as they got carried away hearing about what
happened to their Muslim brothers and sisters in Myanmar. Same reactions are
feared would be happen in other parts of the world.
References
July 3, 2014. Why is there communal violence in Myanmar?
Retrieved from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-18395788
June 10, 2014. As thousands continue to flee Myanmar, UNHCR
concerned about growing reports of abuse. Retrieved fromhttp://www.unhcr.org/5396ee3b9.html
Rohingya: Ethnic
Cleansing. Retrieved from http://uscampaignforburma.org/about-burma/conflict-and-human-rights/rohingya-ethnic-cleansing.html
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