Broede Carmody, Lindsay Murdoch
The man who allegedly set fire to a Commonwealth Bank branch in Springvale on Friday morning is an asylum seeker from Myanmar, according to federal government sources.
It is understood the 21-year-old Rohingya man is living in the community on a bridging visa.
Who are the Rohingya?
The Rohingya are a Muslim minority group living in Myanmar.
The Myanmar government denies them basic rights such as citizenship and the freedom to travel, despite the fact they have lived in the state of Rakhine for centuries.
The term "Rohingya" is divisive in Myanmar. The government refuses to acknowledge the term, referring to them as Bengalis because they originally migrated to Myanmar from the bordering territory now known as Bangladesh.
Even Aung San Suu Kyi refuses to use the term, instead calling the Rohingya a "Muslim community in Rakhine State".
The Rohingya are one of the most persecuted minorities in the world, according to the United Nations.
Myanmar's foreign minister Aung San Suu Kyi refuses to use the name Rohingya. Photo: AP
In 1982, a law was passed denying the Rohingya full citizenship. The law also allows the government to confiscate Rohingya property.
Tens of thousands of Rohingya are languishing in squalid camps after communal violence drove them from their homes.
Hundreds of homes have been torched and dozens of Rohingya killed and raped in Rakhine over the past several weeks, prompting calls for the government to lift a military lockdown of a large part of the state and allow international aid organisations, the UN, independent observers and the media into the area.
Most of 4000 refugees Malaysia intended to send to Australia under a deal with the then Australian Labor government in 2011 were to be Rohingya. The deal was blocked by the High Court and the Liberal-Nationals opposition.
Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott's infamous "nope, nope, nope" line came after he was asked if Australia would take in any Rohingya refugees caught up in the crisis last year.
The Turnbull government has remained firm in its refusal to consider any refugee who wishes to be resettled in Australia if they registered with the UNHCR in Indonesia after July 2014.
As a result, there are not many Rohingya refugees in Australia.
The man who allegedly set fire to a Commonwealth Bank branch in Springvale on Friday morning is an asylum seeker from Myanmar, according to federal government sources.
It is understood the 21-year-old Rohingya man is living in the community on a bridging visa.
Rohingya refugees from Myanmar at shelters in Aceh Province, Indonesia, in January. Photo: Jefri Tarigan.
He arrived in Australia three or four years ago and has spent time on Christmas Island.
Police are yet to interview him, due to the extent of his injuries.
The fire left 27 people, including a toddler and people aged in their 80s, injured. Two people – including the man who allegedly lit the blaze – were still in a critical condition on Saturday morning.
Who are the Rohingya?
The Myanmar government denies them basic rights such as citizenship and the freedom to travel, despite the fact they have lived in the state of Rakhine for centuries.
The term "Rohingya" is divisive in Myanmar. The government refuses to acknowledge the term, referring to them as Bengalis because they originally migrated to Myanmar from the bordering territory now known as Bangladesh.
Three-year-old Anwarsah, a Rohingya child, poses for an identification photo at a temporary shelter in Aceh province, Indonesia, in May 2015. Photo: Getty Images.
The Rohingya are one of the most persecuted minorities in the world, according to the United Nations.
Why are they being persecuted?
Myanmar Buddhists see the Rohingya as illegal immigrants.In 1982, a law was passed denying the Rohingya full citizenship. The law also allows the government to confiscate Rohingya property.
Tens of thousands of Rohingya are languishing in squalid camps after communal violence drove them from their homes.
Hundreds of homes have been torched and dozens of Rohingya killed and raped in Rakhine over the past several weeks, prompting calls for the government to lift a military lockdown of a large part of the state and allow international aid organisations, the UN, independent observers and the media into the area.
Are there many Rohingya in Australia?
Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya who have fled Rakhine have made it to Malaysia where many work as low-paid laborers.Most of 4000 refugees Malaysia intended to send to Australia under a deal with the then Australian Labor government in 2011 were to be Rohingya. The deal was blocked by the High Court and the Liberal-Nationals opposition.
Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott's infamous "nope, nope, nope" line came after he was asked if Australia would take in any Rohingya refugees caught up in the crisis last year.
The Turnbull government has remained firm in its refusal to consider any refugee who wishes to be resettled in Australia if they registered with the UNHCR in Indonesia after July 2014.
As a result, there are not many Rohingya refugees in Australia.
'One person does not speak for anyone but himself'
Asylum Seeker Resource Centre spokesman Kon Karapanagiotidis said Friday's fire was a tragedy.
"But scapegoating refugees now as an excuse to justify fear and racism would make an already awful situation much more tragic," he said.
"The people we work with are people who are fleeing violence. [They] are incredibly law-abiding and peaceful people and one person does not speak for anyone but himself."
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