Salaam Media
written by Luqmaan Rawat
June 13, 2023
The campaign to bring awareness to the plight of the Rohingya people Photo Twitter @black4rohingya
World – In recent years, the world has witnessed the unfolding tragedy of the Rohingya people, one of the world’s most persecuted minorities. The Black For Rohingya campaign, initiated by the Free Rohingya Coalition, aims to raise awareness about the dire situation faced by the Rohingya people.
written by Luqmaan Rawat
June 13, 2023
World – In recent years, the world has witnessed the unfolding tragedy of the Rohingya people, one of the world’s most persecuted minorities. The Black For Rohingya campaign, initiated by the Free Rohingya Coalition, aims to raise awareness about the dire situation faced by the Rohingya people.
The Rohingya people have faced decades of systemic oppression and human rights abuses, including denial of citizenship rights, limited freedom of movement, restricted access to education and healthcare, and land rights deprivation. Moreover, they are subjected to arbitrary arrests, sexual violence, forced labor, extortion, and collective punishment.
The Gravest Crime: The Rohingya Genocide
The situation faced by the Rohingya people can only be described as genocide. The military regime in Myanmar has committed heinous crimes against them. Crimes which are reminiscent of the atrocities committed by Hitler against the Jews, said Nay San Lwin, Co-founder of Free Rohingya Coalition based in Germany.
“Almost 11 years ago, more than 150,000 Rohingya people were forced to flee their houses. Their houses were burned, almost 1000 people were killed by the military and by the extremist Buddhists. Then they were herded into the concentration camps. They have been there for 11 years. That is the reason the following year the Rohingya group established this campaign, Black For Rohingya, remembering all the victims. Since then the situation has become worse and worse.”
In 2016 more than a 1000 were killed in what San Lwin called the Clearance Operation. Majority of the Rohingya villages were burnt to the ground. The following year, the largest scale of violence by the Myanmar authorities was carried out.
A history of violence against the Rohingya Muslims
According to San Lwin the genocide is part of a long-term plan to ride Myanmar of the Rohingya people. The Rohingya genocide did not begin recently; it has its roots in the early 1970s. The military regime’s objective is to wipe out the entire Rohingya population from Myanmar. They systematically target and kill Rohingya individuals, using any pretext to incite fear and force mass migration to neighbouring countries like Bangladesh.
“They want to wipe out the entire Rohingya population from the country. They want to kill millions of Rohingya people but in this modern era they cannot. That is why they always look for some reason to carry out these killings. Then all the Rohingya people will be afraid, and they will flee to Bangladesh.”
One of the key factors behind the persecution of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar is their religious and physical differences from the majority ethnic group. As San Lwin explained, there are those who are Rohingya people living in Myanmar, who speak the Rohingya language but because they are Buddhists, they are not attacked but rather considered as “the official ethnic group”.
Denied refugee recognition
The plight of the Rohingya extends beyond Myanmar’s borders. In Bangladesh, which is hosting approximately 1.2 million Rohingya refugees, there is no official recognition of their refugee status. The country provides shelter on humanitarian grounds, but refugees lack the rights associated with formal refugee status.
“Bangladesh is not one of the signatories of the 1951 Geneva Convention and also the 1967 protocol. So, they are giving us shelter on humanitarian grounds. The 1.2 million refugees are recognised as the forcibly displaced Myanmar national. I think they have no plans to give them that refugee rights [status]. It will not happen anytime soon or later. We don’t want to live in Bangladesh as refugees. We don’t want to integrate into their society. We want to go back.”
Compounding the Rohingya people’s suffering is the forced relocation of more than 30 000 individuals to remote islands where they are effectively trapped. Even during emergencies, they are unable to leave these islands, leaving loved ones behind in Cox’s Bazar, the largest refugee camp in the world.
Concentration camps and restricted lives
The Rohingya people face unimaginable living conditions. Around 130 000 individuals are confined to concentration camps, reminiscent of the apartheid era in South Africa. These camps, equipped with guard posts and barbed wire, restrict movement, and deprive the Rohingya of livelihood opportunities, education, and basic freedoms.
“They cannot live from this camp and they have to die there with little access to education for the children. There is no higher education at all. There is no livelihood opportunity. They are just dependent on the food rations distribution by the WF or the UN organisation and the international NGOs. The remaining 450 000 are confined to the villages. Like they did to South African people during Apartheid. The situation is not improving at all. The military regime has no intention to change this situation.”
The plight of the Rohingya people remains a pressing humanitarian crisis that demands urgent attention and action. The Black For Rohingya campaign, led by organisations like the Free Rohingya Coalition, serves as a crucial platform to raise awareness and advocate. It is imperative that the international community, governments, and individuals alike continue to raise awareness, apply pressure, and work towards a just and sustainable solution. Only by standing together can we bring an end to the suffering of the Rohingya people and restore their fundamental human rights.
In a thought-provoking discussion Nay San Lwin engaged with Julie Alli, shedding light on the critical need for international intervention, advocacy efforts, personal engagement in the ongoing Rohingya crisis and the collective responsibility we all bear in addressing their plight. Listen to the discussion here:
The Gravest Crime: The Rohingya Genocide
The situation faced by the Rohingya people can only be described as genocide. The military regime in Myanmar has committed heinous crimes against them. Crimes which are reminiscent of the atrocities committed by Hitler against the Jews, said Nay San Lwin, Co-founder of Free Rohingya Coalition based in Germany.
“Almost 11 years ago, more than 150,000 Rohingya people were forced to flee their houses. Their houses were burned, almost 1000 people were killed by the military and by the extremist Buddhists. Then they were herded into the concentration camps. They have been there for 11 years. That is the reason the following year the Rohingya group established this campaign, Black For Rohingya, remembering all the victims. Since then the situation has become worse and worse.”
In 2016 more than a 1000 were killed in what San Lwin called the Clearance Operation. Majority of the Rohingya villages were burnt to the ground. The following year, the largest scale of violence by the Myanmar authorities was carried out.
A history of violence against the Rohingya Muslims
According to San Lwin the genocide is part of a long-term plan to ride Myanmar of the Rohingya people. The Rohingya genocide did not begin recently; it has its roots in the early 1970s. The military regime’s objective is to wipe out the entire Rohingya population from Myanmar. They systematically target and kill Rohingya individuals, using any pretext to incite fear and force mass migration to neighbouring countries like Bangladesh.
“They want to wipe out the entire Rohingya population from the country. They want to kill millions of Rohingya people but in this modern era they cannot. That is why they always look for some reason to carry out these killings. Then all the Rohingya people will be afraid, and they will flee to Bangladesh.”
One of the key factors behind the persecution of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar is their religious and physical differences from the majority ethnic group. As San Lwin explained, there are those who are Rohingya people living in Myanmar, who speak the Rohingya language but because they are Buddhists, they are not attacked but rather considered as “the official ethnic group”.
Denied refugee recognition
The plight of the Rohingya extends beyond Myanmar’s borders. In Bangladesh, which is hosting approximately 1.2 million Rohingya refugees, there is no official recognition of their refugee status. The country provides shelter on humanitarian grounds, but refugees lack the rights associated with formal refugee status.
“Bangladesh is not one of the signatories of the 1951 Geneva Convention and also the 1967 protocol. So, they are giving us shelter on humanitarian grounds. The 1.2 million refugees are recognised as the forcibly displaced Myanmar national. I think they have no plans to give them that refugee rights [status]. It will not happen anytime soon or later. We don’t want to live in Bangladesh as refugees. We don’t want to integrate into their society. We want to go back.”
Compounding the Rohingya people’s suffering is the forced relocation of more than 30 000 individuals to remote islands where they are effectively trapped. Even during emergencies, they are unable to leave these islands, leaving loved ones behind in Cox’s Bazar, the largest refugee camp in the world.
Concentration camps and restricted lives
The Rohingya people face unimaginable living conditions. Around 130 000 individuals are confined to concentration camps, reminiscent of the apartheid era in South Africa. These camps, equipped with guard posts and barbed wire, restrict movement, and deprive the Rohingya of livelihood opportunities, education, and basic freedoms.
“They cannot live from this camp and they have to die there with little access to education for the children. There is no higher education at all. There is no livelihood opportunity. They are just dependent on the food rations distribution by the WF or the UN organisation and the international NGOs. The remaining 450 000 are confined to the villages. Like they did to South African people during Apartheid. The situation is not improving at all. The military regime has no intention to change this situation.”
The plight of the Rohingya people remains a pressing humanitarian crisis that demands urgent attention and action. The Black For Rohingya campaign, led by organisations like the Free Rohingya Coalition, serves as a crucial platform to raise awareness and advocate. It is imperative that the international community, governments, and individuals alike continue to raise awareness, apply pressure, and work towards a just and sustainable solution. Only by standing together can we bring an end to the suffering of the Rohingya people and restore their fundamental human rights.
In a thought-provoking discussion Nay San Lwin engaged with Julie Alli, shedding light on the critical need for international intervention, advocacy efforts, personal engagement in the ongoing Rohingya crisis and the collective responsibility we all bear in addressing their plight. Listen to the discussion here:
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