Rohingya trapped in the middle of Myanmar’s escalating conflict

The New Humanitarian
Analysis, San Thai Shin
19 March 2024 

‘They have oppressed us throughout history, and it has been a decade that they've detained us, like in this internment camp.’ 

Soldiers take part in a military parade in Myanmar's capital, Naypyitaw, on 27 March 2019. A junta seized power on 1 February 2021, but opposition armed groups have enjoyed a string of recent battleground gains. 

 

Editor’s note: San Thai Shin is the Burmese name for a Rohingya person living in Bangladesh's refugee camps. He is a researcher and a columnist, and prefers to write under his Burmese name in order to speak and report freely. 

Will Myanmar’s Militias Relinquish Control After Victory?

zenith
Analysis
by Philipp Peksaglam
04.03.2024
Politics

Paul Vrieze / Voice of America

Myanmar’s junta has been on the back foot for quite some time now. The militias waging a civil war against the central government are gaining ground and start to plan the post-war order. Yet one ethnic minority remains marginalized.

Myanmar’s generals do not have much to celebrate these days. February 1st did present an occasion for any Putschists in a particularly festive mood: the three-year anniversary of the military coup. The 2021 takeover of the elected government of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi permanently ended the generals’ brief flirt with democratic governance. Ever since, the conflict between the Tatmadaw, as the military is known, and regional ethnic insurgents dominates life in Myanmar.

Demonization of Rohingya in Indonesia: An Analysis on Social Media Narratives

MODERN DIPLOMACY
Teddy Farhan
December 30, 2023

Recently, the Rohingya issue in Indonesia resurfaced following their arrival on the coast of Aceh, such as Sabang, Pidie, and Bireuen, in mid-November 2023. 

© UNICEF/Patrick Brown

Authors: Teddy Farhan and Alifia N. Sumayya*

Recently, the Rohingya issue in Indonesia resurfaced following their arrival on the coast of Aceh, such as Sabang, Pidie, and Bireuen, in mid-November 2023. The continuous influx of refugees has not been balanced with local resources in Aceh, particularly concerning the overcrowded conditions in the shelters, leading to widespread rejection in the region.

Bangladesh Needs Concerted Support To Manage Protracted Rohingya Crisis – Analysis

Eurasia Review
By Brig Gen (Retd) Hasan Md Shamsuddin
April 10, 2023

Bangladesh is providing shelter and supporting the persecuted Rohingyas on humanitarian grounds for nearly six years. In addition, for the repatriation of the Rohingyas to Myanmar, Bangladesh government has been trying its best to resolve the crisis along with China and the international community.

The repatriation process is not yet successful because Myanmar has not come forward to resolve this issue. Bangladesh signed a repatriation deal with Myanmar in November 2017. Repatriation efforts taken in 2018 failed as the situation in Rakhine state was unsafe and Rohingyas were not interested to return in that situation. Again in 2019, an attempt was made to start the repatriation with the mediation of China but it was not also successful. As a result, no progress has been made in the issue of Rohingya repatriation in the last six years. Following China’s involvement in repatriation talks, small-scale repatriation of Rohingyas to Myanmar has been under discussion since 2020 and China has been pressuring Myanmar to expedite the repatriation.

The Rohingya's Quest for International Justice

THE WIRE
ANAYLIS

Saumya Uma
30/AUG/2021

This is the third in a series of articles on the International Criminal Court (ICC). The Rome Statute creating the ICC entered into force on July 1, 2002 and the court is now in its 20th year. To mark the occasion, The Wire is publishing a series of articles evaluating its performance over the past two decades. Read the first part here and the second part here.

The situation faced by the Rohingya is once again in the spotlight with the Bangladesh government reportedly commencing the COVID vaccination drive for Rohingya refugees on one hand and the Indian government terming them “a threat to national security” on the other. Last month, the Human Rights Watch minced no words in asking the Indian government to release the detained asylum seekers.

Bangladesh Looks To Russia To Resolve Rohingya Crisis – Analysis

eurasiareview
By Anand Kumar*
Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA)

August 8, 2021 

Rohingya refugees. Photo Credit: Tasnim News Agency

The issue of Rohingya refugees has turned out to be a major problem for Bangladesh in recent times, especially after the mass exodus of Rohingyas from Myanmar in August 2017. Bangladesh has tried to engage bilaterally with Myanmar and also attempted to garner international support to deal with this problem effectively. It has managed to get support not only from the Western countries and the Muslim world but also from important international organisations like the United Nations (UN). Despite this, the problem is far from resolved. In its bid to find a solution to this problem and to repatriate Rohingyas to Myanmar, Bangladesh has now sought the help of Russia as the relationship of the Myanmar junta with Russia is gathering strength.

Analysis: Myanmar turmoil deepens as clashes spread

REUTERS
July 7, 2021

  

July 7 (Reuters) - The farming town of Depayin joined Myanmar's list of shattered communities when the army moved in to crush a local anti-junta militia armed with makeshift weapons.

When army trucks arrived at Depayin around dawn last Friday, local youths assembled to fight back but were quickly overwhelmed, six residents told Reuters by telephone. Dozens of people were killed afterwards by the soldiers and thousands have since fled with whatever they could carry, the residents said.

Myanmar: Challenging Rakhine And Military Narratives About Rohingyas – Analysis

eurasiareview

Dr. Habib Siddiqui
June 21, 2021

Displaced Rohingya people in Rakhine State, Burma. Photo Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Wikipedia Commons.

Oppression, marginalization, violence, propaganda – none of it is new. What is new, however, is the mere scale, frequency and omnipresence of disinformation, especially when it is propagated by a powerful group that runs at the state level with the goal to eliminate a small minority that is different than the dominant group’s identity by race, ethnicity, language, religion, customs and culture. Nowhere in our time is this issue perhaps more acute than in Myanmar where the Rohingyas are victims of a carefully crafted genocidal program that has become a national project there, enjoying full support from top to bottom of every rung and corner of the Buddhist society – from a military man in uniform to a monk in a saffron robe, from a peasant in the paddy field to a politician wearing a longyi.

Rohingya Crisis And OIC: Assessing The Role – Analysis

eurasiareview
Shaikh Abdur Rahman
May 20, 2021 

1. Introduction

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), after the United Nations (UN) is the second leading international governmental organization, with the membership of 57 states from four continents. [1] It represents the Islamic world and strives for protecting its interests. Bangladesh, a member of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), has conceded much of the socio-economic, political and security cost of providing asylum to approximately 1.2 million Rohingya refugees. The institution has so far played an important role in the Rohingya crisis through fundraising and legal support.

Myanmar: Journalists who fled coup face Thailand deportation

B B C  

Analysis

Johnathan Head

11 May 2021

Many journalists who have been covering protests in Myanmar have been arrested

Three journalists and two activists who fled from Myanmar are set to go on trial in Thailand on charges of illegally entering the country.

If found guilty they are likely to be deported back to Myanmar, where they say their lives would be in danger.

The trial was to begin on Tuesday in Chiang Mai but was postponed for another six days.

Since the military coup on 1 February, dozens of journalists have been arrested and charged in Myanmar.

Myanmar: If independent media dies, democracy dies

Asia Pacific Report

Pacific Media Watch -
May 8, 2021

Molotov, one of the emerging new media outlets in Myanmar. Image: Phil Thornton/IFJ

ANALYSIS: By Phil Thornton

As chaos flows in Burma, journalists are being forced to hide in plain sight by the Burmese military, writes senior journalist and Myanmar expert Phil Thornton.

Journalists in Myanmar are being hunted and arrested by the country’s military for trying to do their job. Independent media outlets have been raided, licences revoked and offices closed.

To avoid arrest, independent journalists have gone into deep hiding, taken refuge in ethnic controlled regions or fled to neighboring countries. The military and its paid informers trawl through neighborhoods, coffee shops and scan social media for evidence to justify arresting journalists.

Analysis: On Myanmar, ASEAN pushes boundaries of "non-interference"

REUTERS
Panu Wongcha-umKay Johnson
April 27, 2021

A woman prepares a placard out of crossed out portraits of Myanmar's junta chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing during protest against the military coup in Myanmar, in Jakarta, Indonesia, April 24, 2021 in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Antara Foto/Dhemas Reviyanto/ via REUTERS

Few had high hopes that a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which counts Myanmar among its members, would produce any serious initiative to end the bloodshed after Myanmar's coup, with the junta leader himself in attendance.

Yet the summit's concluding "consensus statement" - accepted by all member states including Myanmar - did stretch the bounds of ASEAN's longstanding principle of non-interference in members' internal affairs.

It called for an end to violence and a dialogue among all parties - interpreted by some as an attempt to broker talks between the junta and Myanmar's parallel National Unity Government (NUG) - as well as the naming of an ASEAN envoy and a humanitarian aid mission.

Revoking The Coup In Myanmar – Analysis

eurasiareview

James Emery
April 3, 2021

Members of Myanmar's Tatmadaw military. Photo Credit: Mehr News Agency

The situation in Myanmar following the Tatmadaw’s coup d’état of February 1, 2021 is at a critical point. The insular Tatmadaw, backed by China and Russia, along with supportive regional players, is unlikely to capitulate from traditional sanctions and a compromised United Nations (UN).

The first step in crafting an effective response is to identify the primary drivers and objectives of the coup. Tatmadaw Commander-in-Chief, General Min Aung Hlaing, controlled the Ministries of Defense (armed forces), Home Affairs (national police force), and Border Affairs. Myanmar soldiers, police, militias, and the courts help maintain the Tatmadaw’s totalitarian grip on power.

Analysis: Myanmar's neighbour Thailand unlikely to toughen stance on coup

REUTERS

Kay Johnson, Panarat Thepgumpanat
APAC
APRIL 2, 2021

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Thailand has slightly hardened its language on Myanmar by saying it is “gravely concerned” about escalating bloodshed since a Feb. 1 coup, but close military ties and fears of a flood of refugees mean it is unlikely to go further, analysts say.

FILE PHOTO: People who are fleeing the violence in Myanmar sit in a boat as they approach a Thai soldier at the border village of Mae Sam Laep, Mae Hong Son province, Thailand March 30, 2021. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun/File Photo

That leaves Thailand out of step with some members of the 10-strong Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), as they seek to ramp up pressure on the junta, but could also position it as a possible mediator.

“(Thailand’s position) is difficult, but I think there is an opportunity because we’ve become an important partner,” Panitan Wattanayagorn, a political scientist at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University, told Reuters.

Myanmar dispatches: updates and analysis from our law student correspondents in Myanmar

JURIST

JURIST Staff

February 15, 2021

JURIST EXCLUSIVE – Our law student correspondents in Myanmar continue to send reports of the latest developments on the ground, along with their perspectives and analysis of the legal issues presented by the February 1 military coup. These are excerpts from the first extensive report to JURIST received late last night after the Myanmar military’s internet blackout was lifted Monday morning Myanmar time:


Internet is back at 9 am.

Last night, one person died in Myit Kyi Narr, Kachin State. 5 reporters were arrested there last night but they’re released this morning, just now.

ASSK [Aung San Suu Kyi] and the president will be brought to the court on 17 Feb to decide whether this case should be brought to the Court (Although they detained them on 1 Feb, they issued the allegations on 2 Feb. 15 days of detention will be completed on 17 Feb). Will they release them now?? Or will they make another accusations to keep them in jail like before?

New IRC analysis: Domestic partners perpetrate 94% of gender-based violence against Rohingya women in Cox’s Bazar

International  

RESCUE  

Committee

Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh,
Press Release
January 25, 2021 

Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, January 25, 2021 — New data from the International Rescue Committee (IRC) reveals that 94% of Rohingya women and girls living in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, who have reported incidents of Gender-Based Violence (GBV), have experienced it at the hands of their partners.

Following the onset of COVID-19, lockdown measures were introduced in Cox’s Bazar that confined many women to their shelters, often shared with their abusers. Initial IRC data from between June - December 2019, captured before the virus took hold, indicated that 81% of women who reported GBV had experienced domestic violence. Alarmingly, new IRC analysis shows that this figure has risen to 94% between January - October 2020, as the effects of the lockdown were fully realised.

Since January 2020, screening data from IRC programming shows that an average of one in four women and girls screened at health facilities and women’s in Cox’s Bazar continue to report they are survivors of Gender-Based Violence (GBV), consistent with the findings of IRC’s June 2020 Shadow Pandemic report. Despite the enormous new challenges women and girls face in reporting - including reductions in the availability of NGO services, limitations on refugees’ freedom of movement, and for many GBV survivors, quarantine at home with their abuser - the data shows a spike in reported rates of physical assault as compared to other types of violence that coincide with the first month of lockdown. In reality this is likely a fraction of the overall number.

News Analysis: Myanmar's words not enough at all

Dhaka Tribune  

Humayun Kabir Bhuiyan
January 24th, 2021

Ships of Bangladesh Navy carry Rohingya people to Bhashan Char in Noakhali on Tuesday, December 29, 2020 Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka Tribune

 

If Myanmar had lived up to its oral and written pledges, the Rohingyas would have been back home in Rakhine a year ago

For the last few days, apparently optimistic words with respect to the beginning of the repatriation of hundreds of thousands of persecuted Rohingyas sheltered in Cox's Bazar are coming from the hierarchies of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Actually, these are not their words. They are just relaying the words that Myanmar has said to them. 

After a tripartite meeting among Bangladesh, Myanmar and China, Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen said that Dhaka was cautiously optimistic about Rohingya repatriation from the second quarter of 2021.

ANALYSIS - Anti-Rohingya monk promotes Myanmar ‘Buddhist’ nationalism

AA

Maung Zarni

LONDON 

14.12.2020 

Monk’s description of ‘Buddhists truths’ superior to Universal Declaration of Human Rights is far from ground realities.

The writer is a Burmese coordinator of the Free Rohingya Coalition and a fellow of the Genocide Documentation Center in Cambodia.

Exuding a palpable sense of spiritual and cultural superiority, a genocide-denying Myanmar Buddhist monk declared Myanmar’s “true nationalism” which is anchored in the “universal declaration of Buddhist truths” to be even superior to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Voices rising: Rohingya priorities for an end to their displacement in Myanmar

Analysis
Source Oxfam
25 Oct 2020

Bangladesh-Myanmar: Rohingya Conundrum – Analysis

eurasiareview

By S. Binodkumar Singh*
October 13, 2020

Rohingya's in Kutupalong Refugee Camp in Bangladesh. Photo taken by John Owens/VOA, Wikipedia Commons.

 

On October 6, 2020, four people were killed in clashes between two groups of Rohingyas over establishing supremacy at the Lombasia Camp in the Kutupalang area of Cox’s Bazar District. 20 persons were injured in the violent clashes.