Ata Ullah: Rohingya freedom fighter or war criminal?

Dhaka Tribune
John Quinley III
Publish : 16 May 2025,

Everyone should be held accountable for the atrocities they commit. Respect for international law is not optional, and true justice cannot be selective .

                                                                   

“The brutal military government has treated the Rohingya like animals -- that’s what we are fighting against,” Ata Ullah Abu Ammar Jununi, commander-in-chief of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), recalled the military’s genocidal attacks in 2016 and 2017.

Trump Administration Fires U.S. Aid Workers in Quake Zone in Myanmar

The New York Times
By Edward Wong and Hannah Beech
April 5, 2025

The move comes despite Secretary of State Marco Rubio saying the U.S. would still do some humanitarian work while shrinking foreign aid. Democratic lawmakers have denounced the cuts.

 

People lining up for donated relief supplies in Mandalay, Myanmar, on Thursday.Credit...Reuters

Trump administration officials have fired workers for the main American aid agency who were sent to Myanmar to assess how the United States could help with earthquake relief efforts, three people with knowledge of the actions said.

The firings, done Friday while the workers were in the rubble-strewn city of Mandalay, raise doubts about Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s stated commitment to continuing some humanitarian and crisis aid even as the aid organization, the U.S. Agency for International Development, is dismantled by the Trump administration.

Hope at a time of uncertainty

The Daily Star

Mokammel Shuvo

Sun Apr 6, 2025

 

Mixed reactions in Cox’s Bazar camps as Myanmar identifies 180,000 Rohingyas for return.

Following reports of Myanmar verifying 1,80,000 Rohingyas for potential repatriation, a wave of mixed feelings has washed over the camps in Cox's Bazar and Bhasan Char.

Although many Rohingyas express a strong desire to return to their homeland safely, they remain apprehensive of Myanmar's ability to guarantee security.

What militant’s arrest means for Rohingyas’ future

ARAB NEWS
Dr. Azeem Ibrahim
March 23, 2025 

Rohingya refugee carries a food ration sack on his back from a distribution center in Cox's Bazar. (AP)

The arrest by Bangladeshi police of Ataullah Abu Ammar Jununi, the leader of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, on the outskirts of Dhaka last week marks a significant turning point in the ongoing conflict in Myanmar. Ataullah’s capture raises critical questions about the future of Rohingya militancy, the shifting dynamics in Rakhine State and the prospects for stability in the region.

Rohingya genocide warrants and the legitimacy battle in Myanmar

new mandala
Tin Shine Aung
19 Mar, 2025 

AUNG SAN SUU KYI AT THE INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE, DECEMBER 2019 (PHOTO: ICJ)

The NUG’s handling of Aung San Suu Kyi’s reputation has become a critical fault line within its coalition, wedging former NLD members, ethnic organisations, and liberal-democratic groups within the political wing of the anti-junta resistance. 

On 13 February a federal court in Argentina issued arrest warrants for Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, head of Myanmar’s State Administration Council (SAC), and Aung San Suu Kyi, the former State Counsellor of the National League for Democracy (NLD)-led administration and the National Unity Government (NUG) and Nobel peace laureate. The warrants, issued under universal jurisdiction, accuse them of genocide and crimes against humanity committed against the Rohingya ethnic minority. (Universal jurisdiction allows states or international bodies to prosecute individuals for serious crimes like genocide and war crimes, regardless of where they occurred or even without a direct link through nationality.)

Insurgency in rohingya camps: AL govt downplayed the problem for years

The Daily Star
Staff Correspondent
Wed Mar 19, 2025

 Says Fortify Rights; blames Rohingya armed-groups for repeated violence there  

Despite the rising violence in the Rohingya camps of Cox's Bazar over the years, the Bangladesh authorities have repeatedly downplayed or denied the presence of Rohingya militant groups, allowing them to operate unchecked.

Refugees and rights groups have long raised concerns over killings, abductions, and torture carried out by armed factions, but official inaction has left vulnerable communities unprotected, said a report by Fortify Rights launched at Dhaka Reporters Unity yesterday.

Armed Rohingya Group’s Leader Is Arrested in Bangladesh

The New York Times
By Hannah Beech
March 19, 2025 

 

Attacks by the group, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, were used as a pretext by the Myanmar military to launch a campaign of ethnic cleansing that set off a massive refugee crisis.

More than a million Rohingya are confined to a series of tent settlements in Bangladesh, like this one in Cox’s Bazar, seen on Saturday.Credit...Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters

The leader of an armed group representing a persecuted Muslim minority from Myanmar was arrested in a raid in neighboring Bangladesh this week and charged under an antiterrorism law.

Ataullah, an ethnic Rohingya and the commander of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, or ARSA, was arrested on Monday, the Bangladeshi police said in a statement. He was captured in Narayanganj District, on the outskirts of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, according to a local police officer. Nine other suspected members of ARSA were also nabbed in raids.

A Bleak Future for Rohingya Refugees

THE | DIPLOMAT
By Jannatul Naym Pieal
March 14, 2025


Despite the U.N. secretary-general’s visit to Bangladesh this week, the outlook for Rohingya refugees remains bleak.

Credit: Depositphotos

 

As conflict escalates in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, the plight of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh remains as dire as ever.

Recent developments – including the Arakan Army’s decision to ban the term “Rohingya” in areas under its control, dwindling food aid for refugees in Bangladesh, and shifting geopolitical stances – are shaping the future of one of the world’s most persecuted communities.

Rising Rakhine risks reshaping regional realities

daily sun
Simon Mohsin
Publish: Wednesday, 05 March, 2025

The rise of the Arakan Army in Myanmar’s Rakhine State has significantly altered the region’s geopolitical landscape. With the group now controlling the entire 271-km border with Bangladesh, its ascendancy poses a dual challenge—both a national security threat and a humanitarian crisis for Dhaka. Yet, despite this shifting reality, Bangladesh remains indecisive, relying on traditional diplomatic approaches that have yielded limited results. The need for a recalibrated, pragmatic approach is more urgent than ever.

How Myanmar’s Rohingya refugees feel about Aung San Suu Kyi: ‘She was a rag doll who never had absolute power’

INDEPENDENT
Monday 10 March 2025 

Rohingya Muslims tell of their changing view of Aung San Suu Kyi, seeing her as one of their own – a victim of the military – as she languishes in solitary confinement. Shweta Sharma reports from Cox’s Bazar camps in Bangladesh.

 

 

 
Sitting in a dimly-lit bamboo shelter in the world’s largest refugee camp, Rohingya Muslims like Azizur Rehman could be forgiven for hating Aung San Suu Kyi.

Five years ago, the then-leader of Myanmar appeared at the International Court of Justice to deny the Rohingya were victims of genocide by her country’s military, much to the shock of the rest of the world.

Aung San Suu Kyi’s Defensive Denial of the Rohingya Massacre: A Rhetorical Analysis of Denial and Positive-Image Construction

JSPP
Journal of Social and Political Psychology 

 

Idhamsyah Eka Putra*1,2, Hema Preya Selvanathan3, Ali Mashuri4, Cristina J. Montiel5
[1] Faculty of Psychology, Persada Indonesia University, Jakarta, Indonesia. [2] Division for Applied Social Psychology Research (DASPR), Jakarta, Indonesia. [3] School of Psychology, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. [4] Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, University of Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia. [5] Department of Psychology, Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City, Philippines.

Abstract

In December 2019, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) accused the Myanmar government of genocide against Rohingya Muslims. Represented by Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar authorities denied such accusations. To understand how a political leader can deny ingroup wrongdoings, we unpacked Suu Kyi’s ICJ speech and analyzed her defensive rhetorical style through critical narrative analysis. We aimed to identify and describe the denial strategies Suu Kyi used as well as how she maintained a positive ingroup image to support her position. Our findings showed that Suu Kyi engaged in interpretative denial of genocide by arguing that genocide cannot occur when there is armed conflict, that there were victims and perpetrators on both sides, and that misconducts by law enforcement had been addressed. To maintain the ingroup’s positive image, she portrayed Myanmar as moral by emphasizing the government’s knowledge of ethical standards and laws, as well as their support for peace and justice. By examining political discourse used by a national leader internationally renowned for supporting human rights, our findings shed light on the dynamic, constructive nature of denial. Theoretical and applied contributions to understanding denial of ingroup wrongdoing are discussed.

Keywords: denial, ingroup wrongdoing, genocide, mass violence, competitive victimhood, ingroup image, moral disengagement

Meta’s new content policies risk fueling more mass violence and genocide

AMNESTY
International
17 February 2025 

By Pat de Brún, Head of Big Tech Accountability at Amnesty International and Maung Sawyeddollah, the founder and Executive Director of the Rohingya Students’ Network.

Recent content policy announcements by Meta pose a grave threat to vulnerable communities globally and drastically increase the risk that the company will yet again contribute to mass violence and gross human rights abuses – just like it did in Myanmar in 2017. The company’s significant contribution to the atrocities suffered by the Rohingya people is the subject of a new whistleblower complaint that has just been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). 

Argentinian Court Issues Arrest Warrants for Myanmar Officials Over Rohingya Atrocities

THE | DIPLOMAT
By Sebastian Strangio
February 17, 2025

The Supreme Court of Argentina in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Credit: ID 10811671

A court in Argentina on Friday issued an arrest warrant for Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the head of Myanmar’s military junta, for his role in alleged “genocide and crimes against humanity” against the Rohingya minority group.

Are the Rohingya stateless?

Daily Mirror Online
By Safrah Fazal
Thu, 13 Feb 2025

The testimonies of the Rohingya paint a picture of innocent people trying to flee grave danger in Myanmar

The recent discourse surrounding the arrival of over 100 Rohingya refugees in Sri Lanka in December 2024 has been fraught with statements that they are victims of human trafficking, or they are illegal immigrants and hence are at risk of deportation. However, the testimonies of the Rohingya themselves paint a different picture—one of innocent people whose lives were in grave danger in Myanmar’s Arakan Province. With no other choice, they entrusted their fate to rickety boats and treacherous waters, clinging to a fragile hope for survival.

‘Become American, Work Hard, Love Democracy’: Dreams Dashed by Trump Orders

The New York Times
By Hannah Beech
Reporting from Bangkok
Feb. 12, 2025

President Trump’s moves to pause refugee resettlement, freeze foreign aid and suspend funds to promote democracy have added more chaos to one of the world’s most urgent humanitarian crises.

The world’s largest refugee camp is in Bangladesh, where hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims have sought shelter after fleeing Myanmar. It was built with the help of U.S.A.I.D., an agency paralyzed by the Trump administration.Credit...Reuters

The family of four refugees filled seven suitcases for their new life in America. They packed blankets, tin plates, one blade for clearing the land in their future home and one for chopping meat. They left behind what they were not supposed to bring: slingshots, fish paste, traditional medicines from their native Myanmar.

How Pakistan’s ISI is helping Rohingya armed groups to forge a united front in Bangladesh

Firstpost
Rajeev Bhattacharyya
January 27, 2025, 

As per sources, Pakistan’s spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence was engaged in the spadework to convince the Rohingya armed groups in Bangladesh to collaborate for ‘effective coordination’ in their campaign to recover their homeland in Myanmar

 

A refugee camp of the Rohingya at Kutupalong in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar/ Credit - Rajeev Bhattacharyya

 
Among the many consequences of Bangladesh’s growing bonhomie with Pakistan seems to be the emergence of a united front of Rohingya armed groups that could have a far-reaching impact on the region, including India.

Our hearts beat for US deportees but turn against Rohingyas entering India. That’s hypocrisy

The Print
Karanjeet Kaur
11 February, 2025 

This public sympathy, unprecedented for “illegal” migrants, stems from the knowledge that in a different reality, the deportees’ gamble might have been our own.

Refugees standing in a queue at a refugee camp | Commons

The sight of dozens of crestfallen Indians exiting the ramp of the US military plane that landed in Amritsar last week, cast a pall of gloom over the news cycle. But for me, the defining image of India’s deportation crisis isn’t the 104 Indians bound and handcuffed by US officials—it’s the Punjabi politicians who voluntarily appeared in chains outside Parliament. 

Myanmar crisis: Civilians killed in airstrikes as Rohingya risk dangerous journeys

UNITED NATION
By Vibhu Mishra
22 January 2025 

UNICEF/Patrick BrownA child at an internally displaced persons (IDP) centre in Myanmar. (file)

The security situation in Myanmar continues to remain highly volatile, with intensified airstrikes across multiple regions leading to dozens of civilian casualties, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported on Wednesday.

‘We’ve lost all hope’: Rohingya trapped as Bangladesh closes Myanmar border

The Guardian
Sarah Aziz
Wed 22 Jan 2025 

Muslim refugees fleeing persecution in Myanmar are being detained and forced back by Bangladeshi border guards 

Rohingya refugees crossing into Bangladesh in 2017. Nearly a million of the Muslim minority have fled from Myanmar and live in squalid camps in Bangladesh. Photograph: Zuma/Alamy

In the dim light of his home in Arakan, Myanmar, Mohammed is talking above the wailing of his youngest child. All three of his children are hungry, he says. The 32-year-old Rohingya man’s parents, leaning together against the wall, are just visible as Mohammed speaks on the video call.

Threadbare facilities, high mortality, cats in the corridors: the realities of life for new Rohingya mothers in Cox’s Bazar

The Guardian
Rebecca Root in Cox's Bazar
Thu 2 Jan 2025

Midwife Sumana Akter checks on a newborn baby inside the Friendship hospital in a Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar. In some areas of the camp, maternal mortality is 44% higher than the Bangladesh average Photographs by Thomas Cristofoletti/Ruom for the Guardian

In the world’s largest refugee site, a lack of healthcare coupled with rising gang violence makes the journey to motherhood a perilous one

It is mid-afternoon on a Wednesday and Toyoba Begum, 37, is sitting upright at the end of her hospital bed, the second in a row of eight. Dressed in a beige tunic and canary yellow trousers, a belly recovery belt clasped around her stomach, she watches her two-day-old daughter sleeping under a fleece blanket.