THE DIPLOMAT
By Ishrat Zakia Sultana
August 25, 2023
The Rohingya issue has become deeply politicized, but there are still possible solutions at hand.
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There’s an old joke about a patient who went to see a doctor about back pain. The physician advised the patient that he should not remain sitting, neither should he stand, nor lie down. “Otherwise,” the physician warned, “your back could deteriorate permanently.” The patient, extremely confused and annoyed, asked the doctor, “Shall I then hang like a jacket on a hanger?”
The helplessness of the patient portrayed in this story provides an apt analogy for the situation of the Rohingya – the victims of genocide and ethnic cleansing in their own country, Myanmar, now stuck in limbo in crowded camps in Bangladesh. Their homeland will not take them back, which nullifies the possibility of their repatriation. The host country will not grant them any form of status (whether as citizens or refugees), which has exacerbated their situation. And finally, no third country has come forward to take them as part of a resettlement plan.
The helplessness of the patient portrayed in this story provides an apt analogy for the situation of the Rohingya – the victims of genocide and ethnic cleansing in their own country, Myanmar, now stuck in limbo in crowded camps in Bangladesh. Their homeland will not take them back, which nullifies the possibility of their repatriation. The host country will not grant them any form of status (whether as citizens or refugees), which has exacerbated their situation. And finally, no third country has come forward to take them as part of a resettlement plan.