The persecution of Rohingya Muslims at the hands of Myanmar’s army and Buddhist extremists and the stunning silence and apathy of Nobel laureate Suu Kyi towards their suffering have caught international attention.
Suu Kyi has been castigated by world leaders, human rights activists and fellow Nobel prize winners for her inability and reluctance to intervene to improve the plight of a persecuted community, forcing her to cancel a trip to New York to attend the UN general assembly fearing backlash.
But what has received less attention is the problems faced by Bangladesh and a lack help as it struggles to cope with a massive influx of Rohingya refugees.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina headed for the UN General Assembly yesterday to seek global help in coping with the Rohingya crisis, as the number of Rohingyas seeking refuge in her country topped 400,000, and is continuing to swell as Myanmar continues its crackdown. Bangladesh has been overwhelmed by Rohingya refugees since violence erupted in Myanmar’s Rakhine state on August 25.
As a poor country, Dhaka doesn’t have the resources to take care of such a large number of people and nor is it fully prepared to handle the crisis. As Sheikh Hasina’s government has demanded, the world needs to do more on the issue and offer it both financial and diplomatic help.
All over the world, refugee issues cannot be successfully handled by a single country because these refugees originate from another country where chaos or problems reign. Despite the intense international pressure and a global outrage against the persecution of the Rohingya, the government of Suu Kyi in Myanmar has done nothing to address the problem.
This calls for urgent global action, coordinated by the United Nations, and imposition of sanctions, if necessary, against Myanmar to force it to abide by international laws and stop state-sponsored elimination of a community. Bangladesh is demanding the repatriation of all the refugees to their homeland.
“Sheikh Hasina will raise the issue during her speech at the UN General Assembly. She will seek immediate cessation of violence in Rakhine state in Myanmar and ask the UN secretary general to send a fact-finding missing to Rakhine,” a spokesman for the prime minister said yesterday.
Tension is also rising between Bangladesh and Myanmar. Dhaka summoned Myanmar’s envoy for the third time to protest its neighbour’s actions. Dhaka has also accused its neighbour of violations of its airspace by Myanmar drones and helicopter, threatening “unwarranted consequences” if the violations are repeated.
The international community and the UN need to do more solve the crisis before the situation gets out of control. The world has done enough talking about the Rohigya issue and now it’s time for action.
