ROHINGYA MUSLIM IMPASSE ASSUMES GLOBAL SIGNIFICANCE

The Rohingya muslim refugee situation is becoming more and more complex day by day with united nations taking special note of it. While Bangladesh has so far accepted over two lakh refugees with more than seventy thousand in battered and aweful condition lying in the border town of TEKNAF surviving at the hands of some philanthropic organisations n UN, over fifty thousand of them are in India. After the hard hitting deplorable statement of the UN High Commisioner on human rights protection Al Assad pointing fingers at India, the Indian home minister of state seems to have back tracked for the time being saying that India has not firmed its final position on the Rohingya Muslim refugee expulsion but has simply but catagorically asked the state governments to immaculately identify the actual refugees.

It may be recalled that just yesterday Mr. Hussein, while addressing the 36th Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, said, “I deplore current measures in India to deport Rohingya at a time of such violence against them in their country. Some 40,000 Rohingya have settled in India and 16,000 of them have received refugee documentation. Just a day before the Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiran Rijuju has reportedly said that because India is not a signatory to the Refugee Convention, the country can dispense with international law on the matter, together with basic human compassion.

However, by virtue of customary law, its ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the obligations of due process and the universal principle of non-refoulement (a number of international instruments relating to refugees), India cannot carry out collective expulsions, or return people to a place where they risk torture or other serious violations.” The state home minister’s statement to The Hindu Daily going against his earlier stand of repatriating the Rohingya refugees to Myanmar therefore seems to be quite significant and indicates the policy shift of the Indian government.

However prime minister Narendra Modi had in his earlier statements in Myanmar and India while expressing his serious concern over the situation has urged for the mature and peaceful resolution of this vexed issue. In the meanwhile reports are also pouring in that that the terror sponsering nation Pakistan is trying to take advantage of the situation as internationally known Pak terrorist Azar Masood has given a call to his hardcore terrorist cadres to infilterate in Myanmar and teach the government a befitting lesson through its terror activities.

There had already been number of protest demonstrations in favour of the Rohingya Muslim refugees in various parts of Pakistan asking various terror outfits to avenge the torture and victimsation of Rohingya Muslims in the Rohingya dominated Rakhine province and other parts of Myanmar by the Buddhists and the government there. There have also been voices for taking back the Noble prize from Noble laureate and the undisputed leader of Myanmar Buddhist community but the Noble prize committee has outrightly rejected the demand. While the United Nations has accelarated its efforts to resolve this vexed issue Bangladesh has raised its arms up expressing its total inability to accept the influx of ROHINGYA refugees on its soil as it’s already reeling under tremendous socio political and economic pressure within their own country.

The ethnic conflict in Myanmar has its roots since 1982 when through an act of the Myanmar government the Rohingya muslims were denied the citizenship. Since then the ethnic conflict between the Buddhists and the Rohingyas continued with gradual flushing out of the muslim population from the state.

A redical organisation fighting for the rights of Rohingya Muslims known as ARAKAN ROHINGYA SALVATION ARMY retaliated to the increasing torture of the Myanmar police and army in the last week of August, 2017 by bombing and firing on the Myanmar police posts at the Myanmar Bangladesh Border killing about 20 guards. This resulted in an increase in the conflict with blood bath around and incessant torture and killings of the Rohingyas fleeing from Myanmar saving their lives. Till date as per the United Nations’ statistics about 3 lacs Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar for Bangladesh and India with thousands having taken refuge in extremely aweful and pitiable condition in Tefnak with UNHCR n some philanthropic organisations taking care of them.

SUNIL NEGI