The Rohingya community from Myanmar observed the fifth anniversary of the genocide in Myanmar on August 25. Termed the most persecuted minority in the world by the UN, their plight has failed to garner strong international action against the atrocities by the military junta. Though not much has changed for Rohingya in these five years, the country has again slipped under the military junta’s rule since 2021 after a decade of democratic rule.  

The National League for Democracy (NLD) led by Aung San Suu Kyi, which won a majority with 396 seats, now faces charges of election fraud and corruption. This has cast a shadow over the fate and future of Rohingya.

Rohingya, an ethnic community in Myanmar, have been rendered stateless sans political, social and economic rights. In 2017, the military carried out a clearance operation in the Rakhine region which was followed by violence including the burning down of Rohingya villages, triggering 700,000 to flee to Bangladesh.  

Bangladesh's burden

Bangladesh is hosting some 1 million Rohingya refugees which has burdened its economy and environment and raised security concerns due to violence in the overcrowded camps of Cox Bazar. As a result, in early 2021, they were shifted from Cox Bazar to Bhasan Char, a flood-prone isolated Island.

The international community failed to draw constructive measures against Myanmar. This raises concerns regarding the inability of the international community to implement the principles of Responsibility to Protect (R2P) against Myanmar which was adopted by the Heads of State and governments at the UN World Summit in 2005.  
 
According to paragraph 139 of the 2005 document, “The international community, through the United Nations, also has the responsibility to use appropriate diplomatic, humanitarian and other peaceful means… to help protect populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.” Gambia filed a case on Rohingya genocide in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against the Myanmar military.

India's changed stance

The United States has formally declared that the Myanmar army conducted genocide against Rohingya. China attempted a middle-of-the-road stand between Bangladesh and Myanmar. But it has not brought about peaceful repatriation of Rohingya.  

India has repositioned its earlier policy of providing a home to refugees from Tibet, Afghanistan, Bhutan and Sri Lanka and is forcefully deporting Rohingya refugees. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has maintained a principled policy of non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries and failed to impose an embargo on Myanmar.

Considering that Aung Sann Suu Kyi was a State Counsellor when the genocide occurred, it came as a shock for many who held the Nobel Peace Prize winner in high regard. She not only claimed that the Rohingya issue was an internal matter but went on to defend the military junta in the ICJ in the case filed by the Gambia.

Living in hope

Since 2021, Myanmar's opposition united in resisting the coup carried out by General Min Aung Hlaing. The ousted NLD members along with other MPs formed a National Unity Government (NUG) in exile. It took out a policy position on the Rohingya - moving away from the stand of Aung Sann Suu Kyi and the military - stating that it “understands the violence and gross human rights violation inflicted by a thuggish military and massive displacement”.  

The NUG stand can change the situation for the stateless Rohingya in Myanmar. Also, the ICJ's decision to overrule the objection raised by the military junta vis-a-vis the Gambia will help probe the atrocities inflicted on Rohingya. This provides some hope to the community. 

Currently, there are some 600,000 Rohingya left in Myanmar. They are taking part in efforts to resist the military and establish democracy. However, the Rohingya forced to live as refugees in deplorable conditions in Bangladesh and India await their safe return. Their safe repatriation with an assured guarantee of equal citizenship rights should be the fundamental objective of the international community. 

(The writer is a Ph.D. scholar in the Centre for South Asian Studies, SIS, Jawaharlal Nehru University. Views are personal. She can be contacted at khn.nazia@gmail.com)