Myanmar Commander-in-Chief of Military Forces Senior General Min Aung Hlang and Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Ky
(Image by Photo by Ann Wright) Details DMCA
International aid personnel with whom I spoke are planning for programs in the refugee camps for many months, if not years. The probability of refugees wanting to return to their burned out villages and to a military that by its actions continues to force Rohingya to flee is virtually non-existent. The United Nations or some entity of the international community would have to provide on-the-ground protection before they would return.
Over 200,000 Rohingya remain in refugee camps in Bangladesh from the 1992 exodus from Myanmar, giving support to the theory that hundreds of thousands more Rohingya will decide to remain in Bangladesh rather than risking returning to Myanmar.
In June 2012, after another time of intra-ethnic killings and village burnings in the province of Arakan with the military and police doing nothing to stop it, the President of Myanmar Thein Sein said in a nationwide address that the "only solution" would be to expel the Rohingya to other countries or to camps overseen by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) -- undoubtedly a reference to UNHCR camps in Bangladesh. "We will send them away if any third country would accept them," Thein Sein said. "This is what we are thinking is the solution to the issue." The UNHCR quickly rejected the proposal, saying, "As a refugee agency we do not usually participate in creating refugees."
During the conference on Islamic Thought and Civilization at which I spoke before coming to Bangladesh, former Malaysian Ambassador to the United Nations and President of the United Nations General Assembly Tan Sri Razali Ismail, predicted that the "final solution" of the Rohingya is underway. He said that only 300,000 Rohingya remain in Myanmar. Over 600,000 have fled to Bangladesh in the past three months. He predicted that, despite international attention and pressure, the Myanmar military will continue its slaughter of the Rohingya to force the remaining 300,000 to leave. He predicted that international organizations such as the UN or ASEAN will not intervene. While there is outrage in the international citizenry, organizations are unwilling to break their rules -- one negative vote by China in the UN Security council prevents a Chapter 7 UN peace-making mission and Myanmar's negative vote in ASEAN prevents the deployment of an ASEAN peace-making mission.
What can we do?
First, urge our respective governments to support the budget of the United Nations organizations such as UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN International Child Education Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Program (WFP), The World Health Organization (WHO), International Organization on Migration (IOM), organizations that provide the bulk of materials used for shelters and the basic food stuffs for all of the Rohingya camps.
Second, make individual donations to the UN agencies or to smaller organizations, such as MYCare of Malaysia, the HOPE Foundation and Save the Children that have important maternal health, hygiene and water programs.
According to UNICEF, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and Save the Children data there are 5,549 unaccompanied children in the camps.
Third, volunteer (if you have the skills) -- We met international humanitarian workers from around the world -- from South Korea, Detroit Michigan, Japan, Iceland, Italy, Algeria. Including the Minister of health from Iceland! And, of course, our Malaysian delegation from MYCare! The Japanese medical group has been here for many months and rotates every three weeks. The Italian midwife that is here will be here for two months. They both work at the Red Cross hospital.
Fourth, put pressure on Congress to condemn the Myanmar genocide on the Rohingya.
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