Feb 28 2009
Rohingya Refugees Are Still Left Without a Home
The Rohingya people weren’t given any solace from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which met in Thailand to discuss the region’s issues. The Rohingya are an ethnic minority in Burma - but the Burmese government refuses to recognize them. They are horribly mistreated, with claims that they are undergoing an ethnic cleansing at the hands of the military junta that rules Burma. Although the borders are guarded, some Rohingya escape the country, only to be turned away once they reach the sanctuary of other countries. The Thai military has repeatedly sent the refugees to fend for themselves at sea, leaving them to drift, and often times die without food, supplies, or hope.
The Rohingya are native to Burma. They are part of what was once the Arakan State, which was invaded by a Burmese King in 1784, and has since been annexed by Burma. The Rohingya have no rights, and are often subject to forced labor and abuse. Burma stated that they would take back the Rohingya only under the status of Bengali, not Burmese. The Burmese consul explained that the Rohingya are not really Burmese because they are dark-skinned and “as ugly as ogres”.
The Rohingya refugees have no desire to return to the country that they ran away from, but they also aren’t being accepted elsewhere. Their fate remains drifting at sea.
