Rohingya Crisis: A Humanitarian Catastrophe

Running head : ROHINGYA CRISIS
ROHINGYA CRISIS
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1ROHINGYA CRISIS
The Rohingyas are a group of people who have been fleeting to Bangladesh and leaving
their homeland Myanmar. Initially, there were around 1.1 million Rohingyas but around 420,000
have fled due to the destructive weather and rough terrain. Mostly, the Rohingyas have fled to
their neighboring country Bangladesh since 2017 (Quadir, 2018). It is believed that the Burmese
military has been the main culprit behind killing and torturing the Rohingyas. The torrential
downpour, food scarcity, dire situations have made it difficult for the Rohingyas to stay in
Myanmar. The NGOS and aid agencies have been running out of finances to help the Rohingyas.
The entire world has been sympathizing with the Rohingyas (The Economist, 2017). However,
several confusions have aroused as to why the Nobel Peace Prize winner, Aung San Suu Kyi
taking an action. Some are of the opinion that it is an “ethnic cleansing” by the Buddhists. This is
shocking as to why a leader will not to do anything to help the people of her own country. The
Rohingyas are the indigenous Muslims of Burma (The Economist, 2017).
The Rohingyas are brutally discriminated by the government. There are instances where
they are murdered, killed, raped and denied their legal rights and citizenships. The United
Nations had stated earlier that this is nothing but genocide. The International Criminal Court has
been asked to take action against the military officials of Myanmar for their treatment against the
Rohingyas. The military has been charged with atrocities like mass rape and burning down
Rohingya houses (Head, 2017). The ethnic minority have been forced to take shelter in
Bangladesh. Human rights activists all over the world are trying to address the severity of the
situation. In Bangladesh there are 700,000 Rohingya refugees currently. The Rohingyas mainly
live in the Rakhine state. The villages were burned and the Rohingyas took shelter in the
Myanmar-Bangladesh border. Many Rohingyas told reporters that teenagers and adults were
killed with rifles whereas young children and infants were thrown into the water. The deadly

2ROHINGYA CRISIS
carnage has taken the world by storm and United Nations is trying to extend its help to the
helpless Rohingyas. It comes as a shock as to why a world leader and a Nobel Peace Prize
winner, Suu Kyi, remain silent about the mentioned atrocity. Buddhists on the other hand are
considered very peace loving and kind people. The entire world is now questioning the principles
of the Buddhist community. While trying to escape from the torture, the Rohingyas have died on
sea or were killed in the jungle by smugglers. Satellite images have shown that the villages have
been mercilessly burned down to ashes (The Economist, 2017).
On the other side of the border, in Bangladesh, the Rohingyas have to deal with hunger,
living on the streets, outbreak of diseases and other hardships. The Rohingyas have become a
burden to the state of Bangladesh. However, the current Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina has been
very kind towards the homeless Rohingyas and provided them with basic aids. At the New York
headquarters she addressed that the Myanmar government should remove all the discriminatory
laws against the Rohingyas and let them live peacefully (Safi, 2018). She had also stated that the
Myanmar government should build mutual trust and establish guarantee to protect the rights of
the minority group. She also mentioned that this mass killing of the Rohingyas is nothing but
“ethnic cleansing” (Head, 2017). Today in Bangladesh there are over a million of traumatized
and rootless Rohingyas. The government of Bangladesh has to not only provided them with food
and clothing but also with six acres of land for them to protect themselves from the wrath of
nature. The entire situation has taken a toll on Bangladesh’s economic resources. The sudden
influx of the minorities has also lead to diseases like diahorrea and hygiene problems. The fact
that thry have been displaced from their native land have left them deeply upset (Head, 2017).
The state of Bangladesh have recently developed an island called the Bhashan Char where the