Introduction:
The Rohingya crisis is one of the major refugee crises in the world. The situation is so grave that the United Nations has described the Rohingya as one of the most persecuted communities in the world. Rohingyas are a minority group related to the Rakhine state of Myanmar. Myanmar’s government does not recognise Rohingyas as citizens of Myanmar. They are deprived of benefits and all civic amenities, including livelihood.
What is the Rohingya crisis?
The persecuted minority community of Rohingya, of the western part of Rakhine State in Myanmar, is undergoing inhumane activities by the Burmese government to date.
To survive, the Rohingya are on a fleet to Southeast Asian countries. The Rohingya crisis is currently in the news, which is the mass migration of the Rohingyas of Myanmar to its neighbouring countries like Malaysia, Bangladesh, and also India.
The crisis is about the rehabilitation of the Rohingya people living in the Rakhine State of Myanmar and the Chittagong State of Bangladesh, and Rohingyas fled to other locations like India, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and other countries.
- Rakhine State of Myanmar: In this region, 8–9 lakh people have been denied citizenship by the government, so they are stateless. Among them, around 1.40 million are internally displaced. They are living in camps in extremely inhuman conditions.
- Chittagong State, Bangladesh: These people were reversely migrated from Myanmar. Around 3–4 lakh people live here in camps, most located in or near Cox’s Bazaar.
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Reasons for Migration from Bangladesh to Myanmar
The origin of the problem is Bangladesh. During British rule, the English would take agricultural workers from the Chitagaon region to the Arakan region. They have lived since then. Lots of people have been there for three to four generations. But lots of them have recently gone. The biggest challenge for the Myanmar government is to identify and differentiate them.
Migration from Bangladesh to Arakan (the old name of Rakhine):
- Since the land of Arakan was extremely fertile, Britishers brought them as labourers from Chittagong.
- In 1947, India gained independence, and after the partition, present-day Bangladesh became East Pakistan.
- In 1971, there was turmoil in Eastern Pakistan, and a war of independence with Western Pakistan was taking place.
What should India do with Rohingya refugees?
- Allowing refugees is a potential security threat to any country. Refugees can be easy prey for terrorists. They may take advantage of the situation and carry out illegal activities using refugees.
- A stand on the Rohingya crisis will impact the diplomatic relations of India with Myanmar.
- India is the second-most populous country in the world. It is already difficult for the Indian government to provide food security and necessities to all the people of India. Adding more burden to this will worsen the situation.
- Accommodating refugees will cause the resettling of some Indians. The Indian government tried to give shelter to Rohingyas by resettling some in the Jammu region. This may not be the right step and will cause distress to the resettled Indians.
- Recently, seven Rohingya Muslims held at a detention centre in Assam will be handed over to Myanmar after the Supreme Court today refused to stop their deportation, the first such move by the government.
Conclusion:
Living a decent lifestyle in the twentieth century is yet a thought to the Rohingya people. There is an immediate need for a long-term solution to this grave problem. Till then, India, along with other neighbouring countries in Myanmar, should help the Rohingya community survive and live a decent life without compromising on national security.
Recent Update: In the recent update, the Supreme Court was instructed to leave Rohingyas who came illegally to the border of Myanmar.
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