Rohingya people: the most persecuted refugees in the
world
Amie Hamling, Online Intern for Amnesty International Australia
Imagine you were denied an identity or a
place to call home. Your rights to study, work, travel, marry and practice your
religion didn’t exist – because you belong nowhere.
You’re not given any way to prove who you
are or where you’re from, which restricts your ability to gain full citizenship
status. Wherever you try to find refuge you’re locked up in detention because
of who you are.
This is the life of a Rohingya person.
Who are the Rohingya refugees?
They are the people with no home or
citizenship. While the Myanmar Government dispute the Rohingya people's status
as Burmese citizens, it's indisputable that Rohingya people have been living in
Burma
Also indisputable is their displacement
across the Asia-Pacific and ongoing abuse and exploitation. According to the
UN, they are one of the most persecuted minorities in the world.
Three years ago, religious and ethnic
tensions between the Rohingya Muslims and the Rakhine Buddhists, who make up
the majority of the population, escalated into widespread, deadly rioting.
Rejected everywhere they seek safety,
hundreds of thousands of Rohingya people are now living in limbo across Southeast Asia .
How many displaced Rohingya people are there?
In 2012, an estimated 140,000 people were
internally displaced within Burma
In an attempt to flee the violence, the
Rohingya people have become among the world’s least wanted, denied resettlement
in Indonesia , Thailand , Bangladesh ,
Malaysia or Australia
These people are risking everything for a
chance at safety, many dying at sea or in overcrowded detention.
Muslim Rohingya refugees from Burma gather behind bars of a locked room at a
detention center in Phang Nga province, southern Thailand
© EPA/STR THAILAND
What is life like for Rohingya people?
Rohingya women and children, like Yasmine,
a Rohingya woman forced to flee Burma
They are trapped in a tiny room on the
outskirts of Bangkok , living in constant fear
the Thai authorities will arrest her and deport her back to the violence and
persecution in Burma
Her journey – like many others – was
horrendous. She knew the dangers of escaping the conditions in Burma
Yasmine and her children boarded a fishing
boat late one night, hoping to register as refugees and be resettled in Malaysia Thailand
Those who reach Malaysia
Though few Rohingya people can afford the
boat journey to Australia ,
some Rohingya refugees have little option left but to travel here, to Australia
Rohingya refugees wait on board a ship to
be evacuatied to temporary shelters in Krueng Raya, Aceh Besar , Indonesia
Why are the Rohingya stateless?
A Burmese law passed in 1982 denied the
Rohingya people of their citizenship. The Burma Citizenship Law denies their
rights to a nationality, and subsequently, removes their freedom of movement,
access to education and services, and allows arbitrary confiscation of
property.
To Burma
For families like Yasmine and her children,
their only form of identification, a household registration card, was taken
away by authorities and never replaced.
This meant no identification and no rights.
The only option for Yasmine’s family was to leave.
Rohingya Muslim women and children sit in a
boat after they were intercepted by the Bangladesh Border Guard (BGB) members
in Teknaf , Bangladesh
Stranded at sea
A Muslim boy plays on a swing at Gong Dokka Internally
displaced persons (IDPs) in western Burma
This year alone, thousands of Rohingya
people were pushed into crossing the dangerous, 2,000 kilometre-wide Bay of
Bengal, off the coast of south-east Asia – many became stranded at sea.
Almost 20,000 Australians urged our
government to call for, and assist with, immediate search and rescue operations
and champion new, humane solutions for refugees in the region.
What needs to happen?
Over the coming months Amnesty
International will be stepping up it’s work to help the Rohingya people.
In the meantime, the Myanmar Government
should amend or repeal the 1982 Burma Citizenship Law and provide the Rohingya
people with full citizenship in the country.
The Australian Government must seek to
protect people like Yasmine and her family and not subject them to appalling
treatment on the mainland and in offshore detention centres.
How you can help
With your support, Amnesty International
has the global reach and ability to shine a light on the suffering of asylum
seekers and demand action.
Together we can draw international
attention to the plight of the Rohingya people, who only want a safe and stable
life for their families. Please share this feature on Facebook and Twitter.
Who-Rohingya's people
What-They try to find refuge they're locked up in the detention.
When-Not given
Where-Myanmar
Why-They are not given any way to prove who they are, or where they're from, which restricts your ability to gain full citizenship status.
How-Not given
Keyword
1.Myanmar Government緬甸政府
2.Burma
3.Asia-Pacific 亞洲的太平洋
4.Rohingya Muslims 羅興亞的穆斯林
5.Rakhine Buddhists 若開族佛教徒
6.ethnic 種族的
7.detention 扣留；滯留
8.deport 驅逐
9.asylum seeker 尋求避難者
10.intercept 攔截
1.Myanmar Government緬甸政府
3.Asia-Pacific 亞洲的太平洋
4.Rohingya Muslims 羅興亞的穆斯林
5.Rakhine Buddhists 若開族佛教徒
6.ethnic 種族的
7.detention 扣留；滯留
8.deport 驅逐
9.asylum seeker 尋求避難者
10.intercept 攔截
In the human history, there are a lot of people being treated like that but it isn't their fault. All of this was caused by their ethnic they belong. Those people are innocent ; they are deported by a lot of countries and fall the pery for the discrimination. This will still be a big issue for all of the peolpe worldwide.
回覆刪除I think there has many religious problems around the world now.,and Rohingya people are treated so unfairly by Myanmar Government.We can't hurt or exclude people for different religions.Everyone has his or her own right to choose which religions they want to believe.Last, I hope they will have a fine solution to deal this issue.
回覆刪除There are many people being stripped their rights just because different religions. Their identity weren't be recognize.Moreover, they didn't have any guarantee. We are so lucky that Taiwanese respect everyone's race and religions. Hoping that they the issue can be solve and they can have their own home.
回覆刪除There are many people being stripped their rights just because different religions. Their identity weren't be recognize.Moreover, they didn't have any guarantee. We are so lucky that Taiwanese respect everyone's race and religions. Hoping that they the issue can be solve and they can have their own home.
回覆刪除