Human Rights Group Says Myanmar’s Rohingya Repatriation Photo Staged

Rohingya Rights groups expressed grave apprehension after Myanmar’s most recent announcement to “repatriate” the first Rohingya Family, Al Jazeera reported last Sunday. A photograph showing a family of five receiving immigration cards, medical aid, and living quarters from Myanmar officials, has caused some scandal. The image was attached to a Facebook post, noting that the family would be travelling to the border of Myanmar and Bangladesh. Thousands of refugees are said to be “holed up” in this location. The “returnees” fled after intense repression of Rohingya living in Rakhine State, a presumed ghetto. The act was referred to as an ethnic cleansing by the United Nations.

Rights groups argue that the photo-op is a hoax to lure Rohingya families back to Myanmar who fled to Bangladesh last August. Those that return to the country are safe to be repatriated in camps located on the border, after an announcement from Myanmar’s social welfare minister Win Myat Aye. The minister visited the camps and soon after, disclosed that Myanmar was prepared for the repatriation of the Rohingya people. But, UN senior humanitarian official Ursula Mueller warned that Myanmar must address a number of “critical issues of freedom,” before starting this process.

Rohingya population in Myanmar is estimated at about a million, but remains the most oppressed community in the world. Starting in 1962 with an enacted “military coup,” the Muslim-identified group has been at odds with the government and military for the past 50 years. The predominantly Theravada Buddhist nation repeatedly refers to the group as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. However, Abdul Rasheed, chairman of the Rohingya Foundation, argues that the people have, “been apart of [Myanmar] since before British rule.”

According to the UNHCR, the current conditions in Myanmar for Rohingya people are not safe for return because of the lack of acceptance of the minority group by government and military officials. The crimes committed by leaders during the crackdown of Rakhine State must be held accountable before repatriation can safely occur, Human Rights Watch reports.

Rights groups and Rohingya people consistently accuse the Myanmar government of acts of genocide and crimes against humanity. Some in Rohingya allege the government of rape, looting, and murder. According to Doctors Without Borders, the brutal treatment of persons living in the Rakhine state is estimated to have caused 6,700 deaths. Around 700,000 fled to safety in Bangladesh after the “cleansing,” but hundreds of thousands are still living in packed conditions along the border of Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Kendall Rotar

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