Rohingya crisis worse than Syria’s, says UN: 

Rohingya crisis worse than Syria’s, says UN: 

Context:

• In the case of Rohingya, a balance has to be struck between national interest and human rights as the issue involved national security, economic interests and humanity.

Who are the Rohingyas?

• The Rohingya are an ethnic Muslim minority group living primarily in Myanmar’s western Rakhine state.
• They practice a Sufi-inflected variation of Sunni Islam.
• The estimated one million Rohingya in Myanmar account for nearly a third of Rakhine’s population.
• The Rohingya differ from Myanmar’s dominant Buddhist groups ethnically, linguistically, and religiously.

What is the crisis?

• The Rohingya crisis is a human rights crisis.
• Large number of Muslim Rohingya have fled Myanmar, many crossing by land into Bangladesh, while others take to the sea to reach Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.
• The unfair policies of the Myanmar government in Rakhine state have resulted hundreds of thousands of Rohingya to flee since the late 1970s.

Why India – Myanmar relation is important?

• Myanmar is critical for maintaining stability and peace in Northeast India.
• Some Northeast Indian insurgent groups operate out of bases across the border. Therefore, responding to the groups mandates cooperation and consent of the Myanmar army.
• The current Indo-Myanmar meeting is an attempt to assuage above concerns and ensure continued cooperation between the two militaries on counter-insurgency issues.
• In addition to security issues, Myanmar is a fast growing economy and is a land bridge to Southeast Asia is prompting Indian leaders to reach out to the country.

International Organization for Migration

• The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is an intergovernmental organization.
• It provides services and advice concerning migration to governments and migrants, including internally displaced persons, refugees, and migrant workers.
• It is the principal intergovernmental organization in the field of migration.
• IOM’s stated mission is to promote humane and orderly migration by providing services and advice to governments and migrants.

Rohingya and IOM: a critical condition of the Rohingyas

• According to International Organization for Migration (IOM) about 18,000 Rohingya Muslims are estimated to have crossed into Bangladesh in the last week.
• Bangladesh, IOM and its partners are now struggling to provide adequate shelter, food, clean water, healthcare and protection to hundreds of thousands camped out over the vast muddy sites that now dot Cox’s Bazar.
• The IOM has appealed to the international community for USD 120 million.
• Without it, families continue to suffer in the open or under inadequate plastic sheeting under daily, heavy rain.
• The lack of clean water and sanitation, which has already led to fecal contamination of water sources, will lead to outbreaks of water-borne diseases, including cholera.
• And a lack of protection will make the refugees – particularly women and children – targets for human traffickers.

The Supreme Court judgment:

• The Supreme Court has deferred the deportation of Rohingya Muslim refugees from India till its next hearing on November 21.
• Till then, the Rohingya petitioners can approach the Supreme Court in case of any contingency.
• The Supreme Court reminded the government that it has multiple responsibilities, and must balance national and humanitarian values.
• It said the Rohingya Muslims issue is of great magnitude and the state has a big role to play.

What is the way forward?

• There is a need to support the efforts of the Bangladesh Government to provide immediate aid to the half million people.
• There is also an urgent need to reverse the situation, stabilize the region and help them to return home.