THE Rohingya issue has received a fair degree of media coverage over the last few weeks. Admittedly, voices in favour of granting admission were far outweighed by those sharing the government’s position of denying admission. While the former based their case on moral and legal grounds, the latter’s case has been shaped by, what one may say, misguided notion of state interest and unsound understanding of the international human rights and refugee laws. Politicians, pundits and policy makers belonging to the latter group have put several reasons in justifying their position. This brief essay will examine the efficacy of their reasoning.
One of the most common arguments put forward by the opponents of the admission and asylum to the Rohingyas is that Bangladesh is an overpopulated country and cannot afford to shoulder another group of aliens. Implicit in this line ofargument is that these Rohingyas are here by choice, and resource constraint is a valid ground for rejecting them.
However, any objective analysis of the unfolding of events in northern Rakhine district would reveal that the Rohingyas were compelled to flee their usual place of residence. Mention must be made that during a visit to the affected areas a UN team found smoldering villages and estimated that about 30,000 people have been displaced. The regime itself has conceded that as many as 90 persons have so far been killed in the mayhem.
Under such circumstances there is no scope to view them as economic migrants attempting to move into the greener pastures of Bangladesh. One would need to be a super cynic to suggest that these asylum seekers are putting on a carefully scripted act. Another allegation against the Rohingyas is that they are not law abiding and are engaged in anti-social activities in the Cox Bazar — Ukhia region. A growth in their number would lead to further deterioration of law and order situation in the concerned areas. This claim that the Rohingyas are more inclined to criminal activities than the locals is not borne by facts. No research has been done on the issue nor has any analysis of police records been conducted that establishes merit of such claim.
This perception is very much in consonance with the stereotypical view of migrants, asylum seekers and refugees held world-wide. These voiceless people make the perfect scapegoats for any and every ill of any society. In reality, the human securityof Rohingyas has all along been at stake. Often they are the victims of exploitation by employers, contractors and recruiters. This writer has documented many cases in which employers, contractors, particularly those in the construction sector, and fishing trawler operators systematically underpaid Rohingya workers. In certain cases they were denied substantial portion of their due earnings. Rohingyas have been blamed for causing harm to the environment around the vicinity of their shelters.
The logical inference is that presence of more Rohingyas would contribute to further damage. The refusal of successive governments of Bangladesh to extend protection to the Rohingyas who came after 1992, when the window to claim to refugee status was shut down, have forced these people to squatter in a disorganised way.
Courtesy - Daily Star. The writer teaches International Relations and coordinates the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit of the University of Dhaka.
Source here
One of the most common arguments put forward by the opponents of the admission and asylum to the Rohingyas is that Bangladesh is an overpopulated country and cannot afford to shoulder another group of aliens. Implicit in this line ofargument is that these Rohingyas are here by choice, and resource constraint is a valid ground for rejecting them.
However, any objective analysis of the unfolding of events in northern Rakhine district would reveal that the Rohingyas were compelled to flee their usual place of residence. Mention must be made that during a visit to the affected areas a UN team found smoldering villages and estimated that about 30,000 people have been displaced. The regime itself has conceded that as many as 90 persons have so far been killed in the mayhem.
Under such circumstances there is no scope to view them as economic migrants attempting to move into the greener pastures of Bangladesh. One would need to be a super cynic to suggest that these asylum seekers are putting on a carefully scripted act. Another allegation against the Rohingyas is that they are not law abiding and are engaged in anti-social activities in the Cox Bazar — Ukhia region. A growth in their number would lead to further deterioration of law and order situation in the concerned areas. This claim that the Rohingyas are more inclined to criminal activities than the locals is not borne by facts. No research has been done on the issue nor has any analysis of police records been conducted that establishes merit of such claim.
This perception is very much in consonance with the stereotypical view of migrants, asylum seekers and refugees held world-wide. These voiceless people make the perfect scapegoats for any and every ill of any society. In reality, the human securityof Rohingyas has all along been at stake. Often they are the victims of exploitation by employers, contractors and recruiters. This writer has documented many cases in which employers, contractors, particularly those in the construction sector, and fishing trawler operators systematically underpaid Rohingya workers. In certain cases they were denied substantial portion of their due earnings. Rohingyas have been blamed for causing harm to the environment around the vicinity of their shelters.
The logical inference is that presence of more Rohingyas would contribute to further damage. The refusal of successive governments of Bangladesh to extend protection to the Rohingyas who came after 1992, when the window to claim to refugee status was shut down, have forced these people to squatter in a disorganised way.
Courtesy - Daily Star. The writer teaches International Relations and coordinates the Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit of the University of Dhaka.
Source here
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