A letter from Muslim Rohingya

                                Muslims' daily life in Yangon, Myanmar (illustration)

Last Friday, six volunteers of Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) had a chance to visit the refugee camp in Kaung Dok Ja of Sittwe, Rakhine, the center of the conflict between ethnic Rohingya and Buddhist Rakhine, as reported by Muhammad Hafil from Republika. 

The refugees, coming out from their tents, welcomed the team escorted by local securities. According to official data from Myanmar Red Cross Society (MRCS), the number of refugees living in Kaung Dok Ja is 1,363 people. They greeted PMI by saying "Assalamualaikum".

Any where the volunteers went, the refugees tailed them. Then one of the refugees asked a member of PMI whether they spoke in the similar language. The member said that they spoke in English.

The person then handed something to the member. It was a letter in English written in obsolete paper. The letter says, "It has been so long that we have not got any change. We are looking forward to getting our own freedom. Are not we human beings? Although the world is at peace, why are we full of stress? We are not refugees..."

It seems that community of Muslim Rohingya in Myanmar conducts many efforts to tell the world about their condition. They want to be heard. And one of them is delivering letter to foreign people visiting refugee camp in Rakhine. Would the world listen then? 

Source here