The Stateless Rohingya Blog

There is no end in sight to the sufferings of what the UN has called “the world's most persecuted minority” - the Rohingya Muslims of Arakan state, in the far west of Burma.  Nearly 75,000 of those made homeless during inter-communal conflict in June and transferred to temporary camps are living in conditions “worse than animals”, according to the Rohingya Human Rights Association in Bangkok. In some of the camps 100 people are sharing a single latrine, and many are reportedly falling ill with diarrhoea and fever.

Myanmar Buddhist monks set fire to a mosque in Sittwe town, the capital of Rakhine state and desecrate copies of the holy Qur'an.  (Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - Myanmar Buddhist monks set fire to a mosque in Sittwe town, the capital of Rakhine state and desecrate copies of the holy Qur'an. Press TV has learned that the 800-year-old ancient mosque called “Sawduro Bor Masjid” in the western town was burnt down by extremist Buddhist monks, with the help of military personnel on Sunday.

A group of Rohingya displaced in northern Rakhine State, Myanmar. Thousands were displaced following communal violence in June 2012. (IRIN Photo) Chiang Mai, Thailand.  Nearly 75,000 people living in temporary camps and shelters following inter-communal conflict in Myanmar’s Rakhine State in June face deteriorating living conditions, say local aid workers and residents. “Right now [the displaced] are facing health problems from diarrhoea, fevers and colds. A lot of [them] are living together in small spaces,” said Mohammad Nawsim, secretary of the Rohingya Human Rights Association (RHRA) based in Bangkok. “Their condition is worse than animals.”

The social and economic conditions of refugees should be improved  ON Thursday, Tan Sri Razali Ismail, the former United Nations special representative to Myanmar, spoke of the need to alleviate the lot of Rohingya refugees living in this country. As the predicament of this Muslim minority has come under the international spotlight following the violence in June, it is understandable that Malaysia's former permanent representative to the world body has singled them out. Indeed, on the same day that he spoke to this newspaper, there was a meeting in Doha organised by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and Qatar Charity to coordinate assistance to the tens of thousands who have been internally displaced in the state of Rakhine. 

ndrew Selth  is a Research Fellow at the Griffith Asia Institute. Burma faces more than its fair share of complex, sensitive and potentially divisive problems, but it is difficult to imagine one more intractable than the future of the Rohingyas, the estimated 800,000 Muslims of South Asian descent who are denied any formal recognition, either by Naypyidaw or the international community. Canberra has always been very careful in its responses to this controversial issue.