Caught Between a Crocodile and Snake — The Increasing Pressure on Rohingyas in Burma and Bangladesh

Caught Between a Crocodile and Snake                                                                                                                     The Increasing Pressure on Rohingyas in Burma and Bangladesh

 Contributed by Admin , Burma Center Netherlands ,Paulus Potterstraat 20 , 1071 DA Amsterdam

First of all, I am grateful to all representatives and individuals for the time and information they shared to support my research.Second, many thanks to the organizations and individuals who concretely supported and helped me to visit all areas and locations of concern. Without them, I would not have had the opportunity to experience the actual reality of the Burmese Rohingya refugee population and their poor living conditions. Last but not least, with utmost respect, I would like to thank the refugees and the representatives of Burmese (refugee) organisations who spent time to inform me about their real circumstances and the problems they face day to day. Their efforts to tell me their stories were certainly not always without serious personal risks.

BCN is impressed with the good work of so many organizations and individuals who go great lengths to render practical support to the refugees of the still continuing repression in Burma. BCN feels very inspired by the continuing commitment of so many Burmese refugees, to do whatever possible to contribute to the process towards democracy and reconciliation in Burma in general and Arakan State in particular.

In April and May 2003, a representative of Burma Center Netherlands (BCN) undertook a fact-finding mission to Bangladesh and India. BCN organized this mission primarily because of serious concern about the situation of Burmese (Rohingya) refugees in Bangladesh. BCN has been alarmed by disturbing stories about the changing (possibly even withdrawing) role of UNHCR in the Burmese refugee crisis in both countries. Moreover, BCN was informed about the increasing pressure on Burmese refugees in general and on the Rohingya population in Bangladesh in particular. BCN became worried about some specific cases of refugees threatened by the authorities in these two countries neighbouring Burma.

Generally, BCN felt that there is a lack interest for the fate of the Burmese refugees, especially those residing west of Burma, and a lack of close contacts with relevant Burmese democratic and ethnic opposition organizations in Bangladesh and India by Western pro-democracy movements. BCN strongly believes that there is a need for increasing contacts with, and knowledge about, the Burmese refugee communities in Bangladesh and India with their specific backgrounds, concerns, problems, suggestions and activities.

The representative of BCN met with a large number of different (local and national) organizations, institutions, political parties, ethnic groups, INGOs, diplomats, health workers and, of course, the Burmese refugees themselves.

Not all of the information that was collected, and certainly no names, have been mentioned in this report because of the high political sensitivity and confidentiality. The author of this report has witnessed the exceptional sensitivity and pressures from various sides during his visits of some Burmese ethnic organisations and the Rohingya-refugee camps in Bangladesh. The BCN-representative has seen with his own eyes the major differences of behaviour of the refugees between private and official meetings. The private meetings were much more relaxed, friendly and open, such as for example with refugees in Nayapara and Kutupalong refugee camps. It was in practice quite hard to organize meetings because of strong monitoring of camp authorities. The meetings with refugees in official companionship with camp authorities, were characterized by more distance, less warmth, while participants were not at liberty to speak out freely.

This report, of our latest fact-finding mission, focuses on the topic of Rohingya refugees.

There are no religious or ethnic minorities in Burma who have suffered more hardships than the Rohingya Muslims in Northern Arakan State. The repression of the Burmese junta against them continues, in spite of the regular (faulty) reports by officials of the Bangladesh Government, the UNHCR, and the SPDC of course. The Rohingyas face severe difficulties in their own country, which forced them to leave. Still, small numbers of new refugees arrive in Bangladesh almost every week or month. Hundreds of thousands fled to Bangladesh in the (recent) past and although many returned of their free will or not, many others are still there. It is obvious that the Burmese junta does not like this people. The junta does not want them in Burma and tries to do whatever it can to pressurize them by causing serious difficulties. In practice, there is a clear policy of discrimination against the Rohingyas in Burma. But also in Bangladesh the Rohingyas are less and less welcome, and the pressure on them to return to their „homeland‟ from local as well as national Government officials is certainly growing. It seems that the Rohingyas are not welcome anywhere, as if they are denied real citizenship by any state. The Rohingyas even face hostilities by the Arakanese-Buddhist people because of sensitivities of the past. Rohingyas feel pressure everywhere, and the pressure is certainly not decreasing. Rohingyas have no home, no safe place to go, no shelter and no guarantee for a safe and peaceful future anywhere, anytime.