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Durable Solutions to the Protracted Refugee Situation: The Case of Rohingyas in Bangladesh
By Ashraful Azad is a Lecturer at the Department of International Relations, University of Chittagong, Chittagong and Fareha Jasmin is an Adjunct Faculty, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Generally, being a refugee in the international context is considered a temporary phenomenon. It is usually hoped that after situation becomes normal, refugees would return to their own country. But the global trends negate the perception. By the end of 2012, there were 10.5 million refugees worldwide and among them estimated 6.4 million were in protracted situations. UNHCR defines a protracted refugee situation as one in which 25,000 or more refugees of the same nationality have been in exile for five years or longer in a given asylum country. These 6.4 million protracted refugees were living in 25 host countries (UNHCR, 2013). Rohingya refugees living in Bangladesh created one of the major situations of protracted displacement.
Rohingyas are an ethnic, linguistic and religious minority group of Northern Rakhine State (NRS) of Myanmar. Myanmar government categorized them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and excluded them from citizenship and basic human rights. But the Rohingya people claim themselves residents of NRS (previously known as Arakan state) tracing their origin for more than a thousand year. Being persecuted by the government forces and extreme section of the majority Buddhist people, they took asylum in various countries including Bangladesh. They came to Bangladesh in two major influxes in 1978 and 1992(Ahmed, 2010; Lewa, 2009; HRW, 2000;Grundy-war and Wong, 1997; Yegar, 1972).
Most of the refugees accepted by Bangladesh have been repatriated and the remaining about 30000 Rohingyas are living in two registered camps administered by the government and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). However, a large number of Rohingya people, approximately 200000, are living in various unregistered camps and local villages without registration, any valid legal status or international assistance. The refugees in official camps are living in Bangladesh since 1992 making it one of the most complex protracted refugee situations. Initial warm reception by the local people did not last long over the passage of time, making life increasingly difficult for refugees. The situation of unregistered people are far worse as the government identify them as ‘illegal foreigners’ from Myanmar and they are always in fear of persecution, arrest and deportation (Uddin, 2012; Ullah, 2011; Lewa, 2010; UNHCR, 2007a and b). International laws present three durable solutions to the refugee problem: voluntary repatriation, local integration and resettlement. In the case of Rohingyas in Bangladesh, repatriation done in 1978 and after 1992 was not voluntary in most of the cases (Barnett, 2000; Abrar, 1996; Lambrecht, 1995; MSF, 1994). Repatriation process was stopped since 2005 and the UNHCR acknowledged that it is not a viable solution for Rohingya refugees (UNHCR, 2007c).
Moreover there is no discussion about the repatriation of the far larger unregistered people. Bangladesh is not in a position to allow local integration given her dense population and constraints over limited resources. Resettlement process was also stopped in 2010 after a small number of refugees resettled to several third countries. Bangladesh government stopped it on the ground that it would act as a pull factor. Persecuted in both home and host countries and losing hope of durable solutions, Rohingya people have become increasingly desperate to seek a safe future. Thousands of Rohingyas are attempting to reach Malaysia, Thailand and Australia by perilous sea journey (Human Rights Watch, 2009). Bangladesh government and media routinely accuse that many Rohingyas are illegally possessing Bangladeshi passports to go abroad (The Daily Star, 12 August 2012). After the outbreak of fresh violence in Myanmar since June 2012, more Rohingya people fled from homeland but this time Bangladesh did not allow them to take shelter leaving many to die in the sea. Policies of the regional governments including Australia, Thailand and Malaysia got more anti-trafficking discouraging the desperate Rohingya people to seek a safe shelter in their shores.
UNHCR Standing Committee defines protracted refugee situation in following words: ‘One in which refugees find themselves in a long-lasting and intractable state of limbo. Their lives may not be at risk, but their basic rights and essential economic, social and psychological needs remain unfulfilled after years in exile. A refugee in this situation is often unable to break free from enforced reliance on external assistance’. In identifying the major protracted refugee situations in the world, UNHCR uses the ‘crude measure of refugee populations of 25, 000 persons or more who have been in exile for five or more years in developing countries’ (UNHCR, 2004).
