By Joseph K.
Grieboski
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| (Photo: Getty Images) |
Gang rape and mass
slaughter: That is the appalling reality of the Rohingya of Myanmar. To
categorize the ruthless campaign against this Muslim minority as anything less
than genocidal would be false. Even so, the persecuted remain on the periphery
of any major humanitarian initiatives or international outcry.
Every day, the
brutality worsens, yet every day, the Rohingya are forsaken.
The Rohingya have
been dubbed "boat people" and have had their boats full of women and
children pushed back into the sea by government officials of Thailand,
Indonesia and Malaysia. In addition to being a blatant violation of
international law, shoving these boats back out to sea leave the Rohingya at
the mercy of the elements, exposed, with no alternative haven within safe
reach.
Joining the ranks of
peoples displaying a gross indifference to the plight of the Rohingya is the
Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir, where some Rohingya have settled. In the
predominantly Hindu district of Jammu, a resurgence of nationalist sentiment
has incited the same ultra-nationalist rhetoric used by the Buddhists of
Myanmar. The Rohingya are painted as potential terrorists in Jammu and the call
for their relocation is fervent.
Yet again, nations
seek to shift their responsibilities elsewhere.
This growing
hostility toward refugees holds dire repercussions. Despite its absence from
the Trump administration's travel ban, the consequences of halting America's
refugee program will affect Myanmar the most. With 160,000 refugees settled in
the United States, Myanmar accounts for over 25 percent of the United States'
new refugees. With the current restrictions in place, the Rohingya's capacity
to enter the United States is effectively eliminated.
Bangladesh's
proposed resettlement of Rohingya refugees takes the minority group from
sordid, makeshift camps to the remote island of Thengar Char. At first glance,
what manifests itself as a solution to the refugee crisis in Bangladesh is, in
reality, a far grimmer method of addressing the problem.
Monsoons and heavy
rainfall reduce Thengar Char to an uninhabitable island as it is subjected to
flooding and swamp-like conditions nearly year-round. To worsen matters,
pirates occupy and swarm the island, increasing the possibility of vulnerable
Rohingya becoming trafficked or tangled in criminal activity.
Bangladesh's
readiness to transfer the Rohingya to a squalid island raises numerous concerns
and questions the motive behind the resettlement. The island contains no
freshwater and lacks any basic infrastructure needed to sustain life. While
donor money put into vitalizing the island will assist the Rohingya for the
time being, aid officials believe this to be a ploy by the Bangladeshi
government to reap the benefits of having a newly developed island once the Rohingya
return to Myanmar.
Additionally, the
towns in Bangladesh with Rohingya settlements are now poised to undergo
redevelopment in an attempt to boost tourism to the areas.
All signs
point to exploitation, not progress.
In January, Yanghee
Lee, the U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar embarked on a
12-day trip to investigate human rights conditions in the country. During her
time in Myanmar, Lee was barred access to certain areas in Rakhine State, the
Rohingya's ancestral home, due to "security concerns." The
disobliging nature of the government only served to strengthen the allegations
of corruption and human rights violations rampant in the country.
Lee ultimately
offered an ominous warning following her visit: The systemic oppression of the
Rohingya is culminating in a permanent expulsion.
Numerous ineffectual
commissions investigating the crimes against the Rohingya have been
established, but have thus far offered inconsistent findings. Now, after
surmounting pressure and the risk of complicity, the European Union has finally
put forth a resolution calling for an international inquiry into the abuses.
The United Nations agreed to adopt the resolution and will send a high-level
probe to investigate, but did not call for the highest level of investigation.
The body's decision
comes after months of standing by idly in hopes that Myanmar State Counselor
Aung San Suu Kyi herself would take corrective measures to address the
injustices.
Still,
she remains uncooperative and unresponsive.
Suu Kyi must be held
accountable for her crimes and stripped of her Nobel Peace Prize. As an
accomplice to the crimes against humanity occurring in Myanmar, Suu Kyi is
unworthy of possessing an award dedicated to individuals upholding the very
principle she has failed to achieve: peace.
Her inability to end
the violence against the Rohingya signifies her ineptitude as both a leader and
a human rights activist. The integrity of the Nobel Prize can only be
maintained through its revocation. We cannot allow an abuser to be regarded as
a protector.
The shameful
inaction of the international community will go down as a stain in our shared
history of safeguarding human rights and religious freedom. Indifference to
one's plight is akin to complicity.
Time is running out
for the Rohingya; action must be taken, and it must be taken now.
Joseph K. Grieboski
is the chairman and CEO of Grieboski Global Strategies, founder and chairman of
the Institute on Religion and Public Policy, and founder and secretary-general
of the Interparliamentary Conference on Human Rights and Religious Freedom.