Myanmar Needs to Recognize Rights of Refugees in
Bangladesh
While changing a few words on a refugee’s ID card may
seem inconsequential, for the 700,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh who fled
ethnic cleansing in Myanmar a year ago, it is essential.
In negotiating with Myanmar for the repatriation of the
Rohingya, Bangladesh recently agreed to change the wording on their ID cards
from “Myanmar nationals” to “displaced persons from Rakhine State.”
This change signals that Myanmar doesn’t intend to honor
the citizenship rights of the Rohingya, nor acknowledge the causes of their
displacement – security force operations that included murder, widespread rape,
mass arson, and pillage. It also suggests Bangladesh’s willingness to dismiss
the Rohingya’s rights as refugees as repatriation plans move forward.
Although the vast majority of the Rohingya are officially
stateless, many have long and deep roots in Myanmar. Despite living in
miserable, dangerous conditions in grossly overcrowded camps in Bangladesh, the
refugees I visited there were unwilling to criticize their hosts because, as
they frequently said to me,
“Bangladesh is not my country.” I heard this phrase so often that I made
it the title of our report on their plight. Their country, they said, was
Myanmar, and to their homes and homeland they wanted to return, they said. https://lnkd.in/gMJEFTG
But their desire to return is not unconditional. As one
young refugees said to me: “If Myanmar gives us citizenship and recognizes our
Rohingya identity we will return. We also want the return of our land and
property. We want security and justice and to be treated equally with the other
religions. I would like to go back, but I need the return of my home, property,
and citizenship rights. The international community should also maintain peace
in our homeland.”
These are not unreasonable conditions, but they won’t be easily
met. Bangladesh and concerned governments should press Myanmar to meet them,
with citizenship a priority. Their IDs should not only say they are “Myanmar
nationals” but also that they are “refugees” – with all the rights refugees are
due. As refugees and as people with genuine links to Myanmar, the Rohingya have
rights that need to be respected, not only the right to return voluntarily, but
also the right not to be returned to grave risk.
Source: HRW