By Tom Arcaro, Elon University, NC, USA and
Zayed Jack, Rohingya refugee, living in Cox’s Bazar
This is a story of a man, born in Burma, a
strong young Rohingya known as “Esoup”, the beloved son of Liyakut Ali.
Liyakut Ali was formerly a soldier in the
military in the northern Rakhine state, in the Maung Daw area called Bolibazar.
He served the nation for years, back in the 1960s and 1970s, a time when most
people were not concerned with creeds and backgrounds. During this time in
Burma, all ethnicities enjoyed the same rights and opportunities without
discrimination.
When the military junta took control of the
country, Liyakut Ali was kicked out of his position. The situation had changed
to evil lawlessness, chaos and racism. The Burmese government deliberately
created and perpetuated hatred campaigns against Rohingya. Their oppressive
actions and policies unfolded with the clear purpose of eliminating the
Rohingya from the land where they had lived in relative peace for countless
generations. According to the official records, Esoup’s, father was an NRC
(National Registration Card) holder in Burma, but his rights were stripped
slowly stripped away by putting in place oppressive laws and policies directed
at him and the Rohingya because of their religion; they were Muslim.
Esoup was always a tenderhearted and a
peace-loving Rohingya. He cares for others and yearns to enjoy peace as a
Rohingya, but now returning to his home in Burma must remain only a distant and
delusional dream.
As the world now knows -and as verified by
the United Nations- in August of 2017 a terrible genocidal massacre against Rohingya
by Burmese government took place. Though he survived, what Esoup saw and
experienced has left deep and painful mental scars. Words can never fully
describe the horror he witnessed.
In his presence, and in front of her family
and relatives, a teenage girl was gang-raped and murdered then by the Burmese
military. He witnessed infants being tossed alive into fires, a mother’s breast
cut off as she attempted to breastfeed her child, aged people and disabled
burnt alive in the flames of their own houses. The list goes on. He recalls,
“My hands and legs were tied and then the
Burmese military poured boiling water on my whole body, this after I had been
already tortured seriously by savage military. I finally fell unconscious.
After a few minutes, I woke up and in the dim light sighted my house which was
burning. The villagers were screaming for help, and it made me heartbroken that
I was unable to move. Finally, I was able to crawl away and get refuge from the
killing fields.”
Fortunately, a large number of Rohingya
facing the same oppression were fleeing to Bangladesh, and Esoup’s broken body
was picked and brought to Bangladesh by fellow refugees.
In the refugee camp in Bangladesh,
humanitarian medical staff from an NGO treated his injuries for many months.
Though his physical wounds have been mostly healed, the deep emotional trauma
remains. He remains mentally unbalanced, haunted by his experiences. Today, we
can see him on the narrow streets in the Bangladeshi refugee camp, unable to
care for himself, a sick and broken man.
Tragically, there are thousands of stories
just like Esoup’s, many even more disturbing. The impact of what happened to
the Rohingya in August of 2017 can be seen in the worn faces of men like Esoup.
The fact that he is one of the lucky ones -he was not killed, thrown into a
fire to burn- is the very definition of bittersweet. He is alive but not
living. Those not killed in the genocide live with their dignity diminished,
tortured by memories of what they saw.
In the coming days, countless stories will be
told in the Hague. There, officials from the highest levels of the Myanmar
government and military bureaucracies will defend their actions in the UN-based
International Court of Justice (ICJ). Stories like Esoup’s will be told, but will
they be heard?
This is an important, even critical case for
the world to watch closely. The defenders, who claim ‘fake news,’ must be
challenged by all who hear this case. The Rohingya genocide must be
acknowledged.
The world will be watching, and our humanity
is in the balance.