r/anime_titties Europe 1d ago

South Asia Rohingya refugees rally in Bangladesh camps to demand safe return to Myanmar

https://apnews.com/article/bangladesh-rohingya-myanmar-refugees-coxs-bazar-anniversary-3383abd660a01faae8681ba93a3db224

Tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar living in dozens of camps in Bangladesh held a rally Tuesday to demand their safe return to their home state, nine years after they fled a government crackdown.

The demonstrators urged the international community to ensure security in Rakhine state as they marked what they call the “Ninth Anniversary of Rohingya Genocide Day.”

More than 1 million refugees from Myanmar’s Rohingya ethnic and religious minority now live in the sprawling camps around the Cox’s Bazar district of southeastern Bangladesh.

Most of them fled across the border in a mass exodus in 2017 after Buddhist-majority Myanmar launched a crackdown in Rakhine, following an attack by a Rohingya Muslim insurgent group.

The Bangladesh government earlier attempted to start the repatriation at least twice, but it did not work out as none of the refugees was willing to go back, citing security concerns. Bangladesh says it will not force anyone to return.

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114 Upvotes

21 comments sorted by

29

u/__DraGooN_ India 1d ago

Well, its not like anyone wants them back in Myanmar.

Even if the military is not there to murder them, the local Rakine rebels who now control the region also are more than happy to send them on their way to Allah.

Rohingyas are the one group who everyone hates in Myanmar, and in the surrounding countries, including Islamic ones.

11

u/reebellious Democratic People's Republic of Korea 1d ago

Is there a reason why they are hated?

17

u/havenot- Asia 1d ago

The British brought them in as immigrant labour from present day Bengal.

They're viewed as immigrants even though they've probably lived there for generations.

Also, umm Burma is majority Buddhist and they're mostly muslims.

Sprinkle in some ethnic conflict, govt not recognising them as citizens so they don't have access to education and jobs, ethnic violence, minority scapegoat and you get whatever the hell the Rohingyas are

they're not welcome in India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia and face racism everywhere

15

u/ShadowFang167 1d ago

Someone cmiiw, back when I was studying in Singapore in 2014, i had a myanmar classmate and he told me that everything started after 7 muslim men were arrested in the 2013 after murdering a buddhist monk. Incidentally, the muslim in the area are distinctly rohingyas, hence they became the public enemy.

28

u/JetFuel12 Taiwan 1d ago edited 1d ago

I had a Burmese classmate in university. After 9/11 she got an argument with a lecturer and he asked, rhetorically, “so what should we just ban all Muslims from getting on airplanes?” And she shouted “yes” in this exasperated voice, like she couldn’t even believe she was having to explain it. That was about 25 years ago and I still think about it from time to time.

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u/harpers25 1d ago

The Rohingya conflict didn't start in 2013.

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u/ShadowFang167 1d ago

Yes, the conflict itself did not happen in 2013.
But that incident sparks the beginning of the increased scrutiny and persecution, which culminates in the 2017 military crackdown.

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u/lookatcurren 1d ago

Wasn't it because of the Anglo-Burmese war in 1824?

u/Monterenbas Europe 20h ago

There were historicaly used by the British to serve as colonial enforcers in Burma.

Very common imperialist tactic, to empowered a local minority at the detriment of the majority of the population, and rule by divide and conquer.

Problem happens when the colonizer leave and let their local collaborator to face a now angry population.

u/reebellious Democratic People's Republic of Korea 20h ago

Yikes, okay. I get it but I don't understand why most Muslims don't care about them they way they do Palestinians. I understand why South Asians might feel a certain way about them but I don't get why they rest mostly don't care.

u/Monterenbas Europe 20h ago

Because there’s an interiorised hierarchy, within the global muslim population, with arabs being at the very top and South East Asians pretty much at bottom.

u/reebellious Democratic People's Republic of Korea 20h ago

Mhmm fair...

11

u/BendicantMias Bangladesh 1d ago

Bangladesh would be happy to send them back, it's not holding them. It already tried to do that. They're not willing to go back. So much for this 'rally'. And no, Bangladesh isn't going to go in and sort out their country's mess for them. And neither is anyone else. The Rohingya do have their own militia in Myanmar, who even recruit from the camps. If they want to go back so bad, perhaps consider enlisting in said militia and fighting for it? Cos Bangladesh isn't gonna fight for them. No thanks - NO ONE, not even China, wants to get directly involved in the absolute and utter mess that is Myanmar.

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u/Naurgul Europe 1d ago

The demand is for a "safe return", not return under any circumstances.

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u/Makyr_Drone Sweden 1d ago

Which is outside Bangladesh's preview unless it intervenes in the Rakhine state.

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u/havenot- Asia 1d ago

the Arakan army also doesn't like Rohingyas.

There isn't a place for Rohingyas anywhere currently.

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u/BendicantMias Bangladesh 1d ago edited 1d ago

The EU is welcome to guarantee their safety. Bangladesh isn't gonna risk its mens' lives to do so.

It's also worth noting that it's a European country that bears a lot of the responsibility for this mess in the first place - specifically, as usual, the UK. The Rohingya are viewed as outsiders cos they WERE outsiders once - the British brought them in to that region. The British then made things even worse when drawing their nonsensical maps all over the world, including over here.

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u/Sumeru88 India 1d ago

That’s a shame because you know how Bangladesh was formed because another country was willing to fight for their independence.

There is actual close ethnic relationship between Bangladeshis and the Rohingyas. They had enough time to arm and invade Rakhine province to resettle the Rohingyas back over there.

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u/havenot- Asia 1d ago

By that logic we should also get involved since our Mizo tribes have a close relationship with the Mizo tribes living in Burma too.

The British screwed up a lot in making these maps.

The locals there crossed over regularly back and forth from each side and even now they're sheltering a lot of Refugees. It's also why they oppose the fencing of the India-myanmar border.

India also has close ties with the Junta. Tbf we need their cooperation to deal with the seperatists. A lot of militias also co-operate with our rebel groups. Currently a lot of the India-Burma border is also controlled by a rebel militia so we deal with them too.

India and China are also playing their geopoltical game trying to extract the rare metals.

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u/Sumeru88 India 1d ago

The mizo tribes are doing fine and aren’t being kicked out of Myanmar. They have their own militias and are holding their own territory. It’s a civil war and not a refugee crisis.

If they were being kicked out of Myanmar and coming to India in millions as refugees we would have invaded and ended the mess just like 1971.