THE ROHINGYA DILEMMA

The establishment of Mrauk-U Dynasty in Arakan during the 13^th century saw the beginning of Muslim migration. Muslims settled in the Arakan state beginning 1430’s.  Mrauk-U (Mrohaung) Kingdom in Arakan was an independent state, neither part of the Burmese Kingdoms in the Irrawaddy Delta and Central Burma nor was it a part of the Bengal Sultanate and the Moguls in the west. Muslim traders came to the area in the eighth century when the local dynasty was seated at Wesali, not far from contemporary Mrauk-U and some of the traders settled along the shores. More Muslim sailors made their way to the Arakan region during the twelfth and thirteenth century. Migrants also gradually filtered into Arakan from neighboring Muslim Bengal.  Muslims who were part of Mrauk-U kingdom identified themselves as Rohingya or natives of Arakan.  The earliest use of the terminology Rohingya was recorded from 1799 onwards in British journals. This society can be described as a non exclusive and non homogeneous but were inclusive and had liberal relationship with other non-Muslim communities.

Going back to earlier history in the 1430s when Mrauk-U was being invaded by forces of the Burmese kingdom at Ava, King Narmeikhla sought help from Bengal Sultanate (Jalaluddin Muhammad Shah, Sultan of Bengal) and he managed to expel the invaders with the help of the Muslim army. The link between Bengal and Mrauk-U from this point solidified, to the extent that the Mrauk-U King began to use Muslim court titles along with traditional ones. Buddhist kings ruled Mrauk-U but Muslim officials often played a significant role in the court. In 1784, the Burmese King Bodawpaya conquered and incorporated the Arakan region into his kingdom of Ava in central Burma. As a consequence of the invasion, refugees began to pour into what is today the Cox's Bazar area of southern Chittagong. So the refugees issue technically is a not a new one but has been there since the late 16^th century.

Eventually The British colonized Burma in a series of three wars beginning in 1824. During their rule, the Arakan problem declined as the British allowed for a relative degree of local autonomy.  During this period a larger population of Bengali Muslims (from the Indian state of Bengal now Bangladesh) moved in to the region as migrant workers which was detested by the original Arakan Muslims. The Chittagong District borders Arakan and thus Chittagonian Muslim Bengalis were brought into Arakan as cheap labourers, peasants and coolies by the British. 

During the Japanese occupation of Burma communal violence erupted particularly against those groups that had benefited from British colonial rule. The Burmese nationalists attacked Karen and Indian communities, while in Arakan, Rakhine and Rohingya villagers attacked one another causing a displacement of Buddhist villagers to the south and Muslims to the north. An estimate of 22,000 Rohingya are believed to have crossed the border into Bengal during this time.

To carry out guerilla attacks against the Japanese the British sought help from the Muslims in Arakan promising them an independent territory when the war ended. But the British never kept their promise and when eventually Burma gained independence in 1948, Arakan became part of Burma and the Rohingya’s were left in a lurch dealing with the Burmese who already had animosity with them. From then on the struggle continued. In 1962 when General Ne Win took power, Rohingyas were officially treated as second class citizens by revoking their political and social status. Hence the Rohingyas became stateless. By 1978 more than 200,000 refugees poured into Bangladesh, and then again by 1991, even bigger numbers crossed Bangladesh.

In 1974, inspired by the rise of  Islamist movements around the world, the Rohingya Patriotic Front (PFO) armed group was formed from leftovers of earlier organized uprising that did not succeed in their quest. The PFO eventually broke up into several splinter groups, amongst which was the most fanatical was the Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO) an armed group formed in 1982. The RSO further broke up in 1986, which led to the formation of Arakan Rohingya Islamic Front (ARIF) in 1998. Then this two groups formed an alliance with the Arakan Rohingya National Organisation. But it was in 2013 saw a turning point in the arms struggle of the Rohingyas when a new but much more organized and funded outfit called ARSA (Arakan Rohingya  Salvation Army) formerly known as Haraqah Al Yakin, was formed. The founder is Ataullah Abu Ammar Jununi, a Rohingya born in Karachi, Pakistan, and grew up in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. So now the connection becomes clearer and wider. I guess at this stage you can fill in the rest. So with this new threat, the Burmese (now Myanmar) government has stepped up their actions against the Rohingyas. 

So the culprit here like any other place be it India/Pakistan, Iraq/Iran, Pakistan/Baluchistan, Israel/Palestine and many more flashpoints in the world has the dirty hands of the British.

So you tell me who should be ultimately responsible for this deadlock that has caused the deaths, and more importantly the creation of new crisis in Burma, Bangladesh, India and of course in Malaysia.

The Rohingyas want to survive and live. Years of persecution has hardened them, hence their ruffian like behavior. They are what they are, a man’ made tragedy. Bangladesh which is already plaqued with their own problems had inherited the Rohingya refugees by default. Bangladesh does not have the capacity to manage them, what more to provide permanent solutions. To this end, UNHCR has also its hands tied with no country willing to accept them permanently. Hence the Rohingyas instead of rotting in these poorly managed refugee camps, have slowly taken steps by themselves to illegally jump ship to other countries. India was of course their logical choice owing to proximity, and they have slowly penetrated all over India and in some cities they have created their own illegal colonies. But since Modi came into power, coupled with strong socio-political lobby against the Rohingya’s proliferation, extreme measures are being taken by the Indian government to deal with the Rohingyas, one of which is the citizenship registration exercise.  

Malaysia has always hosted refugees, though she is not a signatory to the United Nations convention on refugees and migrant rights. Since the arrival of the Vietnamese boat people in 70’s, to the Rohingyas now in Malaysia, we have witnessed a steady inflow of both refugees as well as illegal immigrants. One factor that has emboldened the inflow of Muslim refugees and illegal immigrants is the fact that Malaysia being a Muslim majority country has always been welcoming to other Muslims, regardless of their status. That being a noble act by our fellow brethren is highly commendable, but this has been taken advantage by these questionable migrants to the point that it has affected the socio-economic fabric of this country, and its national security. 

  

Many people fail to understand that any migrant community would work hard and persevere to improve their socio-economic status in the country of domicile. What more the Rohingyas, all they need is a small gap, and they would take total advantage to not only pull themselves from their rut but also make the best of that opportunity. I guess that is what we are seeing today, for many Malaysians, the Rohingyas are a menace, to many businesses they are a competitor. With an exclusive and defensive self-construct, they stand apart and exhibit a predatory behavior not only in Malaysia but wherever they go.   

    

Having said all of these that does not negate the fact that they are illegal immigrants as far as Malaysia is concerned because we do not recognize refugees. 

In fact, I would even be inclined to say that they are not our problem at all, therefore the enforcement agencies must take all precautions to deter the landing of these illegal immigrants, because moving from one refugee camp (Bangladesh) to another country cannot classify them as refugees in the first place. 

However, from newspaper reports we have been made to understand that there are already thousands of Rohingyas who are already in Malaysia, hence on humanitarian grounds they should be managed the same way how our country along with the UNHCR and the Malaysian Red Crescent Society managed the Vietnamese boat people. That means a proper refugee camp with sufficient infrastructure and facilities should be built to eventually house them. I believe this can be done with the assistance of the UNHCR and other global agencies such as the ICRC together with private funding, until a permanent solution or a proper repatriation is done. 

Otherwise if the government feels that the Rohingyas should be given a second chance in this country, then let’s give them citizenship and make them Malaysians, so that they come under the formal jurisdiction of the country. 

But by prolonging their current status, it is only going to lead to more uncertainty and chaos to all.    

Ravi Varmman

1051

Subang Jaya

26042020