Rohingya Refugees from Myanmar: A Threat to Bangladesh?
04 Oct, 1999 · 268
Peter Van Wonterghem looks into the figures, support network and the threat perception of Rohingya refugees
“12 Lakhs Rohingyas Made Citizens To Set Up
Muslim
State ”?
Libya ,
Saudi Arabia ,
Pakistan and
Iran - and start a movement to establish a Muslim Bangla state.? Most Rohingya Muslims are criminals charged in
Myanmar who have become the guerrillas of these organisations.? True or false??
Bangladesh .? To avoid repatriation more than 20,000 refugees have disappeared from the camps in which now 20,000 remain.
Myanmar and
Bangladesh .?
Saudi Arabia and Hizbe-Islami from
Afghanistan ).? “Talibans” attempting to launch a Harkat-ul-Mujahiddeen movement have been arrested and arms/explosives impounded.?? Rohingyas settled in
Bangladesh as tradesmen and those who moved on to third countries as labourers (mainly the Gulf and
Malaysia ) or to seek asylum, give financial support.
Myanmar .? In 1992 and 1997 demonstrations against forced repatriation resulted in several deaths by the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR).? In July 1997 extremists with smuggled arms forced out the camp authorities and hijacked the camp population.? In March 1998 a fire gutted two thirds of Kutupalong camp and the BDR stormed it.? In October Nyapara was recaptured by the police after a violent feud between two refugee groups.?
Bangladesh -
Myanmar border is porous and smuggling is common: from (Chinese) consumer products to drugs (from the Golden Triangle) and arms; insurgents smuggle to obtain money and arms.? Since the situation in Arakan is fundamentally unchanged, a refugee influx is possible at any time.? Thousands of new refugees have been pushed back by the BDR - amounting to a violation of non-refoulement -- so they live in the border jungle.?
Myanmar .?
Bangladesh initially allowed the camps but since end 1995 political activities by Rohingyas are banned and the insurgents disarmed.? As a matter of fact, the Arakan insurgents - with all the foreign assistance they receive? - are the least threatening of all the Myanmarese minorities who have taken up arms against the State Peace and Development Council.? Concentrated along the Thai border the other resistance groups rely much more on narcotics trafficking (e.g. the Shan United Army), and on using the neighbouring country and refugee camps as a base for insurgency support (e.g. the Karen National Union).?
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- Bangladeshi daily Ajker Kagoj, mid-1996?
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Huge consignments of arms are smuggled into Cox’s Bazar to be sold to South Asian armed gangs.? Afghans give training in weapons manufacturing factories in the Bandarban forest.? 7,00,000 Rohingyas illegally vote in the elections and many hold forged passports.? The Rohingya Muslim organisations’ objective is to set up settlements - with aid from
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What are the facts: the figures, the support network, the threat perception and the border security situation?
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1.? The figures?
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In 1978 some 2,00,000 Rohingya refugees arrived south of Cox’s Bazar; again in 1991 approximately 2,50,000 fled egregious human rights violations.? Of the first wave around 11,000 died.? Of the second wave some 7,500 succumbed and more than 27,000 babies were born in the camps.? The first wave was repatriated within two years and of the second wave some 2,30,000 have already been repatriated. Thousands have fled again to
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In 1996 the then State Law and Order Council estimated the total Arakanese Muslim population at some 7,00,000 while other sources double the figure.? The number of armed Rohingya insurgents is estimated at maximum 1,000 (compare to e.g. 20,000 of the Shan State Army).? There are about one million Rohingyas residing outside
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2.? Who supports the Rohingyas??
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The camp refugees get support from UNHCR and western and Islamic NGOs (e.g. M?decins sans Fronti?res and International Islamic Relief Committee).? Those remaining consist mainly of single members of families and sympathizers of the Mujahiddeen groups RSO (Rohingya Solidarity Organisation) and ARIF (Arakan Rohingya Islamic Front) which infiltrated the camps.? Some parties (e.g. Jamaat-e-Islami) supported the refugees against the government and to reinforce their Islamic following.
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The Arakan resistance receives assistance from Bangladeshi and foreign Islamic groups (e.g. Rabita al-Alam al-Islami from
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3.? The refugees: a threat or threatened??
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The refugees refused to go back voluntarily: in Arakan their rights continue to be violated.? The Bangladeshi severely harassed them to make them “volunteer” for repatriation while some willing to repatriate were reportedly killed by Rohingya militants.? The refugees are poorer than the locals who resented the aid and violently attacked refugees and aid agencies.? The tension in the camps increased: the residual caseload poses problems as some refuse to repatriate and some have not yet been cleared by
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4.? The border: security situation?
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The
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From border forest camps the Rohingya Solidarity Alliance (a merger of the RSO and ARIF) prepare for raids into
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Nasaka (Myanmarese Border Administration Force) actions against both Rohingya fighters and refugees result in border crossings; Nasaka - BDR gun battles, landmine casualties and kidnappings of fishermen and woodcutters by the Nasaka occur regularly.
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No improvement is expected in the foreseeable future.
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