Rohingya Crisis Deepens: Persecution On Rise Amid Suu Kyi’s Deafening Silence

About ten days after fresh outbreak of violence in the Rakhine state on Aug. 25 and military crackdown led to the exodus of tens of thousands of Rohingya Muslims, the world is gradually waking up to the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar. While Nobel Peace Laureate Aung Sang Suu Kyi, the de facto leader of Myanmar, has remained silent over the deepening crisis, rights groups, thought leaders, and politicians across the world continue to express solidarity with the community.

On Monday, the Chechen Republic, popularly known as Chechnya, saw thousands of Russian citizens pouring on the streets to protest against the rights violations against Rohingyas often labeled as the most persecuted community in the world.

In a YouTube video, regional leader Ramzan Kadyrov could be seen condemning the “genocide” of the community. He even threatened to break with Moscow’s policy if it did not criticize the violence. “If...Russia supported these devils that carry out the crimes today, I am against Russia’s position because I have my own views and my own position,” he said. Similar protests were reported in Australia as hundreds of protesters gathered outside Parliament House and urged the country's government to prevent the violence.

Nobel Peace Prize Winner Malala Yousafzai also took to Twitter on Monday to voice her support for the community.

A report released Tuesday by the London-based Burma Human Rights Network (BHRN) reveals the persecution of Muslims has worsened after March 2016 when a civilian government was elected to power and the development was hailed by the international community. The rights group sheds light on the different forms of persecution under the new civilian government: Refusal by authorities to grant identity cards (ID) cards for Muslims, restrictions faced by Muslims in building and repairing mosques, the creation of ‘Muslim-free villages’ across Burma, and an ongoing and highly-organized boycott of Muslim-owned businesses.

Titled, “Persecution Of Muslims In Burma,” the report explains how the violence that broke out between the Buddhist communities and Muslims in western Burma in 2012 had spread to about 25 urban areas by 2015 leading to the displacement of tens of thousands of Muslims.

The community does not have the freedom to practice its religion, the rights group found after conducting 350 interviews over an eight-month period. “A large number of mosques across Burma have either been damaged or destroyed entirely in the last few years. Numerous reports have surfaced of authorities refusing to allow Muslims to repair their mosques,” it says.

“There has also been an increase in instances of religious intolerance directed largely at Muslims. Ceremonies to mark Muslim holy days have been blocked by authorities following pressure from ultra-nationalist Buddhists groups, such as Ma Ba Tha. Muslims face frequent harassment and are the subject of debasing propaganda campaigns by organized networks of nationalists,” the report states. “Around 120,000 remain confined to camps, thereby reinforcing the sense that Muslims are a security threat that needs controlling. This provides a foundation for possible future violence.” Other Burmese Muslims are also faced with similar difficulties, the rights group reveals.

Over 30,000 Rohingya Muslims are reportedly stranded “on a hill area around Tha Win Chaung and Inn Din townships in the most southern point of Maungdaw Township, bordering Rathedaung Township,” according to BHRN. These people, caught between the ocean miles south of the mouth of the Naf river and security forces stationed nearby, have been left isolated without access to food and water.

According to the estimates by the United Nations, nearly 80,000 Rohingyas were forced to flee to Bangladesh, which shares about 200 km long border with the country, after the recent outbreak of violence between insurgent groups and security forces. Amid the fresh influx, the Election Commission in Bangladesh has warned against registration of Rohingyas as voters, the Daily Star reported.

The Human Rights Watch published a statement Aug. 29 referring to the widespread burnings in at least 10 areas of northern parts of Rakhine state. "This new satellite imagery shows the total destruction of a Muslim village, and prompts serious concerns that the level of destruction in northern Rakhine state may be far worse than originally thought," HRW deputy Asia director Phil Robertson said.

"The burnings follow a series of coordinated attacks by ethnic Rohingya militants on August 25, 2017, against dozens of Burmese government checkpoints and bases," the rights group highlighted in the statement. HRW also underlined residents and militant groups have been blamed for the burnings by the Burmese government, however, no proofs were offered in this regard.

A report published Monday by the Guardian further revealed that Myanmar has blocked all the UN aid agencies from delivering food, water, and medicines to the civilians affected by the ongoing violence. In a statement, UN World Food Programme admitted, “WFP has not been able to distribute food in northern Rakhine since mid-July. Furthermore, it had to suspend distributions in central Rakhine last week due to ongoing security challenges. This left a total of 250,000 people, including internally displaced persons and other vulnerable populations, without regular food assistance."

As tensions escalate, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has also called for restraint by Myanmar security forces. "The current situation underlines the urgency of seeking holistic approaches to address the complex root causes of violence," spokesman Eri Kaneko said on his behalf. The Secretary-General has also warned, in the absence of restraint, the situation may lead to a "humanitarian catastrophe."