KUALA LUMPUR – As the 43rd Asean Summit begins in Jakarta tomorrow, one particular community originally from member state Myanmar is calling on the regional bloc to urgently address the problem of statelessness and victimisation of refugees from Southeast Asia.
The Myanmar Ethnic Human Rights Organisation in Malaysia (Merhrom) called for a durable solution to be activated by the regional association of Southeast Asian nations.
Its president, Zafar Ahmad Abdul Ghani, said the victims of genocide and human trafficking are very much in need of protection and support from the relevant agencies and transit countries.
He said that many of them have been detained for very long, suffering mental health issues in detention without treatment and care.
He also called on the United Nations (UN) to take a serious step towards resolving the humanitarian crisis, stressing that the world body must ensure food security for refugees all over.
He particularly stressed that resettlement would enable them to access education and to rebuild our broken lives.
The UN is scheduled to hold its general assembly in New York which officially opens on Tuesday and will last until late September. The G20 Summit also takes place on September 9 and 10 in New Delhi.
“Cutting the food aid for Rohingya in the refugee camps at Cox’s Bazar by the WFP (World Food Programme) to US$8 (RM37 per month) makes their lives more difficult as we cannot guarantee their basic rights to food nor ending of the Rohingya genocide,” he said.
Zafar expressed hope that Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim will lead the discussion to a find durable solution for the Rohingya genocide and atrocities in Myanmar, and the plight of those who have fled the country and become refugees.
“We do not choose to be refugees and asylum seekers. We do not choose to leave our families and our countries,” he said in a statement.
“We were forced to flee to save our lives. Unfortunately, many still look at us differently with negative narratives,” he added, pointing to the atrocities perpetrated by the Myanmar junta in power.
He stressed that the impact of the genocide does not remain in Myanmar’s Rakhine state but has also spread to Cox’s Bazar refugee camps in Bangladesh and to transit countries where the refugees seek protection.
“We became victims of human trafficking while searching for safety. We were challenged with xenophobia, hate speech and fake accusations which led to increasing hatred and violence against the ethnic Rohingya.
“Until now the Rohingya in the IDP (internally displaced people) camps in Rakhine State cannot return to their villages. This obviously proves that the repatriation of Rohingya will only put their lives at risk.
‘This must be prevented as we know the outcomes. The transfer of Rohingya refugees from Cox's Bazar refugee camps to the concentration camps in Myanmar will further prosecute the ethnic Rohingya.
Zafar warned that a repatriation plan would force the Rohingya to flee the refugee camps and fall into human traffickers’ hands.
He also pressed that there should be no more selling and buying arms with the Myanmar junta.
“We urge that all Myanmar military generals be prosecuted for genocide against the ethnic Rohingya.
”The International Criminal Court (ICC) and The International Court of Justice (ICJ) processes must be sped up to stop the ongoing genocide and to protect the ethnic Rohingya in Myanmar. – The Vibes, September 3, 2023
