Journey through hell and beyond @AFPpix #Rohingya: image via The Star @staronline, 16 May 2015
Op-Ed: The Latest in a Long Line of Abuses Against the Rohingya: Mabrur
Ahmed, Rohingya Project, for Restless Beings, 13 May 2015
Over time it's very easy to become desensitised to reports which relay
'the number of dead...' or 'the number of displaced...' etc when we face a
barrage of humanitarian disasters, war torn communities and the like on
a daily basis. But when you hear about the same community facing the
same abuses but just on an increasing scale over the period of a
generation, more than 50 years, and there is a general apathy towards
their silent suffering, we must awaken our senses that we live in a
world that readily bows down to fast cars, fast fashion and now
seemingly fast news.
I oversimplified the latest scenario of the plight of the Burmese
Rohingya earlier in a Facebook post to make the issue as easy to digest
as possible. For context sake, this a copy:
Rohingya since June 2012 have been systematically moved towards IDP camps where the conditions are beyond appalling. As a last resort, the Rohingya have tried to flee these conditions and as Bangladesh has strictly denied access beyond its borders, they are faced with no alternative but to travel to Malaysia and Indonesia which have been typically receptive towards Rohingya migrants. In order to get there, though, they have to often pass Thailand. Many human traffickers have in the past intercepted the boats and then taken Rohingya captive in 'slave camps'. The traffickers then hold the captives' families to ransom; if they pay up they are passed to other traffckers who take them onward; if they don't pay, they are beaten, and many have been killed. A few days back mass graves were found of those killed by the traffickers. The Thai authorities are now stringently pushing boats on and not allowing them to come to Thailand. In previous months, Rohingya boats have then gone on to Malaysia and Indonesia. Over the weekend about 1500 or so landed in Aceh in Indonesia and Langkawi in Malaysia. As a result, Malaysia and Indonesia have now said they will not allow any boats of Rohingya in. This means those boats can't head back to Burma where the brutal leadership would punish unbearably, they can't risk being in the custody of the murderous traffickers in Thailand and they can't go to Bangladesh where they have been aggressively turned away for the past 2 years. So their fate? Almost certain death in the Andaman Sea.And what is being done about it? Nothing. No international pressure, no regional political pressure, no mainstream media coverage. Nothing.
And the saddest thing about this latest crisis the Rohingya face is the
absolute silence from political powers, media outlets and even global
aid agencies. The reality is the Rohingya issue is simply not 'fast
news' enough. It doesn't have an immediate threat on any Western powers.
It doesn't have any resonance with petro-dollars. It doesn't even have
any bearing on government within Burma. And because there is no
monetary, geographical or political motivation, the lives of Rohingya
are not controversial enough to report or to act upon or to rush to
assistance.
But the reality is that there are approximately 6,000 Rohingya men,
women and children stranded in the Andaman Sea who do not have
enough space to lie down on the broken fishing boats where up to 500
are crammed. There is nowhere for them to use the toilet with dignity.
There is no water to drink. There is no food to eat. They can see the
shores of Aceh and Langkawi. And they hear the Malaysian and Indonesian
authorities say that are not welcome on shore, not even for medical
attention. There is no chatter or crying on these boats. There is just
silence. And a realisation that they will lose their lives at sea. That
their silence is reciprocated by the world, our political leaders and
our media. The lives of these 6,000 will not change anything
politically, monetarily or geographically.
But our silence will forever have an impact on their humanity.
$90-370: Boat fare for #Rohngya crossing the Bay of Bengal
$2,000: Their freedom upon arrival: image via UN OCHA Asia Pacific @OCHAAsiaPac. 11 May 2015
Rohingya migrants jump to collect food supplies dropped by a Thai army helicopter from a boat drifting off Koh Lipe in the Andaman Seas: photo by Christophe Archambault/AFP via the Guardian, 15 March 2015
Rohingya migrants collect supplies dropped by a Thai helicopter as their boat drifts in Thai waters in the Andaman Sea: photo by Christophe Archambault/AFP via the Guardian, 15 March 2015
Rohingya migrants pass food supplies dropped by a Thai army helicopter to others aboard a boat: photo by Christophe Archambault/AFP via the Guardian, 15 March 2015
Rohingya migrants on a boat drifting in Thai waters off the southern island of Koh Lipe in the Andaman Sea on Thursday. “Whoever you think you are, you forget it on the boats,” said a 23-year-old migrant who survived a brutal journey, at sea for weeks with barely any food or water, until his father raised enough money to pay off the smugglers and he was landed in Malaysia. “They will kick, punch and starve it out of you.”: photo by Agence France-Presse via Wall Street Journal, 15 May 2015
Two More Suspected #Rohingya Trafficking Camps Found in #Thailand: image via Khaosod English @Khaosod English, 5 May 2015
Fossa comune con decine di profughi Rohingya scoperta in Thailandia #rohingya #StrageMigranti: image via Asia blog @Asiablog, 4 May 2015
@MarkGKirshner "@ajam: Six more suspected #Rohingya bodies found in Thai trafficking probe": image via petra 1054 @candanga, 6 May 2015
A line of coffins: How the #Rohingya crisis came to #Thailand: image via bangkokdave @bangkokdave, 6 May 2015
And we thought buddhist monks couldn't hurt a fly, but these do #Rohingya #Burma: image via aalzaid4 @aalzaid4, 2 May 2015
And we thought buddhist monks couldn't hurt a fly, but these do #Rohingya #Burma: image via aalzaid4 @aalzaid4, 2 May 2015
And we thought buddhist monks couldn't hurt a fly, but these do #Rohingya #Burma: image via aalzaid4 @aalzaid4, 2 May 2015
#Burma | Witness the condition of a #Rohingya Muslim child and her copy of the Noble Quran: image via LetteredOwl @ LetteredOwl, 2 May 2015
“More
suspected #Rohingya corpses discovered in Thai south via
@anadoluagency": image via Voice of Rohingya @VoiceRohingya, 6 May 2015
More boat people camps been found by the detective not far from the first camp #Songkhai #Rohingya: image via Chutima Sidasathian @OiChutima, 2 May 2015
More boat people camps been found by the detective not far from the first camp #Songkhai #Rohingya: image via Chutima Sidasathian @OiChutima, 2 May 2015
In #Thailand: Mass Graves of #Rohingya Found in human-trafficker camp. @UN @hrw @amnesty: image via Hamidullah Babu @HamidullahBabu, 1 May 2015 Chittagong, Bangladesh
In #Thailand: Mass Graves of #Rohingya Found in human-trafficker camp. @UN @hrw @amnesty: image via Hamidullah Babu @HamidullahBabu, 1 May 2015 Chittagong, Bangladesh
Burma’s #Rohingya Muslims Targeted by Buddhist Mob Violence: image via Dutch Muslims @Dutch Muslims, 24 April 2015
#Rohingya trafficking route - presented by @BKK POST - @Burma #Myanmar #Thailand #Malaysia: image via Nay San Lwin @nslwin, 11 May 2015
Stop playing political ping-pong with people's lives, bring them ashore. What century are we living in? #Rohingya: image via Aamir Yatoo KASHMIR @aamiryayoo, 14 May 2015
"Please give us water!" Hundreds of #Rohingya migrants on boat turned away by #Thailand: image via David Sim @davidsim, 14 May 2014
Migrants believed to have come from Burma and Bangladesh on an abandoned boat drifting in the Andaman Sea: photo by STR/EPA via the Guardian, 15 March 2015
Migrants, believed to be from Burma and Bangladesh, left, receive food, water and other supplies from a Thai fishing boat in the Andaman Sea: photo by EPA via The Guardian, 14 May 2015
8000 #Rohingya refugees fleeing #Burma genocide forced to drift at sea to starve to death: image via Anonymous @YourAnonCentral, 14 May 2015
What a Shame! Humanity? Photo: #Rohingya jump from boat to water to collect food supplies dropped by Thai army [photo by Christophe Archambault] #AFP: image via Dr. Imran H. Sarker @ImranHSarker, 16 May 2015
Can anyone tell me which part of the refugee criteria the #Rohingya do not meet? #Refugees are not migrants: image via Jamila Hanan@JamilaHanan 16 May 2015
The #Rohingya are not migrants they are #refugees without refugee status or any status at all: image via Jamila Hanan@JamilaHanan 16 May 2015
These people are considered refugees, not illegal immigrants, and they need help! #Rohingya: image via Arman Fikri @ArmanFikriAdnan, 16 May 2015
@Rohingya Every human deserves a place on earth. Would other nations treat us the same if roles were reversed?: image via DR DHESI (M.D., MPH) @DhesiBajaRaja, 15 May 2015
"Please give us water!" Hundreds of #Rohingya migrants on boat turned away by #Thailand: image via David Sim @davidsim, 14 May 2014
More than 120,000 Rohingya have fled Burma in the past three years, according to estimates: photo by AFP via The Guardian, 14 May 2015
This boat crammed with scores of Rohingya migrants, including many young children was found drifting in Thai waters off the southern island of Koh Lipe. Passengers said that several people had died over the last few days: photo by Christophe Archambault/AFP via the Guardian, 15 March 2015
Rohingya migrants sit on a boat drifting in Thai waters off the southern island of Koh Lipe. The vessel is crammed with scores of people, including many young children.: photo by Christophe Archambault/AFP via The Guardian, 14 May 2015
It's not about race, or religion. It's basic #HumanRights. Sending love and light for #Rohingya: image via Natalie Kniese @NatalieKniese, 14 May 2015
The #Rohingya are not migrants they are #refugees without refugee status or any status at all: image via Jamila Hanan@JamilaHanan 16 May 2015
~ 6,000 Bangladeshis and #Rohingya Muslims stranded on crowded, wooden boats at sea. Without food or water: image via Khaled Bey @KhaledBeydoun, 16 May 2015
Hundreds of #Rohingya migrants having lunch inside a shelter in Lhoksukon, Aceh on May 11, 2015: image via Ansharut Tawheed @ansharuttawheed, 16 May 2015
Re @TonyAbbottMHR'scomments on the #Rohingya being pushed-back from dry land: image via Crossborder Operational Matters @xBorderOps, 16 May 2015
Far out in the sea stuck in a boat, the waves are rough and the wind is blowing hard. They cry out to Allah #Rohingya being pushed-back from dry land: image via Fairuz @RuzExtrodinaire, 76 May 2015 Nairobi, Kenya
This sums up the situation for #Rohingya and I am ashamed to be from #Indonesia, world's 8th largest economy by GDP: image via Julia Macfarlane @juliamacfarlane, 16 May 2015
A Rohingya girl sits on a bus taking refugees to their new temporary shelter in Lhoksukon: photo by Ulet Ifansasti via the Guardian, 15 March 2015
A refugee tries to a help a friend who lies unconscious after being saved from the sea in Kuala Langsa, East Aceh, Indonesia: photo by Hotli Simanjuntak/EPA via the Guardian, 15 March 2015
Bangladeshi migrants walk toward a temporary shelter upon arrival at Kuala Langsa port in Langsa, Aceh province, Indonesia: photo by Binsar Bakkara/AP via the Guardian, 15 March 2015
Migrants whose boats washed
ashore on the island of Sumatra sit in lines for dinner at a sports
stadium turned into temporary shelter, in Lhoksukon: photo by Binsar Bakkara/AP via the Guardian, 15 March 2015
A #Rohingya boy looks on as he waits along with other refugees at a temporary detention centre in #Langkawi Pic @AFP: image via Nay San Lwin @nslwin, 12 May 2015
Myanmar's Rakhine State: different realities of displaced, confined and resettled communities. Rohingya camp: photo by EU/ECHO via EU Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection, 28 May 2014
Myanmar's Rakhine State: different realities of displaced, confined and resettled communities. Maramagyi camp: photo by EU/ECHO via EU Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection, 28 May 2014
Myanmar's Rohingya: uncertain future. In unofficial camps, some shelters are so low that only children can fully stand up.: photo by EU/ECHO via EU Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection, 28 May 2014
Myanmar's Rohingya: uncertain future. The start of the rainy season will make life even more difficult for the Rohingya IDPs. Rakhine, Myanmar/Burma.: photo by Evangelos Petratos via EU Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection, 11 June 2014
Myanmar: Rohingya face a humanitarian crisis: photo by Evangelos Petratos via EU Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection, 11 June 2014
Myanmar's Rohingya: uncertain future. Elevated walkways have been built as water levels rise in the camps: photo by Evangelos Petratos via EU Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection, 11 June 2014
Myanmar's Rohingya: uncertain future. For many Internally Displaced Persons, these rain ponds are the only source of drinking water.: photo by Evangelos Petratos via EU Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection, 11 June 2014
In Kutupalong makeshift camp, Cox's Bazaar, Bangladesh, where thousands of undocumented Rohingya refugees from Myanmar have been living for years in dire conditions, around the official camp: photo by Pierre Prakash/EC/ECHO via EU Humanitarian Aid, 31 March 2015
In Kutupalong makeshift camp, Cox's Bazaar, Bangladesh, where thousands of undocumented Rohingya refugees from Myanmar have been living for years in dire conditions, around the official camp: photo by Pierre Prakash/EC/ECHO via EU Humanitarian Aid, 31 March 2015
In Kutupalong makeshift camp, Cox's Bazaar, Bangladesh, where thousands of undocumented Rohingya refugees from Myanmar have been living for years in dire conditions, around the official camp: photo by Pierre Prakash/EC/ECHO via EU Humanitarian Aid, 31 March 2015
In Kutupalong makeshift camp, Cox's Bazaar, Bangladesh, where thousands of undocumented Rohingya refugees from Myanmar have been living for years in dire conditions, around the official camp: photo by Pierre Prakash/EC/ECHO via EU Humanitarian Aid, 31 March 2015
In Kutupalong makeshift camp, Cox's Bazaar, Bangladesh, where thousands of undocumented Rohingya refugees from Myanmar have been living for years in dire conditions, around the official camp: photo by Pierre Prakash/EC/ECHO via EU Humanitarian Aid, 31 March 2015
In Kutupalong makeshift camp, Cox's Bazaar, Bangladesh, where thousands of undocumented Rohingya refugees from Myanmar have been living for years in dire conditions, around the official camp: photo by Pierre Prakash/EC/ECHO via EU Humanitarian Aid, 31 March 2015
In Kutupalong makeshift camp, Cox's Bazaar, Bangladesh, where thousands of undocumented Rohingya refugees from Myanmar have been living for years in dire conditions, around the official camp: photo by Pierre Prakash/EC/ECHO via EU Humanitarian Aid, 31 March 2015
In Kutupalong makeshift camp, Cox's Bazaar, Bangladesh, where thousands of undocumented Rohingya refugees from Myanmar have been living for years in dire conditions, around the official camp: photo by Pierre Prakash/EC/ECHO via EU Humanitarian Aid, 31 March 2015
In Kutupalong makeshift camp, Cox's Bazaar, Bangladesh, where thousands of undocumented Rohingya refugees from Myanmar have been living for years in dire conditions, around the official camp: photo by Pierre Prakash/EC/ECHO via EU Humanitarian Aid, 31 March 2015
In Kutupalong makeshift camp, Cox's Bazaar, Bangladesh, where thousands of undocumented Rohingya refugees from Myanmar have been living for years in dire conditions, around the official camp: photo by Pierre Prakash/EC/ECHO via EU Humanitarian Aid, 31 March 2015
In Kutupalong makeshift camp, Cox's Bazaar, Bangladesh, where thousands of undocumented Rohingya refugees from Myanmar have been living for years in dire conditions, around the official camp: photo by Pierre Prakash/EC/ECHO via EU Humanitarian Aid, 31 March 2015
In Kutupalong makeshift camp, Cox's Bazaar, Bangladesh, where thousands of undocumented Rohingya refugees from Myanmar have been living for years in dire conditions, around the official camp: photo by Pierre Prakash/EC/ECHO via EU Humanitarian Aid, 31 March 2015
In Kutupalong makeshift camp, Cox's Bazaar, Bangladesh, where thousands of undocumented Rohingya refugees from Myanmar have been living for years in dire conditions, around the official camp: photo by Pierre Prakash/EC/ECHO via EU Humanitarian Aid, 31 March 2015
In Kutupalong makeshift camp, Cox's Bazaar, Bangladesh, where thousands of undocumented Rohingya refugees from Myanmar have been living for years in dire conditions, around the official camp: photo by Pierre Prakash/EC/ECHO via EU Humanitarian Aid, 31 March 2015
In Kutupalong makeshift camp, Cox's Bazaar, Bangladesh, where thousands of undocumented Rohingya refugees from Myanmar have been living for years in dire conditions, around the official camp: photo by Pierre Prakash/EC/ECHO via EU Humanitarian Aid, 31 March 2015
In Kutupalong makeshift camp, Cox's Bazaar, Bangladesh, where thousands of undocumented Rohingya refugees from Myanmar have been living for years in dire conditions, around the official camp: photo by Pierre Prakash/EC/ECHO via EU Humanitarian Aid, 31 March 2015
In Kutupalong makeshift camp, Cox's Bazaar, Bangladesh, where thousands of undocumented Rohingya refugees from Myanmar have been living for years in dire conditions, around the official camp: photo by Pierre Prakash/EC/ECHO via EU Humanitarian Aid, 31 March 2015
In Kutupalong makeshift camp, Cox's Bazaar, Bangladesh, where thousands of undocumented Rohingya refugees from Myanmar have been living for years in dire conditions, around the official camp: photo by Pierre Prakash/EC/ECHO via EU Humanitarian Aid, 31 March 2015
In Kutupalong makeshift camp, Cox's Bazaar, Bangladesh, where thousands of undocumented Rohingya refugees from Myanmar have been living for years in dire conditions, around the official camp: photo by Pierre Prakash/EC/ECHO via EU Humanitarian Aid, 31 March 2015
In Kutupalong makeshift camp, Cox's Bazaar, Bangladesh, where thousands of undocumented Rohingya refugees from Myanmar have been living for years in dire conditions, around the official camp: photo by Pierre Prakash/EC/ECHO via EU Humanitarian Aid, 31 March 2015Myanmar's Rohingya: photo by European Commission DG ECHO / EU Humanitarian Aid, 31 March 2015
A Rohingya woman, Samsidah Begom binti Abdul Syukur, cries as she makes a phone call to her son in Malaysia at a shelter on Tuesday in Lhoksukon, Aceh province, Indonesia. Boats carrying over 500 of Myanmar’s Rohingya refugees have arrived in Indonesia, many requiring medical attention: photo by Ulet Ilfansasti via FT Photo Diary, 12 May 2015
Jesus. The suffering etched on these faces is almost Biblical.
ReplyDeleteI think I'm going to shoot the next person who says we live in a global village.
The pain of the forgotten always going all but unnoticed in this brilliant world...
ReplyDeleteThe only moment we have is right now