Remembering the Rohingyas Refuges

In recent weeks, Hillary Clinton has become increasingly loud and frustrated in her criticism of Myanmar, a Southeast Asian country formally known as Burma. The country, which has been under military rule since 1962, has been heavily reprimanded for their policies that violate numerous human and political rights. One specific area that the country has shown absolutely no attempt to improve is in their treatment of the Rohingyas ethic group—a Muslim group living in the predominately Buddhist country. For nearly five decades this group has faced radical discrimination—they have been stripped of citizenship, forced into labor, pushed into regions as their land was confiscated without explanation, and denied the right to travel or marry.

This destitute group has come back into headlines this year due to their failed attempt to escape to Thailand. According to survivors, thousands of refugees have in the recent past boarded boats to Thailand in attempts to flee persecution. In December, the Thai government decided this was unacceptable. They gathered these refuges, badly beat them, forced them onto a boat without and engine, limited water and food supply and drifted them off to sea. Three boats and over 800 people have been found, while the other boats are still missing. Thailand has long been a country flooded with immigrants escaping problems in varying countries, yet this accusation rightly caused them to put in a very negative international spotlight.

Yet, there has yet to be a clear solution to the problem. The government refuses to falter on their sharp stance toward this group, while neighboring countries—currently dealing with their own problems of food security, poverty and labor—are overwhelmed with the prospect of taking care of more people in desperate need. Luckily, there has been some help from refugee organizations, but the future still seems bleak. One can understand Clinton’s frustration with Myanmar’s lack of response to any international pressure: “Clearly, the path we have taken in imposing sanctions hasn’t influenced the Burmese junta,” she said last month. “Reaching out and trying to engage them hasn’t worked either.”

It is important that we continue to remember this group of people—a group that has long been suffering and is frequently forgotten in the news and our memory.