Indonesians Protest Violence Against Rohingya Muslims

The government of Myanmar, also known as Burma, does not officially recognize the Rohingya, regarding them as illegal Bengali immigrants, despite many being able to trace their roots back in Myanmar for generations.

Thousands of Rohingya have already sought refuge in Bangladesh, the BBC cited the country’s Foreign Ministry as saying.

Rohingya Muslims cry as Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) catch them in a check post in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, November 21.

Rights workers say hundreds of fleeing families have set up makeshift camps on the Myanmar side of the border as they wait for the chance to cross, with little access to food.

But they were welcomed by Phil Robertson, Deputy Director of the Asia Division of Human Rights Watch (HRW) a monitoring group.

He said the Rohingya problem arose because Myanmar consistently calls them as Bangladeshi.

Groups representing the country’s stateless ethnic Muslim minority, however, claim that the number of civilians killed in one weekend alone earlier this month could be as high as 150. No one was held responsible for those atrocities, everything was swept under the rug by the Myanmar government.

Once again the unfortunate Rohingya Muslims are left with no option but to choose between the devil and the deep blue sea. They have been persecuted for years by the government and nationalist Buddhists.

“This movement has to continue, to pressure the government to stop the killing”.

“They [Myanmar’s military] took my two boys, aged nine and 12, when they entered my village. I don’t know what happened to them, or if they are alive or not, and as I saw they were tortured to save me from them, I reached this house this morning by crossing the river by boat”, she explained. “If they (Myanmar) don’t want them, then it’s probably better to send them to another country”.

Eighteen year-old Mosammat Samira (R), and her sister Mosammat Habiba, 20, who were gang-raped by the army at their village, Udang in the northern part of Rakhine state a week ago, pose for a photograph in Teknaf, in southern Cox’s Bazar district. The BBC can not visit the area to verify what is occurring there, as journalists and aid workers have been barred. When Myanmar shed its pariah label by returning to democratic process the expectation was that Rohingyas would get some relief.

Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s de facto leader, has been criticised for not doing more to end the military actions, which – according to witness accounts given to Amnesty – include firing at villagers from helicopter gunships, torching hundreds of homes, carrying out arbitrary arrests and raping women and girls.

Reports of atrocities have surfaced over the past few weeks.

The UN special rapporteur on Myanmar, Yanghee Lee, has slammed the lockdown as “unacceptable”.

Meanwhile, the Bangladeshi Foreign Ministry said “thousands of distressed Myanmar citizens including women, children and elderly people continue to cross the border” even though Bangladeshi border guards have tried to prevent the influx.

Malaysia’s Cabinet also issued a statement condemning the violence.

Rohingya protesters demonstrate in front of Myanmar Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, Nov. 25, 2016 against the persecution of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.