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Sunday 17 May 2015

Rohingya: Adrift

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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.
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
 
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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 

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Thai police make arrests after discovering a mass grave - #Muslims #Rohingya: image via Ultrascan HUMINT @ultrascanhumint, 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 Se
a: photo by EPA via The Guardian, 14 May 2015

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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


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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

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 @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

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~ 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

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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

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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 rescued migrant now at the new confinement in Langsa, Indonesia on Friday. More than 750 Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants were rescued off Indonesia, plus another 200 people off the Indonesian island of Aceh
: photo by Jefta Images/Barcroft Media via The Guardian, 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

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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 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

An Rohingya woman, Samsidah Begom binti Abdul Syukur, cries as make 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. They have warned that thousands more are thought to be still at sea. Myanmar's Rohingya Muslim community have long been persecuted and marginalized by Myanmar's mostly Buddhist population

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

2 comments:

billoo said...

Jesus. The suffering etched on these faces is almost Biblical.

I think I'm going to shoot the next person who says we live in a global village.

TC said...

The pain of the forgotten always going all but unnoticed in this brilliant world...

The only moment we have is right now