Rohingya crisis: Southeast Asia’s emerging security concern
Paper:, III (International relations)
Topic, Tags: Neighbourhood, governance and politics, Asia policy dynamics, India's role in
southeast asia.
Relevance and use of the article in UPSC prelims and mains examination: This article is about the
changing policy dynamics in southeast Asia and the changes we have seen in this region due to
regional instability. For a long time, south and southeast Asia have seen the consequences of
radicalisation. The ongoing conflicts in Myanmar’s northern Rakhine state, known as ‘the Rohingya
crisis,’ have raised several concerns from regional security, humanitarian crisis to the nature of the
conflict involving Rohingya Muslims.Recently, the conflicts resurfaced in northern Rakhine state
when the Burmese military launched counterinsurgency operations in October, in the wake of militant
attacks on three border outposts that killed nine policemen along Myanmar-Bangladesh border. The
past weeks have witnessed thousands of Rohingyas fleeing the country to escape increasing violence
while several hundred thousand were displaced at home.
Introduction:
➢ According to the UN, over 10,000 people have fled across to Bangladesh. Those who
managed to escape have reported horrifying stories, including arson, killing, rape and building
down of villages. The government of Myanmar refused aid agencies and journalists entry to
the conflict areas and has denied the allegations.
➢ The estimated 1.3 million Rohingya Muslims minority in the Buddhist majority country are
mostly concentrated in the northern part of the country‟s coastal state of Rakhine that borders
Bangladesh. The Myanmar government considers them „illegal immigrants‟ from Bangladesh
and are deprived of citizenship rights.
➢ In 2012, when violence erupted between ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and the ethnic Rohingya
Muslims, it was widely viewed as a communal conflict between two ethno-religious groups.
The renewed violence against the Rohingyas is challenging the discourse. Some activists
argue that the issue is nothing but a „state-sponsored ethnic persecution.‟ This claim was
bolstered when a UN official based in Bangladesh called the recent conflicts in northern
Rakhine state nothing less than „ethnic cleansing.‟
Human rights issue:
➢ The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has said the Rohingya may be
victims of „crimes against humanity.‟ Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, who heads a
commission to find solutions to the violence in Rakhine, expressed „deep concerns‟ over
reports of military abuses but refused to use „genocide‟ to describe the Rohingya crisis. The
debate over this issue will intensify if Myanmar soldiers continue its repression on
Rohingyas.
➢ Restricting media and aid agencies access to the conflict areas will only allow allegations of
„ethnic persecution‟ to persist. Targeting an entire community for actions of certain extremist
elements will only help promote radicalisation to grow. Such actions will also strengthen the
view that Myanmar is undertaking „ethnic persecution.‟ Rather, the Myanmar government
should work with the Rohingya community and regional governments in its effort to crack
down those who are trying to destabilise the country and the wider region.
➢ As Myanmar tries to calm down the situation, there are multiple implications as a result of the
continuing violence against the Rohingyas. The most immediate implication is the
humanitarian crisis that has been unfolding since the military operations began. The limited
humanitarian access to the conflict areas has left many unable to access food and medical
care.
➢ Many Rohingyas fleeing to Bangladesh are being turned away by the Bangladesh coast
guards. There are concerns that many may be compelled to drift out to the Bay of Bengal
having no other option. Last year, the „boat people‟ story sent shock waves around the world
when thousands of people fleeing persecution in Myanmar were left to die in open sea as
regional countries pushed the boats carrying them back in the waters of the Bay of Bengal.
Other related concerns in the region:
➢ Another growing concern in the region is that if persecution of Rohingyas continues in
Myanmar, it is likely that many may be pushed to radicalisation and open the door for
Islamist extremists to get a foothold in Myanmar. To be sure, there are already reports of
linkages of Rohingya groups with extremists in the region. In a statement after the border
outposts attack, Myanmar President Htin Kyaw blamed a little-known Rohingya militant
group “Aqa Mul Mujahideen” (AMM) for the act.
➢ According to media reports, the leader of the AMM is supposedly trained in Pakistan and the
group had its origin from the Harkat-ul-Jihad Islami-Arakan (HUJI-A) which enjoys close
relations with the Pakistan Taliban. Reports further claim Abdus Qadoos Burmi, the chief of
HUJI-A, is a Pakistani national of Rohingya origin, who recruited Hafiz Tohar from a village
in northern Rakhine state and arranged for his training in Pakistan.
➢ He now heads the AMM. Qadoos Burmi developed the HUJI-A network in Bangladesh in
the remote hills of Bangladesh-Myanmar border through his close links with Lashkar-eTayyaba/Jamaatud Dawa (LeT/JuD), headed by Hafiz Sayeed, according to media reports.
Global concerns :
➢ In Muslim-majority neighbours such as Malaysia, Indonesia and Bangladesh, there are
growing protests against what they call „persecution of Rohingya Muslims‟ in Myanmar.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak participated in a protests rally on 4 December to
support the Rohingyas and called for review of Myanmar‟s membership in the regional bloc
ASEAN over the Rohingya issue.
➢ In the world‟s largest Muslim-majority country, Indonesia, several Islamic organisations have
protested the killings of Rohingyas in Myanmar. On 25 November, thousands staged a protest
rally in front of the Myanmar embassy in Jakarta to protest the prosecution of the Rohingyas.
On the same day, in Bangladesh, thousands marched in the capital, Dhaka, to protest the
persecution of Rohingyas in Myanmar.
Conclusion:
1. At a time when Myanmar is looking for greater engagement after years of isolation, the
ongoing violence in Rakhine state is negatively impacting its relations with several of its
immediate neighbours. Increasingly, the Rohingya issue is becoming a bilateral issue.
Myanmar has accused Malaysia of interfering in its internal affairs. Malaysia however argues
that the Rohingya issue is no longer an internal affair of Myanmar as many Rohingya
refugees live in several neighbouring countries and that human rights violation is a regional
issue.
2. After decades of military rule, the southeast Asian nation had a free and fair election in 2015
that brought democracy icon and Nobel Peace laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi‟s party to
power. With activists and regional leaders questioning her for not speaking up for the
Rohingyas, Suu Kyi is putting her own credibility at stake.
Question:
'The Rohingya crisis,' has raised several concerns from regional security, humanitarian crisis to
the nature of the conflict involving Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state in Myanmar. Do you
think that India has to play a leading role in shaping the geopolitics of this region.
Suggested points:
1. Discuss about the Rohingya crisis.
2. Main reasons for this uprising.
3. Role of myanmar inner politics in upbringing this conflict.
4. Hoe this is a danger to south asia's security.
5. How it is a threat to india.
6. What role can india play in controlling this threat.
7. Global support for controlling this threat.
8. Suggetions
9. conclusion.
Link:http://tacstrat.com/index.php/2016/12/06/regional-security-concern-rohingya-crisis/
https://www.reddit.com/r/geopolitics/comments/5ia1uj/rohingya_crisis_southeast_asias_emerging_se
curity/