July 4, 2020
New Delhi: The Rohingya Issue is going to come in the forefront in view of the ongoing stand off between India and China.
The corona pandemic and the state of unrest in the Rohingya camp in Bangladesh is creating an explosive situation for the entire region.
In the midst of the deteriorating situation, the Human Rights Council of UN on june 23 took stock of the situation prevailing in troubled Rakhine state of Myanmar and passed a resolution by majority vote extending the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights for another year and mandated it to report to the next meeting of the council.
In the council India for the second time abstained from the voting along with Japan, Nepal and other 6 countries. The proposal got mandate from 37 countries and only Venezuala and Philippines voted against the extension of the mandate. This time countries like China, USA were not present in the Council. China never supported any resolution in the UN against the Myanmar Government
But India slightly changed their position by absention. In 2015 India opposed the draft of the proposal and decided not to participate on the voting. Sources in the Government clarified that India never supports country specific resolution as this time too opposed a resolution against Iran along with Pakistan.
Just after passing the resolution a new bloody armed conflict between Myanmar army and newly formed radicalised organisation –Arakan army has further worsened the law and order situation in Rakhine state This had a huge ripple effect in the Rohingya camps of Cox’sbazar of Bangladesh where about a million refugees have been given shelter by the Bangladesh Government.
local Myanmar Times reported that thousands of villagers fled their homes as the military launched an offensive against the Arakan Army in five villages of Rkhine province . Myanmar army claimed that they got intelligence reports local villagers were hourbouring Arakan Army.Another reports of UK based human rights watch reports that inhabitants of more than 40 villages had fled for unknown destinations.
In Bangladesh also recently some armed conflicts took place among some refugee groups and people died in the resulting clash with police. Local authorities are trying to paint it as criminal activities but some intelligence sources claimed that sophiscated arms are being carried into this camps clandestinely. Apart from the threat of corona virus in the densely accomodated camps, serious threat of armed uprising may create more problem for the Hasina Governments and in turn may pose a security threat to south Asia, including India, especially.
The UN Human rights resolution urges the Government of Myanmar to grant full access to the diplomatic corps, independent observers and media, without fear of reprisal, intimidation or attack and to lift the internet shutdown in Rakhine and Chin states that has been in place since 21 june 2019, and five more cities since February 2020. Unfortunately present conflict may shift the focus from rehabilitation of the refugees to a security problem.
Last year Foreign Minister of Bangladesh Dr AK Abdul Momen had said publicly in an international seminar ,”My fear is that if this problem(Rohingya) lingers for a long time it may encourage pockets of radicalism and that may create problems of uncertainity instability, not only in Mayanmar and Bangladesh but for the entire region”.
In the light of this background, now new proposals are being floated to ctreate a safe zones for the Rohingyas, monitored by international authorities. UN Security council could not take up the matter as China repeatedly vetoed the proposal for a discussion of the Rohingya issue in the Council.
–India News Stream
