Decisive action needed to end Rohingya crisis

In an editorial on Saturday, The Gulf Today said that Myanmar authorities have continued to destroy homes, kill innocent civilians and humiliate the entire Rohingya population without any recourse to justice. The international community cannot afford to remain silent and it is time for decisive action to end the crisis in Rakhine State.

"Dr. Yousef A. Al Othaimeen, Secretary-General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, has rightly pointed out that there is a dire need for lifesaving intervention. The European Union and United Nations agencies should step in assertively to alleviate the suffering of the Rohingya people.

"The situation on the ground is terrifying," the paper added.

"An unprecedented number of 270,000 Rohingya has sought refuge in Bangladesh over the past two weeks and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees says it has witnessed a dramatic jump in the total as new pockets of people fleeing violence in Myanmar are found. Yanghee Lee, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, has indicated that more than 1,000 people may already have been killed.

"Most of the people now crossing the border are women, children and the elderly, many of whom are vulnerable and lack the ability to take care of themselves. There are also many pregnant and lactating women among the new arrivals," the English language daily continued.

The paper went on to say that the wave of refugees has strained the resources of aid agencies and communities, which are already helping hundreds of thousands displaced by previous waves of violence in Myanmar, explaining that many do not have shelter and providing clean water, sanitation and food is a major challenge.

"Adding to the concerns, Human Rights Watch satellite images taken last Saturday show hundreds of burned buildings in Maungdaw, a district capital in Rakhine State, in areas primarily inhabited by Rohingya. With very limited access to the north of Rakhine State, another major worry is that a huge humanitarian crisis could be unfolding there too.

"The silence of Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi on the plight of the Rohingya is what has stunned the world. Suu Kyi received the Nobel award for 'her non-violent struggle for democracy and human rights' while standing up against military rulers. However, despite witnessing the horrors faced by such a large number of helpless people, it is disgraceful that she has opted to remain silent.

"There now remains only one option for the Myanmar government. It should end the cycle of violence and inhumane treatment of the Rohingya people and provide a lasting solution to the question of their legal status," the Sharjah-based daily concluded.