#Rohingya : A Stateless Minority

Two reports were released by the UN on the Rohingya minority in Myanmar. These were some of the findings: The Rohingya are among the world’s most persecuted minorities. There are over 1M Rohingya in Myanmar’s population of 53M. The UN says: ” There are credible allegations of many human rights violations against the Rohingya. These include ‘sweeps’ in Muslim villages, random arrests, sexual assault & torture.” The Rohingya were ‘attacked’ by the army & Buddhists nationals in 2014. The clashes left 1,100 Rohingya, 114 soldiers & an unconfirmed number of Buddhists dead. 140,000 Rohingya were displaced while 348,500 fled as refugees. 20,000 Rohingya homes in 95 were destroyed during the attacks. Myanmar’s government refuses to acknowledge that the Rohingya are citizens of Myanmar. They insist that the Rohingya are from the neighbouring Bangladesh and should register as Bangladeshi. However, if they do so, Bangladesh will refuse to accept them as citizens. This means that the Rohingya are considered illegal immigrants while they live in the state of their birth. The Rohingya are committed to defending their roots in Rakhine State. They’re a stateless minority fighting for their survival & a place to belong.