The current global refugee crisis is one of the worse of its kind. Refugees from different conflict regions are seeking shelter in various countries. However, the overall global attitude towards refugees is not a welcoming one. For instance, Rohingya Muslims, the most persecuted ethnic group in the world, has caught little attention of the world and Aung San Suu Kyi.
While a lot of human rights groups and activists have condemned her for the criminal silence she has maintained - she has finally responded to the wave of international condemnation against her. Instead of playing a meaningful role in stopping the Burman perpetrators of violence, she rejected the reports of ethnic cleansing of Rohingya community. She blamed fake news and propaganda campaign for fuelling the crisis. In a telephonic conversation with Turkish President, Tayyip Erdogan, she assured that her government is protecting all the people in “western Rakhine state.”
Whereas according to one report of UN the on-going crisis has resulted in the displacement of almost 125,000 people, Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has assured the Myanmar Leader of Indian support especially in the form of projects in the restive Rakhine province. While expressing his concern about “extremist violence” in the conflict hit area, he did not say a word on the ongoing persecution of the Rohingya community.
At the same time, Bangladesh along with India is also not willing to accept the fleeing refugees from Myanmar open heartedly. Only last month India had decided to deport all members of Rohingya Muslims from its soil.
Given that India and Bangladesh are supporting the government of Myanmar, the leader of Myanmar has found courage to stand firm on her stance of denial. Her comments on the issue also indicate that the pressure from international community is not enough to stop the government of Myanmar against the genocide of the Rohingya Muslims – more must be done.