Four decades ago the Vietnamese, too, fled persecution and ethnic tension in search of political and economic freedom. Fortunately for them, the West, at the time, came to their rescue by resettling most of them, my father included. Unfortunately for the stateless Rohingya, no such solution seems to be in sight, durable or otherwise. For the time being, they are left unwanted, literally adrift in the open seas.
By: Hoi Trinh, VOICE
May 17, 2015 1:48 PM
InterAksyon.com
The online news portal of TV5
Hoi Trinh is an Australian lawyer of Vietnamese origin who helped facilitate the transfer of thousands of Vietnamese refugees from the Philippines to North America and Europe. He is currently working for VOICE, a non-profit organization that helps develop civil society in Vietnam. You may reach him at [email protected].
Just over two weeks ago, the 3-million-strong overseas Vietnamese community commemorated the 40th anniversary of the fall of Saigon, the end of the Vietnam War, and the beginning of their exodus. Over a million of them fled by boat in the ensuing years to neighboring countries: Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
Much like what’s happening now on the Andaman sea with the Rohingya from Myanmar.
Four decades ago the Vietnamese, too, fled persecution and ethnic tension in search of political and economic freedom. Fortunately for them, the West, at the time, came to their rescue by resettling most of them, my father included. Unfortunately for the stateless Rohingya, no such solution seems to be in sight, durable or otherwise. For the time being, they are left unwanted, literally adrift in the open seas.
The latest humanitarian crisis unfolding in Southeast Asia strikes me as history repeating. Despite a new world order of unprecedented prosperity and 4G connectedness, and despite ASEAN’s motto of “One Vision, One Identity, One Community”, when it comes to alleviating human suffering and saving lives, the people and nations of this region are anything but a Community.
Malaysia and Indonesia have so far responded to the Rohingya’s plight by pushing back the “unauthorized” arrivals laden with hundreds of boat people on board, much like they did to the Vietnamese four decades ago. Thai officials, on the other hand, are only more than happy to see them off, by providing some with food and water before assisting departures farther out to sea. To where, no one seems to care.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) tasked to take care of refugees and stateless persons could only urge regional governments to act urgently to help those stranded at sea.
For many including Malaysia’s former Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar, the problem must be dealt at its source. But Myanmar doesn’t even recognize the Rohingya as its citizens, instead designating them as “stateless Bengali Muslims”.
The issue is no doubt complex and multifaceted. Even Myanmar’s Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, a human rights icon herself, treads carefully. She has not dared to step in, lest, she says, it stoke further tension and bloodshed. In an article published by the Huffington Post last year, she was quoted: “I am not silent because of political calculation. I am silent because, whoever’s side I stand on, there will be more blood. If I speak up for human rights, they (the Rohingya) will only suffer. There will be more blood.”
Indeed, given the violent riots between the Rohingya Muslims and ethnic Rakhine Buddhists in the western state of Rakhine in 2012, the situation there remains grim and volatile.
But silence, I suspect, is not the answer. It certainly didn’t stop the latest crisis from happening, or, indeed, from now spreading to our shores.
Obviously, Aung San Suu Kyi’s lone voice won’t be enough. But given her stature, it would be a good start. By raising her voice to draw the world’s attention to the desperate plight of the Rohingya, including women and children who are literally dying from hunger and thirst, regional leaders and their Western counterparts should be compelled to convene and come up with immediate solutions – much like what they did in 1979 at the Geneva Conference which dealt with the then Indochinese refugee crisis.
At the time, the problem was enormous. There were over 200,000 Indochinese refugees languishing in camps in neighboring countries such as the Philippines, with thousands more arriving by boat everyday. Yet, a durable solution was found within a week and over the next 10 years, close to 2 million of them were resettled in the West.
It was a commendable act, led by the US but shared collectively by all, including countries that have little to do with Southeast Asia, such as Brazil and Israel. There is no reason why we cannot do the same for the Rohingya, who are often described as one of the most persecuted minorities in the world.
If history were to serve any purpose, it would be to show us that if given a chance, refugees – like those from Eastern Europe in the ’50s or from Indochina in the ’80s – will flourish and prosper. Not only will they contribute much to the society in which they live; soon enough, they will return the same kind gesture to those less fortunate than them.
In the aftermath of Typhoon Yolanda which left a trail of destruction across the Visayas, the overseas Vietnamese community raised over $2 million dollars to help with immediate relief and reconstruction efforts. To this day, a plaque located at a school rebuilt in Ormoc and financed by former Vietnamese refugees still reads: “May we shelter you as you sheltered us in our times of need.”
If only the Rohingya were given the same chance.