World must wake up to Myanmar crisis

Twenty-three eminent persons, including 13 Nobel Laureates, have written an open letter to the president of the Security Council asking for UN intervention to resolve Myanmar’s Rohingya crisis. Whether this will wake up Myangmar’s daughter of peace Aung San Suu Kyi or not, only time will tell. Bangladesh’s winner of the 2006 Nobel peace prize, economist and founder of Grameen Bank Professor Yunus was among the signatories of the letter. We thank them for this initiative.

We wholeheartedly support the letter’s appeal for the issue killing and oppression of Rohingyas in Myanmar to be raised at the security council and for the UN secretary general to visit Myanmar. This council or the UN cannot remain silent while an ethnic group is being oppression in a country. The country’s government has ignored protests and appeals by Amnesty International and other organizations. They have even imposed restrictions on independent observers and journalists from entering. Former UN secretary general’s comments that the situation is not akin to a genocide is just an attempt to cover up the truth. We join our voice with the 23 eminent persons in calling for a neutral and international investigation into the situation.

Aung San Suu Kyi herself won the Nobel prize for peace. It is unfortunate that she has taken no initiative to stop the oppression of the Rohingyas espite so many appeals made to her. She should remember that that the world, including Bangladesh, stood by her side when she was repressed by the military junta. The Rohingyas supported her too.

The armed forces have formed a vicious force of Rakhines who are raping and killing Rohingyas, reminding us about the Razakars and Al Badrs who aided and abetted the Pakistani forces in 1971. Since 9 October, over 50 thousand Rohingyas have taken shelter in Bangladesh. A few hundred thousand more refugees have been sheltered in Bangladesh from beforehand. It is hoped that the world conscience awakens to the plight of the Rohingyas.