Humanitarian aid transcends religion and ethnicity. Life speaks with an NGO, a Buddhist philanthropist and a Catholic priest who have been assisting the Rohingya since 2012
Asian Resource Foundation
Ekraj Sabur, a director at the Asian Resource Foundation (ARF)'s International Institute of Peace and Development Studies, has helped with humanitarian aid work and researched the Rohingya crisis since the world first heard of their predicament in 2012.
He said the needs do not only continue to grow for food, shelter and medicine but also for sleeping mats and mosquito nets as thousands continue to reside outside the refugee camps in Bangladesh. It is reported their numbers have swollen to over 500,000.
Apart from humanitarian support, the Muslim scholar said, the Rohingya crisis has escalated to the point that it urgently requires Asian countries to play a greater role in remedying the discord.
As the conflict is being established as a religious issue, he said, it is vital for Asian nations to go "beyond this politically constructed image and be united in one voice on humanitarian grounds; urging the Myanmar government to immediately put an end to the ongoing atrocities not just on their territory, but also in no-mans-land and Bangladesh where they are allegedly attempting to further terrorise Rohingyas".
He suggests supporting dialogue that guarantees the root causes of the Rohingya crisis be addressed. Peacekeeping operations are urgently required in Myanmar, Ekraj believes, and one of the only feasible ways would be through collectively demanding that the UN fulfil the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) obligation; a global political commitment declared by all UN member states at the 2005 World Summit to avert genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity.
Also on the cards should be documentation of the Rohingya's identity, evidence-gathering of crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing or genocide. He said all this needs to be addressed as a long-term solution.
"The politicisation of the crisis for domestic political gain should be avoided. BJP in India for instance, has been playing the religious card on the Rohingya crisis to further incite prejudice against Muslims with intent to reinforce Hindu nationalism. This seems to also be happening in Thailand and Sri Lanka," noted Ekraj.
Other issues that should be tabled at the government level include not just prevention of radicalism but the boycotting of investments that are harmful and detrimental to security, particularly in war-torn areas across Myanmar such as in Rakhine, Shan, Kachin and Karen states, he said.
ARF's role in the Rohingya crisis has been multidimensional, providing humanitarian support in Thailand and more recently Bangladeshi camps. They work closely with the Rohingya and Rakhine communities in Myanmar.
Speaking on the latest developments in Bangladesh, Ekraj said: "ARF has come across the fact that many Rohingyas have brought with them legal documents such as citizen ID cards, land deeds and government ID, which serves as proof of their identity as citizens of Myanmar.
"The fact that in the face of crisis they chose to bring with them these documents reflects their shared ultimate dream is to be recognised as a dignified human being with visibility. Unfortunately, the documents are in bad condition and need to urgently be preserved before they get destroyed in the rainy season.
"ARF is attempting in our small way to work on documentation and preservation of these papers in the hope they can be used to bring justice to the Rohingya in the future." Moreover, many Rohingya women and children have been reportedly missing from the camps.
"They are believed to be trafficked by a well-organised network. ARF is launching a small education programme to educate women and children, who form the majority of the refugee population, to be cautious of human traffickers," he said.
For more on ARF, go to facebook.com/AsianResourceFoundation.
Father Suwat Luangsa-ard
Father Suwat Luangsa-ard of the Diocesan Social Action Center of Suratthani Catholic Foundation believes that religion should never be an issue when it comes to helping people in need. When he received news that the Rohinya had arrived on boats five years ago to Thailand, fleeing atrocities in Myanmar, he jumped right in to help.
Today, over half-a-million of the ethnic minority have fled into Bangladesh, and though just a sprinkle of them have made it to Thai shores, the Catholic priest believes people should have a mandate to help provide humanitarian support to an ethnicity that is sometimes deemed "the most persecuted" on Earth.
A significant number of Rohingya people had come to Phangnga's Khura Buri district five years ago, he said. Together with other aid agencies, he helped the frail, gaunt-looking refugees adjust to their foreign surroundings.
At that time, the biggest hurdle to overcome was to determine who was trafficked and who were Bengali, he said. After the identification process, the men were sent to a detention centre while women and children were put in a shelter.
"Our work was to offer families humanitarian and psychological support," Fr Suwat said. "As the family members were separated, we helped them to come together as a family as often as possible. We also hired staff who took them to the mosque and helped them practice their Muslim faith. There was a great need for them to receive psychological help as many had experienced trauma. We had also heard of cases of rape and the horror they went through. My aim was to make them feel loved and cared for.
"We also collaborated with Muslim organisations in the area to help, so our role was more of a facilitator.
"At the end of the day we are all humans, and so need each other when one falls on hard times. I believe we should take a stand and openly voice our dissatisfaction with the way the Rohingya have been treated by their government."
For more information on Fr Suwat's work visit www.disacsurat.com.
Somchai Kae-wilai
'The Rohingya is one of the most pitiful ethnic groups on the planet who need urgent humanitarian help if they are to survive the atrocities they are facing today."
With that in mind, philanthropist Somchai Kae-wilai, together with a Buddhist monk from his native Pathum Thani, founded the Center for Support of Rural Students in Thailand, which offers humanitarian aid to underprivileged students, and since 2012 Rohingya refugees.
A Buddhist, Somchai has been drumming up support for Rohingya Muslims because he believes they deserve to feel that someone cares for them. It is through revenue generated from charity events and donations that he, together with 120 members, support the refugees in Bangladesh today. They work closely with the Rohingya Association of Thailand and the Rohingya Peace Network of Thailand to determine the most urgent needs, delivering humanitarian aid in the form of goods, clothing and monetary support.
In retrospect, this is not the first time he has helped a Rohingya. The 47-year-old was in his early 20s when he and a group of friends helped a destitute Rohingya peanut seller get a kiosk where the man could earn better income.
"I have found the Rohingya people to be most likeable. From a young age I had the chance to help them in a number of ways. Once I worked on the immigration papers of a guy who was eventually able to reside in Thailand legally," said Somchai.
"I find them to be grateful and loyal friends. They have a photo in their home of the Thai royal family and have gone out of their way to assimilate into our culture.
"What we see on the news happening to them is atrocious. It is my nature to lend a hand whenever I see a need. When I saw what was happening to them, I could not sit still and had to get people involved."
On the Rohingya crisis, he remarked: "Back in 2012, I was distressed when I saw the boat load of people on the news. Soon after I got our members to sit and brainstorm over how best to raise funds for them. We did a lot of charity concerts and events where the public can make merit by donating.
"The latest unrest has seen Rohingya people flee their country in the hundreds of thousands. The majority have fled to Bangladesh so we cannot directly donate food and water to them like when they were in Thailand.
"That is why our humanitarian campaign this time is geared more towards generating money through concerts and other events that can be used to alleviate their suffering.
"Our support is probably a drop in the ocean to the magnitude of humanitarian support they require today. Nevertheless, as a Buddhist I am happy to have done my part in helping out."
Speaking on the conflict between the Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, Somchai said that it saddens him because true Buddhism teaches us to spread peace. He is also confident that Thai Buddhists would be more willing to support the Rohingya crisis if someone took the lead.
For more on Somchai, visit facebook.com/aereron (in Thai).
