All are reported to be between the ages of 13 and 35 and one of them is just nine! But, all of them have been raped by the Myanmarese soldiers. Various volunteer and human rights organisations have claimed that the Myanmarese armed forces are using ‘torture’, ‘murder’ and ‘rape’ as weapons to destroy the Rohingya community in the South-east Asian country’s Rakhine Province.
It is difficult to know the exact number of the ‘tortured’ women, as the government of State Counsellor (a position akin to a Prime Minister) Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar is maintaining secrecy in order to avoid information leakage. The government has banned foreign journalists from entering Rakhine State. In its latest report, Médecins Sans Frontières – or ‘Doctors Without Borders’, an international humanitarian non-governmental organisation best known for its projects in war-torn regions and developing countries affected by endemic diseases – has clearly mentioned that they have treated 113 rape victims in recent times. Some doctors believe many women are not ready to share their experiences with volunteer organisations as they are yet to overcome the fear and shame.

Aung San Suu Kyi

Some of the members of the Médecins Sans Frontières have expressed serious concern over the current political situation in Rakhine. They are of the opinion that the Myanmarese soldiers have raped Rohingya women in a well-planned manner, as their main aim is to create panic among members of this particular community so that they leave the state.
Fatima (name changed) told her doctor that some soldiers attacked her in the evening. They tied her husband first and looted her jewellery. Then, the soldiers tore her clothes and gang-raped her. Fatima was not in a position to resist them. Before leaving her house, they killed her husband. Later, she came to know that soldiers also murdered her mother. Fatima, who got married three months ago, has been living in a refugee camp in neighbouring Bangladesh since then.
However, the Myanmarese Armed Forces rejected Fatima’s claim. The Armed Forces said in a report that no such incident took place in October. Then, whose baby Fatima is carrying? Many Rohingya women, currently in Bangladeshi refugee camps, are pregnant! And the Myanmarese Army is not ready to respond to any questions. A similar situation was seen in Austria-Hungary after the WWII and both the US and erstwhile Soviet Union had their own areas at Vienna that was shown in the movie – Aurora Borealis.

The number of Rohingyas in relief camps is increasing, and they are not interested in birth control. As a result, Bangladesh is deeply concerned about the Rohingyas. Although the Sheikh Hasina government in Dhaka is trying hard to send the Rohingyas back to Myanmar, the process is a complicated one. As per the agreement signed between Bangladesh and Myanmar, Dhaka can send only them, who are willing to return, back to Rakhine. Interestingly, majority of the Rohingya refugees don’t want to return to Myanmar. Many of them also have no legal documents required to prove their Myanmarese nationality.
Earlier this week, Masud Bin Momen, Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the UN Ambassador, said: “We stress that Bangladesh can bilaterally address only perhaps the issue of the possible voluntary repatriation of the Rohingya to Myanmar, but all related larger questions and issues would have to be addressed by Myanmar with the international community’s continued support and monitoring on behalf of the Rohingya.”
Prime Minister Hasina, too, has urged the global community to help her government arrange safe return of Rohingyas staying in refugee camps. However, her appeal has largely fallen on deaf ears.

Boundless Ocean of Politics on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/boundlessoceanofpolitics/

Boundless Ocean of Politics on Google Plus:
https://plus.google.com/+KoushikDasboundless

Boundless Ocean of Politics on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/kousdas?s=09

Contact us: kousdas@gmail.com

Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das