It is estimated that 25,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar since November of last year in search of freedom and opportunity. They have discovered that what lies beyond those shores is every bit as inhospitable as the world they tried to leave behind. The result is a refugee crisis in Southeast Asia that demands an immediate response from the region's governments. Thus far, they have not risen to the challenge.
According to the United Nations, the Rohingya, a distinct Muslim ethnic group living mainly in Myanmar, are one of the world's most persecuted minorities. It is estimated that as of two years ago there were 1.3 million Rohingya living in Myanmar, where they are considered illegal migrants from neighboring Bangladesh. While Bangladesh has its own Rohingya population, variously estimated to range from 7,000 to 300,000 in number, the Rohingya have in fact been residents of Myanmar for generations.
In 2012, sectarian clashes with the Buddhist majority in Rakhine state resulted in hundreds of deaths and left more than 140,000 people homeless. The Myanmar government forcibly separated the Rohingya from the rest of the state, restricting their movement and declaring them stateless. Earlier this year, their temporary registration certificates were revoked, meaning that they would not be able to vote in the elections to be held in Myanmar later this year. It is a great irony that an election process that is supposed to bring greater democracy and expression to the Myanmar people has instead become an instrument of repression for one of the country's minorities.