Fate of Rohingya refugees hanging in the balance

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It's a tragedy that has shocked the world. In a span of a year, more than 720,000 mostly Rohingya Muslims have reportedly fled from Myanmar's Rakhine State into Bangladesh, describing violent persecution by military forces there.

Long-brewing tension erupted in late August last year, when deadly attacks by Rohingya insurgents on security forces in Rakhine State were met with a military response criticized by rights groups as "heavy-handed" and "disproportionate."

(L-R) Christopher Sidoti, Marzuki Darusman and Radhika Coomaraswamy, members of the Independent International Fact-finding Mission on Myanmar, attend a news conference on the publication of its final written report at the UN headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, August 27, 2018. /VCG Photo

And recently a team which was mandated by the Human Rights Council to investigate the crimes has concluded that the crimes committed against the Rohingya may amount to the crime of genocide," said Adama Dieng,the UN Secretary-General's Special Adviser for the Prevention of Genocide.

The Myanmar army denies responsibility, but the recent UN investigation found patterns of "gross human rights violations" against the ethnic minority group.

The investigators have recommended that Myanmar's top military generals be investigated and prosecuted for possible genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

"Their call for the senior military officers in the country to be investigated for possible genocide is a very big deal, and this shows how far these crimes have gone," said Louis Charbonneau, United Nations (UN) Director for Human Rights Watch.

Criticism has also fallen on China, with the US and several news reports suggesting that China was shielding Myanmar from Security Council action.

Rohingya refugees perform prayers as they attend a ceremony to remember the first anniversary of a military crackdown,at the Kutupalong refugee camp in Ukhia, Bangladesh, August 25, 2018. /VCG Photo

Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Hua Chunying in August disagreed with a reporter's suggestion that China had blocked Security Council action against Myanmar over the Rohingya crisis, adding that China's position is very clear on the need to pursue dialogue.

Beijing's response is that the crisis needs to be handled delicately, given its complicated historical, ethnic and religious contests.

"Earlier, Myanmar and Bangladesh made some positive progress on properly resolving the Rakhine issue through dialogues, thanks to the concerted efforts of all parties," said the spokesperson. "Considering this, the international community should continue to play a constructive role in promoting dialogues and negotiations between Bangladesh and Myanmar to properly settle the issue."

"Unilateral criticism or pressure will not help solve the problem," she added.

Simon Adams, executive director of the Global Center for the Responsibility to Protect, hopes China can do more.

"I think this is a crisis where it could have a huge impact. And I get a sense that China is torn. It's torn between traditional allegiances, concerns about meddling in the sovereignty of another state, and the fact that I think it's genuinely appalled by what it saw take place in Rakhine State last year."

This month, the International Criminal Tribunal announced it is launching a preliminary examination into the deportations of Rohingya Muslism from Myanmar into Bangladesh, to determine if there is enough evidence for a full investigation.

(Cover: Rohingya Muslim refugees in the Kutupalong refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, Nov. 26, 2017. /VCG Photo)