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Aceh shows spirit needed to solve Rohingya crisis
In stark contrast to the reluctance of the governments in the region to deal with the refugee problem, people of Aceh decided to take the matter to their own hands.
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n Sept. 7, 2020, Ujong Blang beach in Lhokseumawe, Aceh, witnessed humanity's candid showcase. Defying orders from local authorities, villagers pulled ashore a wooden boat packed by almost 300 Rohingya refugees, most of them women and children. It was believed that the boat had been stranded at sea for six months before it finally landed on Ujong Blang.
In stark contrast to the reluctance of the governments in the region to deal with the refugee problem, people of Aceh decided to take the matter to their own hands.
It was not the first time the people of Aceh demonstrated their solidarity. Three months ago, another boat was pulled after being spotted by local fishermen from Lancok village, just a few kilometers away from Ujong Blang. Ninety-nine Rohingya refugees, 30 of them children, in a dire condition, were rescued.
Images of villagers arguing with the local authorities who were ready to push the boat out of Indonesian waters spread in the media. The authorities eventually yielded, and the refugees were taken to a nearby facility where they were taken care of and properly registered.
For decades, the Rohingya community have had only the worst options before them. In their home country, they are systematically discriminated against and denied basic rights. In 2017, a disproportionate response from the Myanmar military to attacks by a Rohingya armed group drove over 700,000 Rohingya people out of Rakhine State and forced them to take shelter in the neighboring Bangladesh, joining many who had already been driven there.
The government of Myanmar denied extensive evidence of atrocities, refused to allow independent investigators access to Rakhine State and punished local journalists for reporting on military abuses. In 2012, deadly sectarian violence in Rakhine State created urgent humanitarian needs for both Rohingya and Kaman communities as more than 100,000 people were displaced from their homes.
Living in makeshift refugee camps, however, is not necessarily a better alternative for the Rohingyas. Conditions in the camps are dire with inadequate access to food, water and medication giving rise to diseases.
Desperate for a slightest hope for better living conditions, many Rohingyas have for years boarded boats attempting to find any place willing to accept them temporarily, if not permanently. Throughout this process they have been exposed to trafficking and violence.
The crisis is transnational in nature. In addition to the influx of refugees itself, the deprived conditions in the refugee camps make for a conducive environment for the spread of radicalization and violent extremist ideas. These ideas cannot be contained locally. This region is well-aware of how ethnic-based marginalization and enmity in one place can fuel mobilization of radical support in other places, putting national security and political stability of regional countries at risk.
The crisis, and the failure to address it, also puts ASEAN under scrutiny. Commentators rightly argue that pressing inter-state political-security issues such as the South China Sea present ASEAN with a litmus test for its centrality. ASEAN’s centrality, however, is not the only thing that is being tested.
Failure to respond to “the worst crisis we are facing in today’s world” would certainly diminish the credibility of ASEAN as a regional institution. The crisis thus presents an opportunity for ASEAN members to realize that it is the people, not just the states, that should be the main beneficiaries of security provision. Otherwise, the gap between the rhetoric of “people-oriented” and “people-centeredness” and reality would only widen.
The transborder implications of the Rohingya crisis and its detrimental effect on the credibility of ASEAN highlight the need for a region-wide response, sooner rather than later. While Indonesia and other countries’ recent individual approach to the refugee crisis should be applauded, it is important to make sure that it does not create a pull factor. Among the immediate concerns are to seek and rescue hundreds of Rohingya refugees believed to still be stranded at sea as well as to improve the conditions at the refugee camps.
In the long run, however, stepped up efforts from regional countries should aim toward helping Myanmar find a long-term solution to the root causes of the problem. A comprehensive, but doable, framework should be devised to guide regional responses. While the space for political process in Myanmar should be respected and megaphone diplomacy avoided in accordance with the ASEAN’s principles, an environment conducive to the voluntary, safe and dignified return of Rohingya refugees should be created.
The regional framework should also guide constructive bilateral engagement between individual ASEAN members and the Myanmar government. After all, Southeast Asia is full of experience and lessons learned in how respect for diversity and social cohesion does not necessarily undermine national stability. If anything, they are prerequisites for stability.
Finally, a regional response to the Rohingya crisis will be benefited from relaxing its state-centric nature and seeking greater collaboration with non-state actors. For years, impartial non-state humanitarian organizations, both from Myanmar and outside, have accumulated valuable experience in providing support and community development projects for the displaced populations and host communities. A respected and comprehensive regional framework, however, would further ensure the sustainability of the impacts from these initiatives.
The complexity of situation in Rakhine, with contested historical narratives, should indeed be acknowledged. However, one thing is simple, that all men and women, regardless of their gender, ethnicity and religion deserve to live, and to live in dignity and freedom. It is a shared responsibility to ensure that the Rohingya community can choose not between hunted down at home or stranded on packed wooden boats with nowhere to go, but to return to their home in a safe and dignified manner.
Aceh people have shown that this hope has not been entirely lost. These people, most probably not knowing the politics behind the crisis, show that humanity should stand above anything else.
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The writer is founder/executive director of the Center for Social Integrity, a non-profit organization based in Myanmar dedicated to fostering pluralism, diversity and inclusion. Opinions expressed are his own.
