Chris Wilson, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau
The campaign against Myanmar’s Muslim Rohingya is so extreme and violent with the intent of eliminating them from the country that it meets the criteria for genocide.
Myanmar’s Rohingya issue has become a full-blown humanitarian crisis that affects all of southeast Asia. ASEAN nations would do well do move beyond their non-interference policy and help.
Unless reconciliation efforts involve people at the grassroots, persecution of ethnic Rohingya will not stop. Indonesian should offer support for dialogue between communities in Myanmar.
Abuses on Rohingyas have reached new height but neither Myanmar nor neighbouring Bangladesh are taking responsibilities to grant basic human rights to this population.
Talks among ASEAN leaders are often limited to political and economic issues, pushing problems with deep social and cultural roots like the persecution of ethnic Rohingya to the margins.
Social media is changing the way we travel, with people increasingly eager to visit Instagram-worthy destinations. Has a place’s visual appeal become more important than its history and authenticity?
The region is showing signs it is determined to ensure similar mass displacement crises such as that which took place in the Andaman Sea in 2015 are avoided.
A reduced aid budget equates to the forsaking of real opportunities in foreign policy terms. In the long term, this could make the savings look miniscule compared to opportunity costs.
We recently undertook extensive fieldwork in Myanmar to find out what could help resolve the underlying issues that drive the conflict between the Muslim Rohingya and the majority Buddhist Rakhine.