Five years after Rohingya Muslim crackdown, oppression needs more international action

Five years ago, the Burmese military launched a brutal crackdown on Rohingya Muslims, forcing some 700,000 people to flee into neighboring Bangladesh. This genocidal campaign, marked by mass murders, rapes and the razing of villages, also signaled an escalation of violence that continues today against ethnic and religious minorities and pro-democracy activists.

The international response to these atrocities has been frustratingly inadequate. Though the Burmese military has been terrorizing the Rohingya people for decades, the U.S. only recently determined in March that their actions amounted to genocide. And that was followed by new sanctions by the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. While these are all welcome and important steps, more needs to be done. We call on the U.S. and world leaders to bring democracy to Burma once and for all, and for a holistic, coordinated response that helps refugees access housing, jobs, and education in the countries they are in, until it is safe to return home.

In many ways, the Burmese government is following the playbook of extremist regimes like the German Nazis. The junta stripped the Rohingya people of their rights with the Burma Citizenship Act in 1982, much like Nazi Germany did with the Nuremburg Laws in 1935; the sweeping assaults on Rohingya villages are reminiscent of the Nazi pogroms of 1938; and the crusade to exterminate the Rohingya people echoes the spirit and intent of the Holocaust.

History is also repeating itself in the global response. In the 1930s and 40s, the Americans and the British intelligence knew of the extermination camps targeting Jews, but millions died before concrete actions were taken. Today, we are fully aware of the horrors inflicted on the Rohingya people: tens of thousands have been killed since the 2017 offensive; more than 900,000 Rohingya refugees live in squalid camps in Bangladesh; some 100,000 Rohingya are being relocated to Bhasan Char isolated; and others who fled to countries like India, Malaysia, and Thailand face discrimination, arrest and deportation.

World leaders have condemned the junta’s actions and showed a willingness to support humanitarian relief efforts. But words ring hollow without meaningful action.

We know the U.S. and the world can move quickly, cohesively, and practically. Last March, within a month of Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine, the United States committed to providing more than $1B in relief for humanitarian assistance; granted many Ukrainians Temporary Protected Status, allowing them to stay and work for up to 18 months without the necessary papers; and committed to taking in 100,000 Ukrainian refugees, among other provisions. European nations launched their own coordinated response, easing immigration requirements and moving to reinstate the Temporary Protection Directive that would grant refugees rights to a residence permit, access to jobs, housing, and education.

By contrast, the Rohingya continue to face an uncertain future. That is why together, with a coalition of more than 300 Rohingya activists, American Jews, rabbis, cantors, and supporters, we have sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken urging that:

▪ The U.S. increase pressure on the Burmese military by sanctioning the oil and gas sector, the junta’s largest source of income.

▪ The U.S. press Bangladesh’s government and the United Nations to improve conditions in refugee camps.

▪ The U.S. increase its support of international cases against the Burmese military.

Neither the State Department nor President Biden can act alone. Congress must show leadership on this issue by passing the BURMA Act and so we urge Sens. Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul to lead the way. Likewise, the U.S. alone cannot achieve justice for the Rohingya people. A holistic, coordinated international response is key to that success.

One often hears the refrain “Never Again,” when we recall the Holocaust. If, as a society, we are sincere about that, we must mean that for anyone, anywhere, anytime. “Never Again” should be more than a slogan about Jewish survival, it must be an anthem for human survival.

Wai Wai Nu is a human rights and democracy activist, a former political prisoner, a visiting senior research fellow at the Human Rights Center at the University of California in Berkeley’s School of Law. Rabbi David Wirtschafter serves at Temple Adath Israel in Lexington.