Mistreatment of Myanmar’s Rohingya minority requires coordinated regional response Commentary
Mistreatment of Myanmar’s Rohingya minority requires coordinated regional response
Edited by:

Sean Mariano Garcia [Advocate, Refugees International]: "The mistreatment of the Rohingya at home is increasingly impacting countries throughout Asia and a two-pronged approach is needed to adequately address their plight. First, Myanmar's neighbors should begin a dialogue to improve the lives of the Rohingya inside their homeland. This means moving towards citizenship rights and an end to harsh tactics used to encourage Rohingya to leave Myanmar. ASEAN should consider extending aid to the Rohingya as part of the effort to improve conditions for them inside Myanmar.

The perfect environment for a conversation around the Rohingya is in the context of ASEAN +2 (Bangladesh and India being key regional players in this context). ASEAN is scheduled to discuss this very issue at a February summit, and it should commit itself to an action plan that engages Myanmar and host countries on providing solutions. Simply issuing condemnations of Thailand's recent behavior will not be enough.

Second, countries that host Rohingya populations should begin to provide for their well-being, beginning with legal residencies and access to health care, education and other vital services. Until Myanmar recognizes the Rohingya as their own, the need for safe refuge remains vital for the protection of Rohingya refugees everywhere."

Opinions expressed in JURIST Commentary are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of JURIST's editors, staff, donors or the University of Pittsburgh.
THIS DAY @ LAW

US judge upheld wartime detention of Japanese-Americans

On September 1, 1942, a federal judge in Sacramento, California, US, upheld the wartime detention of Japanese-Americans and Japanese nationals during World War II. Learn more about Japanese-American internment.

ANZUS Treaty signed

On September 1, 1951, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States signed ANZUS, a mutual defense accord similar to NATO in Europe. The alliance between the US and New Zealand, however, has been suspended since 1985, after the institution of New Zealand's nuclear-free zone prohibited US nuclear warships from entering New Zealand's ports.