Photo: AFP

It is quite appalling that despite the continuous reports of killing, raping, burning down of villages of Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine by the Myanmar security forces over last one month, there is still no global outrage.

The United Nations, United States, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and some others have voiced concern, but world governments seem still not so vocal in forcing the country to avert further bloodshed. Is it to give more time to newly installed government of the National League for Democracy (NLD), led by Aung Sung Suu Kyi, that won a landslide victory in the elections late last year, ending more than two decades of brutal military rule. 

There is also argument that major countries and blocks, who have already started investing in Myanmar wish to remain silent and so have not yet issued any statement against the persecution apparently to protect their investment and do trade and business.

The US, UN and some others so far have expressed "concern" over the violence but there is still no such global move to force the Myanmar government to establish control over the military for halting the atrocities. The new democratically elected Myanmar government continues to follow the military ruler's official position that denies recognition of the term "Rohingya" and regards them as illegal Bengali migrants.

The United Nations and its different organs have made several statements calling for urgent action to find a solution to the crisis, while the United States called for international observers to be allowed to investigate and for aid groups to have their access restored.

On the other hand, Bangladesh is under great pressure as desperate people from the Rakhine State are entering into Bangladesh seeking safety and shelter across borders. Despite Border Guards effort to prevent the influx, thousands of distressed Myanmar's citizens including women, children and elderly people continue to cross the border into Bangladesh. Thousands more have been reported to be gathering at the border crossing. Dhaka has made requests to Myanmar to assist Bangladesh to ensure the integrity of its border to prevent influx of people from Rakhine State into Bangladesh. Dhaka also protested against the tendency in the Myanmar's media of trying to implicate Bangladesh in the incidents in Myanmar.

Human Rights Watch (HRW), which has released new satellite images on November 21, revealed that hundreds of buildings in Rohingya villages have been torched. There seems to be no end to the persecution of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar as HRW's images brought the total number of razed buildings to 1,250. Over 30,000 people have also been displaced because of the violence.

Rakhine State is predominantly the home of Rohingya Muslims. Stripped of their citizenship rights in 1982, the minority are among the world's largest stateless populations. The Myanmar government's official position denies recognition of the term "Rohingya" and regards them as illegal Bengali migrants. The Rohingyas have been subjected to decades of persecution, culminating in massacres in 2012, when Human Rights Watch had described the violence as a campaign of "ethnic cleansing," and "crimes against humanity" perpetrated by local mobs, at times with the support of state agencies. 

The most recent spate of violence began in early October, when 17 soldiers and police personnel were killed by a group of armed men that sparked an intense crackdown by the Myanmar's military in which 70 people have been killed and at least 230 arrested. 

Rights groups estimate the total death toll could be in the hundreds. Human Rights Watch on November 21 said the latest satellite images bring the total number of razed buildings to 1,250. The bloodshed is being considered the most serious since hundreds were killed in communal clashes in Rakhine in 2012.

However, Myanmar authorities claimed that media reports of widespread destruction in the area were "false news" and yet to respond to the call for inviting the United Nations to assist in an impartial investigation to the widespread destruction of villages and killing of civilian and reports of rape of Muslim women.

Diplomatic sources in Yangoon told this writer that Myanmar's military has tightly-controlled information about their operations in the region and denies reports from activists that troops are killing civilians, raping women and torching homes. Heavy restriction on access to the area has also made it difficult for foreign journalists and independent observers to verify the government reports or allegations of army abuse.

US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power, at a November 17 UN Security Council meeting on the deteriorating situation in Rakhine State, called for international observers to be allowed to investigate and for aid groups to have their access restored. 

After a short visit by diplomats to the area, Yanghee Lee, the UN special rapporteur on Myanmar, said on November 18, "the security forces must not be given carte blanche to step up their operations under the smokescreen of having allowed access to an international delegation. Urgent action is needed to bring resolution to the situation."

Expressing concern, former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said "I wish to express my deep concern over the recent violence in northern Rakhine State, which is plunging the state into renewed instability and creating new displacement." 

United Nations envoy Zainab Hawa Bangura has also expressed grave concern over allegations of rape and sexual assault of women and girls in Rakhine as part of a "wider pattern of ethnically motivated violence" in the region.

OIC Secretary General Yousef A. Al-Othaimeen called for an immediate cessation of violence and urged the authorities of Myanmar to ensure that the security services act in full compliance with the rule of law and to allow humanitarian aid agencies access to the affected region to provide needed relief to the victims. 

Amid growing international concerns over the month-long persecution, the Myanmar government allowed a 10-member diplomatic delegation from the UN, US, UK, and several other countries travelled to the area on November 2 and said the government had agreed to the restoration of humanitarian aid.

Bangladesh meanwhile is stuck between a rock and a hard place. The UNHCR has appealed to Bangladesh to keep its borders open and on humanitarian grounds; it would be the most humane thing to do. But the country is already feeling the pressure of being host to several lach Rohingyas since they came in 1991 in addition to around half a million documented and undocumented Rohingyas, which is why it has declined the appeal. In fact, Dhaka has conveyed its message to the international community that it does not want any more Rohingyas to enter the country. It may be mentioned that Bangladesh has not deported any Rohingyas who have been living in the country since 1991. 

Bangladesh has urged Myanmar to give due consideration to the demand from the international community to conduct impartial investigation of the alleged  human rights violations during the ongoing  military operation in the Rakhine State  and stressed that  rule of law and due judicial process should be allowed to function without hindrance. It would be best for the Myanmar government to establish a United Nations-assisted investigation without any delay. Buying time would only give the message that the new civilian government is not able to control its military. The voices of the international community should therefore be louder to protect the world's most persecuted people from further anguish.

Foreign affairs experts have stressed that the international community must remain fully engaged in monitoring human rights issues in Myanmar, and committed to providing necessary support for further reforms in line with international standards. It is important that the international community should not understate Myanmar's human rights priorities and world actors must work together to ensure human rights are respected and protected across Myanmar. Establishing business relations cannot take precedence over human rights. 

The writer is Diplomatic Correspondent, The Daily Star.