18 June 2015
I am Mohammed Rafique. I was born in Burma (Myanmar), but I grew up in a refugee camp in Bangladesh for more than 17 years. Today, I am proud to have become an Irish citizen in 2013, and I live in Carlow with 78 other Rohingya refugees who were resettled here with the support of UNHCR and the Irish Government. I am deeply grateful for the safety and dignity Ireland has given us.
But I cannot forget the suffering that brought us here, nor the millions of Rohingya still trapped in persecution.
In 1991–1992, many Rohingya fled Arakan State in Burma due to a well-founded fear of persecution by the military junta. Around 260,000 refugees sought shelter in 19 camps in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar district, recognized by both the Bangladeshi government and UNHCR. Since then, approximately 230,000 of these refugees were forcefully repatriated to Burma under so-called “Voluntary Repatriation.” Today, only two registered and two unregistered camps remain. Most of those who were returned fled again due to insecurity and persecution, seeking shelter in unregistered camps or scattered across Bangladesh.
Life in the camps was no different from life in Burma. Food, education, healthcare, and freedom of movement were severely restricted. Refugees lived under constant threat of violence, including rape, abduction, and fabricated legal cases. Many children died shortly after birth due to lack of care, and women suffered from complications and internal bleeding after childbirth. Malnutrition was widespread, and the basic human rights that every person deserves were almost nonexistent.
Rape and forced marriage were persistent threats. Local gangs abducted many refugee girls, some of whom were later forced to marry men from nearby villages. False accusations and fabricated cases against innocent refugees were common. The heads of families were often targeted by local people or authorities, pressured into repatriation, or extorted for money for something as simple as using a mobile phone or computer.
I carry memories of what I saw as a child in Burma and the suffering my family endured there — memories that were repeated in the refugee camps for 17 long years. Yet the situation today in Burma is far worse. Rohingya communities continue to endure systematic and organized crimes, aimed at erasing our people from Arakan State. These crimes are perpetrated not only by the military but also by local authorities, police, and security forces, often supported by elements of society who claim to defend democracy and human rights.
The world has seen these crimes but often looks away. Even those celebrated as defenders of democracy, including Aung San Suu Kyi, have acted as hypocrites in the face of these human rights abuses. We are not outsiders. We are Rohingya — people who have lived in Arakan State for generations. My parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents were all born there.
I call on the international community, governments, NGOs, and people of conscience everywhere to raise their voices. Stop this slow-burning genocide. Protect the Rohingya. Treat us not as a race or a religious minority, but as human beings deserving of dignity, safety, and justice.
Because we are still here. And we are still asking for humanity.
— Mohammed Rafique, Carlow, Ireland
