Rohingya Mark 5 Years Since Exodus from Myanmar

Facts

• On Thurs., Rohingya refugees marked the fifth anniversary of their mass exodus from Myanmar to Bangladesh. It's estimated that 740K people crossed the border in Aug. 2017 to escape a "clearance operation" launched by the Myanmar military.
• Bangladesh is now home to over 1M Rohingya refugees that have arrived over decades and its officials have expressed frustration over their repatriation after failed attempts to send them back to Myanmar since 2017.
• This exodus came as the Myanmar's government carried out a crackdown with the support of Rakhine Buddhists after Rohingya militants reportedly attacked more than 30 police posts in the northern Rakhine state on Aug. 25, 2017, killing 12 officers.
• Myanmar's military has been accused of committing several war crimes during this campaign and is currently facing a genocide trial in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in a case filed by Gambia.
• The Rohingya are a mostly Muslim ethnic group that has largely become stateless after Myanmar passed laws limiting their citizenship in 1970 and 1982 by claiming they have foreign roots and not a different ethnicity.
• About 600K Rohingya are believed to remain in Myanmar, where they've reportedly been the victims of apartheid, persecution, and deprivation of liberty – all of these crimes against humanity.

Sources: Associated Press, Independent, Irrawaddy, CBS, Al Jazeera, and Guardian.

Narratives

• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by New Light of Myanmar. International stakeholders should stop meddling in Myanmar's affairs for their own political purposes. The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army carried out terrorist attacks in Rakhine, killing innocent civilians and law enforcement, and forcing locals to flee to Bangladesh. The government had to take action to restore peace and stability in the region, and did so in accordance to existing rules and regulations. It's now doing all it can to verify and repatriate those who fled, following bilateral agreements.
• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by New York Times. There's plenty of evidence that Myanmar carried out a genocide campaign in Rakhine state in 2017, capping decades of discrimination and abuses against the minority Rohingya population. The international community is rightly speaking out against an oppressive and abusive regime. It's only a matter of time before those responsible must be held accountable.