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THERE are inevitable differences as well as inescapable similarities between the refugee crises that have lately been brewing simultaneously in the unforgiving waters off southern Europe and Southeast Asia.
The most obvious parallel is that in both cases they relate largely to segments of humanity desperate enough to risk their lives in a quest for safe havens. Other parallels are to be found in the motivations and behaviour of the parties that demand top dollar for arranging the passage, as well as the fact that some of those embarking on these high-risk journeys are seeking to escape economic despair rather than existential threats.
In the Asian case, the latter dichotomy divides Rohingyas, faced in Myanmar with a situation increasingly seen as verging on genocide, from Bangladeshis seeking a better life in Malaysia.
The quest is for any kind of life at all.
Prime Minister Hasina Wajed has deplored the damage to Bangladesh’s reputation as a consequence of the exodus. The authorities in Myanmar, meanwhile, refuse to countenance any usage of the term ‘Rohingya’, classifying the Muslim residents of Rakhine state as Bengalis and denying them citizenship or civil rights.
Rohingya history is a fraught discipline, but designating them wholesale as illegal immigrants is outrageous, given that many of them have known no other home for generations, and that under British Raj an international border between India and Burma did not exist until 1937. Intriguingly, some representatives of the Muslims of Arakan — as Rakhine was previously known — sought incorporation of their territory into Pakistan, but Mohammad Ali Jinnah rejected the idea of interference in Burmese matters and conveyed as much to General Aung San.
The latter’s daughter, Suu Kyi, has been widely criticised for refusing to publicly empathise with the Rohingyas, presumably on the basis that any humanitarian gesture would harm the electoral prospects of her National League for Democracy.
With thousands of Rohingya (and Bangladeshi) refugees adrift in the Andaman Sea, Myanmarese officials agreed some days ago to participate in emergency talks scheduled for Friday in Thailand. After refugee boats were pushed away from many a coast, Indonesia and Malaysia have agreed to accept some of the asylum-seekers on a temporary basis, while the Philippines has responded to the crisis with decidedly greater generosity and even the United States has offered resettlement on a small scale — while the prime minister of the richest country in the region, Australia, has gone to the other extreme by decreeing that no Rohingya will set foot on his nation’s soil.
Tony Abbott has suggested that even the smallest gesture of generosity would only encourage other would-be refugees to set off in unseaworthy boats. It takes a considerable amount of ignorance, though, to fail to recognise that those in fear for their lives are unlikely to wait for encouragement from him or anyone else. They will take their chances, even though word must have filtered through of the fate they risk not just in treacherous waters but at the other end, with reports of mass graves emerging from countries such as Thailand.
In view of what the Australian government perceives as its success in warding off refugee boats through military action, Abbott has also been keen to dispense advice to European counterparts. It may peripherally have contributed to the European Union’s decision to militarily attack the means of transport whereby beleaguered folk from Africa and the Middle East set off for Europe, with hundreds perishing on the way.
Precisely what this determination will lead to beyond the possible destruction of a few fishing boats on the Libyan coast remains to be seen. The criminal nature of people-smuggling networks across the world is generally beyond doubt: they feast upon the desperation of those who see no viable alternatives, charging them huge amounts for the privilege of risking their lives on rickety vessels.
They are also, however, meeting a soaring demand. Many of the refugees heading for Europe originate from conflict-torn countries such as Syria and Eritrea. In all too many cases, the quest is not so much for a better life but for any kind of life at all.
Tackling the root causes of the various forms of despair that trigger the mass-migration impulse can only be a long-term objective, with few indications in most cases of what can be done. What are the practical pathways to restoring peace in Syria, for example? Or rooting out entrenched racism in Myanmar? There is strong case to be made in instances such as these for a coordinated emergency response, involving large-scale resettlement if necessary, preferably with the burden shared by a number of states.
It is also vital to realise that regional conflicts, the consequences of climate change and, more broadly, glaring economic disparities in an increasingly unequal global order can only exacerbate the tendency for substantial segments of humanity to seek refuge in other lands. Ultimately, the world’s ability to cope may depend on its willingness to change the course of history.
Published in Dawn, May 27th, 2015
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