Cedars, December 2017

December 2017 11 OFF CAMPUS cationmajor, the situation is onewhich strikes close to home. Halder is fromChittagong, and he has seen the influx of Rohingya refugees and overpopulation problems firsthand. “From a Bangladeshi standpoint, from a country with somany people living in it — one of the most densely populated countries in the world — welcoming refugees in is ironic,” he said. “But culturally, Bangladesh is really open, really friendly and really welcoming. Bangladesh would consider the Rohingya as brothers or siblings, in a way — would view [accepting them] as helping out family.” Halder remarked that while the mass migration, which has taken place recently, has put the situation of the Rohingya people into the spotlight, their plight is one which has been ongoing for many years. “It’s known worldwide now, but it has always been a major issue. It was just publi- cized now,” he said. Both Jenista and Halder said they be- lieve that the driving force behind the per- secution of the Rohingya people is that they are culturally closer to Bangladesh. The en- tire region used to be under the control of colonial British India, and when the divid- ing lines were drawn between the countries after independence, the cultural and ethnic dividing lines were not taken into account. “They don’t fit in with the culture of Myanmar,” Halder said. “That’s one rea- son why they’ve been persecuted for a long time. When the borders were made, they didn’t take into consideration the different cultural groups that were there — it was just politically separated.” The international community is looking for solutions to the conflict, but most solu- tions are either impractical or impossible. Halder mentioned that the best solution he sees would be to give the Rohingya their own, independent country, or perhaps redraw the lines that were decided after colonial rule. “Since they cannot fully associate them- selves with Myanmar and truly, they cannot associate themselves with Bangladesh ei- ther, I would think ... giving them the op- tion of becoming their own state,” he said. “I think that if they’re given their land back and if they’re not persecuted there ...they [would be] able to live a normal life.” Jenista mentioned that the Myanmar government would never support this solu- tion, however, and surrender a portion of their country. He mentioned resettlement options but sees little hope for the future of the conflict. “I don’t see any good solution,” he said. “Islamic countries are speaking up on behalf of the Rohingyas, but to my knowledge none have offered to take them. Some have leaked over the border into India, but India’s not happy to have them. Nobody is willing to put forth the blood and the treasure that would be necessary to force an end to it. Until that happens, these poor people are stuck.” Jenista also mentioned the possibility of future violence in the region, as the Chris- tian minority in Myanmar is also persecut- ed. He expressed concern that a similar case of ethnic cleansing could occur should the military go unchecked. One possible avenue for the Rohingya to escape this situation is third country refugee resettlement. Jason Lee, a former director of a refugee resettlement agency called World Relief, now works with Clarkston Interna- tional Bible Chapel, a church that Cedarville has partnered with for missions work through Global Outreach in Clarkston, Georgia. He says that resettlement is one viable option. “Refugee resettlement is one of the best options to help them,” he said. “There’s only so many that Bangladesh, Thailand and Ma- laysia can absorb and many have died trying to cross the waters to try to get there.” However, Lee warns that this is an un- likely solution in the current political climate. “Their process of coming to the Unit- ed States would be long and right now, ex- tremely difficult,” he said. “In the first two months of this fiscal year we’ve only had about 1,300 refugee arrivals so unfortu- nately, although the president’s cap num- ber is 45,000, at this point maybe less than 20,000 may actually arrive.” This amount accounts for only three percent of the Rohingya who are currently living in Bangladesh as refugees, but Lee said he doubts the viability of other solu- tions which have been proposed. Bangla- desh and Myanmar recently announced an agreement to repatriate Rohingya refugees back to Myanmar. However, Lee said he be- lieves that there are important conditions which must be met before repatriation can be viewed as a viable solution. “The question is, is the murder, torture and genocide going to continue if they go back?” he said. “I don’t think repatriation is the answer at this point without some kind of assurance that folks are going to be cared for.” Lee said the most effective change could take place through the United Na- tions Security Council. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley has labeled the events in Myanmar as ethnic cleansing, and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson also used the term after returning from a trip to Myanmar. Despite these developments, more is still needed to put pressure on the UNSC to act. Lee proposed a few ways in which stu- dents can help to make this happen. “[They should] be involved, let their members of congress know of their concern, but let UN ambassador Nikki Haley’s office and Tillerson’s office know as well that you want them to do more, whether they enforce this repatriation to know they’re going to be assured once they get back or resettle them as refugees,” he said Halder also said individual awareness could make a difference in ending the crisis. “Just having people who are concerned around the world raises red flags and makes the government aware of the situation so that they are more likely to react,” he said. “What we can do is just making sure we are able to be praying for them, and monetarily we can help them by providing the necessi- ties that they need right now to survive.” Alexandria Hentschel is a sophomore In- ternational Studies and Spanish double major and the Off-Campus news editor for Cedars. She enjoys old books, strong coffee, and honest debate. Timothy Mattackal is a senior finance and accounting major. He enjoys travelling, reading, discussing relevant issues, and listening to Ed Sheeran. www.resoundradio.com Listen Online Now! Student Focused Radio 24/7