Indian Defence Review

Rohingya Muslim refugees have invited worldwide attention for quite some time now. They are widely perceived as world’s most ‘persecuted minority’. Who are Rohingya? In a way it depends on whom you ask- and that itself may be the core to the conflict. To most of the world, Rohingya are Muslim minority in Myanmar; the Buddhist nation in Southeast Asia. But for Myanmar government Rohingya do not exist at all; instead arguing that they are Bengalis who entered the region during the British rule or later as illegal immigrants after Bangladesh’s war of independence in 1971.

Myanmar’s security operations against Rohingya Muslims forced the United Nations to dub those as a ‘text book case of ethnic cleansing”. Out of an estimated population of about two million, only 400,000 of them now reside in Myanmar, mostly in Northern part of Rakhine state bordering Bangladesh and India. Rest of the Rohingya population has been driven out of their country and are living as refugees in Southeast Asian Countries, Saudi Arabia, UAE and in small numbers in the USA, Canada and Ireland. Contrary to the common belief that prior to current crisis Rakhine was home only to the Buddhists and Muslims, truth, however, is that it also has a small but longstanding population of Hindu minority and some other ethnic groups.

Background

Rohingya population is concentrated in Arakan region (now Rakhine state of Myanmar), an old coastal country in Southeast Asia. It is not clear as to who the original settlers of Arakan were. Burmese nationalists say that the Rakhine inhabited Arakan since 3000 BCE but that claim is not supported by any archaeological evidence. Ever since the time of Mauryan Empire, Arakan, with its coastline along the Bay of Bengal, was a key center of maritime trade and cultural exchange between Burma and the outside world. Some historians claim that, since very early times, Arab merchants would travel to Arakan through the Bay of Bengal. They used Southern branch of Silk Route in the region to travel to India and China. Rohingya trace their history to this period. Besides locals converting to Islam, Arab merchants married local women and later settled in Arakan. Because of intermarriages and conversion, the Muslim population in Arakan grew. Modern day Rohingya believe they descended from these early Muslim communities.

Recent History

During almost 125 years of British rule (1824-1948), there was a significant migration of labourers from present day India and Bangladesh to Burma, now called Myanmar. Though during the British rule such a movement, legally speaking, was an internal migration of cheap labour force yet the native population viewed it negatively. Interestingly, when demand for formation of Pakistan was gaining momentum in undivided India, Rohingya people, considering their religious and geographical affinity to East Bengal, raised a demand for merger with Pakistan. They even approached M.A. Jinnah who, however, spurned the proposal as he did not wish to meddle in the internal affair of Myanmar.

Immediately after independence from the British in 1948, Myanmar passed the ‘Union Citizenship Act’ that listed the ethnicities that could gain citizenship rights. Rohingya were not included in this list. This Act, however, permitted those families, of Rohingya and other left out ethnicities, who had lived in Myanmar for two generations to apply for domicile ‘Identity Cards’. Rohingya were initially not only granted such identity but, in some cases, even bestowed full Citizenship rights under the ‘Generational Provisions’. Many a Rohingya were even elected to the Myanmar parliament.

Post 1962 military coup in Myanmar, plight of Rohingya worsened. All Myanmar citizens were now required to obtain ‘National Registration Cards’. Under the new rules, Rohingya were only eligible for ‘Foreign Identity Cards’ thus restricting their chances of pursuing education or taking up jobs. Thereafter, ‘Citizenship Law of 1982’ effectively rendered Rohingya stateless. This law recognized only 135 ethnic groups as citizens of Myanmar. Rohingya were left out of this list thus severely restricted their freedom and right to live in Myanmar. For Rohingya, it has been a saga of bitter persecution.

Current Rohingya Crisis in Myanmar

The fact that Buddhists, backed by the government, consider Rohingya as illegal settlers in Myanmar has resulted in intense hostility between two the sides and that, in fact, is core to the present conflict. There have been claims and counter claims of atrocities by the two sides. Rohingya claim that persistent military crackdowns since 1970s on their settlements in Rakhine state have forced thousands to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh and other Southeast Asian countries. On the other hand, Myanmar government blamed Rohingya groups for killing nine border police personnel in October 2012, a claim that led to a massive cracked-down on Rohingya villages by the troops. It is alleged that a wave of human-rights abuses and extrajudicial killings was thus unleashed, prompting UN to accuse Myanmar government of ethnic cleansing. Human Rights activists claim that, in August 2017, Myanmar troops resorted to indiscriminate firing at unarmed Rohingya men, women and children. Myanmar government was quick to deny such excesses by its troops, instead claiming that 100 people were killed when Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) launched a raid on police out posts.

In February 2018, Associated Press released a video purportedly of a site of a massacre and of, at least, five undisclosed mass graves of Rohingya in Myanmar. According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), ever since commencement of latest military campaign in August 2017, Myanmar government has razed to ground about 362 villages, once populated by Rohingya, thus destroying with them the evidence of crimes against this minority. This unprecedented military crackdown against Rohingya even prompted India’s MEA to ask Myanmar government to exercise ‘restraint and maturity’. There is no denying the fact that Myanmar military and government-backed Buddhist vigilante groups are behind burning down villages and shooting down those who try to escape death as part of their ‘scotched earth’ policy.

The de facto leader of Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi- once considered global human rights icon- played down this international outrage over the recent violence in Rakhine by blaming terrorists for spreading misinformation. Critics have assailed her response to the Rohingya crisis and some even demanding revocation of her Nobel Peace Prize. However, her supporters defend her claiming that she has done what she must to maintain Myanmar’s fragile democracy.

Rohingya’s Tryst with Armed Insurgency

Much before Myanmar government’s repressive policy and institutionalized discrimination, extremist wings of Rohingya had attacked nearly 30 police posts and an army base camp in Maungdaw district of Myanmar costing government forces 71 fatalities. Besides, Rohingya were even involved in attacking border posts, blowing bridges and killing policemen. ARSA is known to be involved in terror activities in Myanmar.

Rohingya crisis has also drawn the attention of Islamic State of Iraq & Syria (IS). In 2014, IS declared the Rakhine state a ‘key region for jihad’. However, this terror group has long been struggling to operationalize its intentions among Rohingya. A possible reason for its inability to do so could be dearth of suitable recruits from within the Rohingya population. Typically, IS militants hail from the educated urban backgrounds which Rohingya can’t not offer. Al Qaeda, on the other hand, has worked out a more effective Rohingya recruitment strategy. In 2012, Al Qaeda in Indian

Subcontinent (AQIS), an affiliate of Al Qaeda, gave a call to arms. AQIS specifically called upon all mujahideen in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Philippines to set for Myanmar to help Muslim brothers to resist repression. Samiur Rehman, a Bangladeshi-born British Citizen and an Al Qaeda operative, was incarcerated in Bangladesh in 2014 for recruiting Rohingya for this mission in Myanmar. Later in 2017, Rehman also tried to enlist Rohingya refugees in India to fight in Myanmar, an endeavour that ended in his arrest in Delhi. However, like IS, the floundering presence of AQIS in India seems to be constraining its ability to take substantial action.

Credible evidences about existence of ARSA surfaced in 2016. According to International Crisis Group (ICG), this insurgent outfit is led by a committee of Rohingya emigrants in Saudi Arabia. It appears to be a well-organized and very well-funded group. Myanmar government has declared ARSA a terrorist organization as it is committed to establishing an Islamic State of Rakhine. However, ICG debunks this claim that there is no evidence to suggest its Islamic militant agenda. To substantiate their observation further, ICG maintains that videos released by the group have shown “only a few dozen scrawny and shabbily dressed fighters”. However, ICG’s claims appear hollow in view of Amnesty International’s Report of 21 May 2018 wherein it is mentioned that, on 25th August 2017, Rohingya militants, most probably of ARSA, massacred about 100 Hindu villagers during last year’s uprising in Myanmar’s Rakhine state. Simultaneous raids were launched by these militants on Myanmar security forces tipping Rakhine into crisis. In September 2017, Myanmar Military took media to witness the exhumation of putrid bodies from a shallow grave. “There are many witnesses but we have not had any justice” says Ni Maul, a local Hindu leader. He further adds “people have less interest in (Hindu) killings compared to reporting on the atrocities against Rohingya”

Rohingya Crisis- India’s Concerns

Security Implications

Rohingya refugee influx into Bangladesh from Myanmar is a serious security challenge for the entire region. As of now, about 1.3 million registered Rohingya are residing in Cox Bazar, the Southeastern part of Bangladesh. However, Bangladesh has signed an agreement with Myanmar to repatriate all Rohingya refugees back to Myanmar within a two years period. Long history of hostility between Myanmar Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims leaves one skeptical about prospects of this agreement holding on.

West Bengal shares a 2000 km-long border with Bangladesh which is very difficult to oversee. Other North-Eastern states of India too share border with

Bangladesh but most of that has already been fenced hence less prone to crossing over. Presence of a very large number of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh has naturally raised India’s security concerns. There are reports of these refugees crossing over to India and procuring fake identity documents. This, coupled with the presence of fighters fleeing the ‘crackdown on homegrown terrorism’ in Bangladesh, has provided further fodder for suspicion. As per Ministry of Home Affairs, nearly 40,000 Rohingya refugees have already taken refuge in India and are at present lodged in various refugee camps in J&K, Haryana, Rajasthan etc.

Attempts by IS and AQIS to recruit Rohingya refugees for terror activities has serious security implications for India. India has its hands full tackling insurgencies in Kashmir, Northeast and in Naxalite infested pockets in its hinterland. Involvement of Mohammad Khalid, a Myanmar national, in Burdwan blast in 2014 has raised heckles of security agencies. Among others arrested in this case was Khalid, a Rohingya, who has confessed to having been trained by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan. National Investigating Agency (NIA) also claims that Khalid had ties with Bangladeshi terror outfits like Jamaat-ul- Mujahideen. Apprehensions abound about links between Rohingya and Pakistan based terror groups that target India. There are also reports of Ataullah Abu Ammar, leader of ARSA, offering millions in cash to terror groups like Lashkar-e-Tiba (LeT) for arms, recruitment and for tactical support. Though some reports suggest that these terror groups have spurned such offers yet future tie-ups can’t be ruled out.

Arrests of hardcore Al Qaeda Mujahideen, Samiur Rehman, as already mentioned above, and Al Noora from Vikaspuri, Delhi, should serve as an eye opener. Their mission was to establish bases in Delhi, Manipur, Mizoram to radicalize and recruit Rohingya refugees to wage war against Indian security forces and Myanmar army. That these refugees have not indulged in any fresh terror activities since 2014 offers comfort that the threat, though present, is being held at bay. But, a record of relative inactivity does not insure absolute safety. India needs to be on guard for Rohingya refugees are prone to radicalization by Islamic terrorist groups like IS and other Pakistan based terror outfits. Besides, Rohingya refugees have been found to indulge in other crimes and trafficking. There are many FIRs lodged against them in various states.

Strain on India’s Social Fabric

Reassertion by Hindu Right in India has already put country’s fragile communal equilibrium under immense stress. Forthcoming national elections in 2019 are likely to usher in an environment of intense communal polarization. In this surcharged atmosphere, very presence of these Muslim refugees in India and Amnesty International’s report about massacre of Hindus by Rohingya militants are likely to be exploited by the Hindu fringe to conjure up imaginary existential fears among the gullible masses. It is no one’s case to suggest that Muslim leaders in India would remain mute spectators in this political power game. They too would exploit the situation with equal ferocity by arousing religious sentiments to garner votes.

Rohingya Lodgments in J&K – A Serious Security Concern

Inhabitance of Rohingya in large numbers in the militancy infested state of J&K, more so in Jammu and Ladakh regions, has raised many concerns. Mehbooba Mufti, J&K CM, admitted on the floor of State Assembly that more than 13,400 Rohingya and Bangladeshi refugees have taken shelter in J&K. As on date, Rohingya alone account for 10,000 of these refugees. She had no qualms in admitting that all these refugees have settled in border regions of Ladakh and Jammu. Region-wise breakdown of their settlement is – 7,664 in Ladakh and the rest are in Jammu. While Jammu city is home to more than 5,000 of them, roughly 700 have settled in Samba district. Surprisingly, these refugee settlements, in Jammu, have come up in Muslim majority Bathindi locality. Ironically, these settlements have come up mostly on State/forest land while some on lands owned by Muslim Gujjars. All this points to a tacit approval of the State government. That Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Maulana Masood Azhar has come out in support of Rohingya Muslims staying in Jammu province is indeed worrisome. Obviously, Azhar is eyeing these refugees as his strategic assets in J&K.

Rohingya settlements close to the international border in Jammu region can be used as bases/transit facilities by foreign terrorists on terror missions to India. Recent

revelations by NIA indicate terrorists, who carried out November 2016 attack on Army camp at Nagrota, had crossed the IB in Samba Sector, an area that houses a Rohingya cluster. Complicity of radicalized elements among these refugees with Pakistan based terror outfits can’t be ruled out. Sunjawan Army camp in Jammu, which was attacked by terrorists in February 2018, is located precariously close to Rohingya settlements in Bathindi. All these instances portend serious threats to our security assets in J&K.

Though civil society of Jammu is up in arms, and rightly so, against threats posed by these refugee settlements to the region’s demography yet political representatives have largely ignored their security concerns. There are credible inputs that some Muslims groups in J&K are helping these refugees to settle down in Jammu & Ladakh regions. Larger game plan appears to be to dilute non-Muslim majority character of these regions. Molvi Yunus, a Rohingnya settled in Jammu since 2008, admits that he was advised by a Kashmiri Muslim in Delhi to settle in Jammu. Having stayed for a decade now, he claims Jammu to be his second home. Jammat-e-Islami, J&K, and Jammu branch of Sakhawat Centre are putting in coordinated efforts to help these refugees in all possible ways. As reported by a Srinagar daily, Rising Kashmir dated 30 November 2016, Sakhawat Centre is committed to offer all possible assistance to Rohingya refugees to ensure their comfortable stay in Jammu. This organization has even opened four schools for the refugee children.

While the stand of BJP, partners in the collation government in J&K, on Rohingya issue is ambivalent, ruling PDP is steadfastly behind these refugees- apparently echoing the stance of separatist camp in Kashmir. Mehbooba Mufti minced no words while cautioning Jammu Civil Society of police action in the event of any attempt to forcibly evict these ‘hapless’ settlers. Nothing was ever heard thereafter.

No sooner a Myanmar national was killed in counter-insurgency operations in the Valley in October 2016, security forces flagged their concerns about continued presence of Rohingya refugees in the state. They warned of them being ‘a ticking time bomb’. Not to forget that Rohingya’s well documented ties with Pro-Pakistani terrorist outfits presents an enormous security challenge. For likes of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad, both of whom have courted members of the community, communal violence and resultant turmoil present an opportunity to scout for ‘talents’ to not only muddy the waters more in J&K but also induce discord in the areas that are peaceful. Zakir Musa, heading splinter Al Qaeda cell in J&K, has also reportedly threatened India against deporting Rohingya.

It is believed that Rohingya refugees in Jammu have obtained government identity documents like AADHAAR cards, Ration Cards and possibly, in some cases, even J&K Permanent Resident Certificates. While some Muslim officials consider helping Muslim refugees a religious obligation, other officials can easily be bribed to circumvent the rules. Rohingya labour is reportedly working in sensitive areas adjoining LC in Kashmir region. Security forces personnel are surprised to find all of them in possession of valid identity documents. The subversion appears too deep rooted.

India’s Ambivalent Stand

Basing foreign policy and internal security on social justice, ethics and morality is always problematic. In an ideal world, Pakistan would have stopped exporting terrorism and China stopped salami-slicing India. Unfortunately, none of these is likely to happen.

India’s position on Rohingya refugees should be based on rational assessment of real politic. It is true that Rohingya issue has many dimensions – legal, cultural, ethnic, territorial, religious, democratic, terroristic and humanitarian. National interests must always override all other considerations while deciding upon such issues. That, at all, is not an amoral position to take. It is responsibility of the Indian State to ensure wellbeing and safety of Indian citizens. Unfortunately, that is not its stand as of now. Indian state vacillates between a hardline stance and of political compromises in J&K. This vacillation would be detrimental to the security of nation’s Northern frontiers.

If Bangladesh can enter into an agreement with Myanmar for repatriation of Rohingya, why can’t India too repatriate refugees settled in India? Further, India is neither a signatory to 1951 UN Resolution on Refugees nor has it ratified the 1967 Protocols. Thus, India has no obligation towards these illegal migrants who have been brought here through agents/touts based in Myanmar or Bangladesh or even within India. If repatriation talks fail, deportation would then be an inescapable option.

Bibliography:

1. Adam Tayor: How Burma’s Rohingya crisis went from bad to worse- Washington Post.
2. Dr. Sudershan Kumar: Rohingya as a ‘Threat’ to National Security, IDR- Daily Excelsior, 23 October 2017.
3. Dhairya Maheshwari: India’s policy towards Rohingya is articulated better by MEA than MHA: former envoy to Myanmar- National Herald, 17 September 2017.
4. Mohamad Sinan Siyech: India’s Rohingya Terror Problem: Real or Imagined? – South Asian Views (Online Journal).
5. Al Jajera: Who are Rohingya?
6. Amnesty International, report dated 21 May 2018: Myanmar: New evidence reveals Rohingya armed groups massacred scores in Rakhine State.
7. Sreemoy Talukdar: India’s Rohingya policy: Not ideal but best strategy to ensure geopolitical and security interests- FirstPost, September 9, 2017.
8. Prof. Hari Om: Settlement of Rohingya in Jammu- a threat to national security- Early Times, Jammu.
9. Rohingya People: Wikipedia – the free encyclopedia.