August 30, 2024, S. Korea: In this convenient world where you can easily travel anywhere on Earth with just a few clicks, there are people who cannot go anywhere on Earth. They are stateless people who do not have citizenship and cannot be issued a passport. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), there are 4.4 million stateless people around the world as of 2022. Amongthe 135 ethnic minorities in Myanmar, the Rohingya are the most representative stateless people without citizenship. Since the genocide by the Myanmar military in 2017, they have ed to Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, India, and other countries, experiencing a diaspora. Currently, out of approximately 3.5 million Rohingya people around the world, only 600,000 of them are staying in Myanmar.

This shows how severe the Myanmar military’s oppression of the Rohingya was. The Rohingya remaining in Myanmar are also in dire straits due to the civil war between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army that began last November. It is estimated that hundreds of Rohingya civilians have been killed and thousands injured due to indiscriminate attacks using even heavy weapons. Hundreds of thousands of people have been forcibly displaced to escape the attacks. With the Arakan Army plundering food, Rohingya residents are currently su ering from extreme starvation, barely surviving by eating leaves. Recently, on August 6, it was reported that the armed group Arakan Army repeatedly attacked Maung Daw Township in northern Rakhine State, bordering Bangladesh, with drones, killing about 200 Rohingya. This is yet another crime against humanity, following the arson attack on a Rohingya village in Buthedaung township in May, and the indiscriminate attack and beheading of refugees. According to eyewitness accounts, the rst drone strike killed about 30 people, the second about 50, and several more attacks followed, killing about 200 people. Locals who ed with them estimate the death toll to be around 300. What is particularly tragic is that the victims of this drone attack were Rohingya refugees trying to cross the river to Bangladesh.

The Arakan Army has denied the attack, issuing a statement denying it, but the background to the Arakan Army’s targeting of Rohingya civilians is very complex. The Myanmar military has been forcibly recruiting Rohingya or luring them with citizenship to ght on their side, which has led to the Arakan Army viewing the Rohingya as enemies. The Rohingya are being attacked by both the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army in the midst of the Myanmar military’s tactics, and are losing their ground. Since the recent attacks in western Myanmar, around 5,000 Rohingya have ed to Bangladesh near the Naf River. It costs around $150 per person to cross the river. According to one refugee interviewed by RHRC, he crossed the river with 20 other Rohingya in a small shing boat and arrived in Bangladesh, paying 20,000 taka (about 230,000 won) per person. This is about a month and a half of a Burmese person’s salary, which is not easily available to those who have ed in a hurry.

Even if they manage to cross the river, the bigger problem is that the Bangladesh government has closed the border to Rohingya refugees, making it di cult to nd shelter. The Bangladesh government has made it clear that it cannot accept any more Rohingya refugees. And even if they manage to reach the camp, it is still uncertain whether they will be recognized as refugees and receive humanitarian assistance.