Monday, June 22, 2015

Southeast Asia's moment of shame...

For decades, the Southeast Asian region has been hailed for its multicultural diversity, economic miracles that gave birth to tiger cub economies of Malaysia and Singapore, and the almost total absence of inter-state conflict. Next to the industrialised powers of Japan, China, and South Korea, much of Southeast Asia has stood as the embodiment of Asia's growing fortunes.

Perennially underperforming countries like the Philippines and Indonesia are now seen as among the most promising emerging markets. And with regional countries aiming to establish a common market, Southeast Asia is poised to become a major global investment destination. In recent weeks, however, the region has been in the global spotlight - but not for good reasons.

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For long, at least going as far back as the colonial period, Myanmar has been home to the Rohingya, a Muslim minority ethnic group in a majority Buddhist country.

There are an estimated 1.3 million of them in Myanmar, but they have struggled to gain recognition as citizens in their own country. They were even excluded from the latest national census in Myanmar. For decades, they have suffered various forms of persecution and marginalisation, but recent years have seen a spike in inter-ethnic strife in the state of Rakhine, which has been a home to many from the Rohingya minority group.

Up to 140,000 Rohingyas are reported to have left their homes in search of safety in neighbouring countries. The refugee crisis has been compounded by the simultaneous waves of Bangladeshi citizens escaping crushing poverty at home in search of greener pastures in the relatively more prosperous states of Southeast Asia. Full story...

Related posts:
  1. Aung San Suu Kyi: Where are you?
  2. Bangladesh moves persecuted Rohingya to 'out of sight' island camps...
  3. Asia nations abandon Rohingya refugees, leading to 'maritime ping-pong
  4. Why are so many Rohingya migrants stranded at sea?
  5. The Burmese govt is rounding up the Rohingyas into camps...
  6. Rohingya refugees face humanitarian crisis in India...
  7. How Bangladesh treats the Rohingya refugees...

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