e from the UN and already working NGOs, more is being accomplished to accommodate the refugees on the island. Though, only 13% of the UN’s $881 million response plan for the Rohingya has been funded showing the need for greater assistance.
26 Rohingya refugees were detained by Assam Police for illegally entering the Cachar district. The refugees allegedly entered India through the West Bengal border and sought Cachar district as they were in contact with locals that promised them work. The refugees were detained for not possessing the necessary paperwork leading to 12 of the 26 remanded and placed in custody. The remaining individuals were children, 7 of which were allowed to remain with their mother while the rest were sent to an observation home, an institution established by the government for neglected and juvenile children.
Refugees were attempting to cross the border back to Bangladesh. Some groups that managed to escape India were arrested in Bangladesh and later discovered to be on their way to the refugee camps. Rohingya human rights activists state the reason for refugees returning to Bangladesh is due to the Indian government’s focus on detention centers and involuntary repatriation.
The Thai government is not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention which outlines the rights of refugees and state protocol to protect them. The Thai Navy recently found and detained 59 Rohingya stranded on an island south of the country making roughly 470 Rohingya in detention with no pathway to obtaining refugee status. The government announced it will maintain two policies: seize any boats stranded onshore and detain all of those accompanying it and intercept boats that advance onto the shore and provide them with necessary supplies and urge them to continue to Malaysia or Indonesia.
Thousands of Rohingya refugees staged peaceful protests throughout Cox’s Bazar with a slogan “Let’s go home”. The protestors handed out pamphlets that included their 19-point demands to safely return to Myanmar, one of which includes the dissolution of 1982 law that fails to recognize the Rohingya as citizens.
Malaysia is not a signatory of the 1951 Refugee Convention that establishes a state’s responsibilities to refugees. Due to this, Rohingya refugees are labeled as “illegal immigrants” and are at risk of refoulement. Within Malaysia, the Rohignya refugees have fallen victim to imprisonment, harassment, extortion, and deportation.
Likely due to the lack of economic alternatives and little law and order, criminal activities within the Rohingya refugee camps have increased. 14 armed criminal gangs have emerged within the camps engaging in rape, murder, drug smuggling, kidnapping, and human trafficking.
Thailand restrictions on cross-border aid and the military junta in Myanmar have resulted in just 41% of those targeted receiving aid in the first quarter of 2022. Though, informal aid along the Thai-Myanmar border has proven vital for reaching people in rural areas.
India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) busted a human trafficking network from Bangladesh refugee camps to India. The victims were captured with a promise for better opportunities in India but then sexually exploited and resettled on forged Indian identity documents. Six people were arrested in connection to the case who will face persecution.
The ICJ rejected Myanmar’s preliminary claims which challenged the courts jurisdiction and Gambia’s response and legal standing in the case. The rejections will allow the case to proceed to further investigate the Rohingya genocide in Myanmar.
954 Rohingya have been diagnosed with AIDS indicating an increase in cases over the years within Cox’s Bazar. 612 are being treated and 61 have died due to the virus. Those concerned stress the importance of more testing to stop the spread of the virus throughout the camps.
Within the refugee camps, music has become an outlet for sharing emotional experiences and persevering their culture through the ethnic cleansing campaign in Myanmar. Thus, teaching the children music has become vital to expand th