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KUALA LUMPUR – Refugees from Myanmar who fled violence there to reach Malaysia have expressed concerns at the absence of humanitarian aid in their home country after vast areas were recently devastated by Cyclone Mocha.
The Myanmar Ethnic Rohingya Human Rights Organisation in Malaysia (Merhrom) said it is deeply saddened by the loss of lives and property damage in the tragedy that also hit neighbouring Bangladesh on May 14.
The most affected areas are in Rakhine state where the Rohingya come from. They include districts of Sittwe, Rathedaung, Buthidaung, Maungdaw, Pauktaw, Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U, Ponnagyun, Minbya, Myebon, Kyaukpyu, Ramree, Munaung, Toungup. Thandwe, Ayeyarwa and Gwa.
“We received information from the Rohingya victims in the affected area that they are still waiting for humanitarian assistance,” said Merhrom president Zafar Ahmad Abdul Ghani, noting that the wind speed was nearly 200kmph.
“They do not have food, water, medicine or shelter. Thousands of houses were damaged leaving 800,000 people without shelter. The death toll in Sittwe alone has increased to more than 500 people.”
“According to the villagers, seawater carried many bodies away. There are many people who are missing and still have not been found.”
Zafar said that the military junta currently ruling Myanmar declared that all humanitarian aid must go through them.
“We are afraid the humanitarian aid did not reach the affected Rohingya victims,” he said.
“Therefore, we appeal to the United Nations, World Food Programme (WFP), UN agencies and member states, private sectors, civil society organisations and the international community to put pressure on the junta that access is granted to distribute the humanitarian aid.
He likened the junta’s restrictions on humanitarian agencies sending aid to genocide as people are dying.
“We are frustrated that the junta did not take any actions to save the lives of the Rohingya despite the meteorology warning issued on May 12 on Cyclone Mocha,” he stressed.
He added that the camps for internally displaced persons (IDP) in Sittwe were built near the river, risking the lives of the Rohingya, especially during the rainy season and when cyclones hit the area
“Since the Rohingya were made stateless, the junta does not care about our lives and safety,” he said.
Zafar said that according to local Rohingya contacts, the food aid has already been distributed to victims but is not reaching the Rohingya.
“We hope the international humanitarian aid will be equally distributed to the affected victims,” he said. “We hope the humanitarian agencies will distribute the aid to the victims directly and not hand it over to the junta for distribution.”
He appealed for humanitarian agencies to help victims rebuild their homes and lives immediately, pointing out that the rainy season will start in June and last until November.
Additionally, he said there has been feedback that the WFP will cut its financial assistance in Cox’s Bazar refugee camps in Bangladesh, making the lives of people there even harder.
“We hope the United Nations, non-governmental organisations and the international community will continue supporting the Rohingya in the refugee camps. We thank all parties for your efforts to help the cyclone victims and genocide survivors,” he said. – The Vibes, May 21, 2023