Myanmar rebuffs ARSA’s truce offer

Since the insurgency broke out on August 25 by a group of Rohingyas in the Rakhine province of Myanmar, the chain of violence set in motion. Rohingya insurgents have reportedly killed 12 security officers of Myanmar. The Myanmar military launched an offensive against the Rohingya Muslims, who are largely the inhabitants of Rakhine province. It has been reportedly estimated that at least 1000 Rohingyas were killed in a military offensive against the insurgents. Thousands of Rohingyas are fleeing the Rakhine state. Their exodus on large scale in Bangladesh creates another problem of humanitarian crisis. The condition of Rohingya Muslims is reportedly getting worse and worse in the province of Rakhine. They are crying for food and shelter. Every country has its sovereign right to protect and maintain its peace and security. Rohingya insurgents try to create mayhem in Myanmar. So, Myanmar military has toughened its stand against them. The offer of truce for a limited period by Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) was rebuffed by the Myanmar. It is not prepared to negotiate amid ongoing violence in Rakhine province of the country. Rohingyas are facing humanitarian crisis and the international organization UNHCR has taken note of the situation. Bangladesh is itself financially constraint. The refugees from Myanmar rushing into Bangladesh across the border have become unmanageable for it. So, Bangladesh High Commissioner has also met Indian Foreign Secretary to brief him on the problem arising out of the exodus of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar in Bangladesh. The issue requires serious attention of the international community to resolve it. Myanmar is also right in saying that there could be no negotiation with terrorists. It rightly believes terror and talk cannot go together. Myanmar says its security forces are carrying out clearance operations to defend against the ARSA, which the government has declared a terrorist organization.The ARSA in Myanmar's Rakhine state had declared a month-long ceasefire starting on Sunday after more than two weeks of violence and called on the Myanmar Govt. to respond in the same manner. At least 294,000 ethnic Rohingyas have fled across the border to Bangladesh since fighting broke out on August 25, according to a situation report from the Inter Sector Coordination Group (ISCG) in Bangladesh. The report said $77 million in funding was needed to deliver urgent aid to the new arrivals. Rohingyas are not recognized by Myanmar as its citizens and are called Bengali by them and leaders of countries with majority Muslim populations including Malaysia, Indonesia and Bangladesh have led efforts to increase pressure on the Myanmar government. According to the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR, so far, an estimated 270,000 Rohingya refugees have fled from the violence affected Myanmar's Northern Rakhine state and sought refuge in Bangladesh where the limited shelter capacity is already exhausted. Amid a dramatic increase in the number of refugees fleeing violence in Myanmar's Northern Rakhine state, UNHCR has rightly called for urgent action to address the root causes of the recent surge in violence, so that people are no longer compelled to flee and can eventually return home in safety and dignity. It is the urgent requirement of the international community to sit together and find out a solution to the problems of violence in the Rakhine province of Myanmar. The violence is stated to be espoused by Rohingya insurgents. All human beings must live safely with dignity.