KUTUPALONG, Bangladesh (AP) – thousands of Muslims rohinya commemorated Saturday the first anniversary of the attacks that forced them to flee to Bangladesh, praying that someday they can return to their country My Anmar and that justice for all the massacred in their community. More than 15,000 rohinya gathered at the top of a hill in the Kutupalong refugee camp, one of several settlements that host to approximately 900,000 rohinya who fled Myanmar.Uno of the posters said “August 25: fatal day”. Another said: “We demand justice”.
Was last year when the Myanmar army launched an offensive against the rohinya leading to 700,000 people to flee across the border. Thousands of people were killed in the wave of violence.
“We are rohinya, we are Muslims, we have expelled from our land, our homes,” said one of the activists before the crowd. “We want justice, we want to return to our homes.”
However, many doubt that they will return despite more than one year of dialogue between Myanmar, Bangladesh, the United Nations and various international agencies help. Myanmar insists that the rohinya can return and built them camps, but few believe there will be safe or that they will be accepted as citizens.
Although the rohinya have lived for centuries in Myanmar, there are considered to be marginal. They are Muslim in a Buddhist-majority nation, and they are denied citizenship and basic human rights.
Most live in poverty in the province of Rakhine State in Myanmar, on the other side of the border with Bangladesh.En this note: Bangladesh Myanmar Rohinya Kutupalong
