Violence Against the Rohingya: From Murder to Mutilation

On December 2, 2023, a wooden boat carrying a group of Rohingya refugees landed on the Ie Meulee beach, Sukmajaya District, Sabang City, Aceh.

"The number (of arriving Rohingya refugees) is around 139 people," said Syahrial, the local sub-district head, as reported by *Antara* on Saturday (2/12/2023).

This is not the first time. Groups of Rohingya refugees have entered Indonesia several times since 2015. In total, the number has exceeded one thousand people.

"(Rohingya refugees in Indonesia) now number 1,478 people," said Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Mahfud MD, as reported by *Antara* on Tuesday (5/12/2023).

Who are the Rohingya Refugees?

According to the report *The Rohingya Crisis* from the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), Rohingya is the name of an ethnic group from Rakhine, the region of the Arakan Kingdom, which is now part of Myanmar.

The Rohingya ethnic group is recorded as having lived in Rakhine since the 15th century. Their population continued to grow until the 19th century when Rakhine was under British rule.

However, after Myanmar's independence in 1948, the local government refused to recognize the Rohingya ethnic group as their citizens.

This is related to the many differences between the Rohingya ethnic group and the majority ethnic groups in Myanmar, in terms of culture, language, and religion.

The CFR states that "the Myanmar government systematically discriminates against the Rohingya ethnic group," ranging from restricting marriage permits, access to education, employment, to healthcare services.

After decades of being targeted by discrimination, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) militant group emerged, fighting for the rights of the Rohingya ethnic group.

In 2017, ARSA attacked several Myanmar police and military posts. The local government then accused ARSA of being a terrorist organization and retaliated with a large-scale military operation.

According to CFR records, in that operation, the Myanmar military destroyed hundreds of villages, killed approximately 6,700 people, and forced nearly 700,000 Rohingya people to leave Myanmar.

Most of the Rohingya ethnic group then fled to neighboring countries, namely Bangladesh.

Testimonies of Rohingya Refugees

In 2018, the United States Department of State conducted a survey of 1,024 Rohingya refugees sheltering in Bangladesh.

The results showed that 82% of refugees reported witnessing killings while they were still living in Myanmar.

Others witnessed village destruction (82%), kidnapping or arrest (65%), injury (64%), and restrictions on movement (57%).

A significant number also witnessed armed attacks (51%), sexual violence (51%), theft of property (47%), theft of livestock (46%), theft of food (37%), and religious persecution (30%).

A small percentage of refugees even reported witnessing mutilation (10%) while in their home country.

It should be noted that this survey only reflects the proportion of Rohingya refugees who witnessed violence, not the number of violent incidents.