Like what you've read?

On Line Opinion is the only Australian site where you get all sides of the story. We don't
charge, but we need your support. Here�s how you can help.

  • Advertise

    We have a monthly audience of 70,000 and advertising packages from $200 a month.

  • Volunteer

    We always need commissioning editors and sub-editors.

  • Contribute

    Got something to say? Submit an essay.


 The National Forum   Donate   Your Account   On Line Opinion   Forum   Blogs   Polling   About   
On Line Opinion logo ON LINE OPINION - Australia's e-journal of social and political debate

Subscribe!
Subscribe





On Line Opinion is a not-for-profit publication and relies on the generosity of its sponsors, editors and contributors. If you would like to help, contact us.
___________

Syndicate
RSS/XML


RSS 2.0

Welcoming the Rohingya refugees is not a viable option for Timor-Leste

By Dionisio Da Cruz Pereira - posted Thursday, 21 May 2015


This week, the East Timorese Nobel Peace Prize winner, Dr. Jose Ramos Horta appealed to the Timor-Leste government to accept the Rohingya refugees, who are stranded in rickety boats off the coasts of Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.

Dr. Ramos Horta said "I propose that Timor-Leste welcomes the 100 to 1,000 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, over a period of up to 10 years; they would be settled in regions like Laklubar and Soibada, very quiet and relatively under-populated and with cooler climate".

According to him, extending support and solidarity to the Rohingya refugees "is a unique historical opportunity for Timor-Leste to affirm itself as a People attached to the values of human solidarity, morality and ethics".

Advertisement

Indeed, since gaining independence in 2002, Timor-Leste has ratified a significant number of human rights and humanitarian treaties, including the 1949 Geneva Conventions and their 1977 Additional Protocols, as well as conventions on refugees.

Key amongst these is Article (1) of the United Nations Convention and Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees. It asserts that a person is deemed a refugee if there is "a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country".

Being a party to the conventions on refugees, one would undoubtedly argue that Timor-Leste is legally bound under international law to protect the Rohingya refugees. First, they are genuine refugees and fleeing persecutions on the basis of their ethnicity and religion. Second, there are strong indications that they will be persecuted, tortured and subsequently killed if repatriated back to Burma.

Despite the aforementioned claims, welcoming the Rohingya refugees, as suggested by Dr. Ramos Horta, is unviable due to the following reasons.

First, currently the economic conditions of Timor-Leste are not suitable for the Rohingya refugees. Timor-Leste is one of the least developed countries in Asia with high youth unemployment. The International Labour Organization (ILO) report 2013claims that while every year between 15,000–between 20,000 young people enter the labour market, only 14.6% is employed in the formal sector. The reminder is employed in informal sectors, such as subsistence farming, crafting and other seasonal works.

Likewise, the report points out that around 70% of the population of Timor–Leste resides in the rural areas where poverty is high compared to that in the urban centres. The report, subsequently, concludes that most poor communities are now living in rural areas, with many of them having no access to modern infrastructures such as roads, housings, markets, schools, hospitals, and other social services. These pervasive problems, in turn, have contributed to undermining the country's power to draw in foreign investment that is critical for economic development.

Advertisement

Therefore, it can be argued that if Timor-Leste did accept the Rohingya refugees, it would certainly generate social tensions between the new arrivals and the locals over social benefits and entitlements. If the antagonistic attitudes are not handled properly, it could lead to a surge in violence and subsequently descend the country into chaos.

Second, since gaining independence in 2002, Timor-Leste has made a substantial contribution to the humanitarian causes around the world. Even though being an oil dependent country, over the last ten years, successive governments have generously committed over half a billion dollars to solving humanitarian crisis worldwide. The money used to fund tsunami relief in Aceh, recent earthquake relief operation in Nepal, elections in Guinea-Bissau, peace talks in South Sudan and many others. This act of solidarity will remain so for the next few decades to come.

In spite of those contributions, Timor-Leste remains fragile and has enormous development challenges ahead. Among them include the need to boost economic growth in order to reduce unemployment and poverty; invest in health and education; address transnational crimes such as money laundering, drug smuggling, drug trafficking; promote gender equality; enhance environmental sustainability and others. Though Timor-Leste is morally bound to solve the refugee crisis, for the time being it should not be seen as a matter of priority.

Third, the current refugee crisis in South Asia involved Indonesia, Malaysia, Burma, and Thailand is the product of the policy of the ASEAN's commitment to non-interference in member states' internal affairs. Though one of the principles of the ASEAN Charter is "upholding international law with respect to human rights, social justice and multilateral trade", yet when it comes to implementation, some of the core rules are often overlooked.

For many years, the Burmese government has carried out systematic human rights abuses against the Rohingya community, yet most member states remained silent. Since the crisis unfolded, no head of state within ASEAN, including prominent Human Right Activist and 1991 Peace Prize Winner, Aung San Suu Kyi, have ever come out and vociferously voiced concerns over the issues and, offered immediate solutions. They are adamant and reluctant to finding solutions to the problems while the refugees are dying.

Empirical evidence suggests that the current trigger of conflicts in many developing countries - ranging from wars, hungers, internally displaced people to environmental damage - is direct and indirect consequences of rich countries' foreign policies imposing upon the poor. If this was the case, why should the poor bear the cost? Ultimately, responsibility to protect and care for refugees should lie within the United Nations and the international community, not the other way around.

Hence, right now it is not conducive for Timor-Leste to accept the Rohingya refugees while the government is being overwhelmed with its own national priorities. If democratic and stable governments like Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and others cannot resolve the issue, why should Timor-Leste take the responsibility to share the burden? It is, however, plausible for Timor-Leste to contribute ideas and financial supports through the UNHCR to help settling the refugees. Likewise, it is incumbent upon the international community to address the root causes of the problems rather than shift responsibilities around.

  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. All


Discuss in our Forums

See what other readers are saying about this article!

Click here to read & post comments.

8 posts so far.

Share this:
reddit this reddit thisbookmark with del.icio.us Del.icio.usdigg thisseed newsvineSeed NewsvineStumbleUpon StumbleUponsubmit to propellerkwoff it

About the Author

Dionisio Da Cruz Pereira is pursuing an M.Sc in International Development at the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom.

Other articles by this Author

All articles by Dionisio Da Cruz Pereira

Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Photo of Dionisio Da Cruz Pereira
Article Tools
Comment 8 comments
Print Printable version
Subscribe Subscribe
Email Email a friend
Advertisement

About Us Search Discuss Feedback Legals Privacy