Sam Dastyari (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I draw the Senate's attention to reports that thousands of Rohingyas have lost their lives and thousands more from the minority groups in Rakhine State, Myanmar, are now refugees sleeping rough tonight. They are somewhere between their former homes and villages and the border with Bangladesh. From 11 August 2017, minority groups have reported on the heavy-handed and violent approach of Myanmar authorities in northern Arakan/Rakhine State.

On 25 August, the campaign intensified, as the army retaliated to attacks on police and army positions, claimed by a group calling itself the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army. Since then, Rakhine State has seen some of the bloodiest violence since the 1970s. An estimated 5,000 people were killed and over 50 villages destroyed. The Australian newspaper reported that Myanmar's army maintains it is carrying out clearance operations to defend the country against terrorists who attacked 30 police posts last Friday. But fleeing groups say the army and Buddhist vigilantes have unleashed an indiscriminate campaign of killing and burnings. Reports, although unconfirmed, include stories of attacks on villages with machine guns, rocket launchers and helicopter gunships.

Independent verification is almost impossible, as no media, NGO or human rights group have been allowed access to northern Arakan. The only reporting available is from neighbouring Bangladesh. A Rohingya monitoring group, The Arakan Project, said it appeared Myanmar security forces were trying to drive out a large proportion of the Rohingya population, along with ethnic Rakhine vigilantes who were 'actively participating in the burning of villages'. A head of mission in Bangladesh for Medecins Sans Frontieres has reported:

We've not had something on this scale here in many years. Our teams are seeing streams of people arriving destitute and extremely traumatised, and who have had no access to medical care …

I would like to echo the words of shadow foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, who said on 2 September:

Labor is deeply concerned at reports of human rights abuses in Myanmar … The government of Myanmar must do everything in its power to protect all its citizens …

She went on to say:

Labor offers our full support for efforts to achieve sustained peace and genuine reconciliation.

And:

Labor supports the concerns expressed by the Foreign Minister and urges the Australian government to continue speak out on human rights in Myanmar.

In addition, I want to acknowledge the Sydney Rohingya community. On Sunday, I met with a Rohingyan imam, Sheikh Mohammed Rafiq, who is a Rohingyan and a leader of the Riverstone Muslim community in Sydney. He has personally lost 10 members of his family in the last 10 days to this violence.

Also, I want to note the incredible work of many, many charities and the work that they have done. In particular, I was able to meet with the leaders of one particular charity, Charity Australia International, on Sunday. They are based in Mount Druitt in Sydney. I want to acknowledge Wajahat Rana, Kashif Aziz and Khurram Javed, who are doing an incredible job in standing up for Rohingyan refugees. They are running a campaign where a $20 donation provides a food package for Rohingya fleeing the violence in Rakhine State in the border between Myanmar and Bangladesh.

The Australian government must do more to condemn the violence and the army, and to address the human rights abuses that are going on. As early as this morning, Amnesty International reported that landmines were planted along the border with Bangladesh, killing those fleeing the violence.

The Australian government must leverage its international relationships, including with ASEAN nations and countries influential with the Myanmar government, to reach a conclusion to the hostilities and bring order to the area. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has highlighted the situation remains 'a textbook example of ethnic cleansing' and has called on the Myanmar government to stop pretending the minorities in Rakhine State are setting fire to their own homes and laying waste to their own villages. I call on the government to provide a textbook example of regional leadership in response to these disturbing reports.

There is a significant, important and valuable contribution that Rohingyas make in my city of Sydney. I'm fortunate enough to know the Sydney community well, but I note there are many other communities who are doing their bit as well. Frankly, the Australian government can, should and needs to do as much as it possibly can to highlight the abuses that have taken place.