This week, Rohingya refugees in Sri Lanka, who are primarily Muslim and from Myanmar, took to the streets to protest the impending closure of the United Nations (UN) refugee agency’s Sri Lanka office, which was announced to be happening at the end of 2024. These refugees also lodged an appeal to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Tuesday, beseeching the agency not to abandon them without offering permanent solutions.
The Rohingya are not officially recognized as one of Myanmar’s 135 ethnic groups, and have been stateless since being denied citizenship in 1982. This community suffered human rights violations and abuses in Kachin, Rakhine and Shan States in 2017, primarily at the hands of Myanmar’s security forces, causing them to seek asylum in Bangladesh.
However, life in Bangladesh presented its own challenges. The refugees faced harsh living conditions, including food and medicinal shortages, due to being relocated to an isolated island by the authorities. Eventually, many of these refugees who dared to venture out via boat in hopes of a better life were saved by the Sri Lanka navy after drifting in the Indian Ocean around Sri Lanka’s northern coast. During a period of detention, they were permitted to stay in Sri Lanka temporarily, but could not secure citizenship.
In their plea to the UN, the refugees stated, “We appeal to the UNHCR not to abandon us and help us to find a permanent solution in another country, in order that we may move beyond uncertainty and not leave us and our children permanently stateless.”
Additionally, the Rohingya refugees emphasized the significance of the monthly allowance provided by the UNHCR for their basic survival. Sri Lanka is not a signatory of the 1951 Refugee Convention, meaning the refugees cannot legally work in the country to support their living, healthcare, and education needs. They have urged the UNHCR to negotiate with the Sri Lankan government to allow them to stay legally, and to not halt their monthly allowance unless alternate arrangements are made.
The 2018 fact-finding mission report by the Human Rights Council suggested that the UN help Myanmar in protecting its people from genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. It also called for the establishment of a trust fund for victim support. Nonetheless, the UNHCR’s 2023 report shows that there is a funding gap of $289,416 for Sri Lanka, representing only 13% of the financial requirements for the country.
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