The Rohingya are a predominantly Muslim ethnic group that for centuries has called the area that is now majority Buddhist Myanmar home. Since a Burmese citizenship law — in which Rohingya were not recognized as one of the country’s 135 ethnic groups — was passed in 1982, the Rohingya have effectively been stateless within their own country.
Although many historians say Muslims have lived in this area since the 12th century, large numbers of Rohingya laborers migrated from today’s India and Bangladesh to what is now Myanmar during the more than 100 years of British rule (1824-1948), when such migration would have been considered internal.
After independence in 1948, the government deemed this migration to have been illegal, and this is why the Myanmar government refuses to give the Rohingya Muslims citizenship.
Photo: AFP
圖:法新社
Myanmar considers them to be Bangladeshi; Bangladesh says the Rohingya are Burmese.
Recent killings attributed by the government to armed Rohingya in Myanmar’s Rakhine State has led to an army crackdown — which the UN has said includes actions such as extrajudicial killing, rape and arson — and a mass exodus of over half a million Rohingya.
The UN has condemned the ongoing violence, with one official describing the campaign as “textbook ethnic cleansing.”
Photo: AFP
圖:法新社
Bangladesh now has a plan to build an enormous refugee camp of approximately 1,200 hectares for over 800,000 Rohingya refugees in Kutupalong near the Myanmar border.
(Paul Cooper, Taipei Times)
羅興亞人這一族群主要信奉伊斯蘭教,已在緬甸定居數世紀,並視之為家園,不過大部分的緬甸居民為佛教徒。一九八二年緬甸公民法通過,在緬甸政府所承認的該國一百三十五個族群中,羅興亞人並未列入,此後羅興亞人在自己國家中實際上成了無國籍的人。
Photo: Reuters
圖:路透社
雖然許多歷史學家說穆斯林自十二世紀以來一直住在這個地區,但在受英國統治的一百多年期間(西元一八二四年至一九四八年),大批羅興亞勞工由現今屬印度和孟加拉之地區移居緬甸,這在當時是屬於境內的遷徙。
一九四八年緬甸獨立後,緬甸政府認定該期間移居為非法,因而拒絕給予羅興亞穆斯林公民身份。
緬甸政府認為羅興亞人是孟加拉人;而孟加拉政府說羅興亞人是緬甸人。
Photo: AFP
圖:法新社
若開邦的武裝羅興亞人最近被指控犯下數起殺戮,緬甸政府隨後展開軍事鎮壓。聯合國說該鎮壓行動包括非法處決、強姦和縱火等,並造成超過五十萬羅興亞人大規模流亡。
針對目前仍持續進行的暴力行為,聯合國已加以譴責。一名官員將這一波軍事鎮壓形容為「標準的種族淨化」。
孟加拉現已計劃在靠近緬甸邊境的庫圖帕朗,替為數約八十萬的羅興亞難民建造一個面積達約一千兩百公頃的大型難民營。
(台北時報編譯林俐凱譯)
★ Bilingual Story is a fictionalized account. 雙語故事部分內容純屬虛構。 Kevin leaned over the bubbling pot. “Hey. . . are you okay? You’ve barely touched your food.” Zoey blinked. Her face was red — not from blushing, but from the “mala” spice and the heat of the room. Her blond hair clumped to her face like strands of fine spaghetti. Her carefully applied makeup now streaked. “This isn’t what I expected,” she said softly, forcing a smile. All around them, Kevin’s friends were laughing, shouting, and tossing ingredients into the broth. The air smelled of chili oil and garlic.
A: Major League Baseball’s 2025 World Series took place last week. The games between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays were so exciting. B: As the highest-paid baseball player in the world, Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers was an incandescant superstar. A: The Dodgers signed a record-breaking 10-year, US$700 million contract with Ohtani in 2023. As former ESPN reporter Joon Lee analyzed, the team quickly made back all the investment in the player’s first season. B: Wow, how is that possible? A: Firstly, tourism from Japan to Los Angeles has surged by 90 percent since Ohtani signed the deal, with the
Picture this: contestants are walking gracefully across a stage, competing for the highly desired title of “most beautiful.” However, these participants aren’t fashion models—they’re camels. Welcome to the extraordinary world of the Pushkar Fair, where beauty contests take on an entirely different meaning. The Pushkar Fair is held annually in the small desert town of Pushkar, India, usually in November. It began as a livestock trading event where farmers and herders gathered to buy and sell camels, horses and cattle. Over time, it has grown into a major cultural carnival that attracts thousands of tourists from around the world.
A: According to reporter Joon Lee’s analysis, what are other reasons why the Los Angeles Dodgers made back baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani’s huge contract so quickly? B: Second, a lot of Japanese and global enterprises are eager to benefit from the “Ohtani effect”. . . A: That’s sure to increase the Dodgers’ bargaining chips in negotiations. B: Lastly, all this media coverage is elevating the Dodgers’ brand to a new level, boosting the value of the franchise. A: I can’t wait to see a battle between Ohtani and “Team Taiwan” at the 2026 World Baseball Classic. A: 根據記者Joon Lee的分析,洛杉磯道奇隊和球星大谷翔平的巨約快速回本還有哪些原因? B: 第二、無數日本和全球企業都想和這股「大谷效應」沾上邊……。 A: 這也增加了道奇在各種商業談判中的籌碼吧。 B: 第三、媒體報導更將道奇的品牌形象推升至全新的高度,使該隊價值水漲船高。 A: 真期待在2026年「世界棒球經典賽」,看到大谷和台灣隊的經典對決! (By Eddy