Australia to provide A$3.2 million in aid to the Rohingya

Posted on April 15, 2009
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Australia has announced plans to provide A$3.2 million (US$2.3 million) in aid to members of Burma’s Rohingya ethnic minority living in Rakhine State in Burma’s north.
According to a statement issued by AusAID, the money will be used to improve living conditions and provide better economic opportunities. It said, “Australia is concerned about the deteriorating living conditions and increasing marginalisation of the Rohingya people in Burma and in refugee camps in Bangladesh.”
The money will be divided into A$1 million for food aid to be delivered through the World Food Programme, A$1.2 million for basic health services through the United Nations Development Program and A$1 million to improve rural livelihoods through CARE Australia.
Australia has already provided A$4 million through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
The Rohingya are a predominately Muslim ethnic group that Burma’s ruling military junta has long denied citizenship rights to. Consequently, they are subject to restrictions on freedom of movement, access to education, marriage and freedom of religion (see: CSW finds Rohingya at the brink of extermination).
In recent years, many Rohingya have attempted to leave Burma for third countries, often undertaking perilous sea voyages in poorly equipped vessels. They are often badly mistreated when arriving (see: Rohingya stranded in Indonesia).

Last week, ministers from across Asia Pacific met in Bali, Indonesia to discuss people smuggling and the plight of the Rohingya. The meeting, under the so-called Bali Process attracted representatives from more than 60 countries.
The Bali Process aims to tackle the problems of people smuggling, people trafficking and related transnational crime.

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