Myanmar’s Worsening Rohingya Crisis: A Call for Responsibility to Protect and ASEAN’s Response

Abstract

Violence accompanied by a discriminatory state policy continues to place Myanmar’s Rohingya at risk of mass atrocity crimes. The United Nations (UN) has classified the Rohingya among the world’s most persecuted minorities. A democratized Myanmar failed to protect the Rohingya from violence and human insecurity. The implication of the violence has also spilled over into neighbouring countries in Southeast Asia. Regional responses throughout the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are thus inevitable. Although ASEAN has issues related to preserving sovereignty and non-interference and could not necessarily intervene through coercive measures, ASEAN could provide a framework through the ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC) to assist Myanmar in fulfilling its primary responsibility to address the violence in the Rakhine State. This chapter suggests that ASEAN utilize a comprehensive approach to handling the Rohingya crisis comprised of two levels of actions. Firstly, ASEAN supports the new democratized Myanmar in fulfilling the Responsibility to Protect (RtoP). Secondly, through the framework of APSC, ASEAN should ensure that the fundamental principles of the RtoP can be in line with ASEAN development in PoliticalSecurity Community.