Hamzah, Muhammad Syameer Luthfy (2025) Rohingya: the world's forgotten refugees. Frontier, 1 (2). pp. 42-47.
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Abstract
This article examines the protracted Rohingya crisis as a case of global and regional neglect amid competing geopolitical priorities. Despite the mass displacement of over one million Rohingya following the 2017 military crackdown in Myanmar—widely characterised as bearing the hallmarks of genocide—international attention has steadily waned as conflicts elsewhere dominate diplomatic and humanitarian agendas. The study highlights the deteriorating conditions in refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, alongside the absence of viable repatriation pathways due to continued instability in Myanmar following the 2021 military coup. The analysis attributes the “forgetting” of the Rohingya crisis to a convergence of global donor fatigue, shifting media focus, and localised socio-economic pressures in host countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia. It further critiques ASEAN’s limited response, shaped by the principle of non-interference, contrasting its relative inaction on the Rohingya with its more decisive mediation in regional territorial disputes. Malaysia’s role as ASEAN Chair in 2025 is assessed as both pivotal and constrained, balancing humanitarian leadership with domestic and regional challenges. The article proposes a multi-pronged strategy encompassing strengthened adherence to non-refoulement, enhanced regional coordination, increased international funding, and policies promoting refugee self-reliance. It also underscores the importance of reframing humanitarian responsibility through regional and normative lenses, including the concept of collective obligation. Ultimately, the study argues that without sustained political will and coordinated regional action, the Rohingya crisis risks remaining an enduring humanitarian failure.
| Item Type: | Article (Electronic Media) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Rohingya crisis; forced displacement; Myanmar; Cox’s Bazar; ASEAN; non-interference; non-refoulement; Malaysia; refugee governance; humanitarian crisis; donor fatigue; regional security; ASEAN Chairmanship 2025; Bangladesh; refugee integration; Southeast Asia |
| Subjects: | H Social Sciences > HV Social pathology. Social and public welfare > HV640 Refugee problems J Political Science > JZ International relations |
| Kulliyyahs/Centres/Divisions/Institutes (Can select more than one option. Press CONTROL button): | International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization (ISTAC) |
| Depositing User: | Mr Muhammad Syameer Luthfy Bin Hamzah |
| Date Deposited: | 18 Jul 2026 07:47 |
| Last Update: | 18 Jul 2026 07:47 |
| Queue Number: | 2026-06-Q3903 |
| URI: | http://irep.iium.edu.my/id/eprint/128752 |
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