We can only wait and see, say Rohingya refugees in Chennai 

The camp hosts 77 Rohingyas, who came to Chennai through Bangladesh in 2012, following the riots in Myanmar, due to the on-going crisis between the Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims and military crackdowns on civilians.

“We did not elect these people in power. We have no say in what they do, nor does our voice matter to them as we are not citizens. We don’t want to stay here for any longer than you will let us. Once we get justice, we will return to our homes in Myanmar,” said Mohammed Yusuf, leader of the community.

Most people in the camp agree that displacement is the least of their worries. “If we must leave, then we will go. Your government will shift us somewhere else, and we will go where they send us,” said Rasheed*. However, returning home is not an option, they said.

Many shared that their parents still remain in Myanmar and that they send them videos and photos of the violence they face every day. Yusuf described the emotion of watching his parents, now in their 70s, facing such danger without any power to help them as “enough to make you go insane.”

Chennai has accepted the refugees into their community with nothing but support and kindness, said Yusuf. “The people here remind me of how Burma used to be – they don’t treat you differently based on your religion. Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Buddhist – it doesn’t matter here. They let you live your life as long as you let them live theirs,” he said.

For the women, the city is the place where their children have grown up without knowing the bloodshed in their ancestral lands. “The government here gives us good healthcare and our children receive a very good education here. They learn Tamil and English in school, and they all like it very much. We want to stay only so that they have some stability and can pursue their education,” said Fathima*.

In Myanmar, according to Yusuf, many Rohingya Muslims are denied higher education and have difficulty finding jobs. “My oldest is seven years old. She told me her dream is to become a doctor. My youngest – he is three – told me he wants to be a superhero when he grows up. Here, they can chase those dreams,” he said.

Now in a limbo, they said that they can do nothing more than wait for some action to be taken. “What can we do? We can only live out our lives until we cannot do so safely anymore. We don’t know if we can stay here. If we go home, we will be killed. So we just have to wait and see,” said Ahmed*.

*names changed