First Class Mail U.S. Postage PAID Lancaster PA The College Reporter Permit 901 THE INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF FRANKLIN & MARSHALL COLLEGE MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2017 LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA http://www.the-college-reporter.com VOLUME 54, ISSUE 3 The stateless people: Thousands of Rohingyas fee religious persecution in Myanmar BY BORIS ZYUMBYULEV Christophe Boulierac, spokes- Staff Writer man for UNICEF, fears the camps set up in Bangladesh are In the region of Rakhine, in totally overcrowded. So far, more mostly-Buddhist Myanmar, the than half of the refugees are Rohingyas, a Muslim ethnicity, children and along with women have become the “world’s most make up more than two-thirds persecuted minority.” They are of all who have fled. Thirteen also a people unrecognized by percent of the women are either nobody, living in fear, and wel- pregnant or breastfeeding. The come nowhere. Now the Myan- rapidly expanding camps and marese government is cracking the muddy and rainy weather down on them following attacks are straining the humanitarian on guard posts by the Arakan aid offered. With the influx of Rohingya Salvation Army; one people not seeing a decrease any in October of last year, and one time soon, a lot of the children on August 25, 2017. The organi- are at an increased risk of human zation claims to be posed against trafficking, sexual abuse, child the oppressive Burmese regime Photo courtesy of telesurtv.org labour and marriage according to A family of Rohingyas fee from violence in Myanmar along a muddy path. They have Mr. Boulierac. and to act in defense of the Ro- been a predominantly Muslim stateless ethnic minority in Myanmar since the 1970s. hingya people, while the local However, this is not the first government has branded them as who have managed to pass the human rights groups. Reports by time the Rohingya have faced a terrorist organization. border speak of military troops the United Nations suggest that persecution from the Myanma- Using the attack as an excuse, unlawfully killing civilians, up to 400,000 Rohingya have rese government. They have the Myanmarese government destroying and burning property fled the crackdown following the been denied citizenship and basic has responded with violence that and villages, raping, and tortur- attack from this August. From national rights since the 1970’s, the international community has ing children and women. The ac- Rakhine in Myanmar, they have with restriction from even before called crimes against humanity, counts of separate refugees, even trekked through the mud and rain that. Following the indepen- ethnic cleansing, and even geno- if from different villages, are of the region towards Bangla- dence of Myanmar from British cide. The surviving Rohingya strikingly consistent according to desh, seeking safety. see MYANMAR, page 2 Caribbean islands grapple with recovery following the devastation of Hurricane Irma BY SUNYA HASSAN “It is just a total devastation. commercial fights, but timing as territories and former colonies in Contributing Writer Barbuda right now is literally a to when that would happen is still the aftermath. The U.S. Federal rubble.” He is now faced with the unclear. Emergency Management Agency Hurricane Irma has left some challenge of rebuilding what was Residents of these islands said in a press statement that it of the most popular vacation destroyed, which is estimated to devastated by Irma still fnd had dispatched approximately destinations and tourism- cost over one-hundred million themselves in the dark as the 443,000 meals, 270,000 liters dependent islands in ruin dollars. Yet Barbuda and Antigua power remains out. There of water, and other supplies to throughout the Caribbean. It is were still better off compared to is also an increasing worry St. Thomas and St. John. The one of the most powerful Atlantic other islands such as St. Martin, regarding the dwindling food U.S. Army Corps of Engineers basin storms ever recorded. St. Thomas, and St. John, all and water supplies. Residents is also helping by shipping a Irma made its frst landfall of which are popular tourist have been voicing feelings of 750-kilowatt generator to St. in Barbuda as category 5 storm destinations. These places are abandonment, speaking up about Thomas to restart the island’s on Wednesday, Sept. 6. It tore enduring an even slower and widespread scarcity, the lack of power plant. Still, many of the through the sixty-eight square more arduous recovery, and the generosity from neighbors, and islanders feel overlooked. St. mile island, destroying roughly U.S. Virgin Islands stated that even machete-armed volunteers Thomas resident Mike Simmonds ninety-fve percent of the visits to those islands should be standing guard over properties. said in an interview with CNN, structures. The now-homeless postponed until further notice. One of the most populous British “One thing I can say for the residents of Barbuda were The British Virgin Islands, Virgin Isles, Tortola, not only fell weather report…whenever there’s evacuated to the neighboring sixty small territories just east victim to the storm but also to a storm in the area, they always island of Antigua. According of Puerto Rico, have suffered the looting that occurred in the seem to jump over the Virgin to the New York Daily News, extreme damage as well. Their aftermath. Islands before the storm hits. It’s Gaston Brown, the Prime Minister government, as of Monday, said The U.S. and European of Antigua and Barbuda stated, that it was working to restore governments have supported their see IRMA, page 2 Inside this Issue... Opinion & Editorial Arts & Leisure Contributing writer dicusses harsh Contributing writer talks Thomas realities of rescinding DACA Rhett album page 4 page 7 Campus Life Sports Naomi Klein speaks at Common Contributing writers talk issues Hour on climate change, capitalism with D3 sports and Greek Life page 6 page 9 Page 2 News The College Reporter Myanmar: Government comes under fre for alleged human rights violations continued from page 1 the nation. Up until the last three refugee camps within jungles, ty, in this number high officials weeks most Rohingya resorted to where people could reconnect from the U.N. and Nobel Peace rule in 1948, the Rohingya have human trafficking channels that with relatives from abroad and Prize Laureates have condemned been seen as illegal immigrants promised passage to Thailand or leave. In later years of this trend, the violence, and challenged the from Bangladesh. The Muslim Malaysia depending on where the Shum notices that more women leader of Myanmar Daw Aung minority, on the other hand, price was the highest. and children begin boarding the San Suu Kyi to recognize the believes they have been around Kaene Shum explores the ships, some voluntarily, others crimes against humanity that are in the region of Rakhine (or stories of several refugees and involuntarily fulfilling smug- happening in her country. Daw Arakan) for generations. With their experiences with fleeing glers’ quotas, which points to the Aung San Suu Kyi is a Nobel the independence, the Rohingyas Myanmar. Their accounts speak fact that either the men have al- Peace Prize Laureate as well, received identity cards, which of horrible conditions, brutality, ready left or die under the Myan- awarded for her campaign and were rescinded in 1982. Since and indifferent smugglers who marese government. actions against the Myanmarese then they have become a state- crammed hundreds of people in Similarly, the past three-four military government that ruled less minority within Myanmar. small boats. Depending on how weeks have seen mostly women until she democratically became As such, they have been denied attentive were the police and and children attempt to leave the the country’s de facto leader in any citizenship, access to public marine guard in Malaysia and country. However, the difference April 2016. She has denied that goods, working in medicine, law, Thailand, or whether the smug- with past practices is that this the actions against the Rohingya or government, access to formal glers were payed or not, boats time they were on foot, trekking constitute ethnic cleansing, and education, or the right to visit the were abandoned or delivered. through the unfriendly muddy also suggested that the govern- neighboring village. The result If the Rohingya managed to forests of Western Myanmar ment still does not have complete is that since 1970, an estimated reach their destination, they with nothing but clothes on their power over the military. Her 1.1 million Rohingya have fled were transition from the ships to backs. most recent decision is that she Reports from the trip mention will not be present at the U.N. Bangladeshi border patrols who General Assembly in New York send refugees away, or close this week. their eyes and point the Rohing- Regardless of her position, ya to the nearest refugee camp. the world is seeing the “most Some officials have condemned persecuted minority” en route the planting of mines along the to its eradication in Myanmar. border between the two coun- And even if the Rohingya leave tries, that have caused the death the country forever, it is unlike- of a number of civilians. ly they will be welcome or safe In other cases, people have anywhere else. The Stateless collapsed on the road, giving up, People have nowhere to go. and waiting there until they die or until scouting parties send by Sophomore Boris Zyumbyulev the government pick them off. is a staff writer. His email is Photo courtesy of hrw.org The international communi- [email protected]. Up to 400,000 Rohingya, a Muslim ethnic minority, have fed Myanmar since Au- gust because of state-sponsered violence, including the burning of their villages.