Image Source: BBC
World – Rohingya activist and President of the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK, Tun Khin, has renewed urgent calls for global action to end the ongoing genocide against the Rohingya people in Myanmar.
Speaking to Salaamedia on Black for Rohingya Day, Khin detailed the worsening humanitarian crisis in Rakhine State. An estimated 500,000 Rohingya remain trapped in the region, facing life-threatening conditions.
He explained that both the Burmese military and the Arakan Army are targeting the Rohingya community in a coordinated effort to erase them from their ancestral homeland.
Khin condemned the international community for disregarding the crisis despite clear signs of mass displacement, systemic discrimination, and ongoing violence. He noted that while global leaders repeatedly pledge “never again,” they continue to fall short when it matters most.
“Since last year, more than 118,000 Rohingya have fled from the country. In 2017, the Burmese military got rid of about a million Rohingya population from their homeland. So genocide is ongoing … That is what’s happening again to the Rohingya community. So the international community is failing and not taking action,” he said.
He added that many Rohingya are being denied aid, and some are forced onto boats without food or engines, left to drift at sea, with dozens drowning in recent months.
More than Words, Action Needed
Khin also raised concerns about the global shift in focus. While acknowledging the world’s attention on Gaza, he emphasised that the Rohingya crisis should not be forgotten.
“The world is going in a very different direction these days, but that is important that the Rohingya issue needs to have in their mind. Of course, this is the case; Rohingya are one of the world’s persecuted minorities and are facing genocide. So they should not forget anyone,” he said.
As such, Khin urged that solidarity must go beyond wearing black or issuing statements. Real change, he argued, requires political pressure, legal accountability, and immediate humanitarian intervention in both Rakhine State and refugee camps across the region.
He called on the public to stand in solidarity with all oppressed peoples, from Palestine to Kashmir, and to continue supporting campaigns like Black for Rohingya. For him, this day is more than symbolic: it is a call to act, to speak out, and to keep the plight of the Rohingya in the public eye.
