Should Australia step up to rescue the Rohingya?

Abstract

With the might of a Buddhist-dominated state and its military pitted against a dispossessed Muslim minority, the current catastrophe unfolding in Myanmar’s Rakhine State may well mark a watershed moment in the politics of modern Southeast Asia.

The Myanmar military, known as the Tatmadaw, has once again displayed its characteristic zeal for scorched-earth counter-insurgency tactics, which it has honed over decades in other minority regions of the country — such as Karen, Shan and Kachin. Visceral anti-Muslim sentiment throughout Myanmar has given the Tatmadaw an even more brutal edge today in Rakhine State. As its willful and excessive use of force against the stateless Rohingya pushes yet another exodus of tens of thousands of refugees into Bangladesh and excites passions across Muslim Indonesia and Malaysia, the Tatmadaw has arguably emerged as a serious threat to regional cooperation and security.