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Will Anyone Help the Rohingya?

The Rohingya, Muslims from western Myanmar, are marginalised. But even the most famous living Burmese, Aung San Suu Kyi, has refused to speak up on their behalf.

Shocking images have brought the Rohingya to the world’s attention - boatloads of people drifting aimlessly on the Indian ocean, sustained by bottles of water thrown to them by visiting journalists. The Rohingya are Muslims from western Myanmar – or Burma – who live a life of poverty and exclusion. The government refuses even to recognise their ethnicity. Hoping for better lives in Malaysia, they turned to people smugglers and leaky boats. Will anyone help the Rohingya, one of the most marginalised communities in the world? And, why has even the most famous living Burmese, the icon of democracy and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, refused to speak up on their behalf?

(Photo: Myanmar, South East Asia migrant. Credit: Ye Aung Thu/Getty Images)

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23 minutes

Last on

Sun 14 Jun 2015 13:05GMT

Broadcasts

  • Tue 9 Jun 2015 02:05GMT
  • Tue 9 Jun 2015 12:05GMT
  • Tue 9 Jun 2015 21:05GMT
  • Sat 13 Jun 2015 23:05GMT
  • Sun 14 Jun 2015 04:05GMT
  • Sun 14 Jun 2015 13:05GMT

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