Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee, , 2:02:34 to 2:10:03
The discussion shifts to the need for increased Australian humanitarian aid and refugee resettlement programs. Witnesses advocate for initiating diplomatic dialogue with the Arakan Army and addressing the plight of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.
Topics: Human rights, Pacific relations
Speakers: Elaine Pearson, Christopher Sidoti, Jessica Collins, Dean Smith, Hon Sarah Henderson, David Shoebridge
>> And and chair, I know that time is short, but my my final question is about you the world's largest refugee camp, the Rahingas um um predominantly Rahingas in Cox's Bazaar. You know, US aid has withdrawn its support in part and there's I'm get, you know, I'm sure we're all aware of the crisis in Cox's Bazaar. What should Australia's response be to that?
I mean, Australia really needs to be redoubling its efforts to support humanitarian aid in those camps. Uh, we put out uh a release last year that said that in 2024, the US was funding 300 million to those camps and as of mid last year that was slashed to only $12 million. Um, one of the areas that's particularly hard hit is education. So there were many community learning centers and UNICEF had to suspend thousands of these learning centers in these camps for 400 more than 400,000 Rahinda children. So these are children who are growing up in those camps without any access to go to regular schools. I think there also needs to be pressure on Bangladesh to allow Rahinda children to attend school. Um but also we need more uh humanitarian aid and support from the Australian government going to the Rahinda in those camps. We also need an increase in resettlement places. We know there has been a slight increase in resettlement um particularly of Rahinda which is great but just finding more alternative pathways you know for people to work or to study uh would really be appreciated.
>> All right, I'm just very conscious of
>> Sorry, but Mrs. Mrs. if you would just want to add quickly to
is the need to start talking with the Arakan army and those that control Rakine state. The people in the camps want to go home. Uh the Arakan army now controls virtually all of Rakine state as well as parts of neighboring states and areas. But we have to start being willing to talk to the Araan army about the return in safety for the Rohinda people from the camps.
>> Yeah. Um thank you. I'm sure there's more, but we are at a crunch of time.
>> Thank you very much, Senator Schubert. Uh, Senator Smith, you have two very quick questions.
>> I'll have one quick question, and if it's okay, I'll defer to Senator Collins. Why, as a rich, prosperous middle power, should we accept the dwindling, your words, the dwindling, the dwindling of international attention on the Myanmar conflict? Why is it that as a modern, prosperous, sophisticated middle power, we can't be concerned about Ukraine? We can't be concerned about Myanmar and these other global conflicts all at the same time. Most especially when we have a very strong and active Burmese diaspora in our country who are growing impatient with the lack of decisiveness around humanitarian support and sanctions regime. Why should we accept that as a suitable outcome?
>> Well, we we absolutely should not be accepting that as an outcome whatsoever. And I mean I think especially now with the dwindling um the you know the drastic US aid cuts the fact that Europeans are also pulling back and they're supporting things more in their region. Australia's role as a middle power in this region is really really important and I think Australia should be working closely with Japan with Korea with New Zealand one to uh increase its development aid but two also to provide more resettlement places and more alternative pathways for the many many people from Myanmar who are forced to flee that country. I've just come from Thailand last week and you know there are many millions of people from Myanmar in that country uh you know really suffering working illegally. some of them can stay, but there are vulnerable groups that also including human rights defenders, including journalists, uh, who really need support and need a pathway to to get to safety.
>> And I was just in Thailand and Malaysia myself and on the Burmese Thai border, um, you know, seeing firsthand, you know, what is the current state of affairs. So, thank you very much, Mr.
>> I agree completely, Senator. We can and we should give greater priority to Myanmar. uh this is the most critical situation in our neighborhood and if we can't look after our own neighborhood well then I I have to wonder about what capacity we have to do good anywhere else in the world we can deal with Myanmar without neglecting other places like Ukraine and Palestine but we have to give absolute priority to the crisis in our neighborhood
>> Senator Collins do you have a brief I
it's very brief just given uh the how you've outlined that the aid is being severely cut, problems are getting worse. Are you aware of whether the UN is still trying to repatriate from the refugee camps uh back to Burma?
>> The Bangladesh government has been um has been very good in hosting obviously huge number of Rahinda refugees, you know, more than a million. Um that said, there have been increasing calls um coming from inside Bangladesh to that it's time for these refugees to go home. But the reality is although the Arakan army is in control of most of Rakine state, it is not safe uh for Rahinda. They're really caught in the middle between a very abusive military that has committed a lot of abuses. The Arakan army has also committed targeted killings um and and very severe abuses against that Rahinda minority. So
>> sorry, just given um the interest of time specifically asking about the UN uh on the TA Burma border specifically. Uh the refugee camps have been open since the early 80s. We're talking 40 years now. They've been living there and they've been trying to pressure a lot of the families to move home. They don't want to move home because there's landmines, there's no services. There's obviously the war and conflict that is increasing. But I think that pressure will increase now that the Australian government, US government are withdrawing their aid. So I'm just wondering whether the UN has increased its pressure on these people in the refugee camps uh to repatriate to their
>> I don't think there's pressure yet of repatriation. I mean the Thai government has allowed um Myanmar refugees living in the camps the right to work which is a very positive development and should be commended you know and that has happened precisely because of the aid cuts. There's no ability to support um financially all of those people. I think the the amount is like 77 Bart a day. That's like less than four >> 77 B a month, which is less than four Australian dollars. Like it's it's it's nothing. So I think efforts like that from Thailand need to be supported. But I think it's very dangerous when the Thai government is also saying that it's going to recalibrate engagement on the basis of the election with the military uh government in in quotes because you know I think Australia needs to use its relationship with Thailand to to press them on that.
>> Mr. Sedi, did you have anything to add?
>> No. Um, I I agree with what Human Rights Watch has just said. Uh, I would add only that the greatest pressure on people for repatriation is the poverty, distress, and uncertainty in which they live. Uh, that comes far more forcefully than anything else.
>> Thank you, Senator Collins. Thank you so much. Thank you all very much for appearing as witnesses today. Uh the committee would appreciate if responses to questions on notice could be provided by Friday the 27th of February 2026. Again, our thanks and appreciate your fair forbearance with uh some of the difficulties we've had this morning.
>> Thank you, Senator.