A Rohingya Man from Burma

Date

2015

Description

Creator of the image: Romeo Gacad
Date of the image creation: 2015
Medium of the image: Photograph
Person depicted: A Rohingya man

This photograph depicts a group of Rohingya men in the back of a truck being transported across Langsa, Aceh province, Indonesia. These men were among hundreds of starving refugees that were rescued by Indonesian fisherman in May 2015. The portrait is cropped from a larger image depicting many other men also in the truck, mostly out of focus and looking in various states of despondence. Just below the young man’s head runs a heavy chain, adding to the sense of imprisonment and maltreatment. A furrow is formed between his eyebrows, with his shaded eyes looking directly at the photographer in an expression that seems to represent the broader global refugee crisis.

The Rohingya people are members of an Islamic minority group who live in Myanmar (Burma), yet the central government refuses to acknowledge them as an ethnic group, preferring to treat them as stateless foreigners. The 1.3 million Rohingyas are often subjected to hostility and discrimination, and have been considered one of the most persecuted minorities in the world. In 2015 a large number of Rohingya left Myanmar in an attempt to find refuge elsewhere, and faced terrible hardship in the process.

Quotes

No quotes found.