The global outcry builds up despite the ‘minus three’

Bit by bit, little by little a unified global outcry for addressing the Rohingya cause is building up every day. At least we can say, in the wake of the Myanmar army's crackdown on the Rohingya community on 25 august -- the reported killings and influx have forced many countries to re-consider and re-examine their respective stance on the contentious humanitarian issue.
First it was the high-profile Turkish visit and aid distribution among the victims, then followed our diplomatic approach for creating safe zones in the Rakhine state. entailing these two - America and Canada have voiced their concern; the UN has called for an immediate release of USD 77 million in aid.
The Danish government has allocated Tk 256 million as relief efforts for the newly-arrived refugees, Norway too has voiced its grave concern and even Pakistan has responded by passing a resolution against Myanmar calling upon Suu Kyi to take immediate steps to stop the atrocities committed in her country. Aid and human rights agencies too are all gathering under a single platform worldwide.
However, Myanmar's three most important allies and established regional powers are yet to create any pressure. These are -- Russia, China and India. According to Reuter's sources, Myanmar is now counting heavily on China and Russia to protect it from any Security Council censure.
Indisputably, the three countries are considerably powerful, in terms of economic and military strength, but they should not any how prioritise their economic and geopolitical interests over responding to crucial humanitarian obligations.  
To cut a long story short, persecuting a helpless minority community in any country is a serious form of crime against humanity. And the three established allies of Myanmar should come to recognise this fact.

***It isnt that public censure is not taking place in the stated three countries. In an apparent bid the Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov brought tens of thousands of people to the streets of the capital Grozny on Monday to protest the persecution on Muslim Rohingyas in Myanmar. The Indian media and human rights agencies have been vocal against the atrocities for a long time now.***

A noticeable peculiarity to ponder over in the 21st century is that - diplomatic calculations coupled with geopolitical interests have become so complex that the
moral compass of many of today's major economic and military powers often keeps shifting from one end to another. This is a dangerous sign of a seemingly irreparable crack in the moral unity between the leading powers.
It is right now when the three so-far-silent powers must agree on the manmade humanitarian crisis that has erupted in Myanmar to be highly reprehensible, since killing, burning, raping and torturing are all clearly defined tribulations all across the globe.
It isn't that public censure is not taking place in the stated three countries. In an apparent bid the Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov brought tens of thousands of people to the streets of the capital Grozny on Monday to protest the persecution on Muslim Rohingyas in Myanmar. The Indian media and human rights agencies have been vocal against the atrocities for a long time now.
Whatever, the mysterious stillness of these three key allies of both Myanmar and Bangladesh, at least diplomatically, compels this writer to ask -- are the three countries have become busy calculating and comparing economic, diplomatic and geopolitical gains and losses between Bangladesh and Myanmar before taking a firm position?
Our bilateral relations with either of China, India and also Russia are currently thriving. Economic and culturally it is good with all the three respective countries. Especially with India and Russia we have proven historically good ties. China has been one of our key development and military partner for more than a couple of decades and has promised to invest more than USD 20 billion in infrastructure in the future.
On the contrary, Myanmar's deep diplomatic tie with all three major countries is a recent phenomenon and had flourished when it came out from its decades' old pariah state status. As long as it remained a closed country, the stated three powers hadn't considered Myanmar significant enough. Undeniably, the country's strategic geographical location, huge military (the second largest active force in Southeast Asia after the People's Army of Vietnam) and massive untapped mineral resources are tempting factors to reckon with.
The bottom-line is, condemning a particular objectionable issue taking place in an ally country doesn't necessarily result in a 'loss in diplomacy' or a gain in 'economic or geopolitical affairs'. In fact, it means the other country cares and respects its humanitarian obligations. It means you want to correct your bilateral or diplomatic partner's widely condemned atrocities while move forward to get closer.
Modi did not made any point over the Rohingya crisis during his latest visit in Myanmar. If there was one country to have felt the pains to shelter the sudden influx of nearly 10 million refugees firsthand -- it was the India of 1971.  
Then again the recent nature of diplomacy and geopolitics is like the ever changing sky focusing more on commercial gains and alliances -- you like to support it when it's bright and blue and you turn away when it's dark and cloudy.

The writer is Assistant Editor,
the Daily Observer