I-Witness: Silang Kinalimutan

Shean Kevin M. Geocadin

Tagaytay City National High school Integrated Senior High School

Grade Twelve STEM – Titanium

Mrs. Andrea Karrissa Tiania

November 15, 2022

Silang Kinalimutan, a documentary by Atom Araullo, details the hardships of the Rohingya people and

how they were mistreated and made to feel like second-class citizens. Their rights were taken away from

them, their homes were burned, their personal property was stolen, and worse yet, they are being killed

without a clear motive. They were mistreated by Myanmar’s military. They decided to flee to

Bangladesh, a neighboring nation, as a result of the terrifying circumstances that gripped their

neighborhood. Since they are regarded as immigrants and do not have a permanent home, the majority

of Rohingya people have dispersed throughout Bangladesh. Due to harsh military raids, they fled

Myanmar.
In recent years, the insurgency has continued in the northern part of Myanmar. It is sad to think that the

Myanmar government has denied the Rohingyas citizenship and their movement within the country is

being restricted by local authorities. The United Nations has called the long-term oppression and

military atrocities in Myanmar a form of “ethnic cleansing”. As the conflict continues in Myanmar, the

Rohingya have been forced to flee to the neighboring country of Bangladesh. Myanmar officials are

steadfast in their stance that the Rohingya are not citizens of their country while neighboring

Bangladesh considers them immigrants who can be deported at any time soon. Although it was very

difficult they traveled for more than eighteen hours to reach the camp but along the way, they

experienced a treacherous and unforgettable journey. In the continuation of the documentary, some

Filipinos found the documentarians preparing relief goods to be distributed to the Rohingya in the

largest refugee camp in the southernmost part of the country. Nearly half a million refugees have fled

Myanmar in recent months due to persecution. More than half of them are children. Denial of

citizenship increases their vulnerability to any form of abuse because they are not entitled to legal

protection from any government. And it’s still very difficult to think that many citizens of Myanmar were

forced to evacuate even though it was very difficult to travel just to escape the conflict because they

also had no choice but to evacuate and leave their hometown. Also, the fact that the state of Myanmar

does not recognize their ethnic Rohingya is sad and above all, it is also sad what happened to the

women there where they were exploited, and tortured a lot. On the other hand, I am just very proud of

all my fellow Filipinos, like how many Filipinos still want to help even though what they are doing is very

risky.

And In the end, I realized that we should appreciate all the things we have and just be contented how

lucky and blessed we are, and at the same time, how cruel and unfair this world is. We have roofs on our
heads to shelter us but we complain. We have food available anytime, but we complain. We can see our

family anytime, but we complain. We are living a good life but still, we complain. My highest respect

goes to all the humanitarian workers worldwide. Thank you for doing the things that we can’t do for

these people.