Dhaka: Myanmar is getting ready for its historic elections on 8 November, but not everyone will be able to vote. Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state are some of them and their future remains uncertain, reported Channel NewsAsia.

Yasmin, 27, is a Rohingya Muslim and a mother of four. She lives in Say Thamar Gyi — one of the 10 Rohingya Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps located on the outskirts of Sittwe.

Her husband has already fled Rakhine state for Malaysia, making a perilous journey by boat along with thousands of other Rohingyas, soon after sectarian violence broke out nearly three years ago.

Earlier this year, Yasmin and her children attempted to do the same. But the boat they were on, which was headed for Thailand, was stranded at sea for two months.

Despite this setback, Yasmin said she was determined to go again. ‘I want to go to Thailand and meet my husband. The situation is not too good here. I am afraid things will get worse with the elections coming. So I will try to get to Thailand. I’d rather die trying to get to Thailand than stay here,’ Yasmin said.

Yasmin is one of the 140,000 Rohingya Muslims who live on the outskirts of Sittwe.

Segregated from the Buddhist Rakhine community, the Rohingyas have no access to proper healthcare, education, and job opportunities, prompting thousands to flee by boat in search of a better life.

This is one of the causes of the Southeast Asian migration crisis. Rohingya Muslims would leave in large numbers on boat to places like Southern Thailand and Malaysia. As segregation continues on the ground, many speculate that the Rohingyas will take to the boat once again during the coming dry season.

There have been conflicts between the Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslim community over the past century but both communities have also enjoyed long periods of peaceful co-existence.

Many Rakhine Buddhists feel that situation would improve if they have more say in managing their own affairs rather than relying on the central Myanmar government.

U Zaw Tun, director of Wan Lark Development Foundation, said: ‘There have been some minor conflicts before the 2012 riots. In the past, we were able to solve these conflicts ourselves and kept living and doing business together. If we, the Rakhine people, can have the right to manage our state, we can solve all these problems.’

While the Rakhine Buddhists may be able to make this happen in the upcoming elections, the Rohingyas, on the other hand, have been barred from voting.

Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watch’s Asia Division, said: ‘Taking away the Rohingyas’ rights to vote was in many ways a final blow - the straw that breaks the camel’s back. The final indication for some of these Rohingyas that they are really not welcome and that ultimately they will not be able to find the way through to achieve what they want, which is citizenship.’

Since the sectarian violence in 2012, tens of thousands of Rohingya have fled across the Andaman Sea to Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. With the rainy season ending this week, there is speculation that many more will continue to make these journeys.