Dr. Wakar Uddin, Dr. David Steinberg, and Dr. T. Kumar on the VOA English Program, “THE ENCOUNTER”

RB News 

September 4, 2013 

Washington, D.C -  Prof. Dr. Wakar Uddin, DG of ARU and Founder of BRANA, Distinguished Prof. Dr. David Steinberg of Georgetown University, and Dr. T. Kumar, Advocacy Director of Amnesty International, provided their perspectives on Rohingya political and human right issues in Burma/Myanmar on VOA English program, “The Encounter”. The following is the link to the VOA broadcast:

Some of the highlights of the interviews were: -The identity and ethnicity of Rohingya in Myanmar

• The reason for persecution and violence against Rohingya in Arakan
• The rapidly emerging ideology of religious and ethnic purity violently advocated by extremist Buddhist elements in Myanmar in contrast to long history of traditionally multicultural society of Myanmar with great diversity
• Complexity of ethnicity resulting from British colonial rule of Myanmar
• “Rohingya people”, one of the most persecuted minorities in the world -Spilling of violence against Rohingya by radical Buddhist to Muslim areas in Central Burma 
• Noble laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s relative silence on the violence against Rohingya and Myanmar Muslims 
• Two-child policy for Rohingya only in Myanmar
•  Role of international community an essential component in resolving the Rohingya political and human right issues

Police starts harassment and extortion after Nasaka dissolved in Maungdaw

Maungdaw, Arakan State: Police personnel from Maungdaw district police department starts harassment and extortion after Burma border security force (Nasaka) was dissolved in Maungdaw today, according to an elder from Maungdaw.
“The police personnel with police uniform stationed in Shwezarr Bridge started harassment and extortion of money from Rohingya community who crossed the bridge starting today morning. This bridge security post was control by Nasaka till it was dissolved by order of President Thein Sein on June 11 at about 8:00pm through the TV and Radio News.”
“Police personnel extorted 500-1000 kyats per person who crossed the bridge and harassing the person who deny to pay the money to them. The police extorted money even the students –going to school.”
The Nasaka was dissolved unexpectedly yesterday night with giving any reason and this morning the police start harassing and extorting money from Rohingya community in Maungdaw, said a school teacher.
“The Rohingya community from northern Arakan is fearfully watching the step of government towards the Rohingya. The first step is now showing the Rohingya by police now. The next step will help Rohingya community or not, we don’t know.”
The Nasaka will change another name and enforced in the areas to harass and drive out Rohingya community from their homeland.  It is not good sign for Rohingya community, said a politician from Maungdaw.
The Nasaka was established by former Gen. Khin Nyunt to harass and drive out Rohingya community from their home land, using the methods – restriction of movement, marriage, education, civil service and persecution of religious- and resettling Buddhist community from Burma and Bangladesh. The plans and aims were successfully carried out by Nasaka to destroy Rohingya community in their society and daily life. The Nasaka decreased the population of Rohingya from northern Arakan by harassing, arresting, torturing, extorting and implementing difference laws and order to Rohingya community.
“We are surprised  by hearing the dissolution of Nasaka  without any reason and may be any plan to do by dissolution  this group.”

Rushanara Ali MP calls on the UK Government to put pressure on Burma to urgently address the humanitarian crisis facing the Rohingya ahead of President Thein Sein’s visit to the UK

Friday, July 12, 2013  

For immediate release

As President Thein Sein of Burma prepares for his upcoming visit to London, Rushanara Ali MP, Shadow Minister for International Development, has called on the UK Government to exert pressure on the Burmese authorities to address the humanitarian crisis in Burma and put human rights at the heart of their reform process. She said:

“While it is right to acknowledge the progress towards political and economic reform that has been made in Burma since President Thein Sein took office, it is also right to express our deep concerns about the humanitarian situation in Rakhine State and the ongoing human rights abuses against the Rohingya, the wider Muslim community and other minorities in Burma. The international community should not ignore the considerable work that the Government of Burma still needs to do.

“I welcome President Thein Sein’s pledge to end all forms of discrimination and ensure not only that inter-communal violence is brought to a halt, but that all perpetrators are brought to justice. However, it is crucial that the UK Government and the international community continue to press him to make real that commitment. There are growing concerns regarding the disparity between the President’s words and his actions as Burma’s human rights record remains poor.

“Since inter-communal violence first broke out last year, Rohingya Muslims have been forced into segregated settlements and their movements have been restricted, stripping them of their livelihoods and rendering them reliant on aid. Displaced people are living in constant fear of violence, abuse and harassment both from the security services and from fears of a further attack from sections of the Rakhine population.

“There can be no impunity for those committing human rights abuses in Burma. Human Rights Watch’s recent report “All we can do is pray” concluded that crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing were being committed towards Burma’s Rohingya. Progress on ethnic reconciliation must remain the highest priority.

“Action is also urgently needed to address the mounting humanitarian crisis in the Rakhine State. Those in overcrowded displacement camps face multiple challenges and difficult or no access to basic humanitarian needs including healthcare, food and drinking water. They are also often the victims of violence and exploitation, and women in particular are especially vulnerable to sexual violence. For many in these camps, the only thing preventing an all out humanitarian disaster is the help and support provided by NGOs.

“President Thein Sein’s visit to London is a unique opportunity for Prime Minister David Cameron and Foreign Secretary William Hague to press him and his Government to address some of these key human rights issues. It is crucial that this state visit does not lead to complacency from either the British or the Burmese Government.”

Rushanara called on the UK Government to:

• Work with the international community to apply the strongest pressure on the Burmese authorities to facilitate immediate and unimpeded humanitarian access to affected areas and continue to support those living in displacement camps, in Rakhine State and also in other areas of major displacement, such as Kachin State.
• Exert pressure on the Government of Burma to make urgent shelter arrangements during the rainy season and make healthcare and sanitation urgent priorities.
• Continue to press for democratic reforms and complete respect for human rights in Burma and address the culture of marginalisation and discrimination of the Rohingya community by reviewing and restoring their citizenship rights where appropriate.
• Encourage the Burmese authorities to support a safe and voluntary return process for the Rohingya with adequate protection.
• Exert pressure on our international counterparts for an international inquiry into the events of June and October 2012 and March 2013.

UN Chief Tells Myanmar to Make Rohingyas Citizens

July 10, 2013

The U.N. chief on Wednesday warned Myanmar that it must end Buddhist attacks on minority Muslims in the Southeast Asian country if it wants to be seen as a credible nation.

Sectarian violence against Rohingya Muslims in the predominantly Buddhist nation has killed hundreds in the past year, and uprooted about 140,000, in what some say presents a threat to Myanmar's political reforms because it could encourage security forces to re-assert control.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday: "It is important for the Myanmar authorities to take necessary steps to address the legitimate grievances of minority communities, including the citizenship demands of the Muslim/Rohingya."

He says failing to do so could risk "undermining the reform process and triggering negative regional repercussions."

In 1982, Myanmar passed a citizenship law recognizing eight races and 130 minority groups — but omitted the nation's 800,000 Rohingyas, among Myanmar's 60 million people. Many Myanmar Buddhists view the Rohingyas as interlopers brought in by the British colonialists when the nation was known as Burma.

Earlier this year, Myanmar passed a law limiting Rohingyas in two townships in the western state of Rakhine, bordering Bangladesh, to having two children, a law that does not apply to Buddhists. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi criticized the law, and was widely denounced by Buddhists in Myanmar. Seen as likely to be elected president of Myanmar, she has had little else to say about Rohingya rights.

Myanmar had been ostracized by most of the world for 50 years after a coup that instituted military rule. But in recent years the country has been cautiously welcomed after it freed many political prisoners and ended the house arrest of Syu Kyi and instituted reforms. President Barack Obama visited the country last year on an Asian tour, as a hallmark of Myanmar's rehabilitation.

Muslim ambassadors on Wednesday said Myanmar cannot rejoin the community of democratic nations if it doesn't protect minority rights.

"It is not enough to just have elections, you have to end the killings and persecutions," Saudi Arabian U.N. Ambassador Abdallah Yahya al-Mouallemi told reporters. He said the Rohingya are barred from citizenship, work, travel, religious practice, and even the proper burial of their dead.

Djibouti's U.N. Ambassador Roble Olhaye, representing the Organization of the Islamic Conference, said that the Rohingya live in "permanent segregation in what amounts to ethnic cleansing."

A call to the Myanmar U.N. Mission went unanswered on Wednesday evening.

Ban spoke at a meeting of ambassadors from the "Group of Friends on Myanmar," consisting of Australia, China, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Norway, Russia, Singapore, Thailand, Britain, the United States, Vietnam, and the country holding the presidency of the European Union, currently Lithuania.

The Myanmar Times Bangladesh does deal on repatriation

By Tim MclaughLin   |   Monday, 24 June 2013

Bangladesh’s foreign minister says Myanmar has agreed in principle to restart a long-delayed voluntary repatriation program for Muslim refugees living in the country, although he conceded that it may not eventuate.

Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Mohammad Shahidul Haque said Myanmar and Bangladesh reached an agreement to resume the program during annual foreign office consultations in Nay Pyi Taw from June 12-17.

Past repatriation efforts drew criticism from international human rights groups but Mr Haque insisted the process would be voluntary. Muslim Rohingya refugees would only return “under safe conditions” to Rakhine State, where two outbreaks of violence in the past 12 months between Buddhists and Muslims have left about 200 dead.

“We have encouraged the Myanmar government to restart the process. They have agreed and are looking for an appropriate time to restart the process,” Mr Haque told The Myanmar Times on June 15.

“We would like to see the Myanmar nationals who are in Bangladesh return under safe conditions, voluntarily, back to their home. They can start a healthy and productive life in their own country,” Mr Haque said.

He added, however, that a timeframe for the implementation of the process has not yet been agreed upon and was contingent on “many factors”.

Dhaka has been pushing for a resumption of the program since Myanmar refused to extend the original agreement past 2005.

The vague language and lack of firm dates for the commitment does not augur well for the process, which has pitted Myanmar and Bangladesh against each other over where the Muslim Rohingya refugees should be permanently resettled.

Myanmar refuses to recognise the Rohingya as an ethnic group, calling them instead Bengalis and describing them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh who arrived during the British occupation. However, Bangladesh does not recognise the term either – and objected to its use during the interview – insisting instead that they be called “undocumented Myanmar nationals”.

Large numbers of Rohingya entered Bangladesh in 1978 and again in 1991-92, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says. More fled to Bangladesh during clashes in Rakhine State during October and June of last year, although many were turned back.

The repatriation process started following the 1991-92 influx after UNHCR helped broker a deal between Myanmar and Bangladesh.

However, UNHCR pulled out of the program in December 1992 over concerns that there was a lack of security for those returning to Myanmar. It also found cases of forced repatriation and the Bangladesh government blocked its access to refugee camps.

The agency returned the following year when it signed a new agreement with both the Bangladesh and Myanmar governments to monitor repatriations and between mid-1992 and 1997, more than 230,000 Rohingya were repatriated.

But the process stopped completely in July 2005 when the Myanmar government refused to extend the deadline for the original agreement and continued to block some repatriation efforts. Plans to restart it in 2009 stalled when about 9000 refugees cleared for repatriation refused to return to Myanmar.

Bangladesh estimates there are about 26,000 documented refugees living in two camps in Cox’s Bazar, close to the Myanmar border. Minister for Foreign Affairs Dipu Moni told a session of parliament in June that 300,000 to 500,000 Myanmar refugees have entered the country illegally.

Mr Haque said Bangladesh has also proposed the formation of a joint committee to look for solutions to border issues, with Bangladesh offering to host the first round of meetings. Myanmar is yet to respond to the offer, he said.

While Mr Haque insisted that relations between the two countries are “excellent” and that the situation on the border is “good”, recent developments appear to contradict this, with both sides having recently taken steps to reinforce their positions.

“We have approved, in principle, the proposal to construct a barbed wire [fence] along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border, set up searchlights, [and] build watchtowers and 21 new outposts to improve border surveillance,” the Dhaka Tribune quoted Bangladesh’s Home Minister Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir as telling parliament on June 10.

He also said that there was a proposal to add two additional battalions of Border Guard Bangladesh forces to the area.

On June 11, the director general of Border Guard Bangladesh, Major General Aziz Ahmed, also accused the Tatmadaw of planting landmines within 100 metres of the border, in violation of international laws.

Mr Haque would not comment directly on Bangladesh’s border security measures but said Dhaka planned to follow the India-Bangladesh border model, which does include security measures.

He also denied any knowledge of the landmine issue and said that the allegations were not discussed during his meetings.

The rise in anti-Muslim sentiment in Myanmar and outbreaks of violence toward the religious minority has drawn international condemnation, most recently from the UN and the European Union. It also continues to be a regional concern, with violence spilling into neighbouring Malaysia, but Mr Haque said that he was unaware of anti-Muslim feeling in Myanmar.

“I don’t see any anti-Muslim sentiments,” Mr Haque said.

Four Rohingya killed in Buthidaung

Buthidaung, Arakan State: Four Rohingya villagers were brutally killed by a group of Natala villagers on June 16, said an elder from the village on condition of anonymity. 

The deceased have been identified as Mohamed Habib (47), son of Nazir Ahamed, Mohamed Yasin (17), son of Mohamed Habib, Abdul Goni (18), son of Mohamed Yousuf and another one ( not available ).  They all hailed from Singdi Parang village tract of Buthidaung south. 

The deceased Rohingya went to the forest to collect firewood and vegetables in morning of June 16, but they didn’t back to their home in the evening of that day, according to sources

A group of victims’ relatives went to different areas of mountains side to look for their love one whereabouts in the morning of June 17. But, they didn’t get any information, sources said.

However, on June 19, the relatives got information from some sources that they were killed by a group of Natala villagers in the Mountain-pass -- people cross from Buthidaung to Maungdaw-- which is called Singdi Parang-Gudusara Dala, the younger brother of victim Mohamed Habib said.

Later, the relatives of the victims went to the spot and saw the dead bodies in the forest. After that, some of the relatives went to the Nasaka camp and gave complaint to the concerned authorities regarding the murdering. 

The relatives tried to get permission from the authorities to bring dead bodies to their homes but the authorities refused it, said an aide of Nasaka.

A local youth said, “It is a big human rights violation that the Nasaks doesn’t allow the relatives to carry the dead bodies to their homes for funeral.”

“The Natala villagers of Singdi Parang, frequently disturb and threat to kill the Rohingya villagers if Rohingya villagers go to the forest for collecting firewood and others, said  Rafique from Singdi Parang village.

“Habib and his son Yasin are daily workers; they support their family members by selling firewood after collecting firewood from forest. Others two are also daily workers.” 

The President Sein Thein is systematically killing Rohingya people by bluffing the world community that showing as a reformist for the democracy in Burma. Thousands of Rohingyas have been displaced by the government and hundreds of innocent Rohingya people have also been killed by Natala villagers and concerned authorities, said a local trader from Buthidaung.

Rakhine situation remains bleak: UN

The living conditions of 140,000 internally displaced people in Rakhine State remain bleak, according to a report released on Monday by the UN.

“Humanitarian assistance is a temporary measure to respond to immediate needs. Sustainable solutions must be found to restore a lasting peace and harmony between the people of Rakhine State,” said Ashok Nigam, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Myanmar in a statement.

Currently food and temporary shelters are being provided by humanitarian agencies, but there are issues that need to be urgently addressed such as children’s education and trust building between the communities.

“Reconciliation between communities is the larger priority,” said Nigam. “The root causes of the tensions that exist between the people must be addressed. Inter-communal tensions fuel fear and resentment. Left unresolved, they will drive communities further apart.”

Nigam also called for the citizenship status of Rohingya Muslims in the state to be addressed.

“The consequences of statelessness for Muslims in Rakhine State continue to have a direct effect on fundamental human rights, and the social and economic development of Myanmar,” he said.

Since fighting first erupted in the western Myanmar state last June, 167 people have died and more than 10,000 buildings destroyed, according to the UN report.

A Rohingya Boy Shot by Nasaka

RB News
May 11, 2013

Maung Daw, Arakan - On 8th May 2013, a Rohingya boy Forwas Udin s/o Tufail Ahmed was shot by a NaSaKa from POE Nasaka Camp at about 11:00PM in Wali’s house while he was trying to escape for his life.

At night 11 O’clock, authorities from three different departments such as Military, NaSaKa (Boarder Security Force) and Police went to the village of Maung Ni of Kayin Tan (Shikdafara) village tract, where they surrounded more than three houses and then shot down an innocent boy named Forwas Udin s/o Tufail Ahmed.

ASEAN Needs To Do a Re-think on Burma’s Rohingya Issue

The Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) has long been criticized as a toothless tiger for its inability to deal with controversial and often bloody issues. The Sabah Insurgency launched in March by Philippine-based mercenaries, the Cambodian-Thai dispute overterritorial rights at Preah Vihear and overlapping sovereign claims in the South China Seas are among the nastiest and most recent examples.

However, ethnic violence launched against Burma’s Rohingya population has repeatedly underscored the absence of a collective moral backbone among ASEAN’s 10 members and unraveled Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s lauded role in promoting democracy and human rights.

Long-time observers and non-governmental organizations have been loud in their condemnations and warnings about the potential for conflict between Muslim Rohingyas and militant Buddhists to spiral out of control, while Western governments continue to welcome Burmese efforts to “normalize”.

New York-based Human Rights Watch says the Burmese government is ethnic cleansing.

Those predictions of violence are now proving true. In Indonesia anti-terror police shot dead seven men and arrested 13 suspected of involvement in a plot to bomb the Burmese embassy in Jakarta. Two raids were carried out in the operation. The unit raided their hideout in a house on the outskirts of West Java’s capital city of Bandung, but suspects refused to surrender. The ensuing firefight lasted seven hours.

Five assembled pipe bombs were found in a backpack and the authorities said the attack was planned for last Friday.

The deadly confrontation came at the end of a difficult month for Indonesian authorities, who are dealing with a growing influx of Rohingyas fleeing violence in Burma. Their status as refugees can hardly be challenged given the well-documented threats they have lived under, which clearly violate UN laws.

At the same time, much of the world is beating an economic path to Southeast Asia in search of closer regional ties and free trade agreements. In so doing, Western countries would rather separate their business agendas from their moral obligations by leaving the distasteful business in Burma’s north to ASEAN.

While the escalating violence has displaced thousands, last month the European Union congratulated Burma on a “remarkable process of reform” as it lifted all of its sanctions except an arms embargo. The U.S. followed suit by sending Acting U.S. Trade Representative Demetrios Marantis to the country to formulate a trade framework.

In Indonesia, home of the world’s largest Muslim population, anger is rising over the Burmese government’s handling of the issue.

If ASEAN governments cannot defuse the tense situation, Rohingyas will be pushed towards the harder edges of the region and into the waiting arms of Islamic militants who still hold court in parts of Indonesia, Malaysia, southern Thailand and the southern Philippines. At that point it could become a regional issue with the potential to undermine ASEAN’s ambitious money–making agenda.

Egypt Parliament’s Human Rights Committee Urges International Protection for Burma Muslims

A 153-page Human Rights Watch report accuses Myanmar’s government of ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims, crimes against humanity that continue unabated to-date and prevention of relief aid from reaching surviving Muslims.

In a statement issued Friday, Dr. Ezzedin Al-Komi, Chairman of the Human Rights Committee of Egypt’s Shura Council, asked Human Rights Watch (HRW) to submit its documented information as evidence to the International Criminal Court Prosecutor with regard to the daily massacres, mass graves and systematic ethnic cleansing, which continues under the nose of the international community against Muslims of Burma.

"What is happening to Rohingya Muslims are crimes against humanity, gross injustice and brutal genocide. The Security Council must use its powers, activate Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations to protect the Muslim minority in Arakan in Burma, like it did in Darfur, and issue warrants of arrest for security forces, Buddhist monks and local leaders involved in those massacres.

"How much credibility will the Rome Convention and the International Criminal Court have, if they do not face up to these violations with the mechanisms available to them, designed for use in situations like this?"

Al-Komi appealed to the International Commission for Human Rights to do its part to protect this minority, which suffered greatly under military rule in Burma.

Source: http://www.ikhwanweb.com/article.php?id=30882

‘Myanmar waging ethnic cleansing against Rohingya Muslim’

Wednesday, 24 April 2013 00:08

Bangkok, Apr 23: Myanmar has waged a campaign of "ethnic cleansing" against Rohingya Muslims, a leading human rights group said, appealing to India to press its eastern neighbour to put an immediate stop to the abuses.

"Burmese authorities and members of Arakanese groups have committed crimes against humanity in a campaign of ethnic cleansing against Rohingya Muslims in Arakan State since June 2012," Human Rights Watch said in a new report released on Tuesday.

The 153-page report titled "'All You Can Do is Pray': Crimes Against Humanity and Ethnic Cleansing of Rohingya Muslims in Burma's Arakan State" describes the role of the Burmese government and local authorities in the forcible displacement of more than 125,000 Rohingya and other Muslims.

"The Burmese government engaged in a campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya that continues today through the denial of aid and restrictions on movement," said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at the HRW.

"Now that it is clear that crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing are being perpetrated in Arakan state, New Delhi must press upon the Burmese government to put an immediate stop to the abuses against the Rohingya and hold the perpetrators accountable," Meenakshi Ganguly, HRW South Asia director, said in a statement.

Ganguly also urged India to ask Myanmar to "amend the Citizenship Act to eliminate discriminatory provisions that have placed the Rohingya at risk of becoming stateless".

The HRW said that following sectarian violence between Arakanese and Rohingya in June 2012, government authorities destroyed mosques, conducted violent mass arrests, and blocked aid to displaced Muslims.

The "mobs attacked Muslim communities in nine townships, razing villages and killing residents while security forces stood aside or assisted the assailants," it alleged.

The rights group said it has uncovered evidence of four mass-grave sites in Arakan State – three dating from the immediate aftermath of the June violence and one from the October violence.

"Security forces actively impeded accountability and justice by digging mass graves to destroy evidence of crimes," the HRW accused.

"The government needs to put an immediate stop to the abuses and hold the perpetrators accountable or it will be responsible for further violence against ethnic and religious minorities in the country," Robertson warned in a statement.

Rohingyas seek help from China

Arab News
April 15, 2013

Wakar Uddin, director general of the Arakan Rohingya Union, called on the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Contact Group to persuade China to put pressure on the Myanmar government to stop acts of violence and targeted killings of the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar.

“It is well-known that China has strong relations with the Myanmar government and has big economic and political interests there. So we asked Chinese officials to try to persuade Myanmar to stop violence against and acts of systematic killing of the peaceful Rohingya Muslim minority,” Waqaruddin told Arab News.

He was speaking to journalists on the sidelines of an urgent meeting of the OIC contact group here yesterday.

“Arab and Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have strong relations with China, and we hope that these countries come together to play their role. What we are witnessing in Myanmar is a human tragedy in the full sense of the term. What is going on there is unspeakable violence beyond comprehension,” he said. “Islamic identity in Myanmar is at risk of being eradicated, and we appeal to the conscience of all good people to help stop the killing,” he said.

OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu warned of the escalation of violence in other areas, a clear reference to the acts of violence by extremist Buddhists against Sri Lankan Muslims.

“Violence directed against Myanmar’s Muslim population is unacceptable. It is a clear indication of the negative attitude of the government in dealing with ethnic and religious tension in the area,” he said.

“Extremist Buddhists felt that they have the blessing of the government for their atrocities and so they have expanded their actions in other areas,” he said.

He said the OIC has taken a number of actions since last June and that it has tried repeatedly to contact the Myanmar Embassy in Riyadh to no avail.

He called on members of the contact group who have diplomatic missions in Myanmar to use their offices to try to advance the case for the Muslim minority.

(Photo: Arab News)

OIC head urges Security Council to protect Myanmar's Muslims

Head of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation on Sunday appealed to the UN Security Council to intervene to protect Myanmar's Rohingya Muslims from ethnic violence.

"Security Council must protect rights and lives of Rohingya Muslims," Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu told a foreign ministers' meeting of member countries in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The meeting brings together top diplomats of Turkey, Afghanistan, UAE, Brunei, Djibouti, Indonesia, Malaysia, Egypt, Senegal and Saudi Arabia who will discuss violent attacks including torchings, ambushes and deadly assaults in Rakhine state.

Ihsanoglu also warned against a regional escalation of tensions.

Stop persecution of Rohingya Muslims; Break the silence: Muslim organizations demonstrate

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Delhil: Indian Muslim organizations and human rights bodies today demonstrated near Myanmar embassy in the capital against the non- stop violation of human rights, atrocities and inhuman cruel activities meted out on Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.

Indian Muslim organisations and civil society under the banner of an umbrella body of Muslim organisations All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat (AIMMM) today condemned the Burmese government in the strongest terms for its inaction and collaboration to stop violence against, and expulsion of, its minority Rohingya population in the Rakhine [Arakan] state.

The demonstration was planned in front of Myanmar Embassy in Chankyapuri Delhi but Delhi police stopped Muslim leaders and protesters at Teen Morti Marg, near Chankyapuri police station. Therefore, protesters were forced to express their protest merely in front of Chankyapuri police station near embassy, instead of Myanmar Embassy.

-We wanted to hold a symbolic protest outside Myanmar Embassy, but the Delhi Police which is infamous for its goondaism and its special cell which has earned global notoriety for fake killings and encounters, have forced us to protest here,- said Dr. Zafrul Islam Khan, president, All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat and condemned the Delhi Police for not allowing them to demonstrate outside the embassy.
 

 -We want to tell the world that Muslims in India are not silent, they know how Rohingya Muslims are the most oppressed community of the world, their citizenship has been snatched through a law which asks Rohingya Muslims to prove their citizenship since 1832. I have written a letter to Myanmar Ambassador that if that law is applied to all communities in Myanmar, the entire country would be empty, as hardly anyone would prove their citizenship,- Dr. Khan, who is also Editor of English fortnightly The Milli Gazette.

-Roghinyas are stateless community, they can�t get education and job, and even passport, over five lakh Rohingya Muslims are living outside the country. Buddhist monks are leading killer mobs,- he said while addressing the demonstrators.

-The persecution of Rohingyas started way back in the 1960s. In 1982, under a strange -law- they were stripped of their Burmese citizenship unless they proved that their ancestors live in Burma way back in 1832. No such law exists anywhere in the world and most Burmese will lose their citizenship if is applied to all in Burma. Rohingyas have lived in that part of Burma continuously for around a thousand years and have ruled the area for centuries. As a result of this persecution and maintaining curfew-like situation in Rohingya towns and villages, close to a million have forces since to flee to the neighbouring countries especially Bangladesh. The current wave of persecution and ethnic cleansing spearheaded by Buddhist monks started in February last year when murder, destruction and torching of thousands of houses and community facilities and expulsion of Rohingyas from their villages started with the connivance of the Burmese government. An estimated 150,000 Rohingyas have since fled their country taking refuge in Bangladesh, India, Thailand and Malaysia where they are living in pitiful conditions. Many have died while attempting to flee in small boats.-

Jamaat-e-Islami Hind�s all India secretary Mohammad Ahmad said, -we find it highly disappointing that supporters of the on-going democracy process in Myanmar, led by the Nobel Laureate Ang San SuuKyi, have refused to stand for these hapless citizens of Burma. We condemn the inaction by the Myanmar government and ask upon our own government as well as the international organisations and governments of all freedom-loving nations to stand by the Rohingya people in their hour of need and pressurise the Mayanmar junta to mend its ways and apply to the Rohingyas same principles which are applicable to our citizens of Burma and hasten to repatriate the Rohingya refugees who have fled their villages and towns and compensate them adequately to enable them to start their lives once again with honour and dignity and punish the Buddhisht supremacists whose intolerance is turning Burma into a pariah state in the world.-

Addressing the gathering, SQR Ilyas, General Secretary of Welfare Party of India said Myanmar is becoming a Palestine for Rohingya Muslims. -As Palestinians have been removed from their homes and forced to migrate, Rohingya Muslims are also being uprooted, they are being killed and their homes demolished,- said Dr. Ilyas.

He expressed sorrow at the silence of Muslim nations over the plight of Rohingya Muslims. -It is really sad that 52 Muslim countries are not speaking on the issue, they are not pressing the United Nations to pass even resolutions.- He asked Indian Government to respond to the tragedy as the victims will ultimately migrate to India as it is neighboring country. -India should press Myanmar government to stop atrocities against Rohingya Muslims,- demanded Dr. Ilyas.

National Coordinator of Association for Protection of Civil Rights, Akhlaque Ahmed termed the violence in Myanmar as the worst case of human rights violation. He criticized world bodies of human rights for remaining tightlipped over the plight of Rohingya Muslims.

He also expressed anguish over the silent of Myanmar�s democratic activist Aung San Suu Kyi on this issue.

Muslims and Rohingya in Thailand have called on the United Nations and the United States to intervene to stop violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state.

About 30 Rohingya and Muslims from Bangkok and the deep South travelled separately to the capital to submit letters to embassy officials from Myanmar and the US, and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

They appealed to the Myanmar government to stop supporting what they called "genocide".

They also asked the UN and US to intervene to protect the lives of Muslim people in Myanmar.

At the embassies and the UN office, the protesters laid down plastic, cloth and paper banners depicting the recent killings inside Myanmar.

Torchings, ambushes and deadly attacks have spread from Rakhine state to other places including Bago and Yangon.

Currently, about 30,000 Muslim and Rohingya people are said to live in temporary shelters in the central Myanmar town Meikhtila and around Nay Pyi Taw.

Abdul Kalam, 57, one of the three coordinators of the protest, said violence has taken place repeatedly without any sign of resolution.

"Our civilian governments and Aung San Suu Kyi have been neglecting the plight of the people born in the same land as them," Mr Karam said.

Bang Noo, 44, a Rohingya who has lived in Bangkok for 25 years, said he was unhappy to see further injustice in his native country, where Muslim Rohingya are still not recognised.

Maung Kyaw Nu, another protest coordinator, said he feared the situation could worsen.

The violence stems from decades of indoctrination under Buddhist socialism since the period of former Myanmar prime minister Ne Win, he said, referring to the political ideology that advocates that socialism contains elements of Buddhism.

"Usually, the Rohingya Muslim and the Buddhist Rakhine live side by side, but lately some people have shown they would like to wipe us out," he said.

OIC launches Global Rohingya Center,

Monday, March 25, 2013 

JEDDAH — The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Sunday officially launched the Global Rohingya Center (GRC) to advocate for the rights of the Rohingya people and to improve their living conditions in their places of residence.

The center will also be a media resource providing crucial knowledge and up-to-date information to facilitate an accurate and in-depth reporting on Rohingya issues. The center will also assist international organizations in developing plans to deliver assistance to alleviate the plight of the persecuted community.

The GRC was launched under the aegis of Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary General of the pan-Muslim organization, who expressed deep concern at the spreading violence against Muslims in Myanmar at the hands of extremist Buddhists. He said violence in Arakane, in the west of the country, continues uninterrupted since last June and has spread to other cities, particularly the city of Meikhtilar in Mandalay region.

Scores of Muslims have been killed and their homes and properties burnt, in addition to the burning of eight mosques and a number of schools. Hundreds of families have been forced to flee the ethnic violence. “Such violence cannot continue. It is unacceptable and provides a clear indication of the negative approach the Myanmar government is adopting in addressing the ethnic tensions,” he said in his speech.

“This community (the Rohingya) is facing a dire humanitarian crisis. It suffers from denial of basic human rights and dignity,” said Ihsanoglu.

The GRC launch was attended by representatives of the Arakan Rohingya Union (ARU) and members of the Rohingya community in Saudi Arabia.