Appeal Letter submitted to the US Government by BRAFA

“BRAFA’s Appeal Letter to the President Barack H. Obama, Members of U.S. Congress, Secretary of State John Kerry, and U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on Religious violence and human Rights Violations against entire Burmese Muslim population in Burma”

To,

- The President of the United States

The White House

Washington, DC 20500

- Members of the United States Congress

United States Capitol

Washington, DC 20510

- Secretary of State John Kerry

U.S. Department of State

Washington, DC 20520

- U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations

Senate Office Building

Washington, DC 20510

Date: March 28, 2013

Subject: - A fervent Appeal to use your good office for the protection and prevention of anti-Muslim Buddhists’ massacre against the Rohingyas and Muslims of Burma on humanitarian ground;

Dear Mr. President, Members of Congress, Secretary of State, and U.S. Senate Committee,

Most respectfully, we, the members of Burmese Rohingya American Friendship Association (BRAFA) would like to bring to your kind attention that the current situation of entire Muslim population in Burma is tremendously horrible and at bigger risk and the United States, United Nations, European Union, ASEAN as well as the world communities have been witnessing the anti-Muslim one sided Buddhists' violence against the Muslims of Burma particularly, the Rohingya ethnic community people in Arakan state since June-2012 which is still going on due to the Government of President Thein Sein's intentional blind-eye attitude and failure of appropriate strong exemplary punishment to the culprits of Buddhist religious extremists and racist monks.

Over the past week, Muslim religious buildings, Muslim owned shops, stores, properties and houses are being destroyed and burned down in central Burma of Meiktila, Yamithin, Pegu, Teggone, naypaydaw by the Buddhist extremists and religious monks in front of Burmese security forces and law enforcing agency personnel and then, this violence continued to spread all over the Muslim residing Townships, cities and other surrounding areas along central Burma including the former capital city of Rangoon (Yangon).

Because of current violence orchestrated in pre-planned way by the Buddhist monks, political party leaders and Buddhist extremist groups on March 20, 2013 taking opportunity from a simple argument between a Burmese Muslim gold shop owner and his Buddhist customer who was trying to sell fake gold in central Burma town of Meiktila resulted to at least 30 mosques and Muslim religious schools have been destroyed and burned down. Over hundreds of Burmese Muslims consisting of religious scholars, students, men, women, and children were brutally killed in the violence and set on fire and more than 20,000 Muslims were displaced and now they are sheltering temporarily in sports stadiums in central Burma.

Muslims in Burma are discriminated on the grounds of race and religion and hatred towards Muslims nationwide is a common practice by a group of racist, extremist and xenophobic Buddhist people at this moment because of instigation, false religious speech and mis-propaganda by the Buddhist religious monks, political leaders and Buddhist scholars. With the contemporary history of Burma, there were several anti-Muslim riots to make Muslim free zones in Burma by mass killing and torture time to time with strong master plan and roadmap. 

In this sense, we, the members of Burmese Rohingya American Friendship Association (BRAFA) earnestly call upon the President Mr. Obama, members of Congress, Secretary of State Mr. John Kerry, and U.S. Senate Committee to take appropriate action to end the current anti-Muslim sentiment and wrong propaganda in Burma and step up U.S. Government's diplomatic efforts to end the Rohingya and Burmese Muslims crises. The current crises and tragedies have evolved into Burmese government led repression not only against the Rohingya ethnic community people but also the entire Muslims of Burma.

After the extremists Buddhist Rakhines violence and massacre against the innocent Rohingya people in June-2012, in which many Rohingyas died and more than 120,000 Rohingya people were internally displaced and sheltered in the open-air prison like camps in Sittwe, Ratheydaung, Mrebon, Pauktaw, there is a growing humanitarian concern and human rights crisis which is not receiving sufficient international attention resulting the loss of many human lives.

The Burmese police, security forces and soldiers were raping, looting, torturing and arbitrarily killing Rohingya people and there have been mass arrests with Rohingyas who were kept in Burma prisons and police custody without trial, without food or medical services. Even, humanitarian aid is mostly being blocked by the Rakhine Buddhists and the local government agencies in Sittwe. Moreover, Rakhine mobs and Arakan state ruling authorities are refusing to allow the Rohingya people to go back to their own villages, shops and homes using ethnic cleansing tactics and showing unjustifiable reasons of concern against the Rohingya ethnic people.

In fact, the President of Burma Thein Sein himself has recently proposed a policy that is not different from ethnic cleansing, asking the UNHCR to arrange for Rohingya people to resettle to third countries saying they are not nationals of Burma. The current situation of Rohingyas is incredibly serious and it will continue to deteriorate further if timely action is not taken immediately.

We are fully aware of the US Government's active involvement and role with positive contribution to the cause of Rohingyas and Burmese Muslims since June 2012, but, due to maintaining soft diplomatic tune by U.S. Government, President Thein Sein was emboldened to feel that he would be able to expel all Rohingya people from the country. Without immediate strong international action, the situation will continue to deteriorate beyond the estimation.

A US led appropriate action needs to be taken now to ensure humanitarian aid can be delivered, arrests and human rights abuses can be stop, and the Rohingyas are allowed to return safely to their original homes and villages to start a new life.

We would like to fervently appeal all of you to take the lead in mobilizing the international community to respond to human rights and humanitarian crises against the Rohingyas and Muslims of Burma, but now seems to focus more on positive news with Burmese officials and activists rarely commenting on on-going serious human rights violations.

We would also earnestly request all of you to use every diplomatic and legal tool at your disposal to help bring an end to the current crises of Rohingyas and Burmese Muslims, mobilizing the international community and condemning the current one sided violence of Buddhist extremists Monks and the xenophobic mobs against Rohingyas and Muslims of Burma on humanitarian ground.

Thanking you all for your time and consideration to this appeal letter & wishing you all the success in your mission, we assure you that we are keeping you all in our prayers, and we remain,

Sincerely yours,

The Executive Committee Members

Burmese Rohingya American Friendship Association (BRAFA)

4818 South 14th Street

Milwaukee, WI 53221.