Special envoy recommends those responsible for violence be brought to justice

By Barry Ellsworth

Anadolu Agency

April 4, 2018

TRENTON, Canada -- The special envoy investigating the plight of the Rohingya Muslims issued a report Tuesday that encouraged Canada to accept refugees displaced by persecution in Myanmar.

The report by former Ontario premier and Toronto MP Bob Rae, also recommended sanctions and prosecution against those in Myanmar who are behind the crisis that has forced Rohingya to flee for their lives to Bangladesh.

There is proof “to support the charge that crimes against humanity have been committed,” the report stated.

Rae, who was appointed special envoy by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, traveled extensively in the region in February and released his report at a news conference in Ottawa.

He visited Bangladesh refugee camps, where hundreds of thousands of Rohingya are living in deplorable conditions.

While he was refused permission by Myanmar officials to go to Rakhine State, the home territory of the Rohingya, Rae said he saw enough of the wanton destruction of villages to convince him of the persecution.

“Words cannot convey the extent of the humanitarian crisis people currently face in 

Bangladesh and Myanmar,” the report stated. “In addition to accounts of shooting and military violence, I also heard directly from women of sexual violence and abuse at the hands of the Myanmar military and of the deaths of children and the elderly on the way to the camps.”

Rae made 17 recommendations to help ease the plight of the Rohingya who have been called the most persecuted group on the globe.

They included that “Canada should signal a willingness to welcome refugees from the Rohingya community” from Myanmar and Bangladesh and also encourage other countries to do the same.

Myanmar officials should also help the Rohingya return home, but under close scrutiny so the refugees would be safe from the military and mobs in Myanmar that is predominately a Buddhist country.

Rae also suggested countries, including Canada, should hit “targeted economic sanctions” those who are behind the violence.

“Canada should be actively working with like-minded countries to identify the individuals or parties that should be subject to sanctions,” he wrote. “Canada should also continue its arms embargo and should seek a wider ban on the shipment of arms to Myanmar.”

Another recommendation is to prosecute those who have caused “the forcible and violent displacement of more than 671,000 Rohingya from Rakhine State in Myanmar.”

While Canada has already committed more than CAN$45 million in aid to the Rohingya, Rae suggested more was needed and CAN$150 million be given in the next four years.

He said Canada should raise the crisis at the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in London later this month, as well next month at the G7 summit in Canada.

The Canadian government will review the report and decide on what action to take.

The Rohingya, described by the UN as the world's most persecuted people, have faced heightened fears of attack since dozens were killed in communal violence in 2012

Since Aug. 25, 2017, more than 750,000 refugees, mostly children and women, have fled Myanmar and crossed into Bangladesh after Myanmar forces launched a crackdown on the minority Muslim community, according to Amnesty International.

At least 9,000 Rohingya were killed in Rakhine state from Aug. 25 to Sept. 24, according to Doctors Without Borders. In a report published on Dec. 12, 2017, the global humanitarian organization said the deaths of 71.7 percent or 6,700 Rohingya were caused by violence. They include 730 children below the age of 5.

The UN has documented mass gang rapes, killings -- including of infants and young children -- brutal beatings and disappearances committed by security personnel. In a report, UN investigators said such violations may have constituted crimes against humanity.

By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal

Anadolu Agency

March 28

Theresa May vows to try to ensure Rohingya plight is brought to world attention and people do not forget

LONDON -- Britain’s prime minister said on Tuesday that they constantly raise the issue of the oppressed Rohingya at the UN and directly with Myanmar’s government “to constantly raise awareness that this is an issue people should be addressing.”

Taking questions at a committee meeting in parliament, Theresa May said the U.K. will continue to support Bangladesh for supporting the Rohingya refugees and “to press this as an issue with the government of Burma,” using an older name for Myanmar.

Upon a question by Steven Twigg, who heads parliament’s International Development Committee, May said they will also continue to do “what we can to ensure the plight of the Rohingya people is brought to the attention of the world more generally and that people don’t forget… and it is kept up in people’s awareness.”

During the session, Twigg reminded the committee that Myanmar’s Embassy in London last month denied a British parliamentary delegation visas for a planned visit to Bangladesh and Myanmar to visit refugee camps for evaluation.

The cross-party parliament committee’s “visit was planned as part of the committee’s inquiry into the Department for International Development’s work in Bangladesh and Burma,” the committee had said.

“We are extremely disappointed. It is hard to escape the conclusion that this is a direct consequence of our report on the Rohingya,” Twigg said after the visa denial.

The Rohingya, described by the UN as the world's most persecuted people, have faced heightened fears of attack since dozens were killed in communal violence in 2012.

Since Aug. 25, 2017, some 750,000 refugees, mostly children and women, fled Myanmar when Myanmar forces launched a crackdown on the minority Muslim community, according to the UN. At least 9,000 Rohingya were killed in Rakhine state from Aug. 25 to Sept. 24, according to Doctors Without Borders.

In a report published on Dec. 12, the global humanitarian organization said that the deaths of 71.7 percent or 6,700 Rohingya were caused by violence. They include 730 children below the age of 5.

The UN has documented mass gang rapes, killings -- including of infants and young children -- brutal beatings, and disappearances committed by security personnel. In a report, UN investigators said such violations may have constituted crimes against humanity.

EU foreign policy chief meets Bangladeshi FM to discuss safe return of Rohingya refugees

By Fatih Hafiz Mehmet

Anadolu Agency

March 2, 2018

ANKARA -- The EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said Friday that the safe return of Rohingya refugees to their home country should be made possible.

In a meeting with Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmoud Ali in Brussels, she said the UN Refugee Agency should be involved in the repatriation process, according to a statement from Mogherini's office. 

Mogherini appreciated the generous and humane role of the government and the people of Bangladesh, where thousands of Rohingya refugees currently reside.

Myanmar and Bangladesh signed a repatriation deal for the refugees earlier this year, but authorities in Myanmar have refused to allow any international body including the UN to oversee the process.

More than 750,000 refugees, mostly children and women, have fled Myanmar and crossed into Bangladesh since August 25, 2017, when Myanmar forces launched a crackdown on the minority Muslim community, according to the Amnesty International.

The refugees are fleeing a military operation in which security forces and Buddhist mobs have killed men, women and children, looted homes and torched Rohingya villages.

At least 9,000 Rohingya were killed in Rakhine state from Aug. 25 to Sept. 24 last year, according to Doctors Without Borders.

In a report published on December 12, 2017, the global humanitarian organization said the deaths of 71.7 percent or 6,700 Rohingya were caused by violence. They include 730 children below the age of five.

The Rohingya, described by the UN as the world's most persecuted people, have faced heightened fears of attack since dozens were killed in communal violence in 2012.

The UN documented mass gang rapes, killings -- including of infants and young children -- brutal beatings, and disappearances committed by security personnel. In a report, UN investigators said such violations may have constituted crimes against humanity.

Bangladesh authorities say deployment of additional troops on border by Myanmar violates norms

By Mutasim Billah

Anadolu Agency

March 1, 2018

DHAKA, Bangladesh -- Bangladesh on Thursday summoned Myanmar's ambassador and handed him a protest note over deployment of additional forces at its border where thousands of Rohingya refugees are camped, local media reported.

Khurshed Alam, acting foreign secretary, summoned Ambassador U Lwin Oo at the Foreign Ministry on Thursday afternoon, local Daily Star reported.

He told the ambassador that such a move was not good for bilateral relations, the report added.

A top official of the Bangladesh Border Guard (BGB) said during a news conference in capital Dhaka that the deployment of additional troops violated border norms.

Brig. Gen. Mujibur Rahman, the deputy director for BGB, said they had asked Myanmar authorities the "reasons which prompted them to mobilize their troops," local news agency UNB reported.

More than 750,000 refugees, mostly children and women, have fled Myanmar and crossed into Bangladesh since August 25, 2017, when Myanmar forces launched a crackdown on the minority Muslim community, according to the Amnesty International.

Another 6,500 refugees are living in a buffer zone between the two countries, also dubbed as 'no man's land'.

At least 9,000 Rohingya were killed in Rakhine state from Aug. 25 to Sept. 24, according to Doctors Without Borders.

In a report published on December 12, 2017, the global humanitarian organization said the deaths of 71.7 percent or 6,700 Rohingya were caused by violence. They include 730 children below the age of five.

Myanmar and Bangladesh signed a repatriation deal for the refugees earlier this year, but authorities in Myanmar have refused to allow any international body including the UN to oversee the process.

By Safvan Allahverdi

Anadolu Agency

January 9, 2018

'Rohingya refugees are not ready to go back to Myanmar' under current, flawed deal, say Rohingya advocates

WASHINGTON -- Targeted and partial sanctions will not stop Myanmar’s campaign of oppressing Rohingya Muslims, the head of a prominent U.S.-based organization advocating for Rohingya Muslims argued Monday.

Speaking at a Washington press conference, Imam Abdul Malik Mujahid, chairman of Burma Task Force USA, said Myanmar’s military would not end its constant attacks on Rohingya Muslims unless the U.S. and the UN impose full sanctions against Myanmar. 

"Our request from America, the Senate, and the Congress is that they should pass a bill which requires full sanctions on Burma [another name for Myanmar], and they should use each and every means available," he said. 

"Myanmar is not going to listen unless full economic sanctions are applied."

Over 656,000 Rohingya refugees, mostly children and women, have fled Bangladesh since Aug. 25, when Myanmar's forces launched a crackdown on the minority Muslim community, according to the UN.

The refugees, described by the UN as the world's most persecuted people, are fleeing a military operation in which security forces and Buddhist mobs have killed men, women and children, looted homes and torched Rohingya villages.

According to Doctors Without Borders, at least 9,000 Rohingya were killed in Rakhine state from Aug. 25 to Sept. 24.

In a report published on Dec. 12, the global humanitarian organization said that the deaths of 71.7 percent or 6,700 Rohingya were caused by violence. They include 730 children below the age of 5.

The UN has documented mass gang rapes, killings -- including of infants and young children -- brutal beatings, and disappearances committed by security personnel. In a report, UN investigators said such violations may have constituted crimes against humanity.

Mentioning how Myanmar’s current State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi was also imprisoned for decades by its military, Mujahid said the military had to accept Suu Kyi as partial leader due to the U.S. sanctions. 

This happened "because Myanmar's military-controlled economy felt the pain, which was caused by those sanctions," he stated, adding that food and medication should be the only things exempted from the sanctions. 

New deal short on citizenship and ethnic rights

Shaukhat Ali, director of Rohingya American Society (RAS), also speaking at the press conference, strongly criticized last November’s agreement between Bangladesh and Myanmar on sending the Rohingya refugees back to Myanmar, saying that it fails to properly address basic civil right issues, such as citizenship and ethnic rights.

"The only thing that is mentioned in the agreement is ‘Myanmar resident.’ This means temporary resident, and that they [the Rohingya] are not part of Myanmar. They do not belong to Myanmar. [Under the agreement] they are just visitors," said Ali. 

"Myanmar’s government is purposely accepting these people back to avoid international pressure."

He stressed that the Rohingya refugees are not ready to go back to Myanmar unless their security is fully provided, their citizenship is restored, and they are allowed to live on their land without suffering any abuse. 

"Unless these conditions are met, this is a game, throwing people out and accepting [them back],” he added. 

“They throw out hundreds of thousands of Rohingya people but they accept far fewer than that [back]. So each time more people are being thrown out and a smaller number is accepted back. 

"That is how they wipe these people away."

In late November 2017, Myanmar and Bangladesh signed an agreement for the return of the Rohingya Muslims who crossed the border since late August.

Educating US lawmakers

"What we are trying to do here in Washington, is really to help better educate all the lawmakers in the U.S. Congress and Senate about what is going on in Rakhine state," Adam Marro, director of outreach at Burma Task Force, told Anadolu Agency. 

Describing the group's work as "very successful," Marro said there has been a lot of interest about the situation of Rohingya Muslims particularly at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. 

"They are very keen to help support us and we will continue to have those meetings especially for sanctions against Myanmar," Marro added. 

"We want to make sure that we can get sanctions that are actually going to be felt and cause pain in Myanmar."

The Burma Task Force NGO was launched in 2013 by a number of prominent American Muslim groups.

Its stated objective is to stop perceived ethnic cleansing in Myanmar and educate Americans about the atrocities faced by Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state.

By Mutasim Billah and Sorwar Alam

Anadolu Agency

December 9, 2017

DHAKA, Bangladesh -- In the wake of Bangladesh and Myanmar signing a deal to repatriate Rohingya refugees to Myanmar’s Rakhine state, most experts see "zero probability" that the deal will be implemented.

The bilateral deal, signed this Nov. 23, stipulates some nearly impossible conditions for the verification of the residency of the people the agreement calls "displaced persons from Myanmar" instead of their widely known ethnic identity of Rohingya. 

C.R. Abrar, coordinator of the Dhaka-based Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RAMMRU), told Anadolu Agency that the agreement was rubbish, as by signing the deal Myanmar only aimed to ease the international pressure on it.

Abrar, one of the most prominent experts in Bangladesh on the Rohingya, said the agreement had “many limitations”.

“There is no way to involve a third party to identify refugees, according to the pact.”

Some sections of the deal would make repatriation impossible, according to him.

“Because all the documents the Rohingya had were taken by Myanmar by force when they fled persecution, and there was no reason to carry the documents under the [dire] circumstances when they had to flee genocide,” he said.

And even if the Rohingya show the documents claiming their residency, Myanmar’s government has the right to reject anyone it wants, according to Abrar.

He added: “We’ve learned that Myanmar’s government has changed the official names of many villages and residential areas in Rakhine state. If the Rohingya mention the name of a village or the city, in light of this it’s doubtful they will be accepted.”

Although Rohingya refugees should willingly return to their homeland, he said: “I see no reason that they will go back.”

“I think this deal is pure rubbish. It will be used by Myanmar’s government as a defense against international criticism.”

He said the deal says nothing about including human rights groups and NGOs providing humanitarian assistance to the repatriation process.

The agreement only envisages that the two governments "will duly coordinate with the UNHCR,” the UN refugee agency, if needed. 

"It’s been said that the returning Rohingya would be held in camps for a short period of time but there’s no fixed duration.

“I don’t think there’s any section in this agreement that protects the Rohingya’s rights, and that's why I don’t think they'll go back."

No provisions for monitoring the process

The Rohingya, described by the UN as the world's most persecuted people, have faced heightened fears of attack since dozens were killed in communal violence in 2012.

Violence erupted on Aug. 25, forcing over 620,000 Rohingya to cross from Myanmar's western state of Rakhine into Bangladesh, according to the UN.

The refugees are fleeing a military operation in which security forces and Buddhist mobs have killed men, women and children, looted homes, and torched Rohingya villages. According to Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Abul Hasan Mahmood Ali, around 3,000 Rohingya have been killed in the crackdown.

M. Humayun Kabir, Bangladesh’s former ambassador to the U.S., said that many issues on the repatriation have yet to be fixed.

"This is only the initial phase of the agreement. Many more things remain to be done. We have around a month-and-a-half" before implementing the deal, he said.

“Actually, the articles of the agreement are referred to as guiding principles, [and] a joint working group will be created. Then I think there will be a chance to talk about documentation. We can mention to them that if we already registered Rohingya refugees this can be used as a document. If it can be done, then the process will be easy,” he said.

Under the Nov. 23 agreement, the only documents acceptable as valid for proving Rohingya residency in Myanmar are “copies of documents issued in Myanmar indicating their residence in Myanmar, such as old and expired citizenship identity cards / National Registration cards / Temporary Registration cards (White cards) and any other documents issued by relevant Myanmar authorities; or Other documents or information indicating their residence in Myanmar, such as addresses, reference to household or business ownership document, school attendance, or any other relevant particulars and information.”

Kabir agreed that there are no provisions for monitoring the repatriation process.

Though the deal emphasizes "the need for sustainable and durable solutions … [for a] process of voluntary return in safety, security, and dignity with options for recommencing livelihoods, after verification that the returnees have been residents of Myanmar," both the experts voiced their concerns over this.

“If the Rohingya can’t be assured that they are safe, then they won’t go,” said Kabir.

But he also praised the deal as a big achievement for Bangladesh, as the Myanmar government had to sit at the negotiating table with Bangladesh and agree to sign the deal due to constant pressure from the international community.

“I think now Myanmar also feels pressure [from the international community], that’s why they agreed to sign the deal,” he said, adding that the international community should continue its pressure on Yangon.

“We would like to be optimistic about this agreement, but at the same time we will remain conscious until it is implemented,” he said. 

‘China pushed for the deal’

Afsan Chowdhury, a veteran journalist and researcher in Bangladesh, told Anadolu Agency that China was the main player in the deal.

He underlined that both Bangladesh and Myanmar have multibillion-dollar financial ties with China.

“The deal was done due to China's influence,” Chowdhury said. 

“In line with China's choice, we made a bilateral agreement instead of multilateral agreements. China has a huge influence on both countries. Now it’s able to control everything…

“Bangladesh gets ultra-low-interest loans from China, and that’s why China has an implicit influence. I’m not very optimistic about this bilateral agreement. Nobody is optimistic.”

He highlighted that China was the first country in the world to welcome the agreement.

Ro Nay San Lwin, a European-based Rohingya activist, told Anadolu Agency that repatriation was “practically impossible”.

Documentation and verification would be main issues of the process, as the Rohingya would be unable to present the required documents since Myanmar has long since stopped providing Rohingya any official citizenship documents.

“There are many ways to prove the residency status of the people who fled to Bangladesh. The most important is that UN organizations must be involved in this repatriation,” Lwin explained. 

“Bangladesh must be very strong when they deal with Myanmar. They should not accept any burden imposed by Myanmar. If they believe anyone is from Myanmar, they have to pressure Myanmar to take them back.”

He added: "At a special session of the UNHRC held Tuesday in Geneva, Myanmar representative Htin Lynn said there will be no camps. But we still need to see the official announcement from Myanmar’s government.

“No Rohingya will go back home unless their citizenship and basic human rights are guaranteed by Myanmar’s government.” 

Lwin said that Rohingya survivors will go back to Myanmar "only if their houses are rebuilt and ready in their original villages, they are offered full citizenship cards at the entry points, and are guaranteed that they would not be persecuted again".

By Anadolu Agency

November 13, 2017

Downing Street spokesman says UK is 'appalled' by attacks on Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar

ISTANBUL -- A U.K. government spokesman on Monday said violence against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar "looks a lot like ethnic cleansing".

In comments reported in U.K. media, the Downing Street spokesman said the British government had been "appalled by the inhumane violence which has taken place in Rakhine state".

"It’s a major humanitarian crisis which has been created by Burma’s military and it looks like ethnic cleansing," he added.

This follows the UN's description of the violence against Rohingya Muslims as a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing".

Turkey has also been at the forefront of raising the Rohingya crisis internationally.

Earlier on Monday, Live Aid founder Bob Geldof returned a civic award in Dublin in protest at Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi's response to the Rohingya crisis in her country, where, since Aug. 25, over 611,000 people have fled the western state of Rakhine into Bangladesh.

The refugees are fleeing a military operation in which security forces and Buddhist mobs have killed men, women and children, looted homes and torched Rohingya villages.

The Rohingya, described by the UN as the world's most persecuted people, have faced heightened fears of attack since dozens were killed in communal violence in 2012.

By Seyit Ahmet Aytac

Anadolu Agency

November 9, 2017

ANTALYA, Turkey -- The head of the Red Crescent in Bangladesh has described the Rohingya refugee crisis as the “biggest man-made disaster in the world”.

Mohammad Habibe Millat said his country was doing all it could to assist more than 611,000 Rohingya Muslims who have crossed the border from Myanmar since Aug. 25 but that this was “not the permanent solution”.

Speaking at a summit of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) General Assembly in Antalya, southern Turkey, he said: “From Aug. 25, more than 600,000 Rohingya Muslims, most of them women and children, crossed the border from Myanmar to Bangladesh.

“This is a biggest manmade disaster in the world. We as government of Bangladesh and Red Crescent Society try to do our best and open our border for them for humanitarian reasons.

“We will do everything to help Rohingya muslims as much as we can, but this is not the permanent solution.”

He said the approaching winter raised fears about the welfare of the refugees housed in makeshift camps along the border.

The refugees have fled a military operation in which security forces and Buddhist mobs have killed men, women and children, looted homes and torched Rohingya villages.

Speaking in September, the Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Abul Hasan Mahmood Ali said around 3,000 Rohingya had been killed in the crackdown.

Turkey has been at the forefront of providing aid to Rohingya refugees and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has raised the issue at the UN.

Millat, who is also a Bangladeshi lawmaker, praised First Lady Emine Erdogan for her visit to the camps in September.

- Permanent solution

“I want to thank her as the first high-level person to visit the camps. One of the refugee women told in front of the first lady that they’ve been tortured.

“They are lucky to survive and cross the border. Turkey and its institutions work hard to solve this crisis. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Turkey’s efforts make things little easier, but still we have longway to go.”

He praised the efforts of the IFRC in providing humanitarian aid to the refugees.

“We will continue to support and help the Rohingya Muslims as much as we can but we are low-middle income country. The international community should remember that.

“We thank the government and the people of Turkey for their very kind gesture and we appreciate it.”

Millat called for the world to “speak with the same voice and put pressure on the Myanmar government, that is probably the permanent solution.”

Rohingya, described by the UN as the world's most persecuted people, have faced heightened fears of attack since dozens were killed in communal violence in 2012.

The UN documented mass gang rapes, killings -- including of infants and young children -- brutal beatings and disappearances committed by security personnel.

In a report earlier this year, UN investigators said such violations may have constituted crimes against humanity.

The IFRC General Assembly concludes on Saturday.

By Anadolu Agency

October 30, 2017

Hundreds of people gathered in front of the White House on Sunday to protest the ongoing violence targeting the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar.

The nation's largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organizations, Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), Muslim American Society (MAS) and many others took their grievances to the U.S. capitol.

Civil society representatives from various backgrounds called on the Myanmar authorities to end the bloodshed and urged the Trump administration to act more effectively on the persecution in Rakhine state as well as use its influence on the Myanmar government.

Since Aug. 25, 603,000 Rohingya have crossed from Myanmar's western state of Rakhine into Bangladesh, according to the UN.

The refugees are fleeing a military operation and Buddhist mobs that killed men, women and children, looted homes and torched Rohingya villages.

"If this is not a genocide, I do not know what is," Oussama Jammal, Secretary General of the US Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO) said, recalling the United Nations' 'genocide' definition.

The UN has documented mass gang rapes, killings -- including infants and young children -- brutal beatings, and disappearances committed by security personnel. In a report, UN investigators said such violations may have constituted crimes against humanity.

ADAMS Center President, Seyid Mukher stressed that American Muslims should impress upon the U.S. government to act against the violence.

"This genocide was happening in Rakhine State yesterday. It is happening today but it should not be tomorrow," he added, remarking that the persecution of Rohingya people has been on going for a decades.

Protestors chanted against Myanmar authorities, carried banners reading "Stop the genocide in Rakhine now" and "Save our brothers and sisters in Myanmar". The event ended without conflict.

In addition, the Deparment of State on Sunday said the U.S. delegation led by Acting Assistant Secretary of State, Simon Henshaw would hold meetings both in Burma (Myanmar) and Bangladesh to discuss the ongoing violence in Rakhine State and to improve the delivery of humanitarian assistance to displaced persons in Burma, Bangladesh, and the region.

The meetings will be held between October 29 and November 4. "The delegation will meet with various stakeholders to discuss the U.S. and international responses to the ongoing crisis and to explore durable solutions," it said in a statement.

According to Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Abul Hasan Mahmood Ali, around 3,000 Rohingya were killed in the Myanmar crackdown.

The Rohingya, described by the UN as the world's most persecuted people, have faced heightened fears of attacks since dozens were killed in communal violence in 2012.

Europe-based Rohingya advocacy group says Myanmar wants to wipe them out and take their land

By Sorwar Alam and Ayse Humeyra Atilgan

Anadolu Agency

September 15, 2017

ANKARA -- A Europe-based Rohingya group said Friday that Aung San Suu Kyi, state counsellor for Myanmar and Nobel Laureate, is supporting the "genocide" of Rohingya Muslims in her country.

Hla Kyaw, head of the European Rohingya Council, told Anadolu Agency in Ankara that Suu Kyi sits and watches, as “the army continues to burn houses and villages” in Myanmar’s western Rakhine state.

Kyaw said the de-facto leader is "not only complicit [in] the genocide, she is [also] a partner in genocide." 

Suu Kyi has been under international pressure for being silent in the face of the latest atrocities in Rakhine state which, according to the UN, has forced around 400,000 people to flee to Bangladesh.

On Friday, UNICEF spokeswoman Marixie Mercado said 36,000 Rohingya babies below one year old and 92,000 children below the age of five had arrived in Bangladesh. 

The refugees are fleeing a fresh security operation in which security forces and Buddhist mobs have killed men, women and children, looted homes and torched Rohingya villages.

According to Bangladesh's government, around 3,000 Rohingya have been killed in the crackdown.

The Rohingya, described by the UN as the world's most persecuted people, have faced heightened fears of attack since dozens were killed in communal violence in 2012.

Kyaw said that the Rohingya community had supported Suu Kyi when she was put under house arrest by the military junta of Myanmar, during a greater part of the period between 1989 and 2010 -- something that made her an international symbol of peace and resistance. 

'They want to wipe us out'

“We protested in European cities for her release, because we hoped to breathe freely under her leadership, as she is daughter of General Aung San, the father of Myanmar’s independence.”

The Rohingya leader alleged that the state wanted to wipe them out from Rakhine.

“They have planned to put us in concentration camp. Their ultimate goal is to wipe us out, and then take our property and land.”

He said that the government and army had known everything about Arakan Rohingya Salavation Army (ARSA), a militant group, but chose not to take action against it.

“They needed them as an excuse for the mass killings in Rakhine, in the name of national security and fighting terrorism. They also wanted to mobilize public opinion against the Rohingya community.”

He said the Myanmar government had strong support from India and China, two countries which have commercial interests in the region.

“China has an oil and gas pipeline project, while India has a deep-sea project in the region,” he said.

'More than 4,000 deaths'

Kyaw rejected the official death toll of 400 given by Myanmar in the violence since Aug. 25.

“Some 4,500 to 5,000 people have died in the violence. This figure may increase, because many people die while crossing the Naf River. Many parents leave their children behind when they flee.”

He said it was easier for people in the Maungdaw township to escape to Bangladesh, as it is near the border.

In other areas like Buthidaung, the military blocks them from all side. People walk 10 to 15 days in the mountainous terrain to reach the border. Some reach the river at the border, only to figure out they do not have $30 to $60 needed to make the journey on a boat. Others have to cross an area planted with mines by the military.

He urged the international community, including the UN and EU, to put pressure on the Myanmar government to stop this genocide.

“They need to take a common action to stop this international crisis.”

By Anadolu Agency

August 30, 2017

Turkey's president discusses violence in Myanmar in phone call with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres

ANKARA -- President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday urged UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to put pressure on Myanmar’s government over violence in Rakhine state which has reportedly displaced or killed thousands of Rohingya Muslims.

Turkish presidential sources said Erdogan held a phone call with Guterres on the humanitarian situation in Myanmar.

Erdogan stressed the “vital importance” of urgent intervention by the UN and the international community to stop the crisis, the source said.

The Turkish leader also said it was “unacceptable” that the Myanmar security forces attack innocent Rohingya Muslims or use disproportionate force against civilians.

Erdogan also said Turkey was providing humanitarian aid and was ready to provide further assistance in the region.

He added that Turkey was also in contact with organizations such as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and relevant countries such as the U.S., Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Bangladesh.

Guterres thanked Erdogan for his sensitivity on the issue and gave information about ongoing work and contacts established in order to end the humanitarian crisis in Myanmar.

Erdogan and Guterres agreed to stay in touch to cooperate in resolving the crisis.

Deadly attacks on border posts in western Myanmar's Rakhine state broke out on Friday. Later, media reports emerged saying Myanmar security forces used disproportionate force and displaced thousands of Rohingya villagers, destroying homes with mortars and machine guns.

*Reporting by Ilkay Guder; Writing by Meryem Goktas

By Erric Permana

Anadolu Agency

August 30, 2017

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi spoke to Myanmar’s National Security Adviser U Thaung Tun on Tuesday, to discuss the disproportionate use of force by Myanmar security forces in Rakhine state which had reportedly displaced thousands of Rohingya Muslims.

During a news conference at Jakarta's state palace on Tuesday Marsudi said that she spoke with U Thaung Tun on the phone about developments in Rakhine state.

Marsudi said she had asked Myanmar to "avoid civilian casualties amid the violence" and to provide protection to the Rohingya community.

"This security protection is a humanitarian concern; it has to include the people of Rakhine state," she said.

"I highlighted that Indonesia remains committed to providing help and assistance to the Myanmar government to ease the situation or help build a conducive Rakhine state," she added.

Marsudi also said she contacted the Indonesian embassy in Yangon, stating that the National Security Adviser will brief the Indonesian ambassador.

Additionally Marsudi said that she had also contacted Bangladesh’s foreign minister to discuss Bangladesh’s recent refusal to accept Rohingya refugees.

Deadly attacks on border posts in western Myanmar's Rakhine state broke out on Friday, resulting in mass civilian casualties.

Later, media reports emerged saying Myanmar security forces used disproportionate force and displaced thousands of Rohingya villagers, destroying homes with mortars and machine guns.

By Cansu Dikme

Anadolu Agency

August 28, 2017

Deputy PM Bekir Bozdag urges international community to take action against killings in Rakhine state

ANKARA -- Turkey is highly concerned about violence in Myanmar, Deputy Prime Minister Bekir Bozdag stated on Monday.

On his Twitter account, Bozdag expressed “sorrow and concern” felt in Turkey for Rohingya Muslims.

"We feel deep sorrow and concern for the violence, deaths and the injured [in Myanmar],” Bozdag wrote.

Bozdag also urged the international community to take action on the situation in Myanmar.

“The UN, UNSC and international community should not remain silent against these genocide-reminiscent massacres,” Bozdag added.

Deadly attacks on border posts in western Myanmar's Rakhine state broke out on Friday, resulting in mass civilian casualties. 

Later, media reports emerged saying Myanmar security forces used disproportionate force and displaced thousands of Rohingya villagers, destroying homes with mortars and machine guns. 

The region has seen simmering tension between its Buddhist and Muslim populations since communal violence broke out in 2012.

A security clampdown launched in October last year in Maungdaw, where Rohingya form the majority, led to a UN report on human rights violations by security forces that indicated crimes against humanity had taken place.

The UN documented mass gang-rape, killings -- including those of babies and young children -- brutal beatings and disappearances. Rohingya representatives have said approximately 400 people were slain during the operation.

By Kyaw Ye Lynn

Anadolu Agency

August 23, 2017

YANGON, Myanmar -- Former UN chief Kofi Annan on Wednesday submitted his final report on Rakhine state, where Rohingya Muslims have faced widespread abuses, to the government.

Annan, whose advisory commission was appointed by State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi a year ago, presented the report to President Htin Kyaw in capital Nay Pyi Taw, the commission said in a statement.

The former secretary general is due to met Suu Kyi on Wednesday or Thursday to discuss violence between the Rohingya and Buddhist communities in the western state.

Commission member Aye Lwin said earlier this month that the final report included recommendations for a solution to the conflict.

“But it will not include the recent alleged human rights violations in Rakhine's north,” he said in an email to Anadolu Agency.

A security clampdown launched in October last year in Maungdaw, where Rohingya form the majority, led to a UN report on human rights violations by security forces that indicated crimes against humanity.

The UN documented mass gang rape, killings, including of babies and children, brutal beatings and disappearances. Rohingya representatives have said approximately 400 people were slain during the operation.

The commission, which is set to hold a news conference in Yangon on Thursday, was briefed with exploring conflict prevention methods, ensuring humanitarian aid and promoting long-term development.

It has interviewed 1,000 people over the past 12 months, including politicians and a cross-section of the Buddhist and Muslim population.

Rakhine is a home to around 1.2 million stateless Rohingya, viewed by many Buddhists as illegal immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh, although they have lived in the area for generations.

By Kyaw Ye Lynn
Anadolu Agency

July 31, 2017

Kofi Annan-led commission to submit recommendations in August to solve conflict between Rakhine and Rohingya groups

YANGON, Myanmar -- A commission tasked with finding solutions to complicated issues in Myanmar’s western Rakhine state is scheduled to submit its final recommendations to the government by mid-August. 

A member of the advisory commission led by former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan said on Saturday that they had been finalizing the report in Geneva for the past several weeks. 

“We are pretty sure [we will be able to] present the final recommendations to the Myanmar government by mid-August,” said the commission member, Aye Lwin, in an email to Anadolu Agency. 

He said the final report includes recommendations for a durable solution to conflicts between ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and stateless Rohingya Muslims. 

“But it will not include the recent alleged human rights violations in Rakhine's north,” he said, adding the commission’s mandate is to just find out the root cause of the problems, not to investigate the rights violations by the security forces. 

“A commission is working separately on the allegation against the security forces,” said Aye Lwin, referring to the government-appointed investigation commission led by Vice President Myint Swe, who is a former army general. 

Nobel laureate Kofi Annan was appointed as chair of the Rakhine State Advisory Commission in August last year to advise the government in resolving the Rakhine issues.

Slow progress

The commission published its interim report in mid-March which includes steps Myanmar's government can take to immediately improve the situation in Rakhine including urgent training for security forces for better respect of human rights, closure of all camps for internally displaced persons and allowing Muslim representation in local administrations.

A senior official at the Rakhine regional government told Anadolu Agency that they, in collaboration with the union government, are implementing a number of the commission’s recommendations such as humanitarian and media access, training of security forces, issuance of birth certificates and bilateral relations with Bangladesh. 

However the progress has been slowed due to the several challenges they are facing in implementation, admitted the official who asked not to be named as he was not authorized to speak to the media. 

“In addition to the challenges, these need more time to be implemented than we expected,” he said without elaborating on the challenges. 

Only part of the recommendations were completely implemented by authorities after more than four months.

“However we successfully closed three camps as the commission recommended,” said the official.

At least 55 families of ethnic Kaman Muslims from a camp in Ramree Township -- one of the three camps closed by authorities -- were forcibly relocated to the country’s commercial city, Yangon, instead of their original villages due to security concerns.

Freedom of movement critical for Rohingya survival 

New York-based Human Rights Watch on Saturday described the relocation of Kaman Muslims as a “shoddy and shameful way” of the government led by State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi. 

“The slow implementation of these interim recommendations exposes the government is foot dragging on recommendations they don't like,” said HRW’s deputy Asia director, Phil Robertson.

“For all of Aung San Suu Kyi's big promises, she is surprisingly poor at delivering results,” he told Anadolu Agency in an e-mail.

He expressed his worry that, if it comes to implementing recommendations versus not offending Rakhine extremists and their allied nationalists, Suu Kyi and her government will opt for the latter, regardless of the circumstances.

Phil Robertson said it was absolutely critical for the commission to recommend in its final report a way forward to end the restrictions on freedom of movement for Rohingya Muslims who have been denied citizenship and basic rights.

“If Rohingya cannot move without fear of being attacked, arrested or extorted, how can they survive economically to obtain basic necessities that can mean the difference between life and death?”

The situation of around 1.2 million Rohingya has been worsening since communal violence broke out in Rakhine state in mid-2012.

The issues reached a boiling point after military launched a crackdown following a gang’s killing of nine police officers in northern part of the Rakhine in October last year.

During the operation, UN and rights groups documented evidences of atrocities by security forces against the Rohingya civilians. However Myanmar government blocked the entry of a UN fact-finding mission to investigate the alleged rights violations which may amount to crimes against humanity.

Given that situation, Robertson said the advisory commission had to break the cycle of repression in the Rakhine state.

“Kofi Annan needs to get directly involved now to get renewed commitments from Suu Kyi and her government that all of the commission's recommendations will be supported and implemented,” he said.

“And he must be very clear that any effort to sideline or drop the final report's conclusions and recommendations will be met with strong and continuous denunciation by the commission and its supporters in the international community.”

By Anadolu Agency

June 7, 2017

Turkey's Diyanet Foundation gives Rohingya children hope, teaches mathematics, religion and culture

KARACHI, Pakistan -- Turkey’s Diyanet Foundation is providing schooling to 4,000 Rohingya children in Pakistan's commercial capital Karachi, the project's coordinator has said.

Ahmet Kandemir told Anadolu Agency the scheme, which started in 2015 with 25 courses, now includes 100 courses.

Students enrolled in the program are taught Urdu, English, mathematics, religion, culture and the Quran. Books and logistic support for the schools are all provided by the foundation.

The project targets the coastal Korangi and Malir districts of the city, where the Rohingya population ekes out a living as cheap labor in the fishing industry.

A law passed in Myanmar in 1982 denied Rohingya -- many of whom have lived in Myanmar for generations -- citizenship, making them stateless, removing their freedom of movement, access to education and services, and allowing arbitrary confiscation of their property.

They have been fleeing Myanmar in droves since mid-2012, when communal violence broke out in Rakhine state between ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims.

For years, members of the minority have been fleeing to nearby countries, including Pakistan.

"The Rohingya have settled on the eastern shores of Pakistan, escaping political pressure from their countries," Kandemir said. "These people have no right to citizenship in Pakistan so they are deprived of any kind of service provided by the government.

"With the support and donations we get from Turkish people we are looking forward to give these children hope for their future."

Zafer Iqbal, managing director of Diyanet's Pakistan partner The NGO World, said the schools are monitored by the education directorate.

"The families in these areas have never had the opportunity to send their children to schools," he said. "Now they have a goal, a hope." 

Reporting by Mahmut Serdar Alakus;Writing by Meryem Goktas

By Kyaw Ye Lynn

Anadolu Agency

May 31, 2017

YANGON, Myanmar -- Muslim residents in Myanmar’s largest city Wednesday protested the closure of their two religious schools as they have fewer place for worship in the month of Ramadan -- the ninth and holiest month of the Islamic lunar calendar.

Local authorities -- following negotiations with local Muslim leaders -- chained shut two madrasahs in Yangon city on April 28 after a mob led by ultra-nationalist Buddhist monks demanded an immediate closure of religious schools in the area.

On Wednesday evening, some 100 Muslims gathered on the street in front of one of the two madrasahs to pray and protest the closure as the madrasahs stayed closed until now though the authorities said it was just temporary.

Tin Shwe, the head of the madrasah, told Anadolu Agency that authorities also barred Muslim residents from worshiping in six other schools in Thakayta Township without giving any proper reasons.

“We requested them to let us worship in these schools during Ramadan. But it went unanswered,” he said on Wednesday.

He added local Muslims were performing prayer at their individual places such as houses and shops since the ban.

“This is not the way we should perform prayers, especially in the month of Ramadan,” said Tin Shwe, adding the closest mosque was about a 45-minute walk away.

Min Naung, a 32-year-old Muslim resident of Thakayta, who joined the protest, said he has worshiped in the schools since he was a child.

“This is the first time we are not able to gather during the Ramadan month,” he told Anadolu Agency after the street prayer.

“The ban makes us shocked,” he said.

New York-based Human Rights Watch earlier this month said the closure was "the latest government failure to protect country’s religious minorities".

"The government should immediately reverse these closures, end restrictions on the practice of minority religions, and prosecute Buddhist ultra-nationalists who break the law in the name of religion," said HRW’s deputy Asia director, Phil Robertson.

HRW said Myanmar government has placed opaque and onerous restrictions on the construction or renovation of religious structures, as well as limits on the practice of religion, elements of the systemic discrimination facing Muslims, including the ethnic Rohingya Muslims in western Rakhine State.

Anti-Muslim movements have been on the rise in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar since an outbreak in communal violence in the western Rakhine state in 2012.

By Kyaw Ye Lynn

Anadolu Agency

May 25, 2017

YANGON, Myanmar -- Civil society organizations (CSOs) in Myanmar urged the government to fully cooperate with United Nations mission to probe into alleged human rights violations in country’s ethnic areas including western Rakhine state.

Myanmar rebuffed in March the UN decision to send an international fact-finding mission to the country to establish "the facts and circumstances" of the alleged "violations by military and security forces, and abuses" against Rohingya Muslims in particular.

50 CSOs, mostly based in Myanmar’s ethnic areas, on Thursday said the mission is important for the people of Myanmar and their shared struggle for rule of law and human rights.

“The Fact Finding Mission will help the Government of Myanmar to uphold human rights,” the groups said in a joint statement.

The groups added that it will foster a rule-of-law culture by establishing the facts and identifying perpetrators of human rights violations to prevent future atrocity crimes in Myanmar.

According to UN and human rights advocate groups, security forces have committed atrocities against Rohingya Muslim civilians, which they described may amount to crimes against humanity, during military operations after a gang killed nine police in Maungdaw area of Rakhine state in October last year.

The CSOs said similar patterns of violence and abuse have been long noted, including to the present day, in ethnic areas such as northern Kachin, eastern Kayin and northeastern Shan states.

“We fully encourage the authorities to cooperate with the Fact Finding Mission to look into the human rights situations in at least Rakhine, Kachin, Shan, and other ethnic states of Myanmar,” it said.

“We strongly support the mission to carry out their mandate.”

Following the growing international pressure, Myanmar’s police and military established their own teams to investigate the alleged abuses of Rohingya Muslims in February in addition to a commission set up by the government in December to probe the allegations.

On Tuesday, military denied the accusations that soldiers committed atrocities against Rohingya Muslims in western Myanmar despite evidence from the UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and rights groups.

A New York-based advocate group, Human Rights Watch, said on Thursday that the army’s failure to find its troops responsible for any serious abuses demonstrates the urgent need for the government to allow unfettered access to the United Nations international fact-finding mission.