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Joint Statement on Mandalay Violence

July 3, 2014

Due to a large scale religious riot struck again in Burma by the direct result of impunity to hate speech broadcaster Wirathu’s instigations. Yet, the local government agencies are woolly prepared as the current violence is ragging on with loss of lives and destruction of private and public properties as well as places of worships. Therefore,

· Burmese American Muslims Association and Free Rohingya Campaign condemn the violence outbreak instigated by terrorist thugs that are equipped with motorcycles and club weapons.

· We stand solidarity with all Mandalay citizens and recognize the riot as a threat to Burma’s democratic values of religious freedom, social inclusion and fairness among the city population.

· Reported as of July 3rd, we mourn the loss of two innocent victims who are brutally murdered by these thugs one of whom is U Soe Min. We send our deepest condolences to victims’ families and friends

· We clearly wants to let those who incited and committed the violence know that they are fully accountable for such awful crimes. 

· The officials of Burma must clearly be understood that the world has advanced its stage from just watching to the monitoring, recording and collecting the evidence for legal actions.

· Government of Myanmar should pay the monetary reparation to all families of victims including property damages resulted from lack of will to prevent the riot. 

· The government of Mandalay and the national government must apologize to the people of Mandalay and the people of Burma as a whole for their incapability of handling the violence.

· We want the Burmese officials to be understood that failure to take action on the criminals would add more to the evidence against them in upcoming legal action by world body.

· We call on President Obama, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other leaders of free world to condemn these crimes and violence in Mandalay and demand that Government of Myanmar must provide adequate security to Muslim communities and religious sites. 

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Interactive presentations by the panel members, Prof. Dr. Amaney Jamal of Princeton University, Prof. Dr. Wakar Uddin of ARU & BRANA, and Vice-President Dr. Anwar Khan of Islamic Relief-USA, at the special session.
RB News
September 11, 2013

Washington, D.C. 2013 Annual Convention of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) was held in Washington DC on August 30- September 1, 2013. A special session of Rohingya issues in Myanmar and two booths on Rohingya human rights were among many sessions and exhibitions. The special interactive session titled “Natural Disaster! Poverty! War! Responding to Crises Abroad” presided by Ms. Afeefa Syeed with the panel members, Prof. Dr. Amaney Jamal of Princeton University, Prof. Dr. Wakar Uddin of ARU & BRANA, and Vice-President Dr. Anwar Khan of Islamic Relief-USA. The first booth was displayed by Dr. Nora Rowley and Ms. Jennifer Quigley of U.S. Campaign for Burma in Washington, and the second booth was displayed by Burma Task Force-USA. 

Dr. Wakar Uddin addresses the audience on current conditions at Rohingya and Myanmar Muslim IDP camps.
The booths conveyed volume of information on violence and ethnic cleansing against Rohingya and Myanmar Muslims. The topics of the interactive session included natural and man-made disasters, including, genocide, ethnic cleansing, and mass murder in many parts of the world. Dr. Amanay covered numerous crises facing Muslim population in many parts of the world, and Dr. Wakar Uddin addressed issues facing Rohingya ethnic minority and Myanmar Muslims in Central Myanmar, while Dr. Anwar Khan addressed the timely and urgent needs for getting relief supplies to the displaced persons, refugees, war victims, and others. The panel also discussed the importance of the participation of international communities in reaching out to the victims of natural and man-made disasters. Dr. Wakar Uddin detailed the immense suffering of internally displaced Rohingya and Myanmar Muslim population (IDPs) in Myanmar as well as refugee communities in Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Dr. Uddin called on Myanmar Government to give the international relief organizations unfettered access to Rohingya and Myanmar Muslim IDP camps because of the dire situation in IDP camps. “There are also numerous Rohingya and Myanmar Muslim villages that are seriously in need of food, medicines, clean water, and other supplies for subsistence” he added. He urged the international media establishments to make their best efforts in coverage of many serious issues faced by the victims of violence and ethnic cleansing in Arakan and Central Burma. “You are the key – you are the only sources that can effectively deliver the message of true horror and despair faced by Rohingya and Myanmar Muslim victims to the world community” Dr. Uddin concluded.

Jennifer Quigley, the Director of U.S. Campaign for Burma and Dr. Nora Rowley, the Human Right Activist at the ISNA Booth on Rohingya Human Rights.
Dr. Wakar Uddin, Jennifer Quigley, and Nay San Oo of Free Rohingya Campaign and Burmese Rohingya Association of North America at the Rohingya Human Rights booth

RB News
June 20, 2013

A convention on the Muslim Genocide Awareness was held in Los Angeles, CA, USA, on June 9, 2013.  The event was convened by the Maynmar Muslim and Rohingya leadership and activists in California to make the international community to make aware of the intensity of systematic violence and killing of Muslim population in Myanmar that have reached the level of genocide, according to experts on genocide. The event was opened by Culvar City Mayor Jeffery Cooper with a keynote speech, followed by a genocide video and a speech by Dr. Gregory Stanton, Professor of Genocide Studies and Prevention. Wai Hnin Pwint Thon of Burma Campaign UK, Gordon Welty of US Campaign for Burma, the spiritual leader of Venice Hongwanji Buddhist Temple Rev. John Iwohar, Omar Jubran of the Council of American Islamic Relations, and Matthew Rains of Rains Enterprises were also the distinguished speakers at the event.


The convention also included a panel of experts, various speakers, and an exhibition.  Arakan Rohingya Union Director General Dr. Wakar Uddin, Scholar Dr. Maung Zarni, Genocide Expert from Jewish World Watch Neema Haviv, Humanitarian Activist Physician Dr.  Nora Rowley, and Myanmar Muslim Civil Right Activist Htay Lwin Oo have delivered speeches on various human rights, ethnic cleansing, and genocide issues facing Rohingya and Myanmar Muslims in Myanmar.  Their speeches were followed by a Q&A session. Additionally, there was a program of motivational speech where Co-founder of Free Rohingya Campaign Nay San Oo and Myanmar Muslim Activist Yusuf Iqbal spoke on current problems and strategies to resolve the issues facing  Rohingya and Myanmar Muslims in Myanmar. A 10-point resolution was successfully adopted at the convention.


During the event an extraordinary exhibition on violence against Rohingya and Myanmar Muslim was displayed with photographic images by Rains Enterprises.

RB News
May 27, 2013

Washington DC: The protests against Myanmar President U Thein Sein were organized by US Campaign for Burma, Myanmar Muslim Civil Right Movement and Free Rohingya Campaign and held on May 19 and 20 respectively. 

The protests were held in front of VOA, White House and Chamber of Commerce at Washington DC. More than 80 people participated in the protests on 19th May evening and 20th May. Of them, sixty people were Rohingya and Burmese Muslims, 16 were from Fort Wayne Indiana, 5 from Chicago, one from Wisconsin, 4 from New York City, 21 people were from Utica NY and the rest were from Oregon, New Jersey and other states of USA.

The protest started in front of VOA about 5PM on May 19. The protesters demanded U Thein Sein to stop promoting false democracy, lying to international communities and sponsoring ethnic cleansing of Rohingyas and Burmese Muslims in Burma. Media like RFA, VOA Burmese, VOA Indonesia, BBC Burmese and some online bloggers interviewed some of the protesters.

The much larger crowd gathered to protest in front of White House. Many speakers took turn to speak to the protesters about rights of Rohingya and Burmese Muslims and how government of Burma instigated hatred among Burmese population to create religious violence for political advantage. Speakers had spoken directly to President Obama so as to brief him about the Secret Service Group from Burma before he met U Thein Sein.

About 20 media organizations covered the protest news at different time. Some of them were ABC Australia, Al Jazeera, AFP, BBC Burmese, VOA Burmese, Genocide Watch, Channel 5 and others.

The protesters shouted "Thein Sein is a Liar" and demanded to "Stop Genocide" and "Stop Killings" while U Thein Sein was entering the white house.

Some members of the Secret Service Group from Burma also took pictures and made videos of the protesters at the chamber of commerce by pretending as if taking breaks outside the building. Kachins, Rohingyas, and Burmese Muslims took turn to condemn Burmese supremacist policy that suppresses ethnic minorities such as Kachin, Rohingya and Burmese Muslim. It was a very successful protest according to the organizers.



Press Release 
Date: April 12, 2013 
Time: 5:38pm 

In front of UN Head Quarter 
New York 

Organizers: 

(1) Free Rohingya Campaign 
(2) Myanmar Muslim Civil Right Movement 

About 200 Burmese Muslims and Rohingya of USA resident representing all 50 states gathered on 4/12/13, 9:30 am in front of Myanmar Permanent mission at New York. 

Despite heavy rain, protesters were determined to continue their planned demonstration as most of the people need to go home by Bus or rental minivan. They have demanded to stop religious discrimination, anti Muslim movement, and terrorism in Burma. They also asked U Thein Sein to dismantle terrorist network like 969 and others who has been planning and executing systematically the terror network with the support of very powerful element inside government. One of the organizers from Forth Wayne Indian said in his speech “We wait for too long since May 2012 to see action of U Thein Sein government with hope that he will do something to stop violence but Meikhtila genocide has proven that security forces do nothing when Muslim were being killed and burnt them alive.”They also highlighted the need to resettle 100 thousand Rohingya IDP to their own villages and all religious building be rebuilt on the same location as it was before. 

At 11:00 am the leaders of protesters handed over memorandum to NYP police officer to be handed over to H.E U Kyaw Tin, Permanent Representative. The protesters moved In front UN Head Quarter to demand to the world body to send UN investigation teams to find out real mastermind of terrorism inside Burma as they do not have any confident in U Thein Sein and the commission that he formed. Journalists from Turkish Journal were on the sense interviewing the protestors. The protesters ask UN Security Council to wait until all six million Muslim were killed or they send UN investigators for genocide before it is too late. They also declare that Rohingya and Burmese Muslim are one and united and will work together until justice is being done and full human right and Citizenship right is restored. 

RFA and VOA have interviewed Nay San Oo and Yusuf Iqbal the detail about the protest as well. 

For protesters of voice for voiceless 

Yusuf Iqbal








(Photo: Sithu Lwin Facebook)
Burma Task Force
March 21, 2013

A New “Killing Field” in Burma 

Two days of rioting have left at least five dead – some reports say 14 -- and two mosques burned down in central Burma. These numbers are also normally grossly underreported in Burma, which has strict control of information in the country, so the death toll is largely much higher. 

The New York Times is reporting that a mob of Buddhists, some of them monks, started the rioting in the Muslim quarter of Meiktila, a city in central Burma. 

One reporter who witnessed the attacks told the New York Times that the scene was “like a killing field.” 

“Even the police told me that they could not handle what they witnessed,” said Wunna Naing. “Children were among the victims.” 

The most disturbing part of these attacks against Muslims is that this violence has spread from Rakhine State and the persecuted Rohingya Muslims to other parts of Burma. Buddhists are now rising up against Muslims who are considered citizens of the country, unlike the Rohingya, who have been denied citizenship in their ancestral land and are discriminated against because of their dark skin. 

Just last month, Buddhists attacked what they said was a masjid being built without permission in Yangon. 

Urgent Action Needed 

Call the Burmese embassy and tell them that the government needs to facilitate peace between Buddhist and Muslim citizens. The first step in this is to publicly acknowledge Rohingya Muslims as citizens. Meiktila police also need to properly prosecute those involved in the riots, including Buddhist monks that took part in the violence. 

Also call the Secretary of State’s office and tell John Kerry that he needs to push Burmese leadership to take responsibility to safeguard ALL of its citizens. 

Make a Phone Call TODAY 

Call the Burmese Embassy at (202) 332-3344, (202) 332-4350 and (202) 332-4352 or send an email to pyi.thayar@verizon.net. 

Call the Secretary of State’s office at (202) 647-5291, then press Option #1 and then Option #8. 

Request Our Literature! 

If you’re interested in requesting pamphlets to put up in your local masjid or community center, send an email to info@burmamuslims.org. We have already sent out a number of pamphlets to communities that have requested them. The pamphlet includes information on what is going on in Burma, what the Burma Task Force is doing and action you can take, such as signing petitions and making phone calls to ambassadors. 

BURMA TASK FORCE COALITION PARTNERS










Dr Tun Aung and Family were arrested because they are among very few educated Rohingya who have access to modern technology to inform the world about ethnic cleanisng and genocide in Arakan Burma. Read his case profile here

He is 65 years old and a patient of Pituitary Tumor and received Nauru surgery twice, one in 1997 and again in 2004 because of the recurrence of tumor. The condition remains serious and still under vital medication and suffering from serious side effect of the medicines. He has very limited eye vision due to the tumors on both sides of the eyes. He recently received varicose vein surgery on his both legs.

Sittwe Provincial Court sentenced religious leader Dr. Tun Aung (aka) Nu Hauk to a total of 12 years imprisonment on Wednesday for his role in the communal strife which erupted in Maungdaw, Arakan (Rakhine) State, on June 8.

Dr. Tun Aung faced six charges, including instigating a riot and fraud, stemming from a request he made to the local authorities on June 8 to hold a gathering to pray for 10 Muslims killed by an Arakanese mob in Taunggok Township on June 3. Despite giving assurances that the gathering would not result in violence, a riot broke out and Htun Aung was later arrested on June 11.

He was sentenced to seven years under the Section 5(j) of the Emergency Provision Act, two years each under the Sections 153(a) and 505(c) of the Criminal Code as well as an additional year under Section 6(1) of Wireless and Telegraph Act of 1933.

Please Sign Petition here








President Barack Obama 
The White House 
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW 
Washington, DC 20500-0004 

Date: November 09, 2012 

Dear President Barack Obama, 

I would like to congratulate you for your victory in the re-election. The U.S has played a key role in Burma path to democracy. However there is still ongoing human rights violations going on against the Rohingyas in Rakhine ( Arakan) State . The Rohingyas are indigenous people of Burma, who have been facing oppressions for many decades in their native land and are subject to ethnic cleansing. 

The current Burma's president, Thein Sein is not doing anything to stop the ongoing oppression and genocide against the Rohingyas . This year June, Then Sein even suggested to United Nations that the Rohingyas should be deported to other countries even though they are native to Burma since 8th century . I request your visit to Burma should not just focus on Burma’s economy, but also resolve the plight of the Rohingya. 

Thank you for your kind attention on this matter.
Sincerely,


Ko Ko Naing
Campaign Director (West Coast)
Tel: +1-561-628-0536
Email: knaing@freerohingyacampaign.com 







Free Rohingya Campaign organized signature campaign to be sent to US state Department to urge US government to engage actively to stop ethnic cleansing and Genocide of Rohingya at Arakan Burma. Five thousand signatures are expected to be collected from ten Islamic centers in Oregon State. 

Muslim communities in Oregon are very touch by the plight of Rohingya and vow to work together with Free Rohingya campaign and Oregon Rohingya Society until permanent solution is achieved and Rohingya are on longer vulnerable for genocide. 

Portland Muslim communities will organized a big rally together with Burma taskforce USA at September 22 as part of 100 cities rally to show solidarity with the persecuted Rohingya in Burma. 

All ten Islamic centers will have exhibition about Rohingya for three days concurrently until Sunday September 16,2012.



    • Rohingya Exodus