By PALASH R. GHOSH

Not everyone is happy with impending moves by western powers to ease sanctions against the government of Myanmar, also known as Burma.

An official representative of the country's Rohingya minority – an ethnic Muslim group that has long suffered in Buddhist-dominated Burma and who have long complained of persecution and abuse by its repressive military – has asked the United States to base a relaxation of sanctions on perceived improvements on human rights issues.


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(Photo: Reuters)
Young Myanmar refugees from the Rohingya ethnic minority attend their English class in Kuala Lumpur

Dr. Wakar Uddin, chairman of the Burmese Rohingya Association of North America, urged circumspection with regard to Myanmar while meeting with figures from the U.S. state department, the Senate foreign relations committee and the House of Representatives human rights commission.

In recent weeks, U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, British Prime Minister David Cameron and the European Union have indicated they may loosen sanctions against Myanmar after more than 50 years in the wake of historic elections that saw the entry of longtime democratic activist Aung San Suu Kyi into parliament.

While Myanmar's President Thein Sein – the first civilian leader of the country in more than half a century -- has enacted certain reforms, Uddin wants him to do more, including the release of Rohingya political prisoners.

"If somehow the Burmese government [manages] to get sanctions lifted and the Rohingya issue is not resolved, we are finished," Uddin told the BBC.

"There is no hope because they will not revisit this. Whatever needs to be done about the Rohingya, it has to be done before the sanctions are lifted."

Clinton reportedly discussed the Rohingya problem during her meeting with Sein in Rangoon a few weeks ago, leading the state department to request that Myanmar takes "concrete steps" to address the Rohingya' legal status and to "immediately end human rights abuses" inflicted upon them.

Meanwhile, the Rohingya remain in limbo. The Myanmar government claims they are migrants from India who are not eligible for citizenship. Western nations, the United Nationsand India assert the Rohingya are indigenous to Myanmar.

In Burma’s northern Rakhine state, some 800,000 stateless Muslims, mostly Rohingya, account for 90 percent of the region’s population.

Uddin declared that the state's persecution of his fellow Rohingya has only intensified in recent weeks.

"The human rights situation - has gotten worse since the election," he said.

"The government is trying to show the West that they are dealing with the Karen [another aggrieved ethnic group] and other groups by giving rights and making a truce. But they are showing the carrot in one hand and the stick for us [the Rohingya] in the other. It's a distraction and a diversionary tactic."

Similarly, Nurul Islam, president of the London-based Arakan Rohingya National Organization, told the IRIN news agency: “There is no change of attitude of the new civilian government of… Thein Sein towards Rohingya people; there is no sign of change in the human rights situation of Rohingya people. Persecution against them is actually greater than before.”

According to the United Nations, the Rohingya who live in Burma are forbidden from owning property, marrying or even traveling without state permission. Many are subject to forced slave labor and extortion by authorities.

Many Rohingya have also moved to neighboring Bangladesh, where they are also unwanted.

Jennifer Quigley, of the US Campaign for Burma, an advocacy group, told BBC: "The U.S. and the international community need to make citizenship and the treatment of the Rohingya a benchmark for lifting sanctions The U.S. is giving too much too fast. It doesn't give any incentive to keep the reform process going."

Indeed, Burma has one of the worst human rights records of any nation on earth. The military-led abuse and mistreatment of its ethnic minorities remains a sordid, black mark on the country’s psyche.

About 2-million Rohingya live in the northwestern parts of Burma, near the Bangladesh border.

Mizzima, the India-based Burmese news agency reported a few years ago that Rohingya women in Burma are frequently subject to sexual abuse and rape by Burmese soldiers. Reportedly, Burma’s military continues to commit atrocities against the civilian Rohingya population.

As such, desperate Rohingya pour across the borders into Bangladesh every year – although they are Muslims like the overwhelming majority of Bangladeshis, the Rohingya are despised and rejected there as well. Bangladesh, already impoverished and overpopulated, simply cannot cope with the influx.

Mojibar Rahman, a Rohingya refugee living in a United Nations camps in Bangladesh, told Agence France Presse: "We thought that after the election [of a civilian government in Burma], the situation would improve for Rohingya in Myanmar, but it hasn't… no one wants to go back.”

Indeed, Rohingya are trapped in a hopeless Catch-22… unwanted in Bangladesh, and rejected by Burma since they lack Burmese citizenship.

Some Rohingya refugees have made it as far as Malaysia to the east or the Arab countries towards the west. Many are also in Thailand. But wherever they are, Rohingya remain vulnerable.

Refugees International has reported that “in both Bangladesh and Malaysia, repressive government policies and lack of adequate international support force the Rohingya to struggle for survival in both countries. The inability of the Rohingya to access basic services in both Bangladesh and Malaysia is further compounding their vulnerability.”

An elderly Rohingya refugee living in a camp in Kutupalong, Bangladesh, told BBC: "We have nothing in Burma. We are disabled people, like slaves. We cannot work because our hands and feet are cut off. If we don't permission to travel we are sent to jail. We are really like slaves there.”

A younger Rohingya at the same camp lamented: "If I stay in Bangladesh, what will I do? Even if I build a house here people will treat me as Burmese... this is a hated word. I have a ray of hope in my heart that one day there will be peace in Burma and my people will get back all their lives."

Panchali Saikia, a research officer at the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies in India, wrote of the Rohingya: “After providing shelter to the Rohingya for nearly three decades, Bangladesh is now concerned about the annual increase in their numbers. Apart from being an economic burden, the Rohingya’ involvement in insurgent activities along the Myanmar-Bangladesh border is feared by the government. Hence to reduce the influx, the government has declared that it will no more consider any asylum seeker as refugee.”

She further stated: “Anti-Rohingya communities in Bangladesh have also pressurized the government to repatriate the Rohingya. Due to the denial of protection, assistance, and fear of repatriation, the Rohingya are now escaping to Malaysia through the sea route. Malaysia is seen as the best destination because of the religion factor. Also, the Malaysian government’s permit to access the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has attracted asylum seekers.”

Saikia added: “The plight of the Rohingya and the growing concern over their influx is not only confined to Myanmar, Bangladesh and Thailand. Other regional powers like India, Indonesia and Malaysia must also engage themselves considering its security implications. The forcible push-backs are a major threat to the maritime as well as border security of these countries. Left with no other option, the Rohingya are vulnerable to being recruited by sea pirates and involved in arms and drug smuggling.”

Now, with the election of Suu Kyi into Myanmar's parliament, some Rohingya are optimistically cautious.

Islam of The Arakan Rohingya National Organization told IRIN: “Obviously she [Suu Kyi] is ignoring the Rohingya problem, a key human rights issue in Burma. However, still the Rohingya have high expectations of her. Rather than avoiding the Rohingya people and their problem,... Aung San Suu Kyi should take all measures to formally accommodate Rohingya into the family of the Union of Burma, with full ethnic and citizenship rights, as one of the many ethnic nationalities of the country.”

Tin Soe, the editor of the Bangladesh-based Rohingya newsgroup, Kaladan Press Network, told IRIN that the establishment for democracy in Myanmar would set a precedent for the rights of his people.

“We Rohingya will fight for our rights in the parliament if democracy comes to Burma,” Soe said. “Then we will lobby the parliament, hold demonstrations, and show them the results of our fact finding. Now you basically have the armed forces still in power - with them you cannot do anything.”

Soe also pointed out, however. that when Burma transitioned from a military government to a civil leadership in 2010 with the election of Thein Sein, Rohingya saw their hopes dashed.

“After the 2010 election the Rohingya situation is going from worse to worse,” said Soe, citing that Rohingya received voting rights in that poll and were promised citizenship if they voted for the military regime's candidates. Promises that were hollow and unfulfilled.

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Burma Campaign UK today welcomed an announcement by British Prime Minister David Cameron that Britain will not support EU sanctions against Burma being lifted. He has proposed sanctions be suspended instead. Germany and other EU members had been pushing for all sanctions except the arms embargo to be lifted immediately.

With hundreds of political prisoners still in jail, military attacks against ethnic minorities still taking place, and no legal or constitutional changes that make Burma more democratic and reduce the power of the military, the complete lifting of EU sanctions would be premature.

In supporting the suspension of EU sanctions, Aung San Suu Kyi is making a bold and brave gesture to the government of Burma, showing she is willing to compromise and take positive steps. The ball is now in the court of the military-backed government. They now have to deliver real change.

Aung San Suu Kyi is reported to have stated: “This would strengthen the hand of the reformers - not just the suspension but the fact that there is always a possibility of sanctions coming back again if the reforms are not allowed to proceed smoothly.”

“The suspension of EU sanctions keeps the pressure on the Burmese government to continue reforms, while also making a strong positive gesture that genuine reforms will be rewarded,” said Anna Roberts, Executive Director of Burma Campaign UK. “For the threat of re-imposition of sanctions to be credible, the EU must set clear timelines and benchmarks. We know from experience that the Burmese government is expert at delaying tactics. We also know the EU can tend to be slow and indecisive, looking for reasons to delay action.”

After years of debate about sanctions, it is now clear that, combined with domestic pressure, sanctions have played an important role in encouraging reform in Burma. To completely abandon sanctions just as they are working would have been a serious mistake.

Burma Campaign UK also warned companies thinking of investing in Burma that they should not think of the country as a place where they can exploit cheap labour and grab natural resources at bargain-bucket prices, thanks to the lack of proper laws protecting workers and the environment. Many sectors attractive to investors, such as mining, timber, oil, gas and dams, have been directly linked to serious human rights abuses and environmental destruction. Any European companies investing in projects where such abuses take place will be subject to high profile boycott campaigns.

“Despite reforms, Burma is still a country with one of the worst human rights records in the world, and where the military has constitutional control over every level of government,” said Anna Roberts. “Burma is still a very long way from being a democracy.”

David Cameron has said economic sanctions against Burma should be suspended in recognition of the changes taking place in the country.

The prime minister spoke after a meeting with pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi in Rangoon.

Ms Suu Kyi welcomed his call and said the suspension of sanctions would "strengthen the hand of the reformers".

Mr Cameron is the first Western leader to visit Burma since her success in a series of parliamentary by-elections.

He is also the first UK prime minister ever to visit the country.

Earlier, Mr Cameron met President Thein Sein and said the government had to demonstrate that moves to democracy were "irreversible".'Send a signal'

Burma was ruled for almost half a century by a military junta that stifled almost all dissent and wielded absolute power. The EU, US and other nations imposed sanctions.

The first general election in 20 years was held in 2010.


The installation of a military-backed, nominally civilian government in March 2011 and a series of reforms since - including the release of hundreds of political prisoners - has led to speculation that decades of international isolation could be coming to an end.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Ms Suu Kyi at the lakeside villa where she spent 15 years under house arrest, Mr Cameron said the arms embargo in place against Burma should remain in place, but it was right to suspend - not lift - the remaining sanctions.

They include an assets freeze imposed on nearly 500 people and restrictions on key industries such as mining and timber.

"[Burma] shouldn't be as poor as it is. It shouldn't have suffered under dictatorship for as long as it has, and things don't have to be that way," the prime minister said.

"I do think it is important to send a signal that we want to help see the changes that can bring the growth of freedom of human rights and democracy in your country."'Long way yet'

Mr Cameron said it was right to respond to signs of change "with care", adding: "All courses of action are full of risk, but I think this is the right step forward."

He also praised Ms Suu Kyi, calling her "an inspiration for people across the world".

ေဒၚေအာင္ဆန္းစုၾကည္ႏွင့္ေဒးဗစ္ကင္မရြန္း ေဆြးေႏြးအျပီး(ဓါတ္ပုံ)


၎တုိ႕ႏွစ္ဦးသည္ ေတြ႕ဆုံေဆြးေႏြးမႈအၿပီးတြင္ ပူးတြဲ သတင္းစာ႐ွင္းလင္းပြဲကုိ ျပဳလုပ္ခဲ့သည္။
ၿဗိိတိန္ဝန္ႀကီးခ်ဳပ္ ေဒးဗစ္ ကင္မ႐ြန္က ေဒၚေအာင္ဆန္းစုၾကည္အား လာမည့္ ဇြန္လတြင္ ၿဗိတိန္ႏိုင္ငံသုိ႕ လာေရာက္ရန္ ဖိတ္ၾကားခဲ့ေၾကာင္း သိရသည္။

PMN


Live coverage of their meeting.
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12.00pm: I am very, very happy to welcome all of you, not just the prime minister, to Burma, and as this is the time of the water festival, it is a good opportunity to wash away all your sins, if you have any, she says.



She says she hopes this new year, starting on 17 April, will bring democracy to Burma and closer cooperation between Burma and Britain.
Photograph: Stefan Rouseau/PA



ေဒၚေအာင္ဆန္းစုၾကည္ႏွင့္ေဒးဗစ္ကင္မရြန္း ေဆြးေႏြးအျပီး


သူတုိ႔ ဘာေတြ ေျပာၾကသလဲ အေသးစိတ္ မသိရေသးပါဘူး။
ေတြ႔ဆုံမႈအျပီး သတင္းစာရွင္းလင္းပဲြ လုပ္ေပမယ့္ မီဒီယာေတြမွာ အေသးစိတ္ ေဖာ္ျပျခင္း မရိွၾကေသးပါဘူး။

ေဒၚေအာင္ဆန္းစုၾကည္က သူ႔အိမ္ကုိ လာေရာက္ ေတြ႔ဆုံတ့ဲ ႏုိင္ငံတကာေခါင္းေဆာင္မ်ားနဲ႔ အစည္းအေ၀းခန္းထဲမွာသာမက သူ႔ျခံထဲမွာလည္း စကားေျပာဆုိေဆြးေႏြးတာ ဓာတ္ပုံမ်ားမွာ ေတြ႔ရတတ္ပါတယ္။

၀န္ႀကီးကလင္တန္ ရန္ကုန္ေရာက္တုန္းကလည္း ဒီလုိပါပဲ။






























ရန္ကုန္ေရာက္ ျဗိတိန္၀န္ႀကီးခ်ဳပ္ နဲ႔ ျမန္မာ့ဒီမုိကေရစီ ေခါင္းေဆာင္ (ဓာတ္ပုံ-Reuters)

ျမန္မာႏိုင္ငံေတာ္သမၼတဦးသိန္းစိန္ႏွင္႔ၿဗိတိန္၀န္ၾကီးခ်ဳပ္ကင္မရြန္တို႔ေတြ႕ဆံု သည္႔ သတင္းကို စကိုင္းနယူးသတင္းမွ ထုတ္လႊင္႔သြားပါတယ္။ ကင္မရြန္က ျမန္မာႏိုင္ငံရဲ႕ ႏိုင္ငံေရးျပဳျပင္ေျပာင္းလဲမႈဟာ ထြန္းေတာက္ေနေသာ မီးပြင္႔ပမာ (Bright spark)လို႔ စကိုင္းနယူးကိုေျပာၾကားသြားတယ္ လို႔ ဆိုပါတယ္။


Photograph: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

ဥေရာပသမဂၢ အီးယူက ျမန္မာျပည္ကို ဒဏ္ခတ္ပိတ္ဆုိ့မႈအားလံုးကို တခ်ိန္တည္းနဲ့ ႐ုပ္သိမ္းဦးမွမဟုတ္ဘူးလို့ ျဗိတိသွ်၀န္ၾကီးခ်ဳပ္႐ုံးရဲ့ သတင္းအရင္းအျမစ္ကို ကိုးကားျပီး ႐ုိက္တာသတင္းက ဆုိပါတယ္။