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PETALING JAYA: The Putera 1Malaysia Club is calling for contributions from Malaysians for its humanitarian mission to help the Muslim Rohingya refugees affected by sectarian violence in Myanmar.

Club president Datuk Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim said the club plans to visit Bangladesh to visit about 40,000 Rohingya refugees who escaped the violence and are now staying in three camps – Kutupalong, Nayapara and Teknas.

“We are asking all Malaysians to give a helping hand to the victims, especially the elderly, the women and children there,” he said at a press conference yesterday.

Riots, believed to have been triggered after 10 Rohingyas were killed following the rape and murder of a Rakhine woman in late May, erupted and a state of emergency was declared on June 10.

Some 1.6 million Rohingyas have fled the country with some 30,000 of them now in Malaysia.

Azeez said the club will pass aid to the other non-governmental organisations there if it was not safe to travel to Myanmar’s northern Rakhine State, where the Rohingyas were situated.

“We will monitor the situation there first.

“If it is really not safe, we will engage with non-governmental organisations there to pass the aid to them as long as it reaches them.

“The Rohingyas need food, medication, clean water, clothing, baby food and baby blankets.

“A five-member advance team will fly there to assess the situation and give us a report.

“The departure date is yet to be confirmed, but it may be before or after Hari Raya,” he added.

Azeez said 10 volunteers and 10 doctors have been identified to go on the mission.

Those who wish to contribute can call the club at 03-2273 6004 or 1-300-88-1113.

Source here 
                             The custodian of Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud

Aug 11

The custodian of Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud ordered Saturday sending USD 50 million in humanitarian aid to oppressed Rohingya Muslims of Myanmar. A press statement pointed out that King Abdullah ordered the aid alleviate the suffering of Rohiangya Muslims who are subjected to systematic human rights abuses, ethnic cleansing forced deportation, mass rape and killing from extremist Buddhist groups tolerated by the government.

The move come today after Myanmar government’s acceptance to allow access to humanitarian aid to the oppressed Muslim minority.

Sourced Here
 Foreign Ministe Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan 

Abu Dhabi: The UAE has called on the international community to take an immediate action to stop violence against minority Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.

Addressing the foreign ministers of the member states of the UN Security Council, Shaikh Abdullah said that the UAE is extremely concerned about the acts of sectarian violence in Myanmar which led to the death of hundreds of Muslims and displacing thousands of people.

“The UAE is deeply concerned about the ethnic violence in Myanmar which claimed hundreds of lives of the Rohingya Muslim minority group and left thousands of them homeless, bringing a renewed chapter of severe suffering,” Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister, said in a letter addressed to foreign ministers of the UN Security Council’s member states, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), New Zealand, Canada, Japan and India as well as to Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary-General of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Dr. Nabil Al Araby, Secretary General of the League of Arab States and Dr. Abdullatif Rashid Al Zayani, Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

Shaikh Abdullah said the international community should urge the government of Myanmar to take adequate measures to cease infringements of Rohingya’s rights and refrain from acts that disregard principles of universal basic human rights and international conventions. He stressed that Rohingya’s basic rights should be respected in a responsible manner. The UAE foreign minister urged the international community to reach a prompt end to this targeting in a way that achieves reconciliation and arrives at a final solution to the crisis.

Source : khaleej Times


President Thein Sein said he welcomed a visit by the Saudi-based Organization of Islamic Cooperation in an effort to diffuse mounting outcry over the treatment of the Muslim Rohingya. (AP)

Myanmar has invited an influential Islamic body to visit a state rocked by sectarian violence, official media said Friday, in an effort to diffuse mounting outcry over the treatment of the Muslim Rohingya.

In a rare conciliatory move over the issue, President Thein Sein said he welcomed a visit by the Saudi-based Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the world’s largest Muslim grouping, which has urged a probe into violence between Buddhist Rakhine and Rohingya that left scores dead.

“The president said he hoped the OIC secretary could witness the reality (in Rakhine),” state mouthpiece the New Light of Myanmar said, adding tens of thousands of displaced people from both sides are being given food and shelter.

Thein Sein’s comments came as the visiting foreign minister of Muslim-majority Turkey offered aid to the strife-stricken Rakhine state.

He also urged “the Turkish minister to explain the realities in Myanmar” to the OIC, the report added.

OIC head Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu on Sunday proposed sending a mission to probe “massacres... oppression and ethnic cleansing” of Rohingya in Rakhine, adding weight to calls by Egypt and Saudi Arabia for an investigation into the unrest.

The initial outbreak of fighting in western Rakhine state killed some 80 people from both sides in June, official figures show.

Renewed violence between Buddhists and Muslim Rohingya left several people dead in Myanmar on Sunday, underscoring tensions in the area.

Human rights groups have alleged the number of dead could be much higher, but Friday’s report said “only 77 persons” from both sides died.

The bloodshed has cast a shadow over widely praised reforms by President Thein Sein, including the release of hundreds of political prisoners and the election of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to parliament.

Myanmar’s government has rejected accusations of abuse by security forces in Rakhine, after the United Nations raised fears of a crackdown on Muslims.

The entire state has been under emergency rule since early June with a heavy army and police presence.

New York-based Human Rights Watch has accused Myanmar forces of opening fire on Rohingya, as well as committing rape and standing by as rival mobs attacked each other.

Decades of discrimination have left the Rohingya stateless, and they are viewed by the United Nations as one of the world’s most persecuted minorities.

Speaking a Bengali dialect similar to one in neighboring Bangladesh, the Rohingya are seen as illegal immigrants by the Myanmar government and many Burmese, and many have attempted to flee overseas in rickety boats.

Sources Here :



AUG 2, 2012
By Gregory Poling and Prashanth Parameswaran

Myanmar continues to pursue reforms at an impressive pace, but the plight of the country’s Rohingya population remains a disgrace for a state seeking to engage the international community. That disgrace is not the government’s alone—it is shared by the opposition movement, including its leader Aung San Suu Kyi as well as the country’s neighbors and the international community.

The more than 800,000 Rohingyas that live in Myanmar today, most in western Rakhine state, are denied citizenship by the government and face a range of abuses including forced labor, marriage restrictions, and unlawful detention. Their suffering is so severe that many have sought refuge across the border in Bangladesh, while others have fled on dangerous voyages by boat to Thailand and Malaysia. Amnesty International July 20 noted that both security forces and Buddhists in Rakhine state have been carrying out “primarily one-sided” attacks, including massive security sweeps, detentions, and killings, against the Rohingya in the weeks after a wave of communal violence erupted between the area’s Buddhist and Muslim populations.

During the recent communal violence, the country’s news outlets engaged in base fear-mongering, equating Rohingyas with “terrorists,” and the government did nothing to dispel these assertions. Officials and most commentators from Myanmar’s majority Burman ethnic group insisted that the Rohingyas are recent migrants from Bangladesh and do not qualify as one of the country’s roughly 135 ethnic minorities. Immigration Minister Khin Yi said this week that they will not be included in the country’s 2014 census. Popular Myanmar News Journal has reported that he told Bangladesh’s ambassador to Myanmar that Rohingyas are not citizens because they only began migrating to the country after 1824.

The impossible situation in which Rohingyas find themselves has been on display since the eruption of violence nearly two months ago. Many have attempted to flee to Bangladesh with their families, where they have been stopped at the border and refused entry. Those who made it across the border face detention and deportation back to Rakhine state. Myanmar’s president Thein Sein announced that only those Rohingyas with proof of citizenship would be permitted to return to their homes, but the government has long denied Rohingyas the right to legal documentation of any kind. The president said Myanmar will not accept “illegal immigrants” and has requested that the United Nations refugee agency either place the Rohingya in refugee camps or deport them to a third country, which the UN understandably refused.

On the opposition side, the widely respected Aung San Suu Kyi has avoided the subject. During her June trip to Europe, which coincided with the outbreak of communal violence in Rakhine state, she said only that the country must clarify its citizenship laws. Whether such clarification would embrace or dispossess the Rohingya was left unclear. In her first parliamentary speech July 25, Suu Kyi spoke of soaring poverty rates and other roots of violence in “ethnic states,” but did not mention the deadly violence in Rakhine state or the government’s treatment of Rohingyas. Other leaders of her National League for Democracy have made clear that they are of one mind with the government in declaring the Rohingya squatters on their own land.

Some international commentators argue that the opposition’s position is to be expected since the issue is politically sensitive and most citizens hold extremely hostile views toward the Rohingya. But that is no excuse for silence in the face of killing, rape, and abuse of a helpless people. Some have argued that Suu Kyi herself has her arms tied now that she is an elected member of parliament from a conservative district. This wildly underestimates the influence of “the Lady.” Suu Kyi is much more than a parliamentary opposition leader; she is the scion of the nation’s greatest hero, the symbol of resistance to what was until recently one of the world’s most repressive regimes, and to many of her countrymen a bodhisattva, one on the path to enlightenment and Buddhahood.

The government of Myanmar needs to snap out of its denial and confront the Rohingya issue head on. The nearly million Rohingyas in Myanmar are the country’s responsibility, and proper rights must be accorded to them. President Thein Sein should also have a frank and practical discussion about repatriation issues with his Bangladeshi counterpart during his upcoming visit to Dhaka.

Aung San Suu Kyi must break her silence on the issue. She cannot change the collective opinions of an entire country over night, but her voice is critical in getting the ball rolling. Even if the government tomorrow decreed the Rohingya citizens of Myanmar, most of the population would still see them as intruders. Only Suu Kyi’s opinion can carry enough weight with the Burman majority to make a dent in that prejudice.

The international community also should play a stronger role. It is encouraging that ASEAN secretary-general Surin Pitsuwan has taken a “personal interest” in the issue and spoke directly to Myanmar and Bangladesh during ASEAN meetings in Cambodia in July. However, the organization and its member states can do much more to facilitate a solution. A good opportunity will be at an upcoming international conference on the Rohingya in August, where progress can hopefully be made toward allowing access for aid that is currently being blocked by the government. The conference was announced by the Malaysian International Islamic Cooperation Institute, but the exact location remains undecided.

Other concerned actors ranging from the United States to the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) should also hold Myanmar’s feet to the fire on this issue since it remains an enormous blemish on the country’s path to reform. The United States and Europe have spent decades condemning the treatment of the country’s other minorities, particularly the Karen and, more recently, the Kachin. Their response to the plight of the Rohingya has been, by comparison, remarkably muted. At the very least, they should support the call by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights for an international inquiry into the widely reported abuses against the Rohingya by security forces in Rakhine state.

UN special rapporteur on human rights for Myanmar Tomas Ojea Quintana traveled to Rakhine state this week to assess the situation. He was told dismissively by Immigration Minister Khin Yi that “this is just a regional but not an international issue . . . so I don’t think the government will accept the call to open an inquiry as if this were an international issue.” The international community must make clear that the problem will not simply go away. The plight of the Rohingya may well constitute crimes against humanity, according to a June report by respected researchers at the Irish Center for Human Rights. Myanmar’s civilian government, its democratic opposition, the country’s neighbors, and the global community all have an obligation to confront this reality and ensure that it is rectified. (This Commentary first appeared in the August 2, 2012, issue of Southeast Asia from the Corner of 18th and K Streets.)

Gregory Poling is a research associate with the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C. Prashanth Parameswaran is a researcher with the CSIS Southeast Asia Program.

Commentary is produced by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a private, tax-exempt institution focusing on international public policy issues. Its research is nonpartisan and nonproprietary. CSIS does not take specific policy positions. Accordingly, all views, positions, and conclusions expressed in this publication should be understood to be solely those of the author(s).


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Since June 2012, the military, police and NaSaKa have been collaboratively arresting the innocent Rohingya Muslims from Buthidaung and Maung daw Township, Rakhine State and confining them in jail. The arrested Rohingyas had been tortured brutally by all means before they were sent to jail as well. They were forced to be naked in jail and to eat using their mouths from the floor like animals where the foods were spread over. Most of arrestee passed away suffering severe pain resulted from the extreme abuses in the jail. Corpses were buried at a place of near to the Buthidaung jail. Last month, 43 innocent Rohingya passed away in this jail and were buried in the mentioned place. 

Currently, according to the some reliable sources, more innocent Rohingya arrestees were brought to court for hearing. But, no one is allowed to go near to the court. It is the way how they were taken to court from jail: first, they were taken to court by prison bus and when it was about to reach to the court, they were forced to crawl from the street to court like animals. Pleading is forbidden for them and they were sentenced to jail unjustly. 

The NaSaKa head that just arrived to Maungdaw as the replacement of Colonel Aung Gyi is a Rakhine Buddhist himself and have been arresting the innocent Rohingya Muslims with lame reasons. The native Rohingya Muslims are too afraid to go out of their houses till now. The extremist Rakhine Buddhists are igniting the genocide and local security forces cooperating with them. 

Translated by Snowy (Reporter of RB News)


Bradford West MP George Galloway has written to Foreign Secretary William Hague, alerting him to the plight of the ancient Rohingya people of Burma –the subject of a vicious pogrom – and asking him to do what he can to come to their aid. 

Galloway said, ‘I appreciate that Britain has little pressure to be bring to bear to influence the Burmese government. But a clear statement of condemnation of the atrocities
 which have taken place would send a message ringing round the world. Bangladesh, which has taken in around 200,000 refugees, is now turning them back by the boatload, must also be informed that it has a duty to help those fleeing persecution. The United Nations needs to discuss this urgently and take action. We cannot stand by.’



Source here


ARU DIRECTOR GENERAL PROF. DR. WAKAR UDDIN MEETS WITH OIC SECRETARY GENERAL H.E. PROF. DR. EKMELEDDIN IHSANOGLU AT THE OIC HEADQUARTERS IN JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA 

The Secretary General of Organization of Islamic Cooperation, H.E. Prof. Dr. Ekmeleddin Isanoglu, warmly received the Director General of Arakan Rohingya Union, Prof. Dr. Wakar Uddin, at the OIC Headquarters in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The meeting was attended by H.E. Ambassador Sayed Elmasry, Special Envoy of the Secretary General for Minority Affairs, HE Ambassador to the United Nations Ufuk Gokcen, and the Director of the Muslim Minority and Community, Mr. Talal Daous. 

The hour-long meeting covered the current situation in Arakan and chronic political and human right issues faced by Rohingya ethnic minority in Arakan. The Secretary General specifically asked Dr. Uddin the cause of the recent violence by Buddist Rakhine against Rohingya people. Dr. Uddin provided perspectives on two different causes the violence. He said “First, there is a long standing hate and bigotry against Rohingya by Buddhist Rakhine in Arakan. They have resorted to these types of violence before. In 1942, thousands of Rohingya people were slaughtered by Rakhine in Arakan, particularly in the central and southern parts of Arakan; therefore, the Rohingya population was drastically reduced to current level in those Rohingya areas”. 

Secondly, he pointed that the hardliners in the current military-dominated government in Myanmar was poised to deprive Rohingya people of flavor of democracy because of their fear that the democracy in Arakan could guarantee human rights for Rohingya. “All evidences that have gathered from the sequence of events on the ground during the violence in Arakan and the Burmese media war on Rohingya are clearly pointing to Rakhine and the military hardliners as the masterminds of the violence with systematic preplanning ; They evidently did not want democracy in Arakan, rather impose military rule which will give them free-hands to continue their old policy of ethnic cleansing and human right violations without any legal ramification” Dr. Uddin added. He also provided a detailed account of how the violence by Rakhine against Rohingya has quickly transitioned to atrocities and cold blooded murder of Rohingya by Burmese forces. He explained that the police force in Arakan, primarily made-up of Rakhine, has been arresting hundreds of Rohingya male adults and transported to various prisons with torture chambers where discharge of dead bodies have been reported by eyewitness. Dr. Uddin appealed to the HE Secretary General to mobilize all the OIC member states and the international community, particularly the West, to pressure the Government of Myanmar to immediately halt the arrests, torture, and murder of Rohingya men. A number of cases of rape by Burmese forces have also been elaborated by Dr. Uddin. One of the most pressing issues discussed at the meeting was the current humanitarian crisis faced by Rohingya in Arakan. “The Rohingya victims are not getting supplies in most areas because local Rakhine and Burmese officials are diverting the food supplies to Rakhine people.

The personnel from the United Nations and other international organizations must be present on the ground, in coordination with the Burmese officials in distribution of food, medicine, and shelter supplies. “We are running out of time. The Rohingya victims are facing starvation in several areas. Losing a day in supplying food to Rohingya areas is tantamount to losing many lives” Dr. Uddin stressed. He also appealed to the HE Secretary General to call on all the 58 member states of OIC to work in concert in pressuring the Government of Myanmar to permanent cease the hostility toward Rohingya ethnic minority to bringing the peace to Arakan. 



The HE Secretary General and the officials of OIC have assured Dr. Uddin that they will continue to work with the Government of Myanmar in coordination with the international community to find a solution to Rohingya political and human rights issue. On behalf Rohingya community worldwide, Dr. Uddin expressed his deep gratitude to HE Secretary General and officials at OIC for their continuous efforts in seeking solution for the crisis faced by the Rohingya people in Myanmar. Dr. Uddin also conveyed his special thanks to the HE Secretary General for the relentless efforts by the OIC Department of Muslim Minority and Community for the cause of Rohingya. 

ARU Director General Prof. Dr. Wakar Uddin meets with OIC Secretary General Prof. Dr. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu at the OIC Headquarters in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. 

OIC Ambassador to the United Nations, H.E. Ufuk Gokcen, ARU Director Prof. Dr. Wakar Uddin, Special Envoy of the Secretary General for Minority Affairs H.E. Ambassador, Sayed Elmasry, and the Director of the Muslim Minority and Community Mr. Talal Daous at OIC Headquarters in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 


Emine Erdoğan, the Turkish prime minister's spouse, seen in tears in her visit to the troubled Rohingya Muslims with Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu in Myanmar. (Photo: AA)
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and Emine Erdoğan, the Turkish prime minister's wife, on Friday visited Rohingya Muslims staying in the Banduba refugee camp in the Myanmar coastal state of Rakhine.

Apart from the United Nations, this is the first instance of foreign aid being distributed to refugees in need in the region by another nation. The Turkish Red Crescent briefed Davutoğlu and Erdoğan about conditions at the camp during their visit.

Turkish Red Crescent staff stated that there are 8,532 people sheltered in the camp and that there are currently 801 tents. The Turkish Red Crescent is delivering boxes of food.

When Erdoğan asked what the refugees' biggest problem was, Turkish Red Crescent officials said those in the camp struggle with finding suitable accommodations and suffer from malnutrition. Later, Davutoğlu and Erdoğan headed to a Buddhist camp and distributed more aid packages there as well.

Upon learning of the difficulties faced by Buddhists as well, Davutoğlu stated people all have equal rights and that he would like to see Muslims and Buddhists living together in peace. Davutoğlu also conveyed the best wishes of the Turkish people to the people of Myanmar and stressed that the Turkish Red Crescent came to help everyone and will continue delivering aid to the community.

According to official data, the population of Myanmar is 55 million, of which 90 percent are Buddhists and 10 percent are Muslims.

Meanwhile, the Turkish Prime Ministry Disaster & Emergency Management Directorate (AFAD) has stated that so far they have collected TL 3.4 million in their aid campaign for Muslims in Myanmar.

The AFAD thanked Turkish citizens for their support of their Muslim brothers and sisters suffering from civil war, ethnic massacre and poverty in Arakan region of Myanmar.
Buddhists intensified killing of Muslims after news of Turks visit

There are claims that the massacre of the Muslim population in Myanmar increased directly after news of the visit by Ms. Erdoğan and Davutoğlu was released across the country, the Turkish Vatan daily reported on Friday.

Official statistics say more than 1,000 Rohingya Muslims living in Myanmar have been killed and more than 90,000 have been left homeless due to the violent events that Rohingya Muslims have been facing since June.

According to the Vatan daily, the slaughter of Muslims intensified just before the high-level Turkish delegation visit to Myanmar on early Thursday.

American Salem News reported about a Myanmarese activist's letter which stated: “After hearing about the visit of the Turkish delegation here [to Myanmar], Buddhists ravaged the houses of local Muslims and killed dozens of people. We have never seen such horrors. Even the most talented directors cannot shoot this kind of [horror] scenes.”

With the massacres carried out in Myanmar over the past few weeks, a state of emergency was declared in nine regions and a night curfew was enforced from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. in certain parts of the country with a large population of Muslims.

Following the bloody ethnic massacre, Muslims in the Arakan region have fled across the river between Myanmar and Bangladesh although Bangladesh authorities have refused to accept any more refugees into its territory because the country is not able to cope with a further influx of refugees.

DVB Director Aye Chan Naing
Aye Chan Naing calls for full citizenship for the Muslim minority. He calls on exiles to come home to contribute to the process of democratisation from within. The involvement of new politically active generations must be supported with better education. Today, opposing a dictatorship is not enough; building a nation is a must.

Rome (AsiaNews) - Pro-government groups have fuelled violence against minority Rohingya Muslims, who should have a right to Burmese nationality and be full part of Burma. The future of Myanmar's pro-democracy movement must go beyond fighting a military junta to find ways to contribute to the country's growth, not only in economic terms but also in the area of human rights. These are some of the elements of reflections proposed by Aye Chan Naing, director Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), an online media organisation founded by Burmese exiles close to the pro-democracy opposition in a long interview with AsiaNews.

Among the most important Diaspora figures, he heads a network based in Oslo, Norway, that has reported several times on the violence of the military dictatorship against the civil population and Buddhist monks. Aye Chan Naing hopes to see Burmese refugees return home. However, they'll have to defeat "resistance within the opposition. Citing Aung San Suu Kyi in her visit to Europe, "democracy is Burma is still a long way to go."

Here is the interview Aye Chan Naing gave AsiaNews:

What do you think about events in Rakhine State and the Rohingya's tragedy? How can the government solve the crisis? Do they deserve Burmese nationality?

The events in Rakhine state really show how fragile the process of change is in Burma. This tragedy did not happen by itself. There are a lot of signs that some group in the government and the military as well as some extreme nationalist group were behind the whole thing. I do believe that Rohingya have a right to Burmese nationality.

The problem goes back a long way and revolves a basic right, that of citizenship.

Of course! I am firmly convinced that they [the Rohingya] should be granted Burmese citizenship and treated as full Burmese citizens.
Which role can Diaspora Burmese play in the country's process of democratisation?

Burmese in exile can play a major role in bridging the gap between the international community and Burma. They can help build civil society groups and democracy, preserve the environment, and reconcile ethnic groups, and much more. They have been involved in all these issues over the past 20 years or more-more actively and openly than those inside Burma. 

And the key issue for Diaspora Burmese getting involved in current developments also depends on how people inside Burma view them. There will always be resistance even within opposition circles to exiles coming back. 


In the past, Burmese living abroad were "essential" to report the junta's crimes. How can they contribute now?


I don't think their importance will go away but they will have to get involve in different ways. Now that it is possible to do a lot more inside Burma and the government seems willing to let people engage in grassroots activity, they would have to get into real ground work. It is important that some groups are watching the current changes in Burma with critical eyes without compromising their independence.

After China, Thailand and India, Europe and the United States look at Myanmar. Are democracy friendly investments possible as Aung San Suu Kyi has called for?

I don't think no one can stop them now from doing business in Burma, especially Western companies. They have been waiting for this opportunity for long time. And I also don't think one could push company to do "democracy friendly" investment. For them, business means profit, nothing else. The only difference is that Western company would have higher standard in term of labour rights, accountability, environmental protection, etc. If they don't, people have higher chance to pressure them to do so than Asian companies for example.

Speaking about Aung San Suu Kyi, what do you think about her recent trip to Europe? Was it a political success for her?

I think it showed how powerful she is in the West. All the countries she visited in the West treated her like a head of state. But it is dangerous as people in the West might think that things are getting better in Burma and that she is back in power. This is far from the reality on the ground. This is why I think she has repeatedly said in her speeches abroad that democracy is Burma is still a long way to go.

Even the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund are opening offices in Burma. Can rights and guarantees be promoted alongside the economy?

It is difficult to shift media attention to life of Burma's ordinary people. It has always been like that in the past as well. Most of the attention goes to main political events and Aung San Suu Kyi. However, some coverage about fighting in ethnic areas has been done for example.

But now it is easier for tourists to visit Burma and journalists to get a visa. This will give average Burmese greater exposure to more tourists and foreign journalists.

Behind Aung San Suu Kyi, are there future Burmese leaders who can contribute to change? What do you expect from the parliamentary elections in 2015?

Young people in Burma are very much involved in politics. For example, the 88 generation group has considerable influence over the public. They mobilized the public in 2007 when Aung San Suu Kyi was under house arrest. In turn, their initiative led later to Buddhist monks to rise against the regime. Burma's younger generation is still pretty much aware of the political struggle ahead, of the fight for democracy and human rights. They are still largely immune to business influence.

But the long term imprisonment for political activists, lack of higher quality education, past isolation from the outside world and lack of trust between ethnic groups have definitely made the task of rebuilding the country very difficult, no matter who takes over state power in a new government. Rebuilding the country needs different kind of skills compared to leading the opposition against the military dictatorship.

Sources Here :

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 10 (Bernama) -- Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has urged Islamic nations to jointly play a role to help end the misery of the Muslim Rohingyas in Myanmar.
The former prime minister said Malaysian efforts alone could not solve the problem.

"Nevertheless, if the effort comes from all Muslims, Islamic nations and other countries, I am confident the United Nations (UN) will take action to save the Rohingyas," he told reporters after a symbolic handing over of clean water through the `WaqafWater4Gaza' here today.

He was asked to comment on a claim by the Saudi Arabian Government that Myanmar, whose populace was mostly Buddhists, was carrying out ethnic cleansing of the Muslim Rohingyas in the country.

Dr Mahathir also hoped the Myanmar Government, which had now opened its doors to democracy, would be considerate over the fate befalling the Rohingyas.

In a related development, he said he had written a letter to Myanmar's icon of democracy and human rights activist Aung San Suu Kyi, five days ago, seeking her intervention in the issue.

"She is influential and I hope she will say something to solve the problem," he added.

Suu Kyi, the winner of the Nobel Peace prize, was recently reported as saying, "I don't know", when asked whether the Rohingyas were citizens of Myanmar.

The aggression in Rakhine between Buddhists and Muslim Rohingyas had left 80 people killed since June.

The Myanmar Government has classified the Rohingyas as Bengali Muslims who entered from Bangladesh, and does not recognise them as citizens of Myanmar.

In GEORGE TOWN, the South East Asia Inter-Religious Dialogue For Peace has called on Asean to pressure the Myanmar Government so that legal action could be taken, in lieu of the killing of Rohingya Muslims in that country.

Its chairman, Datuk Mujahid Yusof Rawa, said this was because the killing of the Rohingya Muslims was indeed, inhumane and deemed wrong and sinful in any religion.

"Apart from that, the Rohingya Muslims have also been denied citizenship and the right to live, as well as to education, health, social, economy and religion," he told a media conference here today.
He said the Myanmar Government should also be urged to solve the citizenship issues concerning the Rohingya Muslims.

"They have been living as migrants in their own country, when in reality, they deserve better treatment based on human rights," he added.

Mujahid said, plans were underway to propose to the Myanmar Government to allow non-governmental organisations in Southeast Asia to channel aid and assistance to the Rohingya Muslims.

ွSources Here :


Thursday, 9th August 2012 

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu is in Myanmar now to observe the situation of Arakan. He is due to visit to Sittwe on 10th August 2012. Authorities in Sittwe, as usual and as they did to UN Special Human Rights Rapportuer Mr. Tomas Ojea Quintanaon during his visit to Arakan, are taking all the steps and doing all the tricks to deceive Ahmet Davutoglu and to hide the crimes done against Rohingyas. “Authorities in Sittwe are threatening to kill us after his departure if we speak the truth to him. They (authorities) are trying to not let him meet us in our refugee camps. Instead, the government is arranging some of their puppets from Rohingya community and some Hindus (who look like Rohingyas) to meet him and trying to portray them as real Rohingya victims. But we will speak the truth if we get chance” said Maung Oo, a Rohingya victim from Sittwe a refugee camp. 

According to Rohingyas in Akyab and Kyauktaw, the fresh violence and the renewed persecutions against Rohingyas are all due to encouragement of the Vice President Sai Maung Kham. He was reportedly bribed Myanmar Kyat 1000 Lakhs by Rakhine leaders in order to take side with Rakhines in cleansing Rohingyas. There is no doubt that the authorities in Arakan state took part with Rakhine extremists in killing Rohingyas. However, it is quite shocking to see the highest authorities like Sai Maung Kham encouraging Rakhines to kill Rohingyas. As a result, just after his visit to Arakan, thousands of Rohingyas’ houses were burned and hundreds of Rohingyas were killed while displacing thousands. Another mastermind behind Rohingya genocide is Hmuu Zaw (Bomu Za Htay), the director of the president office, who has consistently instigating general Burmese people towards racial riot through social media like facebook. 

“In Shwe Hlaing village of Kyawk Taw, 11 Rohingyas were killed and their corpses were recovered. Of them, one was 95-year-old women and another was 85-year-old men. Besides, historical monuments, Documents and any other kinds of evidences that can prove Rohingyas’ centuries-old existence were mainly targeted by Rakhine extremists with the help of local authorities. The displaced Rohingyas in villages like Ambaari of Kyawktaw are severely facing starvation and in dire needs of foods, medicines and shelter as they are made to live in the open fields in the rainy season. Elsewhere, in Buthidaung, 21 Rohingyas were killed in the wave of recent violence against Rohingyas in Kyauktaw. Six dead bodies have been recovered so far” reported by Alam from Buthidaung. 

“And in Maung Daw, two Rohingyas from Sikdar Para of Maung Daw were killed in the police custody. Of them, one was a rice-seller called Cashetta (nickname) and another one was the caretaker of a Masjid in Sikdar Para. Their dead bodies were not returned to their respective families and thrown into Jungles nearby Kawarbil. A Rohingya man (brother-in-law of Abdul Hafiz, Rangoon) was arrested by Police. Besides, Police, in Maung Daw, in their greed for money, are confiscating Census-List-Paper of Rohingyas and demanding huge amount of money in return for them” Rahim from Maung Daw reported. 

Compiled by M.S. Anwar


Indonesian Muslim protesters shout slogans during a Rohingya solidarity protest outside Myanmar's embassy in Jakarta on Thursday. About a hundred protesters staged a rally urging Myanmar's government to stop violence against ethnic Rohingya. The rape and murder of a Buddhist Rakhine woman on 28 May allegedly by three Muslim Rohingya men, sparked a wave of sectarian violence in the state in June that left at least 77 dead and up to 90,000 people displaced. (EPA Photo/MAST IRHAM

Around 100 men protested outside the Myanmar embassy in Jakarta on Thursday, demanding the ambassador be expelled for Myanmar’s treatment of Muslim Rohingya.

The men wore white headbands with “Save the Rohingya” scrawled in red and carried banners reading “Stop the Violence.”

The rally was organized by a group called the Rohingya Solidarity Society, which in a press release demanded Myanmar’s government formally acknowledge the Rohingya as citizens of the country.

“We urge countries with Muslim populations, especially Indonesia, to take firm and proactive measures to end the Rohingya’s suffering,” a man shouted through a loudspeaker.

Protestors, some of whom threw eggs at the embassy, also called on Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to withdraw support for Myanmar to chair the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 2014 and to expel the country’s ambassador.

Violence erupted between Buddhists and Rohingya in June in western Myanmar’s Rakhine state, leaving about 80 people dead from both sides, according to official estimates deemed low by rights groups.

Around 60,000 people, mostly Rohingya, were displaced by the violence, and New York-based Human Rights Watch said Myanmar security forces opened fire on Rohingya, committed rape and stood by as mobs attacked each other.

Myanmar’s government considers the estimated 800,000 Rohingya in the country to be foreigners, while many citizens see them as illegal immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh and view them with hostility.

Decades of discrimination have left them stateless and they are viewed by the United Nations as one of the world’s most persecuted minorities.

Agence France-Presse
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu (R) with the Myanmar President Thein Sein on Aug. 9, 2012. (Photo: AA)
A Turkish delegation led by Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, and which includes Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's spouse and daughter, arrived in Myanmar early on Thursday in a bid to both “boost bilateral relations” and “bring international attention to the plight of suffering Rohingya Muslims.”


Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, accompanied by a Turkish delegation, paid a visit to Myanmar in a bid to both “boost bilateral relations” and “bring international attention to the plight of suffering Rohingya Muslims.”

The delegation includes Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's spouse and daughter, Davutoğlu's spouse, several deputies, bureaucrats, representatives of charities and journalists.

Davutoğlu was received by Myanmar's President Thein Sein, who expressed his pleasure about the fact that Turkey opened an embassy in his country, on Thursday. Sein stated that Myanmar would also open an embassy in Turkey as soon as possible, adding relations between the two countries would be developed by this move. Turkey opened an embassy in Myanmar in March 2012.

On the same day, Davutoğlu also met with his counterpart in Myanmar, Wunna Maung Lwin in Myanmar's capital Naypyidaw. Davutoğlu said that Turkey and Myanmar were the two big states of Asia, adding that his visit had been the first high-level one from Turkey to Myanmar. Davutoğlu's meetings with both Sein and Lwin were closed to the press corps. Davutoğlu is also scheduled to meet with Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Davutoğlu stated that they arrived in Myanmar to establish bilateral relations and reach Arakan, the location of the recently escalating violence against Rohingya Muslims by extremist Buddhists. “We would like to carry on with both of our aims,” said Davutoğlu.

He said that the Myanmar government's decision to grant their visit reflects Turkey's influence in the international field. “Myanmar did not do the same for any other countries. Our ambassador worked hard,” said Davutoğlu.

Davutoğlu stated that the government in Myanmar was only allowing United Nations (UN) and their members of staff to get into the Arakan region.

Sein declared a state of emergency in Arakan province following clashes between Buddhists and Muslims and deployed troops to restore stability.

Replying to questions of journalists on his flight to Myanmar, Davutoğlu stated that this was the first high-level visit between Turkey and Myanmar. He added that they could see Myanmar's government opening up to the world step by step.

Davutoğlu also restated that he had given two instructions to the ambassador who was appointed to Myanmar, adding first one was to find the graveyards of the 1,500 Turkish soldiers who were taken to Myanmar from Çanakkale and Egypt during WWI and were killed there. “I am following very closely the graveyard issue. We are greatly indebted to those soldiers,” said Davutoğlu, adding he has written a letter to Lwin regarding the martyrs' cemeteries.

Davutoğlu added that the second instruction was to make contact with the Muslims in Arakan. He added that the problems in Arakan have gone on for decades and said that the aid they brought will be primarily taken to Muslims in Arakan then taken to Buddhist camps too. “At the moment our first aim is to set up good relationships with the government in Myanmar, then distribute humanitarian aid."

Davutoğlu stated that what the Western world can do about the Rohingya Muslims is limited and said that they will ask Indonesia to cooperate with Turkey regarding the Rohingya Muslims under the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

The Turkish foreign minister underlined that Turkey is a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), adding that Turkey's aid to Arakan will increase its visibility in ASEAN and around the globe.

Meanwhile, the Turkish Prime Ministry's Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate (AFAD) has stated that so far they have collected TL 2.1 million in their aid campaign for Muslims in Myanmar, who are facing violence and discrimination. AFAD thanked the Turkish citizens who have supported the Muslims suffering from civil war, ethnical massacre and poverty in the Arakan region of Myanmar.

Source here


Jeddah: The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu expressed disappointment over the inaction of the international community to stop the massacres, injustice and ethnic cleansing perpetrated by the Myanmar government against Rohingya Muslims in the Arakan region.

In his speech at the extraordinary meeting of the OIC Executive Committee on this issue on Sunday, Ihsanoglu explained the steps being taken by OIC to protect Muslim minority in Myanmar. 

He said that the neglect of the rights of Rohingyas by the international community and the lack of unity among Rohingya organizations spurred the OIC to exert earnest efforts to unite these organizations for the first time at the OIC headquarters in May 2011.

The OIC General Secretariat had directed its offices at the United Nations in New York to coordinate with its member states which are also non-permanent members of the UN Security Council (Azerbaijan, Morocco, Pakistan and Togo) to urge the Council to consider the plight of the Rohingyan minorities, he noted.

The secretary general condemned the continued repression and ethnically-motivated oppression of the Rohingyan Muslims as well as to demand restoration of their legitimate rights and request member states, particularly those with representation with the Myanmar government, to do all within their means to convince the Myanmar government to repeal the arbitrary 1982 Citizenship Law which led to withdrawal of citizenship from Rohingyan Muslims.

Ihsanoglu also urged countries, especially Myanmar’s neighboring countries, as well as Islamic organizations and bodies to provide urgent assistance to the Rohingyan Muslims. 

He proposed that the Islamic Group in Geneva should dispatch and urgent request to the Human Rights Council to send a fact-finding mission to investigate the massive violation perpetrated against the Muslims inhabitants of Arakan. 

The OIC Secretary General also proposed that setting up of an Islamic fact-finding committee on the events should be considered, and that a report in that regard should be submitted to the next ministerial conference. 

He also proposed that an Islamic ministerial contact group should be established to find a just radical solution to this pending issue by contacting all relevant parties, including the government of Myanmar, as well as international and regional organizations and bodies.

Ihsanoglu called on the OIC Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission to consider the issue at its next session to be held in Turkey at the end of August.
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Sources Here :



MEMO

Brussels, 9 August 2012

Statement by Commissioner Georgieva on humanitarian access to Rohingya and other affected communities

For several years, some 40,000 unregistered Rohingya refugees from Myanmar have been receiving life-saving assistance from three international NGOs funded by the European Commission in two makeshift camps. In spite of the recent violence in Myanmar's Rakhine State, the population of these camps has remained stable. However, the authorities in Dhaka have now requested the three international NGOs, who also assist the local Bangladeshi population, to cease their humanitarian activities.

EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, Kristalina Georgieva, expressed her deep concern about this decision and the situation of the Rohingyas, and other vulnerable people affected by these events.

"I strongly appeal to the Government of Bangladesh to act responsibly and offer a helping hand to all those in need and to allow humanitarian aid organisations to do their work for the benefit of all communities."

Commissioner Georgieva further emphasised the need to create acceptable conditions for the delivery of humanitarian aid in Rakhine State in Myanmar.

The European Commission, through its humanitarian and civil protection department ECHO has allocated EUR 10 million in 2012 benefiting both Rohingyas and other communities in need in Bangladesh and Myanmar.

Source here



There live approximately 800,000 Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, forming 4% of the Burma’s total population. Contrary to this official data of Myanmar Government, neutral sources claims that, the total Muslim population is more than double the government estimates. It is worth noting that, Burmese Muslims, commonly known as Rohingya Muslims, settled in this part of the world in 7th and 8th century from Arab. Nevertheless, they had the legal status of Burmese minority until 1970s. In 1982, through constitutional amendment, the Military Junta of the country declared them as non-Burmese. Thereafter, Military Junta, started gradual exploitation of this Muslim population to include; denial of their personal and religious freedom and fundamental human rights. Owing to these inhuman acts, thousands of Rohingya Muslims to fled to the neighbouring countries too. After 9/11, the persecution of Rohingya Muslims has increased many folds.

Though, traditionally, the Buddhist population and successive governments in Myanmar have been discriminatory towards this Muslim population. However, the current phase of massacre of Rhingya Muslims, started in June 2012, has been the worst. During this phase, Burmese Buddhists in collaboration with their security forces unleashed, unprecedented terrorism on this ill-fated Muslim population. Independent sources did not mention any particular reasons for the massacre, except that, on provocation of their Monks against Muslims. Independent sources say that, on June 3, 2012, hundred of Buddhists attacked and slaughtered eight Muslims returning to Rangoon in a bus after visiting a Masjid in the Arakan province. An eyewitness narrates that, after killing these Muslims, “the culprits were celebrating triumph spitting and tossing wine and alcohol on the dead bodies lying on the road.

After having seen some of the recent videos and pictures of these brutal killings of the Burmese Muslims, one wonders, as Burmese Buddhists are really human beings or wild creature and is this message of peace Lord Buddha gave them. They have crossed all limits of being merciless. During the current wave of terrorism, Buddhists have killed thousands of the Rhingya Muslims cold bloodedly. Some insiders claim that number of killings could be as much as 20,000. According to a report of London based human rights organization, Equal Rights Trust, “The military has (of late) become more actively involved in committing acts of violence and other abuses against the Rohingya including killings and mass arrests.”

Indeed, “Amnesty International and the Human Rights Watch have protested that instead of stopping the violence by the Rakhine gangs, the Burmese military has joined them in killing, setting thousands of homes on fire and conducting mass arrests of Muslims. President Thein Sein, lately being lionized by the West as a reformer, has a simple solution to the problem: Expel all the Rohingya or turn them over to the UN as refugees!” This statement leaves no doubt that, this massacre is indeed state sponsored. According to a New York based Human Rights Watch report, Myanmar security forces openly fire on Rohingya Muslims, committed rape and stood by to watch the Buddhists killing Muslims. According to this organization, Myanmar security forces have, “unleashed a campaign of violence and mass roundups against the Rohingya.” After the recent genocide of the Burmese Muslims, even United Nations considers that, Rohingya Muslims are, “one of the worlds’s most persecuted minorities.” UN resolution of 11 December 1946 declares, “genocide, whether committed in time of peace or war, is a crime under international law, and that all signatories of UN convention will cooperate to prevent genocide in order to liberate the mankind from such an odious scourge.”

Unfortunately, neither UNO nor the civilized world of 21st century has initiated any action or raised voice against this worst human massacre in Burma. All major world human rights organizations are silent, despite watching the horrific videos and pictures of this unprecedented genocide of Muslims at the hands of Buddhist terrorists. So much so, the Myanmar Pro-democracy western darling, Aung San Suu Kyi, did not condemned these acts of brutal killings of the Muslims by Burmese military and the Buddhist terrorist. This Nobel Prize winner said in a press conference in London that, “ethnic conflict plaguing the country” should be investigated and “dealt with wisdom.” She also believes that this Muslim community should be pulled out from the country.

Though Amnesty International has demanded the Myanmar Government and the Parliament to amend or repeal the 1982 Citizenship Law, so that, Rohingyas should get citizenship of a country, where they have lived for centuries. However, this is unlikely to happen. The reason is obvious, the Burmese Military Junta, the Buddhist Monks and civil political parties appears to be unanimous on this aspect that, Rhingyas Muslims have to be pulled out from Myanmar. UN Charter guarantees the basic right to live to all human beings. Rhingyas Muslims are living in Myanmar since centuries. How can they be dislodged from this country and which other country in the world will accept them as its citizens, if not acceptable to Myanmar.

The need of the hour is that, should not UNO, hold emergency session of either UNSC or UNGA over this Muslim massacre. Had there been any other religious entity affected, there would have been outcry all over the globe with possible UN (US) humanitarian intervention by now. Since US, EU and all major global players have their interests in the natural resources of Myanmar, thus, no one would like to displease the current ruling Junta, which is all set to bring democratic reforms, desired by US and West. On its part, Myanmar rulers found this most convenient time to unleash reign of terror on the Muslims of Burma, as it knew that, the so-called western and U.S human rights organizations will be mum along with their Governments. Nevertheless, the blood of Muslims is on sale, thus, everyone can shed it. Amazingly, together with rest of the world, Muslim Ummah has become insensitive too, which is a real tragedy.

Sources Here:

IT was reported that Aung San Suu Kyi dodged a question on whether the Rohingya are Myanmar citizens. She simply answered "I don't know" to an intrigued student who posed the question to her during a public forum in Europe last month. Her answer was a disappointment, given the fact that the world sees her as the icon of democracy and human rights.

The Rohingya are stateless minority Muslims living in Rakhine (formerly Arkan), the westernmost state of Myanmar bordering Bangladesh. Despite historical records indicating that the majority of them had been in the area of modern-day Myanmar since the early 19th century, the Rohingya have never been recognised by the government as a minority living in the country.

Today, an estimated 800,000 Rohingya are living in Rakhine; 300,000 more have fled persecution to seek refuge in Bangladesh, but they are facing discrimination there, too. There are also large Rohingya diasporas in Thailand and Malaysia.

The military junta's dismal record of protecting minority groups is arguably most apparent in the treatment of the Rohingya. Without citizenship, the Rohingya are not subjected to protection by state.

The focus of international attention has always been to hold the Myanmar government accountable for other minority groups, such as the Kachin, Shan, Chin, Karen, among others, which the government is under legal obligation to provide protection as they are considered citizens of Myanmar by law. Such a focus has left the plight of the Rohingya in limbo.

The rights of the Rohingya have consistently been violated even before the founding of the independent state of Myanmar. Up until 1982, however, it was more hopeful for the Rohingya. The 1948 law concerning citizenship did not exclude the Rohingya and appeared open to any ethnic minorities who had settled in the country for more than two generations.

In 1982, under the government of General Ne Win, the citizenship law was effectively overturned. The Citizenship Act of 1982 recognises 135 ethnic groups, but leaves out what the law terms "non-nationals", which include the Rohingya as well as those of Chinese and Indian descent.

Without citizenship, the Rohingya' freedom of movement is restricted. They are prevented from a formal education and denied healthcare. They need permission to get married and are restricted to two children per family. State authorities have coerced them into forced labour and engaged in other forms of persecution.

Even worse, the Buddhist majority of Myanmar view them with suspicion. Some choose to violently resist the presence of the Rohingya in their community. Human rights violations committed against the Rohingya have been so gross that the United Nations called them "one of the most persecuted minorities in the world".

The positive development in Myanmar since the civilian government took over last year is being overshadowed by the recent spike in violence in Rakhine. The current skirmish, claimed by the Buddhist community as retaliation against the raping and killing of a Buddhist girl by Rohingya men, has resulted in significant loss of life and displacement with contradictory figures depending on sources.

The Myanmar government imposed an emergency decree in the conflict area, but has not been effective in ending violence. Unsurprisingly, the authority appears more sympathetic to the Buddhist side, rather than remaining neutral. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch accused the authority of actively targeting the Rohingya.

It is upsetting that Suu Kyi, who has come to symbolise humanity's struggle for democracy and human rights, does not have a firm position regarding the plight of the Rohingya.

When giving a speech in Thailand to Myanmar migrants in May, she promised them citizenship. But when pressed on the Rohingya issue, she dodged the question.

Understandably, Suu Kyi's political base, the Buddhist majority, may have prevented her from taking a more concrete stand on the Rohingya issue for fear of alienating her core supporters.

But as a beacon of democracy and human rights, Suu Kyi cannot afford to ignore the plight of the Rohingya. She cannot compromise on her principles and opt for an easier route to reform.

Her support will matter in nudging President Thein Sein's government to include the Rohingya in the reform process. Her leverage in world affairs will draw international attention and put pressure on the Myanmar Parliament to revise the citizenship law.

Continued neglect of the Rohingya by Suu Kyi and the Myanmar government could produce a much more corrosive effect on the country's attempt to embark on the path of democracy.

Systematic abuse of human rights and denial of citizenship could ferment dangerous discontent, leading to an uprising or armed insurgency.

Already, the Rohingya have found their allies in Islamic movements when the Taliban in Pakistan said they would retaliate against the Myanmar government. Indonesian Islamic hardliners also vowed to wage jihad to stop the genocide.

As such, it should be of interest to Suu Kyi and Thein Sein to settle this issue as quickly and peacefully as possible.

For Myanmar to maintain its trajectory of reform, this issue cannot be ignored. In her maiden speech to Parliament, Suu Kyi called for new laws to protect the rights of "ethnic nationalities".

She must not forget that the Rohingya, having lived in Myanmar for centuries, deserve the right to citizenship and protection from the state. They, too, are humans who warrant the chance to participate in the political and economic development of their country.

Suu Kyi and the government should give them that opportunity.
Sources Here :


Sadiq Khan MP has raised concerns with the Foreign Secretary over the safety and security of Burma’s Muslim Rohingyas community.

A report from Human Rights Watch was published on 1st August, and highlights the lack of action by the Burma government to stop escalating sectarian violence between two Burmese minority populations, the Arakan Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims, in June 2012.

The sectarian clashes began when an incendiary pamphlet was circulated, claiming that an Arakan woman was raped and killed by three Muslim men.


iolent reprisals by both communities continued, and escalated, until the military junta, which governs Burma, declared a state of emergency in Rakhine State on 10th June.

The state of emergency resulted in a concerted period of violence being used against Rohingya communities by state security forces. The Human Rights Watch report claims that 78 people reported to have been killed is a conservative figure, and that 100,000 persons have been displaced.

Sadiq Khan MP said: “The violence towards the Muslim Rohingya is extremely serious and causing unnecessary bloodshed and suffering.

"It is crucial that the violence ends immediately. Especially in this holy month of Ramadhan, I have been inundated with British citizens expressing concern about the plight of these innocent Burmese Muslims.

“I have written to the Foreign Secretary and the Secretary of State for International Development asking that the British government take action to stop the violence and provide aid to those who need it.

“We have seen positive actions from the Burmese government in recent years – such as the release of Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest – but they need to realise that the first job of government is to secure the safety of all citizens.

“It is important that the British government uses all its influence to end this savage treatment of the Rohingya community by the Burmese authorities as a matter of urgency.”

Source here


The Rohingya, a persecuted Muslim community in western Burma, are under attack. Hundreds of thousands have fled to neighboring Bangladesh, but the government is blocking aid -- if we act together now, we can pressure Bangladesh to reverse course and offer Ramadan relief to those in need.

Rohingya refugees who have made it into Bangladesh are at risk after the Bangladeshi government ordered important relief charities shut down, saying the refugees aren’t their responsibility. But people powered compassion, coupled with commitments of financial aid from the important Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), could push Bangladesh to reverse the ban and rescue the Rohingya.

Next week all 56 OIC members states, including Bangladesh, are meeting in Saudi Arabia for an emergency summit to address the crisis. OIC Chief Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu will urge Bangladesh to show mercy and compassion towards Rohingya refugees, but if his call is supported by hundreds of thousands, it will be impossible to ignore. Sign the urgent petition now and share with everyone you know - we’ll deliver it directly to the OIC meetings next week when we reach 100,000 signers.

Sign the petition : Here


    • Rohingya Exodus