Beginning of 21st century is marked the domination of democratic government all over the world; America remains the sole leader of democracy, cessation of cold war ended socialist and communist influence all over the world, and dictators have fewer chances to remain in power. 

When Rakhine Buddhists started burning, and killing of us, I requested my teacher who lives in Yangon to ask help from US embassy. He told me that he appealed several time to the political officer of US embassy. 

I believe that USA is the sole Superpower which can solve our problem; I thought US would help us, I did hope US would try to save Rohingya people but US did not take any responsibility as a leader of World Democracy. 

I don’t understand that US has not acknowledged Rohingya genocide yet. I am not a scholar, I hardly finished Bachelor Degree in Sittwe University, and I know the meaning of genocide. 

Genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group. 

In Myanmar, Rohingya people have being persecuted for many decades, even their existence is denied by the government, Rohingya people have been deprived of even fundamental human right, thousands of Rohingya had already killed in the prisons, and during the persecution. The Rakhine Buddhists and government are continuously and consistently killing Rohingya in many different ways. 

There are thousands of Rohingya in the prisons of Rethedaung, Buthidaung, Maungdaw, Kyauktaw, Pauktaw, and Sittwe who are tortured violently by the polices when they are being brought to the court every week, everyday at least 3 or 4 Rohingya die because of torture in every prison and police custody. Is it not a planned genocide? 

Myanmar government alleged Rohingya as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. The government has been trying to prove Rohingya as illegal immigrants using NaSaKa and various operations. The NaSaKa is a border security force consisting of members of the police, Military Intelligence, the internal security or riot police (known as Lon Htein), customs officials, and the Immigration and Manpower Department. NaSaKa tried more than three decades but failed to prove a single family which entered from Bangladesh. 

United States’ “War on Terror” became an excuse for Myanmar dictators to continue persecution of Rohingya. It is used as a strategy for ethnic cleansing of Rohingya. Thousands of unarmed innocent Rohingya were killed in the name of terrorists. How can the people in the open prison of Arakan become terrorists? US government knows very well who are real the terrorists, why does US government keep silent to refuse that Rohingya can not be terrorists? 

Myanmar government has been systematically persecuting Rohingya people for many decades. US government is informed by human right watch and other human activist groups but US government has not condemned Myanmar dictator yet, why? “Crime against humanity” means any of the following acts when committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population, with knowledge of the attack. Does US government know it? 

Rohingya people have long been discriminated against, and are denied citizenship under the 1982 Citizenship Law. Rohingya asylum-seekers continue to flee to Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Australia, and other European countries. They are subject to serious abuses, especially forced labor (e.g. construction of roads, bridges, model villages and military facilities, camp maintenance, pottering) and arbitrary taxation. 

The Burmese military regime is allowing its troops systematically and on a widespread scale to commit rape with impunity in order to terrorize and subjugate the Rohingya people. The report illustrates there is a strong case that war crimes and crimes against humanity, in the form of sexual violence, have occurred and continue in the whole Arakan State. 

Last three months, there are thousands of arbitrary arrest (including harassment and violence by police forces, death in custody and sexual violence). In addition, people are often harassed (house searches, confiscation of assets) or beaten by police forces, mainly during controls or at checkpoints. Cases of rape of young women and children, perpetrated by different police forces, have been reported international criminal rules punish not only rape but also any serious sexual assault falling short of actual penetration. Still, US do not take any effective action to the Myanmar government, why? Why does mighty US government so silent in order to take any action? If US think that what I am writing is wrong, US could send an independent international investigation group to Arakan State. 

Rakhine Buddhists and Thein Sein government plan to deport or kill all Rohingya people, why do world’s lawyers ignore this case. Is there any international law which implement regarding deportation? 

“Deportation or forcible transfer of population” means forced displacement of the persons concerned by expulsion or other coercive acts from the area in which they are lawfully present, without grounds permitted under international law. 

Numerous Mosques and Madrasas have been destroyed. Others are simply closed off. It is strictly forbidden to build new ones since 1962– even renovating or repairing a Mosque is forbidden . The government also confiscated Mosques and Madrasas to make administrative building of them . 

Crimes Against Humanity: namely, murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation…or persecutions on political, racial or religious grounds in execution of or in connection with any crime within the jurisdiction of the Tribunal, whether or not in violation of the domestic law of the country where perpetrated. 

Thein Sein government must immediately end the persecution of the Rohingya minority and the violation of their most basic human rights. All policies and practices amounting to enslavement, restrictions on movement, forced labor, deportation, forcible transfer of population, land confiscation, rape and sexual violence, marriage restrictions, arbitrary detention, murder, torture and other ill-treatment, discrimination, and other violations without delay. US government can persuade Thein Sein government but US do not take any serious consideration, why? If American or European are in Rohingya’s place, don’t they change their policy? Don’t they think Rohingya as human? 

According to World Democracy, Thein Sein government must repeal all laws identified as forming the basis of discriminatory policies against the Rohingya minority. In particular, the government must put an end to the statelessness of the Rohingya minority, and ensure its ability to live free and equal lives as full citizens of Burma. Why don’t US citizens feel sorry for Rohingya people? 

UN Special Reporter was given enough proofs regarding the persecution in Arakan State. The Security Council should establish a Commission of Inquiry to investigate and collect further evidence on the perpetration of crimes against humanity in the Arakan State. Why don’t US consider persecution of Rohingya as a crime against humanity? Don’t they want democracy in Myanmar? 

Thousands of the Rohingyas have lost their homes, and the Commission must ensure that the Thein Sein government provides them with homes and the possibility to live their lives free from fear of further persecution. Why don’t US try to put pressure on Thein Sein government in order to save Rohingya people and Kachin people? Are those US enemies? They are supporters of Democracy but US do no positive approach to solve the problem, why? What kind of democracy does US government want in Myanmar? Do US want Myanmocracy of Thein Sein in Myanmar? Does US government want justice in Myanmar ? Can US government announce its policy and reason of being silence regarding the Rohingya case? Do US need more documents to open up the reality? 

US government knows well that Thein Sein’s so-called Investigation Commission is just to deceive the world. Keeping silent knowingly against criminals is also a crime. 

I would like to appeal US government to consider my complaints sincerely and recognize me as a human. 

Yours Faithfully, 

Aung Aung Oo 

Chin Pain Road 

Kun Dan Quarter 

Sittwe(Akyab) 

Myanmar.

21st August 2012 

Have how many of you imagined that a similar kind of fate that Jews faced during World War Two (WWII) can reoccur today, in 21st century, a time of great civilization. Have how many of ever thought that an alike of Jews holocaust under Nazis during WWII can surface again? The answers of most of you to these questions will be “I (or we) can’t imagine about that happening today” and “there are no places for such genocides at a time of civilization.” In short, the answer is “No.” Until recently, like other people, I had been of mind that the similar holocaust, atrocities or any kind of extreme persecutions against some particular people cannot happen again today, an era of civilization and globalization which are so proud of. However, I, like many others, was wrong to think so. 

It is taking place again against a people called Rohingya. Rohingyas are a minority Muslim people in Burma. They live in Arakan, its western-most state, with another people called Rakhine who follow Buddhism. They have been under systematic persecutions through Burmese history under the different regimes. There were several attempts to cleanse or depopulate them before. But since last June, what the Burmese new pseudo civilian government in cooperation with Rakhine extremists has been carried out against Rohingyas is no one could have ever imagined. Hence, Unthinkability and impossibility is happening. 

The Burmese Regime and Rakhine extremists have been carrying out atrocities against Rohingyas, committing rapes against their women (including under-aged girls), looting their properties, torching their houses and arbitrary extortion of money. Due to martial law declared in Arakan since June 10, Rohingyas are locked in their houses. Rohingyas lost almost their ways and access to foods and medicine due to the martial law and boycott against them led by Rakhine Buddhist Monks. It has been already more than two months. On daily basis, many of them are dying due to starvation. Shockingly, the martial law is only applied for Rohingyas and Rakhines are set free to do any barbaric acts and all kinds of tortures against Rohingyas: stabbing, beating and looting etc. 

Their educated people and religious leaders are being arrested, mosques were locked and there have been no prayer in the mosques, while many of religious sites such as mosques were destroyed using bulldozers. The arrested Rohingyas are locked up in police custodies, prisons and in many unknown locations where they are tortured through various means and kept starved. Subsequently, many Rohingyas are dying in the lock-ups. Besides, there were martial laws imposed many times before in Burma. For example, in 1988, government declared martial law all over the country. But not a single person was prevented from doing his religious duty or prayers. But this time, the Burmese shoot and kill anyone who goes to Mosque to pray. There have been no five times prayer and Juma’at prayer for more than two months. Moreover, no Tarawih prayers in the month of holy Ramadan and no Eid prayer were allowed. 

On one hand, the government and Rakhine extremists are carrying out ethnic cleansing and on another hand, they have been lying and deceiving the world to cover up their crimes against humanity through using the state media and social media like facebook and twitter. They are taking every step to put the international community in the dark by not giving permission to International Media, Independent Observers and humanitarian workers to get access to the place. 

Recently, President Thein Sein claimed “the riot in Arakan is not religious but communal. International community and media are politicizing the matter,” while they have been instigating violence against Rohingya and propagating racial hatred among general Burmese people to turn them against Rohingyas by using Buddhism as a tool. Government and Rakhine extremists accuse Rohingyas to be threats and dangers to Buddhism. So, Rohingyas need to be cleansed. Those who find hard it to believe please read the news, articles and opinions etc in the state media and sponsored private media. Read what Burmese extremists write in social media. Don’t forget to keep someone who can translate Burmese to you because most of racial-hatred filled statements will be in Burmese language. 

Furthermore, President Thein Sein recently in an interview to VOA said “Bengalis (his term for Rohingyas) have been living there for generations. We have been considering modifying 1982 citizenship law.” Is it not contradictory to his earlier statement to UNHCR Chief Antonio Gutterres “they are recent Bengali Immigrants and the only solution to the problem is to settle them in third countries?” Is not he an oxymoron? The regime and Rakhine extremists in home and abroad are leaving no stone unturned to deceive the world. They are using members of Hindu society (who look like Rohingyas) and taking pictures and making video of their daily activities to portray that the situation in Arakan has become peaceful and come to normality. Hence, no investigations are needed, no observers and media to be sent and not even humanitarian assistances, at a time when they continuously committing crimes against humanity. On Eid day, the authority tried to force Rohingyas to do Eid prayers only at some main locations and to make videos on them to show the world that they have even allowed Rohingyas for Eid prayers. But the truth is that they banned Rohingyas from Eid prayer. 

When UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights, Mr. Tomas Ojea Quintana visited Arakan, Burmese authorities prepare some hindus and few of their puppets from Rohingya community to meet and lie to him. Besides, he was not given free access to meet people. The similar case happened with Turkish Foreign Misnister Ahmet Davutglo when he visited Arakan. The government vetted translator mistranslated and omitted words in the translation of a Rohingya’s words to him. The government pained the only remaining Masjid in the Sittwe (the capital of Arakan) town area for him. Regardless of race or religion, he has given donations even to Rakhines. But see what Rakhines has given in return to his kind help. Rakhine extremists are now saying that “killing Kulars fetches money. Killing Kulars is a source income from Muslim countries. So, we need to kill more Kulars to get more money.” This is how the Rakhines are thanking Turkish FM for his donations. (Note: Kular is a derogatory word for the people of Indian origin in Myanmar) 

Now President has set up an inquiry commission to investigate the ongoing crises in Arakan. How can one expect impartial investigations when the culprits who started this ugly racism and committed all these crimes themselves have taken charge of the investigations? I wonder who will be the ultimate sufferers as a result of this investigation when the people in the government itself are criminals. In fact, cheating is not new to the Burmese government. They are popular even among Burmese community for that. But international community should not fall into their traps. 

After all, why are they doing all the atrocities against Rohingyas? Though there are many political reasons, it is generally, for two reasons: they look different from the mainstream Mongoloid people and practice a different religion. Rohingyas are of Indo-Arayan descendents known as the earliest settlers of Arakan and practice Islam. Being strong adherents of Nazis’ ideology of racial purification, the regime brainwashed most of members in Burmese society with the ideology. If you happen to visit Burma, you will find, in many places, Nazi symbol, the cross (Swastika). Hitler tried to wipe out Jews who are racially, religiously and ideologically different from Nazi German. Burmese regime is on their effort to wipe out Rohingyas because they (Rohingyas) are racially, religiously and ideologically different from them. 

Put the Burmese regime in the Nazi German’s shoes and Rohingyas in the Jews’ place. You will feel the same situation. Unthinkable holocaust is happening again. It is up to International Community and all the concerned quarters to let this continue until Rohingyas are wiped out or to stop the crimes against humanity. 

Some members of the Burmese government commission charged with investigating the unrest in Rakhine State are biased toward Rohingyas, an alliance of nine Rohingya international groups said on Monday.

The group welcomed the formation of the commission, but said, “We feel this investigation will not be credible and truly independent because although the 27 member commission includes representatives from various religious groups, including Muslims (not Rohingya), Christians, Buddhists and Hindus, as well as political parties and democracy groups, Rohingyas who are [the] systematically targeted victims of that violence are excluded from the list.”

It said some commission members have either directly or indirectly supported the government or have added “fuel on the crisis” in the media.

The Burmese government announced the formation of the commission on Monday, in response to repeated calls for a credible investigation by international human rights groups and governments after violence claimed up to 87 lives and more than 5,000 homes destroyed in the past 11 weeks.

Dr. Aye Maung, the commission chairman, “proposed to segregate Rohingyas from the Buddhist Rakhine in every town and village of Arakan by relocating them in separate areas away from Buddhist Rakhine localities,” the group said in a statement.

It said commission member Ko Ko Gyi, a leader of the 88-generation of students, publically said Rohingyas were illegal immigrants and should be expelled from Burma.

Khin Maung Swe, the chairman of National Democratic Front, is a Rakhine and a strong anti- Rohingya campaigner, said the group.

It said the commission should include Rohingyas in order to make a “credible, reliable and independent inquiry rather than a window dressing inquiry.”

“We urge the international community to support a fully independent United Nations investigation into the events that have taken place since June this year,” it said. “We also urge the international community to ensure that the establishment of such an investigation is included in the text of the forthcoming United Nations General Assembly resolution on Burma, and in the text of the next United Nations Human Rights Council resolution on Burma.”

The coalition said Rohingyas urgently need security and protection in Rakhine State.

The statement was signed by the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK; the Burmese Rohingya Association Japan; the Burmese Rohingya Association Deutschland; the Burmese Rohingya Community in Australia; the Burmese Rohingya Association in Thailand; the Burmese Rohingya Community in Denmark; the Rohingya League for Democracy (Burma); and the Rohingya Community in Norway.

Sources Here :

New York, August 18:

Raafay Mohammad, coordinator of Burma Task Force-Northern California, met with Congressman Pete Stark to update him and his chief of staff about the dire situation of Rohingya Muslims in Burma (Myanmar). The congressman promised to work to alleviate the horrific conditions to which the Rohingya are subjected. Raafay Mohammad was part of a delegation of Muslims that was led by the American Muslim Alliance. More congresspersons will be approached in the coming two weeks.

Raafay Mohammad who is originally from Hyderabad, India, also briefed the congressman on the ethnic cleansing in Assam India where 400,000 Muslims were displaced using the same pretext the government of neighboring Burma uses- that the victims are foreign settlers.

The congressman was informed that hundreds of thousands of Rohingya have been ethnically cleansed, and hundreds of thousands more live in precarious conditions, threatened by continuous waves of ethnic cleansing. The Rohingya have been, amongst other injustices, stripped of their citizenship status, denied license to work, and they have even been forbidden from marrying without paying a hefty tax that few (if any) of them can afford. Burma Task Force has launched a plan to educate US congressmen and legislators of the human rights violations and oppressions to which the Rohingya are subjected.

Announcing the political outreach effort, Shahana Masoom Ali, a founding member said, “Burma Task Force demands that the citizenship rights of Rohingyas be restored. The Rohingya have lived in Burma for millennia, even reigning over Arakan for four centuries till 1784. It is outrageous that the Burma government is calling them a non-indigenous people and is expelling them from their homeland. Burma Task Force demands that the UN relief agencies make resettling the refugees a topmost priority and to bring the perpetrators of genocide to justice.

Mrs. Masoom Ali announced that a kit on how to approach congressmen and senators was prepared by Raafay Mohammad and will be sent to the Task Force volunteers in various states.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has welcomed the setting up of a commission in Burma to investigate recent sectarian violence in the country's west.Rakhine conflict proof of Burma's ingrained racism, says academic

Burma's president, Thein Sein, has announced an inquiry into the clashes in Rakhine state, where scores of people were killed and tens of thousands displaced by the violence in May and June.

He had earlier rejected United Nations calls for an independent investigation.

The establishment of the government commission came as news emerged about fresh clashes in the region.

Correspondent: Katie Hamann

Speaker: Dr Muang Zarni, London School of Economics

HAMANN: Whilst the west has gleefully embraced the idea of a Burmese democracy an ugly struggle has been building in the country's west. At least ninety people are thought to have died since fighting broke out between Burmese Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims in the state of Rakhine in June.

Burmese scholar Dr Muang Zarni is a visiting fellow at the Civil Society and Human Security Research Unit at the London School of Economics. He is also a practising Buddhist and says the conflict in Rakhine state is symptomatic of deeply ingrained racism within Burmese society.

ZARNI: The NLD leadership, even the most senior people, who've spent years in jail, are racist, without knowing they're racist and anti-Khalar. Khalar is the Burmese equivalent of the word 'nigger'. And this is at the very top of the NLD leadership. From their perspective, it's all about illegal migration from Bangladesh, that is suffering from population explosion.

HAMANN: In a report released earlier this month Human Rights Watch accused security forces of failing to defuse growing tensions between communities and standing by whilst mobs raised villages and attacked each other. They say the conflict has displaced as many as 100,000 people who remain in dire need of food, shelter and medical assistance.

Dr Zarni says there could be a more sinister explanation for the failure of the security forces.

ZARNI: There is evidence, very strong evidence emerging, from different sources, that the Burmese regime in Naypyidaw itself has a hand in whipping up this conflict.

HAMANN: Nobel Peace Prize winner and Democracy hero Aung San Suu Kyi has come under fire for her failure to openly comment on the plight of the Rohingya Muslims. When asked if they should be granted Burmese citizenship during her recent trip to Europe, Ms Suu Kyi said she didn't know. Many Rohingya Muslims have been settled in Burma for generations. Despite this, they need permission to marry, have more than two children and travel beyond their villages.

Dr Zarni says Ms Suu Kyi is now an elected representative and focussed on re-election in 2015.

ZARNI: If Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD were to beat the military-backed proxy political party, in the 2015 elections, they will need to win in a landslide. Nothing short of a landslide will give them a chance to attempt to change the Constitution. So in other words, Ms Suu Kyi needs to keep the Burmese majority happy, ideologically, and that requires that she stays clear of the Rohingya issue, regardless of whether it's a direct challenge to her image as a human rights champion.

HAMANN: The conflict threatens to engulf the region as yet more Rohingya refugees pour over the border into Bangladesh.

Bangladesh's Awami League-led coalition government has declared it wants to empty its overcrowded camps and send the Rohingya back to Burma. Meanwhile, much of the global response has come from the Muslim world. Saudi Arabia has accused Burma of embarking on a campaign of ethnic cleansing and Islamic hardliners in Indonesia and Pakistan have threatened attacks against the government.

Dr Zarni says the world must act, because no one inside Burma is interested in protecting the Rohingya.

ZARNI: The racism against the Muslims in general, in Burma is pervasive across the majority, minority, civilian, military and class lines. And that is one of the scariest and most troubling aspects of this social transition in Burma. And the West has not spoken out against this issue, because the West is desperate to push its own strategic and commercial agenda in Burma. So what we have heard over the past one year or so, is that "Burma is a modern transitional democracy." And so now, the Burmese democratic transition is bringing about not necessarily concrete and irreversible democratisation process but the most ugly racism the world is witnessing.

Sources Here :

The Indonesian government has appointed a former vice president to be a special envoy to offer aid to Muslim Rohingya in Burma, according to local media reports. 

Jusuf Kalla as vice president with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono Photo: presidensby.info

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said he has asked Jusuf Kalla, who is also the chairman of the Indonesian Red Cross, to accept the mission because he has experience in addressing sectarian conflicts. He is expected to arrive in Burma on Sept. 8.

Kalla said the Red Cross and other international groups, including the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, would deliver aid and start reconstructing homes for displaced Rohingyas next month. Thousands of Rohingyas' homes and businesses were burned during the unrest.

The president said he asked Kalla to be Indonesia's special envoy as a form of “solidarity with our Rohingya brothers,” according to the Jakarta Post.

Burma recently allowed the Indonesian Red Cross, along with other international humanitarian agencies, to send aid to refugees from the deadly conflicts between the Rohingyas and Rakhines in western Burma, which has claimed up to 87 lives and seen up to 5,000 homes and businesses burned.

On Aug. 7, Mizzima reported that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said Burma had done its best to handle long-standing tensions in western Rakhine State. 

The statement, from the president of Asia’s most populated Muslim state, came amid growing protests against Burma’s handling of the ethnic unrest. 

The Indonesian president said he was trying to explain the situation in Burma “completely, properly and objectively, particularly after listening to reports from the Indonesian ambassador to Burma and Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa.”

Yudhoyono said that the Rakhine-Rohingya conflict was communal instead of religious. “Coincidently, the Rohingyas are Muslims and the Rakhines are Buddhists,” he said.

“The Rohingyas originate from Bangladesh. However, even after four generations, Myanmar’s policy has yet to include them as one of the country’s 135 ethnic groups,” Yudhoyono said.

Sources Here :

Aung San Suu Kyi's continued silence on the plight of Burma's Rohingya Muslims is sparking concern that the Nobel Peace Prize winner is failing to live up to her stature as one of the world's most celebrated pro-democracy campaigners.

Scores of people have been killed and tens of thousands have been made homeless during three months of inter-communal rioting between Buddhist and Muslim gangs in western Burma. Although there have been deaths on all sides, the Rohingya Muslims have been hit disproportionately hard in a state where they are already routinely discriminated against.

Throughout her two decades in jail and under house arrest, Ms Suu Kyi earned herself worldwide adoration for her refusal to bend to Burma's military junta and her steadfast criticism of all human rights abuses inside her country.

But "The Lady" has remained uncharacteristically silent on the persecution of Burma's Rohingya, knowing that speaking out would risk alienating many of her political allies who are vehemently opposed to them.

Diplomats and human rights groups have grown increasingly dismayed by her silence. One senior British minister told The Independent: "Frankly, I would expect her to provide moral leadership on this subject but she hasn't really spoken about it at all. She has great moral authority in Burma and while it might be politically difficult for her to take a supportive stance towards the Rohingya, it is the right thing to do."

During her visit to Britain in June, the Foreign Secretary, William Hague, privately urged Ms Suu Kyi to take a more proactive role in seeking reconciliation. The Independent understands that the matter was raised again by officials in Rangoon after Ms Suu Kyi was appointed chair of a committee dealing with the rule of law, peace and security. But so far their pleadings have fallen on deaf ears.

The Rohingya are a deeply unpopular cause inside Burma, where much of the country's majority Buddhist population view them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. The UN tells a different story and describes them as among the world's most persecuted people. Despite having lived in Burma for generations they are denied citizenship, need permission to marry or have more than two children and must notify the authorities if they wish to travel outside their villages.

Such policies were enforced by Burma's military but there is also little support for the Rohingya among Burma's pro-democracy opposition groups, with some of the so-called Generation 88 leaders among the most outspoken Rohingya critics.

Western Burma has long simmered with inter-ethnic tensions between the region's 800,000 Rohingya and their Arakanese Buddhist neighbours, but things came to a head in early June following a spate of tit-for-tat killings. The violence was initially sparked by allegations that a gang of Rohingya men had raped an Arakanese woman. Ten Muslims were lynched in response, sparking days of rioting. There have been strong suggestions that Burma's security forces actively encouraged – or at least turned a blind eye – as Rohingya were burned out of their homes. Journalists who have recently travelled there say the Rohingya have suffered the worst of the violence, with scores killed and an estimated 68,000 living in appalling conditions after they were forced out of their homes.

Whether Ms Suu Kyi will heed calls to use her influence in stemming the violence is difficult to predict.

"Politically, Aung San Suu Kyi has absolutely nothing to gain from opening her mouth on this," Maung Zarni, a Burma expert and visiting fellow at the London School of Economics, told the Associated Press. "She is no longer a political dissident trying to stick to her principles. She's a politician and her eyes are fixed on the prize, which is the 2015 majority Buddhist vote."

Anna Roberts, the executive director of Burma Campaign UK, said: "This is an incredibly serious situation and it continues to deteriorate at a very fast rate.

"There has not been anything like the international response that would be expected for a crisis on this scale."

For more than 30 years the Burmese government has denied citizenship to the 800,000 Rohingya people living within its borders, leaving them without a country of their own and leading the UN to describe them as one of the world's most persecuted minorities.

Legend holds that they are the descendants of Arab traders shipwrecked on the coast of Burma in the 8th century, and their dispersal across southeast Asia points to some kind of seafaring heritage in centuries past. Now, thanks to their language—a Bengali dialect similar to one spoken in southeast Bangladesh—the Rohingya are seen as illegal immigrants by Rangoon and many ordinary Burmese, prompting many to attempt to flee to third countries in rickety boats.

Tens of thousands have sought refuge in makeshift camps along the border with Bangladesh following clashes with Buddhist locals, sparked by reports that an Arakan Buddhist woman had been raped by three Rohingya men.

 August 18, 2012

The Rohingyas are one of the most persecuted communities in the world. Although, they have been living in the state of Arakan since the 8th century (which is now part of Burma), the Rohingyas have been under extreme scrutiny by the Burmese government. They haven’t been recognized as citizens of The Union of Burma since Burmese independence in 1948, instead they are known as ‘non citizens’.

The Burmese Junta have discriminated the Rohingya because:

• They are not similar in looks

• Speak a different language

• Have a different religion.

Susan Marie is Journalist, Radio Producer, Human Rights Advocate, Public Relations Executive

Source here

We, the undersigned Rohingya organizations welcome the formation of the Commission of inquiry to investigate on the violence of Arakan State by the President of Burma. At the same time we feel this investigation will not be credible and truly independent because although the 27 member commission includes representatives from various religious groups, including Muslims (Not Rohingya), Christians, Buddhists and Hindus, as well as political parties and democracy groups, Rohingyas who are systematic targeted victims of that violence excluded from the list. However some people who either directly or indirectly supported, involved or publicly put fuel on the crisis surprisingly included in the list.

Dr Aye Maung masterminded Arakan violence and also proposed to segregate Rohingyas from the Buddhist Rakhine in every town and village of Arakan by relocating them in separate areas away from Buddhist Rakhine localities”. 88 generations Leader Ko Ko Gyi who have mentioned Rohingyas are illegal immigrant, to be expelled from Burma. U Khin Maung Swe chairman of NDF is a Rakhine and strong anti- Rohingya campaigner. We, BROUK believe those above racists and nationalists should exclude from the list and include Rohingyas to make credible, reliable and independent inquiry rather than window dressing inquiry.

U Thein Sein government is just showing to the international community to ease pressure on Rohingya’s issue. We urge international community to support fully independent United Nations investigation into the events that have taken place since June this year. We also urge international community to ensure that the establishment of such an investigation is included in the text of the forthcoming United Nations General Assembly resolution on Burma, and in the text of the next United Nations Human Rights Council resolution on Burma. Rohingyas urgently need security and protection. According to our sources there are about 5 Rohingyas were killed last two days ago and some Rohingya girls were raped by Police and Na Sa Ka which are clearly showing that continuous killing and Rape is going on despite having international pressures.

Signatories to this joint statement:

Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK) 

Burmese Rohingya Association Japan (BRAJ) 

Burmese Rohingya Association Deutschland (BRAD) 

Burmese Rohingya Community in Australia (BRCA) 

Burmese Rohingya Association in Thailand (BRAT) 

Burmese Rohingya Community in Denmark ( BRCD) 

Rohingya League for Democracy (Burma) (RLDB) 

Rohingya Community in Norway (RCN) 

Sunday, 19th August 2012, 03:00AM 

“On 16th August 2012 at 11 O’ Clock night, the In-Charge of Oo Daung NaSaKa camp of southern Maung Daw together with the village chairman, Pru Wai Aung (a Rakhine) and another Rakhine man raided the house of a poor Rohingya man called Salimullah, son of Shormulluk, (50 years old). As soon as they (NaSaKa in-charge, Village Chairman and another Rakhine) got into his house, they attempted to rape his under-aged daughter. When Salimullah and his wife tried to protect their daughter, NaSaKa In-Charge severely beat them and took the Rohingya man to the NaSaKa Camp Base 8 in Mayrulla (Myint Hlut). It is not know that what is going on with him now” reported by Faiz from Alay Than Kyaw.

“At 10:00pm on the same day, the military from Tharay Kunbaung camp and Natalas (new settlers) from the nearby village attacked Lambaguna Village (in southern Maung Daw). They started to harass villagers and to loot their properties. They raided the houses of Habezullah s/o Lal Mia and Esoup s/o Lal Miya and looted 430,000 Kyats and 750,000 Kyats respectively. Soon after, they attempted to rape Rohingya girls. When the villagers screamed, cried and shouted, some nearby villagers rushed to the spot to help the victimized people in Lambaguna. Military opened fire at the villagers. Four Rohingyas were shot dead and one woman was severely beaten. One of the corpses of Rohingya deceased was recovered and given funeral at 10:00AM on 18th August 2012. The other three dead bodies are missing and might be taken to their camps. The profiles of those four Rohingyas killed are:

                

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said on Thursday he hoped that former Vice President Jusuf Kalla would be willing to become the country’s special envoy on the Rohingya issue.

“I hope that Mr. JK, with his extensive experience, can become our special envoy, so that Indonesia’s solidarity and attention on the humanitarian issue of the Rohingya is accurate, does not give rise to misunderstanding for Myanmar but also helps our Rohingnya brothers and sisters,” Yudhoyono said.

The president spoke after meeting Kalla, who came as chairman of the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) to discuss the Rohingnya issue.

Kalla had last week visited Rohingyas in Myanmar’s Rakhine state. Thursday’s meeting was to brief the president on the results of the visit.

Yudhoyono said the government was prepared to take a constructive role in helping secure a settlement to the Rohingya issue. Kalla is scheduled to meet with several figures in Myanmar on Sept. 8.

“We can participate in building houses or providing whatever food material needed by the displaced Rohingya. I asked what Indonesia can do, its government or its people,” Yudhoyono said.

He said he had sent Myanmar President Thein Sein a letter about the humanitarian plight of the Rohingya. ”Myanmar is open to participation by Indonesia,” he said.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said the country was at the forefront of efforts to solve the problems of the Rohingya ethnic minority.

“With pressure from Indonesia, Asean has moved a statement on the Rohingya and diplomatic efforts have resulted in an Asean statement on the Rohingya problem,” Marty said.

The minister also said that at a summit of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), Indonesia, along with Malaysia, Brunei and Bangladesh, had asked the organization’s members to push for humanitarian aid for the Rohingya and pressure Myanmar to allow international access to the ethnic group.

“The comprehensive nature of the approach, the humanitarian problem and the status of these Rohingya have to be settled within the framework of the state of Myanmar,” Marty added.

He said that Indonesia was sheltering some of the Rohingya who had fled their country or had been forcibly expelled from Myanmar but added that the Foreign Ministry was not yet considering providing Indonesian citizenship to the displaced Rohingya.

“ What we have been doing so far is just providing them with shelter,” the minister said.

Kalla, who in 2004 and 2005 successfully brokered a peace deal between the government and the armed rebel group Free Aceh Movement (GAM), said he was not aware that Yudhoyono had appointed him to be Indonesia’s special envoy.

“It was not mentioned in [Thursday’s meeting with Yudhoyono],” the former vice president said. “Next month we will start reconstructing a settlement with the Organization of Islamic Conference. Of course, I will use the visit to promote peace [in Myanmar].”

The PMI is also scheduled to meet with its counterparts in Myanmar to allow humanitarian aid to start flowing into the country.

“The PMI will cooperate with Myanmar [Red Cross] and its field operation will be conducted along with OIC countries and is open to possibly other Red Cross or Red Crescents from other countries to join,” PMI secretary general Budi A. Adiputro said on Friday.

ွSources Here :

Ref: NDPHR (IE) 007/2012 17/08/2012

1) We, with caution, welcome the formation of the Commission of Investigation on the violence of Arakan State by President U Thein Sein.

2) However, he failed to comprise to equal ratio of members from both sides; Muslim and Rakhine, having the sort of person like the chairman of Rakhine Development Party Dr. Aye Maung who is known to be the instigator of violence, person like Ko Ko Gyi who declared that Rohingyas were foreign illegal immigrants and that they must be crashed down in collaboration with the Military force, the person like ZAGANA who has announced in an interview in Paris that the Rohingya are the foreigners and though there are some Muslim members in the commission but no single Rohingya is there to represent the Rohingya Muslim. So, we don’t think the Commission as genuine and qualified one and it never yields fruitful result.

4) So, we would like to call upon the President U Thein Sein to dismiss the wrong persons from the Commission and to take some members from Rohingya Muslim who could represent the community in order to be a genuine and respectable Commission of investigation.

5) We would like to call upon the non –Rohingya Muslim members in the Commission to boycott the ‘Partial Commission’ and to walk out if there are no Rohingya Muslim members to represent the Rohingya community in the Commission.

President

National Democratic Party for Human Rights (in exile)

Paris, France

Following weeks of international pressure, President Thein Sein today formed a commission to investigate the deadly sectarian violence in Arakan state, which controversially pitted Buddhists against the Muslim Rohingya minority in June.

The 27 member commission, headed by former director of the Ministry of Religious Affairs Dr Myo Myint, is mandated “to reveal the truth behind the unrest” and “find solutions for communities with different religious beliefs to live together in harmony”, according to the President’s website.

The new body includes representatives from various religious groups, including Muslims, Christians, Buddhists and Hindus, as well as political parties and democracy groups, but no Rohingya.

“It is a good to form a body with people of various religions as the international community has been calling for the formation of an investigation commission,” he said of the appointment. “I assume we will be able to present the truth accurately.”

The Burmese government has faced fierce criticism for its handling of the Arakan crisis, which left at least 78 people dead and destroyed over 5,300 houses, according to government figures. A recent Human Rights Watch report accused the government of both failing to prevent the violence and later colluding in attacks against the Rohingya minority, who are denied citizenship and widely despised in Burmese society.

Although the formation of the commission marks a U-turn for the government, which until recently has rejected calls for an investigation into the violence, it is likely to face tough questions about its independence and reliability, as well as accusations of “window-dressing”.

Earlier this week, a coalition of 24 political parties, led by the RNDP, called for the removal of UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Burma, Tomas Quintana, who recently visited the conflict-torn region, over allegations of bias in favour of the Rohingya.

“When the president offered me to take part in the commission, I asked for only one thing; that I want it to be really independent and transparent,” said commission member and comedian Zaganar, who has previously condemned discrimination against the Rohingya. “I said I don’t want to be a part of it if there are interferences and I was given an answer that it won’t happen.”

Some members have also complained about the lack of clarity for their role.

“It would be very good if the president were to give us a specific mandate and power to deal with the issue,” said commission member Kyaw Khin, General Secretary of the Myanmar Muslim National Affairs Federation.

“I think conducting an independent investigation would be the best for Arakan state. I’m taking part in this more as a citizen rather than a religious leader. I think it’s a good thing that we are able to address both citizen rights and religious issues.”

Tensions flared in the western state after the rape and murder of an Arakanese girl in late May, allegedly by three Muslims, led to a brutal revenge attack on ten Muslim pilgrims. It brought to the fore long-simmering distrust against the Rohingya, who are viewed as “illegal Bengali immigrants” by many Burmese, including Muslims, and denied basic rights by the government.

The commission is set to present its findings to the President on 17 September.

Source : DVB News

Rohingyas are (recent) illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Mohammed Sheikh Anwar is an activist, studying Bachelor of Arts in Business Studies at Westminster International College in Malaysia.