Faroque Shah
RB Article
September 29, 2012

Myanmar (formerly Burma) is a South East Asian country with a population of 60 millions. It has many ethnicities, races and religions – Buddhism, Islam, Christianity and Animism. Today the country is known more for its ultra-racist policy towards Muslim Rohingya, Christian Chin and Karen minorities than anything else. It attained independence from the Great Britain on January 4, 1948. Its two neighbors then India and Pakistan attained their independence from Britain on August 15 and 14, 1947, respectively. Both those countries are nuclear power states with nuclear powers. 

Burma, on the other hand, since its independence has been engaged in long war with its minorities, such as Shan, Kachin, Karen, Mon, Chin and others, simply because its new leaders in the aftermath of assassination of General Aung San did not fulfill the promises made regarding the minorities rights at the Panglong Conference. Although, the Muslims minority Rohingya was left out in this historic conference, their interest was served by U Abdu Razzak, a teacher of General Aung San, who attended it. Aung San promised him that in the independent Burma, Muslims would have the same rights as Burmese Buddhists. 

Today the western state of Arakan (Rakhine) is part of Myanmar. But it was a separate independent country lived by two peoples – Rakhine Moghs and Muslims Rohingya - up till 1784. In 1404, nearly 600 years back, the Burmese King Minnyay Kyawzwa invaded Arakan. The Arakanese King Narameikh Hla (Mogh) fled Myohaung (Mrohaung), the capital city and escaped to Gauda (Gaur), the capital of Muslim Bengal in India. The Muslim ruler Sultan Giazuddin Azam Shah gave him shelter as an adopted son for 23 years. There he was trained in the Indian armies. Later the Muslim Sultan sends a force of 40,000 soldiers under the leadership of General Sindi Khan to restore his throne. They were able to dethrone the Burmese king. Upon ascension to the throne of Arakan, Narameikh Hla assumed the title of Min Suleman Shah. 

In 1784, when the kingdom was again annexed by the Burmese King Bowdaw Paya, under his directives all the old Muslims monuments and mosques (including the historic Sindi Khan Mosque) were destroyed. Even Rakhine's big statue of Maha Myatmuni was taken away to Mandalay, Amrapura by Arakanese slaves. Afraid of their lives, most Arakanese – Muslim Rohingyas and Magh Rakhines fled to Bengal or today’s Bangladesh (then part of British India) to escape persecutions from the new Burmese king. Even the Arakanese king Sanda Thadita, a Muslim, escaped Arakan with his forces and Ministers, to Bengal. This was a natural reaction to save their lives, as we can witness in our time with fleeing refugees from places like war-torn Iraq, Afganistan and Syria. 

Unfortunately, today the Burmese regime say that Muslims of Arakan have infiltrated from Bangladesh and that they are not citizens of Myanmar and thus, should be put either in camps and sent to the third countries. The UNHCR’s chief responded that his agency won’t take the Rohingyas as refugees as they are citizens of Myanmar. Similarly, the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said that the Rohingyas are internally displaced people in their own country. 

The 1982 Citizenship Law of Burma, formulated by military dictator Ne Win, denies Muslim Rohingyas their citizenship rights, and deliberately violates several International Human Rights Laws. In his statement in the Parliament in July 2012, U Shwe Maung alias Abdu Razzak, a Muslim elected member of Parliament, declared that Muslims have historical back ground of 1000 years in Burma and if the present Bangladesh government could recognize the Moghs as citizens of Bangladesh who are settled in their country why the Myanmar government should deny the same right to Muslims of this country. He said, “I am astonished to hear often that the Bangalis have entered Arakan yesterday or after independence (1948) and in the British period (post-1826).” “If you study the history of Arakan and its people, you will find history of Rohingya in Arakan. At least, you have to recognize us as citizens of Myanmar,” he said. 

The recent violence that spread like wild fires in all parts of Arakan, including Sittwe, once again underscored the true picture of systemic racist policy of the Burmese regime where it uses Buddhist Moghs as instruments to kill and drive out the Rohingya Muslims from its own land. Rohingyas are subjected to systematic human rights violations, forced deportation, mass shooting and gang rape of Muslims women, and arbitrary arrest by the racist Burmese and Rakhine Buddhist Moghs. Under the pretext of preserving peace and security, the racist government used NASAKA and Lon Htain (Border Security and riot police forces consisting of all Moghs) where Muslim Rohingyas are locked inside houses like cattle and the Rakhine Moghs are allowed to move freely wherever they want. By so doing, they make a mockery of the curfew and show that such restrictive laws are not for Rakhine but for Rohingya only. 

Rohingyas are restricted from moving from village to village and marriages are banned under strict laws. In a RNDP (Rakhine National Democratic Party) statement, forwarded to Napyaytaw, it says, "these kalas’ (referring to the Rohingyas) childbirth is not only dangerous to Arakan state it is also dangerous for the entire country, Myanmar.” 

It is simply awful to see their hatred and bigotry against the Rohinya people and Islam. They burned most of the big and small Mosques in Sittwe. In the Muslim majority areas of Maungdaw and Buthidaung, they closed all mosques. At other places they destroyed many mosques. The authorities never prevent the culprits from doing such destructions of Muslim houses of worship. Wherever securities forces enter a village they first arrest young boys for no reasons and attempt to loot their homes and businesses, and shoot and assault women folks. Many of our women lost their lives in defense of their modesty. Many innocent young boys are reported to have died in prisons due to atrocities and tortures that they had suffered. 

Since 1962 some 19 joint operations were conducted to drive out the Rohingya Muslims, as a result of which nearly 1.5 million Rohingya were forced to leave the country. In 1942, during Japanese occupation, the joint Burmese and Rakhine forces massacred more than a hundred thousand Rohingyas in Kyaktaw, Myohoung, Kyataw, Rambraye and Paktaw where 350 villages were burned down. 

In this latest violence in Sittwe many Muslims were burned to death. It is therefore hilarious to hear President Thein Sein declaring lately that there was no case of racial violence, nor any religious and racial discrimination against the Rohingya, and that it was simply sectarian violence. He also does not want any international agency or human rights organizations to inquire and interfere in Myanmar’s internal problems. 

If these be the case, who will save these oppressed Rohingyas from this racist Budhist Moghs and Burmese culprits? As I write, there are fresh reports of attacks on Muslims in Kyauk Phyu, Kyaktaw and Rambree. Recently, President Thein Sein admitted that monks and Rakhine politicians were kindling hatred of Rohingyas. And reports are coming that Rakhine Buddhists are hoarding lethal weapons and long swords in the monasteries. They are also blocking the access of aid packages from the international relief organizations to reach the starving Rohingyas. Their slogan is “Rohingya NO", “Arakan is for Rakhine and not for Rohingya” and “drive or kill the Kala (Rohingya)”. 

Myanmar is a member of the ASEAN group. Is it too much to ask the ASEAN leaders to stop this massacre? How about the OIC? Can their leaders find some magic power to save the oppressed Rohinagyas? If not, who will save these Rohingyas from Buddhist extermination? 

Faroque Shah M. Yusoof is graduated on the History of Burma and from Rangoon University.

M.S. Anwar
RB Article
September 29, 2012

They have said much and lied a lot about Rohingyas of Arakan to portray them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. Many stories have been created on Rakhines to depict them as natives. Recently, an ethnic cleansing against Rohingyas was triggered and is still going on. How and why has all that been systematically done? Who have been behind this? To what extent are they true? Let some bitter truths be exposed. 

Brief History of Rohingyas and Rakhines 

According to the available historical records and many historians, the earliest inhabitants of Arakan were a pro-Australoid people called Negritos from the Neolithic period. They were known as Rakkhasha (cannibals). They were dark-skinned people much like Africans and many Rohingyas of today. They did not look like Mongoloid Rakhines or Maghs of today who falsely claim to be of their descendants. The second earliest people of Arakan were Indo-Aryans (i.e. Indians) followed by Mro and Chakmas. Their settlements dated back to B.C. 3323. Most of the earliest Kingdoms in Arakan history were Indian Kingdoms namely Dhannyavadi Kingdoms and Vaishali (Vesali) Kingdom. These earliest Indians, that is to say the forefathers of Rohingyas, were the followers of Hinduism, Buddhism and Animism. With the advent of some Arabs as traders and Islamic propagators to Arakan in 788 AD, most of local Indians converted into Islam. It is very important to note that it was Islam that came to Arakan in 788 AD, not Muslims. Yet, the indigenous Indians who had converted into Islam known as Rohingyas today later came to mix with foreigners as their settlements continued throughout its historical periods. Usage of the term “Rohingya” in form of “Rooinga” can be found as early as 17th century. 

Another Arakanese community known as Rakhines today was the last significant people of single Mongoloid stock to arrive in Arakan with the Mongolian invasion in 957 AD. Later, a new civilization took place as they came to mix local Indians and formed into Indo-Mongoloid people, while many remained purely of Mongoloid origin. And they re-established Buddhism in Arakan but in the form of Theraveda this time. With the continual invasions by the kings of Tibeto-Burman people of Mongoloid stock from Upper and Lower Burma, the people of Arakan were gradually formed to be of more Mongoloid origin and Indian-Originated people consequently decreased or were outnumbered. Therefore, the later Kingdoms of Arakan such as in Lemro and Mrauk-U Periods were rather Indo-Mongoloid or Mongoloid Kingdoms than Indian Kingdoms. However, Muslims (of both Indigenous Indian Origins and foreigners settled in Arakan) played many at times as phenomenon Kingmakers and other very important roles during Mongoloid Arakanese Kingdoms. 

Migration is a Human Nature 

Despite being the sons of Indigenous Negritos and Indo-Aryans, today Rohingyas are being labeled as Bengalis and recent illegal immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh. It is perhaps because they look similar to Bengalis in appearance. In fact, Rohingyas, Bengalis, Indians of today’s India and Pakistanis etc are generally referred as South-Asians or Indians. They are of single roots. Yet, Rohingyas are linguistically and culturally different from Bengalis. 

Though the migration of the people, during British colonial period and at the earlier periods, from the then India to Arakan and vice versa can’t be denied, it stopped after Burma gained Independence from British. Yet, a certain self-proclaimed Rakhine historian, Dr. Aye Chan who has screwed Arakan history up and turned it into myths, has been making too much noise on Cross Border Migration from 1824 to the time of Burma independence. He always only points out to the fact that there were some seasonal Bengali farmers and workers who used to come to and stay in Arakan for temporary basis. To him, Rakhines in both sides of the countries were too lazy to move out of their houses and to migrate to some places of better income. (It will really be dismal and illogical to allege that only Bengalis emigrated into Arakan, not Rakhines living in Bangladesh side for centuries. It is to everyone’s knowledge that there are more than one million Rakhines living in Bangladesh). And Migration is a nature of human beings! 

Ascendance of Gen. Ne Win to the Power and New Rakhine Settlements 

To Rohingyas’ misfortune, their most tragic history began with the ascendance of an evil dictator, Gen. Ne Win, to the power in 1962. He started systematic persecutions against Rohingyas both physically and mentally. In collaboration with Rakhine extremists of the time such as U Kyaw Aye, the chairman of MaSaLa (Burmese Way of Socialist) Party, Rakhine state, he began to wipe out Rohingyas’ (collective) historical monuments such as ancient Mosques, tombs, graves etc. He banned any Rohingyas’ traditional festivals, shows and any other celebration. As a result, many Rohingyas started to leave Arakan. And he brought in thousands of Bangladeshi Rakhines to replace those leaving Rohingyas. He confiscated Rohingyas’ lands and properties and gave away to the newly brought Rakhines. The following are the few examples of Bangladeshi Rakhines brought in by Ne Win, holding authoritarian power and higher occupations in the current Burmese Pseudo Civilian Government. 

1. Tuan Hla Sein S/o Than Phru, Secretary of the Ruling Party [Union Solidarity Development Party (USDP)] Maung Daw, originally from Zaadir Faar, Nilah, Bangladesh, settled in Arakan in 1975. 

2. Sara U Tha Khin, a former High School of Maung Daw and the current Southern Maung Daw Representative to the Parliament, originally from Zaadir Faar, Nilah, Bangladesh, settled in Arakan in 1950. 

3. Mra Aung, the current Representative to the State Parliament and Economic Minister of Rakhine State, originally from Rangamati, Bangladesh, settled in Arakan in 1955. 

4. U Tuan, the current chairman of the village Bagonna, sothern Maung Daw, originally from Barisal, Bangladesh, settled in Arakan in 1982. 

5. Allu Maung S/o Wan Maung, the former chairman of the village Bagonna, sothern Maung Daw, originally from Bangladesh, settled in Arakan in 1982. 

Besides, many Rakhine villages in southern Maung Daw such as Kanthaya, Baudi Gung etc were established in 1982 with Bangladeshi Rakhine settlers. Rohingyas’ lands were confiscated during the period and given away to these new settlers. All the Rakhine dwellers in these villages are solely Bangladeshi Rakhines. And Dr. Aye Maung, the chairman of Rakhine National Development Party (RNDP) and one of the main culprits behind ongoing Rohingya genocides, was born in Bangladesh from Bangladeshi Rakhine parents who settled in Arakan in late 1950s. On top of that, Dr. Aye Chan was a son of Bangladeshi Barua called Kala Sand. These are the few examples some well-known recent Rakhine settlers in Arakan. There are thousands of Rakhines who settled in Arakan during British colony and afterwards, who multiplied into millions today. 

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

Burrma Task Force USA, (BTF---www.burmamuslims.org) a national alliance of Muslim organizations of the US that includes Rohingya groups protested against the ethnic cleansing of Rohingya and against President Thein Sein's inaction in securing justice for the persecuted minority during his speech at the Asia Society on September 27, 2012

President Thein Sein seemed spooked and flustered when he found his entourage surrounded by the protesters chanting against the ethnic cleansing of Rohingyas when he stepped out of his car. He was quickly ushered away from the peaceful protesters by his security detail.

Rohingya Muslims of Burma have been subjected to repeated waves of ethnic cleansing during the last six decades. Hundreds of thousands of have been forced to flee the country. The recent wave of ethnic cleansing started this June that resulted in mass murder, mass rapes and mass displacement. A 1982 law has taken away the citizenship rights of Rohingya Muslims who have lived in Burma for centuries.

"The military junta has brainwashed generations of Burmese to hold the darker skinned Rohingya in contempt. It is the only genocide in the world where the twin evils of racism and religious bigotry are at work. We will continue our campaign against the government of Burma till it restores the citizenship rights of Rohingya, rehabilitate the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees, bring the perpetrators to justice and institute anti-racism curriculum in Burmese schools," said Habeeb Ahmed, a board member of BTF-New York.

The protesters were addressed by Rohingya leaders including Yosef Mohideen. Other leaders who spoke included Habeeb Ahmed, the human rights commissioner of Nassau County of New York, Mahtab Ahmed of Human Rights and Development for Bangladesh, Shah Jahan of Council of American Islamic Relations - New York and Dr. Shaik Ubaid, the convener of Burma Task Force New York.

In his speech Dr. Ubaid made the following demands:

1) To fully cooperate with the international community to immediately cease the arrest of Rohingya men. There have been hundreds of arbitrary arrests, and now Burmese/Rakhine court is involved in its issuing arrest warrants only against Rohingya victims and no arrests of Rakhine vigilantes have been made.

2) To give the international media and humanitarian organizations unconditional access to the Northern Arakan State to provide food and shelter to prevent starvation and disease outbreak during the current monsoon season.

3) To provide complete protection to the Rohingya residences from the Rakhine incendiaries and attacks

4) To move swiftly to start rebuilding all the properties that were burned down or destroyed

5) To dissolve the government's Commission of Inquiry that includes alleged Rakhine masterminds of the recent violence against Rohingya. No Rohingya is allowed in the commission.

6) To accept an independent Commission of Inquiry from the international community

7) To repeal the Military's 1982 citizenship law, and reconstitute a new citizenship law conforming to international standards.

We hope that you will take the above-mentioned steps in a timely fashion so that, Burma can reenter the communities of nation and take its deserved place.

Burma task Force has held rallies over the last week in multiple cities across the US and Canada on the occasion of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's visit showing solidarity with her struggle and asking her to speak up on the persecution of the Rohingya community. More rallies are planned in the coming days including in Boston, Detroit, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

URGENT – BREAKING NEWS 

Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni has urged the OIC member states and the General Secretariat to contribute to addressing of the root causes of Rohingya problem.

She also called for the rehabilitation of internally displaced Rohingya population and reconciliation between the Muslims and non-Muslim communities in the North Rakhine State of Myanmar.

The minister was addressing the first meeting of the OIC Contact Group on Rohingya Muslim Minority held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on Wednesday on the sidelines of the 67th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, according to a message received here on Thursday.

Dipu Moni said Bangladesh has been extremely sensitive and supportive to the humanitarian plight of the Myanmar Muslims in North Rakhine State. 

Under strict compliance of the principle of non-refoulement, she said, Bangladesh has been hosting hundreds of thousand of Rohingya refugees on Bangladesh soil in cooperation with UNHCR.

The Foreign Minister stated that it is important to address the issues of citizenship rights of Rohinghyas, and their continued trafficking and emigration. 

“While citizenship rights are at the core of the problem, a large number of them have left the North Rakhine State for secured livelihood opportunities in Bangladesh, Asean and Gulf countries, she said. 

She emphasized that these two issues deserve comprehensive solutions for the sake of peace and stability of the Rakhine state.

The Foreign Minister commended the OIC Secretary General for dispatching a high-level delegation to Myanmar earlier this month under the directives of the recently held 4th Extraordinary Islamic Summit Conference. 

She expressed satisfaction over the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) between the Myanmar government and the OIC General Secretariat to implement humanitarian programme for the benefit of all communities living in the Rakhine state. 

She hoped that such institutional avenues for engagement and cooperation with Myanmar government will lead to long-term partnership, whereby OIC member-states can make investments for sustainable socioeconomic development and livelihood opportunities for both the communities in the Rakhine state in the interest of peace, harmony and prosperity.

The OIC Contact Group on Rohingya Muslim Minority was established by the decision of the 4th Extraordinary Islamic Summit Conference held in Makkah on August 14-15 this year. 

Members of this Contact Group are Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Senegal, Djibouti, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia, Turkey and Afghanistan. 

The report of this Contact Group will be presented to the Annual Coordination Meeting of Foreign Ministers of OIC countries to be held at the UN Headquarters in New York on 28 September 2012 on the fringe of the 67th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

The Foreign Minister also held a bilateral meeting with Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar at the United Nations Headquarters on Wednesday. 

The two Foreign Ministers reviewed bilateral relations and exchanged views on issues of common interest at the UN and other multilateral fora.

source here

Thursday, September 27, 2012 ,There has been a discussion and debate going on in Nay Pyi Daw, Burma, regarding the crises in Arakan. But the hot topic in the discussion has been existence or non-existence of Rohingyas in the history of Arakan. Although, previously, Burmese regime has blatantly lied that there is no Rohingya race in Burma saying it didn’t exist in the past. Now, through the debate, government has reached a point that it can’t deny Rohingyas any longer especially after considering Arakan history. The government can’t accept Rohingyas either as there is stern opposition of fascist Rakhine extremists who want to wipe out Rohingyas and their history. 

Yet, today many Rakhine extremist leaders have a feeling that they will lose the debate going on in Nay Pyi Daw and hence they themselves might need to recognize Rohingyas in the future. Therefore, they have been implementing many plans against Rohingyas resulting from their meetings all over Arakan. Two significant steps they have taken against Rohingyas: the authority in Maung Daw are making more arbitrary arrests this time with the permission of the district judge of Muang Daw and sending them to Buthidaung Jail, and the authorities in Buthidaung jail are killing Rohingyas detained through inhumane tortures so that they can reduce the number of Rohingyas in Arakan. There have been thousands of Rohingyas detained in the prison for no reason. (Note: Judge in Maung Daw Distric Court, Authorities in the Jail, People in Police Force and Security Forces etc in Arakan are made up of Rakhines only) 

Now, mass killings and grave human rights violations are being carrying out against them in the jail. For instances, authorities in the jail are cutting off or burning the penises of Rohingyas, forcing them to have homo-sex with one another (recently a similar case took place against some Kachin youths), cutting off or pulling out their finger nails, severely beating them, keeping them nude all the time, keeping them without foods and water for days. When they are given foods once in many days, it is on the ground with their hands tied at their backs. Authorities in the jail force them through immense torture to exclaim that they are animals and that’s why they have to eat like animals. 

But this time, it has already been four days that Rohingyas in the prison are without foods and water. No need to wonder what is happening with them. What makes my heart bleed is not that Rohingyas are being killed but the way they are being killed. 

In short, according to Rohingyas in Arakan, the situation of Rohingyas in the prison is worse than that of Jews once in Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camps. In the fear of losing the debate in Nay Pyi Daw, Rakhine extremists (both in the government and outside) are rushing to kill Rohingyas as many as possible in the remaining they may have. Therefore, an urgent systematic investigation comprised of international criminal experts into Rohingya detention centers in Arakan is a dire need to prevent the crimes against humanity taking place. Or else, it will be another man-made catastrophe that can be prevented in time. And people will regret later for not doing so. 

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

RB News Desk.

M.S. Anwar
RB Aricle
September 9, 2012

President Thein Sein: An Oxymoron and Liar 

Recently, President Thein Sein claimed “the riot in the region 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 and to turn them against Rohingyas by using Buddhism as a tool. Government and Rakhine extremists accuse Rohingyas to be threats and dangers to Buddhism. Therefore, Rohingyas need to be cleansed. 

Moreover, President Thein Sein recently in an interview to VOA said “Bengalis (his own 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?” Burmese government and Rakhine extremist in home and abroad are leaving no stone unturned to deceive the world. They are forcefully or by other means using members of Hindu society (who look like Rohingyas) and taking pictures and making video showing 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 sent and not even humanitarian assistances, at a time when they continuously committing crimes against Rohingyas. 

When UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights, Mr. Tomas Ojea Quintana visited Arakan, Burmese authorities organized 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 Rohingya people. The similar case happened with Turkish Foreign Misnister Ahmet Davutglo when he visited Sittwe, Arakan. The government vetted translator mistranslated and omitted the important words of a Rohingya victim in the translation. 

On 17th August 2012, Thein Sein released an 18-paged statement in which he said “some political parties, monks and individuals incited extreme racial hatred and encouraged people to commit irrational racial attacks against Bengali Muslims (his own term for Rohingya Muslims).” What is this? Is it not contradictory to his earlier statements? Is not he an oxymoron? 

By the time Human Rights Watch (HRW) exposed the involvement of the government in the crimes, President Thein Sein has rather hastily set up an inquiry commission by himself 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? One should wonder who will be the ultimate sufferers as a result of this investigation when the people in the government itself are criminals. The commission visited violence hit regions and went back. But they could not meet the real victims, Rohingyas. When some Rohingyas invited the commission (on phone) to come to their places and see their actual situation, a member of the commission replied “we don’t have any authority to go to wherever we wish and we can only visit the places that the government wishes. In fact, cheating is not new to the Burmese government. They are famous for that even among Burmese community. But international community should not fall into their traps. 

Conclusion 

Though the situation in Arakan now is externally portrayed as it calmed down, the atrocities against Rohingyas and the holocaust in the Burmese version of Eichmann’s hell are still on. Yet, sadly, their plights can hardly draw any international attention as especially Western Powers who claim to be Human Rights champions are quiet. 

After all, why are they carrying out all atrocities against Rohingyas? It is particularly because of political gains of both Burmese regimes and Rakhine extremist leaders. As for the regime, they have successfully diverted public attentions from the poltical and economic crises they were having, depopularized Daw Aung San Suu Kyi among some segments of Burmese society and international communtiy, gained much required public supports, discredited international media and convinced general Burmese that only Military can protect the country. As for the Rakhine extremists, they are on their way to successfully root out Rohingyas who have become the major hindrance to their achieving an independent Arakan. 

Pro-fascists segment of Burmese society hate Rohingyas 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 one of the earliest settlers of Arakan and practice Islam. The Burmese Regime is heavily influenced by Nazi ideology of racial purification. And the regime brainwashed most members of Burmese society with their racist ideology. 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. And Adolf Eichmann was the in charge of the Exterminations Camps for Jews known as Eichmann’s Hell. Thein Sein and his ally, Dr. Aye Maung, the chairman of Rakhine National Development Party (RNDP) are the in-charges of Extermination Camps for Rohingyas, the Burmese version of Eichmann’s Hell. 

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. It is the high time for all of us to realize the crimes of these generation criminals and Neo-Fascists and to bring them into international criminal court of justice (ICCJ) in an effort to stop the crimes on the earth forever. 

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

The Rise of a Eichmann’s Hell in Burma (Part 1)

The Rise of a Eichmann’s Hell in Burma (Part 2)

Burmese Rohingya Association in Japan (BRAJ) held a press conference at Tokyo Foreign Correspondents Club in Tokyo, Japan on 26th September from 3 pm to 4 pm on Rohingya issue to urge international community to protect from genocidal atrocities of Myanmar President Thein Sein’s quasi civilian government and ultranationalists Rakhines. 

At the press conference Mr. Zaw Min Htut, President of BRAJ presented the current situation of Rohingyas in Arakan and stressed that Rohingya people need urgent international protection. At the same time BRAJ urge for international investigation leading by UN to look into the crisis and punish perpetrators as the current U Thein Sein’s bias investigation team is unacceptable for Rohingyas. 

Mr. Zaw Min Htut raised the issue of 1982 citizenship act which made Rohingyas virtual stateless although Rohingyas are the sons of Arakan soil with glorious past and history. 

BRAJ urge the international community especially U.S. and western countries including Japan to pressure U Thein Sein to withdraw his previous inhumane statement to UNHCR and recognize Rohingyas ethnic rights and grant them automatic citizenship. 

BRAJ hopes a lot from democratic leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to speak out against discrimination on Rohingyas and to find a permanent viable solution for Rohingyas and Arakan people for their peaceful co-existence without any discrimination. 

RB News Desk 

People shout slogans in support of the Rohingya Muslims in Burma during a demonstration outside the United Nations’ offices in Sanaa, Yemen on Aug. 13, 2012. (PHOTO: Reuters)

The Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK) has appealed to world leaders at the UN General Assembly to put pressure on Burma’s President Thein Sein following his proposal that third countries accept Rohingya refugees.

The Burmese president is currently in New York attending the UN General Assembly. Ahead of a meeting between Thein Sein and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday, the US announced it was lifting further sanctions on Burma due to the progress of reform under its new government.

In a letter to the UN on Wednesday, the BROUK president said, “We appeal to world leaders to put pressure on President Thein Sein to provide safety and security and to restore Rohingya ethnic rights and citizenship rights. We also appeal to world leaders to ensure strong wording in the UN General Assembly Resolution on Burma, including reform of the 1982 Citizenship Law, and the establishment of a UN Commission of Inquiry into what has taken place in Arakan State.”

Burma’s 1982 Citizenship Law fails to recognize the 800,000-strong Rohingya community as one of the country’s ethnic groups. Many Burmese consider the Muslim group to be illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, though many have lived in the country for generations.

In June, violence erupted in western Burma between the Rohingyas and the majority Arakanese Buddhist community following the rape of a local Buddhist girl, allegedly by three Rohingya men, and the public lynching of 10 Muslim pilgrims.

A month of riots and violence followed, which left thousands homeless and at least 82 dead, according to government figures. Rohingya sources, however, put the number of dead in the high hundreds.

In its letter to the UN, the British NGO claims that despite a Burmese government inquiry into the crisis, “unacceptable restrictions still remain, and the government is also failing to provide sufficient security for aid workers assisting Rohingya who have been threatened.”

The group claims that during diplomatic visits to the region in the wake of the violence, Rohingya community leaders were detained by police beforehand to prevent them from speaking to the diplomats, and that members of their community are barred from participating in the government inquiry.

Rohingya sources say that Burmese security forces continue to harass and detain members of their community, and that border guards have insisted on payment in order for them to be allowed to build new camps in the Maungdaw area.

Many of the 3,000 Arakanese Buddhists who are currently living in makeshift shelters have also expressed a fear of returning to Maungdaw and other majority-Rohingya towns, saying they are afraid of further violence. Many say they have put their houses up for sale and will not return.

According to Amnesty International: “Rohingyas have been persecuted for decades in Burma. They have been killed, raped, falsely imprisoned and forced to leave their homes. There are over 100,000 people who are homeless and helpless.

“The Rohingya minority are being persecuted in their own country, and we are demanding that some action be taken to stop this ethnic cleansing. The United Nations has said that the Rohingya minority in Burma is considered one of the most persecuted in the world.”

Human Rights Watch released a statement in August alleging that Burma’s security forces are playing an underhand role in persecuting the Rohingyas in the wake of the violence. It quoted witnesses as saying that “government forces stood by while members from each community attacked the other, razing villages, and committing an unknown number of killings.”

In mid-August, following a mission to Arakan State, the 57-member Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) condemned “the continued recourse to violence by the Myanmar authorities against the members of this minority and their refusal to recognize their right to citizenship.

“The [OIC] summit has decided to bring this matter before the General Assembly of the United Nations,” it said in Mecca.

However, the Rohingya issue is not on any itinerary at the UN General Assembly this week.

Sources Here:

(Opinion) – Burma Campaign UK (BCUK) supports human rights for the Rohingya people. For Burma Campaign UK to make such a statement shouldn’t be surprising or controversial. 

We are a human rights organization working on Burma. How could anyone disagree that the Rohingya people are entitled to full human rights and the normal rights and protections under international law?

But some people see that statement as such an outrage that Burma Campaign UK staff deserve to be raped and killed. We need to be “punished,” “taught a lesson” and “hung.” All these views and many more – many vicious and obscene – have been emailed to us or posted on YouTube and Facebook. 

The level of abuse, hatred and anger directed against Burma Campaign UK and other organizations who say that Rohingya should have human rights, and which work with Rohingya to defend their human rights, has been astonishing. 

There has even been a demonstration in Rangoon, outside the British Embassy, which, as well as attacking exiled media in almost exactly the same way the dictatorship used to, accused Burma Campaign UK of “propaganding” for the Rohingya. I doubt anyone in that protest could cite an example of us “propaganding,” whatever that means, but in the current hysteria some people seem willing to believe anything they hear as long as it is anti-Rohingya. 

That they were allowed to protest at all was a good sign, but have those people also used their new freedoms to protest for the release of hundreds of political prisoners still in jail, or to protest against the Burmese Army raping women in Kachin State? 

The hysteria has gone to such levels that some people from Burma are claiming, and, incredibly, others are believing, that Burma Campaign UK somehow stirred up the violence which broke out in Arakan State. They claim that we are responsible for the violence that has taken place

Burma Campaign UK has long faced criticism for supporting human rights for the Rohingya, and for a variety of sometimes bizarre reasons, as well as what may be genuine misunderstandings.

One lie being spread around on blogs, emails and sites like Facebook is that we are making money out of working for Rohingya. Burma Campaign UK has never received a grant for working on Rohingya issues. In any case, all of Burma Campaign UK’s income is spent on campaigning for human rights and democracy in Burma. We are a nonprofit organization. 

Another lie in a similar vein is that Middle East countries fund us. Sometimes it is implied we are funded as part of a Middle East plot to take over Burma and turn it into a Muslim country. It is even claimed that there is evidence for this. When Rohingya activists attended an Organisation of Islamic Conference meeting and set up the Arakan Rohingya Union, pictures were posted on Arakan blogs of the delegation, with captions and an article saying I was in the picture, and this was proof that I and Burma Campaign UK were taking Middle East money. 

The only problem was, I wasn’t in the picture. I didn’t even know the event was taking place. The person in the picture was Harn Yawnghwe from the Euro Burma Office. At the time we thought it funny that people making these attacks could not even tell the difference between a Shan Prince and myself, we never expected it to be taken so seriously, but this lie took hold. It was spread on email and more blogs, on Facebook, and people actually believed it. On my recent trip to Burma, even very senior democracy leaders in Rangoon talked about it. 

One common lie is that we support the Rohingya having a state of their own. We have never said that, and although some Rohingya organizations talked about this decades ago, we have never even heard any Rohingya organization saying they want their own state. There seems to be some great misunderstanding that if the Rohingya are recognized as an ethnic group, somehow that will entitle them to land or their own state. This simply isn’t true, and Burma Campaign UK has never said we support that. 

Another reason we are attacked over Rohingya issues is that we have a Muslim staff member. From the moment Wai Hnin Pwint Thon joined Burma Campaign UK, messages started to be left on our Facebook Page by people from Burma, attacking her because she is a Muslim. 

It was not until years later when she was pictured at a demonstration protesting against the dictatorship’s abuses of the Rohingya that it became Rohingya linked abuse posted on our Page. But now Wai Hnin Pwint Thon is subject to torrents of abuse, much more than our non-Muslim staff and volunteers who were on the same demonstration as she was, and have been on other protests with Rohingya as well. 

Lies posted and spread about Wai Hnin Pwint Thon include that she is secretly Rohingya (she isn’t), she has been accused of working with Rohingya Solidarity Organization (she doesn’t), of wanting to create a Caliphate in Burma (she doesn’t), of taking money from Rohingya (she hasn’t), and even that she has had several children with different Rohingya men (she hasn’t). She has faced not just lies but abuse, much of it sexual in nature.

Many people seem to think that any lie or story they hear about someone with any connection to supporting Rohingya human rights is justification for personal attacks, abuse and even threats. Given that this is the way their leaders behave, perhaps that is not surprising. 

Around a year ago, I tried to engage Dr. Aye Chan in a conversation on why he and his followers spent much more time criticising Rohingya than they did the dictatorship. Aye Chan was incapable of having the discussion without repeatedly making personal attacks. The email conversation was forwarded to various email groups, and my in-box was flooded with abusive emails. When I asked Aye Chan to ask his supporters not to use personal abuse and threats, and to condemn those who do, he repeatedly refused to do so. When leaders not only fail to condemn abusive and personal attacks, but even make personal attacks themselves, their followers will copy their behaviour.

More recently we have been accused of being pro-Rohingya. I am still not exactly sure what that means. Certainly we are pro-human rights for the Rohingya, how could we or anyone else who believes in democracy and human rights not be? 

But the implication is that we are pro-Rohingya, and therefore somehow anti-Rakhine. It is worrying how so many people now see the two as automatically going together. Burma Campaign UK supports the human rights of everyone in Burma, and that includes Rohingya and Rakhine. To talk about Rohingya having human rights does not make us anti-Rakhine. We have campaigned on many Rakhine related issues, including Shwe gas, Rakhine political prisoners, and were one of the few campaign groups actively campaigning for the 34 Rakhine and Karen prisoners in jail in India. 

Burma Campaign UK has been criticised for not doing enough on Rakhine issues, and this is also cited as evidence of some kind of pro-Rohingya bias. But we have never refused any request when we have been asked to work on any Rakhine related issue by any Rakhine community or human rights group. We would do more on Arakan issues, but some members of the Arakan community in the UK will not work with us because we support human rights for the Rohingya. When we tried to meet with Arakan community leaders, it took months to arrange, and only one person turned up. In the past we made repeated offers of all kinds of training and support to the Arakan community in UK, and to groups in exile, and none have been taken up. 

Burma Campaign UK was also fiercely criticized for circulating information from the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK about the recent violence. Circulating information on behalf of human rights groups is a major part of our work. Every year we circulate media releases, briefings and reports from dozens of organisations from Burma, and from international NGOs. 

If any organization working on Arakan human rights had also provide a briefing with information not being reported, we would have circulated that as well. But they didn’t. 

I have tried to have some conversations with some of the people criticizing myself and Burma Campaign UK for bias, asking them for examples. So far no one has been able to provide a single one. Yet the perception remains. 

It seems impossible to dispel the belief by some that working for Rohingya human rights means bias against Rakhine. From our perspective, it seems that this is a deliberate tactic of extremists to polarize the debate and incite more hatred and intolerance. 

Any public comment or photograph relating to the Rohingya seems to act as a lightning rod for more abuse and threats, and this article will probably result in the same. 

But I hope some people may take the time to consider the truth. What possible reason or interest could Burma Campaign UK have in being biased? 

Our agenda is solely human rights and democracy. We have been working relentlessly for this for more than 20 years. Why have people been so ready to believe lies and bad things about people who have worked so hard to support their cause? And why do people not simply ask what the truth is before passing on lies and gossip? 

Even for those who disagree with Burma Campaign UK, is it right that we should receive threats and abuse just for having a different opinion than them? That is the approach and mind set of the dictatorship. It shouldn’t be the way things are done in a democracy. People do need to ask themselves why they are so ready to believe these lies. 

The terrible events in Arakan State in the past month and the reaction of many people to those events, casts a long shadow over Burma. Violence and intolerance took hold. Is this the kind of Burma people want to see in the future? 

Isn’t one of the main reasons for having a democracy that disagreements can be debated and settled politically, not through violence and threats? 

Burma’s democracy movement is an anti-dictatorship movement, but it must also be a movement for human rights, for tolerance and for equality. 

(Commentary) – One thing that kept the military regimes in place in Burma for more than 60 years is the ability of the Burmese military to divide and rule. They have used divide and rule tactics between Burmans and ethnics, between Burmans and Burmans and between ethnics and ethnics. They have also used divide and rule tactics between Rohingya and Rakhine.

Tun Khin of the Burmese Rohingya Organization UK. photo: screenshotMy older relatives tell me of a time when there wasn’t the same level of mistrust or even hatred between Rohingya and Rakhine. There was no voice of opposition heard from any quarters, including Rakhine, over the recognition of Rohingyas as an ethnic group during U Nu’s era. 

My relatives remember government radio broadcasting in the Rohingya language during U Nu’s time as prime minister. I remember as a child playing with Rakhine friends and visiting each other’s homes to eat.

The reasons for the current level of mistrust and violence between the communities are many, but by far the greatest reason, and at the root of why the situation has become so bad, are lies and propaganda that began to be spread about the Rohingya when Ne Win became dictator.

Ne Win rewrote history, invented Burmese propaganda and lies, and introduced discriminatory policies against the Rohingya. Some of these policies where enshrined in law, such as the 1982 Citizenship Law, while others were in practice, increasing harassment by security forces and discrimination.

Decades of lies and propaganda, underpinned by the 1982 Citizenship Law, which stripped us of citizenship and the rights that come with it, have institutionalized the hatred and discrimination. Of course there were always some tensions, as there often is when two communities of different ethnicities and religions live side by side. But Ne Wins lies and propaganda encouraged those differences, and encouraged hatred, rather than building community cohesion and understanding. 

It breaks my heart to see the situation in Rakhine State today. There is so much suffering. In the recent violence and then the attacks by government forces, mainly Rohingya have suffered, but I know that some Rakhine people have suffered as well.

Aid being promised by Muslim countries and the international community could be used not just to assist in the current humanitarian crisis, but also for long-term projects to fight poverty and promote development in Rakhine State. 

International donors should not just be talking to the government about aid and development. Instead they should talk to local community leaders, and let us work jointly together to promote development that not only helps both communities, but also in the process promotes communal understanding and brings us closer together. Let both sides experience first-hand the benefits of us working together, how it will benefit both communities. Because fighting poverty together, as well as politically struggling for democracy and human rights, united and working together, we are all stronger. 

Rohingyas with a long history in Arakan are an integral part of Burma’s society. All Rohingya people want is to live peacefully in Burma, with our human rights respected. 

Burma is our homeland. It is impossible to force all Rohingya people out of the country. The only solution is for us to work together to find a way to live peacefully together. 

That means Rakhine trying to understand the situation from a Rohingya perspective, and Rohingya also trying to understand the concerns of Rakhine. They are living together with their Rakhine compatriots in the same place, drinking the same water and breathing the same air. 

There is no point in being antagonistic to each other. It hurts all of us, our children and their children to come. Unless both Rohingya and Rakhine cultivate the political will to change this situation, we both suffer. 

Divided we all suffer. The only winner is President Thein Sein and the military and ex-military, which have oppressed us all for so long. Let us revive our traditional relationship for the sake of our children. Let us work together on democratic principles with mutual respect, love and affection. 

That is my appeal to all Rakhine.

Tun Khin is president of the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK. His grandfather was a parliamentary secretary during the democratic period in Burma.

Sources Here:

The Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (Brouk) has appealed to world leaders at the 67th UN General Assembly meeting in New York to put pressure on President Thein Sein following his proposal to remove all Rohingya people from Burma and place them in refugee camps or third countries.

Rohingya refugee women stand by their homes in Cox's Bazaar District, Bangladesh, on June 7, 2011. Conditions in the makeshift refugee camp site are difficult. In addition to high rates of malnutrition, residents deal with crowding and poor sanitation. Photo: U.S.State DepartmentIt called on world bodies to ensure the Burmese government provides human rights and security to Rohingyas living in Burma.

After President Thein Sein's proposal, Brouk said it has received reports that there have been mass arrests of Rohingya people who are now kept in detention camps without trial, adequate food or medical services. 

More than 100,000 people were internally displaced in Rakhine State, and for a significant period the vast majority was not receiving assistance because they were ethnic Rohingya, Brouk said in a statement issued on Wednesday.

“Unacceptable restrictions still remain, and the government is also failing to provide sufficient security for aid workers assisting Rohingya who have been threatened,” it said. “Local authorities are refusing to allow many Rohingya people back to some villages, shops and homes in a policy that appears designed to ‘cleanse’ these areas of Rohingya people. 

“There are some reports of mass graves in Maungdaw and Buthidaung Townships, Arakan State,” it said. “It is clear that what has taken place is very serious indeed. The United Nations, Organisation of Islamic Co-operation, and many individual governments, have all called for an independent investigation into what has and continues to take place.”

It said the Burmese government has allowed some diplomats to visit the area, but these visits faced severe restrictions, and there have been reports that Rohingya community leaders have been detained before hand to prevent them from meeting diplomats. 

“The government of Burma has established its own investigation, but there are no Rohingya members of the investigation, and some members have masterminded recent violence in Arakan and stated that they think all Rohingya should be expelled from Burma,” said the statement.

“Following restrictions placed upon the OIC and other investigators, and the failure of the government of Burma to establish a credible independent investigation, it has become clear that for an independent investigation to take place, it will have to be under the support of the United Nations, and with a strong mandate from the United Nations General Assembly,” said Brouk, which said it is “too early” to remove sanctions against Burma.

“There are serious human rights violations going on in ethnic areas which are worse than under the previous dictator Than Shwe,” it said. “The world leaders must not ignore ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims and other ethnic groups such as Kachin and Chin Christians. It is too early to remove sanctions as Thein Sein's government is practicing ethnic cleansing on ethnic areas.”

Brouk President Tun Khin said, “We appeal to world leaders to put pressure on President Thein Sein to provide safety and security and to restore Rohingya ethnic rights and citizenship rights. 

“We also appeal to world leaders to ensure strong wording in the UN General Assembly Resolution on Burma, including reform of the 1982 Citizenship Law and the establishment of a UN Commission of Inquiry into what has taken place in Arakan State.”

Sources Here:

"National Identity and Citizenship in 21st Century Myanmar" held in Rangoon Chatirum Hotel 16th September 2012.Abu Taher (aka) U Tha Aye, Central Executive member, Head of Political Bureau and Research and development of National Democratic Party for Development (NDPD) raised 1982 citizenship law leads to racism.The law is deterrent to build a national identity for Burma.So it should be amended.

Tun Khin , President of Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK said during the interview DVB, "The Burmese government and international Community have responsibility to protect the Rohingyas.Burmese Government should have a willing to provide reconciliation between the two communities".

Today, Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK appeals to world leaders at the UN General Assembly to put pressure on President Thein Sein following his proposal to remove all Rohingya people from Burma and place them in third countries. 

After President Thein Sein's proposal, Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK) has received reports till today that there have been mass arrests with Rohingya people kept in detention camps without trial, without food or medical services. More than 100,000 people were internally displaced, and for a significant period the vast majority was not receiving assistance because they are ethnic Rohingya. Unacceptable restrictions still remain, and the government is also failing to provide sufficient security for aid workers assisting Rohingya who have been threatened. Local authorities are refusing to allow many Rohingya people back to some villages, shops and homes in a policy that appears designed to ‘cleanse’ these areas of Rohingya people. There are some reports of mass graves in Maungdaw and Buthidaung Townships, Arakan State. 

It is clear that what has taken place is very serious indeed. The United Nations, Organisation of Islamic Co-operation, and many individual governments, have all called for an independent investigation into what has and continues to take place. While the government has allowed some diplomats to visit the area, these visits have faced severe restrictions by the government of Burma, and there have been reports that Rohingya community leaders have been detained before hand to prevent them from meeting diplomats. The government of Burma has established its own investigation, but there are no Rohingya members of the investigation, and some members have masterminded recent violence in Arakan and stated that they think all Rohingya should be expelled from Burma. 

Following restrictions placed upon the OIC and other investigators, and the failure of the government of Burma to establish a credible independent investigation, it has become clear that for an independent investigation to take place, it will have to be under the support of the United Nations, and with a strong mandate from the United Nations General Assembly. 

During President Thein Sein’s trip to New York for the UN General Assembly meeting, the United States Government and world leaders should be clear that more decisive action is needed to fulfill Burma’s international obligation to protect the Rohingya. It is very clear that President Thein Sein's reforms are not genuine and just to show to the international community to ease sanctions. There are serious human rights violations going on in ethnic areas which are worse than under the previous dictator Than Shwe. The world leaders must not ignore ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims and other ethnic groups such as Kachin and Chin Christians. It is too early to remove sanctions as Thein Sein's government is practicing ethnic cleansing on ethnic areas. 

BROUK President Tun Khin said, “After the violence more than one thousand Rohingyas were arrested and many of them were killed and disappeared. During the last few days, the police have prepared new warrant lists to arrest Rohingyas from the villages of surrounding Maungdaw Town, Arakan State. This is a new strategy of President Thein Sein to eliminate Rohingyas from Arakan. We Rohingyas need urgent safety, security and humanitarian aid in Arakan State” 

President of BROUK also said “We appeal to world leaders to put pressure on President Thein Sein to provide safety and security and to restore Rohingya ethnic rights and citizenship rights. We also appeal to world leaders to ensure strong wording in the UN General Assembly Resolution on Burma, including reform of the 1982 Citizenship Law and the establishment of a UN Commission of Inquiry into what has taken place in Arakan State.” 

For more information, please contact Tun Khin +44 7888 714 866. 

Sinar Bima carrying 500 tonnes of relief items for victims of Myanmar conflict Wednesday, September 26, 2012 - by Azril Annuar

KELAB Putera 1Malaysia's humanitarian aid trip to Rakhine, Myanmar, was finally flagged off when the cargo vessel Sinar Bima left Port Klang's North Port yesterday.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin flagged off the vessel at 10.50am. It carried 500 tonnes of food, medical supplies, medication and other relief items in 40 containers.

Muhyiddin said that as an Asean member, Malaysia has a commitment to assist its neighbours involved in any conflict.

"This humanitarian trip will assist everyone regardless of whether they are Muslims or Buddhists. It's a honourable mission and it's not an easy task," he said.

"The club has taken up the challenge to provide assistance and support to those who need it there.

"Their initiative will send a global message that Malaysia is always keen to help its neighbours. However, I do believe this is just a temporary relief exercise and it will not be permanent.

"I trust the Myanmar government is doing its very best to find an amicable solution to the problems there."

He urged the Malaysian aid team to be alert at all times as the area is not stable.

Club president Datuk Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim, who is leading the team, said they have the Myanmar government's support and will be protected by a military convoy.

Asked whether they are prepared for possible violence, akin to the ill-fated Somali mission which saw the death of Bernama TV cameraman Noramfaizul Mohd Nor in September last year, Abdul Azeez said they have had "training".

"We are have undergone training and we also have bullet proof vests. However, our embassy at Yangoon said the vests are not needed. Only the military carry firearms," he said.

Abdul Azeez and the team will depart from LCCT and land in Yangoon International Airport. From Yangoon, the team will travel by land for about 900km till it reaches Sittwi City in Rakhine state.

The advanced team is expected to leave on Friday and the main team will be leaving on Monday.

The vessel will be heading for Yangoon Harbour and from there, a tugboat will lead it to Sittwi Harbour.

About two months ago, a murderous wave between the Buddhist Rakhine majority and the Muslim Rohingya minority erupted in the Rakhine state of Myanmar.

The violence started after it was reported on May 28 that a 26-year-old Buddhist woman had been raped and killed by Muslim men. Three Muslim men were detained the following day.

The incident lit the fuse for communal violence in the area. On June 3, about 300 Buddhists attacked a bus in Taungup, killing 10 Muslim men, reportedly in front of policemen and soldiers who did not intervene.

Sources Here :