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By M.S. Anwar
RB Analysis
January 16, 2013

(It is certain that many people will be up against what is going to be written here. However, truths are truths and can no way be hidden. And it is necessary to share them to the honest truth seekers.) 

The violence in Arakan is neither because of Rohingyas (whom Majority Burmese perceive as illegal Bengalis) nor SECTARIAN. It is a systematic pogrom targeted Rohingyas and Kamans (Kamans are also being killed on account of their religion). They, the sons of soils of Arakan, have been scapegoated for different political gains by the respective interest groups. Of all, the two notable interest groups who are striving towards different political goals are none other than Burmese regime and Rakhine Extremists. As for Burmese regime, their basic goal was fulfilled as they could have diverted the attention of the people from the political crises they had been facing before this violence. 

They want to end the violence now but Rakhine extremist political leaders do not let the situation be peaceful by blackmailing the regime to expose their own participation in the pogrom of Rohingyas. It is because they are still striving towards fulfilling their dream of MAHA RAKKHITA NAING NGAN DAW GRI (A Separate and Independent Rakhine Nation) consisting Arakan region from Burma and Chittagong Hill-Tract from Bangladesh. A Burmese friend of mine laughed it out saying “Phyit Naing Ba’ Malla Bya- Can it be possible?” This might sound funny to many people today but tomorrow it can be a reality. But an unreality today can become a reality tomorrow.

Rakhines in Burma and Bangladesh and their Joint Movements: There are more than 1 Million Buddhists of different ethnic origin in Bangladesh, whom Burmese Rakhines consider parts of Rakhine groups. They are Marma (known as Rakhine in Burma), Barua (Mramma Gri or Myammar Gyi) and Chakma (Theks) etc (in short, Jammu Hill tract Tribes) in Bangladesh. Of them, BARUAs and Theks are linguistically similar to Rohingyas over to Rakhines (Marmas). Besides, Baruas are more similar to Rohingyas in looks and physical appearances. However, Burmese Rakhines have persuaded and recruited more people from other Buddhist minorities of Bangladesh on the ground of the religion and have sown a separatist tendency in their minds. 

Therefore, with the exception of few, the Rakhine political parties or armed groups, media groups, woman organizations, youth groups, academics and individuals that work not only against the interest of Burma and Bangladesh but also against Rohingyas and Kamans in cooperation with the terrorist outfit of United People’s Democratic Front (UPDF) in Bangladesh are: Arakan League for Democracy (ALD), Arakan Liberation Party (ALP), Democratic Party of Arakan (DPA), Rakhine Women Union (RWU), All Arakan Student and Youth Council (AASYC) and Dhaka based Narinjara News Agency. Arakan Liberation Party (ALP) in cooperation with Rakhine National Development Party (RNDP) is also responsible for mass killings of Rohingyas. Look at the following document how ALP has broken their own treaty with Rohingyas and is trying to have an exclusively Rakhine nation.



Now, the readers probably have a clearer picture of Rakhine movements and why they are trying to eradicate Rohingyas, whom once they themselves recognized. 

Regarding the recent movements of Rakhine extremists, Saw Mra Raza Linn lives in Dhaka and is the President of the Dhaka based RWU and a central executive member of ALP. She married to a Bangladeshi Rakhine Buddhist living in Dhaka. He is the founder and head of Rakhine Development Foundation (RDF), an NGO registered by Bangladesh government. Her husband’s sister, Mra Aye Thein from Barisal of Baggona, is a selected and appointed (not elected) member of parliament of Awami League. 

Saw Mra Raza Linn
On 27th August 2012, she together with other six people from ALP and UPDF illegally crossed the Naff River, the Teknaf-Maung Daw border and entered Burma. They were given a warm welcome by the Rakhine extremists and separatists in Arakan. In Akyab (Sittwe), they held several secrets meetings with the Rakhine Buddhist Extremists such as Rakhine National Development Party (RNDP). They have reached to an agreement with Burmese government to open an ALP liaison office in Arakan. From Arakan, she went to Rangoon (the second capital of Burma) to meet with higher government officials and other members of RNDP. The question is: how could a woman living in Dhaka and known for working against Burmese government for a long time illegally cross Bangladesh-Burma border, enter Burma and go to Rangoon to meet the higher officials of Burmese government? 

The Meeting in Chiangmai, Thailand: From 11th to 14th January 2013, a SECRET meeting among the Rakhine extremists and separatists was held in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The members of Rakhine National Development Party (RNDP) from Burma, Arakan Liberation Party (ALP), members of the other Rakhine parties mentioned above and prominent members of Bangladesh Rakhine Buddhist Separatists participated in the meeting. It was the first ever meeting after 2004, where different Rakhine groups from different countries attended the meeting. The press statements from the meeting and other details are as follow. 









(Press Release on Arakan National Workshop and Paper to present at the Arakan National Workshop by AHRDO are Burmese language. We are inconvenient to translate them into English lest the writings would become too long. But by looking at the rebuttals to the allegations made in the statement, one can guess what the original statements are.) 

Rebuttals to the Allegations: 

  1. Rakhines have the rights to create their own destiny in unity BUT doing so can’t damage other human beings.
  2. The formation of the committee to unite Rakhine people is welcome unless the committee tries to implement the fascist policies.
  3. If Rohingyas are illegal invading Bengalis, then what are you? Rakhines live in both Bangladesh and Burma. They are not Rohingyas who are coming in into Arakan but leaving Arakan. Rakhines are certainly sneaking into Arakan taking advantage of the presence of their people in the administration.
    Look their ALP’s agreement shown above (because Rakhines, today, in their fanaticism, refuse to accept what the international scholars say on Rohingyas.) If 1982 Citizenship Law (an illegal and black law that violates several internal laws, human rights and norms) is to be implemented, let it be implemented to all Burmese people including Rakhine themselves. Stop using the term “Bengali” for Rohingya; it is not the identity Rohingya belongs to. If you use such, Rohingya will use your historical term “Magh,” which you are ashamed of.
  4. It is up to the Burmese government to approve the decisions by Rakhine extremists taken in the Rathedaung meeting from September 25-26, 2012. No matter whether it is approved or not, Adolf Hitler would certainly be happy to see his ardent followers in Arakan, Burma were he alive.
  5. All the innocent Rakhines should be protected from any kinds of harms anywhere in the world. But do not lie that they are facing threats both in Burma and in abroad.
  6. Demand to stop the offensive war against Kachins is more than welcome unless it is for your own political benefits. 
The meeting was held in Thailand rather in Bangladesh or in Burma. Why should they do so unless it was against the interests of both Bangladesh and Burma? It is worth wondering why Burmese government allowed RNDP members to attend at a meeting which was itself against the government! It is worth wondering whether Bangladesh government allowed Burma born Saw Mra Raza Linn to hold Bangladesh Passport and travel to Thailand to attend the meeting which was against the interest of Bangladesh! The respective governments have to answer for these. Besides, it is up to the readers to wonder why Kritine Gould, CEO at PACRIM Research Associates, Counterterrorism Plans Officer at US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), arranged such a fascist meeting and sponsored those who are up for the ethnic cleansing of a particular minority. Isn’t that a serious matter to think of?? 

Wake up Bangladeshis, Burmese!! It is very unfortunate that neither Burma nor Bangladesh understands the separatist tendency and long term ambition of these Rakhine war criminals. To stop the Rakhine province to secede from Burma, Rakhine leadership is right that it is only Rohingyas that can help Burma stay together. It is important to know that Rakhines are only 5% of Burmese population but are 30% in the Burmese administration including army. If they go to jungle, it will be a major challenge for Burma. In addition, there are Rakhine militant groups such as ALP and Arakan Army working for the same purpose. 

Similarly for Bangladesh, research shows, the rebellions in Chittagong Hill Tracts such as UPDF has been instigated largely by the Rakhine separatists from Burma. Some innocent looking Rakhine monks were found to carry weapons in Bangladesh. For its internal security, it would be good for Bangladesh to monitor these war criminals and their movements within Bangladesh. For the Rohingyas, if the international community ignores the killings of Rohingyas by the Rakhine extremist leaders, they and the international community must have the right to arrest them and send them to the ICC and stop their criminal bugging in that part of the world. Surely, if timely actions are not taken, there is a costly price to pay by both Bangladesh and Burma for silence! The heavy price will be in the form of losing Chittagong hill tracts and Arakan respectively to the Rakhine separatists. 

Rohingyas’ Request: Rohingya community would like to urge the extremists in Rakhine community to abandon extremism and exclusiveness policies, not to manipulate Buddhism for their own interests, to recognize and respect the differences and to cooperate with their sister community forgetting what has happened in the past and stopping what is happening now for the sake of the peace, tranquility and the developments in the region. If they two communities cooperate, they can work together to achieve an autonomous or federal state within the union of Burma. Let’s not separate Arakan as it is not a preferable idea. 

(Note: Neither all Rakhines nor all Buddhists in Burma and Bangladesh are extremists. My writings here do not have anything to do with the peace-loving Buddhists, Rakhines and other communities.

The writings, here, are to an extent inspired by the writings of Dr. Abid Bahar and a Writer named Soe Min.) 

M.S. Anwar is an activist and student in Malaysia. The writings here are of the author’s own and hence do not reflect the editorial policy of RB.



ARAKAN ROHINGYA NATIONAL ORGANISATION
ARAKAN, BURMA

PRESS RELEASE

(14 January 2013)

UN intervention is most urgent to protect the Rohingya 

After June 2012 deadly violence in Arakan, the human rights situation of the Rohingya has become more deteriorating with story of “dead and dying”. Campaigns of genocide and extermination against them are carried out day in, day out. Rape, murder, arbitrary arrest, looting, extortion, criminal atrocities, hunger and diseases are persistent and widespread. Their burned down and depopulated villages are being populated with Buddhist settlers warmly invited from within and from Bangladesh. These are the main ‘push factors’ that cause the migration of Rohingya to neighbouring countries for which the Burmese government and Rakhine Nationalities Development Party (RNDP) with Dr. Aye Maung are fully responsible. 

Most Rohingyas, including those about 140,000 internally displaced during the carnage, have nothing to eat and nowhere to go and are dying of hunger, malnutrition and diseases. Humanitarian aids to the Rohingya displacement camps and areas have been systematically blocked by the local administration dominated by RNDP, with organized gangs of Buddhist Rakhine. It is almost unprecedented that some 50 drinking water ponds of the Rohingya villages have been poisoned by the Buddhist Rakhine and the security forces.

No school or madrassa education is available for the Rohingya children in villages and displacement camps. Most of the mosques are still closed down, and funeral prayers for the deceased persons are disallowed without payment. Villagers and Maulvis (religious persons) were tortured for performing funeral services. In Shweza village of Maungdaw NaSaKa intelligence officer Aung Naing from Outpost No. 14 under Sector No.6 is extorting Kyat 10,000 to 25,000 for each funeral. 

NaSaKa security forces are conducting sporadic surveys coercing the Rohingya villagers to write ‘Bengali’ as their racial name in place of ‘Rohingya’ against their will. Some villagers were arrested or tortured for opposing their dictation while others escaped away.

Since June 2012, an estimated 13,000 Rohingya took perilous voyages towards Malaysia and more than 500 boat people are missing or have drowned after several boats sinking, while a number of them ended up in jails and detention in countries within the region. During recent weeks Thai security forces rescued 773 beleaguered Rohingya in Songkhla province whereas another group of 73 rescued Rohingya are reported under threat of ‘push back’ to Burma where they face persecution. The boat people are often victimized at the hands of the human traffickers who used to sell them to slavery for 60,000 to 70,000 Bhat ($1,975 to $ 2,304) per person, particularly to fishing industry.

Rohingya tragedies and boat people disaster have got out of hand causing serious regional problem with international perspective. Primarily the Rohingya problem needs to be resolved within Burma, but there is no change of attitude of the ruling civil-military hybrid government towards them. In the absence of national protection the responsibility to protect them weighs on the international community.

We, therefore, request the United Nations and its Members of the Security Council to send UN Peacekeeping Force to Arakan in order to protect the helpless Rohingya people; and to constitute a UN Commission of Inquiry to investigate the international crimes committed against Rohingya and bring the perpetrators to justice.

For more information, please contact:

Nurul Islam: + 44 07947854652 
Aman Ullah + 880 1558486910


Bangkok Post
January 16, 2013

BANGKOK - The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said Wednesday it had permission from Thailand to access some 850 people, many thought to be from Myanmar's Rohingya minority, held after raids on hidden camps in Thailand's far South. 

Hundreds of migrants have been arrested in the past week in police sweeps on remote areas in rubber plantations in Songkhla province near the border with Malaysia, leading the UNHCR to seek to confirm whether any of them plan to seek asylum. 

"The Thai authorities have agreed in principle to give us access to this group," Vivian Tan, spokeswoman for the UNHCR office, told AFP. 

"There are likely to be Rohingya among them, but we can't confirm their identity without us first talking to them and doing a preliminary assessment." 

She said no date had been agreed yet, but that the UN was pushing to do the interviews "as soon as possible". 

Thousands of Muslim-minority Rohingya have fled communal unrest in Myanmar's western state of Rakhine, heading to Thailand and other countries. 

Clashes between Buddhists and Muslims have left at least 180 people dead in the state since June, and displaced more than 110,000 others, mostly Rohingya. 

Myanmar views the roughly 800,000 Rohingya in Rakhine as illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and denies them citizenship. 

The UN, which has called Rohingya one of the world's most persecuted peoples, has urged Myanmar's neighbours to open their borders to people escaping the communal violence. 

Although tensions have eased since a fresh outbreak of killings in October, concerns have grown about the fate of asylum-seekers setting sail in overcrowded boats. 

Thailand has faced pressure from rights groups to do more to help Rohingya migrants who reach its territory. The country has been accused of pushing them into neighbouring countries including Malaysia, which offers them sanctuary. 

Human Rights Watch has said women and children are increasingly among the boatloads of Rohingya fleeing Myanmar.

Bangkok Post
January 16, 2013

PM taps navy to head off illicit migrant 'surge'

The government plans to consult with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) before deciding on the status of nearly 850 detained Rohingya migrants, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra says.

A Rohingya migrant receives a health examination at a detention centre in Songkhla’s Sadao district. (Photo - TAWATCHAI KEMGUMNERD)

The government will not return or relocate the Rohingya migrants for the time being, Ms Yingluck said after yesterday's cabinet meeting.

She said the Foreign Ministry would discuss the matter with the UNHCR before taking action.

"First thing is we have to take care of them. Next is to discuss [the plan of action] with the UNHCR," she said. "We will have to discuss it with [Myanmar] and a third-party country."

Surapong Kongchanthuk, an expert on stateless people and migrants for the Lawyers Council of Thailand, urged the government to ask the UNHCR to verify the status of the migrants.

He said once the migrants are verified as refugees it will be easier to relocate them to a third-party country.

"And if they want to be sent back home, their safety must be guaranteed," he said. "They shouldn't be left at the border to find their way home because they will end up victims of the traffickers."

He also called on the government to find out whether the migrants were victims of human trafficking.

The prime minister yesterday instructed navy commander Surasak Rounroengrom to head off the influx of Rohingya migrants. More than 840 Rohingya migrants have been rounded up in three raids in Songkhla's Sadao district over the past week.

Ms Yingluck said some of the migrants might join the southern insurgency rather than seek asylum in a third country.

Adm Surasak said the navy would step up operations to keep the Rohingya migrants from coming ashore.

Vice Adm Tharathon Jitsuwan, commander of 3rd Naval Area, said it is part of the navy's job to curb smuggling of contraband goods, drugs and illegal migrants.

Naval interceptions of illegal migrant vessels will result in the migrants being returned to their country of origin or to a third-party country, he said.

"We do provide them with humanitarian assistance," he said.

Several women and children are among the detained migrants.

The migrants use Thailand as a transit point to seek jobs or asylum elsewhere, and are often exploited by human traffickers, he said.

He said the 3rd Naval Area was working closely with the Internal Security Operations Command Region 4 and police to look out for human trafficking networks.

Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung said authorities were investigating the influx of Rohingya migrants.

Immigration staff would be held to account if they were found to be involved in human trafficking, he said.

Lt Gen Paradorn Pattanathabut, secretary-general of the National Security Council (NSC), said the Department of Special Investigation and immigration authorities are also looking into the surge of illegal migrants.

The case is not yet considered a human trafficking crime, he said.

Lt Gen Paradorn said the Social Development and Human Security Ministry is being asked to help because women and children are among the migrants.

In the past, most Rohingya migrants have been men, he said.

Meanwhile, two more Rohingya men were rescued yesterday while wandering in the woods along the Songkhla-Satun border.

The pair were found by locals who took them to a mosque in tambon Chalung in Songkhla's Hat Yai district. The men did not have any belongings.

They told local authorities they were originally in a group of 30, including women and children.

They said they split from the group two days ago after being abandoned and robbed by the people who brought them into the country.

It is believed the group was abandoned after authorities stepped up security following the arrest of the other three groups.

Police yesterday issued a warrant for the arrest of Sarok Kaewmaneechote on a charge of providing Rohingya migrants with accommodation. The suspect was identified as the owner of a house in Padang Besar municipality where 139 migrants were detained on Sunday.

Police are still hunting for two men in connection with the Rohingya migrants.

The Nation
January 16, 2013

Humanitarian care would be provided for Rohingya minority people from Myanmar - for the time being - and Thailand would seek help from the United Nations and other international groups to try to resolve their plight, the Foreign Ministry said yesterday.Concerned agencies are in the process of classifying some 857 Rohingya people who illegally entered Thailand recently, the Ministry's permanent secretary Sihasak Phuangketkeow said yesterday.

Sihasak said most of the Rohingya were men (667), but they include 30 women, and 160 minors aged below 18.

"We will proceed in line with laws and humanitarian principle," he explained.

By law, the Rohingya had committed the offence of entering Thailand illegally, so they have already been charged.

"But first and foremost, we have to take care of them on humanitarian grounds," Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said. There was no immediate plan to deport the Rohingya back to Myanmar or send them to a third country as of now, she said.

The PM also explained that a deportation, if it occurred, would be conducted in consultation with the UN.

Sihasak said relevant authorities would have to request a budget from the Cabinet for the provision of care provided to the Rohingya. "Budget is an important factor."

An informed source claimed many Rohingya got assistance to travel to Malaysia before but now the country had less demand for these workers. "Due to the agreement signed with Bangladesh, Malaysia has hired more Bangladeshi workers."

The prime minister discussed the situation yesterday with top officials including Foreign Minister Surapong Towichukchaikul and Navy chief Admiral Surasak Rounreungrom, asking them to seek a proper solution to handle the refugees. Yingluck assigned Surapong to talk with the UN about assistance.

Sihasak said United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organisation for Migration, and United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (Unicef), had expressed concern and a wish to help the Rohingya.

Yingluck asked the Navy to take care of concerns over the Rohingya, to stop them getting involved in violence in the far South.

Department of Special Investigation chief Tharit Pengdith said he would propose that the UN step in to ensure the Rohingya don't starve and can migrate to a third country.

The Rohingya are a Muslim minority who endured serious conflict with Buddhists in Rakhine State that left dozens dead and tens of thousands homeless.

BOY, 10, TELLS OF FAMILY'S SLAUGHTER

Speaking via an interpreter from a state shelter in Narathiwat, a 10-year-old Rohingya boy yesterday said Myanmar used brutal violence against Muslims in Rakhine State. "My parents and all my four older siblings were killed," Nurahazim said. His body was scarred with many knife wounds and sores from being beaten.

"A rich man there helped us (survive the violence) by giving us a boat. So, we went to the sea and hoped we could reach a Muslim country," the boy said.

According to Nurahazim, his boat went ashore in Thailand and a man identifying himself as a soldier promised to help transfer them to Malaysia if given Bt150,000 per head. In the end, they were put in the hands of human traffickers.

"I feel hurt," Nurahazim said, adding he would be dead if he was deported back to Rakhine State.

Thai authorities have already issued arrest warrants for suspects trafficking the Rohingya.
Rohingya refugees sit in a boat as they are intercepted by Thai authorities off the sea in Phuket, southern Thailand (Photo - AP)

Bangkok Post
January 15, 2013

Villagers found two Rohingya illegal immigrants on Tuesday, and said more could be hiding out from authorities on a mountain range marking the Songkhla-Satun province border. 

The two men were found on a mountain, and reports said they they appeared both tired and hungry. 

They were sheltered at a village mosque at Ban Chalung in Hat Yai district, Songkhla. 

The two Rohingya said they came in a group of 30 people including children and women, and were dropped by a human trafficking gang after police had rounded up three groups in Songkhla last week. 

They were in the jungle for two days, and said others were probably still on the mountain side. 

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said after a cabinet meeting on Tuesday that Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikuli will hold talks with the United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) over the fate of more than 800 Rohingya rounded up in the past week in Songkhla. 

The prime minister said the issue will be sorted out in the meeting between Mr Surapong and the UNHCR. 

Thailand decided to shelter the migrants in the southern province on humanitarian grounds instead of sending them back to Myanmar for illegal entry. Their future - whether they will be sent to third countries or deported back to Myanmar - will be thrashed out in the talks, she added. 

The prime minister also ordered navy chief Adm Surasak Rounroengrom to tighten coastal patrols on the Andaman Sea to prevent more Rohingya from entering Thailand. 

Police arrested 857 Rohingya illegal migrants, including 160 children and 30 women, at the border near Malaysia in Songkhla's Sadao district in three operations last week, while they were waiting to be sent to work in the neighbouring country. The figures exclude the two found in Songkhla on Tuesday. 

Immigration authorities planned to sent them back but the plan was under criticism by activists because the many children and women. 

Sihasak Phuangketkaew, permanent secretary for foreign affairs, said Thailand will hold talks with Myanmar to help to verify the nationality of the Rohingya before proceeding with the repatriation process. 

Thailand intended to send them back to Myanmar once their legal status is verified, he added. 

"We have to find a solution for this problem," the official said. "We want to do this in a transparent manner and in compliance with the international law," he added. 

Thailand's preference is to send the Rohingya back to their country rather than to a third country, but this needs to be discussed with the UNHCR, he added.
Nu Rahasim poses for a photo after he was sent to a children and family emergency home in Narathiwat. (Photo - Waedao Harai)

Bangkok Post
January 15, 2013

NARATHIWAT _ He was 10 years old, but Rohingya Nu Rahasim decided to set a journey to the sea for a better life after his parents were killed by Myanmar soldiers. 

The migrant, his fate now in the hands of Thai officials and international diplomats, was one of 139 Rohingya rounded up in Songkhla's Sadao district on Sunday, the third group arrested in the district in less than a week. 

On Tuesday, he and 17 other Rohingya aged 9-12 were sent to a children's and family emergency home in Narathiwat's Muang district for temporary stay, pending police investigation. 

Speaking through an interpreter, the boy recalled his journey and ordeal. 

The youngest of a family of five, he lived with his parents and siblings in Myanmar's western Rakhine state, where stateless Rohingya have been subjected to various types of persecution. 

The boy said Myanmar security forces launched a violent crackdown on Rohingya Muslims two months ago, including killing and rape, with the aim of forcing the minority communities to leave the country. 

According to his story, Nu Rahasim's parents and siblings all were brutally killed by authorities. The orphaned Nu, who showed scars he said came from beatings and slashes by Myanmar troops, then joined a group of 140 Rohingya who sought help from an affluent man in the violence-plagued state, in the hope of getting out of the country. 

The group wanted to seek asylum in a third, predominantly Muslim country and the man was provided what the Rohingya asked for: a boat to take them across the sea to a new land and home - or at least a safe haven. 

Life at sea was tough, said the boy. The 139 fleeing Rohingya drifted in the middle of nowhere for two months before they arrived at Thailand, although at the time they had no idea where they had arrived. 

“We had to drink sea water to survive” Nu Nurahasim said. 

Once in Thailand, an unidentified Thai man arrived and offered to take the group to Malaysia, if they would pay him 150,000 baht each. It was not clear how to the boy how the two sides reached a deal. However, the mysterious Thai man eventually led the asylum seekers to a second human trafficking agent, who kept them in a large safe house, saying they would have to stay there until they could be smuggled across the border to Malaysia. 

That day never arrived. 

Nurahasim said all Rohingyas fleeing to Thailand wanted "patronage" from Thais and would work for them in return. Under international law, this is called bondage, and is considered slavery. 

“If [Thai] authorities send us back we all will be dead," the child said. "Even rich people and officials in Rakhine state supported us and helped us [to escape].”

From a relief team volunteer in Arakan State, Burma
Partners Relief
January 15, 2013

Mohammed. He is four years old and weighs four and a half kilos, naked except for a grubby red checked shirt. He and his mother live in a straw hut a few miles from here; a team member spotted how thin he was and scooped them both up to come back to our clinic. I lift him gingerly off the scales, uncertain where to hold him, irrationally afraid I may dislocate his shoulders. We have seen him before, three weeks ago, but he didn’t look this bad then- thin, but alert and full of energy. Today he is listless, running a fever, skin stretched tight around his facial bones, eyes sunk far back into their sockets. He is crying: not the normal “waa” of a hungry baby, but a thin, high pitched shriek, more animal sounding than child, as if he is in pain everywhere. It gives me the shivers. The surface of his eyes is cloudy and ulcerated- a classic sign of vitamin A deficiency. 

We get some sugar solution ready while talking to his mum. She looks at me with weary, flat eyes. Yes- she had some soy powder from the clinic last time- but he started to refuse it, and then wouldn’t even take milk, so she has been giving him water. Just water - for the last fifteen days. I double check this through the interpreter, incredulous that the boy is still alive. Two of us hold his head and syringe the sugar water into his mouth, drop by drop, at times past his clenched teeth. He’s not keen on it, but he does swallow. 

It gives me something to do while I push down a growing sense of grief and anger inside me. I am angry at the injustice of it all, I suppose. Angry because I don’t understand why a child should have got to this state when we drive past rice fields and crops every day; angry because I know the odds are that he won’t survive, and that even if he does his eyesight will be permanently damaged; angry that I cannot do more about his suffering; angry that there is a long debate among our local team about whether to send him to the camp clinic, which is due to close in half an hour. Why does no one seem willing to fight for this child? How many other children like this are out there? 

Eventually he and his mother do get to the clinic - and it is closed. The team’s fears about the mother being stranded for the night were justified; it was me that did not understand. And it is then that something remarkable happens. One of our interpreters takes the woman and her son into his home for the night: he and his wife give her a hot meal, and get up every two hours overnight to help her feed the child. He not only takes her to the clinic the next day, but gives her some of his own money to make sure she can get transport back if needed. 

He apologises with a half smile for being bleary eyed the next morning, and we talk about why he did what he did. “You see, I want to be kind to my people. If I am going to be a leader… I must be willing to help them, even when I am outside of the clinic.” I am - again - both humbled and cheered by him, by his understanding of what leadership and love looks like, by the sparks of generosity and righteousness and courage that we have seen among our friends here. We look for those sparks and welcome them and nurture them, cupping our hands round them, hoping that they will catch light into little flames, hoping that they will spread… hoping that they might one day point to a greater Light.
Police and other officials tie up alongside the Rohingya boat close to Koh Bon to resupply them – and to ensure they do not land in Thailand. (Photo - Phuket News)
The Nation
January 15, 2013

Thailand will be working closely with international organisations, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), in efforts to extend help to 857 Rohingya people found illegally entering Thailand earlier this month.

"We will proceed in line with laws and humanitarian principle," Foreign Affairs Ministry's permanent secretary Sihasak Phuangketkeow said Tuesday.

He said UNHCR, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), and the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef), had expressed concerns and the wish to help the Rohingya people. 

"So, we will have close discussions on what to do next. Otherwise, when the legal process in Thailand is completed, we will have to consider deporting them," Sihasak said at a press conference.

Speaking from a state-sponsored shelter in Narathiwat, a 10-year-old Rohingya boy said he would be dead if he was deported back to Myanmar's Yakhine State

Rohingya people are a Muslim minority group in Thailand's neighbouring country. 

"My parents and all my four older siblings were killed," Nurahazim said. His body was scarred with many knife wounds and beating wound. 

"A rich man there helped us (survivors of violence) by giving us a boat. So, we went into the sea and hoped we could reach a Muslim country," the boy said via an interpreter. 

According to Nurahazim, his boat went ashore in Thailand and a man identifying himself as a soldier promised to help transferring them to Malaysia if receiving Bt150,000 per head. In the end, they were put in the hands of human traffickers. 

"I feel hurt," Nurahazim said.

Aung San Suu Kyi. Maybe not as squeaky clean as people had hoped. (Photo - AP)
Francis Wade
Asian Correspondent
January 15, 2013

A very interesting piece ran in The Times (UK) today under the headline, ‘Suu Kyi under fire for taking money from cronies of the former regime’. The paper cited sources from her National League for Democracy (NLD) party who admitted to “receiving hundreds of thousands of pounds from companies owned by the reviled bosses”, who reportedly include Tay Za and Zaw Zaw, two of the country’s most notorious tycoons. 

According to a recent Irrawaddy article, the Tay Za-owned conglomerate, Htoo Trading, donated $82,353 to NLD education and health initiaves. Suu Kyi responded to the criticism by saying that the businessmen had contributed to a good cause. “What is wrong with that? … People may have become rich in different ways. What must be investigated is whether they were involved in any illegal action to make themselves rich,” she said. 

That final statement is a bizarre one for her to make, given the notoriety of the cronies. A US cable from 2009 states: “Rumors abound that Tay Za has long smuggled Chinese weapons into Burma via his aviation and trading businesses.” Another donor, Kyaw Win, who gave $158,824 to the NLD via his subsidiary company Sky Net, is closely linked with recent land confiscations, while Zaw Zaw, like the rest, had been under US and EU sanctions (the magnate’s Max Myanmar consortium is one of Burma’s biggest, and helped build the new capital Naypyidaw). Considering the backgrounds of the donors, the money may well be tainted. 

Suu Kyi is believed to have met with both Tay Za and Zaw Zaw several times between her release from house arrest and election to parliament in April 2012, although it is unclear what the nature of the meetings was. The NLD has not revealed whether it probed how each donor generated the funds. 

Prior to becoming a politician, the opposition icon had long supported sanctions against the former junta and its cronies who dominate the economy. In a 1997 interview she said: “Unless there is free and fair competition, there can’t be healthy economic development. And what we have in Burma now is not an open-market economy that allows free and fair competition, but a form of colonialism makes a few people very, very wealthy. It’s what you would call crony capitalism.” 

The use of Tay Za’s donations are particularly irksome, considering the relationship between Burma’s military and the opposition. As well as the alleged procurement of Chinese weapons, his Myanmar Avia Company is thought to have close business ties with Russia’s major state-owned military aircraft manufacturer, MAPO. “Opposition groups and military analysts say Tay Za’s position at Avia Export made him instrumental in the military’s purchase in 2001 of 10 MiG 29 jet fighters valued at US$130 million,” said Asia Times in 2008. 

At a time when the Burmese military is using air strikes on Kachin army positions in the north, and yesterday’s shelling of the town of Laiza, which killed three civilians, Suu Kyi’s attempts to shrug off the controversy will grate. During a UK parliamentary session yesterday on the attacks in Kachin state, an MP said that “the planes [used by Burmese army] are of Chinese origin and the gunships are Russian.” 

The Nobel Peace Laureate has been criticized for failing to speak out on behalf of the Kachin, and her recent statements on cronies (“Give them a chance to reform”) and the military (“I have a soft spot for the army”) won’t help. Benedict Rogers, from Christian Solidarity Worldwide, thinks the revelations “disappointing for many who viewed her as a moral leader in the mould of Gandhi or Martin Luther King.” 

A feeling is growing that the democracy icon is treading on increasingly thin ice – she has refused to condemn army assaults in Kachin state, and speak out on the ethno-religious crisis in Arakan state. She would do well to really tackle head on the recent criticism she has received, rather than the high-handed responses she is increasingly deploying to answer critics.
Boat consultant Bo Colomby with one of 16 boats used by UNHCR in Rakhine state. (Photo - UNHCR/V.Tan)
UNHCR
January 14, 2013

MAUNGDAW, Myanmar – Nestled in the backwaters of western Myanmar, Rakhine state was thrust into the public spotlight when inter-communal violence broke out six months ago. The UN refugee agency has been working there since 1994, helping Muslim returnees from Bangladesh and people without citizenship in northern Rakhine state. In this riverine region with few paved roads, UNHCR staff have been relying on speedboats to reach the communities. The agency's boat consultant, Bo Colomby, says its annual boat usage could circle the earth three to four times. And it is set to grow as UNHCR works to assist thousands of people displaced by last year's violence on islets further south. UNHCR's senior regional public information officer in Bangkok, Vivian Tan, spoke to Colomby about the agency's boat operations. Excerpts from the interview:

How did you start working with boats and UNHCR?

I'm a journalist/film maker by training but got into boats when I lived on an island on Canada's west coast in the 1970s. Because of heavy snow and rains, the roads were only useable in the summer, so I relied heavily on boats to get around. I got involved in building, repairing, then owning boats. I also had formal training in boat design and construction at this time. In the early 1990s before the international sanctions started, I came to Myanmar and formed a company to build boats.

I met UNHCR in 1994 when I was in Rakhine state helping an NGO with boats for their malaria-testing work. UNHCR was working in Maungdaw and had some boat problems. I worked with UNHCR to put together a Marine Transport System for the northern Rakhine state operation. This included training personnel in management, maintenance and operations. I helped to recruit and train Myanmar-licensed boat operators using a professional speedboat syllabus as the basis.

Why does UNHCR need speedboats in Rakhine state?

In the beginning, the bulk of UNHCR's field operation was by water. Without the boat operation, there would be no field operation. All of Maungdaw north and Buthidaung north and south could only be reached by boat. Local boats were not safe or efficient. In recent years, more roads have been built in northern Rakhine state so boat usage has decreased somewhat. Even then, the roads are sometimes washed away by the monsoon rains. This is a riverine area, a maritime culture, so we will always need boats.

Are there specific challenges to operating boats in this area?

These are difficult waters to navigate, with strong outflow and tidal currents at the mouth of the several rivers. The water is deep in parts, but much shallower as you approach shore, so you need smaller boats to navigate in those areas.

During the monsoon season from mid-May to October, huge volumes of water flow from creeks and rivers and can create whirlpools. You can still travel but need bigger boats for the rougher waters. Travel should only be done at slack tides especially when leaving and arriving on the Lower Kaladan River [near Rakhine state capital Sittwe].

November to May is cyclone season. We have to look out for warning signals from Bangladesh. It's always better to err on the side of caution when it comes to cyclone storm forecasting. Monitor the weather situation daily. Don't plan any boat trips if there is not enough information available to make an accurate forecast.

What exactly do you do as a boat consultant?

I always ask UNHCR's head of office for next year's work plan. Based on that I make projections on anticipated boat travel, then create a matrix chart of what's needed. A few times a year I check on life in outboard motors, make sure there are spare parts and accessories, and make sure that necessary maintenance procedures and overhaul of the engines are done at the proper time. I also run refresher trainings on safety and responsibility for the boat operators, and boat users on how to use the boat safely. In addition I troubleshoot all aspects of the system including administration, management, operation and maintenance.

What are the key safety tips you give boat users?

Don't leave shore without fully-charged telecoms equipment. Make sure there is a lifejacket next to you on the boat. The boat operator will tell you where to sit to ensure proper balance. Don't change your position without informing him.

Take time to learn about the area you're covering – the size of the river, the small creeks, tide conditions. Remember to check the weather report before going out. If you're already out and feel that bad weather is coming, don't try to out-run it. Make for shore, call a base station, explain your position and wait it out. You can't fight nature. If there is any reason you don't feel that travel is safe, don't go!

Lastly, this area has some of the most beautiful scenery in the country, so sit back and enjoy the view.

In your 17 years consulting for UNHCR, what was your proudest moment?

I was very proud when UNHCR's boat operators rescued more than 730 people during the Buthidaung flood of June 2010. They took the initiative and worked with the authorities and informed the UNHCR head of office. They saved an impressive number of lives.

You work for years with these guys and try to instil a sense of safety in users. You think you're doing well but you never know. If you do well, nobody dies. Then you have one of these catastrophes, and these guys react professionally and selflessly. And you have a drink afterwards with them and they say, "It's thanks to your training and your confidence in us that gave us the will to do this." It doesn't get any better.

Has the situation in Rakhine state changed over the years?

Since 1996, I've watched many UNHCR people come through. It's been such a privilege working with so many people of different nationalities. I've seen all this dedication. They've helped make the people's lives better. I saw this place when I first came here, how poor it was and how there was no infrastructure. Then everyone got something. I saw Maungdaw and Buthidaung expand. I could see people's lives getting a little better. And this was in large part because UNHCR and its partners were here.
Myanmar has only recently moved away from being under the absolute control of a reclusive military junta.
Benjamin Zawacki
CNN
January 15, 2013

On a dark London day in late 2007, just after a violent crackdown on the monk-led anti-government protests that became known as the Saffron Revolution, a prominent scholar told me that "what Myanmar needs is ordinary people doing ordinary things."

Had he been able to foresee the cache and relevance of the term today, what he might have said is that Myanmar needs the rule of law. More than any other single aspect of society, the ability to do "ordinary things" depends on the presence, awareness, acceptance and enforcement of just laws.

Exactly five years on, and Myanmar has come a long way -- if not on the rule of law then at least on legal reform. More than 400 laws, old and new, from media and foreign investment to public gatherings, drugs and the environment have been drafted, amended or reviewed.

The process and results are far from perfect: The authorities are still reluctant to consult civil society; not all laws reach and reflect international human rights standards; and certain critical areas have been neglected altogether. The Emergency Provisions Act, used for decades to suppress peaceful political dissent; the Electronic Transactions Law, often employed against journalists and bloggers; and the 1982 Citizenship Law, which renders the ethnic minority Rohingya population stateless -- also not an exhaustive listing -- need urgent attention. Yet a positive process is underway.

Less talked about is the glass ceiling in Myanmar that is preventing legal reform from becoming full-fledged rule of law: endemic corruption. Earlier this month, Transparency International ranked Myanmar the fifth-worst in (perception of) public sector corruption among 176 countries.

The judgment is justified. As dozens of Myanmar nationals representing many segments and sectors of society told me recently, corruption often succeeds where law fails.

Public doctors explained to me that while they are ethically (and legally) bound to afford themselves adequate time to give their patients an accurate diagnosis, there is far more money to be made by packing the daily patient list as tightly as possible and offering additional time later to those who can pay. Likewise, public teachers, many of whom teach less than required to the general class while offering the balance as "advanced" instruction to students whose parents are able to pay.

The legal profession seems no exception. In the words of one lawyer and reflective of many others, it is "saturated" with corruption at every level. Lawyers are reduced to the role of "brokers;" disproportionate power rests with court clerks who decide for a price the who, what and when of cases; and judges simply wait for an envelope containing either a verdict or cash.

Several civil servants asked me in both confession and frustration why they should do their jobs for next to nothing when they can get more by doing it for people who pay them enough to actually make a living. And among the main reasons for the low morale in Myanmar's armed forces is the near-impossibility of career advancement without bribes -- and a disparity in wealth between the soldiers and generals that far exceeds the difference in official pay.

The recent and ongoing human rights and humanitarian crisis in Rakhine State is likewise more than just a matter of law. Restrictions on the movement, marriage, employment, health care and education of ethnic minority Rohingyas not only constitute violations of their fundamental rights and freedoms but, for the local and border authorities, are lucrative as well. Any restriction can be lowered or lessened for the right price.

Indeed, as many Burmese went to pains to remind me, if "ordinary things" are generally associated with the corruption of those in authority, "ordinary people" include those who agree to pay the bribes, not complain, even looking for their own opportunities to exchange give for take. Corruption, like clapping, requires two hands to produce the desired result.

Legal reform itself has a role to play in breaking through the glass ceiling of corruption toward achieving the rule of law. Myanmar has not passed new domestic legislation on corruption. It should do so urgently and, as with other laws that obtain international standards, enforce it strictly. On December 9, International Anti-Corruption Day, Myanmar missed a timely opportunity to counter its recent ranking when it failed to ratify the U.N. Convention against Corruption, which it signed seven years ago.

The next day was International Human Rights Day, a coincidence on the calendar, but deeply connected to corruption. Greater promotion and protection of economic, social, and cultural rights in Myanmar would level a heavy blow to corruption via more and better jobs, increased awareness and education, higher salaries and greater public sector "infrastructure" -- doctors and hospitals, teachers and schools, lawyers and courts.

It is not by accident that the four nations whose public sectors were rated more corrupt than Myanmar's are the Sudan, Afghanistan, North Korea and Somalia; human rights violations, poverty, and corruption mutually enforce one another.

Myanmar's legal reform efforts over the past year have been extensive and should continue. But to go beyond the books and actually affect the human rights and economic development of Myanmar's "ordinary people," corruption must be confronted head on.

Benjamin Zawacki is the Southeast Asia Regional Representative of the International Development Law Organization and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Children among boatpeople apprehended on Phuket on January 1
(Photo - Phuket Wan)

Chutima Sidasathian & Alan Morison 
Phuket Wan
January 14, 2013 

UPDATE

NINE boats containing about 1000 Rohingya men, women and children are off the coast in the Phuket region now, maritime authorities said on Monday. Two boats that were being ''helped on'' are now being brought to shore, the authorities said. 

Original Report

PHUKET: Two boatloads of would-be Rohingya refugees are being ''helped on'' off the coast north of Phuket today as one senior military officer in the Andaman region called for the Thai government to clarify its policy.

''We are encountering so many boats already this year with woman and children on board,'' he said, preferring not to be named. ''Signs are that they will come in even greater numbers now.''

Another senior officer said that the boats were coming in such vast numbers that the Thai military could no longer accurately tally passenger totals. 

The latest interceptions occurred off the coast from the fishing port of Kuraburi in Phang Nga province today, with the Thai Navy and Marine Police checking the health and welfare of passengers at sea.

''We cannot hope to intercept all the boats,'' the second senior officer said. 


Qutub Shah 
RB News 
January 14, 2013 

Maungdaw: On January 13, at 11 am, Molvi Noor Ahmed s/o Md Shafi, 30, from Mya Zan Kona, Sin Gri Para (Long Doung) village tract, northern Maungdaw, went for buying goods from Maungdaw downtown. There he was arrested by San Myint, a two star ranking police officer and the head of Township anti-human trafficking agency of Maungdaw baselessly accusing him of human trafficking. He was threatened that he will meet both harsh punishment and imprisonment, if he fails to comply with his demand of 800,000 Kyats. Finally he got released at 3:00 pm, after paying him 400,000 Kyats. 

On Friday, January 12, at 8:30 pm, thirty Nasakas led by Major Win Lynn, lieutenant commander of Nasaka Region-5, Ngakura, raided a market in Keari Farang (Kyat Yoe Pyin) village tract, northern Maungdaw. Then, they started looting the Rohingya shops. Goods worth millions of kyats have been reportedly taken away. In addition, innocent Rohingyas found watching over their shops, most of them are teenagers, were also arrested and severely tortured until some got intense injuries. Meanwhile, many others were threatened to arrest. They are still in the detention cell in Ngakura under constant torture and fear of imprisonment under any fabricated charge.

The victims are identified as:

  1. Ajmal Khan s/o Abul Quasim, 21 
  2. Mohammed Ali s/o Abdul Hamid, 23 
  3. Mohammed Ayas s/o Kala Meya, 18 
  4. Yunos s/o Sultan, 15 
  5. Shofiq s/o Nor Husain, 18 
  6. Kamal Husain s/o Kala Meya, 20 
  7. Iliyas s/o Salim, 23 
  8. Mohammed Hashim s/o Fedan, 16 
  9. Mohammed Salim s/o Abdul Gaffar, 18 
  10. Mohammed Hashim s/o Lalu, 17 
  11. Noor Hashim s/o Norullah, 36 
The Nasaka first raided the village. As the people escaped from them and they found nobody in the village, then they targeted the market. 

On January 10, Nasaka from Kyauk Pando camp, Region-8 arrested three Rohingya youths from Kyauk Pando village tract (Shita Furikka), Maungdaw accusing them that they went to Bangladesh. After torturing for 3 days, they were released by yesterday, extorting one lakh kyats from each.

The victims are:

  1. Mohammed Alom s/o Hamid Huson, 22 
  2. Halaya s/o Md Husein, 21 
  3. Mohammed Khan s/o Huson, 18 
Mye Bon: On January 13, in Mye Bon township, both the gubernatorial authorities and Township General Administrative office called five Rohingyas and five from Rakhines and took their signatures on a form, in which it is stated that "After the investigation, if we did not find any foreigner living here, all are indigenous of this state."

Qutub Shah
RB News 
January 14, 2013

(Edited by Jack Lee)

Maungdaw: The people in Maungdaw are in an unbearable situation as the government authorities are increasing harassment day by day with threats of extortion of money, rape of women, arresting by false accusation, torture, looting bystanders, etc. On the other hand, their situation has worsened also as a result of the serious shortages of their daily basic needs such as food, medicine, sufficient shelter, etc. 

On January 11, at 9:00pm, 5 Nasaka from Zin Pine Nya (Zamboinna) Camp, Maungdaw; Nasaka raided the house of Zahid Husein s/o Abdul Amin from Zin Pine Nya village saying to check mobile phone with Bangla SIM card. But their dirty intent came out when they touched his sister, Salima Katun d/o Abdul Amin and tried to rape her once they entered the house. When she tried to escape, one of the criminals kicked her and she fell down shouting and calling for the help. Hearing her voice, three of her brothers came and defended her against the Nasakas and they went back to the camp. The following day, the head of the Nasaka Sector (6) issued a warrant to village administrator to arrest and send the whole family of the victim that includes eight members, to the Nasaka camp. 

The wanted are: 
  1. Hamid Huson s/o Abdu Shukkur, husband of Salima 
  2. Zura Khatun d/o Oli Ahmed, Salima's mother 
  3. Zahid Husein s/o Abdul Amin 
  4. Muktar Husein s/o Abdul Amin 
  5. Aktar Husein s/o Abdul Amin 
  6. Belal Husein s/o Abdul Amin 
  7. Sadam Husein s/o Abdul Amin 
  8. Salima d/o Abdul Amin 
On January 10, at 9:30 pm, Basir Ahmed s/o Bajja from Balu Khali (Thae chaung), Zin Pine Nya (Zamboinna) village was going to neighboring village, Kyawk Layga (Darga Fara). On the way, Nasaka from Sector (6) arrested him and taken away to the Camp. The next day, he was released after being extorted 6 lakhs kyats. 

Kyauk Taw: On January 12, in Lamong Kuyi village (Barafara), Kyawk Taw Tsp, some terrorist Rakhine extremists from Taung Pawk village looted nine oxen from the Rohingyas in the presence and silence of security forces, these oxen belong to the following persons: 
  1. Omar s/o Nurul Kabir (7 oxen) 
  2. Geyasudeen s/o Serajul Hoque (2 oxen) 
Minbya: Due to the bitter cold weather, scarcity of food and water and clothes, lack of medicine, starvation and malnutrition, many Rohingyas flee this life inside and outside IDP refugee camps very frequently. On January 12, Noor Haba s/o Sayed Ahmed, 37, from Sangree Boung (Sangree Fara) village, Minbya Tsp. met the Maker. Unfortunately, it was not of the natural causes. Other hundreds of people especially children are also in imminent danger of perishing. 
A Burmese Muslim boy awaits graduation.  (Photo - John Gevers)

Rick Yencer
Muncie Free Press
January 14, 2013

MUNCIE, IN - Adam Hamid talked about the need for a community center to serve the growing Burmese Muslim neighborhood in nearby Fort Wayne.

Hamid and his brother, Rashid, talked with members of the Muncie Islamic Center this week, telling stories of religious discrimination and refugee camps along the Burma-Thailand- Bangladesh borders where hundreds of thousands of people live.

The Southeast Asia country of nearly 60 million has literally been at war much of the last half of the 20th Century and then run by the military until some reforms brought a Parliament to the country in 2011.

Rashid, an electrical engineer, came to Indiana a year ago to join hundreds more Burmese Muslim who fled the predominately Buddhist county.Military leaders barred Islamic mosques and many fled and then immigrated to the United States where other faith groups help relocate Burmese citizens to Fort Wayne.

More than 1,500 Burmese Muslim families live in Fort Wayne, and Hamid was seeking financial support for a new Islamic community center in the Summit City.

Rashid talked about political and religious persecution besides ongoing regional civil wars forcing some of the estimated 4 million Burmese Muslims to flee the country.



Jamal Williams, who belongs to the local Islamic community and a grandson of the late Christian minister J.C. Williams, a local human rights advocate, talked about visiting the Fort Wayne Islamic community and enjoying how families taught the Quran besides educated their children.

"They concentrate on their children," he said.

The new community center, hoping to raise $450,000 initially, would provide a mosque besides class and meeting rooms. Land has been secured in south Fort Wayne and Adam hoped to reach out to other Islamic communities for support, and thanked the local group for their participation.

Mohammed Bahrami, a local physician, welcomed the visitors and offered support, encouraging others in the Islamic community to do the same. The new Islamic Center locally is on McGalliard Road and opened a couple years ago with help from Bahrami and others.The Burmese Islamic community can be found online at bmeccfw.org. Ko Khin Maung Cho is president of the Burmese relief effort.

The local Islamic Center recently had visitors from Libya, Saudi Arabia, and elsewhere who work at Ball State University, IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital and elsewhere to talk about their culture and religion.

Rohingya minority children held by women board a bus after they were rescued by Thai authorities in Songkhla province, southern Thailand, on Friday, Jan. 11, 2013. Thailand arrested and pledged to deport more than 150 Myanmar Rohingya migrants discovered in a hidden camp near the country’s southern border with Malaysia, police said Monday, Jan. 14, 2013. (Photo - AP/SUMETH PANPETCH)

AFP
January 14, 2013

Thailand arrested and pledged to deport more than 150 Myanmar Rohingya migrants discovered in a hidden camp near the country's southern border with Malaysia, police said Monday. 

The 71 men and 85 women and children were found on a rubber plantation in Songkhla Province, local police colonel Krisakorn Pleetanyawong said, four days after some 400 Rohingya were discovered in another raid in the province. 

"They will be treated under the law as illegal immigrants and will be deported," he told AFP, adding that a Thai man had also been arrested on suspicion of violating immigration law. 

Thousands of Rohingya, a Muslim minority group not recognised as citizens in Myanmar, have fled communal unrest in the country's western Rakhine state, heading to Thailand and other countries. 

Rights groups decry Thailand for failing to help Rohingya migrants who reach its territory, instead pushing them back to Myanmar or into neighbouring countries including Malaysia, which offers sanctuary to the minority group. 

Human Rights Watch has called on Thai authorities to allow the United Nations' refugee agency access to the Rohingya before taking action to deport them. 

HRW Thailand researcher Sunai Phasuk said women and children were increasingly among boatloads of Rohingya fleeing Myanmar. 

"It appears that the families are being uprooted in their homeland and they have to seek somewhere safe to stay," he told AFP. 

The UN has urged Myanmar's neighbours to open their borders to people escaping a wave of communal violence in Rakhine. 

Clashes between Buddhists and Muslims have left at least 180 people dead in the state since June, and displaced more than 110,000 others, mostly Rohingya. 

Myanmar views the roughly 800,000 Rohingya in Rakhine as illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and denies them citizenship. 

Although tensions have eased since a fresh outbreak of killings in October, concerns have grown about the fate of asylum-seekers setting sail in overcrowded boats.
ERC Relief distribution in Kutu Palong unregistered refugee camps.
European Rohingya Council (ERC) is a Europe-Wide Rohingya Organization formed on 8th October 2012 in order to strive for the cause of Rohingya minority that is on the verge of extermination. Immediately two or three months after its formation, ERC made a history by sending its delegation on 24th December 2012 led by its Media and Information Secretary, Mohammed Ibrahim, to Bangladesh to acquire firsthand information on Rohingya Crises. Among the Rohingya organizations in exile (other than Bangladesh), ERC’s delegation was the first to pay a visit to the Rohingya Refugee Camps in Bangladesh and distributed some relief goods to the most vulnerable Rohingyas languishing along in Bangladesh side of the border. 

The delegation visited Kutu Palong Refugee camp in Teknaf and many unregistered Rohingya refugees at Yunaani in Cox’s Bazaar. Relief Packets consist of basic commodity such as rice, oil, been, etc. were distributed to the refugees in both camps. The situation in the refugee camps were seen worsening day by day. There are no opportunities for the refugees in the camps to work and earn for their livelihoods and humanitarian assistance provided by international organizations and NGOs doesn’t reach to them. Besides, these vulnerable refugees are oppressed by the Bangladesh authorities. The members of delegation were awestruck to see how they, who had to leave their homeland to escape the atrocities, are equally persecuted and oppressed in the land where they have sought shelter. Therefore, we, ERC, plead to international government bodies, INGOs and NGOs to pay more attention on these hopeless and helpless people. 

Mohamed Ibrahim and Dr. Habib Siddiqui
Moreover, the delegation met up with Dr. Habib Siddiqui and other Rohingya intellectuals in Bangladesh and discussed over the dire situation of Rohingyas in Arakan and came to a point to conduct the future Rohingya political affairs effectively and smoothly. On top of that, an ERC representative committee was set up to work under and with the ERC’s head office in Europe. Most of the members of the representative committee are students and intellectuals (both male and female). 

In the later days, the delegation had the fruitful discussion with the Embassy of Germany and European Parliament Representative. During the discussions, the delegation raised the critical and dire humanitarian issues concerning Rohingyas both in Myanmar and Bangladesh and agreed to work to find out long-term solutions to the problem. Besides, there were few NGOs the delegation seeking the ways to improve the situation of Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh and provide them basic education. 

Before coming back from Bangladesh, the delegation arranged a meeting with 15 Bangladeshi Journalists and requested them to highlight the plights of the Rohingya victims of genocide in Arakan. In return, the journalists promised us to publish at least two or three articles a month on the plight of Rohingyas. 

BDNews24
January 14, 2013

The UN Refugee agency says Rohingyas are fleeing Myanmar and Bangladesh in large numbers.

Thousands of Muslim Rohingyas are fleeing Myanmar’s Rakhine (former Arakan) state or their temporary shelters in neighbouring Bangladesh, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has said.

More than 2,000 Rohingyas have left the region on smugglers’ boats in the first week of the year, the UNHCR said in a briefing at their Geneva headquarters at the weekend.

A statement has now been issued on the briefing by the UNHCR.

The UNHCR says the most likely destination of these Rohingyas are countries in south-east Asia.

But police in the Indian state of West Bengal bordering Bangladesh say they have nabbed a few Rohingyas who entered from Bangladesh at the weekend.

They said during questioning that they were heading for the troubled Indian northern state of Jammu and Kashmir, the country’s only Muslim majority state.

Earlier, some Rohingyas had been intercepted in northeast India’s Manipur and Tripura states last year. But police say they were only in transit through these states and would prefer some parts of India where Muslims were in a majority.

The UNHCR says that an estimated 13,000 people had left the Bay of Bengal on smugglers’ boats in 2012 and at least 485 are still missing or believed to be dead following four reported incidents of boats sinking.

“It is unclear how many actually make it to their final destinations, where they often risk arrest, detention and possible refoulement through deportation to Myanmar [Burma],” UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards said in the Geneva briefing, according to a statement released later by the agency.

He was referring to an international customary law of non-refoulement that says migrants should not be returned to countries where they could be subject to persecution or human rights abuses.

The Rakhine state in western Myanmar witnessed severe sectarian violence last year between local Buddhist Rakhines and Rohingya Muslims.

The United Nations estimates that more than 100 people were killed and more than 115,000 displaced in clashes beginning in June.

Tensions have somewhat eased now, but tens of thousands of people, mostly Rohingya Muslims, still to live in overcrowded camps in the state where food and other essentials are scarce.

About 700 Rohingya migrants were rescued from alleged human traffickers in southern Thailand last week.

The migrants said they had travelled to Thailand as part of their journey to a third country, Malaysia, but the Thai authorities plans to deport the group back to Myanmar.

Edwards urged countries in Southeast Asia to keep their borders open to Rohingya migrants and others seeking asylum.

“UNHCR continues to seek access to individuals arriving by boat who are arrested and detained by government authorities,” he said, adding that the refugee agency had asked Thai authorities for access to newly-arrived migrants from Burma but were still waiting for a response.

An estimated 800,000 Rohingya Muslims live in Burma, mostly in Arakan State, according to UN estimates. The government does not grant them citizenship or recognise them as an official ethnic group, and although many Rohingya families have lived in the country for generations, locals often view them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

In Bangladesh, Rohingya Muslims are now unwelcome as Dhaka wants the global community to pressurise Myanmar to accommodate the Rohingyas rather than pushing an overcrowded Bangladesh to accept more refugees. Nearly half a million Rohingyas entered Bangladesh in two phases of mass migration – in 1978-9 and 1991-2.

In July last year, the Bangladesh government asked aid groups to stop helping the Rohingyas fleeing from violence in Burma.

    • Rohingya Exodus