M.S. Anwar 

RB News 

January 28, 2013 

Maung Daw, Arakan - Today, around 12:00 Noon (Myanmar Standard Time), a few military together with some Rakhine terrorists shot a poor Rohingya farmer to dead in the village of Baggona, Southern Maung Daw. The Rakhine terrorists are from nearby Kanthayar Village and military are from the camp based in the same village. The camp is under the commandment of Major Ye Win Aung from KayeMyaing Military Camp, Southern Maung Daw. 

“Rafique S/o Abdul Majid (25), a poor Rohingya farmer, was looking after his cattle by his village. Meanwhile, around four military and four Rakhine terrorists from Kanthayar came up and attempted to rob and take way his cattle. As he started to hurry to escape the robbery together with his cattle, the military shot at him and four bullets hit his body. 

The above-mentioned four Rakhine terrorists are Pho Thar Htwe, Maung Maung, Mido and Saw Maung. The former three are from Kanthayar and the latter, Saw Maung is from KayeMyaing. The whole Kanthayar was set up with the Bangladeshi Rakhines in 1970s with the help of Gen. Ne Win. 

Coincidentally, today, NaSaKa (border security force) is carrying out the census operation in the village, an operation that NaSaKa have been carrying for the past two decades and twice a year (but there is no digital finger print being taken in the operation). So, the villager informed NaSaKa and NaSaKa Captain Myo Htaik Aung from Maggyi Chaung Camp under the NaSaKa area No. 7 went to the place where the crime took place. 

There was a minor confrontation between NaSaKa and Military as NaSaKa didn’t allow the military to hide the body of the bullet hit Rohingya. His ailing body bit by four bullets was sent to Maung Daw hospital. There in hospital, according to the accompanied people, he died immediately after Rakhine doctors give injection to him. They suspect the doctors for killing the Rohingya. His body was returned after the post-mortem” said a Rohingya Elder from a nearby village.

Now, Arakan has become a silent killing field where a slow yet an effective genocide of Rohingyas and Kamans are being carried out. Burmese regime and Rakhine extremists will keep lying and denying that. Only the presence of Multi-National Peace-Keeping Force or UN Peace Force in Arakan can stop the genocide. It is high time for Rohinya Leaders to be more realistic to be able to see what measures are to be taken to effectively stop the pogroms. It is high time for them to stop living in their fantasy worlds.

Bangkok Post

January 28, 2013

Two army officers attached to the southern area Region 4 office of the Internal Security Operations Command (Isoc), suspected of being involved in the smuggling of Royingha migrants into the country, have been transferred out of the area, an army source said.

The source said Lt-Gen Udomchai Thammasaroraj, the Fourth Army commander, signed an order to transfer the two -- a lieutenant colonel and a lieutenant -- although in an investigation there was no evidence to confirm their involvement in the trafficking of the illegal immigrants.

"However, they have been transferred out of the area to prevent further problems because there had been complaints against them," the source said.

There was no evidence against them because tambon administration organisation (TAO) officials who were involved in the smuggling of the Rohingya people had not been arrested for interrogation.

Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha, the army chief, said to cope with the problem of the Rohingya migrants the army needed cooperation from other agencies such as the Interior Ministry and police.

Pol Lt-Col Paisith Sangkhahapong, director of the Department of Special Investigation's (DSI) anti-human trafficking centre, said it was agreed last week at a meeting of security agencies that more than 800 Rohingya migrants who had been arrested for illegal entry would sent from the country in six months.

In the meantime, Thailand would provide them with humanitarian assistance.

The meeting was also attended by Defence Minister Sukumpol Suwanatat and Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul.

Thailand would coordinate with Myanmar to take the Rohingya people back and with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) help to find a third country to take them for resettlement.

Pol Lt-Col Paisit said there was no evidence that the illegal Rohingya migrants had been smuggled into the country by a human trafficking ring.

They were helped to enter the country and provided with shelter illegally but there was no evidence of a third country they were to be sent to, he said.

Senator The Hon Bob Carr

Minister for Foreign Affairs

GPO Box 36

Sydney NSW 2001

Facsimile: (02) 92283655

January 27, 2013

Re: Communal Conflict in Rakhine State, Burma/Myanmar

Dear Senator Carr:

I firstly would like to commend the Australian Government's efforts in helping to improve the humanitarian situation following sectarian conflict last year in Rakhine (Arakan) State in Burma. As an Australian of Burmese origin, I am very proud about the way Australian Government had taken a lead in calling on all sides to peacefully resolve that communal conflict in Rakhine State in Burma.

Australian Government does have a long record of actively engaging with Burma/Myanmar. In relation to the BurmaRohingya people of Rakhine State, I note that the Australian Government have had taken a humanitarian based policy engagement with Burma. I recall that 20 years ago when forced expulsion of Burma Rohingya people took place in Burma, the then Labor Government despatched Justice Marcus Einfeld to the Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh. In following years, the Australian Foreign Minister Gareth Evens had been involved in a leading role, along with his counterpart leaders of ASEAN, in finding possible solution for those Rohingya refugees.

As of recent, I am concerned about the continue segregations of Rohingya and Rakhine people within Rakhine State. The slow pace of returning to normality in Rakhine State is indicative of the inability by the Burmese government and Burmese political leaders to promote a feasible solution for Rohingya. I have outlined my concern in enclosed report, “Rohingya: New Exodus?”. As the report suggests, I fear that there will be more Rohingya taking perilous sea journey to reach especially Thailand and Malaysia.

Regarding with the unresolved communal conflict in Rakhine State, I would ask Australian Government to take a proactive humanitarian approach, in concert with its ASEAN partners, to help improve the situation for Rohingya. By helping to improve situation in Rakhine State, the already displaced Rohingya would not be compelled to take a perilous journey abroad. I also believe that this would serve in favour of Australia's security and political interests.

Thanks you and Australian Government for your continuing helps to Burma/Myanmar.

Yours faithfully,

(U Ne Oo)

Rohingya: New Exodus

RB News

January 26, 2013

U Shwe Maung, Member of Parliament, Buthidaung constituency, Rakhine State, Myanmar, has sent a message to Thailand Prime Minister Ms. Yingluck Shinawatra, Myanmar President U Thein Sein, ASEAN Secretary General, UN Secretary General, UN Spokesperson and Ms. Valerie Amos, UN under Secretary General (Source: Twitter) 

The message is as below: 

Dear Your Excellencies, 

Rohingyas issue is no more local. Now it becomes regional and global. It is miserable to know stories and situation of Rohingya refugees in Thailand. 

On behalf of Rohingyas, I would like to request all of your excellencies to cooperate with President U Thein Sein and The Pyithu Hluttaw Speaker Thura U Shwe Mann, to recognize existence of Rohingya in Rakhine State and find a permanent solution for Rakhines & Rohingyas based on Peaceful Coexistence NOT Segregation. 

I have a very concrete document and facts. I am ready to share and cooperate for peace and stability of Rakhine State and Union of Myanmar. I would also like to appeal to local and international donors for urgent Humanitarian Assistance to all victims of violence equally. 

Finally, I want to say "Sympathize Rohingyas who are part of Rakhine State, part of Myanmar, part of Region, part of World". 

Thank you indeed. 

U Shwe Maung, MP 

January 24, 2013

RYM & M.S. Anwar 

RB Article

January 26, 2013

The writings here may be self-deprecating. But the sincere truth-seekers deserve to know how and why there are some blacksheeps (in other words, puppets or stooges of Burmese regime) in Rohingya community. In fact, it is not new and strange for a community that has been enslaved for decades. Hereby, it is worth to wonder how and why Bhagat Singh (the pioneer of the Indian Revolution against British Colonialists), Mahatma Gandhi, Saya San (the pioneer of Burmese Farmer Revolution against the British Colonialists) and Gen. Aung San etc got arrested, killed or assassinated? Didn't all these happen because of the puppets within their own communities? 

Being an enslaved and persecuted community, Rohingya community, too, has the puppets within them, recruited and hired by the authority. It is no longer secret to anyone that Rohingyas are one of world's persecuted people (in fact, the most persecuted people in the world we should say). And since June 10, 2012, there has been a state-sponsored and systematic ethnic cleansing or genocide has been being carried out against them. 

Historically, Rohingyas are sons of the indigenous proto-Australoid people called Negritos and Indo-Aryans of Arakan, who were once recognized as an ethnic group of Burma and among the legitimate citizens of Burma. Since 1962, they have become the victims of persecutions on account of their different ethnic origin and religion. They have been being made educationally backward, economically crippled and religiously persecuted. In short, they have been being degenerated mentally and physically. On the other hand, Burmese regime has made "doing puppets or acting as stooges to them" as if it is the only exit to the economic hardships of Rohingyas or their unemployment problems. 

Especially after June 2012, Rohingyas are boycotted and their access to foods and medicines are blocked led by Rakhine extremists and Skinned Head Fascists in Saffron with the support of the authority in Arakan. The boycott has been leading to serious famine just like in Ethiopia from 1983 throughout 1985, severe malnutrition and diseases both in the camps of displaced Rohingya and other neglected areas of Rohingyas all over Arakan. In such situations, it has become easier for the Burmese regime to attract more uneducated and unintellectual Rohingyas to act as their stooges. From the point of these Rohingya stooges, it is their fight for survival no matter they need to suck own people's blood. But who are the ultimate culprits to send Rohingyas to the edge of such extremely vulnerable condition? Below are the two examples on two Rohingya puppets hired by the authority in Maung Daw. 

There is the chairman of quarter 5, Maung Daw, Khin Maung @ Baasayr S/o Laalu, who was appointed after the former chairman got arbitrarily arrested by the Barbaric Police in the township. He was once imprisoned due to narcotrafficking. He, in cooperation with Enus, another puppet from the village, extorted approximately Kyat 30 Millions from the villagers in the recent time. He charged Kyat 0.15 Million per house in the quarter in the name of fulfilling NaSaKa (Border Security Force)'s demands in the ongoing operation against Rohingyas. It might or might not be with approval higher authority, he is certainly and deeply troubling the people with cooperation of lower level authority in Maung Daw. 

One more famous puppet is U Roshid (F) U Khawlil Rahman, 45 years, from Shwe Zarr village tract, North hamlet, Maungdaw. He is totally an alliterated person and came of very poor family background. He started collaborating with NaSaKa from Camp 14, under NaSaKa area (6) about four years ago. And he is always famous for reporting false information. Besides, he is involved in many illegal crossed-border businesses in partner with Maung Daw Police and Rakhine extremists. There is a Hla Sein, a second lieutenant Police (a Rakhine extremist), who works with this puppet. On top of that, he was used by Rakhine extremists and Rakhine Police to instigate violence in June 2012. NaSaKa Captain U Kyaw Myint from the said Camp 14 with the help of this puppet has extorted millions of money (Kyats) from the innocent villagers of Shwe Zarr, Maung Daw, since June 2012. 

These puppets are two examples of many puppets bred by the authority in Arakan. If the higher or central government is not involved in this, they should directly take actions against all those who are behaving above the law and for acting without their (central authority's) permission. Last but not the least, betrayals, being puppets and acting stooges are not new to any enslaved community as mentioned. As most of Rohingyas are systematically made uneducated , they are unable to steadfast, too naive to know who their real oppressors are and it is beyond to their intellect to be able to know how to fight against them. If the International communities and Rohingya Intellectual do not effectively stand up to save them, they are bound to be exterminated. 

RYM is a group of Rohingyas in Arakan who prefer not to be named. M.S. Anwar is an activist and student in Malaysia. The writings are of the authors' own and do not reflect the editorial policy of RB.

A delegation of BRAFA consisting of Shaukhat @ MSK Jilani (Chairman), Hussain Saifula (Vice-Chairman), and Max Zubair Ahamad (General Secretary) met with District Director Lois O’Keefe of the Congresswomen Gwen Moore’s District Office in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on the date of January 23, 2013 and discussed about the plights of Burmese Rohingyas and Arakan Muslim population in Burma.

During the discussion on the roundtable, BRAFA Chairman highlighted and draw the attention of Congresswomen Gwen Moore as following:-

Since June 03, 2012 to October 2012, due to the atrocities, persecutions, ethnic cleansing and genocidal actions carried out by the Buddhist Rakhine political and elites group with the full supporting of Burmese military security forces on the indigenous Rohingya people in Arakan State, Burma which affected:-

1- Over 10,000 Rohingya people were killed and burned down by the Buddhist Rakhine groups and Burmese security forces in duty,

2- About 20,000 Rohingyas houses plus 57 mosques have been set fire and destroyed from 70 Muslim villages across 8 Townships of Arakan, Burma,

3- More than 135,000 Muslim Rohingyas have been displaced and became homeless and now living in the concentration camps as internally displaced persons (IDP) and refugees in their own country,

4- The living condition of the concentration camp is very poor, unhygienic, and overcrowded. the people in the concentration camp are not getting enough foods, clean water, and medical supplies and even people cannot move from one place to another, and no safety and protection at all, as well as elderly people, pregnant women and minor children are dying day to day because of shortages of food, poor hygiene, lack of medical facilities and malnutrition.

5- Thousands of Muslim population owned shops, market and commercial store have been confiscated by the Burmese government officials and never return back to the rightful owners,

6- hundreds of Muslims women and girls were raped by the Buddhists Rakhine people and Burmese security forces during the attack and violence in the name of protecting and helping them, and also many Muslim youths, students and religious scholars are being arrested by the Burmese government security forces and charged them with false and illegal allegations and presently, estimated 1,200 Muslim Rohingyas are in the Burmese jails in Arakan,

The BRAFA Chairman also told that Muslim Rohingyas are deprived of Burmese citizenship rights in Burma and currently, living as stateless people in their native land. In addition, the Arakan State Government officials, Immigration Authorities, NASAKA (Burma Border Security Forces) and Dr. Aye Maung led Rakhine Nationalities Development Party (RNDP) members are now compelling the innocent Rohingya people to confess Bengali ethnicity and taking signatures by force in family data check-up to prove them foreigners. The leaders and members of RNDP and Arakan State Government authorities are also being implemented a program of segregation policy not allowing the Rohingyas and Arakan Muslims to go to Downtown and other places of inside Arakan State.

He further said that because of continuous persecutions, looting, torture and harassment by the Burmese security forces and armed Buddhist Rakhine groups, thousands of Muslim Rohingyas fled the country through the sea and now entering into neighboring ASEAN countries such as Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia, and moreover currently, many Rohingya people are under immigration detention in Thailand and Malaysia who fled the country to escape persecution and torture at the hands of Burmese security forces and armed Rakhine groups in Arakan,

The BRAFA Chairman also appealed to Congresswomen Gwen Moore through her District Director Lois O’Keefe the following three (3) points:-

1- To put paramount pressure on the Burmese President Thein Sein and his military Government Ministers through US Congress to end atrocities, rapes, torture and controlled genocide against the civilian Muslim Rohingya ethnic minority group in Arakan,

2- To introduce a legislation in favor of suffering Rohingya ethnic minority people of Arakan in the US Congress and also send strong messages to Burmese President Thein Sein to restore Burmese citizenship and basic fundamental human rights for the Rohingya ethnic minority people who were living in Arakan for centuries,

3- Until peace and security prevailing in Arakan State, recommend to dispatch UN Peace Keeping Forces in Arakan to protect the Rohingya ethnic minority and Arakan Muslim population from the ongoing atrocities, gross human rights violation, extermination and genocide committed by the Burmese government, its security forces and Buddhist Rakhine people.

Phuket Gazette

January 26, 2013

PHUKET: Another group of desperate Rohingya refugees found shelter along the Khura Buri coast north of Phuket yesterday after 25 days at sea, making them the third group to land along Thailand’s Andaman coast this month.

The 96 refugees shared the same harrowing story as the 179 who came ashore on January 23: days at sea surviving on scant rations of water and uncooked rice (story here).

The group composed 62 men, six women, 14 boys and 14 girls, Khura Buri District Chief Manit Pianthong said.

“They departed the Rakhine State in Myanmar on January 1… They hoped to find work in Thailand or Malaysia,” Mr Manit explained.

“They were all exhausted and hungry when we found them. Some ate the uncooked rice that they had brought with them in front of officers and the media; others cried out as they finally reached the shore,” he said.

Of the 96 most recent arrivals,12 of them were sick and needed medical treatment.

Refugees were given necessary medical treatment and physical check-ups, as well as food and water. The group was then transferred to the Khura Buri Community Hall, which is now functioning as a temporary shelter until they can be deported, Mr Manit said.

There are now 340 refugees being held at the Phang Nga detention centers, as many of the refugees have already been transferred to other provinces to deal with the sudden influx of potential asylum seekers (story here). Of the 340 Rohingya, 48 are being held at the Phang Nga shelter for women and children; 180 are at the Phang Nga Immigration detention center; and 112 are in the Khura Buri Police Station.

“The refugees need three meals a day – we simply don’t have the funds to support them. So there are donation centers at the local level that are gathering donations and raising funds,” Pheu Thai Government Spokesman Prompong Nopparit said during his visit to the Khura Buri Community Hall yesterday.

On Monday, MP Prompong plans to raise the issue of funding the care for the Rohingya with the Pheu Thai Party in hopes of solving anticipated budget issues.

“If they stay here for several months, there will be monetary issues. I believe for now the government and private sector can continue to do their best to provide them with food and look after their health,” he said.

Qutub Shah

RB News

January 25, 2013

(Edited by Mayu Thitsar)

Maungdaw: On January 22, 2013, from Inn Dinn village tract, Maungdaw Township, a boat of 106 Rohingya voyagers led by Rakhine traffickers, set sail for Malaysia by bribing the respective authorities 4 million Kyats: 2 million for Nasaka (Border Security & Immigration Forces), 0.5 million for each of military, Sarapha (Special Bureau of Intelligent), village administration and police.

According to a Rohingya from Maungdaw, the director of Border Immigration Head Quarter (Nasaka), Maungdaw has assigned 2 persons from each village of Region 6 as “stooge and puppet” so that they can extort money and persecute Rohingyas more easily.

Kyauktaw: On January 23, 2013, Rohingya fishermen from Paik Seik village tract, Kyauktaw Township, went for fishing to sea. They saw a Rakhine boat tangled in the fishing net while they were fishing. So they, as a token of humanity, untied the tangled boat. But, to the contrary, yesterday, the boat owner Rakhines, who did not learn the alphabet of humanity, instead of offering thanks, sued for the very Rohingyas to the police asserting that there was much rice in their boat but Rohingya stole it secretly. So, the concerned police started ransacking all Rohingya houses minutely under the pretext of investigation for stolen rice and arrested three people groundlessly. They are:

(1) Salamat Khan

(2) Mohammed Ismaeel

(3) Abdu Shukkur

Qutub Shah

RB News

25.1.2013

(Edited by Mayu Thitsar)

Mrauk-U: Yesterday, a Rohingya man called Laloo s/o Khalil Ahmed, 55, from Dashfara village tract, Mrauk-U Township, went to Fifarang market to buy some chilies. Meeting him, the security forces of battalion 378, asked him by whose permission he went there. Then, they tortured him very mercilessly. Meanwhile, a boy named Abu Baker who was espying this scene of torture from his house, was arrested and forced to fill a very spacious water-container as a punishment for espying the event.

“Extremist Rakines have secret plan to terrorize afresh within 28th of this month in these villages: Reeda and Rabarang, Mrauk-U Township. The secret news was informed by a director of military security forces, who are encamped in those villages and by some Rakhine farmers, whose farms are in the very Rohingya villages” said on condition of anonymity to RB News.

On January 23, 2013, a member of village administration of Baishfara, Mrauk-U, called Kandoor, who is very familiar to the security forces of the village, was asked by them. “What is your race?” He replied, “I am a Rohingya.” Then, they slapped him on both sides of face.

Min Bya: The xenophobic and cockroach-eater Rakhines from Paik Myaung village, Min Bya Towship, have been threatening local Rohingyas in various ways. They are shouting loudly and irritating the very Rohingyas in the junctions, rendezvous and markets when they see any Rohingya passing by them by saying “Bengali”, and “we will torch your houses as we have already torched of other villagers”.

Bangkok Post

January 25, 2013

Thailand will shelter the Royingya for six months and seek talks with Myanmar and other countries to settle the fate of the illegal migrants, Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul said on Friday. 

The decision was reached in talks between the Foreign Ministry and other security agencies amid growing calls for Thailand not to turn the migrants away after they have entered the kingdom. 

The final say still rests with Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who has to endorse the plan after it is forwarded to her soon. 

According to latest counts by officials, 1,390 Rohingya are in the country, more than 200 of them women and children. Most of them are staying in the southern border provinces, mainly in Songkhla. 

The government will set aside a budget of 12 million baht or 75 baht a day for each of them for a daily allowance. 

Bangkok will hold talks with international agencies including the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, the International Organisation for Migration, and the International Committee of the Red Cross for support on Thailand's plan. 

Thailand would also approach third countries willing to give the migrants a new home, the minister said. 

Mr Surapong did not rule out sending the Rohingya back to Myanmar because most of them came from the neighbouring country. The issue will be the subject of talks between the two governments, he added. 

Illegal migrants are subject to be deported in six months, according to Thai law. 

Thailand will bring up the issue with officials of the Organisation of Islamic Conference when they visit the southern region. Talks are also planned with the British ambassador to Thailand in an attempt to find a solution, as Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, was once a colony of Britain. 

The Rohingya are a Muslim minority in Myanmar. Most of them live in Rakhine state in the west and face brutal treatment from Myanmar authorities, including the reluctance of Nay Pyi Taw to grant them citizenship. 

The current crisis came to light after authorities rounded up more than 900 Rohingya in separate operations in Songkhla as they were waiting to be sent to work in Malaysia. 

A police investigation found some Thai army soldiers were linked to trafficking them from Myanmar to Malaysia through Thailand. Two of them based in the southernmost region are being probed in connection with the issue. 

In Prachuap Khiri Khan province, meanwhile, Rohingya refugees have gone on a hunger strike to demand an improvement in the meals provided by authorities. 

About 120 Rohinghya men have been transferred from Phangnga province to a detention facility run by immigration police in Muang district, awaiting their deportation. 

Disease-control officials also gave the men physical check-ups with help from Burmese interpreters. 

The Muslim refugees will remain at the facility until otherwise ordered. Two large rooms have been set aside for prayers. 

An interpreter said that the refugees were demanding the Thai government coordinate with the UN in helping them seek asylum in another country. They refuse to return to Myanmar because they fear for their safety. 

Many of them complained that the 75 baht allocated per day per person for food is not enough. They want better quality food in larger portions. They went on a hunger strike, but some were later talked out of it. 

Yusuf Towang, the president of a Muslim organisation in the province, said he had been working with immigration authorities to help the Rohingya. 

The Muslim community would collect donations to buy them food, clothing and other essentials to alleviate their problems before they are to be moved to another location, he said.

Bangkok Post

January 25, 2013

Rohingya refugees in Prachuap Khiri Khan province have gone on a hunger strike in demand of an improvement in the meals provided by Thai authorities. 

About 120 Rohingha men have been transferred from Phang Nga province to a detention facility run by immigration police in tambon Khlong Wan, Muang district of Prachuap Khiri Khan province, awaiting their deportation. 

Disease control officials also gave them physical check-ups with help from Myanmarese interpreters. 

The Muslim refugees will remain at the facility until otherwise ordered. Two large rooms have been put aside for prayers. 

An interpreter said that the refugees are demanding the Thai government to coordinate with the United Nations in helping them seek asylum in another country. They refused to return to Myanmar because they feared for their safety. 

Many of them complained that the 75 baht allocated per day per person for food is not enough. They want better quality food in larger portions. They went on hunger strike, but some were later talked out of it. 

Yusuf Towang, the president of a Muslim organisation in the province, said he has been coordinating with immigration authorities in providing assistance to the Rohingya. The Muslim community will collect donations to buy them food, clothing and other essentials to alleviate their problems before they are to be moved to another location.

Phuket Gazette

January 25, 2013

PHUKET: The 179 Rohingya refugees who arrived in Khura Buri District, north of Phuket, on January 23 have taken the Phang Nga Immigration facilities past breaking point, forcing authorities to relocate hundreds of Rohingya already being held at the Phang Nga detention center to immigration centers elsewhere in Southern Thailand.

“Yesterday, we brought 179 Rohingya from Khura Buri police station to our office. We already had 271 Rohingya here, and space for just 250, so we could not accommodate them,” Phang Nga Immigration officer Neti Khunboon told the Phuket Gazette yesterday.

“The Phang Nga Immigration Superintendent ordered us to move 270 of the refugees to Prachuap Khiri Khan and Kanchanaburi immigration-detention centers today [January 25],” Maj Neti explained.

Maj Neti also confirmed to the Gazette that his team was working along with Phang Nga Provincial Social Development and Human Security Office to take care of the children who were part of the group of 179 Rohingya. 

“We want to move them to a special Phang Nga shelter for women and children.” Maj Neti added.

The children have already been examined by Public Health Officers, who determined that five should be sent to Phang Nga hospital to receive treatment for fever, blood in the urine, and possible tuberculosis infection.

Bangkok Post

January 25, 2013

One of the three suspects wanted in connection with the smuggling of more than 800 Rohingya illegal migrants in Songkhla province this month has surrendered to police.

Saroj Kaewmaneechote, 39, from Songkhla, was charged yesterday with helping 157 Rohingya migrants enter Thailand illegally, providing them with shelter, and detaining them against their will, Pol Lt Gen Pisit Pisutthisak, chief of Provincial Police Region 9, said.

The Rohingya were found during police raids on houses in tambon Padang Besa in Sadao district which belong to Mr Saroj.

The suspect allegedly confessed to having been approached by a Myanmar national named Jamanadin who paid him 5,000 baht each time he allowed the houses to be used to accommodate illegal migrants.

Police were still tracking Jamanadin and another suspect, Prasit Lemle, a former mayor of Padang Besar municipality in Sadao district.

In Narathiwat province, police yesterday discovered two spots suspected of being used to shelter illegal Rohingya migrants while they were waiting to sneak into neighbouring Malaysia, a police source said.

Officers received a tip-off from locals who said they had seen about 800 Rohingya staying at the two locations, which were in dense forest areas, the source said.

When officers searched the suspected hideouts, they found them deserted. But evidence found at the scenes led officers to believe both sites had recently housed illegal migrants, the source said.

In Phangnga province, immigration police yesterday transferred 270 Rohingya migrants to Prachuap Khiri Khan and Kanchanaburi to ease overcrowding in detention facilities.

Another 179 migrants had been transferred from the province the previous day.

About 450 migrants had been squeezed into the facilities, even though the immigration police office can hold only up to 250 detainees, Pol Maj Neti Khanboon, chief of Phangna immigration police, said.

Local Islamic organisations and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) yesterday began talks on how they could help the hundreds of Rohingya migrants who remain here awaiting a decision on their fate.

The groups agreed to work on transferring detained Rohingya children to where their parents were being held.

Some of the more than 100 Rohingya migrants being detained at the immigration checkpoint in Sadao district of Songkhla would be transferred to Bang Klam police station in the same province to help ease overcrowding, officials said.

Supitcha Rattana & Piyanuch Thamnukasetchai

The Nation 

January 25, 2013

Seeks to 'clear air' over reports hundreds smuggled into province for work 

Narathitwat Governor Apinan Seutananuwong has ordered a probe into reports that more than 700 Rohingya have been smuggled into the southern province after crossing the border from Myanmar. 

"I don't know how the reports have come out. But to clear the air, I have told relevant officials to investigate," he said yesterday. 

Apinan said he had not heard that hundreds of illegal Rohingya migrants were in his province until media featured the reports. 

"We will probe deeply into the matter," he said. 

If the reports are confirmed, the number of Rohingya found illegally entering Thailand this month could soar past 2,000.

As of Wednesday, official statistics showed at least 1,381 Rohingya were being detained in various spots by officials for illegal entry. All of them were believed to have just arrived in Thailand. 

Described by the UN as one of the most persecuted minorities in the world, the Muslim Rohingya have been denied citizenship and face ongoing persecution in their native Myanmar. Several of the latest arrivals to Thailand have reported suffering severe discrimination and brutality in their homeland.

The Fourth Army Area has launched a probe into an allegation that the Rohingya are being trafficked into Thailand with the help of Thai soldiers. 

The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) had so far found no evidence of trafficking, DSI chief Tarit Pengdith said yesterday. 

"At this point, we can't conclude that these cases are about human trafficking," Tarit said.

He said available information to date had shown that the Rohingya had illegally entered Thailand in search of work. 

"There's no sign they were duped or physically mistreated," he said. 

Tarit said the DSI would take over cases related to the Rohingya if further evidence suggested that they were victims of human trafficking. 

He assigned DSI deputy chief Yanaphon Youngyuen to attend a meeting with the Foreign Affairs Ministry about the Rohingya today.

In a related development, a Songkhla man surrendered himself to police yesterday to face charges of sheltering and detaining illegal migrants. Saroj Kaewmaneechote had been sought by police after they found a group of Rohingya at his home in Songkhla's border district of Sadao earlier this month. 

Montae sae Lor, a 58-year-old Thai, and Dorlohmae, a 55-year-old Myanmarese, were arrested and charged with supervising the Rohingya for Saroj. 

"We have found that agents for illegal migrant workers have had Malaysian accomplices too," said Songkhla's deputy police chief Colonel Krissakorn Pleethanyawong. 

Also yesterday, officials from organisations including the Sheikhul Islam Office, the Songkhla Islamic Committee and the International Committee of the Red Cross yesterday met and agreed to set up a co-ordination committee to facilitate the flow of assistance to the Rohingya in Thailand.

Phuket Gazette

January 24, 2013

PHUKET: The 179 Rohingya taken into custody north of Phuket yesterday survived on four meals of uncooked rice in their 16 days at sea, one of the survivors told officials.

Local fishermen spotted the refugees – fleeing escalating ethnic violence in their native Rakhine State in Myanmar – off the Phang Nga coast at about 11am.

About 30 officers from the Kuraburi District Office, Takuapa Border Patrol Police and Phang Nga Marine Police intercepted the single boat the refugees were travelling in about three nautical miles north of Koh Phra Thong (map here).

“They departed Rakhine State in Myanmar on January 7. They were at sea for 16 days, hoping to reach Thailand or Malaysia in order to find work,” Kuraburi District Chief Manit Pianthong said. "They all are exhausted."

“They said they had only four meals of uncooked rice and water since they left the state,” he added.

The refugees were taken to Kuraburi Community Hall. Nineteen of them were in need of urgent treatment and were immediately placed on saline drips by medical staff.

“Doctors and nurses were called in to take care of them – some of the refugees have fevers and others have open wounds. Doctors have placed them all on a course of antibiotics,” Chief Manit said.

“Officers have to provide them with food, drink and other care before handing them over to Phang Nga Immigration for deportation,” he added.

This latest arrival of Rohingya refugees in Phang Nga follows a welfare shelter in Khukkhak (story here), also in Phang Nga, on Monday calling for donations of daily necessities in order to provide assistance to 46 Rohingya women and children receiving shelter there.

RB News 

January 24, 2012 

Buthidaung, Arakan: On 23 January 2013 around 10:30pm, at least 2 Rohingya houses were burnt down into aches at Ward No. 1 of Buthidaung Township, Arakan State, Burma, according to a local resident on condition of anonymity. 

Fire broke out from electrical engine house which has been operating by the Rakhine national. There is controversy on the breaking of fire in both residents of Rakhine and ethnic Rohingya, while the Rohingya believe that Rakhine conspired to burn down the Rohingya houses from nearby areas, while the Rakhine claim that the fire was broke out from electric sort, he further told. 

No any person was injured at the house burning incident, while at least Kyat 80 million worth of wealth were brunt down. 

However, the local officials, particularly the members of NaSaKa (Border Security Forces) and other concerned authorities are investigating the real incident. Besides, the losers of these 2 houses are believed to be punished with both imprisonment and fine under the country’s penal code. 

The owners of these 2 houses are feeling fear of unbearable pressures and punishment without fair investigation, while no Rohingya has chance to make enough income for their survival and family support for the reasons of severe restrictions, imposed against them.

Bangkok Post

January 24, 2013

The Department of Special Investigation (DSI) has ruled out NGO claims that the surge of illegal Rohingya migrants into Thailand is the result of large-scale human trafficking.

The DSI's Anti-Human Trafficking Centre's director yesterday said an investigation into the wave of Rohingya migrants arriving in Songkhla province found the migrants were not victims of human trafficking.

The army estimates about 4,000 Rohingya have arrived illegally in the past three months.

"The Rohingya who are now being helped by authorities were neither compelled or tortured to work," Pol Lt Col Paisit Sangkhapong said. "We didn't find any evidence to support those claims. So we don't accept the Rohingya migrants influx as a special case," he said.

Activists have urged the government to treat the Rohingya surge as a special human trafficking case to be handled by the DSI.

Pol Lt Col Paisit said those found to have been involved in bringing in the Rohingya migrants will face smuggling charges while the migrants will also face illegal entry charges.

Songkhla police have issued 13 arrest warrants for people found to have been involved in bringing more than 900 Rohingya into the country.

The Rohingya are fleeing persecution in Rakhine state in Myanmar.

Police rounded up 397 Rohingya migrants at a remote rubber plantation in Songkhla's Sadao district on Jan 10, the first time the matter came to public prominence.

Ten people have since been arrested while the other three are still at large.

Those still at large are Prasit Laemlae, former deputy mayor of Padang Besar municipality who is the owner of the rubber plantation, Sarote Kaewmaneechote, Mr Prasit's associate, and Jama Nadee, a Myanmar suspect.

Police suspect two military officers attached to the Internal Security Operations Command's (Isoc) Fourth Region Forward Command of being involved in the smuggling of Rohingya.

The pair, holding the rank of sublieutenant and major, are being probed by a Fourth Region Army panel.

Defence Minister Sukumpol Suwanatat said the two soldiers would face severe punishment if they are found to be involved.

Gen Sukumpol expressed concern about the Rohingya migration.

Meanwhile, Pol Maj Gen Piya Uthayo, spokesman of the Royal Thai Police, said the 9th Police Region Bureau in the South has now rounded up 1,381 Rohingyas in Phangnga, Songkhla, Satun and Ranong.

Of them, 686 are being sheltered by immigration police, 413 are being held by other state agencies and 282 are being held by local police, he said.

Samart Maluleem, a Democrat MP for Bangkok who chairs a House committee on border affairs, said his panel will travel to Songkhla on Monday to visit Rohingya who are being detained in the province.

Mr Samart said his committee wanted to talk to the Rohingya and state agents to see what help they can provide.

Qutub Shah

RB News

January 23, 2013

(Edited by Mayu Thitsar)

On January 21, in Inn Dinn village and Kyauk Pando village (Shita Furikka), Maungdaw Township, extremist Rakhines from the two villages held a meeting in their respective villages, according to some Rakhine sources, where they discussed and decided not to live together with Muslims and to segregate Muslims from them. And they sent their meeting resolution to the Rakhine leaders in Rathedaung for further action to be taken. It is reportedly known that there are such meetings in many other villages also. So, the Muslims are worrying that Rakhines will continue atrocities against Rohingyas until they can implement what they have pre-planned i.e. ‘Ethnic Cleansing’.

Subsequently, on January 21, the security forces that are encamped in the villages of Min Bya and Mrauk-U Townships left their locations for the downtowns at 7:00pm saying that they have to secure it. On the other hand, Rakhines terrorists were seen carrying the arms and local weapons on buses and the security forces were providing them with arms and other materials according to an eye-witness. Moreover, a rumor is spread that the extremist Rakhines will terrorize Rohingyas afresh within 25th January. So, the Rohingyas in those areas are now being dreadfully traumatized and are in direful need of security and protection. It patently seems that the government is the warmonger until being cleansed. Therefore, international community must extend their helping hands towards the Rohingyas, whose eyes have been welling out since June.

RB News 

January 23, 2013

(Edited by Mayu Thitsar) 

Buthidaung: Yesterday in Ward No. 1, Buthidaung Township, some Rakhine extremists terrorized two Rohingya families of Maulavi Noor Muhammed and Shuna Alee s/o Yusuf from the very ward at around 7:00pm under the pretext of electrical disturbance. They beat the family members and looted the valuables.

“It is thought that the electricity was porously cut off to make such attacks. In such cases, the respective authorities not only lack to respond our call for help, but also torture the victims to extort money.” said by a resident of Buthidaung to RB News.

On January 21, in Fuimalee village, Buthidaung Township, the Nasaka from sub-camp (21) arrested two men, Laloo s/o Mubarek Husin and Nazeer Ahmed s/o Ahmed on charge of sending people to Malaysia. However, as usual, both were released on a ransom of 2 Millions Kyats. Actually, these are the Nasaka and other authorities who ease human trafficking procedures of Rakhine traffickers on bribery.

The Nation

January 23, 2013

Accused Isoc officers based at Chumphon; Sukampol 'angry' over allegations against lieutenant, major, colonel 

The Army is investigating at least three military officers accused of trafficking Rohingya refugees into the Kingdom.

The news came as a fresh group of 179 boat people landed in southern Phang Nga province yesterday, with more boats headed this way.

The three military officers were assigned to work for the Internal Security Operation Command (Isoc) Ranong Attachment, according to Fourth Army Area chief Lt-General Udomchai Thammasarorach. They have been stationed in Chumphon province.

"Defence Minister Sukampol Suwannathat has instructed me to order the investigation and we have already set up a committee to look into the case," Udomchai told The Nation yesterday.

Udomchai had a closed-door meeting to discuss the matter with Sukampol, who was in Pattani on an inspection of the far South.

The minister appeared angry to learn about the alleged involvement of military officers in the trafficking of Rohingya, a source close to the meeting said.

The accused officers hold the rank of major, colonel and lieutenant, the source said, noting that their commander - a colonel who heads their unit in Chumphon - is also being investigated.

"The military officers in question have said that they used military vehicles to transport the Rohingya for humanitarian assistance, not because they were involved in human trafficking," Udomchai said.

The allegation against the Army officers arose after more than 850 Rohingya were found in the far South earlier this month. Many of them complained of inhumane treatment in their homeland, Myanmar, because the government does not accept them as citizens.

Meanwhile, the latest group of 179 Rohingya refugees arrived in Phang Nga province after maritime police found them floating in a vessel offshore, according to Kura Buri deputy district police chief Laksanawong Rampansuwan.

People on the boat said it took them 16 days to journey from Rakhine state to Thai waters, he said, adding that more Rohingya were on the way and expected to land soon.

On Monday, Army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha said any soldiers found to be involved in human trafficking would be expelled and prosecuted.

An investigation by the BBC, revealed on their website, alleges Thai officials have been selling boat people from Myanmar to human traffickers.

BBC news reports allege Thai Navy personnel are also part of the trafficking ring. A source close to Rohingya residing in Thailand said they learnt of Navy officers benefiting from the scam, through cooperation with Myanmar nationals and Rohingya agents.

The Phuketwan website, which won awards for helping to reveal the "pushback" of Rohingya boats four years ago, has similar claims.

Yesterday, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) officials visited ethnic Rohingya detained in Thailand to determine their need to move to a third country. At the time of their arrest, many Rohingya said they wanted a new, safe place to live.

Manasvi Srisodapol, who heads Thailand's Department of Information, said help would be needed from the international community, and third countries, to solve the problems of the Rohingya in the short and long term.

"We have already talked to the Myanmar authorities and the UNHCR about assistance," he said.

Security agencies in Thailand are concerned about the growing number of Rohingya arriving by boat on the Andaman coast other illegal migrants in Thailand.

"We are not ready to host more shelters for the Rohingya here in Ranong," Colonel Narin Phannarai said. He is a deputy chief of a unit overseeing internal security there.

Officials say national security will be jeopardised if the number of illegal aliens grows too big.

In a related development, Thais have donated food and clothing to the Rohingya now detained in Thailand. Songkhla Provincial Islamic Committee has opened a bank account (Islamic Bank of Thailand No. 934 1 48557 6,) to accept donations for the Rohingya. Bt2 million has already been donated.

Despite Thai authorities' pledge to treat the Rohingya well on humanitarian grounds, Ranong residents showed dismay over the influx of immigrants and vowed to oppose the setting up of a refugee camp in the southern coastal province, their leader said last Sunday.

Sucheep Patthong said his group would launch protests if there were reports indicating the government intended to open a Rohingya refugee camp in Ranong. Sucheep said he had sympathy for the Rohingya people but if they were allowed to live in a refugee camp in Ranong, it would have a negative impact on the local people.

"Ranong is already suffering enough from some 100,000 immigrant workers living in the province. This has led to social, security and public health problems," Sucheep added.

Vivian Tan
UNHCR

January 22, 2013

COX'S BAZAR, Bangladesh – They sail in search of safety, education, a better life, a future. But many die along the way. Those who survive face the prospect of detention, bonded labour or furtive lives as undocumented workers in an alien country. 

In 2012, an estimated 13,000 people – among them the Rohingya from western Myanmar as well as Bangladeshi nationals – left the Bay of Bengal on smugglers' boats. Given the rough seas and often rickety condition of the boats, many never made it to their destination. Some 485 people are reported to have drowned in four boat accidents in the Bay of Bengal, though the real death toll is believed to be much higher. 

So why are more and more Rohingya taking the dangerous voyage? Many of the Rohingya in Bangladesh say that while life was always hard in exile, the inter-communal violence back home in Myanmar last June and October dashed any hope for a solution to their protracted situation. 

"Life was tough in Myanmar, and it's tough here," said Aisha, who fled persecution in western Myanmar's northern Rakhine state 20 years ago and sought refuge in neighbouring Bangladesh. "That's why my husband and my brother went to Malaysia – to find a better life." 

Azu Mehir, 48, said her 20-year-old son Shab Uddin wanted to study more English but was frustrated by government restrictions on secondary education in Bangladesh's two official refugee camps, Kutupalong and Nayapara. "He was a good student but he got frustrated and left," she said. "We looked everywhere for him. After 13 days, I got a call." 

The call can be a blessing or a curse. For refugee families who thought their men were lost at sea, it brings the good news that they are still alive. For parents who didn't even know their children had hopped on a smuggler's boat, it is practically a death knell. 

Sara cries when she talks about her 17-year-old son, who secretly left with three friends on a boat in mid-November. "The smugglers called to say they are holding him in Thailand," she wept in Kutupalong camp. "They beat him two times every day, now his body is swollen. They want us to pay 175,000 taka [more than US$2,160] to the agent in Bangladesh or they will kill him." 

Aisha's husband and brother are also being detained by smugglers in Thailand. "They didn't tell me before they left," she said. "If I'd known, I would've stopped them from going." There are reports that smuggled men whose families cannot make the required payment are sold to fishing boats where they could work many months to pay off the debt. 

While it is mostly single young men who make the journey, the clandestine nature of these irregular movements makes it hard to ascertain how many are Rohingya who fled Myanmar for Bangladesh over the years, how many fled the recent violence back home, and how many are Bangladeshi. 

There are also reports that women and children are joining the ranks. In Kutupalong camp, a woman approached UNHCR to say that her son-in-law had arranged for his wife and child to be smuggled to join him in Malaysia. But she later received a call from a smuggler asking for money for their release. 

Even those who make it to Malaysia do not have it easy. Fatama Hatun's husband left their home in Bangladesh's Leda makeshift site eight months ago. From Malaysia, he sent money home twice but the money stopped coming in October. Fatama has not heard from him since, but heard he had been arrested for not having documents. 

Azu's son, Shab, is now working on a construction site in Malaysia. "It is difficult for a frail young boy to carry heavy sacks of cement," she said. "He works every two days because he cannot take the heavy work. After working the whole day, he gets 40 ringgit (US$13). But he needs to buy food and share a place with others. I don't think he is saving any money." 

But that has not stopped him from dreaming of greener pastures. "If he had known life was so hard in Malaysia, he wouldn't have gone," his mother said. "But now he'll try to go somewhere else." 

While the men may not hesitate to risk their lives for the vague possibility of a brighter future, they leave their loved ones behind to fend for themselves. "Life has been miserable since he left," said Fatama as her husband sits in an immigration detention centre awaiting UNHCR intervention. At 25, she is now responsible for their two children. "I beg for a living but I don't know what we will do in future." 

Aisha, too, can barely support her family in Bangladesh. There is no way she can raise the 150,000 taka needed for her husband's release in Thailand. "After he left, we are suffering a lot because of the poverty," she said. "My son is not even nine, but he goes to the villages to pick up recycled items and sells them in the market." 

As the cycle of poverty, persecution and desperation deepens, the Rohingya are becoming even more vulnerable to exploitation by unscrupulous smugglers. Caught between the devil and the deep blue sea, they may see no other option but to go with the flow, wherever it takes them. 

*Names changed for protection reasons

M.S. Anwar and RYM 

RB News 

January 22, 2012 

Maung Daw, Arakan: On 20th January 2012, around 1:15AM, a group of NaSaKa (Border Security Force) led by Aung Naing raided two houses at GoneNah Hamlet of Shujah (Shwezar) Village and arrested the heads of the both families. 

They are: 

1. Amir Ahmed S/o Ashu Ali 
2. Noor Islam S/o Ahmed 

Later, NaSaKa released the two Rohingyas after they (NaSaKa) had extorted money from them. The former Rohingya was released on the same day of arrest and the latter one released on the following day. Kyat 300000 and Kyat 500000 were extorted from the former and the latter respectively. 

Though Burmese regime has been stating that the situation in Arakan has calmed down and under the watchful eyes of international communities, the arbitrary arrests, tortures and killings of innocent Rohingyas in the secret cells, often rapes against their girls and women and extortion of money and so forth have been carried out silently. 

It seems that there is no end to the persecutions of Rohingyas and Kamans. And it is up to Rohingyas and Kamans to create their own destiny as their outcries have been falling into deaf ears. Indeed, No Pains, No Gains!!

The Nation

January 22, 2013

Flood of refugees should be discussed by Asean, NHRC says. 

Ethnic Rohingya fleeing from Myanmar deserve the attention of Asean as their problems are huge, a panel of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) says.

Panel chairwoman Angkhana Neelapaijit spoke yesterday after visiting some Rohingya people in Narathiwat.

More than 800 Rohingya were found to have illegally entered southern Thailand earlier this month to escape alleged violence in Myanmar. The news put the media spotlight and public attention squarely on them.

The Rohingya are a Muslim minority community from Rakhine state in western Myanmar.

"This issue is big. It should be addressed at the Asean level. Myanmar is also a member of the regional grouping," Angkhana said.

NHRC chairwoman Amara Pongsapich visited the Rohingya people with Angkhana.

At the same time, Senator Jate Sirataranont urged Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to raise the issue of the Rohingya with Nay Pyi Taw, Malaysia, Indonesia and Bangladesh.

"We need to find a balance between humanitarian issues and security concerns," he said.

Angkhana said the Thai government must also discuss the Rohingya with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Organisation for Migration, the Red Cross and Unicef.

Jate argued that Thai authorities must send the Rohingya refugees to a third, Muslim country as fast as possible. However, as the process may take time, he believed the government should set up more temporary shelters for them.

Army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha, however, expressed concern about creating more shelters for the Rohingya. "We can't take in too many people otherwise problems will arise in the long run. We have to take care of our national security," he said.

It has been claimed there are more than 130,000 Rohingya in Thailand - although rights activists have suggested the figure is a fraction of that. But no third country has expressed an interest in taking them so far.

Prayuth said Thai authorities should only provide humanitarian aid pending deportation of the Rohingya back to their homeland, or their move to a third country.

"We won't ignore the humanitarian principles but we also must pay attention to our national interests," he said.

He threatened action against any soldier involved in smuggling the Rohingya, given more claims of officers demanding money to escort refugees or economic migrants who want help to enter Malaysia.

Ranong Tourism Association adviser Nit Ouitekkeng said the number of illegal migrants in the province was growing fast and it had caused social, public-health, environmental and security problems.

"This means our province's tourism potential is hurt. We are worried about safety problems," she said, pointing out that thefts - sometimes blamed on the refugees - had taken place.