RB News
June 23, 2016

Waw, Bago – Violence erupted in Bago region this afternoon after a quarrel between a Muslim and a Buddhist. A Muslim construction materials shop owner and his neighbour reportedly had an argument on Thursday morning and at 1 am his shop was destroyed by his fellow Buddhist villagers.

A Buddhist mob then destroyed a Mosque and the basic Arabic school (Madarasa) and they also started beating Muslim villagers. The Muslims then ran into the paddy fields to hide. A Muslim told Myanmar Muslim Media that they had to run into hospital but they were not safe there and finally they had to move to the police outpost which is located in the same area as the hospital.

He further stated that the construction materials shop was destroyed and later at 1 pm the Buddhist villagers organized the people to attack the Muslims. At 3 pm they started shouting “kill all Kalar” (derogatory term for Muslims) including the children and started destroying the Mosque.

They inhumanely beat a shop owner, Haji Abdu Rashid, and hacked him with a sword and finally he had to be admitted to the hospital. Later at night he was brought to the police station by the Bago region Chief Minister.

According to Myanmar Muslim Media, there are about 30 Muslim houses in Thuye Thamein village. As they were under serious threat of attack by Buddhist villagers about 80 people are taking refuge at police station and about 40 have not been heard from. The Muslims were unable to break their fast, as this is the Muslim month of Ramadan, where they fast through the day.

The Bago region Chief Minister and some regional ministers visited the area where the incident took place and they promised that they will solve the problem but it is unknown yet how they would provide security to the people in the coming days.

While the terrorizing of local Muslims is taking place, some extremists propagated on social media that this is happening because the Muslims shot monks with slingshots. Some Facebook accounts posted the photos of how the mob is destroying the mosque and Muslims’ properties but they deactivated their accounts a few hours later.

Muslims in Myanmar expected that this years elections would bring something better than the then the previous Thein Sein government, but nothing has changed and they are discriminated against in the same ways as before.

By Radio Free Asia

June 21, 2016

The Myanmar government has ordered state-run media not to refer to the persecuted Muslim minority group that lives in western Myanmar’s Rakhine state by the divisive term “Rohingya” during a visit by a United Nations human rights official.

The Ministry of Information’s letter dated June 16 instructed official news outlets to describe the 1.1 million Rohingya who live in Rakhine as the “Muslim community in Rakhine state” during a visit by Yanghee Lee, the U.N.’s special envoy on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, who is visiting the country from June 19 to July 2.

“We submitted the phrase ‘Muslim community in Rakhine’ to the United Nations, and we will continue using it in the Burmese language in Myanmar,” said Myo Myint Aung, deputy permanent secretary at the ministry of information.

Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s de facto national leader, told Lee on Monday during a meeting in the capital Naypyidaw that the government will avoid using the term “Rohingya,” Reuters reported.

Lee is visiting Yangon, Naypyidaw, Sittwe, Myitkyina and Lashio to compile a report to submit to the U.N. General Assembly in September.

The country’s majority Buddhists refuse to use the term Rohingya to refer to members of the group, whom they consider to be “Bengalis,” illegal migrants from neighboring Bangladesh, though many have lived in Myanmar for generations.

The government does not consider the Rohingya to be full citizens of Myanmar and denies them basic rights, freedom of movement, and access to social services and education.

More than 120,000 Rohingya, who were displaced during communal violence with ethnic Buddhists in 2012, currently live in displaced persons camps in Rakhine state, while thousands of others have risked their lives at sea in an effort to flee persecution.

ANP to use ‘Bengalis’

The Arakan National Party (ANP)—a political party that represents the interests of the Rakhine people in Rakhine state—has issued a statement saying it rejects the mandated usage of the phrase of “Muslim community in Rakhine” and will continue using “Bengalis” for Muslims in Rakhine State, even though the government’s order also forbids the use of this term.

The ANP’s statement also said that new government issued the order because it wants to portray Rakhine state as the Muslim minority group’s home.

“We released this statement because the government asked media to use the phrase ‘Muslim community in Rakhine state,’ while Muslims are being given the national verification cards,” said ANC vice chairwoman Aye Nu Sein, in a reference to cards that let holders apply for full Myanmar citizenship after they pass a verification process.

“We feel that the government is giving favorable treatment to Muslims so they can easily become citizens,” she said. “All Rakhine people are unhappy about this.”

U.N. says end discrimination

The U.N. on Monday issued a report on the situation of minorities in Myanmar, warning that continued human rights violations against the Rohingya could amount to crimes against humanity.

Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, urged the government to take steps to end “systemic discrimination” and ongoing human rights violations against minority communities in the country, and particularly against the Rohingya in Rakhine state, according to a U.N. press release.

The report, which was requested by the U.N. Human Rights Council in July 2015, found that the Rohingya “are suffering from arbitrary deprivation of nationality, severe restrictions on freedom of movement, threats to life and security, denial of rights to health and education, forced labor, sexual violence, and limitations to their political rights, among other violations.”

Zeid also called on the new government of Aung San Suu Kyi and her pro-democracy National League for Democracy (NLD) party to undertake comprehensive legal and policy measures to address the pattern of violations against minorities in Myanmar.

She told U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in May that the government is working towards a solution that would allow the Rohingya to live peacefully and securely outside the camps.

A week later, Aung San Suu Kyi, whose formal titles are state counselor and foreign minister, was appointed chair of a government committee to work on peace and development in impoverished and war-torn Rakhine state, including the resettlement of internally displaced persons, social development, and the coordination of the activities of U. N. agencies and international nongovernmental organizations.

U.N. envoy’s trips

U.N. envoy Yanghee Lee has made three other trips to Myanmar since she was appointed special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar in 2014.

During a visit to Myanmar last September, Lee asked Rakhine state authorities not to ignore the plight of the Rohingya, despite protests by majority Rakhine Buddhists angry over what they consider to be U.N. bias in favor of the group.

She also visited refugee camps housing Rohingya who had fled deadly communal violence and met with lawmakers and community leaders in Myebon township of Rakhine state’s capital Sittwe.

During another visit in January 2015, Lee’s call for the government to uphold the rights of the Rohingya prompted a protest by 300 ultra-nationalist Buddhist monks and nuns in the commercial city Yangon.

They denounced Lee as she wrapped up a 10-day trip to the country to access its human rights situation, with influential, hard-line monk Wirathu calling her a “whore.”

Authorities issue green cards

In a related development, the government has been issuing new national verification cards, or “green cards,” to Rohingya as part of a citizenship verification pilot program in three predominantly Muslim townships in the state.

But some Muslim villagers in the state capital Sittwe have refused to accept the cards, which do not state their race or religion, arguing they are afraid of losing the right to become citizens.

“We told immigration officers that we can’t accept these cards if we can’t go to school, travel and work by showing them,” said villager Mamut Thuro.

The villagers also said the government had violated the law by giving some young people green cards because their parents have national identification cards that make them full citizens of Myanmar.

Only 50 Muslims in Sittwe have received the green cards, villagers said. The administrator of Thatkepyin village, about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) from Sittwe, and his family also accepted their cards.

Authorities are issuing Muslim residents older than 10 the cards while they conduct checks to see if they are eligible to become citizens.

Those who possess green cards can apply for full Myanmar citizenship, but must first undergo a citizenship verification process.

Reported by Wai Mar Tun and Min Thein Aung for RFA’s Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.

By Lawi Weng

The Irrawaddy
June 21, 2016

RANGOON — The UN and the international community should support ongoing reforms inside Burma instead of focusing on human rights abuses perpetrated by the former government, said President’s Office Spokesman Zaw Htay, in response to a fresh criticism from the UN over Burma’s treatment of religious and ethnic minorities—in particular the Muslim Rohingya.

This week saw the release of a new report on Burma by the UN’s human rights office, which stated that systematic violations against the Rohingya—including denial of citizenship rights, forced labor and sexual violence—could amount to “crimes against humanity.”

More than 100,000 Rohingya remain in internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in Arakan State, after anti-Muslim violence in 2012 and 2013. They are subjected to severe restrictions of movement and are denied citizenship and proper access to healthcare and education; many have chosen to flee the country, placing them in the hands of predatory human-trafficking gangs. The new government has yet to take concrete steps to alleviate the situation, and its policies remain a topic of speculation.

President’s Office Spokesman Zaw Htay—who held the same post under the previous military-backed government of then-President Thein Sein—told The Irrawaddy the UN and the international community should observe reforms inside the country, be flexible with the new government’s approach and provide support and encouragement, adding that the new government recognized the abuses carried out in the past.

“This was a weakness from the past. Our government will challenge it and will work for human rights. We have already laid the foundation for this with our new policies. They (UN report) needs to reflect on the reforms undertaken by the new government,” Zaw Htay added.

On Friday, Burma’s representative to the UN’s Human Rights Council Thet Thinzar Htun criticized the use of the term “Rohingya” by international actors as “adding fuel to the fire.” Instead, the term “Muslim community in Arakan State” was floated, which the representative said would encourage “harmony” and “mutual trust” between Buddhist and Muslim communities.

Last month, the Committee for Arakan State Peace, Stability and Development was formed. Chaired by State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, its purview includes resettling displaced communities and coordinating the activities of UN agencies and international organizations.

In recent weeks, the government has been handing out National Verification Cards (NVCs) to stateless Muslims in several townships of Arakan State. The NVCs are provisional documents, whose bearers will later be scrutinized for citizenship eligibility under Burma’s 1982 citizenship law, which discriminates heavily against the Rohingya as an “unrecognized” ethnic group.

Zaw Htay said the “green cards” would be later handed out to those now receiving NVCs in Arakan State, affording them “equal rights.” It is not currently clear where these “green cards” fit into Burma’s complex hierarchy of citizenship documentation, and what their legal basis is.

Yanghee Lee, the UN’s special rapporteur on human rights in Burma, is visiting Burma between June 20 and July 1. She arrived in Rangoon on Sunday, and will be in Arakan State from Wednesday. She will also visit Kachin, Arakan and Shan states, and the capital Naypyidaw.

“Important steps have already been taken to further democratic transition, national reconciliation, sustainable development and peace,” Yanghee Lee said in a statement. “I intend to make a comprehensive and objective assessment of the human rights situation taking these elements into account.

By Sheikh Shahariar Zaman

Dhaka Tribune

June 21, 2016

Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque has briefed foreign diplomats about the census on the Rohingyas.

“We want to collect information about the undocumented Myanmar nationals residing in Bangladesh and that is why we conducted the census,” the foreign secretary told the Dhaka Tribune.

The census process started last year and the preliminary data collection completed last week.

The secretary said the diplomats were appreciative about the government initiative to collect information about undocumented Myanmar nationals.

“We expect to get the final result of the census by November or December,” he said.

The government with its own fund has taken the initiative to conduct the census to get a clear picture of how many undocumented Myanmar nationals are living in the country.

About the left out Rohingyas, he said: “The census process is completely voluntary. If anybody is not interested in being included in the process, there is very little we can do.”

He, however, said if any left out undocumented Myanmar national wanted to be included in the census, he or she could do so in the next two months.

The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics conducted the census in six districts – Cox’s Bazar, Chittagong, Patuakhali, Khagrachari, Bandarban and Rangamati.

The BBS also made a presentation about the census before the diplomats to elaborate on the international standards it maintained while conducting the census.

The secretary said the objective of the census was to know how many undocumented Myanmar nationals are living in Bangladesh.

“But we do not have any intention of forcing them to go back to Myanmar,” he added.

Another official of the foreign ministry seeking anonymity said the diplomats wanted to know about the future of the Rohingyas here and what the purpose of conducting the census was.

The diplomats also expressed concern about left-out Rohingyas, the official said.

“We told them BBS would wait another two months,” he said.

About future plans, he said the government does not currently have any plans.

After getting the final census report, it will prepare a future plan for the Rohingyas living in Bangladesh, he said.

About half a million undocumented Myanmar nationals are residing in Bangladesh causing serious threat to the country’s economy, environment and security.

Bangladesh is actively engaged with Myanmar to send them back to their country.

In the briefing, the foreign secretary also discussed the Global Forum on Migration and Development to be held in December in Dhaka. 

By Moe Myint
The Irrawaddy
June 21, 2016

RANGOON — Members of both Arakanese Buddhist and Rohingya Muslim communities have objected to referring to Rohingya as “the Muslim community in Arakan State,” as used by Burma’s representative at the 32nd regular session of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland.

On Friday, Burma’s representative Thet Thinzar Htun said using “Muslim community in Arakan State,” instead of the contentious term “Rohingya,” would help to bring “harmony” and “mutual trust” between the Buddhist and Muslim communities in Arakan State—who remain largely segregated since anti-Muslim violence in 2012 and 2013, which displaced around 140,000 people, the vast majority of them Muslim.

Thet Thinzar Htun’s words were in response to comments from a UN special rapporteur, Maina Kiai, criticizing religious-based discrimination against the Rohingya, where the term “Rohingya” was used. The continued use of the latter term was “only making things worse” and “adding fuel to the fire,” said Thet Thinar Htun.

The deployment of the new elongated label could represent an attempt by the National League for Democracy (NLD) government to chart a neutral path between vocal Burmese nationalists, who reject the term “Rohingya” and insist they be called “Bengalis” (to suggest they are illegal migrants from Bangladesh), and criticism from foreign governments and human rights groups, who insist on the right of the Rohingya to identify as such.

The previous military-backed government under President Thein Sein was adamant on the “Bengali” designation. While the NLD government has maintained ambiguity, NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi has publicly cautioned against the use of “emotive terms” (such as Rohingya), which she claimed only stoked tensions.

Pe Than, a lawmaker in the Lower House of the Union Parliament for the Arakan National Party (ANP), which represents the interests of the Buddhist majority in Arakan State, told The Irrawaddy the current government should stick to the same usages (e.g. “Bengali”) as the previous government.

He said the current situation in the Arakan State was a consequence of the historical mistake of U Nu, the first prime minister of Burma, who exploited the term “Rohingya” to gain votes in general elections.

“Arakan State citizens are Buddhist. Why has [the government] called them Arakan State Muslims? What’s next? The term Myanmar Muslim?” he said, implying that this would be unacceptable.

He claimed that “Muslim community in Arakan State” would be objectionable not only to Arakanese Buddhists but also to the “Bengali” community—although he did not explain why. He argued that the NLD government is trying to find a temporary solution because it has said it would address the problems in Arakan State as part of a “100-day plan.”

“They are trying to cut corners,” Pe Than said.

He said he personally accepted the Rohingya being designated simply as “Muslims”—the objection was to the coupling of “Muslim” with “Arakan,” the latter word being, under his reasoning, the exclusive preserve of Buddhists, despite its wide use as a geographic term.

He said that his party, the ANP, would be holding an urgent meeting to discuss the implications of “Muslim community in Arakan State,” before releasing a statement on this new usage from the government.

Yanghee Lee, the UN’s special rapporteur on human rights in Burma, reached Rangoon on Sunday. According to government media outlets, she will visit Kachin, Arakan and northern Shan States, as well as the capital Naypyidaw. She will be compiling a report to be delivered at the 71st UN General Assembly in New York in September.

A source from the Arakan State government said Yanghee Lee would reach the Arakan state capital Sittwe on Wednesday, where she will meet with the state government and also visit Sittwe’s prison.

Than Htun, a Sittwe resident and self-styled nationalist, told The Irrawaddy “[Lee] is just coming to meet with Bengalis [to form] a one-sided judgment,” expressing frustration with what he perceived as ingrained bias in favor of the Rohingya from the UN.

Zaw Zaw, a Rohingya resident of Aung Mingalar ward in urban Sittwe—a de facto camp for Muslims, who live segregated from the town’s Buddhist community and have tight restrictions imposed on their movements in and out—said he had heard some displaced Rohingya might demonstrate with hand-painted signboards during Yanghee Lee’s visit, to show their own dissatisfaction with the government’s new “Muslim community in Arakan State” usage.

Rumors have been spreading on social media that Rohingya based in camps were planning to protest during Yanghee Lee’s visit. Falsely attributed photographs circulating on Facebook purported to show Rohingya “rehearsing” with signboards and t-shirts reading, “I am Rohingya / Native Land Arakan (Burma).”

“Both Arakanese and Rohingya are unhappy with the [new] term,” Zaw Zaw said. “We do not accept any terminology other than Rohingya.”

However, he thought the government would use the new term only temporarily. If they persisted in using it, rather than referring to them as “Rohingya,” the government will “not succeed,” he said.

In recent weeks, the government has been handing out National Verification Cards (NVCs) to stateless Muslims in several townships of Arakan State. The NVCs are provisional documents, whose bearers will later be scrutinized for citizenship eligibility under Burma’s 1982 citizenship law, which discriminates heavily against the Rohingya as an “unrecognized” ethnic group.

Stateless Muslims in Kyaukphyu and Ramree townships have reportedly been cooperating with the scheme. However, some in Sittwe, Ponnagyun, Buthidaung and Maungdaw townships have refused to submit to it, because the religion and ethnicity of the bearer is not stated on the new NVCs. Many Rohingya—who comprise the large majority of stateless Muslims—are suspicious that the government will later add their own entries under religion and ethnicity, such as “Bengali Muslim,” an imposed identity that many Rohingya reject.

The Irrawaddy phoned both the head of Arakan State’s immigration department Win Lwin and state government spokesman Min Aung, to clarify the details of Yanghee Lee’s trip and the citizenship verification drive, but received no response.

Last month, the Committee for Arakan State Peace, Stability and Development was formed. State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi chairs the committee. Arakan State Chief Minister Nyi Pu, an NLD appointee, and Union Border and Security Affairs Minister Lt-Gen Ye Aung, a military appointee, were chosen as deputy chairs. ANP representation is conspicuously absent. The committee’s purview includes resettling displaced communities, social development and coordinating the activities of UN agencies and international organizations.

By AFP

June 20, 2016

Widespread and ongoing violations against Myanmar's Muslim Rohingya minority, including denial of citizenship, forced labour and sexual violence, could amount to crimes against humanity, the United Nations warned Monday.

In a report on the human rights situation for minorities in Myanmar, the UN human rights office said it had found "a pattern of gross violations against the Rohingya... (which) suggest a widespread or systematic attack... in turn giving rise to the possible commission of crimes against humanity if established in a court of law."

The report was published amid hope that Myanmar's new government, steered by Aung San Suu Kyi and her pro-democracy party, will address deep hatreds in western Rakhine State.

Tens of thousands of Rohingya are confined to squalid displacement camps after waves of deadly unrest with Buddhists in 2012.

UN human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said he was "encouraged" by statements by the new government in recent weeks.

But, he warned, the fledgling government it had "inherited a situation where laws and policies are in place that are designed to deny fundamental rights to minorities, and where impunity for serious violations against such communities has encouraged further violence against them."

- 'Entrenched discrimination' -

"It will not be easy to reverse such entrenched discrimination," he said in a statement.

Even so, "it must be a top priority to halt ongoing violations and prevent further ones taking place against Myanmar's ethnic and religious minorities."

During its year-long probe, his office found "an alarming increase" in incitement to hatred and religious intolerance by ultra-nationalist Buddhist organisations against the Rohingya.

Buddhist nationalists have staged protests across the country against even using the term Rohingya.

They label the group "Bengalis", casting Myanmar's more than one million Rohingya as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Myanmar's Rohingya population are denied citizenship even though many can trace their roots in the country back generations.

Monday's report found that in addition to being denied their nationality, state security forces have committed a wide range of other violations against the Rohingya.

These include summary executions, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests and detention, torture and ill-treatment, and forced labour, the report found.

"Arbitrary arrest and detention of Rohingya remains widespread," it said, pointing out that "arrests are often carried out without grounds, formal processing or charges, until release is secured by payment of a bribe."

And Rohingya in Rakhine State need official authorisation to move between, and often within, townships, severely restricting their freedom of movement, it said.

The restrictions severely impact all aspects of life, including the possibility to make a living, to access education, healthcare and emergency treatment, it said.

The report also outlined abuses against other minorities, especially in Kachin and northern Shan States, where armed conflict has intensified.

The deliberate targeting of civilians, using child soldiers, forced labour and sexual and gender-based violence figure among the long list of abuses, with the report warning they might amount to "war crimes".

The report called on Myanmar to order an independent investigation into all the alleged violations, and a comprehensive inquiry into the situation of minorities in the country.

"We stand ready to support the government of Myanmar in ensuring a successful transition to a society based firmly on the rule of law and the protection of human rights for all," Zeid said.

By Mizzima

June 20, 2016

The new Government of Myanmar, led by the National League for Democracy, must establish a clear plan for strengthening the rule of law and protection of human rights, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) said today, 20 June, as it released its 14 General Recommendations to the new Government and Parliament. 

“The NLD has a tremendous opportunity and obligation to reverse years of official rejection and neglect of the rights of the people of Myanmar,” said Sam Zarifi, ICJ’s Asia Director. 

“Myanmar’s severe human rights problems can’t be solved immediately, or even for years to come, but it’s crucial for the new Government to announce its strategy and show its commitment to improving the lives and livelihoods of all people in Myanmar,” he added. 

After close discussions with all branches of the Government, as well as civil society and international experts, the ICJ has identified areas in which the Government can immediately and in the long-term address human rights violations in Myanmar and outlines measures to be taken to ensure that all legislation is guided by the principles of non-discrimination, greater accountability, transparency and justice. 

Among the key recommendations of the ICJ are: 

Strengthening the independence and competence of the judiciary as well as the Attorney General’s Office; 

Improving the Government’s ability to monitor and regulate the conduct of businesses and their impact on the rights and well-being of people; 

Repealing or amending laws and practices that discriminate on the basis of religious or ethnic identity (particularly at-risk groups such as the Rohingya), or sexual orientation and gender identity; and 

Ensuring accountability and redress for violations of human rights, especially when committed by State security forces. 

“Access to justice for victims of human rights violations has been severely curbed in Myanmar over the past decades, with most of the population being consistently denied access to the courts and effective remedies as a result of unfair and discriminatory laws as well as poor court decisions,” said Zarifi. 

“The military remains dominant in Myanmar, wielding undue influence over various sectors in the country, including the judiciary, and continues to enjoy impunity for gross violations of human rights and serious violations of international humanitarian law,” he added. 

The ICJ says Myanmar should immediately engage with the international human rights community. 

It must accede to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, ratify the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and expedite accession to the Convention against Torture and the Optional Protocol thereto, and ratification of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict, the Geneva-based organization adds. 

Reuters
June 20, 2016

Sheikh Shahariar Zaman

Dhaka Tribune
June 19, 2016

The government is going to brief foreign diplomats about the latest Rohingya situation on Monday as it concluded the first ever census on the undocumented Myanmar nationals residing in Bangladesh.

Diplomats of Europe and American countries, and Southeast Asia will join the briefing, said an official of the Foreign Ministry.

“We have concluded the census on Rohingya and it is expected that we will get the final outcome within next two to three months,” he said.

The census was conducted in Cox’s Bazar, Bandarban, Patuakhali, Chittagong Hill Tracts, Khagrachari and Chittagong.

The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics conducted the census with its own fund to get a clear picture of how many undocumented Myanmar nationals are living in the country.

Another official said many said about half a million undocumented Rohingyas are living in Bangladesh but nobody can say for sure, what is the correct figure.

Meanwhile, Dhaka is dispatching its top diplomat to Myanmar to engage more extensively with the neighbouring country.

Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque is going to Myanmar on a two-day visit at the end of this month as a special envoy to the prime minister carrying a letter from her.

The secretary is scheduled to meet Myanmar President Htin Kyaw, Foreign Minister Aung Sun Suu Kyi and other senior officials of the country.

“He will give a message that Bangladesh has special attachment for Myanmar and the country wants to take the bilateral relations to new height,” the official said.

Lack of confidence has been continued for several decades between the two countries and Bangladesh wants to remove it with an open mind so that friendly environment can be created, he said.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina went to Myanmar on a bilateral visit in 2011 and congratulated Aung Sun’s National League for Democracy party for its landslide victory in the last general election.

RB News 

June 18, 2016 

Buthidaung, Arakan – Rohingyas in Buthidaung Township of Arakan State were threatened by the police while they were praying. 

Since violence erupted in Arakan State in June 2012, praying at mosques is prohibited and a curfew was imposed. Up to date the curfew is still in place and Rohingyas can’t gather in groups of more than five persons although the Buddhists, Hindu and Christians can gather hundreds at their respective monasteries, temples and churches. The curfew is in place just to restrict the Rohingya Muslims.

Today, June 18, 2016 in the afternoon at about 1:00 pm a few dozen Rohingya Muslims in Ward No. (4) gathered to pray at a mosque, called Tha Byay Gone Mosque, and the police from Myoma police station came and filmed them while discouraging them from gathering. 

“The police came and shot the video. Then the police said, 'who allowed you guys to pray here. Next time you guys will be sued if pray again.'” a Rohingya told RB News.

It is currently Ramadan, the Islamic holy month, and Muslims want to pray at mosque daily five times, but unfortunately Rohingyas are restricted in many ways to prevent them from doing so. The Rohingyas in Myanmar have been facing seriously restrictions on movement, business, education, marriage, birth etc. Experts have said that the Rohingyas are facing genocide. 

With the new government, led by Aung San Suu Kyi ruling the country since April 1st, 2016, people thought the persecution on Rohingyas would be eased, but nothing has changed. The policy on Rohingyas is same and the Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has refused to allow Rohingya to self-identify as such, which denies them even a basic universal human right. Recently the Myanmar government delegation at the 32nd UN Human Rights Council summit in Geneva urged the UN to use the term 'Muslims from Rakhine State' instead of saying 'Rohingyas.'

By Raqib Hameed Naik

TwoCircles.net

June 16, 2016

Tahira Begum

Bilkis Jaan

Fatima

By David Brunnstrom

Reuters
June 14, 2016

Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi has a moral responsibility to try to ease tension between majority Buddhists and minority Rohingya Muslims, her fellow Nobel laureate, the Dalai Lama, said on Monday.

The Tibetan spiritual leader said he had stressed the issue in meetings with Suu Kyi, who came to power in April in the newly created role of state counselor in Myanmar's first democratically elected government in five decades.

"She already has the Nobel Peace Prize, a Nobel Laureate, so morally she should ... make efforts to reduce this tension between the Buddhist community and Muslim community," he told Reuters in an interview in Washington.

"I actually told her she should speak more openly."

Violence between Buddhists and Muslims in recent years has cast a cloud over progress with democratic reforms in Myanmar. Rights groups have sharply criticized Suu Kyi's reluctance to speak out on the Rohingya's plight.

The Dalai Lama said Suu Kyi, who won worldwide acclaim and a Nobel Peace Prize as a champion of democratic change in the face of military persecution, had responded to his calls by saying that the situation was "really complicated".

"So I don’t know," he said.

There is widespread hostility towards Rohingya Muslims in the Buddhist-majority country, including among some within Suu Kyi's party and its supporters.

More than 100 people were killed in violence in western Rakhine state in 2012, and some 125,000 Rohingya Muslims, who are stateless, took refuge in camps where their movements are severely restricted.

The Dalai Lama said some Buddhist monks in Myanmar "seem to have some kind of negative attitude to Muslims" and Buddhists who harbored such thoughts "should remember Buddha's face."

"If Buddha happened, he certainly would protect those Muslim brothers and sisters," he said.

Suu Kyi said during a visit by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry last month that the country needed "enough space" to deal with the Rohingya issue and cautioned against the use of "emotive terms", that she said were making the situation more difficult.

"It's very important for the international community to realize the sensitive situation of Rakhine State, and avoid doing anything that would make matters worse and more difficult for the new government to handle it," Zaw Htay, a spokesman for Suu Kyi's office, said when asked about Dalai Lama's comments.

Zaw Htay said Suu Kyi had been trying to "sort out this problem to the best of her ability", referring to a newly formed committee led by Suu Kyi to bring peace and development to Rakhine State.

The government offered no details on how the new committee would address Rakhine State's problems.

By Bayram Altug

Anadolu Agency
June 14, 2016

Suu Kyi thanks Turkey's foreign minister for 'sensitivity' during Myanmar trip, hopes comments would prove lesson for all

NAY PYI TAW -- Turkey's foreign minister has emphasized the shared history between his country and Myanmar during a visit to the Southeast Asian country's capital Monday, and underlined his determination to assist "all" in the impoverished region of Rakhine, not just the area's Muslims.

Mevlut Cavusoglu -- speaking after a meeting with Myanmar Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi -- stressed to reporters that Turkish aid groups did not discriminate between peoples, "actively reaching out to all areas in need, making roads and opening health clinics across the country."

Since 2012, Rakhine -- home to more than one million Rohingya (described by the United Nations as the world's most persecuted minority group) -- has been troubled by communal violence, with Rohingya and other ethnicities and religious groups reliant on aid in internally displaced person camps.

“The difference between us and other countries is that we do not impose projects, instead we ask for projects from central and domestic governments," Cavusoglu said.

"Authorities in these countries know what is needed better than us, which is why we will continue to work with the central government in this respect."

In response to a question from an Anadolu Agency correspondent, Suu Kyi -- who also fills the position of State Counselor -- thanked Turkey's foreign minister for his sensitivity on the matter and said she hoped that his comments would prove a lesson for all.

“I thank him [Cavusoglu] for the efforts made and sensitivity towards finding a solution to the situation in Rakhine. I hope the international community will treat the case with the same sensitivity, and help us progress in finding a solution.”

Suu Kyi has been placed under tremendous international pressure to solve problems faced by Rohingya in the country, but has had to play a careful balancing act for fear of upsetting the country's nationalists, many of whom have accused Muslims of trying to eradicate the country's Buddhist traditions.

Cavusoglu had earlier emphasized during a one-on-one meeting with Suu Kyi that Turkey would continue to provide fundamental humanitarian aid in the region without discriminating based on ethnicity, language or religion.

"We will show support toward Arakan [Rakhine] until the problems are solved,” he said, adding that the Turkish government welcomed steps he said had been taken by the new government to grant citizenship rights to Rohingya Muslims.

Diplomatic relations between the two countries began officially in 1958, but it was not until 2012 that Turkey opened an embassy in Myanmar.

Although then-Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu paid a visit in 2012 and 2013, Cavusoglu is the first Turkish official to visit the country since Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) won the Nov. 8 election. 

On Monday, however, Cavusoglu underlined that relations went back even further than 1958.

“Turkish soldiers held hostage in World War I were taken to Myanmar, where they were forced to work and build national parks as well as many other buildings used today under tough conditions,” he said, of the former British colony.

According to Turkey's Foreign Ministry, two war cemeteries exist in Myanmar of Turkish soldiers captured by the British during WWI.

“Today, Turkey is one of the greatest supporters of peace and prosperity in Myanmar," added Cavusoglu.

"With the opening of our embassy in 2012, greater cooperation has taken place between us. In the same manner, in the past four years Turkey has increased its humanitarian aid, contributing $13 million toward the health and education sector,” he said.

Rohingya and Kaman Muslims are just two of country's many ethnic groups, although Rohingya is not considered an official group -- a stance long celebrated by nationalists who refer to the group as "Bengali" which suggests they are interlopers from neighboring Bangladesh.

Cavusoglu underlined to the audience the complexity of the situation, highlighting that there are 135 ethnic groups in Myanmar.

“This is actually the richness of this country. Diversity should be seen as something rich, and it is important that Muslims are also included in this picture," he said, stressing that the new government "is" paying attention to these issues.

"Turkey has experienced a similar procedure, and we are willing to be in close cooperation with the central government to find a solution for the problems faced by Muslims. We will support positive steps taken, and through TIKA [the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency] we will continue humanitarian aid.

Cavusoglu was later greeted by Myanmar’s first civilian head of state, President Htin Kyaw, at his official residence.

He also met with the country’s military chief, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, during a meeting attended by Turkey's ambassador to Myanmar, Murat Yavuz Ates. 

- Anadolu Agency correspondent Leyla Karayilan contributed to this story from Ankara

Aman Ullah

RB Opinion
June 14, 2016

“Fears and suspicious generated by deception, injustice and lack of respect of human dignity cost long shadows across societies fractured by the violation of human rights.” Daw Aung San Suu Kyi

In mid-May, our Burmese foreign ministry Daw Aung San Suu Kyi had asked the American embassy not to use the term Rohingya on the spurious grounds that it was “controversial” and “not supportive in solving the problem that is happening in Rakhine state.” The Americans refused. The request was utterly disingenuous. 

Prompted by the visiting U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Suu Kyi returned to the theme on May 22, saying that her government would be firm about not using “emotive terms” like Rohingya or Bengali. 

Kerry praised his counterpart for explaining her approach to the incendiary issue. "At the same time we all understand as a matter of fact that there is a group here in Myanmar that calls itself Rohingya," he added. The US says it backs the rights of all ethnic groups to identify as they wish.

“Emotive terms make it very difficult for us to find a peaceful and sensible resolution to our problems,” Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi told reporters on that day. “All that we are asking is that people should be aware of the difficulties we are facing and to give us enough space to solve all our problems” she said.

On using the term “Rohingya”: 

We want to avoid any terms that will just add fuel to the fire. We are not just talking about one particular term. We are talking about all the terms that are provocative, and create greater division between our people in the Rakhine and elsewhere. We got to be very firm not to use these emotive terms because emotive terms make it very difficult for us to find the peaceful and sensible resolution to our problems. There are two terms which are emotive. We got to face them fairly and squarely. The Rakhine Buddhists object the term “Rohingya” just as much as the Muslims object the term “Bengali” because these have all kind of political and emotional implications which are unacceptable to the opposite parties. 

If there does the insistence on either part – either on the part of the Rakhine Buddhists or the part of the Muslims – to make an issue out of the term know full well that they will create more animosity, it will not help us in finding a resolution to the problem at all. What we want is to find the practical resolution. We are not interest in rhetoric.

We are not trying to out-talk anybody. We are not trying to say that any particular stand with regard to nomenclature is better than another. What we are saying is that there are more important things for us to cope with than just the issue of nomenclature. I know that is important because it is to do with identity. And identity is of extreme importance to people all over the world. We are not in any way undermining people’s desires to establish their own identity. What we are asking for is that those who really wish well should be aware of the implication of terms that they use , quite perhaps, unwittingly, not knowing what the implications are for those of us , who have to cope with the actual problems that arise from this disagreement over what name to use. 

We are trying to find the solution to this problem and while we are trying to find the solution we would like our friends to be helpful on this, to understand that we are not trying to do-down any particular route. But we are trying to find something, some way forwards that will be acceptable to both. That is very difficult and I am not denying that. And if our well wishers do not cooperate with us, it will make our task that much more difficult, which is not to say that we have been backing away from it, we still accept it as our responsibility and we are trying to do the best we can to resolve the problems to the benefit of both communities.

The new government was trying to tiptoe through the deeply controversial subject to find a solution that is acceptable for all, she explained.

Meanwhile, on 30 May, Burma’s new president, Htin Kyaw, has set up a grand-sounding “Central Committee for Implementation of Peace and Development in Rakhine State,” which consists of 27 officials, including the members of the cabinet and representatives of the Rakhine state government, to be chaired by Suu Kyi herself.

According to the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar, this committee will consist of four sub-committees:- 

· Security, Peace and Stability and the Rule of Law Working Committee, 

· Immigration and Citizenship Scrutinizing Working Committee,

· Settlement and Socioeconomic Development Working Committee, 

· Working Committee on Cooperation with U.N. Agencies and International Organizations.

According to Irrawaddy report, on 4 June, the State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi, who chairs the new committee, met with Rakhine Chief Minister Nyi Pu and various national government ministers to discuss the controversial process for internally displaced persons that reportedly resumed this month. The policy will affect the 120,000 stateless Rohingya Muslims that currently live in camps for in internally displaced people in Rakhine since 2012 when communal violence erupted between them and local Buddhists.

Although, the members of a new government committee arrived in the state capital Sittwe on 7 June to begin an inspection tour, the government unfortunately, took up a citizen verification project, a project, which began on June 7. According to the Ministry of Immigration and Manpower, it is a pilot project and is being done in Kyaukphyu, Myebon and Ponnagyun townships of Rakhine State as a part of the government’s 100-day plan, which will adhere to the 1982 citizenship law.

In real sense, the government’s barking up the wrong tree. The government is trying to find the solution to the problem of Arakan. But the Arakan Problem is not merely an immigrants problem rather it is a problem of "survival of the fittest". The survival of the interests of Big Powers like, China, India, Japan and US are also involved there. The survival of the narrow interests of USDP and Burmese army high-up are also involved there. The personal interest of some of the Rakhine political leaders including Aye Maung are also involved there. The Business interests of the some of the cronies are also involved there. 

Thus, the citizenship verification is not part of the solution of the total problems of Arakan, rather it will remain as a part of problem.

Mean while, we would like to quote a part of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s speech, which was delivered by her son Alexander Aris @ Myint San Aung, in the Washington on the 14 May, 1992, when accepting the International Human Rights Groups award on behalf of his mother.

“Fears and suspicious generated by deception, injustice and lack of respect of human dignity cost long shadows across societies fractured by the violation of human rights. Healing the hearts of such societies is essentially a process of reconciliation which requires a genuine desire to place happiness and well-being of the whole nation above the narrow interests of individuals and groups. It also requires an atmosphere of increasing trust. The re-establishment of trust after a long period of bitter antagonism depends on willingness by all to face the truth about deeds, emotions and attitudes which causes suffering and discord.”

We hope that Daw Suu will try to maintain her words. The most important task in this time, in Arakan, is re-establishment of trust among the peoples of Arakan, after a long period of bitter antagonism which causes suffering and discord. Healing the hearts of these peoples is essentially a process of reconciliation with a genuine desire to place happiness and well-being of the whole peoples of Arakan, which will require an atmosphere of increasing trust.

The government needs to take confidence building measures in order to create congenial atmosphere in Arakan that will re-establish trust among the peoples of Arakan. In this regards the government should immediately need to take the following steps:-

· Make relieve form the hell like conditions and several restrictions to the peoples of Arakan, particularly the Rohingya.

· Abolish the Rakhine Action Plan and end institutionalized discrimination against the Rohingya, including the denial of citizenship. 

· Hold accountable all those who commit human rights abuses, including inciting ethnic and religious intolerance and violence.

· Take masseurs for rehabilitation (not relocation) of IDPs to their original homes, which need to facilitate the safe and voluntary return of them to their communities. 

· Take masseurs to reintegration of these IDPs to their original society.

· Develop a comprehensive reconciliation plan, including establishing a commission of inquiry into crimes committed against the Rohingya in Arakan.

· Improve the welfare of ethnic and religious minorities and repeal laws and discriminatory practices that pose an existential threat to the Rohingya community.

Last not the least, the government need “to give enough space to breathe” to all the peoples of Arakan including Rohingyas.