Calls for support of Rohingya Muslims increase

Source worldbulletin, 2 April

 

As the attacks on the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar continue, calls for the international community's support increase.

A Special Representative in the UN Secretary-General, has assessed the violence in Myanmar by stating "the support of the international community is necessary for the Rohingya Muslims." for humanitarian aid / support of the international community needed.''
In an interview with Turkish media, Vijay Nambiar— a Special Representative in the UN Secretary-General—reminded that the attacks against the Muslim minority in the Arakan state of Myanmar have been ongoing since last year.
Nambiar indicated that, according to the government's figures, around 100 people lost their lives in the events last June, but other sources claim that the death toll was much higher.
Emphasizing that the approximeatly 1.5 million Rohingya Muslims have been struggling with problems over the last 60 years, Nambiar stated:
"The Myanmar government must solve the problems of the Rohingya Muslims problems as part of the democratization process. If this problem is not resolved on the basis of equality, the whole reform process will be negatively affected. First the physical problems of these people should be solved, their security should be guaranteed, and they should be allowed to return to the places they were forced to leave. The government should then make arrangements so that these two communities can live in peace arrangements. But since tensions are still high in the region, displaced persons will have to remain in camps for a while.''
Stressing that the support of the international community was needed for humanitarian assistance, Nambiar explained that political pressure on the Myanmar government could also be effective.
Suggesting that regional countries and the international community also had a role in resolving the problem, Vijay Nambiar mentioned that countries in the region sometimes do not accept Muslims who fled Arakan.
Meanwhile, the RISE advocacy groups has also called on other refugee advocacy groups to be more active in denouncing Paris Aristotle, Director of the Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture Inc, who has built hiscareer as a self-proclaimed refugee advocate.
Aristotle has called on the Australian Parliament to reassess the ''template'' for asylum seekers and refugees outlined in the Houston report devised by a panel chaired by former defence chief, Air Chief Marshall Angus Houston, and to reconsider the Malaysia swap deal.
The Melbourne Anti-Deportation Campaign has responded to the Houston report by condemning "the absolute hollowness of the moral considerations that are presented as justifying an aggressive campaign of regional policy and border control."
The response report denounces the Houston report for "provid[ing] justification for the undertaking of misconceived deportations" and for how "In a bizarre feat of 'humanitarianism' the proposals made by the [Houston] Report make it not only admissible, but advisable to act in order to prevent family reunions for refugees."

Buddha Buzz: Dagger-Wielding Monks and Mindfulness in Service of the Bottom Line

Source Tricycle, 22 Mar

 

Just hours ago, Burmese President Thein Sein declared a state of emergency in central Burma due to killing, destruction of property, and general rioting in the streets of the town of Meikhtila. Violence erupted following a dispute between a Muslim gold shop owner and Buddhist customers. After four nearby gold shops were burnt to the ground, a 1,000-strong mob of Buddhists ran riot through the Muslim neighborhood. The death toll is currently being reported at at least 20, but this number will likely rise. TIME reports:

 

Journalists attempting to report in the area have been threatened. A photographer for the Associated Press reportedly had a foot-long dagger placed against his neck by a monk who had his face covered. The confrontation was defused when the photographer handed over his camera's memory card. Late on Friday, the Burmese government said that nine reporters trapped amid the unrest had been rescued by local police and evacuated from the area.
On social media, residents reported seeing bodies scattered by the side of the road and women and children lying helpless, their homes destroyed. U Aung, a Muslim lawyer living in Meikhtila, told TIME that the violence was already spreading to nearby townships. "They are burning mosques and houses and stealing Muslim property," said Aung.

Tricycle readers will be familiar with the Buddhist-led violence against the Rohingya Muslim minority in western Burma from the article "Buddhist Nationalism in Burma" in the current issue. In the article, Burmese dissident and democracy activist Maung Zarni makes a convincing argument for the characterization of recent anti-Rohingya violence as genocide. Zarni highlights the harnessing of the same sangha-led forces that occasioned the "Saffron Revolution" (2007) to accomplish these ends.

Recent unrest in Meikhtila suggests two important things. First, anti-Muslim violence and rioting has spread beyond the western Burmese Rakhine state and into the heart of Burma. Second, since the violence appears to be directed at Muslims of Indian origin—not Rohingya Muslims—this would seem to corroborate Zarni's assertion of the anti-Muslim, religious sentiment of these riots, repeatedly dismissed as "sectarian violence" by many mainstream media outlets at the time of the outbreak of violence last year. (TIME quotes Chris Lew, founder of The Arakan Project: "the perception of last year's unrest as sectarian rather than religious was inaccurate.") Zarni makes this contention in his article for Tricycle and reiterated the point when I interviewed him over Skype from Indonesia the day before the last. We also spoke about his objection to the term "communal violence," which TIME has used in the article quoted above, and the reasons why the conflict hasn't been called a genocide. The anti-Muslim racism we're currently witnessing can be tracked back to Burma's colonial past, which Zarni adumbrates in the article and further elaborates in our interview. Zarni's article for Tricycle can be found here and our interview will run on the Tricycle blog on Wednesday

Three Rohingya killed in Minbya, Arakan

Source Mayu Press, 17 Mar

 

The Burmese authority had imposed curfew only to Rohingya not to move one place to another since June 2012 racial violence in Arakan state. It causes Rohingya facing difficulties with hygienic foods, proper treatments, and necessary house hold materials and so on.

Amongst the suffering people shortage with daily survival food stuffs, three Rohingya men from Sinn Gyi Pyan helmet of Barbutaung village, Minbya Township leaved with engine boat to buy foods for the own villagers towards Letmagye , Nagaya Village on Thursday, 14 March 2013.

Those three Rohingya were brutally killed on their water way by the Rakhine extremists. The dead bodies were found near Maroung Bwe Chaung Bridge of Bu Talonk village under the track of Mauk Oo on 16 March 2013.

There were also some security personnel based in Myauk Oo Ka-ma-ya (380) when the dead bodies picking up from the water to the land. They got the dead bodies with many injures and wounds of knife cuttings to necks, ears, noses and also sex organs.

The name of Rohingya killed by Rakhine extremists are:

1. Mohammad Ullah,38, s/o Amin Ullah
2. Manzur Alam,37, s/o Noor Alam
3. Mohammed Ayub,20, s/o Rashid

BRCA Delegates Attended Burma Forum in ANU and RNDP General Secretary Said He Sympathize Rohingya Muslims

Source Mayu Press, 17 Mar

 

BRCA delegates together with special guest Mr. Htay Lwin Oo, Rakhine and Rohingya history researcher from USA and U Maung Ba from Singapore attended to the forum "Debating Democratisation in Myanmar/Burma" held on Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra, Australia in 15-16 March 2013.

BRCA contacted to ANU a day prior to the forum and raised the concern over RNDP party participation in the forum and informed that BRCA delegates would be joining to the forum. Upon arrival to ANU forum, ANU gave a chance to BRCA to present our statement in the forum to audience for three minutes.

BRCA Delegates Team In front of "Exiled To Nowhere; Burma's Rohingya" Photo Exhibition

The forum had discussion of different topics and aspects such as Political & Economic, Democratisation in big picture, Lunch of "Exiled to Nowhere: Burma's Rohingya" and Ethnic politics in transition etc. On second day (16.03.2013), U Oo Hla Saw from extremist Rakhine National Democrtic Party (RNDP) gave speech on how Rakhine state has numerous natural resources and Rakhines had their own dynasty in the history and now it is all controlled by central government and Rakhines people do not get any benefit from it etc. In his last speech, he focused on Rohingyas and said that "there were small Muslim community in Rakhine state in last dynasty and majority of Muslim population arrived during British colonial time were Chittagonian Bengalis. Rohingyas are the descendent of those Bengalis and Rohingya term is appeared after 1950s and whole Rakhine community initially supported to President Thein Sein's words to deport Rohingya people to a third country." However in his last speech, he clearly mentioned that Rakhines people like Rohingyas to get citizenship, move freely and settle down anywhere in Myanmar. It is noticeable point that he used Chittagonian Bengalis term to explain the initial history but used Rohingya Muslim term in the following speech.

After U Oo Hla Saw finished his speech, Mr. Htay Lwin Oo was invited to give speech for three minutes on behalf of Burmese Rohingya Community in Australia (BRCA). Mr. Htay Lwin Oo explained to the audience that Rohingyas are the native of Rakhine state by showing the ancient stone script, the evidence before and after colonial time and the family censorship evidence etc. Some of the points made during his speech are "At the beginning of British colonial time, Rohingyas were one third of the population which was 30000 and with high birth rate as the Burmese government mentioned, it should be in millions. I am also a Rakhine ethnic but a Rakhine muslim. Rakhine leaders are lack of historical knowledge and giving wrong information to the public, media and international communities. When I challenged to Rakhine historian Dr. Aye Chan in a conference in Thailand organized by Rakhines, he had to accept finally Rohingya term existence and but tried to deceive the audience by saying Rohingya name was used for Rakhines. When asked to Dr. Aye Chan whether he is a Mohameddan (Muslim), he could not answer." During his speech, Mr. Htay Lwin Oo also requested to audience to take the copies of historical evidences of Rohingya existence and BRCA distributed it everyone in the room.

After Mr.Htay Lwin Oo speech, the questions and answers program was started and from BRCA, Mr. Mohammed Anwar (President), Mr. Tin Maung, Mr. Maung Hla, Dr. Hla Myint and Mr. Thein Moe Win(Burmese Muslim) asked various questions in regard to Rohingya existence in Burma throughout history, violence committed by Rakhine extremists, police forces and security forces etc. and who is responsible for violence against Rohingyas and what RNDP did to prevent the violence against Rohingyas if RNDP respect human rights and sympathize Rohingyas etc.

U Oo Hla Saw answered that the current Rakhine conflict issue is very complicated and RNDP do not have any power in Rakhine state and therefore Central Government is responsible for all the chaos, committed crimes and creating conflicts between Rohingyas and Rakhines. He also mentioned that he respect and sympathize all Muslims including Rohingya Muslims and do not like any oppression against these people.

It is quite remarkable that U Oo Hla Saw only used the term Rohingya and Rohingya muslims during his answers in front of all Burmese and international communities. He also did mentioned that Rakhines want to live peacefully with Rohingyas Muslims.

After the questions and answers section finished, BRCA delegates team took a picture together with U Oo Hla Saw as per above photo to send the message to everyone that Rohingyas and Rakhines can live together peacefully again as before in Rakhine state.

After the forum section, Rohingya delegates visited to the photo exhibition "Exile to Nowhere: Burma's Rohingya

It is reported that there were around 150 audiences in the forum.

Reported by
BRCA Team