Authority spells out to keep blacklist children

Maungdaw, Arakan State: Authority -- Burmese border security force (Nasaka) – are trying to keep blacklist children while the Nasaka are going to check the population of Rohingya community in northern Arakan, said a village administration office member from Maungdaw.

“The Nasaka categorized the blacklist children are; -- a child from a parent who married with authority permission but not in a family list; a child from a family whose father not at present while enlisting but the parent married with authority permission; a child from a parent without authority permission.”   

“The Nasaka are not enlisting the children whose father and mother are not in a family list and banned to take group photograph,” according to an elder from Maungdaw.

“The Nasaka banned my child to enlist and photograph who was enlisted and photographed with my family member last year, said Jangir from block number 2, Maungdaw.

“I paid Naska personnel 6000 kyat to enlist my child in my family list.”

The village administration officer asked the concerned Nasaka personnel who are going to check the lists to transfer the wife who had married permission to her husband’s family list. But, the Nasaka personnel in the field  said that they have no rights to transfer the wife to her husband’s family list and advice that  to contact the Nasaka Headquarter where the head office is asking 60,000 kyat to transfer the wife to her husband’s family list, said a father who went to Nasaka head office to transfer his wife.

“It is impossible to pay this amount of money for transfer and their child become blacklist in this family.”

Around 200 Malaysia voyagers missing in Bay of Bengal

Teknaf, Bangladesh: Around 200 were missing and about 60 boatpeople were rescued while a Malaysia voyage’s boat capsized in the Bay of Bengal on January 19, said a boatpeople who swam in the sea and arrived at Saint-Martian.

“The boat was capsized after crossing Saint Martin Island in the Bay of Bengal near Burma side.”

“The boat was capsized for overloading and sank under the water while the bottom of the trawler was damaged.”

“On that day, at night, a big trawler was anchored in the Bay of Bengal nearby Saint Martin, and some of the human traffickers secretly ferried over 100 boatpeople to the said trawler by small boats from Shapuri Dip for fear of police, BGB (Border Guard Bangladesh and Coast Guards. There were more than 260 boatpeople on board which has no capacity.”  

He refused his name that he had rescued 26 boatpeople by small boat of Saint-Martain with cooperation of local fishermen as he was a fisherman before and know the situation of the area.

“I was not able to save more boatpeople for fear of arrest as the Saint-Martain police personnel knew the information of boat capsized in the sea and were coming to the spot, he said to the Kaladan News.

According to a fishing boat, we saw some boat-people were in the floating nearby Nakondia Dia - between Saint-Martain and Shapuri Dip - and informed to the coastguards.

On being tipped off, the Bangladeshi Coastguards went to the spot and rescued 33 boat-people. They were kept safely by Coastguard, a Coastguard officer, Obidul Haque said.

The officer also thinks that many boatpeople are missing in the Bay of Bengal because of there were nearly 200 people in a big trawler.

According to sources, the 33 arrested boatpeople were sent to Teknaf police station for further investigation.

The trawler from Bowal Khali river of Chittagong left for Malaysia with some people and other some were taken from Shapuri Dip, according to sources.

On November 23, about 17 people were rescued and around 138 were missing while a Malaysia voyage’s boat capsized in the Bay of Bengal, at night. The boat was capsized while it attacked the rock between Saint Martin and Shapuri Dip Island,” according to an elder from Alaythankyaw, Maungdaw south.

A fisherman said from Shapuri Dip, 10 dead bodies of boat-people were recovered from Naikondia of Burma side on January 20, 2012.

An officer from Coastguard said that the dead bodies of boat-people who rescovered from Burma side, how many Bangladeshi there, it is not confirmed.

The Teknaf police sent the 33 boat-people to Cox’s Bazar jail next day morning, who were illegally trying to stowaway to Malaysia. They were rescued by Coast Guards on Thursday and handed over to police.

The Teknaf police, quoting the arrested ones, said the arrested voyagers had to pay Tk 25,000 to Tk 35,000 per head to the brokers to get on the boat.

“I began to swim and kept afloat for five hours,” fisherman Dil Mohammad of Shapuri Dip under Teknaf said, adding that he was rescued and arrested by the coast guard members.

Agent collects toll from pebble breaker

Maungdaw, Arakan State: An agent who has license for logging from Mayu range,  is collecting money from people who breaking stone into pebble from mountain range in Maungdaw, said  Kala Meah, pebble breaker from Maungdaw.

“Htun Myint Thein, the owner of Meko Company, the agent for logging – teak, hard wood, big tree, and other trees- from Mayu range.”

Htun Myint Thein is collecting money from poor people who are working stone breaking from morning to evening for their survival after supplying to General Engineer Crop (GE) who are constructing road in Maungdaw as a project program, said a NGO staff from Maungdaw.

“The poor people are giving hard work to fulfill the government project to go smooth with their break pebble to make the road, but the agent collects 4000 kyat from a truck which loads the pebble.”

“The agent has no rights to collect money from pebble breaker, but he used the power of Burmese border security force’s director Lt.Col. Aung Gyi, the copartner in the logging business. The green Mayu mountain range become without trees after Meko Company logging in this mountain.”

“The poor people (Rohingya community) have to work one week for three people to load a truck with pebble where they receives 18000 kyat, how they survival after giving 4000 kyats to agent and 5000 kyats to truck,” said an environment watch from Maungdaw.

“The Meko Company cut all the trees from Mountain which made landslide on the road and other climate change in the area.The landslide made the road block which made difficult the people communication to other town and their business.”

Blacklisted Rohingya broods in north Arakan

Chittagong, Bangladesh: More than 40,000 Rohingya children in northern Arakan are blacklisted and have been deprived of rights to travel, go to school because of their parents had an unauthorized marriage, according to Arakan Project report on Issues to be raised concerning the situation of Stateless Rohingya children in Myanmar (Burma) on January 2012, submitted to the UN Committee on the rights of the child.

Rohingya children are playing in ground without going to school

These blacklisted children are refused birth registration, and no permitted to enlist in the family list and get hidden during the authorities’ population checks, said the report.

A local schoolteacher from Maungadw town said that Rohingya kids are blacklisted by the following reasons,  they are: a). After a few months of legal marriage, husband went to abroad and the wife gave birth to a child in the absence of husband. The kid will become in black list. b). Wife gave birth to a child after legal marriage, but father and mother are not in one family list, they are separated family list. As a result, the concerned authority refused to enlist the child  in birth registration list, so it was not included in the family list of either father’s or mother’s family list. c). Before Nasaka’s establishment in north Arakan, mother gave birth to a child and the parents were late to inform the list of their child to the Nasaka to enlist in the family list, after establishing Nasaka in 1990 in northern Arakan. But, the child was not enlisted in the family list .d). Parents informed about their new born child to the local Nasaka to enlist their child, but Nasaka deliberately made late to enlist the child in the family list. So, later the child became in the black list, and e) the new born child was enlisted in the family list of grandfather of father relatives (Dada) or grandfather of mother relatives (Nana) because of absence of his/her father. Father of the child is in abroad, so the child was put in the black list. f) After illegal marriage (without getting permission from the local authority), the couple gave birth to a child. But, he married the girl according to the Islamic law. Later, this news was reached to the Nasaka camp. So, father was arrested and sentenced to jail. But the child was put in the blacklist because of illegal marriage.   

“All Rohingya children suffer complete discrimination with regard to education, health care and access to food,” the report said.

The report says that hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas scattered in abroad such as--- Bangladesh, Malaysia, Thailand and the Middle East--- following exoduses in the past few decades.

Collecting firewood for home or sell

Families with blacklisted children also suffer from “unending extortion” by local authorities because the parents can be arrested for hosting an unregistered guest, the report added.

According to The Arakan Project, Rohingyas need official authorization to marry and the authorities can take several years to grant it and marriage without authorization or cohabitation is punishable by up to 10 years’ imprisonment.

The concerned authorities have started a process of registering these children since last two months, but some parents fear this is a tactic to prosecute them for unauthorized marriage, The Arakan Project said.

Rohingya children in Burma are exposed to preventable diseases due to chronic malnutrition and a lack of access to healthcare, while many are subjected to forced labor. Rohingya villagers have to pay forced labor in the camps of Nasaka and army--- such as carrying water, collecting fire wood, washing their clothes, building roads, renovation of camps, growing paddy and vegetables in the camp, and collecting bamboos from the forest.

Four in every five Rohingyas in Burma are illiterate, the report said. The main reason for Rohingya children are not attending schools because of widespread poverty as children must contribute to the family income, it said.

Working in the farm field

“Forced labor has a severe economic impact, driving down the poor already surviving hand-to-mouth into hopeless poverty, exposing children to hunger and malnutrition,” the report said.

Burma’s nominally civilian government, which took power last year after half a century military rule, has surprised both its citizens and foreign countries with the speed of its reforms.

However, “deeply discriminatory policies” against the Rohingyas remain. The authorities justify these policies as illegal immigration management and population control, said Chris Lewa, the head of The Arakan Project

Consistently referred to as ‘illegal immigrants from Bangladesh,’ Myanmar’s Rohingyas are deprived of one of the most basic human rights – the right to identification.

“Rohingya children, in particular, bear the full brunt of the devastating impact of these (discriminatory) policies, which gravely impair their physical and mental development as children and will affect the long-term future of their community,” the report said.

At present, some of the blacklisted Rohingya children are listed to their parents’ family lists, but, the authority extorted Kyat 10,000 per head. If the parents are very poor, the authority takes two big cocks. Until now, the authority listed about 6,000 kids and was provided a card per each. There are over 50,000Rohingya blacklisted kids in northern Arakan, said a village elder preferring not to be named.

The Arakan Project: Myanmar blacklists babies as oppression of the Rohingya continues

Geneva, Myanmar blacklists Rohingya babies as part of its continuing oppression of this stateless minority, The Arakan Project said today as the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) meets to review the situation of children’s rights in Myanmar, a State party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Despite signs of political reforms in the past five months, the Myanmar government has reaffirmed specific deeply discriminatory policies against this minority group on national security grounds, using justifications of ‘illegal migration management’ and ‘control on population growth’. These policies are implemented through severe restrictions on movement, requirement for official marriage permission and a ‘two-child’ policy. Marriage authorisations are only granted in exchange of high bribes and after long delays, and unauthorised marriages can be penalized with up to 10 years imprisonment.
In a submission to the CRC, The Arakan Project details how the Myanmar government punishes Rohingya children born out of unauthorised marriages or above the imposed limit of two children, by putting them on ‘blacklists’. It is estimated that more than 40,000 Rohingya children are unregistered. Since they do not exist administratively, they cannot obtain travel permits, attend school and, in the future, will be unable to marry. Over the past two months, the authorities started a process of regularization of ‘black listed’ children but many parents fear that coming forward may get them prosecuted for unauthorised marriage.
Registered Rohingya children hardly fare any better as they remain stateless. All Rohingya children suffer unmitigated discrimination with regard to education, health care and access to food. Illiteracy stands at 80%. They are exposed to preventable diseases due to chronic malnutrition and lack of access to health care. Child labour is prevalent and crucial to family survival. Rohingya children are also subject to forced labour, which, together with poverty, keeps them out of school.
Twelve-year-old Rafique (not his real name) said: “In Burma, we don’t have freedom. We cannot go to visit relatives outside the village without a travel pass. We are prisoners in our own village.” Eleven-year-old Karim Ali (not his real name) stated: “I could not go to school when there were emergency labour duties such as urgent road repairs. On these occasions, I had to work as many as 3 days a week.”
“Rohingya children bear the full brunt of the state’s policies of exclusion, restrictions and arbitrary treatment,” said Chris Lewa, Director of The Arakan Project. “These systematic policies gravely impair their physical and mental development as children and will affect the long-term future of their community.”
Myanmar has made no reference to the Rohingya in its State party reports to the CRC. Further, it has implemented none of the recommendations the CRC put to them in 2004.
Confirmation of these policies of exclusion by the new government during recent parliamentary sessions has demoralised the Rohingya community, resulting in increased refugee outflows since September 2011.
“The Myanmar government should build on its reform credentials and mark a break from past regimes by taking immediate steps to end all discriminatory policies and practices against the Rohingya.”, she added.

 The Arakan Project submission to the CRC can be accessed at:

 For more information, please contact Chris Lewa at: +41-78-723 4280 (Geneva) or chris.lewa@gmail.com

Nasaka collects money from villagers for renovation of their houses

Maungdaw, Arakan State: Burma’s border security force (Nasaka) has been collecting money from local villagers of Maungdaw Township for renovation of their houses and stairs since January 11, said a local trader on condition of anonymity.

“A group of Nasaka led by Captain Myint Sein from Aung Mingala Nasaka out-post camp of Nasaka Area No. 6 under Nasaka Headquarters of Kyigan Pyin ( Kawar Bill)  went to the Maung Nama village tract of Maungdaw Township and collected money from the villagers who had renovated their houses and the stepladders of the houses.”

Rohingya community is not allowed to build houses or renovate any structure---house, mosque, Madrasa, cow sheds and barriers of the houses---- without permission of concerned authority. Sometimes villagers get permission by giving huge money, and sometimes they do not get permission though they paid money. So, the villagers are not waiting for a long time to get permission and renovate their houses without permission because of fear of untimely rain, said a local religious leader.

“In northern Arakan, most of the houses are built with bamboo, wood   and roofed with thatches. So it is needed to repair or renovated yearly or at least after two years. Without renovation, family members are not able to stay at homes. The concerned authority totally bars Rohingya community to build any structure by using cement, sand and stones.”

The government intends to think outsiders (tourists, or visitors) that the Rohingya villagers are poor people living in north Arakan mostly doing hard works. They are not an ethnic group of Burma; they are citizens of Burma who have been living there since long.  They want to change the topography of north Arakan, said a schoolteacher from Maungdaw town. 

“I think that there is no country in the world, except Burma, which bars villagers to renovate the houses or homes,” said a local elder preferring not to be name. 

On January 12, the Nasaka collected Kyat 50,000 from Abdu Rahman (50),for renovation  of bamboo wall of his house;  Kyat  30,000 from Mohamed Hussain (65),  for renovation of bamboo wall of his house; Kyat 100,000 from Sayed Ahmed( 55), for renovation of veranda (porch) of his house;  Kyat 15,000 from Mohamed Sidique (40), for renovation of his house; Kyat 45,000 from Noor Mohamed (40), for renovation of stepladder, Kyat 90,000 from Idris ( 40), for renovation of stepladder; Kyat 100,000 from Hashim (32), for renovation of bamboo wall; Kyat 150,000 from Lailla  for renovation of his house; Kyat 200,000 from Ms Jamila (35), for renovation of her house;  and  Kyat 200,000 from Ms Fatema for renovation of her house.  They all belong to Maung Nama village tract of Nasaka area No.6 under the Nasaka Headquarters of Kyigan Pyin of Maungdaw Township, according to a local villager who denied to be named.

Father arrested for his daughter’s love affairs with a boy in Maungdaw

Maungdaw, Arakan State: Burma’s border security force (Nasaka) arrested father of a daughter who was involved in love affairs with a boy on January 7. The Nasaka extorted Kyat 200,000 from him. It was a false and fabricated allegation, said a close relative of the victim. 

“The victim was identified as Salam Ahmed (55), hailed from Maung Nama village of Nasaka area No.6 under Nasaka Headquarters of Kyigan Pyin (Kawar Bill) of Maungdaw Township.”

“The Nasaka along with present village administration officer, Deen Mohamed (25), gave allegation that Ms Khatiza (18), daughter of Salam Ahmed has been taking illicit affairs with a youth named Kalu (13), son of Abdu Rahman, hailed from the same village since three months ago. The boy has been working at her house as a laborer before six months.”

On January 7, at around mid-night, a group of Nasaka personnel led by Officer-in-Charge Myint Sein from the Aung Mingala Nasaka camp, went to the said village and arrested Salam Ahmed over the allegation that his daughter was involved in illicit affairs with the said boy. After arrest, he was brought to the Nasaka camp where he was detained in stocks and demanded to pay Kyat 200,000 for released, said a neighbor of the victim.

“Even though the father Salam Ahmed and his daughter Ms Khatiza and the boy Kalu jointly denied the Nasaka’s allegation against them, but the Nasaka did not take any attention.”

The following day, at about 8:00 am, the arrestee was released after paying Kyat 200,000 to the Nasaka. But, they did not arrest the boy who was accused in the matter as he is very poor and the father of the girl is rich, said a local businessman.

This problem was created by the current village administration officer Deen Mohamed with the help of local Nasaka, losing the pride of the unmarried girl who has also lost her mother earlier, said a local trader who denied to be named.

“The boy is only 13 years old. Why the Nasaka with the help of village administration officer does purportedly accused the girl and extorted money? It is only because they want to harass and demoralize Rohingya community by using their power.”

“Burma is on the way to democracy and something has already been changed but persecutions against the Rohingya community are not halted,” said a youth preferring not to be named. 

It is an unbearable action of Nasaka against the Rohingya community accusing innocent women and girls with immoral accusation. It is also mentally harassment to the victims and their parents, said a local elder.

Six Rohingya arrested at border

Teknaf, Bangladesh: Six Rohingyas were arrested and pushed back to Burma by Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) on January 17, said a local from Teknaf.

“The Rohingya were arrested from border area of Nilla union in raided by BGB while they were entering the Bangladesh.”

The arrested have been identified as Nurul Boshar (50), Abul Hasim (40), Mohamed Yunus (25), Hamida Khatun (35), Rashidul Amin (13) and Hasina Begum. They all are belonging to Arakan State, Burma.

The operation was led by Commander Mujibur Rahaman of Nilla BGB out-post, official said.

The official also said, they were arrested at around 12:00 pm and pushed back to Burma by BGB at around 3:00 pm from  Showdary Para under Teknaf police station.

The operation officer, Major Shamzuzman from Teknaf Battalion No. 42 confirmed that they were pushed back to Burma.

On the other hands, BGB arrested six Bangladeshi with firewood from the bank of Naff River while trying to smuggle to Burma by two engine boats early morning yesterday.

On being tipped off, BGB went to Naff River, point of Rongi Khali and seized the engine boats. Yesterday afternoon, they were handed over to Teknaf police station for further investigation, according to official.

Local people loot Malaysia bound trawler

Teknaf, Bangladesh: A Malaysia bound trawler loading with 60 to 70 passengers was looted by local villagers on January 18 in the early morning while berthing at the seashore of Shamlapur under Teknafupazila, said local fisherman from Shamla pur. 

“A trawler with 60 to70 boatpeople was going to Malaysia from Cox’s Bazar on December 17, at midnight. On information, the engine trawler was chased by Bangladesh Coast Guards with a speed boat, but they were not unable to seize it as the waves of the coast were very rough.”

However, the Maji (driver) of the trawler reached to the shore of Shamla Pur (village) under the Barsara Union of Teknaf upazila. Later, all the voyagers immediately ran away for fear of police or BGB (Border Guard Bangladesh) leaving their boat, rations and other goods, said a local elder from Shamlapur.  

“Knowing this event, early morning, a group villager numbering 20 to 30 led by Dacoit (Robber) Nazir Ahmed and Korim Mazi went to the spot and looted the goods from the boat. They took away the engine of the boat, 2,000 liters of fuel, brown slab-sugar, gluten rice flakes and other goods worth about 500,000.”

The dacoit Nazir Ahmed arrested 10 boatpeopleand kept in a secret place where he asked them to pay Kyat 20,000 per head for release. The all arrestees are Rohingya people. Nazir Ahmed is well-known in the area for his notorious deeds, said a fisherman from Shapuri Dip who denied to be named. 

“Being informed, on January 18, in the evening, a group police from Shamla Pur went to the spot and seized the empty boat. Most of the voyagers are Rohingya people and some are Bangladeshi.”

Masrul, police officer of Shamla Pur police station under the Teknaf upazila confirmed the event.

Villagers arrested by security force for buying housing land

Maungdaw, Arakan State: Burma’s border security force (Nasaka) extorted Kyat 300,000 from a villager of Maungdaw Township on December 15, for buying  a housing land without giving information to Nasaka, said a close relative of the victim on condition of anonymity.  

A villager named Sayed Akber (90), son of Boker, hailed from Nari Bill village of under the Nasaka area No.6 of Kawar Bill Nasaka Headquarters of Maungdaw Township has bought 0.25 acre from a villager for building house at the end of November.

On that day, at night, a group of Nasaka from Naribill Nasaka camp went to his village and arrested Sayed Akber over the allegation that he had bought a piece of land without informing to the concerned authority. After arrest, he was brought to the Nasaka camp where he was put into stocks.

However, the next day, at the evening, he was set free after paying Kyat 300,000, said a local elder.

“It is not necessary to inform to the Nasaka authority, as the victim informed to the village Chairman or Village Administration Officer and the land-surveying officer of Township for preparing documents.”

It is illegal for taking money from the villager, but forcibly took the money by using of power. Nasaka always tries how to get money from local villagers, said a local youth.

“However, villagers hope that they will be free from harassments by the concerned authorities, after the by-election of April 1.”

MPs Aung Zaw Win and U Htay Win recently visited Arakan north, and they gave assurance to the villagers that harassments by Nasaka and army will be stopped soon, according to a local businessman.

One minor student killed, another one serious wounded in Buthidaung

Buthidaung, Arakan State: One minor Rohingya student, aged 9-year was killed,  another one aged 8 -year  was become  unconscious state by school guard (Rakhine community) on January 10, at about 8:00 pm, while on the way to home after finishing their annual  school farewell party of Myoma Zedidaung middle  school, said a close relative of the victim. 

The dead body of Ma Asma after autopsy

“The students are identified as Ma Asma alias Khin Ma Cho (9), daughter of Maulana Yunus, and Ma Hawthiza (7), daughter of Hafez Mohammed Hussain, hailed from Zabber Para (village) of Buthidaung, nearby Railway Station. They are learning at class II of Zedidaung middle school.”

The young two little girls joined the annual school farewell party at 2:00pm on January 10 and finishing at 5:00pm, but, the school guard kept the two students after finishing the school event till dark and try to snatch the ear rings of Hawtiza while the two students were trying to go back to their home as the area become dark, according to victim.

The two students screamed for help but the guard twisted the neck of Asma which made her to died and throttled Hawtiza with his bare hands. He kept the two students inside the bushes at the bottom of hill which is near the school.

Family with Asma dead body

As both girls did not come back home till 9:00 pm, their parents accompanied by other relatives went to the school to look for their daughters. But on the way, they heard a howl from Haetiza, so they rushed to the spot and found that the 9-year-old girl was already dead and the 7-year-old was lying on the road with unconscious state near a hillside at the last part of the Rakhine village. There were many wounds on the bodies, said another relative of the victim. 

“The dead girl had already been buried after taking permission from the authority concerned, and the other one has been taking medical treatment at the Buthidaung general hospital. Hawtiza was released from hospital on January 12.”

After released of Hawtiza, the authority arrested the school guard and kept in the police station for intergradation. The authority didn’t give any decision and didn’t process the school guard to the court for trail. 

Another businessman said, “This event is happened because of greediness of some local goons for taking the victims’ gold earrings. Both victims have gold earrings at their ears.”

Is the change in Myanmar for real?

By Dr. Habib Siddiqui

In its latest gesture of amnesties, the military-backed regime of Thein Sein in Myanmar has released many political prisoners. Those freed included veterans of the 1988 student protest movement, monks involved in the 2007 demonstrations and ethnic-minority activists like U Kyaw Min (a member of the Committee Representing the People’s Parliament led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi). Truly, the names of those released read like a who's who of Burma's most prominent political detainees. In a statement broadcast on the TV, President Thein Sein said those released were people who could "play a constructive role in the political process".

The releases came a day after the government had signed a landmark ceasefire with the rebel Karen National Union in Hpa-an, capital of eastern Karen state. The release of all political prisoners has been a long-standing demand of the international community. As a human rights activist who for years has demanded reform inside Burma, I warmly welcome these releases.

My hope is that the new regime is serious about a transformational change that would allow the released politicians and former prisoners of conscience to play a positive role to unite the otherwise fragmented country of many nations, races, ethnicities and religions under a federal formula. For too long, the former military regimes and their ultra-racist supporters have used one community against another, and created an atmosphere where bigotry, racism, xenophobia and hatred ruled supreme. Of special mention is the 1982 Burma Citizenship Law which ensured such state policies of exclusions that would rob millions of Rohingya and other religious and ethnic minorities of their citizenship rights. Forgotten there was the time honored realization that narrow ethno-centric nationalism in a country of diverse races and ethnicities is suicidal.

With the release of ethnic minority leaders like U Kyaw Min of Arakan (alias) Shamsul Anwarul Haque, my hope is that President Thein Sein and his new regime is serious about a genuine reform. Pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has welcomed the move as a "positive sign" and so did many international leaders.

When Thein Sein’s Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), a military-backed civilian government, came to power in November 2010, after the country's first elections in 20 years [in which Daw Suu Kyi’s The National League for Democracy (NLD) did not participate], no one was sure which direction the new regime would follow. Many considered the regime change as a sham -- the same old stuff: serving new wine in an old bottle. But soon after coming to power, Thein Sein took reform steps that were meant to show the world that he was serious about a transformational change. He opened dialogue with Suu Kyi and her NLD. He released her from house arrest within a week of coming to power. Last May, the government released some 1500 prisoners, which did not, however, include any prominent politician. Last September, Thein Sein suspended construction of controversial Chinese-funded Myitsone hydroelectric dam, a move which was seen as showing greater openness to public opinion. Then in October, he freed more than 200 political prisoners as part of a general amnesty, and passed new labor laws allowing unions to function.

All such reforms were not lost in the minds of ASEAN leaders who met last November agreeing that Myanmar would chair the grouping in 2014. The award was meant to show that Burma was moving in the right direction with the steps taken thus far and also as a sign of encouragement to keep it up. The pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi soon announced that she would stand for election to parliament, as her party rejoined the political process.

There has been such an unmistakable aura of change in Myanmar that the U.S. President Barack Obama called such the "flickers of progress." Before sending his top diplomat to Myanmar, Obama said, "We want to seize what could be a historic opportunity for progress, and to make it clear that if Burma continues to travel down the road of democratic reform, it can forge a new relationship with the United States of America."

The U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited the country in December and also met with Suu Kyi. This year the British Foreign Secretary William Hague visited the country in which he expressed his strong concern saying, “Minorities like the Rohingya in many cases lack basic civil and political rights.” These and other western leaders hinted that they would help to ease sanctions against the regime if it releases its political prisoners and is serious about reform that would resolve ethnic conflicts around the border regions.

Last month President Thein Sein signed a law allowing peaceful demonstrations for the first time. The NLD re-registered as a political party in advance of by-elections for parliament due to be held early in 2012. In recent weeks, the government has agreed a truce deal with rebels of Shan ethnic group and ordered the military to stop operations against ethnic Kachin rebels.

Now with the release of high ranking political prisoners there is little doubt that Thein Sein is serious about genuine reform in his country. Suu Kyi described the past 12 months as "eventful, energizing and to a certain extent encouraging". And she is right. Myanmar is seemingly taking irreversible baby steps for a viable democracy.

Never before in the last 50 years did we ever see such a ray of hope gleaming in the country that was once Burma. We can pray and hope that Thein Sein is no charlatan change agent but is as genuine as it comes. Sure, there are several steps that need to be taken before Myanmar becomes a country with a functioning democracy where its people would enjoy political and economic freedom like many other citizens of our planet -- the release of all remaining political prisoners; repealing the racist and xenophobic Burma Citizenship Law of 1982 which has resulted in unfathomed discrimination, violations of human rights and forced exodus of millions of its inhabitants to settle for a life of unwanted refugees in neighboring countries like Bangladesh and Thailand; addressing the rights of Burma’s ethnic and religious minorities (especially, the Rohingya, Karen and Shan peoples) and ensuring the fair and independent application of the rule of law for all its inhabitants.

Objective and unbiased researches have amply shown that the Rohingya people are an indigenous group whose ancestry and root to the soil of Arakan state of today’s Myanmar predates the British colonial era. [See, e.g., this author’s book -Muslim Identity and Demography in the Arakan State of Burma, available in the Amazon.com] Accordingly, they had exercised the right of franchise in all elections in the pre- and post-colonial periods, including the SPDC’s 2010 election.  And yet, this unfortunate people have been denied citizenship and rendered stateless for a xenophobic law that violates every principle enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The sad plight of the Rohingya people was duly observed by Tomas Ojea Quintana, the U.N. Special Rapporteur, who said, “Despite being in this region for generations, this population is stateless. This population is not recognized by the Government as one of the ethnic groups of the Union of Myanmar and is subject to discrimination…. However the Government allowed them to participate in the referendum on the adoption of the new Constitution…. What is more significant than the possibility to vote for the Constitution of a nation to show that one belongs to the nation? If this population was considered apt to give its views on the adoption of the Constitution, then it should be granted all other privileges, including the citizenship, which recognized ethnic groups, citizens of Myanmar do enjoy in the Union.”

As Thien Sein reforms and changes the old orders yielding place to the new, I wish he is mindful of the views and concerns expressed by dignitaries like Tomas Quintana, and stops discriminatory practices against the Rohingya and other vulnerable minorities, plus restores dialogue with each of the ethnic and religious groups on the principle of unity in diversity.

Only the coming months will show how serious is the new government in Myanmar about its commitment to reform. Let’s hope that Thein Sein will not be like any of his hateful predecessors and will do all that is required to ensure human rights for all and bring glory to Myanmar.

Breaking news: One minor Rohingya student killed, another one unconscious state in Buthidaung

Friday, 13 January 2012 11:01 

 

One minor Rohingya girl, Ma Asma alias Khin Ma Cho (9), daughter of Maulana Yunus, class II student was killed, another minor Rohingya girl, Ma Hawthiza (7), daughter of Hafez Mohammed Hussain, class II student, was become unconscious state by unknown miscreants on January 10, at about 8:00 pm, while on the way to home after finishing their annual school farewell party of Myoma Zedidaung Middle School, Buthidaung. The two minor students are hailed from Zabber Para (village) nearby Railway Station (British period), Buthidaung

Stateless Rohingya...Running on Empty

Rohingyas, the ethnic Muslim minority in Burma, are treated as aliens and discriminated in their own country despite their continued existence there for centuries. They face systematic oppression of forced labor, arbitrary arrest, and land confiscation. Only Rohingyas must apply for travel passes even to go to the next village less than a mile away. So, they cannot go to mosques for prayer or to marry or even study or work. Only Rohingyas, but not Buddhist Arakanese, face exorbitant and outrageous taxation for land, property, and activities such as repairing houses, marrying someone, and giving birth. Thus, they are without human and civil rights. They live in fear and without freedom.

Restore citizenship and ethnic rights of Rohingy

RESTORE CITIZENSHIP AND ETHNIC RIGHTS OF ROHINGYA
It is encouraging that the new civilianized government of U Thein Sein is showing signs of change in Burma, until now, making some mild reforms while promising more.  British Foreign Secretary William Hague paid a two-day official visit to Burma on 5 January 2012. From 30 November 2011, the US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton had also completed a two-day historic trip to Burma.

During their separate visits, the two foreign ministers met with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the ethnic leaders, including the representatives of the Rohingya, and urged U Thein Sein government to continue the democratic reform process and called for the release all political prisoners, holding of free and fair by-elections and the implementation of steps to end the on-going fighting in the ethnic regions. These gestures may be taken as a ray of hope for the people of Burma towards their democratic aspiration.

The ethnic Rohingyas are overwhelmed with gratitude for the serious concern of the two leaders on the situation of human rights in Burma. Particularly they are flooded with relief when the British Foreign Secretary William Hague expressed his strong concern saying, “minorities like the Rohingya in many cases lack basic civil and political rights.” We appreciate that Mr. Hague could rightly assess the gravity of the Rohingya situation in Burma.

The Rohingya people have a long history in Arakan, Burma. Being an integral part of the Burma citizenry, they had exercised the right of franchise in all public elections held in Burma during the later colonial period (1935-1948), democratic period (1948-1962), Ne Win’s BSPP period (1974-1988), SLORC’s 1990 and SPDC’s 2010 elections, including its constitutional referendum held in 2008. Accordingly they have had voted their representatives to all levels of political institutions, including the parliament.  Yet, they are ridiculously denied citizenship and are thus rendered stateless in their own homeland. Due to large-scale persecution against them, an estimated 1.5 million Rohingya are living in Diasporas in various countries of the world.

Mr. Tomas Ojea Quintana, Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Burma stated, “Despite being in this region for generations, this population is stateless. This population is not recognized by the Government as one of he ethnic groups of the Union of Myanmar and is subject to discrimination…. However the Government allowed them to participate in the referendum on the adoption of the new Constitution…. What is more significant than the possibility to vote for the Constitution of a Nation to show that one belongs to the Nation? If this population was considered apt to give its views on the adoption of the Constitution, then it should be granted all other privileges, including the citizenship, which recognized ethnic groups, citizens of Mynamar do enjoy in the Union.”

We urge upon the U Thein Sein government to treat the Rohingya people humanly, to stop forthwith all human rights violations against Rohingya and other peoples, and to grant, without delay, the civil and political rights of the Rohingya, including their citizenship and ethnic rights in Burma. To these issues we invite the attention of the international community, UN, OIC, EU, ASEAN, U.S., U.K., neighboring countries, NGOs, human rights and humanitarian organizations with a request to exercise their good offices. 

Nasaka demands money for boatpeople’s dead bodies

Teknaf, Bangladesh: Nasaka (Burma’s border security force) accompanied by their collaborators demand money from the relatives of dead or missing boatpeople  who died or missing in the boat capsized near Shapuri Dip in the Bay of Bengal on November 23,  2011, said a local elder who denied to be named. 

“A Malaysia-bound trawler carrying 155 boatpeople capsized near Shapuri Dip in the Bay of Bengal on November 23, in the early morning, 138 boat-people were dead or missing and 17 people were rescued by fishermen.  The rescued people were hidden by the Nasaka as a fear of exposing their involvement in the human trafficking. The dead bodies were drowned in the sea by the Nasaka after fastening heavy stones with dead bodied for destroying the evidences of the event.” 

The agents or brokers collected Kyat 500,000 before going to Malaysia or Thailand and after reaching at Malaysia the boat- people will have to pay another Kyat 500,000 per each. So, they had a verbal agreement to pay total Kyat one million, said a boat people who is survived.   

At present, the Nasaka collaborators Azizul Haque and the village administrator officer with the help of Nasaka enforce the relatives of the dead bodies of boatpeople in Myint Hlut Village of Maungdaw Township to pay Kyat 500,000 per each, which was promised to pay after reaching at Malaysia. So, Nasaka personnel are giving many disturbances to the relatives who refused to pay money, said a local trader. 

A local people said, “The Nasaka collaborator Azizul Haque with the help of local Nasaka commander recruited 80 villagers to send Malaysia through the risky boat by taking Kyat 500,000 per each  in advance before going to Malaysia, at that time.”

“As a result, the relatives of the dead bodies requested the higher concerned authorities to give them protection from the brutal Nasaka,” said a businessman from the locality preferring not to be named.

“Without any considering the family members of the dead boat-people, the Nasaka and its collaborators collect money from the relatives. It is an inhumane activity against the Rohingya community,” said a local youth.

According to different sources, illegal and risky journey by engine boats to Thailand or Malaysia has been a common happening in the area for the last couple of years. People take the journey in winter when the sea remains calm.

“Over the years, many boats capsized killing passengers. The Indian and Thai coast guards arrested many of the fortune-seekers.”

A Brief History of Arakan : From Kingdom to a Colony

Abid Bahar, PhD

On December 31st 2011, Arakanese Diaspora marked its 227th anniversary of the fall of the famous Arakanese medieval kingdom. Arakan's powerful kingdom was established by King Noromikhla. Arakanese nationals didn’t forget that in 1784 Burmese king Budapaya sent a large army led by his son who mercilessly razed the city to ground and took away the Arakanes symbol of pride - the Mohamini to the Burmese heartland. It was a genocide pure and simple, it was also the end of a kingdom which was known far across the land upto Europe. It was a kingdom that was built by artisans that Noromikhla brought from Gour of Bengal. It was a liberal, civilized kingdom and its citizens prided themselves to be called as the citizens of the great Mrohaung city. The ruling people were known as the Moghs now Rakhine Mogh and others were called as the Kula (Hindus and Muslims) now Rohingya.

In our time, the splandor of Arakan, its people, glorious architects and foreign visitors were all gone, what is left is only its ruines and memories. Arakan continued to have its kingdom for centuries but the end was sudden. It first lost its colonies to the Moghuls then its heartland to the Burmese. The end came as if like a landslide. Till today Rakhine Moghs and Muslims ponder and eager to know why? What went wrong? Some blame that it was it’s lack of unity.

The beginning of the end came when Arakanese king assured the Govornor of Bengal Shah Suja to come to take assilum in Arakan but on his arrival seeing his immense wealth, and his young daughters he wanted to possess them. When Suja refused, the entire family and the associates were mercilessly killed using axe. The Arakanese queen mother previously warned the king that this act might invite disaster on the kingdom. The king didn’t comply. The queen mother was a debout Buddhist and a historian who also knew that when the founder of the kingdom (Noromikhla) needed a shelter, it was Bengal where he was given a safe heaven. Not only that Bengali king helped Noromikhla to recover his kingdom twice, first by sending General Wali Khan then by General Sindhi Khan. She thought killing Shah Suja was a bad example set by the king.
The king also earned his fame for collecting revenue by piracy on lower Bengal with help from the Portuguage pirates. Moghul emporor Aurangozev wanted to bring an end to these illegal activities by the king. His forces driven the Mogh pirates out from lower Bengal.

The pirates came back home with their maruding holligan culture. Instead of a buddhist faith in nonviolence, anarchy and lawlessness and killing were brought into its core cultural belief system. They found their scapegoat in the Muslim population. The Arakanes Moghs finding the end of piracy now engaged themselves in harming its nonbuddhist citizens. Thus began the Rohingya Muslim tragedy in Arakan. Alaol, the Arakanese Muslim poet had to escape Arakan to settle in Chittagong during this period.

Beginning of the Rohingya influx to Bengal
---------------------------------------------------
In the Arakanese society where Muslims use to be the king-makers now after the return of the pirates, they are seen as suspects and on a regular basis they were driven out of Arakan. Every year Muslims would migrate to Southern Chittagong to escape Mogher Upodrop (the lawlessness of the Moghs).

This state of anarchy and the division in the Arakanese society was closely observed by the Burmese king across the Arakan Yoma. There were Mogh spies of Budapawa in whose alliance a date was set on the calender. It was December 31. 1784 AD slated to bring the end to the Arakanese kingdom. A large number of people both Buddhist, Hindus and Muslims fleed and took shelter in Chittagong. The invasion cost both the Buddhist and Muslims to lose their very own Arakanese kingdom. After the tragedy of Shah Suja and Burmese invasion of Arakan, the flow Mogh, Muslim and Hindu refugee movement continued to Chittagong and Chittagong Hill Tracts on one hand, on the other, Muslim migration to Arakan was brought to a complete hault. Eversince Muslim population hardly wanted to settled in the "lawless Arakan." Even during the British period, beginning from 1824, Arakan, the deserted land of the Mogh and the Muslims while some people (Mogh and Muslims) returned back to reposses their lands and others simply preferred to work as the "seasonal workers."

In Arakan today, unlike king Noromikhla tolerance to diversity, the ultranationalist Rakhine Moghs using Islamphobia and a race card against the Rohingya people now triumped into power. Through propaganda in Arakan and Burma, Muslim Rohingyas were made to believe as the "illegal immigrants from Chittagong." There is only despare and there is no unity in the Arakanes civil society. We collectively wonder why?

In 2011, Ko Tin Wai, an organizer for the event of 227 anniversary of the lose of the kingdom said, "Arakan was a sovreign country…Since then, our people have fallen in one colony after another. Even though Burma regained independence in 1948, our land is s till a colony under Burmese rulers. Our people call it a hidden colony. Because of this, we came to in front of the UN building to demand decolonization of our land."

He said, "We have no right to use our own natural resources for our state development. The Burmese government sells the gas to China and there is not any reserve or revenue for our state. It is colonial-style exploitation by the Burmese government."

True, Burma is grabing Arakanese land and natural resources and its Buddhist population helplessly wonders why.

“Ko Zar Ni, an Arakanese leader in Malaysia who led a ceremony in Kuala Lumpur, said, "The Burmese government has no concern for Arakan as a state of Burma and it rules our state as if it is a territory like a defeated colony because there is much discrimination and no equal rights. Because of this we need to fight unitedly against the imperialism practiced by Burma's central government.”

“U Pho Hla, chairman of the Arakan freedom movement, urged the people of Arakan to unite in fighting against the Burmese junta in order to reach the national goals of Arakan. He also remarked to attendees that Arakan lost its sovereignty in 1784 as a result of disunity among the Arakanese people, so Arakanese today must unite in achieving their goals. He added that without unity, "we can not achieve our goal."

In emphasizing the Arakanese unity Arakan observers wonder, is it the unity within the Buddhist majority, or in the society in general? To bring unity among its people, Rakhine Moghs have lately changed their name from Mogh to Rakhine. They also unilaterally Changed Arakan’s historic names into Rakhine-Mogh sounding names. And every trace of Muslim names were removed. It was done as if there were no Muslim existence in Arakan. The Muslim Rohingyas are only foreigners or even "Influx Viruses." The existences of Muslim presence in names were removed such as Arakan, Akyab, Kaladan, Kalapanjar etc. Muslims in 1978, 1992-93 were exterminated in large numbers. Some historic mosques were razed to the ground. Historic sufi centres, Jamei mosques were turned into Burmese military camps. Muslim man were restricted from movement, marriage and having children were restricted by law. In his article “The Burma I love” Aye Kyaw confessed that he convinced the Burmese military junta to officially declare the Arakanese Rohingya Muslims as non citizens of Burma.

While during the late medieval period, Arakan ruled the Bay through alliance with the Portuguage to carry on slave trade, now in alliance with the much hated Burmese military it carries out the ethnic cleansing and genocide on the Rohingya people and grabbing their lands.

Contrary to its medieval time of glory and splendar, now the name Arakan has become notoriously famous for producing refugees. While Burmese military does the darty laundry for the ultranationalist Rakhine Moghs like Aye Kyaw, Aye Chan or Ashin Nayaka to exterminate the Rohingyas, the former finding no unity in the Arakanese society among its people, extracts its rich resources and takes it to Burma; it is as if Burma robs Arakanese Mohamuni repeatedly and will continue to do so for lack of unity among its people.

Historically speaking, mentioned earlier Arakan’s end came at the heel of a historic murder; a senseless killing, the slaughter of Shah Suja and his family. Thus, Arakanese Buddhist people’s historic loss of their kingdom should not be blamed on the Burmese king but on the loss of Arakanese Buddhist’s supreme civilizational values (first established in Arakan by king Noromikhla) He wanted people to be gentle, kind to their fellow citizens, and to show tolerance to differences. In not learning to gain the lost values, we wonder how much more is there for Arakan and its citizens to lose? A Rohingya deadbody of Rohingya boatpeople, flooting on the shore of Arakan, crows landing on it, Immum Ahamed in exile in a poem he wrote remembering the lose of his home and citizenship rights and reminacing the loss and his nostalgia to return back to his village and the prospect of it perhaps has the answer. Here Arakanese Buddhist majority will have to decide whether they would like to allow Immam Ahamed to return to his village, whether they would like to handover Aye Chan to the ICC like Maloslovick was handed over (by Servia) and make a transition in Arakan from a Mogher mulluk (lawless land of the Moghs) into a civilized, united Rakhine and Rohingya people’s Arakan! The international community aware of the ongoing genocide in Arakan is impatiently eager to know when those changes will be made!  

(Abid Bahar is a playwright and a public speaker specializes in Burma, and teaches in Cannada)

Released Former Spy Chief Praises Suu Kyi

Burma's former military intelligence chief Khin Nyunt smiles as he speaks to reporters shortly after his release from eight years of house on Friday, January 13, 2012. 

Khin Nyunt, the former military intelligence chief who served as Burma's prime minister until his ouster in 2004, told reporters shortly after his release from house arrest on Friday that he welcomes pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi's role in the country's politics.
“I welcome Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s efforts. If she is in the Hluttaw [Parliament], it will be better than it is now because she is bold and outspoken,” said Khin Nyunt, speaking from his home on Nawaday Road in Rangoon on Friday morning.
The 71-year-old former spy chief, who was one of 651 prisoners released earlier in the day under an amnesty announced by President Thein Sein, also said he still hasn't made any plans for his own future.
“I am very glad to be released, but I haven't given any thought yet to becoming involved in politics. I need to rest a while,” he said.
In news photos, Khin Nyunt looked happy and healthy, waving to friends and reporters gathered outside his home. Even his hair, which has turned white in recent years, had been dyed jet black.
In addition to Khin Nyunt, more than 100 other former intelligence officials were reportedly released today, eight years after they were imprisoned as part of a purge of Khin Nyunt's  Directorate of of Defense Services Intelligence (DDSI) in October 2004.
Khin Nyunt’s sons, Ye Naing Win and Zaw Naing Oo, were also among those freed. Ye Naing Win had been held under house arrest, while Zaw Naing Oo, a former military officer, was released from Tayet Prison in Magway Division.
Other high-ranking intelligence officials on the amnesty list include Brig-Gen Myint Zaw and Brig-Gen San Pwint.
Aung Lynn Htut, a former Burmese intelligence officer who defected to the US following the crackdown on the DDSI, said he welcomed the news of his former colleagues' release. 
“It's time that they were released. They spent almost eight years in prison,” said Aung Lynn Htut, who is currently based in Washington, DC.
According to an announcement in the state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper on Friday, the amnesty, which included a number of high-profile dissidents, aims to foster national reconciliation and enable the released prisoners to “participate in the political process

Suu Kyi to run for Myanmar parliament

Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) boycotted last year's election

Myanmar democratic opposition leader confirms she will stand for parliament in April by-elections.

Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has confirmed she will run for a parliamentary seat in April by-elections.
Nyan Win, a spokesman for Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy Party (NLD), said on Tuesday that the Nobel Peace Prize winner had announced during a party meeting that she would seek a seat in suburban Yangon, Myanmar's largest city and her hometown.
Suu Kyi said last year that she would run for parliament but had appeared to backtrack since then.
A victory would give the longtime political prisoner a voice in parliament for the first time after years as country's most prominent democracy campaigner.
Her presence will add significance to upcoming by-elections that will be held almost a year after nominally democratic elections ended a half century of military rule.
NLD decided to rejoin electoral politics following recent signs that the new government is easing years of repression.
Government reforms
The 2010 Myanmar election is alleged to have been arranged to produce a civilian government that the former military rulers wanted, with Thein Sein, a former general, elected president.
But, to general surprise, the new leadership moved quickly last year to free some political prisoners, hold peace talks with ethnic rebels, relax media censorship and allow protests and trade unions.
Suu Kyi's NLD scored a landslide win in the 1990 elections for a constituent assembly but the country's military rulers refused to cede power.
While Suu Kyi, wields popular support in the country, her new direction has drawn mixed reactions, with some criticising her for dealing with an adminstration still tied to the former military government.
But a prominent member of the NDL said Suu Kyi had decided to give Sein's government the benefit of the doubt by agreeing to participate in elections.
"There are differences in the party. I personally disagreed with the NLD running for parliament, but [Suu Kyi] wants to take the initiative and she accepts that without the military's co-operation, political change isn't possible," said Win Tin, Myanmar's longest-serving political prisoner.
Suu Kyi has set her sights set on winning a good number of the 48 vacant seats in the 1,158-seat national
legislature.
But she has said little about what she would do in parliament or whether, as rumoured, she could take a cabinet post or even the vice-presidency.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague raises Rohingya issues with Burmese government

Chittagong, Bangladesh: The British Foreign Secretary William Hague raised Rohingya issues with Burmese government during his visited to Burma on January 5 - 6, according to UK Foreign & Commonwealth office website.

The British Foreign Secretary William Hague
“I raised with the government our concerns about the discrimination faced by the Rohingya minority, who in many cases lack basic civil and political rights,” said The British Foreign Secretary William Hague quoting from Foreign Secretary remarks at his press conference in Burma which was published on UK Foreign & Commonwealth office website.

“In all these areas I hope that the new National Human Rights Commission can demonstrate that it is a truly independent, impartial and effective body. This must include addressing the human rights violations which are a stain on the progress elsewhere in the country.”

“I heard from ethnic minority representatives, reconciliation is the most important challenge facing this country on January 5. Achieving a durable and equitable peace will be complex. But it is essential to meet the aspirations and rights of all the citizens of this diverse country. Sustainable peace must be built on trust and dialogue between all groups, to provide a solid foundation for economic and political progress.”

Two Rohingya representatives - Master Yunus from National Democratic Party for Human Rights (NDPHR) and Abu Taher from National Democratic Party for Development (NDPD) - met British Foreign Secretary William Hague with other ethnic representatives at the residence of the British ambassador in Rangoon January 5 at 5pm- 6pm, according to a source from Rangoon and BBC Burmese.

The two Rohingya representatives highlighted and mentioned about the situation of Rohingya people – Human rights abuses in the Rohingya resided area - and their citizenship rights to Foreign Secretary William Hague at the meeting of ethnic minority representatives. Abu Taher, the Rohingya representative also mentioned about a report and appeal letter of NDPD which was sent to Burmese government that mention to find a solution about Rohingya issue of Arakan.

"I am delighted to be here, making the first visit by a British Foreign Secretary in 56 years.
It has been made possible by the initial steps taken by President Thein Sein, including the release of over 250 political prisoners, the easing of restrictions on the media and political parties and dialogue with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD,” said Hague at Rangoon press conference on January 6.

“I have come to hear directly from the country’s leaders what they plan to do to continue progress, and to speak to opposition figures and members of civil society about British support for their endeavours.”

“My message is that if the country continues on this promising path, as we hope it will, we are ready to offer a new relationship based on friendship and prosperity.”

“I have held meetings with the President, the Foreign Secretary, and the Speaker of the Lower House, and I met representatives from ethnic groups. It was a particular honour for me, on the night of January 5 and in the morning of January 6, met Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and representatives of her Party. She embodies the long struggle for democracy in this country and is an inspiration to me and to countless people around the world.”

The British Government and the British people have a strong commitment to the people of Burmese country, as we have shown by our staunch support for democracy here over many years.

We are ready to move towards a strong, positive and open relationship as reforms take place, and to respond bilaterally and through the EU. We will judge progress by actions and events and will respond in good faith to measures as they are taken

15 more Rohingya boatpeople arrested

Teknaf, Bangladesh: 15 more Rohingya boatpeople were arrested at Shahpuri Dip under Teknaf upazila on December 7, midnight, according to locals and Teknaf police said.

Arrested Rohingya sea voyagers in Teknaf police station

“Being informed, a group of police from Teknaf went to Shapuri Dip, raided and arrested 15 boatpeople while other boatpeople gathered in the house of sea voyage agent Bulu before their departure for Malaysia or Thailand. However, 45 boatpeople including (agents) fled from the scene sensing the presence of police.”

“The arrested boatpeople were -- Ibrahim (30), Shafiq (20), Sadek Hussain (20), Abdur Razzak (34), Abu Shama (17), Bashir Ahmed (40), Zahir Ahmed (25), Esuf (26), Saiful (20), Kamal Hossain (32), Kabir (23), Mohammad Ullah (45), Abdul Mazid (20), Rahim Ullah (22) and Dil Mohammad (32).”

Besides, on December 8, the Teknaf police also arrested 14 sea voyage agents (Dalals) from Teknaf and Shapuri Dip who have been involved in human trafficking. Some of the local Dalals are -- Mohamed Rofique, Ziaul Haque, Mike Yunus, Islam Shukur, Saida – said a local from Shapuri Dip preferring not to be named. 

According to Mahabul Haque, Officer in Charge (OC) of Teknaf police station, a case was filed in the Teknaf police station against the arrestees including the agents. The 15 arrestees hail from different areas of Myanmar (Burma).

In addition, on December 8, at about midnight, an engine boat loading with about 70 boatpeople departed to Malaysia from Lombori Ghat of Teknaf under the Cox’s Bazar District.  Two agents named Feroz, son of Ahamed, hailed from Lombir Para and Nazir, son of Badsha Mea, hailed from Lombir Para of Teknaf managed the boat, said a fisherman of Teknaf who denied to be named.

Another boat with loading over 100 boatpeople will leave for Malaysia from Teknaf within 2 to 3 days, said a man from Shapuri Dip who denied to be named 

In 2011, from October to December, the human trafficking to Malaysia was temporarily stopped after conducting operation at Burma-Bangladesh border by Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), police and Coast Guard. But, now, the human trafficking is resumed, said local people.  

The police, BGB (Border Guard Bangladesh) and Coast Guard of Teknaf arrested boat-people heading for Malaysia illegally to 80, in the last one month, said an aide of Tekanf police station.

Leaving homeland for fishing sole agents’ pressure

Maungdaw, Arakan State: Rohingya fishermen are leaving their homeland for collecting more taxes by fishing sole agents in Maungdaw, said a fisherman who lost his job from Maungdaw south.

Fishermen pulling their fishing net after taking the fishes

“The fishing sole agents are collecting more taxes from Rohingya fishermen who only expert in the fishing business and haven’t able to work for their survival in Maungdaw, Arakan state, wishing to leave their homeland.”

In Maungdaw south, there are two Burma border security force (Nasaka) areas – Number 7 and 8 – controlled by two sole fishing agents who are collecting more taxes from Rohingya fishermen and they can’t able to fulfill the taxes and their survival, said a village administration office member from Nasaka area  number 8.

“The Nasaka area number 7 and 8 are full of fishing business with fishing boats and rowboats. The agents are collecting 1.2 million kyat per year from a boat which only able to work 8 months a year and 90,000 kyat per month.”

“The agents are also collecting 3000 kyats per fishing boat or rowboat for every unloading fishes from boat to land.”

Fishing boats arrived after fishing in the sea

The fishermen are not able to catch sufficient fishes to fulfill the taxes and survival and become more debt which made them jobless, landless and homeless, said a fish trader from Maungdaw.

“The situations for fishermen become to leave their home land to pay their debt, working in the neighbors’ country – Bangladesh or Malaysia.” 

“The two agents – Kyaw Saw, ex-military intelligence personnel control the Nasaka area number 7 and Than Htay for Nasaka area number 8 – took the permission from high official from Akyab. Nobody can able to reduce the taxes from fishermen by local officers or local elders.”

Bangladesh Coastguard pushes back 18 Rohingya to Burma

Teknaf, Bangladesh: Bangladesh Coastguard pushed back 18 Rohingya (sea voyager) who were trying to go to Malaysia by sea route from Shapuri Dip yesterday, said a local from Shapuri Dip.

On being tipped off, a team of Coast Guard raided the area and arrested 18 Rohingya while gathering at the Shapuri Dip and tried to go to Malaysia by sea route yesterday at around 4 am.

Later pushed back them to Burma after interrogations, according to security official.

The arrestees are from different areas of Arakan state, Burma, according to sources.

Earlier, police arrested 15 Malaysia sea voyagers from the same area on January 7 at night. Later, they were sent to Cox’s Bazar jail after being filed a case against them.

An elder from Maungdaw said that Rohingya people are going to Malaysia by deadly sea route because of political persecutions and human rights abuses in their areas.

“We, Rohingya, hope to get some rights from Burmese authorities after the 2010 elections, including in freedom of movement, marriage permission, medical facilities, education, and the equal rights same as other ethnic groups,” the elder said.

The elder also said that in Arakan State, harassment and human rights abuses are going on unabated till now even the President Thein Sein’s civilian-led government rules the country.

Suu Kyi’s dream about democracy

Britain and other countries will help Burma achieve its dream about democracy, says Aung San Suu Kyi.

After meeting with British Foreign Secretary William Hague on Friday, she told reporters that she believes that international countries including Britain are cooperating in trying to achieve her dream of true freedom and democracy in Burma.

“Our friends in international countries including Britain will cooperate with us in trying to achieve our dreams,” she said. “Our dreams must have goals. We need to work hard, and if our friends are on our side, the dreams of the citizens will come true.”

On the last day of Hague’s visit to Burma, he met with National League for Democracy (NLD) leaders and ethnic leaders for 45 minutes at Suu Kyi’s home in Rangoon on Friday morning.
In response to questions, Hague said that regarding establishing democracy in Burma, Britain will be on the side of Suu Kyi and the NLD and it is important that more improvements take place in Burma in order that Britain can lift economic sanctions against the country.
“Before we review our sanctions, we want to see more improvements. Now, political prisoners are still being imprisoned. There are still arrests for political actions, so we cannot identify Burma as a free democratic country,” Hague said.
NLD leaders discussed how the European Union could help Burma’s pro-democracy movement, and ethnic leaders discussed peace in Burma and told Hague the Constitution does not cover ethnic people’s rights. In the meeting, Hague said that a EU branch office would be opened soon in Burma.
Ethnic leaders told Hague that the government still wages war in Kachin State. Hague said the British government understood the circumstances in ethnic areas of Burma.
In meetings between Hague and government leaders in Naypyitaw, Hague strongly urged the government to immediately release all political prisoners, to stop fighting as soon as possible and to establish peace.

200 kyat for a family list photocopy

Maungdaw, Arakan State: A village administration office staff forced villagers to pay 200 kyat for a photocopy of family list, according to a village administration office member from Maungdaw.

“One photocopy cost only 30 kyats in Maungdaw, but collecting 200 kyats for one. Shwezarr is only one mile far awayfrom main Town”

“Ms.Nay Myo Than, the clerk , Shwe Zarr village tract  is collecting  money from villagers since the Burma border security force (Nasaka) and Immigration separately collect family lists and group photos of Rohingya villagers from Shwezarr village tract.”

She was taking all the family list after  Nasaka and Immigration checked and took the photograph and  told the villagers that she need the population list of village, said a school teacher from Shwezarr.

“If need to collect the population list, can able to work in the place where the other authority were doing. But, she refused to worked and said need 200 kyats for photocopy.”

“We offered to work with her to help the list which she need and told her it need the villagers in the night for Nasaka checking or authority check anytime,” said a group of student from the village.

“She doesn’t want the list, but need money from Rohingya community.”

The Nasaka and immigration checking the family list and photographing is same but collecting money are not same even one Nasaka area. It is only making to extort money and checking how many the authority reduced Rohingya population from northern Arakan, said a politician from Maungdaw.

“In Rohingya traditional, bride will be transfer to her husband family resident, which the authority had already given the marriage permission; it means that the authority had permitted to marry and able to stay in her husband’s house. Why the couple had to pay money to authority to transfer the wife or husband to stay freely in a place for their future life?”

“It is just made a cause to extort the money from this oppress community “Rohingya” only not for other ethnic group

Nasaka seizes firewood from villages in Maungdaw

Maungdaw, Arakan State: Burma’s border security force (Nasaka), seized timbers and firewood from villagers without giving any prior warning in Maungdaw Township on December 29, said a local elder preferring not to be named. 

“A group of Nasaka personnel from Nasaka Headquarters of Kawar Bill (Kyigan Pyin), Maungdaw Township went to the villages: -- Kawar Bill, Maung Nama, Butkurgonenah village tract (Kaliza Banga  village and Habibe village),Aytahliya (Italia) and Zambonia -- without giving any notice to the villagers, and were taking away---timbers, logs, timber planks and even firewood from every house which ever  they found on December 29,at about 8:00pm.”

“The Nasaka personnel seized huge planks and logs, worth kyat 5.7 million from present village Chairman Zaw Kawriya (25) of Kawar Bill village Tract who had taken permission from the forest department and Township Administration officer for cutting wood from the forest with monthly payment of bribe.”

The operation was completed after sun set. Some of the family members did not able to cook their meals on that day for the scarcity of firewood. All the firewood had been brought to the Nasaka Headquarters, said a school teacher from the locality.

“All the villagers whose timbers and firewood were seized called to the Nasaka headquarters on January 4 . Some of the villagers went there for hearing the verdict of headquarters, but they were returned home without any hearing as all the villagers did not go to the Headquarters. The villagers will be called in next week, said another local elder who went to Nasaka Headquarter.

A businessman said, “Suddenly, why does the Nasaka seize timbers and firewood from the villagers? It is unpredictable.” 

Poor villagers who have no jobs get permission from forest department by paying Kyat 100 per head for cutting only firewood. It is not easy to get permission to cut logs, plunks and other hard wood. Occasionally, someone will get permission for special consideration, the villager elder more added. 

“Nasaka always creates difficult life for Rohingya villagers.  If they are able to do so, their ranks and files will be promoted and will get rewards from concerned higher authority.”

Villagers cheated by border security force in Maungdaw

Maungdaw, Arakan State: Burma’s border security force (Nasaka) summoned seven villagers to their camp yesterday because of renovation of their houses and building new houses. The villagers are cheated by the border security force (Nasaka) though they had already purchased permission by paying money, said a local elder.  

“The summoned villagers are identified as--- Ms Zamila Khatun (35), wife of Shobbir Ahmed, Moulvi Fazal Karim (60 ), Jubair ( Nasaka collaborator), Aman Ullah ( 20), son of Siradil  Islam,  Esuf (25), son of Mohamed Salam Mohamed Sayed (35) and Ms Fatema Khatun (35), wife of Shuna Ali, hailed from Maung Nama village of Maungdaw Township.”  

The current village Chairman of Maung Nama village tract Dil Mohamed, Nasaka collaborator Jubair and the Commander of Aung Mingala Nasaka camp jointly called them to the Nasaka camp to extort money again from the above mentioned villagers though they had already paid money for permission to build houses/shops or renovated, said a local trader preferring not to be named.

Ms Zamila paid Kyat 500,000 to Aung Mingla Nasaka Commander, Jubair (Nasaka collaborator) and village Chairman Deen Mohamed in August 2011 for giving permission to build her house. But, they did not inform to the Township Administration officer.  It is necessary to get permission from Township officer. It was not the fault of Ms Zamila, said another Businessman from the locality.     

“Moulvi Fazal Karim is the father-in-law of Jubair (Nasaka collaborator), so he did not take any permission to build his house from the concerned authority. And also Jubair (notorious Nasaka collaborator) built a shop using his power.”    

“Aman Ullah paid Kyat 250,000 for permission to build his house to the gang of three and Mohamed Sayed renovate his shop since 1997, but he was accused that he has renovated recently. Ms Fatema Khatun also paid Kyat 500,000 for building her house to the said gang.”

Another villager Yousuf paid Kyat 600,000 to the gang of three for permission of house building. Later this was informed to the officer of Sarapa (Military Intelligence) by them, but the Sarapa officer referred the case to the Nasaka camp after interrogation. He had to pay Kyat 2.5 million at the Nasaka camp again. Before paying money, the victim was forced to submit an application to the Nasaka camp that he did not take any permission before building his house, and also to admit that was his mistake, said a relative of the victim. 

“Nasaka using power cheated the villagers by this way or that way and extorted money.  But nobody came to straight forwards to rescue them. The above villagers will pay money to the Nasaka again; otherwise, they will be punished.”

“Rohingyas are not allowed to build or renovate any structure including house, mosque, Madrasa, even a cow shed in northern Arakan without permission.” 

“However, the villagers built or renovated their houses and other structures by taking permission from the authority concerned. They have to pay huge money for getting permission.”

“Nasaka always makes plans to extort money from villagers and how to make them to engage in trouble continuously,” said a local youth.

Rohingya Representatives meet British Foreign Secretary

Chittagong, Bangladesh: Rohingya with other – Chin, Kachin, Shan, Kayah and Mon - ethnic groups’ representatives met British Foreign Secretary William Hague at the residence of the British ambassador in Rangoon yesterday at 5pm- 6pm, according to a source from Rangoon and BBC Burmese.

British Foreign Minister with Rohingya and other ethnic representatives

“The Rohingya political party leaders from the 1990 general election and the 2010 general election who attended the meeting are; - Master Yunus from National Democratic Party for Human Rights(NDPHR) and Abu Taher from  National Democratic party for Development (NDPD).”

“Abu Taher highlighted the situation on Rohingya people of Arakan who are facing recently on – force labors, extortion, health, education, movement restriction, marriage restriction, religious persecution, unprecedented taxation, arbitrarily arrest and land confiscation- with recent report and appeal letter of NDPD to Burmese government which mention to find a solution about Rohingya issue of Arakan,” according to a Rohingya elite from Rangoon.

Abu Taher is Central Executive member, Head of Political Bureau and Research and development. He won from People’s Parliament, Buthidaung Township in 2010 election. But, Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) forcedly denounced his victor, according to NDPD press released and case file against Shwe Maung of USDP.

NDPD complained to Township Election Commission, the votes were recounted by the Commission where Abu Taher (NDPD) got 56,882 votes and Shwe Maung (USDP) got 53,702 votes, according to election watch in Buthidaung report.

Master Yunus is CEC of NDPHR – 4 seats winner of 1990 general election from Maungdaw and Buthidaung - mentioned about Rohingya citizenship rights – the historical facts - in Burma which still the Burmese government not clearly mention on it. 

British Foreign Secretary William Hague arrived in Nay Pyi Taw yesterday on an official visit to Burma to observe the latest development of the country, according to official sources. “It is the first visit by a British foreign secretary to Myanmar since 1955.”

British Foreign Minister with Rohingya and other ethnic representatives

“The visiting Burma was my first destination for 2012, to meet the President, senior ministers and ethnic minority leaders,” according to British Foreign Secretary William Hague’s statement in his face book.

"I am visiting the country to encourage the Burmese government to continue on its path of reform, and to gauge what more Britain can do to support this process,” according to  British  Foreign & Commonwealth website.

"Further steps are needed that will have a lasting impact on human rights and political freedom in Burma. In particular, we hope to see the release of all remaining political prisoners, free and fair by-elections, and humanitarian access to people in conflict areas, and credible steps towards national reconciliation." 

The Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK) and Rohingya people would like to express our gratitude tothe British Foreign Secretary for his meeting with ethnic representative groups, including Rohingyas, during his visit to Burma. We are very delighted to see his encouragement to U Thein Sein regime to bring genuine change, long-lasting peace, freedom and protection of human rights for all the people of Burma, according to Maung Tun Khin, the president, the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK).

The ‘systematic racism’ against Rohingya has been institutionalized; and religious persecution against non-Buddhist people, especially Muslims and Christians, has increased. The credibility of U Thein Sein regime’s promise of reform is now seriously questioned. However, we are in high spirit to see that the Foreign Secretary has cautiously welcomed the promises of political reform in Burma saying ‘the military junta will be judged by its actions rather than its words’, the BROUK statement said.