Visitor arrests in Nayapara refugee camp

Teknaf, Bangladesh: Two visitors who visited their relatives in the camp were arrested by the camp police of Nayapara official recognize refugee camp on February 18, said a relative of the victims.

“They were arrested when went out from the camp and on the road of Teknaf-Cox’s Bazar high way near the camp at about 6:00 pm when they went out from the camp.”

The arrested visitors were identified as Mohamed Rafique (18) and Jamil Ahamed (20) hailed from Maungdaw Township, Arakan State.

They came to Bangladesh from Burma to see their relatives at the Nayapara camp after long time without border pass.

Nurul Islam, the camp police inspector informed to the acting Camp-in-Charge about the visitors.

Their relatives of the visitors requested to the police inspector Nurul Islam and the acting Camp-in-Charge, Jalal Uddin of Kutupalong official camp for their release, but the inspector and camp-in-charge did not take any interest. However, the camp-in-charge was bribed Taka 20,000 for their release, said a source who refused his name.

“But, the police inspector also took Taka 7,500 from the visitors and the visitors were detained in the police camp for one night and one day. They were also beaten severely.”

On February 19, at about 11: 00 pm, they were handed over to the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) of Dum Dum Meah check-post and they were pushed back to Burma at night.

Nevertheless, the camp authorities took huge money from them and gave statement in local newspaper that they are the human traffickers, according to sources.

The inspector Nurul Islam has been harassing the official refugees such as arbitrary arrest, seizing mobiles and computers from the refugees and also restricted the movement of the refugees since he was appointed at the refugee camp.

Burmese envoy meets with Rohingya in Jeddah

Chittagong, Bangladesh: Burmese envoy to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia met with Rohingya during his visited to Jeddah on February 17, according to an elder from Rohingya community from Jeddah.

Burmese envoy U Khin Zaw Win with Rohingya from Jeddah

“U Khin Zaw Win, the Burmese envoy had a fruitful discussion with Rohingya politicians, businessmen, overseas workers and elders at a lunch party hosted by Rohingyas at Lasani Hotel in Jeddah.”

“The Ambassador and his team, Mohamed Rafique, the chairman of Rohingya League for Democracy (Burma), RLDB – a political party based in Jeddah - and some RLDB’s CEC members, Rohingya businessmen, Rohingya elders and Burmese expatriate workers from Jeddah region were attended in the lunch party program,” according to RLDB information desk.

The lunch party was organized by RLDB and the keynote speech was delivered by Mohamed Younous, the owner of Alabeer cold store, the RLDB information desk said.

Burmese envoy U Khin Zaw Win, Mohamed Rafiqur (chirman RLDB), Mohamed Yousuf (Alabeer cold store) and Mostafa in lunch party at Lasani Hotel in Jeddah.

The discussions were mainly for “registering Rohingyas from Saudi Arabia and subsequently issuing them with Burmese passports, repatriation of Rohingyas prisoners from Saudi Arabian prisons to their home country (Burma), establishing a Burmese school in Jeddah and assuring lost rights of Rohingyas in Burma and abroad”  a Rohingya who had joined the lunch party said on condition of anonymity.

“Rohingya prisoners’ information are collecting and checking their identity in the prisons of Jeddah and Makkah to verify as a Burmese after the discussion meeting with Burmese envoy.”

The military junta always denied and discriminated Rohingya citizen rights and other social rights; during 2009, Rohingyas were as ugly as ogres, said U Ye Myint Aung, the Burmese consular to Hong Kong, proving Burmese regime discrimination against Rohingyas while the worldwide watched the Rohingya boatpeople and the current  Burmese parliament (Hluttaw) convened in last September, the immigration minister U Khin Yee, also said Rohingyas were illegal Bangali immigrants from neighbouring Bangladesh despite well existence of historical evidences supporting Rohingyas being ancient citizens of Arakan. But, now the Burmese envoy from Saudi Arabia is showing green signal to Rohingya. How long it will give these signal and will Rohingya get indigenous and birth rights in Burma which the Rohingya have lost for half a century in Arakan and now they are scattered in many countries living as refugees?, said a Rohingya politician from Makkah. 

First secretary and embassy staffs from Burmese Embassy in Saudi Arabaia at Lasani Hotel in Jeddah

This olive branch from President Thein Sein’s government is probably the result of the recent mounting criticisms from international leaders; British foreign secretary William Hague and UN Special Rapporteur Tomas Ojea Quintana about regime’s maltreatments on Rohingyas. International community has always reiterated the importance of National Reconciliation in Burma reforms for genuine democracy and now it is the sign that Burmese leaders have been successfully convinced and now taking serious steps towards achieving it.