Monday 7 May 2012

Rohingya in India seeks refugee status

Hundreds Rohingya men, women and children from Burma, belonging to Burmese Rohingya community – Muslim community- have made temporary sheds of polythene sheets by the rear compound wall of the UNHCR office in B-2 Block of Vasant Vihar in south Delhi since April 9, seeking refugee status, according to Mamoon Rafique, one of the protesters - originally a resident of Mangdaw district of Arakan region and now working as teacher in Jammu.
Mamoon Rafique, an asylum seeker in India

“The UNHCR officials are discriminating against us because we are Muslims. Non-Muslim asylum-seekers – Chin, Rakhin, Kachin and others - from Myanmar get their refugee status card within months or even days but we are being kept waiting for years. Instead of proper refugee cards, we are being issued cards which say that we are ‘asylum seekers’ and even this card is issued without our father’s name and address.”

“The UNHCR cards which were given to us were no use as we could not seek admission into any school for our children or get employment for ourselves while in India.”

“We will not leave here till we are recognized as refugees,” said Shamsul Alam, another protester

“I came from Maungdaw. I fled from the Burmese government’s human rights abuses and formerly lived in Bangladesh. Later, we moved to India because we believed that this is a democratic country with sympathy and peace, where we can take refuge. If we cannot live here as refugees, we want to go to another country where we can live as refugees.”
Hundreds Rohingya men, women and children of Rohingya community from Burma have made temporary sheds of polythene sheets by the rear compound wall of the UNHCR office in B-2 Block of Vasant Vihar in south Delhi
"We were issued an asylum seeker card in August 2011 by the UNHCR, but it deprives us from lot of facilities that a refugee would get. We want a refugee card. Our children need education, better living conditions like water to drink and toilets. But we are deprived of this as we don't have a refugee card," said Zia-ul-Rahman, a asylum seeker and now lives in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh.

"We don't use the term Rohingya - we refer to this group as Muslims from northern Rakhine state. In India, there is no national legal framework for refugees, and because of this there are different approaches to different groups of people," Nayana Bose, associate external relations officer UNHCR, told IANS.

"We have already registered around 1,800 Rohingya as asylum seekers In India and issued identity cards to each one. The card is similar to the refugee card as it helps to protect them from harassment, arbitrary arrest, detention and expulsion, and to prevent them from being forced back to a country where their life or freedom may be in danger," Bose said.

“As for right to health care and education, this is available for everybody. They can access free education at government schools.”

However, the UNHCR officials say that they discussed the issue with the refugees four to five times, but were not persuaded by their arguments and will meet 10 representatives of the community again on May 20.

Around 10 to 15 thousand Arakanses Muslims - Rohingya community - are living in different parts of India at present where some of our people are incarcerated in Andaman jail, according to Mamoon while interview to Milli Gazette.

“We are on the edge of starvation due to the apathy of UNHCR towards our plight. We are living on the food offered to us by the local Muslims from across the road and are deprived of basic amenities and medical facilities.”

Strong wind and heavy rain left hundreds of refugee homeless

Kutupalong, Bangladesh: More than hundred huts had been destroyed by a strong winds and heavy rain from unregistered refugee camp of Kutupalong on May 4, according to Huseein, an elder from camp.
Strong winds and heavy rain destroyed the refugee hut in unregistered Kutupalong camp

“The winds and heavy rain started from 9:00am to 11:00am which destroyed most of refugee huts’ roof and some whole huts.”

“The disaster had left nearly 150 people from 15 huts become homeless. The people have no shelter to stay at night. They just put plastics and woods for rain to stay.”

Five schools of Home Education program was totally damaged where the students were shifted to another places for teaching the students, said Mohamed Syed Noor who is a parent of a student.

“The schools lose its roofs while strong winds blew out in the morning and its floors and walls fell down during the heavy raining.”

“There are more than ten schools were little damaged while strong winds and heavy raining. The schools of roofs had been blown away and if rain will again start, the school will face to be damaged and will not able to teach.”

“We need to repair the schools, otherwise we will face difficult to teach the class in the raining period,” said a teacher from the program.

On the other hand, a well-wisher of Home Education program distributed jerseys to all students before the raining. All the students were happy when they received the jerseys, according to a committee member from the camp.

2014 Census in Burma must be universal and inclusive of Rohingya : Rohingya organizations

Chittagong, Bangladesh: Several Rohingya organizations had made a call for the 2014 census in Burma to be universal and inclusive of the Rohingya people on May 5, according to their joint stamen.

The statement was released by the Arakan Rohingya National Organization (ARNO), Burmese Rohingya Organization, UK (BROUK), Burmese Rohingya Association Japan (BRAJ), Burmese Rohingya Community in Australia (BRCA), Burmese Rohingya Community in Norway (BRCN), Burmese Rohingya Association in Thailand (BRAT) and Burmese Rohingya for Democracy in Burma (RLDB).

“Recently the United Nations Population Fund UNFPA) has agreed to support Burma’s proposed 2014 population and housing census,” according to the Rohingya Organizations statement. But, “Rights groups worry that if not conducted properly, the census could marginalize minorities such as the Rohingya or those living in one of Burma's many conflict areas.”

The Burma Ministry of Immigration and Population and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) April 31, held a forum on plans for Burma's 2014 Population and Housing Census, was participated by lawmakers and members of the National Commission on Population and Development in Nay Pyi Taw, according to the press release of forum.

U Khin Yi, Chairperson of the National Population and Development Commission and the Union Minister of the Ministry of Immigration and Population told the forum that a successful census will require "broad and effective partnership" involving various government sectors, parliamentarians, civil society, the private sector and international organizations.

“Since 1983 –within 30 years- this is first whole Burma Nationwide Census would be conducted in 2014 which will be organized and being prepared by Central Census Committee.”

Last October Notification enlisted Burma Population 60.38 million by assessments from 24 Townships in Sample counting. “1998 - 2006 Population increase rate 20.02, we calculated.”

In an effort to deny Rohingya’s existence in Burma:- the Immigration Ministers U Khin Yi accused the Rohingyas of being illegal Bangladeshi immigrants; the Chief Political Advisor to the President U Ko Ko Hlaing confirmed that the restriction on their (Rohingyas’) freedom of movement is necessary from so-called  national security perspective; and the Director General of Burma’s Department of Population Myint Kyaing lied in a proud manner,  “we have no stateless people in Myanmar and there is no Rohingya in Myanmar as well, because no Bengali people are residing in Myanmar," according to the Rohingya Organizations joint stamen.

"No true census has ever taken place in Burma, and great injustice has been done to the ethnic Rohingyas.”

"We, therefore, urge the United Nations, Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), United Kingdom, USA, European Union, ASEAN and Myanmar’s neighbors to put pressure on the Myanmar government to genuinely include Rohingya as a ''national race'' in Myanmar''s proposed census," the statement said.

The statement said due to persecution, an estimated 1.5 million Rohingyas have taken refuge in Bangladesh and other countries.

To ensure the census is universal and "inclusive of all national races", the statement said the oppressive 1982 citizenship law should be amended in conformity with international conventions, and international custom and principles generally recognized with regard to nationality.

In addition, it should be brought in line with the principles embodied in the Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness of August 30, 1961.

"Suitable arrangements should also be made for the inclusion of all Rohingya and other Burmese diasporas," the statement said.

The Central Census Committee Chairperson U Maung Maung Swe said: "Data obtained from the census will be linked to the national planning." , calling on all stakeholders to cooperate in undertaking the 2014 census where the UNFPA Representative Mohamed Abdel-Ahad  said " Censuses generate accurate information on population growth and help to estimate current and future needs, including needs for schools, teachers, hospitals, doctors, nurses and employment opportunities, housing, and social security and safety nets."

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Maung daw, Arakan state, Myanmar (Burma)
I am an independent man who voted to humanitarian aid.