Thursday 4 October 2012

Rohingya Boatpeople Released from Prison

Rohingya people perennially leave their homes and families in Burma and Bangladesh where they face extreme discrimination and are denied citizenship. They often find they have little alternative but to try to travel illegally across the Andaman Sea to try to find work in Thailand, Malaysia or another third country. (PHOTO: Reuters)
Forty-three of the 85 Rohingya boatpeople who were sentenced to one year in prison for illegally entering Burma were on Wednesday released under a presidential pardon, with the remaining 42 due to be released on Thursday, according to sources in Mon State.

The 85 were sentenced in June and have been detained in Moulmein Prison since being arrested in May when their boat broke down while they were attempting to flee to Malaysia. The economic refugees were rescued in high seas by Mon fishermen and taken to the town of Ann Deim in Ye Township, Mon State. They were fed and sheltered by local villagers, but were subsequently arrested and detained for allegedly violating Burma’s immigration law.

Sources in Moulmein said that the 43 were pardoned by Burmese President Thein Sein, and were transported by truck to Pegu Division on Wednesday night.

Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Thursday, a Muslim religious leader in Pegu, Than Htike Aung, said that he had met the 43 released Rohingyas who were mostly young men between the ages of 17 and 50. He said they could not speak Burmese.

Than Htike Aung said that when the remaining 42 economic migrants arrive in Pegu, the local police intend to transfer them to Buthidaung near the Bangladeshi border.

He said that he and other representatives of the Muslim community in Pegu had brought food to the Rohingya boatpeople that morning, and had documented the returning refugees in case any of them go missing en route to the western border.

Rohingya people perennially leave their homes and families in Burma and Bangladesh where they face extreme discrimination and are denied citizenship.

The Muslim Rohingya often find they have little alternative but to try to travel illegally across the Andaman Sea to try to find work in Thailand, Malaysia or another third country.

They are frequently described by human rights groups as “one of the most persecuted people in the world.” The Rohingya issue drew international attention in 2009 when the Thai military was accused of intercepting boatloads of Rohingyas, sabotaging their vessels, and abandoning them at sea.

Rohingya Vehicle attacked ,Looting, Torture and Robbery


(1)A Rohingya Vehicle attacked in Maungdaw South
- On 30th September, 2012, at 2:35pm, a Rohingya owned vehicle was attacked by a mob comprising of two military, 4 Nasaka and about 20 Bengali Rakhines in Kine Gyi hamlet (near Du-Thanda), Du Chi Ra Tan village tract, Maungdaw south. The car was leading to Maungdaw downtown from a trip from Inn Din that was paid on one day before. The car owner is Sayedul Amin from Ward-5, Maungdaw and the car Registered No. 1 Ka/441. There were 18 passengers, some of whom are from Inn Din area and some are from Maungdaw downtown, who do mini-business. On the way, another car (Nissan Hilux) being used by the said mob forcibly made the car stopped and all the passengers including the driver and spare were ordered to take off from the car. And all the victims were ordered to load on the mob’s car and drove to a Buddish temple in Kine Gyi. All the victims were inhumanly tortured and all the properties, goods and cash money that they had were looted by the mob and set them out. The panes of the aforementioned car were seriously demolished with the handle of the gun and some iron sticks. The victims were tortured so seriously that some of them cannot walk or speak properly till today. The estimated amount of cash money is over 2 million Kyats and the amount of goods and properties are unknown. This information was collected from the interview with the driver, Fozol Ahmed @ Halaya, son of Eliyas (55 years) from Ka Nyin Tan (Myoma), Maungdaw.

- (2)Looting, Torture and Robbery

- On 30th September, 2012, a mob consisting of 3 military, 2 Nasaka and over 10 Bengali Rakhines (Magh) raided Du-Thanda village, Maungdaw south, at 5:00pm and entered 14 houses and seriously beat Rohingya men and women found in the houses. The identified victims are:

1. Daw Shomjidah (F) U Nawzu Mia

2. Daw Fayruzah (F) U Nawzirr Ahmed

3. Daw Lyla (F) U Husson Ahmed

4. Daw Ohnmar Kulsum (F) U Abdu Karim

5. Daw Baidu (F) U Sultan

6. Daw Umbiyah Khatu (F) U Nawbi Hussain (she has delivered a baby only four days ago)

7. Daw Noor Harbar (F) U Fozol Karim

8. Daw Shaha Zhan (F) U Aman Ullah

9. Daw Hasina (F) Mv. U Abdu Karim

10. Daw Fatima (F) U Lalu

11. Daw Mabuba Begum (F) U Nawbi Husson

12. Daw Zahidah Begum (F) U Robiul Hasson

13. Daw Khawtizah (F) U Abdullah

14. Daw Shuna Mayrr (F) ?

The abovementioned mob had also taken away 23 cows and robbed 9 lakhs of cash money. The cow owners are identified as:
1. U Fozol Ahmed (F) U Sayed Ahmed (2) cows

2. U Shukkurr Ahmed (F) U Abul Kasim (1) cow

3. U Shakayr (F) U Ola Mia (8) cows

4. U Nawbi Husson (F) U Sulay (2) cows

5. U Aman Ullah (F) U Nawzir Ahmed (3) cows

6. Daw Zulay Kha (F) U Sultan (1) cow

7. U Aman Ullah (F) U Shuna Ali (3) cows

8. U Abdullah (F) U Abdul Hakim (2) cows

9. U Hamid (F) U Sulay (1) cow

The details of the robbed cash money are:

1. U Salim Ullah (F) U Kala Mia 2 lakhs

2. U Ajimullah (F) U Kala Mia 2 lakhs

3. Daw Dildar Begum (F) U Abdu Sawmoth 4 lakhs

4. U Ali Juharr (F) U Nawju Mia 1 lakh

(3)Rohingya Fishermen killed in Pauk Taw township

- On 30th September, 2012, 4 fishermen from Ward (3), Pauk Taw Township went to the nearby river in a registered boat. As the boat did not return back in a timely manner, the relatives of the said fishermen informed to the concerned authorities about the failure of boat return on the next day. When the relatives with the authorities searched for the boat along the river, they found the boat ashore. On the boat they found a fisherman dead with fire injuries. The dead fisherman was identified as U Shobbir Ahmed (F) U Basir Ahmed (35 years). The rest three fishermen were not found and no information about them was clued. They are:

1. U Basir Ahmed (F) U Fay Rhdan Ali 60 years

2. U Alom Bard Shah (F) U Sayed Ahmed 35 years

3. U Mohammed Rohim (F) U Bard Shah Mia 28 years

(4)Nasaka extorted money from Rohingyas in Maungdaw North
On 30th September, 2012, Nasaka Sector (5) Commander Win Hlaing and his personal assistant U Htun Htun Naing arrested the following Rohingyas from Auk Phyuu Ma (Hasari Bil), Maungdaw North and extorted money (Kyat) as per detailed below.

1. Ra Shayd (F) U Sayed Husson 7 lakhs

2. Salim Ullah (F) U Luk Mun 2 lakhs

3. Mohammed Kasim (F) ? 1.5 lakhs

4. Mohammed Khan (F) U Obai Dul Haque 2 lakhs

In the same way, on 29th September, 2012, another Rohingya from Kyet Yoe Pyin, Maungdaw North, was arrested and extorted money by the same personnel.
1. Fay Ru Duss (F) U Asaw Dullah 9 lakhs

Again, on 1st October, 2012, at 10:00pm, the aforementioned Nasaka Sector personnel arrested two Rohingyas from Laik Aing hamlet, Nga Sar Kyeu (Na Sha Furu) village tract, Maungdaw north. The arresters were Htun Htun Naing, Sit Oo Zi and another two Nasakas. The arrestees were tortured seriously and released after taking cash money on 2nd October, 2012, at 4:00pm. The arrestees and extorted cash are as follow:

1. Mohammed Noor (F) U Shom Shu 10 lakhs

2. Noor Kobir (F) U Zaa Ru 2 lakhs

On 3rd October, 2012, exactly the same Nasaka personnel who arrested Rohingyas from Nga Sar Kyeu arrested two more Rohingyas from Kyet Yoe Pyin and extorted cash money from them as per following.

1. Dil Dar Hussain (F) U Abu Kalam 7.5 lakhs

2. Nu Ru (F) ? 1.5 lakhs

The same event occurred in Maungdaw downtown on 2nd October, 2012. Police personnel U Hla Myint and his informers Maa Bu (F) Mohammed Amin-Retired police and Mawji Ullah (F) Gura Mia- current temporary administrator for Myoma East Quarter (Ward-2) extorted money from a Rohingya [Abu Bakkar Siddik (F) U Lal Mia] with fabricated allegation. The extorted amount is Kyat one lakh and the victim’s business is selling bamboo near a bridge that spans Kan Yi and Maung Ni.

(5)Three Rohingyas attacked in Min Bya township
On 30th September, 2012, three Rohingyas from The Ra Oak hamlet, Pit Myaung village tract, Min Bya township, were attacked by a mob composed of Bengali Rakhines and Bengali Marama Gyi (Bawr Gua) while the victims were schooling cows in the village pasture. The attackers threw piercing iron quills to the victims. One of the attackers was identified by the victims. When the police arrested the identified attacker, who is a Bengali Marama Gyi (Bawr Gua), a group of Bengali Rakhines forced the police to release the arrestee. Finally, the police had to release the arrestee for his life safety as the number of mob participants was huge. When the injured victims were tried to evacuate in the town general hospital, a group of monks blocked the patient not to admit in hospital. Eventually, with a help of a group of Military, the victim reached to Sittway general hospital and now the patient is under treatment.

YANMAR: Displaced Rohingya living “worse than animals”


CHIANG MAI, 4 October 2012 (IRIN) - Nearly 75,000 people living in temporary camps and shelters following inter-communal conflict in Myanmar’s Rakhine State in June face deteriorating living conditions, say local aid workers and residents.

“Right now [the displaced] are facing health problems from diarrhoea, fevers and colds. A lot of [them] are living together in small spaces,” said Mohammad Nawsim, secretary of the Rohingya Human Rights Association (RHRA) based in Bangkok. “Their condition is worse than animals.”

As of 25 September, the government estimated some 72,000 from the (mainly Muslim) Rohingya ethnic group and almost 3,000 people from the (mainly Buddhist) Rakhine ethnic group are displaced. They are staying in 40 camps and temporary sites in Sittwe and Kyauktaw townships, from where they are still able to access schools and work.

Immediately after the outbreak of violence in June, aid agencies visited areas in four affected townships and identified sanitation and clean water as major needs. At the time, only about 30 percent of the surveyed displaced persons had access to clean water, while six out of 10 people did not have any way to store it even if they secured some.

A number of camps had only one latrine serving 100 persons. Little has changed in recent months said Nawsim, noting that young and elderly Rohingya in the temporary camps along the road leading west out Sittwe (capital of Rakhine State) as well as Sittwe township are falling ill due to fetid living conditions.

Long-simmering ethnic and religious tensions between Rakhine State’s majority population from the Rakhine ethnic group and its minority Rohingya population erupted in early June after the alleged rape and murder of a Buddhist woman by a group of Rohingya.

Fear

Meanwhile, Rohingya both in the camps and villages have reported arbitrary arrests and detention, said Nawsim, citing frequent phone calls with those in and around camps and shelters for the displaced.

“They send me messages and then I call them back but it's still very dangerous for them to have mobile phones because the soldiers will search them often. They used Bangladesh mobile phones. The phone only works for a while so when I get on the phone they will give me all details such as how many people are missing and which villages they come from.”

Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watch’s Asia division based in Bangkok, told IRIN the displaced are “effectively restricted to camps by both the security forces and by the violent attacks they fear from the Rakhine [community].”

Most Muslims have shuttered their former businesses and left Sittwe after the authorities ordered their departure, said Chris Lewa, director of the Arakan Project, an advocacy organization for the Rohingya.

While supplies and relief are getting into the camps, delivery is still hampered, she added.

Based on her visits to the displaced in Sittwe with the NGO Refugees International at the end of September, she said: “Many of the staff of the NGOs are local workers and are afraid to go to the Muslim camps - not so much that they are afraid to be attacked by Muslims in the camps, but they are mostly afraid that if the Rakhine Buddhists see that they are assisting the Muslims, they will be attacked by their own community.”

According to a 4 September report from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, “humanitarian partners remain concerned that access is still limited to some affected areas and townships outside of Sittwe,” which includes aid groups working with Rohingya before the most recent bloodshed which have now been forced to discontinue their services.

International aid workers report being unable to get travel authorization to work in affected northern townships in Rakhine State, including Maungdaw, which borders on Bangladesh and where almost 500 homes were burnt down in the violence.

Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya have fled persecution in Myanmar over the past three decades, the vast majority to Bangladesh in the 1990s.

International aid efforts

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Myanmar’s President Thein Sein discussed how to address the root causes of inter-communal tensions in Rakhine State, including through development efforts, on 29 September at the recent UN General Assembly meeting in New York. The president said the government would address the needs.

The Burmese government signed a memorandum of understanding with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in mid-August to facilitate OIC partner organizations’ humanitarian assistance to displaced Rohingya. The head of international relief and development of Qatar Red Crescent Society, Khaled Diab, told IRIN his chapter will carry out relief work estimated at US$1.5 million among displaced Rohingya over the next six months - and possibly longer depending on funding - in health, shelter, water and sanitation.

A multi-agency Rakhine Response Plan estimates it will take some $32.5 million to cover basic emergency needs until the end of the year for an estimated 80,000 displaced.

“Most people in the camps believe they will never be able to go back to the town, even though the government says the camps are only temporary,” Arakan Project's Lewa said.

Aid groups working in Rakhine State are meeting in Myanmar’s capital - most recently on 22-23 September - to review longer-term issues of relief, rehabilitation and rule of law in the state.

According to the UN database which records international humanitarian aid, the Financial Tracking Service, and not-yet-recorded recent donor announcements, some $11 million has been pledged or contributed to humanitarian assistance in Rakhine State this year.

'Give citizenship to the Rohingya community'


Global Movement of Moderates chairman Tan Sri Razali Ismail has called on the Myanmar government to consider giving citizenship to the Rohingya community. Razali, who was formerly the United Nations’ special envoy to Myanmar, talks to the New Straits Times on the role of Malaysia and the international community in forming solutions to the plight of the Rohingya.
 
Q :. You took part in the recent Perdana Global Peace Foundation Conference on the Plight of the Rohingyas, in which they came up with 16 resolutions to be handed to various parties including to the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak), the Myanmar government, and the United Nations. What is the progress on the resolutions?

A : I’m not an executive council member of the PGPF so I can’t speak on the progress of the resolutions. But they should be preparing the submissions right now, firstly to give to the government of Malaysia, because I do think it’s clear that many Malaysians do feel very strongly about the fate of the Rohingyas.
To me, however, it is not enough to simply send the letter to Najib. The impact would be more worthwhile if you can actually get him to meet and discuss the issues. Otherwise, it would just get lost among every other letters sent to his office.
If that’s not possible, then the letter should at least be sent to Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman. But as I said earlier, they should try very hard to get the PM in person for at least half an hour, so that a few proposals for solutions can be put on the table to see whether they’re feasible.

Q : What can Najib do on an international level to help move this effort forward?

A :Najib will not want to ruffle or upset Myanmar by making unrealistic, impractical demands. We have such a good relationship with Myanmar, built over many decades. We do not want to be part of a group that constantly pressures them over something that is not easy for them to resolve.
In the context of Asean, we want the democratisation process to take hold irreversibly, so we don’t want anything that might slow that process down. We want all of Myanmar to benefit from development, from economic growth and new infrastructure.
That said, the situation in Myanmar affects many countries in Southeast Asia and Asean countries do have a responsibility towards those who have escaped Myanmar as refugees, including the Rohingyas.
Asean leaders should recognise that the situation in Myanmar is complicated and will take a very long time to resolve.
Here in Malaysia, we have some 30,000 Rohingya refugees. There is a lot of support for the community but it can be improved. I think we should begin to treat them better. Their children need to be given the right to go to school, they should be given the right to find temporary work, to be given access to medical and health services, and the right not to be harassed by enforcement authorities.
These are people who are very close friends of us, who have connection as fellow Muslims. Many here support the Rohingyas. But support by words alone is not enough. If you want to help the Rohingya, help them here.

Q : What is the situation in Myanmar right now? Are their leaders receptive to the idea of granting citizenship to the Rohingyas?

A :The key problem right now isn’t the leaders, but getting the people of Myanmar themselves to accept the Rohingya as one of them.
It’s not easy for the Myanmar leadership, including (human rights activist) Aung San Suu Kyi, to think of specific solutions because, if you asked the other ethnic groups there, unfortunately, you would find that many of them do not believe the Rohingya are Myanmar citizens.
In some ways, it is similar to Malaysia’s experience during independence. When Malaysia decided to accept the Chinese and Indian immigrants as citizens, we accepted everyone - to the extent that the new citizens made up 20 per cent of the population. So it does not matter if the Rohingyas are not indigenous to the country - they should be recognised as belonging to Myanmar.
But even if the Myanmar president Thein Sein wants to do something now, it will be a very unpopular move. Plus, it would have to be carried out in the context of the other ethnic groups and larger issues such as economic development. The Myanmar government has their own priorities to consider.

Q : The Myanmar government has agreed to set up a commission of inquiry to look at the causes behind the violent clashes between Rohingya community and ethnic Rakhine Buddists last June. Will this help?

A : The commission of inquiry is focusing only on the events that led to the clashes so I don’t think it will change anything. It is just delaying time.
That said, I cannot imagine that the Myanmar government will never give citizenship to the Rohingya. I’m sure it is possible to make the people in Myanmar understand in time, that some process to give the Rohingya citizenship must be attempted in the name of human rights and democracy.

Q : What role does the international community have to play? At the recent UN general assembly, UN secretary-general Ban Ki-Moon said that Myanmar should tread carefully in resolving this issue.

A : Yes, it’s becoming more difficult for Thein Sein to keep quiet every time this subject comes up now. I think the UN should continue badgering and cajoling the Myanmar government to take the right steps.
That said, I would counsel that the process should be carried out exclusively by the Myanmar government. Right now, they are looking towards the West and Asean for help (in their development process). But there’s a tendency for some countries, in the West especially, to go too far to the point of being intrusive.
As much as other countries are involved, the Myanmar may look to the UN for technical expertise if it’s really necessary. Ootherwise, it’s a process that require a very difficult political decision, that is best carried out by Myanmar on their own.

Q :. At the PGPF conference, former prime minister Tun Mahathir Mohamad brought up the idea that the United States should put pressure on the Myanmar government to recognise the Rohingyas. Some of the panelists also advocated a process where other countries can call on Myanmar to set a certain level of democratic reform in exchange for foreign investment. Do you agree?

A : Myanmar, at the moment, has all the potentials to develop rapidly. So it’s important for them to make the right decisions on questions like what kind of infrastructure do they need? What kind of schools? How do they achieve a proper balance in terms of their ethnic make-up?
Many countries are knocking on Myanmar’s door - China, especially, is a large presence. They have many options in terms of attracting foreign investment. They can choose what kind of assistance they need.
So I think that rather than impose conditions, especially unrealistic conditions, on them to meet, it’s more important to guide Myanmar into making the right decisions for them to develop.

Q : What do you think of calls from certain quarters to set up a separate state for the Rohingya?

A : Personally, I do not think such calls help. That will only scare the Myanmar government further from any attempt at a real resolution.
I’m very partial towards Myanmar but they need to accept the hard truth that the Rohingya have been there for such a long time that they deserve to be recognized as citizens.
Even while I was there, I was always aware of the people that had suffered from the military, and the Rohingya were among them. These groups became what the UN termed as internally displaced persons (IDPs), and it was an issue that I was always aware about. Back then, we could never get concrete answers but now, mass displacement of people within the country is something that cannot be allowed to continue.
It is very crucial for this issue to be solved sooner rather than later because people exploit situations like this for money. The longer this issue remains unresolved, the more possibilities there are for people to do terrible things, such as human trafficking.

Rally organisers denied permits over anti-Rohingya slogans


  
A Rohingya girl carries her books through a fish market on her way to the school at a slum in Sittwe on 19 May 2012. (Reuters)
Arakanese women who were planning to rally in Sittwe to highlight ‘threats to their security’ were prevented from demonstrating by police after the slogans they submitted for review contained incendiary language targeting the area’s Rohingya minority.

The demonstration was originally planned for 30 September and was being organised by members of the National League for Democracy (NLD) and Rakhine [Arakan] Nationalities Development Party (RNDP).

However, the rally leaders were not given the necessary permission to demonstrate after submitting their slogans to authorities for review in line with the Peaceful Assembly and Procession Law.

“We’ve agreed to change the slogans: one calling on the OIC [Organisation of Islamic Cooperation] not to ‘meddle’ to ‘OIC-NO’ and a second one that [described Rohingyas as] ‘eating the leather that they sleep on’ to ‘Please help assist the Bengalis to resettle in a third-country,’” said organiser Nyo Aye.

The latter is a Burmese phrase referring to the perceived behaviour of a dog.

The local police commander Nay Myo said he would be in contact with the group in two weeks after reviewing the changes to the slogans.

Organisers of the demonstration submitted eight slogans for review including, ‘Respect the 1982 Citizen Law’, ‘No illegal immigrants’, ‘Rohingyas never existed in Burma’, ‘For the splendour and safety of Burmese women’ and ‘All Burmese people unite!’

According to organisers, the rally was expected to gather about 200 women, including NLD and RNDP members from Sittwe.

Nyo Aye said the rally aimed to support Arakanese women who were traumatised by June’s rioting, which pitted Buddhist Arakanese against Muslim Rohingyas, leaving dozens dead and more than 60,000 people displaced, according to government figures.

RNDP affiliates have a history of targeting the Rohingya group, which is denied citizenship under Burma’s controversial 1982 Citizenship Law. In July, security forces briefly detained two RNDP members in Arakan state’s Mrauk-U township for urging Arakanese rice mill owners not to sell their goods to Rohingyas.

Three injured Rohingya boys are counting seconds and minutes to die in Arakan , Burma


Arakan News ,Min Bya, 3-10-2012 ,Three Rohingya boys whose names and details have been mentioned in Rohingya Blogger News on 29-9-2012. The boys were shot by eleven Rakhine and four Baruwa extremists on 29-9-2012 in Min Bya while they are watching their cattle in the pasture nearby the village, Thayet Aouk (Nuwar Para).

One suspected Baruwa culprit was arrested by polices on 30-9-2012, but dozens of R.N.D.P members and Rakhine extremists attacked to release the culprit. Finally extremists obtained success as their desire.

In the first day, Rohingya villagers informed to police and military to see the casualty and to assist for admission to hospital. Securities arrived on 30-9-2012 and allowed to carry Min Bya hospital. But hundreds of R.N.D.P members and Rakhines obstructed and refused for the treatment in the hospital. In that occasion one of the monks advised to Rakhines that the injured Muslims must get proper treatment but Rakhines denied and replied to monk that we are obeying your guidance which you ordered us. Then they were forcefully turned the injured boys to nearby village, Tharmale.

There, military surgeon treated briefly and urged to go Akyab hospital by motor boat. Relatives arranged one boat which owner is a Muslim. Rakhines crowded and tried to kill the boat owner. Then securities urged again to arrange a motor car to go Akyab escorting securities. Thus they arranged a car and started trip to Akyab on 2-10-2012, but Rakhine extremists blocked them while they were crossing Mrauk-U Township and then forcefully turned them to Min Bya.

For these extreme and insecure conditions, the injured Rohingya boys became helpless and hopeless in their village and counting seconds and minutes to die. Who will do to stop these kinds of atrocities which have been happening in everyday in every where of Rakhine State?

About Me

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