Thursday 31 January 2013

More lands confiscated in Maungdaw south

Maungdaw, Arakan State: More than 150 acres of arable lands were confiscated by the government authority and have provided to the Natala villagers in Maungdaw south recently, said a local farmer on condition of anonymity.

"They confiscated lands had already been grown winter paddy (paddy after paddy) by the farmers when it was seized by the authority. The all seized lands are belonging to Rohingya villagers of Sarcombo and Gudusora villages under the Maungdaw south.”
At present, the Natala villagers are tilling the paddy fields again to grow paddy in the fields after destroying previous cultivation by the Rohingya farmers, said a local farmer.
One of the farmers from Maungdaw rural area said, "We Rohingya farmers grow paddy in the rainy and winter seasons in our areas of Maungdaw south to improve rice production. “We are now more struggling for our family members as the government doesn't allow us to do anything.”
According to different sources, many Rohingyas have been starving from the shortage of food in Arakan State since June last year.
Sources also said, Rakhine community gets donation from different quarters of government, but Rohingya community doesn’t get anything from the government side in northern Arakan.
Since June 2012, Rohingya people have been keeping in their villages and the authority does not give them permission to do anything to support their family members. So they have no jobs and no works for earnings. At this moment, in southern side of Arakan State, Rohingya people get some relief from NGOs, but it is very inadequate.  Meanwhile, the northern side of the Rohingya people did not get any relief, said a local elder who denied to be named.
In this situation, the concerned authorities are killing innocent Rohingya villagers, looting property from villagers and also making arbitrarily arrest and extorting money from villagers by various torturing and threatening. In short, the whole Rohingya community is in dying position. How they will survive in Arakan State in future?, the local elder more added.

Young kid serious injures in motorbike accident

Maungdaw, Arakan State:  A young Rohingya kid critically injured in a motorbike accident on Maungaw- Bawli Bazar road on January 28, in the evening, according to a closed relative of the victim.
“Nuru (9), son of Hasan, hailed from Zambonia (Zinbow  Nyar) village under the Nasaka area No.6 of Maungdaw north is the young Rohingya kid.”
A  Rakhine primary school teacher name unknown drove a speedy motorbike made an accident with young Rohingya kid- Nuru - in front of the local Nasaka area No.6 commander office at about 2:15pm on January 28, while he was crossing the road, the relative more added.
The boy was seriously injured in his back-side, but he is still alive. Seeing the accident, the nearby villagers rushed to the spot and the motorcyclist ran away and entered the local Nasaka commander office, so the Nasaka personnel gave him protection from the villagers, said a local youth from the village.
However, the villagers appraised the matter to the Nasaka officer to get judgment, but the officer asked the villagers to go to their village and take treatment from local quack doctors. The officer also asked the villagers to inform him time to time of the improvement of the injured boy. But, the officer did not tell anything to the Rakhine schoolteacher.
“At least, the expenditure of the treatment must be paid by the Rakhine schoolteacher,“ said a business man from the locality.
A village elder said, “The road is clear at that time as the place is rural area and there is no many cars on the road. It is impossible to make and accident. I have suspicion on this accident.”

Rohingya youth severely tortured in Maungdaw

Maungdaw, Arakan State:  A Rohingya youth was severely tortured by Burma’s border security force (Nasaka) on January 26, in the evening in Maungdaw north for sending his two elder sisters to their father-in- laws’ houses after visiting their parents’ house, said a close relative of the victim on condition of anonymity. 
“The victim was identified as Abdullah (22), son of Hussain, hailed from Nari Bill village under the Nasaka area No. 6 of Maungdaw north.”
On that day, at around 6:00 pm, Abdullah sent his two elder sisters from Nari Bill village to Kular Bill village within the Nasaka area No.6 after crossing a small river with a small boat. The villages are about 500 yards away from each other. The two elder sisters of Abdullah came to attend a wedding ceremony to their parent’s house. One of them has a young son aged two years. Their fathers-in – law’s houses are at Kular Bill village, said a local elder who denied to be named.  
“But, after crossing the said small river, they met Nasaka personnel of out-post camp of Naska area No.6 while on the way to Kular Bill village where the Nasaka personnel severely tortured Abdullah and even two years boy because of not giving information to them.”
However, he was released after paying Kyat 40,000 to the Nasaka officer, according to another close relative. 
A village leader said, “The readers will foresee how the Rohingya villagers are restricted by the authority.”

Army shoots dead a Rohingya in Maungdaw

Maungdaw, Arakan State: Army personnel from Light Infantry Battalion (LIBs) No. 352 – stationed near Bagonenah village – shot on a grazing Rohingya youth on January 28, at about 11:00am, according to an elder from Bagonenah village.

“Mohammed Rafique, 28, son of Abdul Majed hailed from Bagonenah village, is the grazing Rohingya youth.”
Rafique with other Rohingya youths were grazing their cattle in the grazing ground near their village and near a Natala village. On that times, the Rakhines from Natala village with some army personnel entered to grazing ground where the army and Rakhines tried to snatch the cattle of Rohingyas. The grazing Rohingya youths tried to save their cattle and stopped the Army personnel and Rakhine from snatching the cattle, said a village admin office member from Bagonenah.
“But, an Army personnel shot on Rafique who fight with them to save the cattle.”
“The villagers from Bagonenah, rushed to the spot where Rafique was shot after getting the information about the event.”
The villagers took wounded Rafique to the village where family list checking Nasaka group were sitting at village. The Nasaka and villagers rushed to the Maungdaw hospital with Rafique, but, the doctor declared his dead. The dead body of Rafique reached to the village at 3:00pm and his body was buried at village cemetery after Namaz-e- Janaza (funeral pray), said a relative of Rafique.
“It is a deliberate action against the Rohingya community. There is no value of Rohingya people as human being. Why do the armies kill the innocent Rohingya youth? It means the army does not care the Rohingya community.”
In addition, today, at around 2:00 pm, a group army from LIB No. 352 from Nasaka area No. 7 of Maungdaw south took away five buffaloes from grazing ground while Tofile ( 25), son of Abdullah, hailed from Kilai Daung village of under Nasaka area No.7 ,was grazing in the field. The army accompanied by some Natala villagers brought these five buffaloes to their camp and informed to the father of Tofile to exchange the buffaloes with money, a local businessman said on condition of anonymity.
“However, at last, today in the evening, father of Tofile went to the army camp and paid Kyat 270,000 to release the buffaloes.”
President Thein Sein declared that extra security forces were deployed in Arakan State to control the situation. But, its continued harassments against the Rohingya community are increasing day by day, according to a local youth.
“Extra security forces are deployed in Arakan to curb the situation or to increase harassments against the Rohingya people.”
Over 100 armies led by Deputy commander Major Rey Wint Aung of light Infantry Battalion (LIB) No. 352 has been taking station at Maungdaw south to oppress the Rohingya villagers after the violence between Rakhine and Rohingya communities in June 2012.
The Army personnel and Nasaka (Burma border security force) are harassing – checking ID and village admin officer travel permission and extorting money from every person except Rakhine community - Rohingya community near the Bagonenah village under Maungdaw south while the Rohingyas are going on the high way of Maungdaw- Alaythankyaw at every bridges, said a school teacher from Alaythankyaw.
“The army and Nasaka collect from 50 kyats to 200 kyats per person even he had ID and travel permit, 200 – 500 kyats per Rohingya passenger car only and collecting good fishes from fisherman who are going to market to sell.”

Township administration officer issues new order not to pray in mosques

Maungdaw, Arakan State:  Maungdaw Township Administration Officer – TAO - issued an official writing order not to pray Namaz (five time prayers) in mosques on January 26, according to a religious leader from Maungdaw Town.
“The official order with letterhead was issued to all Local Village Administration Officers – VAOs - in Maungdaw –kept on the wall of building.” 
“Earlier, after violence in June 2012, the concerned authorities of Maungdaw Township barred not to pray five time prayers in mosques nearby Maungdaw Town and Maungdaw south, but, in Maungdaw north, the authority gave permission verbally to pray five times prayer in mosques with less than five people. The authorities concerned also barred not to call Azan (prayer call) by loud speaker.”
Besides, the TAO also ordered to all VAOs in Maungdaw Township to close Basic Arabic schools (Mogtab) for young children said another religious leader from Maungdaw south.
The Rohingya villagers are very disappointed hearing the news. Villagers believe that situation will become stable slowly after the recently clashes between two sister communities. Why the concerned authorities compress the situation of the Rohingya people? , asked a business man from Maungdaw town.
“Earlier, the present quasi-civilian government declared that Burma is a religious free country. But, on the other hand, the authorities encourage Buddhism by building Buddhist monasteries and pagodas across the country. They especially press and oppress the Muslim and Christianity.  Where is the religious freedom?”
In twenty first century, the world becomes a big village, at this moment; Burmese government is still trying to oppress the minorities who are different from Buddhism, said a local elder from Maungdaw north.

Saturday 26 January 2013

Intolerable Extortion of Money by NaSaKa

Yesterday Saya Oo Zi Tun Sin, General staff of NaSaKa region-2, Kamaung Theit (Fakira Bazar) arrested a 35 years ols Rohingya local oil-seller named Jamal son of Adul Mabud  and aetorted 300,000 Kyats simply because the staff found a container with 40 Kg kerosene at his home with which  the poor Rohingya earns a meager income by selling it to the villagers to look after his six family members.The NaSaKa staffs are well trained on how to extort money from Rohingyas. It is also learned that everyday the said  staff target 2 to 3 Rohingya household and extort a huge amount of money on the pretext of non-permitted house construction although these houses had been built 20 year ago or before the NaSaKa existence.  

Continued Attempt of Banglisation of the Rohingyas Cmmunity by NaSaKa

There are nearly one hundred Rohingya family residents in Ban Do Hla village at near northern Bangladesh – Burma Border under NaSaKa region  No 1 Aung Tha Byie. Of them, at least  30 families had been forcibly Bangalised by the authority with so called computerized operation and took them in a no entry no exit place meanwhile many families fled to other side of the border.

Unnamed Robbers Robbed Rohingyas in Border Area


On Thursday,17th January, two Rohingya villagers had been attacked and robbed at between 12pm and 1:0am by a number of armed robbers emerged from Burma-Bangladesh Border. Though the nearby NaSaKa regional sub camp-5 (Nayan Chaung) of Region-2 (Kamaung Thit) was screamed out by the crowded villagers for help and armed defense, non got out of the camp to help the villagers, rather three Rohingya elders whose homes had been the object of jewelry and  pecuniary lost, were summoned the following day and forced to be extorted money by the commander of the said camp. The three victims are
1.       Mohhammed  son of Nazir Hussein  from Riyazuddin Para under Thit Tonna Quassoung Village Tract
2.       Ziyaur Rahman son of  [?? ] from Manziri under Nayan Chaung  Village Tract
3.       Iliyas (Ex VPDC Chairman) son of [??] from Manziri under Nayan Chaung Village Tract

Police officer’s transfer after bribing in Maungdaw Town

Maungdaw, Arakan State: Police Sub-Inspector (SI) U Than Tin was transferred recently  to Kyauk Nimaw village tract  of Rambree Township from Maungdaw Town as a position of Officer-in-Charge (OC) after sectarian violence in Maungdaw in  June last year. He again is trying to transfer to Maungdaw after bribing to the higher officer, according to a police aide from Maungdaw Town. 
"However, it is rumored in Maungdaw Town that the police officer U Than Tin will be transferred to Maungdaw again as OC post very soon. According to the law of police, a police officer must stay at least two years in one place. After two years, it has chance to transfer to another place. How can he is able to transfer to Maungdaw again within half a year? It is very strange to the local people of Maungdaw Town.”
The police aide from Maungdaw said that the police officer has bribed Kyat 20 million to the State Police Commissioner of Sittwee (Akyab), the capital of Arakan State.  During the violence in Maungdaw, the police officer U Than Tin earned huge money from Rohingya people after arbitrary arrest and torture. Therefore, he is able to pay huge bribe money to the State police Commissioner.
Earlier, he was a police officer in Sub-Taungbro town under the Maungdaw Township. He was famous as a notorious police officer while he was in Taungbro. Later, he was transferred to Maungdaw Town police station as SI post.  He is the native of Rathedaung Township. Later, he was transferred to Kyauk Ni Maw village tract of Rambree Township from Maungdaw Town, three months ago, according to a trader, close to Police officer U Than Tin.
“During the period of violence in Maungadw Town, he got a lot of money from the Rohingya community. As a result, he wants to transfer again to Maungdaw Town after bribing huge money to his boss.”
Besides, the Officer-in- Charge (OC) U Tin Hla of Maungdaw Town police station was also transferred to Buthidaung Township recently. Before his transfer, the officer had already built a three-storied building at Buthitaung Town. Where, he got this money? He got all this money from Maungdaw Township during the violence in June 2012, said a businessman from Maungdaw Town on condition of anonymity.
Both of U Than Tin and U Tin Hla robbed the Rohingya villagers, looted the valuables from the villagers during the sectarian violence in June last year. They also arbitrarily arrested Rohingya people and released after taking money.
We learnt that, President Thein Sein recently ordered to form an “organizing action committee against corruption” to improve the state of the rule of law, to eradicate corruption, to create good and clean government, to improve political, economic and social welfare reforms. So, we welcomed the positive developments in Burma. However, it’s continuing human rights violations as well as violations of international humanitarian law, said a politician from Maungdaw who denied to be named.
“Therefore, we (town dwellers) urge upon the “Organizing Action Committee against Corruption” to take this bribing matter to transfer into book to take action against the culprits.”

Wednesday 23 January 2013

Villager arrested for guest receiving at his house in Maungdaw

Maungdaw, Arakan State:  A villager was arrested and extorted money by Burma’s border security force ( Nasaka)  for receiving a guest in his house today, said a close relative of the victim. 
“The victim is identified as Sayed Hussain (50), son of Zar Muluk, hailed from Maung Nama village under Nasaka Headquarters (Kawar Bill) of Maungdaw Township.”
Today, at about 2: 00 am, at night, a group of Nasaka from Aung Min Gala Nasaka out-post of Maungdaw north led by Captain Aung Myo Than  went to Maung Nama village accompanied by Village Administration officer Shobbir Ahmed where they entered the victim house to search a guest inside the house, but, they did not find the guest, said another local villager preferring not to be named.
“As a result, the Nasaka captain arrested the house owner Sayed Hussain and  detained in the Nasaka out-post  camp.”
In Arakan State, for Rohingya community, the guest receivers or house owners have to inform to the local Village Administration officer, if the guest stays at night, otherwise, the Nasaka will fine the house owner, said a local schoolteacher.
Today, a guest from nearby village came to Sayed Huaass’s house at about 10:00 am and returned to his home after having food, at around 3:00 pm. But, the Nasaka’s collaborator or informer did not know the guest went back to his home. So, the informer mistakenly informed that one guest came to the victim’s house, according to a local youth.
“The house owner or guest receiver did not need to inform about his guest to the local Admin or Nasaka because the guest did not stay at night.”
However, today, at around 1:00 pm, the arrestee was released after paying Kyat 160,000 to the Nasaka commander, said another close relative of the victim.
A local politician said, “The Nasaka commander knows that the victim does not commit any crime. Why the Nasaka officer extorts such a big amount from the victim. So, it is a deliberate action against the Rohingya community.”
Similarly, Nasaka from Udaung Nasaka-outpost camp arrested a Rohingya who visited his relative’s house – same village, same quarters and near his house- for not informing the concerned authority on January 20, according to an elder from Udaung.
Abdu Rahaman, 25, son of Nur Ahmed hailed from Baringa Dyel  (village) was arrested for visiting his relative’s house and detained in the Udaung out post camp where the Nasaka demand  huge money which was not able to pay by arrestee. So, he was transferred to commanding officer camp of area number 8, according to a village admin office member.

No jobs and business in Rathedaung

Rathedaung, Arakan State: There are no jobs and businesses for the Rohingya community in Rathedaung Townships because of local Rakhine community and concerned authorities don’t give permission to do business and to work for their survival, said a local elder on condition of anonymity.
“The Rohingya community has not been getting permission to work since sectarian violence in June 2012, between Rakhine and Rohingya communities.”
At present, thousands of Rohingyas are facing shortage of food, daily work and businesses where the Rohingya are living in the villages namely--- Thami Hla, Sango Daung, Koi Chang village tracts and other villages under the Rathedaung Township, said a local trader from the locality.
“We are likely living in a big jail in Arakan State, we can’t move from one place to another, so we have been facing many difficulties to feed our family members.”
According to some farmers, most of the farmers couldn’t grow their crops in the said villages in the winter season because of arbitrary harassments by the concerned authorities and Rakhine community. Similarly, they also couldn’t grow paddy in the rainy season last year.
At present, poor people and widows are going door to door for begging, if they don’t beg one day, they will starve. The concerned authorities and Rakhine community push the Rohingya community into beggars.
The villagers did not get any help from any quarter whose houses were not completely destroyed in violence, said a local leader.
Since occurring clashes in June 2012, hundreds of Rohingya Muslims had been killed by the Rakhines and Burma’s security forces. But, thousands of Rohingyas had already been displaced from their own villages as well as many Rohingyas have been languishing in different jails in Arakan state, said a reliable source. “These people are not getting any support from INGOs and UNHCR like other Rakhine community are getting aids from it.”

Facing difficult to cut thatches in Maungdaw south

Maungdaw, Arakan State: Rohingya community have been facing difficult to cut thatches from the mountain side for fearing of harass by Rakhines – news settler – living near the mountain side, said a farmer on condition of anonymity.

“There are some thatch fields in the mountains side which Rohingya community use for roping their homes to protect rain drop in the rainy season.”
“We are very worry to enter the mountain side for collecting fire woods and thatches ( only within season only)as Natala villagers of Sommona and Udaung – near our villages- don’t allow us to enter the mountain side, according to an owner of a thatch field on condition of anonymity.
“Our thatch fields were blocked by the said Natala villagers after they settled – four year ago - near our villages, but we  managed with them to cut the thatches after giving 5000 to 10,000  to the Natala villagers.”
“If we don’t able to cut thatches in the winter season, we will face so many problems in the rainy season. We are not able to stay inside the home for rain fall.”
According to different sources, after occurring sectarian violence last year, the Rohingya were not allowed to grow paddy by the concerned authority in the rainy season. So, thousands of Rohingya have been facing shortage of food in Arakan State.
Villagers told the Kaladan Press Network (KPN) from Aley Than Kyaw, “We want to withdraw restriction of movement, arbitrary arrest, harassments and we are also seeking permission from the quasi-civilian government to access mountain side to collect firewood and work freely in Arakan State, Burma.

Monday 21 January 2013

Nasaka commits sexual insults against women and girls in Maungdaw

Maungdaw, Arakan State:  Burma’s border security force (Nasaka), are looting valuable goods  from the villagers and also committed  sexual insults against Rohingya women and girls when the male villagers ran away from the village  for fear of arbitrary arrest by the Nasaka personnel, said a local elder preferring not to be named.
“A group of Nasaka personnel of Gudusara Bridge check-post of Nasaka area No.7 of Maungdaw Township enters south Gudusara village every night, under the pretext of searching criminals from the village.”
For instance, on January 16, at around 10:00 pm, a group of Nasaka personnel went to the said village and arrested four villagers without any allegation. However, luckily, of them, three villagers escaped by running away from the Nasaka and the remaining one was taken to their camp where he was detained, so far, the elder more added.
When the three arrested villagers out of four were running away from the Nasaka personnel, they fired to the villagers and injured one of them.
Besides, when the villagers ran away from the village in fear of arrest, the Nasaka personnel tried to loot valuables from the houses, and also tried to rape women and girls in the absence of male villagers.  Many women and girls were raped by the Nasaka in the village, but the concerned relatives of the raped victims did not dare to appraise the matter for fear of retaliation by the Nasaka, said one of the relative of the victims.
Regarding this, villagers appraised the event to the concerned higher authorities, but no action is taken against the criminals, he more added.
“If the matte is appraised to the higher authority, the Nasaka personnel who committed crimes will take revenge to the villagers.”
As a result, the Nasaka personnel are encouraged to commit more crimes against the Rohingya community and the Rohingya villagers become disappointed and are also mentally harassed, said a local businessman.
Why Thein Sein government lets them to do such things against the Rohingya community though the President has been getting supports from international community for some changings in the country, said a local schoolmaster.

Army destroys garden for logs to bake bricks in Maungdaw

Maungdaw, Arakan State:  Army is destroying Rohingyas’ garden to make logs for baking bricks in Maungdaw Township for constructing of an old road which was established by British government during  Second World War-II, said a an elder from the local preferring not to be named. 
“This road is running from north to south of Maungdaw Township. Recently, the government has been constructing this road with the help of bulldozer for mounding and digging the soil for the road.  The army doesn’t take forced labor from the villagers.”
But the army needs logs to bake bricks in the kiln. As a result, the commander of the army went to nearby villages recently and asked them to sell their gardens for cutting logs which were grown by the help of an NGO named CARE--- 5 to 10 years ago. Villagers want to provide them logs for baking bricks from the natural forest, but the commander compelled the villagers to sell their gardens. Therefore, villagers refused to sell their fruit- yielding trees to the commander, said one of the garden owners.
“The villagers had grown--- mango trees, Tarm trees (like mango trees), 81 and 82 trees, orange trees, lemon trees, Zam trees, Kori trees, teak and etc.”
On January 17, twenty acres of mango ( Rin Qay Thi - in Burmese)  garden owned by Molvi Ismail of Kilai Daung village of Maungdaw east was totally cut down by Rakhine villagers into  logs  for baking bricks for road construction though there are plenty of trees nearby mountain, said a villager.
At present, in Kilai Daung village, the concerned authorities are trying to settle 30 Rakhine families which were brought recently to Maungadw from Bangladesh. It is learnt that recently about 200 Rakhine families were brought to Arakan State from Bangladesh, the villager more added.
The village Administration officer of Kilai Daung village is from Rakhine community, so, he is pushing army to harass Rohingya villagers. 
In similar way, there are about 200 acres of garden owned by Gudu Sara villagers, of them 50 acres have been cut down by the Rakhine villagers that were brought to Arakan State from Bangladesh recently, a local businessman said.
A village trader who denied to be named said,” It is a deliberate action against the Rohingya community. There is plenty of wood nearby forest; so it is not need to cut logs from the garden of Rohingyas.”

Who are the Rohingya?

Learn general facts about the Rohingya.
The Rohingya are a Muslim minority group from Burma, which Burma's government insists are from Bangladesh and has refused to recognize as citizens.
Origin:
The Rohingya are Muslims native to the northern Arakan region of Burma, which borders Bangladesh. The name Rohingya is taken from "Rohang" or "Rohan," which was the name used for the Arakan region during the 9th and 10th centuries. According to Rohingya history, the group is descended from 7th century Arab, Mughal, and Bengali merchants who settled in Arakan territory. The Rohingya live alongside the Rakhine, a people descended from Hindus and Mongols who make up the ethnic majority in the region.
Language:
The Rohingya language is known as Rohingyalish and is linguistically similar to the Chittagonian language spoken in the southernmost area of Bangladesh bordering Burma. While the language has been successfully written in scripts including Arabic, Hanafi, Urdu, and Burmese, the modern adaptation uses a script based on the 26 letters of the Roman alphabet with two additional Latin letters.
Recent history:
BurmaBangladeshCoxArakan370.jpg
The Rohingya were promised a separate Muslim state when the British reclaimed Burma from Japanese occupation during World War II as a reward for their loyalty. But instead, only those Rohingya that had collaborated with the British were appointed to official posts within the British-controlled colony. By 1947, the group had formed an army and had approached President Jinnah of newly-formed Pakistan to incorporate northern Arakan into a part of the country that would later form Bangladesh. Experts believe that it was this action that led to eventual problems between the Rohingya and the Burmese government, who saw the group as untrustworthy.
When Burma declared independence in 1948, most Rohingya officials were replaced with Buddhist Arakanis who began to institute policies that many of the Muslim group considered unfair. Since that time, ethnic tensions have divided the two peoples.
Political status:
Prior to 1962 the Rohingya community was recognized as an indigenous ethnic nationality of Burma, with members of the group serving as representatives in the Burmese parliament, as well as ministers, parliamentary secretaries, and other high-ranking government positions. But since Burma’s military junta took control of the country in 1962, the Rohingya have been systematically deprived of their political rights.
The Rohingya were declared “non-nationals” and “foreign residents,” according to a citizenship law established by the regime in 1982, and were denied the right to participate in multiparty elections held in 1990.
The Rohingya have been subjected to large-scale ethnic cleansing following the formation of an independent Burma. Since 1948, nearly 1.5 million Rohingya have been forced to leave their homeland to avoid this persecution. Many members of the group have fled to Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia, but others communities can be found in the U.A.E., Thailand, and Malaysia.
Approximately 800,000 Rohingya still live inside Burma, while an estimated 600,000 live in Bangladesh, 250,000 live in Pakistan, and 300,000 live in Saudi Arabia. Around 100,000 other Rohingya make up parts of the population of the U.A.E., Thailand, and Malaysia.

Thursday 17 January 2013

Rohingya Cleric extorted-Maungdaw

On 13th January , 2013 at around 11am, a 30 years old cleric Mv Noor Ahmed, son of Md Shafi hailed from Mya Zan Kona, Sin Gri Para ( Laung Doon) village track, northern Maungdaw went to buy daily goods from the market of downtown . On returning  from market he was arrested by Saya Myint, a two star ranking police office and  head of Township  Anti-Human Trafficking Department, Maungdaw baselessly accusing him as human trafficker.
He was threatened to face harsh punishment if fail to bribe the officer 800,000 Kyats but later the cleric was released after bribing 400,000 Kyats.

Huge Amount of Money Extortion Occurred –Maungdaw

The extortion of money from Arakanese Rohingya by Myanmar Governmental Personals especially NaSaKa ( Boder Security Force) and Police Force is wide spreading day by day, usually with false accusation.  According to one of our correspondents,  3.8 millions Kyats has been extorted from four Rohingyas detainees  in Ngakura of Maungdaw Township , Arakan State by NaSaKa personals of the said Area.
A team of 30 NaSaKas lead by a Lieutanant Commander  Win Laing belonging  to NaSaKa outpost Area No. 5 raided Keari Farang Market ( Kyet Yoo Pyin Market) on 2nd January,2013 at around 8:30pm. It has been reported that millions Kyats  worth properties of Rohingya shopkeepers  had  been damaged and looted during the raid by NaSaKas. 
During the raid, NaSaKa arrested four  innocent Rohingya Shop Owners from their respective shop  with no reason and threatened to arrest more. The victims of  arrest are identified as follows :

Market Looted And Innocents Arrested By Nasakas, Maung Daw

On Friday, Jan12,2013, at 8:30PM, thirty Nasakas led by Win Hlaing (lieutenant commander of regional Nasaka camp no-5 Ngakura village tract) raided on a market in Kyet Yoe Pyin (Keari Farang) village tract of Maung Daw north. They then, started looting the Rohingya shops; goods worth millions of kyats have been reportedly taken away with no payment and compensation. In addition, innocent Rohingyas found watching over their shops (most of them teenagers) were also dictatorially arrested and severely tortured that some got intense head injuries meanwhile many other were threatened to arrest.They are still in the detention cell in Nga Kura village tract with constant torture and fear of imprisonment on any fabricated charges. The victims are identified as: [1]Ajmal Khan s/o Abul Quasim (21Yr), [2]Md Ali s/o Abdul Hamid (23Yr), [3]Md Ayas s/o Hala Meya (18Yr), [4]Younus s/o Sultan (15Yr), [5]Shofiq s/o Nur Hussein (18Yr), [6]Kamal Hussein s/o Hala Meya (20Yr), [7] Iliyas s/o Salim (23Yr), [8]Md Hashim s/o Fedan (16Yr), [9]Md Salim s/o Abdul Gaffar (18Yr), [10]Md Hashim s/o Lalu (17yrs) and [11]Nur Hashim s/o Nurullah (36Yr)They had initially raided on the village, when they found no boy and man (as they escaped), they turned to the market. Four Nasakas of the sub-sentry camp of Kyet Yoe Pyin village tract (Keari Farang) were not collaborated by the villagers when they at 6:30pm, tried to seize a Bangladeshi mobile phone from a youth in the said village tract. It is reported that these four Nasakas mobilised the lieutenant commander, their concern higher authority, against the village falsely informing that they had been attacked by some villagers when they were trying to catch a boy aged 18,with a mobile.

Rohingyas Arrested For Not Participating Census Process, Maung Daw

      On 4th Jan 2013, at night, Nasakas from Nasaka sector no 8 arrested five Rohingyas for not participating to their process of Bengalising all the Rohingyas in Myint Hlut village tract.
      On 4th Jan 2013, at night 11:00PM, Nasakas (Boader Security Forces) rushed into Myint Hlut village tract where they entered into nearly 100 Rohingyas’ houses to arrest the Rohingyas who did not participate Nasakas’ so called census-check up process (Bengalization). Five Rohingyas, [1] Soyodul Islam s/o Nozir Hussein(45Yr), [2] Hussein Ahmed s/o Jalal(55Yr), [3] Er Shad Ullah s/o Zofor(60Yr), [4] Abul Kalam s/o Shaker Mohamed(25Yr) and [5] Yusuf s/o Jalal(25Yr) were arrested while most of them ran away. They were tortured brutally and are still in their custody. They are reportedly going to be sentenced for 6 months imprisonment under the charge of not obeying the order of government.

Rohingyas Having Horrific And Sleepless Nights, Maung Daw

On 7th Jan 2013, in Aung Sit Pyin village tract, a Rohingya was arrested and extorted 300,000Ks by a general staff accompanaied by other six NaSaKas simply because his 22 year old son had fleed to India.
      In the dead of the night of 7th January 2013, Hala Meah s/o Abdu Shukkur hails from Rida, Aung Sit Pyin (Dom Bhai) village tract of northern Kyein Chaung (Boli Bazar) village tract was arrested by a general staff, Aung Than Zaw accompanied by six NaSaKas of regional subcamp no-24 in Kyein Chaung (Boli Bazar) on the pretext that his 22 year old son had fleed to India.
      Though he was handcuffed and intimidated into extortion, no other physical torture was reported. However after 12 hours of detention, he was extricated extorthing 300,000Ks. "Now we can't sleep at night for the fear of being arrested by NaSaKas because every night they (the general staff and other NaSaKas) rampage through the surrounding villages (Boli Bazar, Dom Bai ...ect) of the said camp-24, then they make a raid on every targetted Rohingya houses and brutal persecution, hefty money extortion and mass arrest of poor-spirited Rohingyas (without ever once being convicted of any crime) have been usually carried out by them" said an scholar from Aung Sit Pyin (Dom Bhai) on the condition of anonymity.

      Actually, the denial of the citizenship, legal existence, other basic rights and arbitrary arrest including constant NaSaKa extortion, including the raid and rampage through the Rohingya villages in northern Rakhine State are underlying reasons behind the exodus of thousands of Rohingyas. But on the contrary the government not only shut down their ways to return back home and confiscates their possessions but extorts money from their remaining familes or relatives. To truely see how the Burmese government treat the Rohingya, one does not have to look further than this kind of extortion from a Rohingya just because his 22 year old son fleed the country.

Tuesday 15 January 2013

Nasaka detains two Rohingyas in Maungdaw

Maungdaw, Arakan State: The Burma border security force (Nasaka) detain two Rohingys in their area number 8 since January 10, said a local businessman.

“They were arrested over allegation for involving in human trafficking - sending Rohingyas to Malaysia by sea route.”
The arrestees are: Master Reziwan (30), son of Nazir Ahmed and Holu (25), son of Halim, hailed from Gawyahkhali (village) under the Maungdaw Township.
According to villagers, the two persons are innocent, not involving in the human trafficking.
“They are staying in their house without jobs as the authority imposed movement restriction on Rohingya after conflict between Rohingya and Rakhine on June 8, 2012.”
Many Rohingyas were arrested over false allegations to extort money by the concerned authority in northern Arakan, sources said.
However, the Nasaka officer  has demanded Kyat 700,000 for their release, but they are not able to fulfill the officer demand. So, they have been detained and tortured in the camp since yet, said an aide of Nasaka.
In northern Arakan State, thousands of Rohingyas have been facing from shortage of food, movement restriction, arbitrary arrest, extortion money and jobless since last year.

Nasaka tries to attempt rape in Maungdaw

Maungdaw, Arakan State:  Burma’s border security force (Nasaka) personnel tried to attempt rape a Rohingya family on January 8, at Maungdaw north, a close relative of the victims who denied to be named for the cause of security reason. 
“On that day, at around 1:30 pm, a group of Nasaka, numbering in six with the collaboration of Village Administration officer and the head of 10 houses (Bseim Gaung in Burmese) entered the house of Abdu Salam (40), son of Ali Meah, hailed from Pawet Chaung village under the Nasaka area No.5 of Maungdaw Township.  Breaking the door, the Nasaka personnel and the collaborators entered the home, and tortured the whole family members including wife, sons and daughters discriminately without any provoking them.”
Meanwhile, the wife of Abdu Salam taking a knife axed the one Nasaka officer and Village Administration officer- Rashid Ahmed (45), son of Abdul Fatta - injuring them to their face and finger.  Hearing the hue and cry, the nearby villagers rushed to the spot, so the Nasaka fled from the scene, said another relative of the victims.
However, on January 11, morning, the local Nasaka Commander of the Nasaka area No.5 called the Nasaka personnel who committed crimes, house owners and the Nasaka collaborators to the Nasaka camp to inquiry the event, the relative said.
During the event, the Nasaka lost one bullet in the house, so the Nasaka collaborator Noor Khobir (the head of the said 10 houses) was sent to the house by the Nasaka to find the lost bullet.  Luckily, the collaborator fond the lost bullet and returned to the Nasaka, an aide of Nasaka said.
So far, the victims are not getting real judgment from the local Nasaka commander office, a local businessman said.
Besides, the Nasaka Commander of Nasaka area No. 7  of Maungdaw south and the Deputy  Commander of Light Infantry Battalion (LIB )-353, which is situated at Aley Than Kyaw village of Maungdaw committed robberies against the Rohingya villagers sending their solders to nearby villages  in every night. They went to Rohingya villagers along with local Natala villagers and taking even old clothes, tools and pots of the Rohingya villagers, according to local villagers.  A village elder said, “The present quasi-civilian government is trying peace with all ethnic minorities across the country, but in Arakan and Kachin States, the concerned authorities have been harassing the Rohingya and Kachin communities.”

Collecting family lists and photos in Rathedaung Township

Rathedaung, Arakan State:  The Burma’s border security force (Nasaka) has been again collecting family lists and taking photographs of Rohingya people with digital computerized system in Rathedaung Township since January 10, said a school teacher from Rathedaung on condition of anonymity.
“The concerned authorities did not write anything in the column of race in the form. They normally take the villagers’ data as before, so the villagers cooperate with the Nasaka.”
“However, the authority are collecting Kyat 1,500 for family photograph, Kyat 3,000 to enlist new born, Kyat 3,000 to cancel dead person from the list, and Kyat 7,000 to terminate a person from the list who went to abroad.”
But, the authority, did not enlist the girls or women along with their children in the family list who got married with her husband after getting necessary permission from the concerned authorities earlier. The women or the girls are from other places, such as--- from other Nasaka areas within the township or from other township, said a local businessman who denied to be named.
“The concerned authority are trying to ease the Rohingya population from northern Arakan by not adding in her husband’s family list event they have all related document which was given by authority.”

Saturday 12 January 2013

Only Grass And Dirt To Eat

 Rohingya Refugee Camp: Searching For Food In The Ditch (Photo - Steve Sandford)
Jack Lee
Alders Ledge
January 12, 2013

Starvation: A War Of Attrition
(part of The Darkness Visible series)

The photo above was taken more than a month ago and was taken in near a Rohingya refugee camp. These Rohingya are living life beyond the villages where their fellow Rohingya live in modern day concentration camps. These Rohingya live where food consist of grass and weeds found alongside dirty streets. They are not allowed to go into the Rakhine villages and purchase food. They are forbidden to use the same water as their Rakhine neighbors. Yet in comparison to the Rohingya still living in the villages, these are the lucky ones. 
Checkpoints much like those seen around the ghettos the Nazi's built during the Holocaust pot mark the area around the refugee camps. Though there are coconuts hanging in the trees outside the camps, though there is rice in the fields that the Rakhine now claim... the Rohingya starve. The barbed wire is a constant reminded that they are considered less than human in their own homeland. The lack of food makes it clear that they are considered of less value than the livestock the Rakhine raise in nearby pastures. This is the life that the Burmese have damned the Rohingya to. 
Ali Hassan, a 24 year old Rohingya man told Phuket Wan Travel News, "My babies are starving in front of my eyes. I cannot buy anything now I have no money." 
Ali Hassan had newborn twins at the time. It is impossible to know for sure if his children have survived. It is hard to imagine any child, let alone babies, living a life of starvation. But his story survives. Even if he and his family do not, his story will never perish. 
This war, this barbarism that Myanmar carries out, is meant to starve the Rohingya out of existence. The violence that plagued the Arakan state forever lingers in the air. Death hovers behind every shadow. It waits for the Rohingya... with open arms it accepts them of every age, gender, shape, and size. This is a war in as much as it pins one group against the other. Yet in this horrific struggle only one is armed... only one gets to fight... only one survives. 
There is an abundance of fish in the seas and waters along the Rakhine coasts. However the Burmese officials have confiscated almost all the fishing equipment the Rohingya once owned. Nets, poles, and hooks... nothing is left to harvest the food that the Rohingya so desperately need. 
For now the Rohingya slowly waist away as the little aid that is making it through the blockades is barely enough to keep even a small portion of them alive. It is in this slow starvation that many are turning to the the very people who cause their suffering to offer "a way out". The Rakhine Nationalities Development Party uses this wide spread starvation to traffic the Rohingya out of Myanmar. 
Over the last couple days nearly 700 Rohingya have turned up in human trafficking camps in Thailand. Over 500 Rohingya had to swim ashore in Malaysia after their boat sank 500 km off the coast. All of these Rohingya were trafficked out of the country by the RNDP. And of the RNDP's trafficking victims... they could easily be considered the lucky ones. 
Over half of the Rohingya who are sent out to sea each year die trying to make their way to Malaysia. Almost all Rohingya who are sent into Thailand are sent back to Myanmar having lost everything they had including the bribes that got them out of Burma the first time. These 1,200 Rohingya are lucky just to still be alive and outside of Myanmar. 
It is important to note at the close of this post that this tragedy, this genocide, could had been prevented. This horrific case of ethnic cleansing could be immediately stopped. All that is needed is for the outside world to finally wake up. To wake up and start taking action.

Govt moves to help detained Rohingya

Rohingya migrants sit inside a temporary shelter at a rubber plantation near the Thai- Malaysian border in Sadao district of Songkhla province. (Photo - WICHAYANT BOONCHOTE)

Bangkok Post
January 12, 2013

Fears grow of US human trafficking downgrade
Authorities have pledged to look after the 704 Rohingya migrants rounded up in two raids. 
The promise comes amid growing concerns that Thailand could face a downgrade on a US human trafficking watch list and risk sanctions by the US. 
Immigration officers and police yesterday found a second group of 307 Rohingya migrants including more than a dozen children in a warehouse on the border with Malaysia. 
They were found in Ban Dan Nok in Sadao district of Songkhla and were waiting to be transferred to a third country, authorities said. 
On Thursday, authorities rescued a different group of 397 Rohingya migrants locked up at a shelter in a remote rubber plantation, also in Sadao district. 
The group were staying in a makeshift shelter in the plantation where they had languished for three months waiting to be trafficked to a third country, police said. 
Acting on a tip-off, officials stormed the shelter on Thursday and found the Rohingya. 
"They are now waiting for deportation which will be done by Thailand's immigration police," Lt Col Katika Jitbanjong of Padang Besar police said. 
"They told officials they had volunteered to come to Thailand," he said, adding police were seeking an arrest warrant for the Thai landowner on charges of human trafficking and sheltering illegal migrants. 
Pol Maj Thanu Duangkaewngam, the inspector at the Songkhla immigration office, said police will investigate and find those responsible for smuggling the migrants into the country. 
The migrants will have to be deported back to Myanmar. 
Pol Col Krisakorn Pleethanyawong, deputy chief of the Songkhla provincial police, said officers had detained eight people - four Myanmar nationals, two Rohingya and two Thais - who had smuggled the 397 migrants. 
They have been charged with smuggling and sheltering people illegally, as well as possessions of firearms. 
Police will also summon two suspects for questioning. One of them is Prasit Lemlae, deputy mayor of the Padang Besar municipality, who owns the rubber plantation where the 397 Rohingya migrants were discovered. 
National police chief Adul Saengsingkaew yesterday told his subordinates to visit the migrants and find ways to ensure they are well looked after pending their deportation. 
The Social Development and Human Security Ministry will also allocate money to help the migrants, Pol Gen Adul said. 
The police force's anti-human trafficking division will send its staff to work with local police to track down the human trafficking network which links Thailand, Myanmar and Malaysia, he said. 
The 704 migrants have now been separated into two groups. 
A group of 105 women and children have been sent to the Songkhla Children and Family Shelter and the male migrants have been moved to shelters at the Sa Dao immigration office, and nearby local police stations. 
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung will take foreign diplomats including those from the US and the Pacific region and the EU to visit Samut Sakhon where many migrant labourers work. 
The visit is meant to assure foreign countries that the government is making a serious effort to solve and prevent illegal human trafficking. 
Thailand has been on the US government's Tier 2 Watch List in the Trafficking in Persons Report for the past two years. 
The US will review the status again next month. If Thailand makes the Tier 2 list for a third time, it will be automatically downgraded to Tier 3 - the lowest classification and the same level with North Korea - which could mean that non-tariff sanctions are imposed.

Thailand to deport 400 Rohingya migrants after raid

A Rohingya migrant looking out from the window of a police van while being transported out of jail to the Thai immigration police in the southern province of Ranong, on January 31, 2009. Rights groups decry Thailand for failing to help Rohingya migrants who reach its territory, instead pushing them back to Myanmar or on to neighbouring countries.

Around 400 Rohingya migrants discovered in a raid on a camp hidden in a remote rubber plantation in southern Thailand will be deported back to Myanmar, Thai police said on Friday. 
The group, 378 men, 11 women and 12 children, were found in a makeshift shelter in the plantation in Songkhla province where they had languished for three months waiting to be trafficked to a "third country", local police said. 
Acting on a tip-off officials stormed the shelter on Thursday and found the Rohingya, a Muslim minority group not recognised as citizens in Myanmar who have fled sectarian unrest in their thousands to Thailand and other countries. 
"They are now waiting for deportation which will be done by Thailand's immigration police," Lieutenant Colonel Katika Jitbanjong of Padang Besar local police told AFP. 
"They told officials that they had volunteered to come (to Thailand)," he said, adding police were seeking an arrest warrant for the Thai landowner on charges of human trafficking and sheltering illegal migrants. 
Rights groups decry Thailand for failing to help Rohingya migrants who reach its territory, instead pushing them back to Myanmar or on to neighbouring countries including Malaysia, which offers sanctuary to the minority. 
"Thailand is pursuing a beggar-thy neighbour approach," according to Phil Robertson of Human Rights Watch Asia. 
"Thailand is using the good policy of its neighbour (Malaysia) to escape its own international obligation to protect refugees and it is shameful." 
The UN refugee agency has called on Myanmar's neighbours to open their borders to people fleeing a wave of communal violence in the western Myanmar state of Rakhine. 
Clashes between Buddhists and Muslims have left at least 180 people dead in Rakhine since June, and displaced more than 110,000 others, mostly Rohingya. 
Myanmar views the roughly 800,000 Rohingya in Rakhine as illegal Bangladeshi immigrants and denies them citizenship. 
Although the tensions have eased since a new outbreak of killings in October, concerns have grown about the fate of asylum-seekers setting sail in overcrowded boats. 
Last week Thailand deported 73 Rohingya boat people back to Myanmar, after they landed on the southern island of Phuket.

Tuesday 8 January 2013

Give the UN access to Rohingya asylum seekers in Thailand

(Photo - Phuket Wan)
Phil Robertson, Sunai Phasuk, Brad Adams, John Sifton (Human Rights Watch)
The Nation
January 9, 2013
The Thai government should immediately halt its plan to deport 73 ethnic Rohingya back to Myanmar. Thai authorities should allow the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN refugee agency, unhindered access to these and other boat migrants from Myanmar's Arakan State, to determine whether they are seeking asylum and whether they are qualified for refugee status. 
On January 1, near Bon Island in Phuket province, Thai authorities intercepted a boatload of 73 Rohingya migrants - including as many as 20 children, some as young as three - that contained likely asylum-seekers. After providing food, water and other supplies to the passengers and refuelling the boat, Thai authorities initially planned to push the boat back out to sea, en route to Malaysia's Langkawi Island. When they found that the rickety, overcrowded boat had cracks and that many passengers were too weak to endure a stormy sea voyage, the authorities brought the group ashore to the Phuket Immigration Office. By 4pm on January 2, two trucks with all 73 Rohingya were heading to Ranong province for deportation back to Myanmar.
The Thai government should scrap its inhumane policy of summarily deporting Rohingya, who have been brutally persecuted in Myanmar, and honour their right to seek asylum. The UNHCR should be permitted to screen all Rohingya arriving in Thailand to identify and assist those seeking refugee status.
The Thai government's so-called "help on" policy fails to provide Rohingya asylum-seekers with protection required under international law, and in some cases increases their risk. Under this policy, the Thai navy is under orders to intercept Rohingya boats that come close to the Thai coast. Upon intercepting a boat, officials provide the boat with fuel, food, water and other supplies on condition that the boats sail onward to Malaysia or Indonesia. All passengers must remain on their own boats during the re-supply.
Should a boat land on Thai soil or be found to be unsafe, Thai immigration officials will step in to enforce deportation by land. This "soft deportation" process has resulted in Rohingya being sent across the Thai-Myanmar border at Ranong province, where people smugglers await deported Rohingya to exact exorbitant fees to transport them to Malaysia. Those unable to pay the smuggling fees are forced into labour to pay off the fees, condemning them to situations amounting to human trafficking.
Thailand has repeatedly stated its commitment to combat human trafficking, yet by deporting Rohingya into the hands of people smugglers, they are making them vulnerable to trafficking.
In January 2009, Thailand's National Security Council, led by then-prime ninister Abhisit Vejjajiva, authorised the navy to intercept incoming Rohingya boats and detain the passengers before pushing them back to sea. Later that year, Thai security forces were captured on video towing boats with Rohingya out to sea, which the government initially denied, but which Abhisit later conceded, saying, "I have some reason to believe some of this happened." While the recent "help on" strategy has meant that intercepted boats are re-provisioned, the Thai navy is still pushing back to sea boats filled with Rohingya, with some deadly results.
Thailand's response to arriving Rohingya asylum-seekers contrasts sharply with the policy in Malaysia, where the authorities have routinely allowed the UN refugee agency access to arriving Rohingya. Those recognised by the agency as refugees are released from immigration detention.
Myanmar authorities have long persecuted the Rohingya, members of a Muslim minority group who have lived in Myanmar for generations. Government and military authorities in Arakan State regularly apply severe restrictions on the Rohingya's freedom of movement, assembly and association, levy demands for forced labour, engage in religious persecution, and confiscate land and resources. Myanmar's 1982 Citizenship Law effectively denies the Rohingya citizenship, leaving them stateless.
Each year hundreds of thousands of Rohingya in Arakan State flee repression by the Myanmar military and dire poverty. The situation significantly worsened in late 2012 following communal violence in June and October targeting Rohingya and other Muslim groups. The arrival of the 73 Rohingya in Phuket on January 1 was the first acknowledged interception that included women and children on board. Many more boats are expected to set sail from Myanmar in the coming months.
Under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, everyone has the right to seek asylum from persecution. While Thailand is not a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention, under customary international law the Thai government has an obligation of "non-refoulement" - not to return anyone to a place where their life or freedom would be at risk.
The Thai government should ensure that its laws and procedures recognise the protection needs of ethnic Rohingya. The UNHCR has the technical expertise to screen for refugee status and the mandate to protect refugees and stateless people. Effective UNHCR screening of all boat arrivals would help the Thai government determine who is entitled to refugee status.
Refugee screening is crucial for protecting Rohingya asylum-seekers, and the Thai government should allow this critical process. Until the UNHCR is allowed to conduct refugee screening, the Thai government should halt forcible returns of Rohingya boat people.

Rohingya, Rakhines need to rebuilt trust, says Indonesia foreign minister


Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa  walking with local residents during a visit to western Myanmar's Rakhine state.
Sujadi Siswo 
Channel News Asia
January 8, 2013
RAKHINE, Myanmar: Indonesia's Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa has visited Myanmar's troubled Rakhine state, and the areas affected by sectarian violence. 
His visit was at the invitation of the Myanmar government.
Dr Natalegawa will make recommendations based on what he saw. 
More than 100,000 people are living in refugee camps, since fleeing inter-communal fighting that erupted last year. 
The overwhelming majority of those displaced are Muslims.
Indonesia has also pledged US$1 million in humanitarian assistance.
Dr Natalegawa shared his impressions soon after he wrapped up his trip.
He said it was crucial that trust be rebuilt between the Rohingya and ethnic Rakhines in the state.
Dr Natalegawa said: "The main impressions I had of my short visit to the area yesterday was that we are involved basically not only in the physical reconstruction and rehabilitation of the damage caused by the recent violence, but we must also nurture a sense of confidence, a sense of reconciliation among the different communities. 
"There is a tremendous sense of distrust between the two sides and we must return that sense of harmony that existed previously. It's no good having them segregated into one community and simply getting along, co-existing. They must be reconciled. They must be brought together. 
"In the end, we believe the efforts that must be introduced must be a sustainable one. It means it must be driven by communities themselves in the Rakhine state. And therefore, critical that both the Rohingya and Rakhine groups begin to have reconciliation, begin to have harmony reintroduced amongst themselves. It was quite surreal in many instances. These villages are very proximate to one another, and yet they are so distant in terms of trust and confidence."
He also reiterated the need to look beyond the immediate humanitarian response.
Dr Natalegawa said: "Economic opportunities are obviously very important. We must proceed beyond humanitarian emergency response, but we must provide economic opportunities. The prospect of better living conditions. these are the kind of things we in Southeast Asia, neighbours of Myanmar, must think beyond the emergency phase. 
"And I must say the scale of the challenge is pretty obvious, but Indonesia is ready to continue to lend support to Myanmar. This is because this is very much part and parcel of Myanmar's democratisation efforts."
He added that the Myanmar government was receptive of Indonesia's moves to find a solution to the ethnic conflict in Rakhine.
Dr Natalegawa said: "I think the Myanmar authorities have confidence in Indonesia's capacity to understand the situation in an objective manner. Over the years, we have similiarly done a bit more low-key in encouraging progress of democratisation in Myanmar. 
"We were also part of the process where Myanmar eventually got the ASEAN chairmanship in 2014, in return for certain expectations to take place. So I think this is a pathway that we have done in the past and we will continue to nurture a sense of trust and confidence by all concerned in Myanmar on this process."
Meanwhile, the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Myanmar said what the refugees need most urgently is proper shelter, especially with the rainy season approaching.
Mr Ashok Nigam also reiterated that security is a perennial concern in Rakhine.
"At this time, many of the IDPs cannot move out of their camps because of concerns of conflict between the two communities. So security is a concern that we always have at this time. We have other issues with regards to shelter. We need land for shelter. These people have been displaced and to find land in the places where they were originally living is difficult in some cases, and that is taking time, so shelter is taking time," he said.
The UN and its partners in Myanmar have put up a Rakhine Response Plan to meet humanitarian needs till June this year.
But the US$68 million plan is still short of some $41 million.
The UN office in Myanmar is also working with the Thein Sein administration to help find a permanent solution for the Rohingya and the Rakhine community.
Mr Ashok Nigam said: "We are in dialogue with the government that we need to address the reconciliation between the two communities or at the very least the co-existence - peaceful co-existence of the two communities in this context. To address this we have to address some of the very root causes of this conflict - which lie in the lack of citizenship for many of the Muslims in the Rakhine State, which prevents them from moving around freely in the country."
Any proposed solution will likely come from the independent commission of inquiry set up by the government following the outbreak of conflict in June last year.
Mr Ashok Nigam added: "It is a commission which incorporates 27 members across society. It is to come up with both the reasons for the violence and also recommendations on what next needs to be done. So the commission's findings will be very important. And we certainly hope that they will provide more ideas and directions in moving forward and that's what the government is looking for from the commission."

70 Families Escaping Killed and Raped



Buthidaung: Recently, a group of 70 Rohingya families from Kyauktaw crossed the mountain to come to Buthidaung (particularly to Fuimali village) due to unbearable situations there and starvation as Rakhines and the authorities blocked all sources of food supply to Rohingya people. On the way many including women and children were brutally killed and raped by Rakhines, Murung, and Naskaka. Many women were seen brought naked without clothes into the Fuimali villages by Nasaka as witnessed by many in the Fuimali markets. 
Furthermore, those who helped the victims were detained by Nasaka or released by offering hefty money. The situation is by no means bearable by any human beings and the Rakhines and the authorities are fully responsible for all these inhuman crimes against humanity. 
Attentions of UN and International communities are immediately required to interfere these types of situations and extreme pressure to Burma is urgently needed including UN forces presence in Arakan otherwise very soon the whole Rohingya population will be in total extinction.

Soul-Shattering Plight of Rohingyas and the Negligence of their Outcries

Today, Rohingyas and Kamans in Arakan have become preys in the Burmese regime’s dirty and cruel political tactics and trapped among other self-interested extremist groups. They have been massacred and being killed in the secret cells, their houses have been burnt down and their properties vandalized, their women have been raped and their religious buildings locked down and so on and so forth. In short, a systematic pogrom and all kinds of possible atrocities have been being carried out against these highly neglected and helpless people. They have cried out for help not only to the Burmese but also to the international communities. Buddhist Burmese did not come forward to help the people being killed as they are supposed-to-be being Buddhists. They got trapped in the regime’s Divide and Rule Policy. A few international organizations and countries who have come forward to help all the victims regardless of race and religion met with stern oppositions from the fanatic and racist section of the Burmese society. 
As a result, miserably, the painful and soul-shattering plight of these widely neglected and vulnerable people continue till these days. To start with, on 7th January 2013, an 83-year-old Rohingya man was arrested by the Military led by the second commander (Du Htetyin Muu), Colonel (Bohmuu) Ye Win Aung, of the battalion based at the village of Kha Ye Myaing near to the village of Nurallah in southern Maung Daw. The old man named Abdu Jalil S/o Ali Meah from Nuralla was coming to Baggona to buy Medicines for ill health. He is so old and weak that he can’t walk without the help of a stick. He was arrested with the typical arbitrary accusation of his involvement in torching Rakhines’ houses. If Kyat 2 Million is not given to the military within 24 hour from the time of his arrest, he will be handed over to the Police. Imagine an 83-year-old man who can’t move without a stick has involved in torching houses!! I can imagine military have no shame of doing so as they are uneducated, ill-natured and have slave mentality. But how will you feel if it is done to your own father or grand-father?? 
On one more occasion, on December 25, 2012, Bohmuu Ye Win Aung extorted Kyat 7 Lakhs from called Islam, by threatening him to hand over to Police, from the village of Htet Oo Annauk of Baggona village tract. On December 21, 2012, he did the same to Noor Mohammed from Kilai Daung (Du Chi Ya Dan) by extorting a humongous Kyat 4.5 Millions. On November 25, 2012, he arrested Mohammed Alam S/o Abdu Shukkor, a young Rohingya, with the same accusations mentioned. He said, upon giving Kyat 2 Million to him, would release the young Rohingya. Quite disgustingly, he backed out of what he said. He not only extorted the money but also handed over to the Police. According to Rohingyas in the region, Bohmuu Ye Win Aung has gone rampant, wild and arbitrary. Today, Kidnapping and Abducting of Rohingyas, Threatening and torturing them and Extorting of Money from anyone he thinks he can has become his only business there. He is exactly behaving like SOMALI PIRATES. 
On 30th December 2012, Military and Rakhine extremists from the village of Tharay Kunbaung San Phya were driving away 130 Oxen+Cows owned by Rohingyas from the village of Fudu Fara of Gaw Du Sara Village Tract. The Rohingya villagers shouted and four of them got arrested by Military and handed over to the Police. Having the information, Nay Myay Mu (Head of the NaSaKa Region 7) ordered to give the animals back to the villagers. The animals were returned but the destiny of the four Rohingyas handed over to the Police is not known yet. Later on 1st January 2013, the same military group including a one-star ranking Major together with the Rakhine extremists broke into two Rohingya houses in the village post 12 midnight. In a house, three military together with two Rakhine extremists gang-raped a 16-year-old under-aged Rohingya girl named AISHA D/o Hussein Ahmed. She was almost to death due to injuries resulted from gang-raping and man-handling. But (to her good luck or bad luck I don’t know) she survived after the medical treatment. 
In another house, other military did the same to a 30-year-old woman called Firoza D/o Mohammed. She is a mother of five and widow, whose husband, Mohammed Ayub, was killed by Rakhine extremists a month back while he was looking after his animals in the forest. Why? As these evil military in human form said, they were their men who shouted while they were taking away the animals from the village. Imagine the innocent girl and the woman were your sisters! What will your reactions be towards the grave injustice done against them??? 
While Rohingyas in Maung Daw and Buthidaung are being killed inside their houses, Rohingyas and Kamans in Sittwe, Pauktaw, Myebun, MinBya, Kyauktaw are being killed in the open fields. Rohingyas and Kamans as well as their children, babies and infants have been facing starvation, famine and different kinds of spreadable diseases. They are dying in numbers day by day. Nay!!! It is not an ordinary famine. It is a systematic man-made human catastrophe and famine- the only differing fact from the 1983-1985 famine of Ethiopia. While IDP Camps of Rohingyas and Kamans in Sittwe are receiving some foreign aids, the other regions mentioned here are completely neglected and hidden from international scenes. Imagine what is happening with them. Just feel it with your eyes closed! 
“We request those Burmese who perceive us illegal invaders from Bangladesh to demand U Thein Sein to hold a meeting with Bangladesh government. And to ask Bangladesh government to take us back if we belong there. Why should we go to a third country if we belong to Bangladesh? Why is not U Thein Sein asking Sheikh Hasina such a thing instead of UNHCR Chief Antonio Gutterres? We are also humans. We can’t be killed inhumanely the way it is happening now. Buddhism, either, doesn’t even allow inflicting pains even on the smallest living creatures let alone killing human beings! 
In fact, we have been living here for centuries and for generations. Many know this. Those who don’t know just read the Burmese Encyclopedia Volume 9 Part A and check the records of Burmese Broadcasting Service (BSS). No need to go to long history back! We have more than enough records and evidences of our existence in Arakan from the time immemorial. We are paying the costly price for being too naive and simple through the history. It is the time for the genuine Burmese Buddhists to show their true Buddhism by helping to save the lives of, we, human beings. It is time for international community to come forward to effectively help us in time and before we are exterminated. Or else, please don’t make a history out of us a later point of time as such and such people existed once upon time and were exterminated” cried out a 60-year-old Rohingya man from Maung Daw.

Monday 7 January 2013

A Mosque was destroyed by Burma’s Border security force (Nasaka)

Maungdaw, Arakan State:  A Mosque was destroyed by Burma’s Border security force (Nasaka) on January 5, at Maungdaw Township, said a religious leader on condition of anonymity.  
“This mosque was built in Barsara village, under the Nasaka area No. 8 of Maungdaw Township in 2011, after getting necessary documents from the concerned authorities.”
At first, the Barsara village was situated at the sea beach of Bay of Bengal; but this village was forcibly transferred to a mountain side in 2010 and 2011. It has 80 houses and two mosques. In 2010, the Nasaka transferred 40 houses to a Mountan adjacent and then in 2011, another 40 houses were also transferred to the same mountain side, according to a local leader.
After transferring all the villagers to a new village, they built on mosque for the new Barsara village instead of two mosques after acquiring necessary documents from the concerned authorities, the local more added.
However, on December 5, in the morning, a group of Nasaka from Inn Din Nasaka camp went to the new Barsara village and destroyed the “Belaro mosque” without giving any advanced warning to the villagers.  After building, it was named “Belaro Mosque”,   said a local trader.
The size of the mosque is 10 yards in length, 5 yards in width and 3.5 yards in height.
“A village elder said that the government looks us with bad temper. They are always trying to uproot and destroy us.”
Besides, on December 3, the District Administration officer, the Township administration officer of Maungdaw town went to Khadir Bill village, Khair Para, and Kolaba village and locked all the mosques. Earlier, less than five people are permitted to go to the mosque to say five prayers, said a local religious leader who denied to be named.

Five Rohinga houses were burned down by Rakhine Natala villagers at Maungdaw south on January 2, at night, said a local villager on condition of anonymity

Maungdaw, Arakan State:  Five Rohinga houses were burned down by Rakhine Natala villagers at Maungdaw south on January 2, at night, said a local villager on condition of anonymity.
“The Natala villagers are from Inn Din Rakhine Natala village of Maungdaw Township. They set fire to the houses of Rohingya Inn Din village by throwing kerosene gallons with fire. Later, Rohingya villagers found some of plastic gallons while the Natala villagers fled from the scene.” 
“The owners of the houses are identified as---Rahamat Ullah (30), son of Kasim, Din Mohammed (35), son of Abdu Motalab, Sharafat Ullah (40), son of Sayedullah, Bindo (35), son of Nazir Ahmed and Nurul Islam (50), son of Hipru.”
On that day, at around 10:30 pm, a group of Natala villagers from Inn Din Rakhine Natala village went to Inn Din Rohingya village and set fire to the said houses with kerosene gallons. When the fire was seen by the villagers, neighboring villagers rushed to the spot and tried to extinguish the fire, but in vain. All the household belongings were burnt down including paddy, rice, even their fowls and goats. The villagers lost all their possessions, said a close relative of the victims.
Besides, in the fire, a villager was seriously burnt and has been taking medical treatment from a local quack doctor because of difficulty to admit in government hospital, he more added.
The next day, the villagers went to the local Nasaka camp with the plastic gallons and appraised the event. The commander of the Nasaka told them that the owners of the houses burnt down their houses by themselves and gave blames to the Rakhine villagers.  So, the villagers did not get justice from the Nasaka officer and returned their village with disappointment, said one of the villagers who went to Nasaka camp.
The Natala villagers are encouraged by the local security force to commit any crime against the Rohingya community. After the riot in June, 2012, the local Rakhine community and the concerned authorities have been disturbing the Rohingya community.  How will the Rohingya community get peace under the Then Sein’s quasi-civilian government? , said a village elder preferring not to be named.
Local Rakhine community with the collaboration of local concerned authorities will disturb the Rohingya community until and unless taking stern actions against the culprits who committed crimes against the Rohingyas. Their intention is not to live Rohingya people peacefully in Arakan, at last to flee the motherland, said another local elder.

Letter from America: The Rohingya Question – Part 6

By Dr. Habib Siddiqui
As we have noted elsewhere there are other records, including British, which mention the name Rohingya. Consider, for instance, the account of the English surgeon to Embassy of Ava, Dr. Francis Buchanan (1762-1829 CE), who visited Burma decades before the British occupied the territory.

He published his major work “A Comparative Vocabulary of Some of the Languages Spoken in the Burma Empire” in 1799, in the fifth volume of Asiatic Researches, which provides one of the first major Western surveys of the languages of Burma. What is more important is that his article provides important data on the ethno-cultural identities and identifications of the various population groups in the first half of Bodawpaya’s reign (1782-1819).
He wrote, “I shall now add three dialects, spoken in the Burma Empire, but evidently derived from the language of the Hindu nation. The first is that spoken by the Mohammedans, who have long settled in Arakan, and who call themselves Rooinga, or natives of Arakan. The second dialect is that spoken by the Hindus of Arakan. I procured it from a Brahmen [Brahmin] and his attendants, who had been brought to Amarapura by the king’s eldest son, on his return from the conquest of Arakan. They call themselves Rossawn, and, for what reason I do not know, wanted to persuade me that theirs was the common language of Arakan.
Both these tribes, by the real natives of Arakan, are called Kulaw Yakain, or stranger Arakan. The last dialect of the Hindustanee which I shall mention is that of a people called, by the Burmas, Aykobat, many of them are slaves at Amarapura. By one of them I was informed, that they had called themselves Banga; that formerly they had kings of their own; but that, in his father’s time, their kingdom had been overturned by the king of Munnypura [Manipur], who carried away a great part of the inhabitants to his residence. When that was taken last by the Burmas, which was about fifteen years ago, this man was one of the many captives who were brought to Ava. He said also, that Banga was seven days’ journey south-west from Munnypura: it must, therefore, be on the frontiers of Bengal, and may, perhaps, be the country called in our maps Cashar [Cachar].” [Notes: 1. In the above account, the word Rohingya is spelled as Rooinga.. 2. Cachar district, part of the state of Assam in India, is located north-east of Sylhet in Bangladesh; it is located between the Indian state of Manipur and Bangladesh.]
Dr. Buchanan’s above statement is very revealing in that it shows that before the British occupied Arakan and the rest of Burma there were already Muslims living there who had identified themselves as the Rohingya, and that it was not an invented term. This observation squarely contradicts the current campaign by ultra-nationalist Rakhines and Burman racists that the Rohingyas settled in the Arakan only after the British occupation.
In his massive work - A Geographical, Statistical, and Historical Description of Hindostan and the Adjacent Countries in Two Volumes, published in London in 1820, Walter Hamilton wrote about Arakan (the Rakhine state), “The Moguls know this country by the name of Rakhang, and the Mahommedans, who have been long settled in the country, call themselves Rooinga, or the natives of Arracan.”
Thus, we can draw the conclusion that before the British even entered Arakan, the Muslim inhabitants called themselves by that name and were known as such by others.
These revelations about the Rohingya people from Buchanan and Hamilton should not come as a surprise to any genuine researcher of Arakanese and Burmese history. Numerous research works have demonstrated that a substantial portion of Arakan’s Muslim population was made up of descendants of Muslims who had lived in Arakan for centuries.
In his first hand account of the Arakanese Muslims, Charles Paton, wrote, “The Musselman Sirdars generally speak good Hindustani, but the lower orders of that class, who speak a broken sort of Hindustani, are quite unintelligible to those who are not thoroughly acquainted with the jargon of the southern parts of the Chittagong district.” It is not difficult to understand why the elites (Sirdars or Sardars) within the Arakanese Muslim society - the descendants of those attached to royalty and those in high offices - were more familiar with Hindustani, which is closer to Farsi, than the less educated cultivator class. Many of the forefathers of those elites came as the soldiers of generals Wali Khan and Sandi Khan who came to restore the kingdom of Nara-meik-hla in the early 15th century, and courtiers, ministers and administrators – as we shall see below - that later attached themselves with the Arakanese royalty in Mrohaung.
In his travelogue, the Augustine monk Friar Sebastian Manrique mentioned Arakanese king’s coronation ceremony in the early 17th century in which the parade was opened by Muslim cavalry unit of Rajputres from India, which was led by its cavalry leader.
Michael Charney in his doctoral dissertation (under the supervision of Professor Juan Cole of the University of Michigan) mentions about the emergence of Muslim ‘cultivator’ class in Arakan from at least the 17th century when large number of Bengalis were kidnapped by Maghs and Portuguese slave traders to work in the Kaladan valley. Quoting Manrique, he says that from 1622 to 1634, some 42,000 Bengali captives were brought in by the Portuguese pirates. By 1630, there were probably 11,000 Bengali families living in rural areas of Danra-waddy. The actual number is, however, significantly higher since there were also royal-sponsored campaigns to bring Bengalis as captives. Charney estimates that between 1617 and 1666, the total number of those Bengali captives could be 147,000. He also mentions about Bengali captives brought from Chittagong to Arakan as late as 1723 during the reign of Sanda-wizaya-raza. Those captives were called Kala-douns in the Arakanese chronicles, “who were then donated as pagoda-slaves in the ordination halls and monasteries, including the Maha-muni shrine complex.”
As noted by Professor Moshe Yegar of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the capture and enslavement of prisoners was one of the most lucrative types of plunder of Bengal by joint Magh and Portuguese pirates. In his article, “The Crescent in the Arakan”, Yegar wrote, “Half the prisoners taken by the Portuguese and all the artisans among them were given to the king; the rest were sold on market or forced to settle in the villages near Mrohaung. A considerable number of these captives were Muslims.” It is not difficult to surmise that those abducted slaves and their descendants would identify themselves as the Rohingya.
Charney writes, “It is not surprising that in the late 1770s, as observers based in Chittagong explained, ‘Almost three-fourths of the inhabitants of Rekheng [Danra-waddy] are said to be natives of Bengal, or descendants of such… In short, despite the lack of complete data, it is still apparent that the demographic contribution of Bengali captives to Danra-waddy’s population is considerable.”
Charles Paton, similarly, mentioned the reason why the Rohingya Muslims were traditionally employed in farming: “The Mugs being particularly fond of hunting and fishing, do not make such good farmers as the Musselmans; however, as Banias and shop-keepers, they surpass the Bengalis in cunning, and, on all occasions try, and very often successfully, to overreach their customers: stealing is a predominant evil amongst them …” The Arakanese (Rohingya) Muslims and Hindus, as children of the indigenous people of the soil, were mostly involved in wet farming since time immemorial, a tradition which they retained before and after the British moved into Arakan.
Charney also mentions about the existence of a small group of Muslims dating as far back as the 9th century. He also cites Arakan traditions which hold that ship-wrecked Muslims had settled in Arakan as early as the 8th century. The Muslim population grew significantly with the Mrauk-U dynasty. Even Muslim mercenaries were brought in to fight in special campaign or to solve special problems within Arakan. He writes, “It is unlikely that these mercenaries had no influence in terms of advertising Islam to the Arakanese. After all, the Muslim mercenaries who helped restore Nara-meik-hla to his throne seem to have built the Santikan mosque in Mrauk-U in about 1430. There was also certainly a small Muslim presence among the intermediary service elites in the royal city during the early Mrauk-U period… At the beginning of the seventeenth century, there were many Muslims in the Arakanese court, including a Turkish courtier … who seems to have become a kind of royal adviser.”
There was also a small, but wealthy and influential community of Muslim traders in Arakan. “Even higher status Muslims arrived as political refugees from Bengal with Shah Shuja in the mid-seventeenth century. Together, Muslims in the royal city formed a special social group with a privileged and unique socio-political role than their rural counterparts enjoyed, with different connections to the Muslim world,” notes Charney. Suffice it to say that before Bodawpaya’s invasion of Arakan, Arakanese Muslims (also known as the Rohingya) were employed in various professions: from high ranking courtiers in the capital city to non-elites and agriculturalists into the countryside.
Quoting British census, Charney says that in 1891 there were 126,586 Muslims in Arakan (most of whom were concentrated in Danra-Waddy, wherein sat the capital), comprising roughly 19% of the total population. This figure should not come as a surprise given the fact that in the 1830s, at least 30% of Arakan’s general population was Muslim. For the original number to increase to the 1891 number, only a growth rate of 2.24% was necessary. This annual growth rate is below what was prevalent in those days amongst the Muslim population in Bengal and Arakan suggesting rather strongly that to grow to that size it did not require an influx from outside.
As I have pointed out in an earlier work on demography in Arakan, a rational basis for understanding the size of the Rohingya population in Burma during the British period lies in Charles Paton’s data when the East India Company colonized Arakan. As the Sub-commissioner in Aracan (Arakan), he was able to estimate the population soon after Arakan came under British rule. He said, “The population of Aracan and its dependencies, Ramree, Cheduba, and Sandoway, does not, at present, exceed a hundred thousand souls, and may be classed as follows: Mugs, six-tenths; Musselmans, three-tenths; Burmese, one-tenth; total, 100,000 souls.”
The questions that an unbiased researcher, therefore, has to ask are: what happened to those 30,000 Arakanese Muslims whom Paton called Musselmans? During the British period in 1871, 1881, 1891, 1901, 1911, 1921, 1931 and 1941 or thereafter what was the size of their population?
Ignoring such obvious signs and records of presence, many Rohingya-deniers continue to say that the Rohingyas are not an ethnic group in Myanmar. And in recent months we have witnessed quite a few state-managed demonstrations, which even included highly politicized pro-government, ultra-racist monks carrying placards that demanded that the 1982 constitution – responsible for making the Rohingya people stateless - should be strictly followed by the government so that they can be removed from Myanmar. Claims and demands of this kind are symptomatic of the depth of racism and bigotry that has penetrated the Buddhist society inside Myanmar. Consequently, the latest genocidal campaign to ethnically cleanse the Rohingya which began in June of 2012 has already succeeded in uprooting more than a hundred thousand Rohingya people who are now forced to live in concentration camps, unless they choose to settle for a life of uncertainty elsewhere. They cannot go out to fetch livelihood. As al-Jazeera’s documentary film ‘The Hidden Genocide’ revealed, they are starving to death. It is a slow death camp for them!

About Me

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