Security force attempt to rape a Rohingya family in Maungdaw

Maungdaw, Arakan State: Security personnel (Hluntin) stationed near the Maungdaw football ground tried to attempt to rape a Rohingya family near their station on December 31, at midnight, according to a village administration office member.

“The security post is established after June clashes to save the Rakhine community (Sanpya village) under the Ward number 4, of Maungdaw town. But, the security force (Hluntin) are harassing Rohingya community who pass near the security post.”
The Rohingya family is staying nearby Rakhine village and the last point of Rohingya village near the football ground. The Hluntin personnel (6 persons) tried to attempt to rape the Rohingya family which has more females in the house on December 31 with allegation to check the family list, according to a member of family.
“The male family members were fleeing from the house while Hluntin entered their compound and broke the first door of the house. All the females were staying in a room inside the house and didn’t open the door where the females staying. The females screamed out for help and nearby people (Rakhine and Rohingya) rushed to the spot. The security force (Hluntin) fled to their station when they saw the people coming.”
The Thein Sein government is twisting international community with false information as they are trying to restore stable the condition in Arakan and give the Rohingya citizen rights after checking.
But, in the ground, the local officials are harassing Rohingya community and trying to label Rohingya as a Bengali with digital fingerprints and photographs for registration process, according to a politician from Maungdaw.
“The Rohingya community are not going to the center where the authority forcefully taking digital fingerprints and photographs for registration process with Bengali race which Rohingyas don’t accept.”

No safety for Rohingyas in Arakan State

Maungdaw, Arakan State: There is no safety for the Rohingya community in Arakan State, Burma because Rakhine community and concerned authorities are harassing- arrest, killing, extortion, rape, looting - continuously the Rohingyas, said a village administration officer on condition of anonymity. 
“Since occurring clashes in June 2012, hundreds of Rohingya Muslims were 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.”
Village administration officer also said that hundreds of Rohingya youths (over 10 years) had left their motherland to seek better opportunity because of no security of their lives in Arakan. Many Rohingya youths had already died in the sea during the risky traveling to Malaysia and also many Rohingyas have been languishing in different jails such as--- Bangladesh, India, Thailand--- and etc.
An elder from Aley Than Kyaw village said that Burma’s security forces including Rakhines are arresting and extorting money from the Rohingya community with fabricated and false cases such as--- holding Bangladeshi mobile phones, involvement in recent violence, involving in drug smuggling, involvement in human trafficking, cutting wood from the forest, border- cross and etc.
“We can’t understand the law of present Burma’s authority. We are human being. We are being kept in a big cage like birds. How many days, we will be living in such discrimination and human right abuses in our motherland?”
On December 29, an old man named Habib Ullah (65), son of Moggul Ahmed of Khonzabil, of Nasaka area No, 7 of Maungdaw south was severely beaten up by a group of Rakhines in nearby mountain. He went to mountain to look his crops while 12 Rakhine youths from Sommona Natala village went there and tortured him without giving any reason. Later, he was brought to his home by some villagers. Now, he is being taken private treatment in his village, said a village trader.

Over 3,923 Rohingyas pushed back to Burma in 2012

Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh: More than 3,923 Rohingya were arrested and pushed back to Burma by the concerned authorities of Bangladesh in 2012, said a local source from border.
“They were arrested from the Bangladesh-Burma border by the concerned authorities of Bangladesh while they were taking shelter after entering the Bangladesh.”
Of them, there were males, females and children. They were arrested in different raided by Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), police and Bangladesh Coast Guard. After investigating, they were pushed back again, according to sources.
The authorities arrested in January 214 Rohingya people, in February  445 people, in March 274 people, in April 188 people, in May 132 people , in June 970 people, in July 298 people, in August 293 people, in September 462 people, in October 106 people, in November 363 people and in December 178, according to official.
Official also said that hundreds of Rohingyas entered the Bangladesh from Burma after violence between Rakhines and Rohingya Muslims in June 2012 while the Bangladesh border was blocked by the Bangladeshi authorities. More Rohingyas came to Bangladesh from Sitwee (Akyab). Later, all arrestees were pushed back to Burma.
According to different sources, many Rohingyas are crossing Burma-Bangladesh border because of persecutions by the Burma’s authorities and Rakhines.

One villager was arrested by Nasaka

Maungdaw, Arakan State: One villager was arrested by Nasaka (Burma’s border security force), on December 29, at Maungdaw south, over the accusation that he had involved in human trafficking, according to a businessman who denied to named. 
“The accused is identified as Salim Ullah ( 45), son of Abdu Salam, hailed from Myinn Hlut(May Rulla) village of Nasaka area No.8 of Maungdaw south, Arakan State, Burma. “
On that day, at night, a section of Nasaka from the local Nasaka camp went to the said village and arrested the victim Salim Ullah on the accusation that he had involved in human trafficking, according to a close relative of the victim.
After arrest, he was brought to the Nasaka camp and detained there, so far. The Nasaka officer (Military intelligence officer) demanded Kyat 500,000 to be released. But, the arrestee was not able to pay the money, so he was severely tortured in the camp.
According to some villagers, he is an innocent man and he did not know the regarding the human trafficking.  It is a deliberate action against him.
The Commander of Nasaka area No.8 is taking money from the villagers who want to go to Malaysia. Though, he himself collecting the money from the villagers with the cooperation of his agent, the commander accused other people as human traffickers, said a local trader who denied to be named.
The Commander takes Kyat 200,000 per head who wants to go to Malaysia. It is a good method that the Commander gets money and also to reduce the Rohingya community from the Arakan State. It means that two birds in one shoot, a local schoolteacher said.

Cops nab 30 more illegals who jumped off boat

Myanmar people of Rohingya ethnicity who are living in Malaysia, display placards during a rally (Photo - Reuters)

LANGKAWI: Another 30 illegal immigrants have been rounded up, bringing the total of detained Myanmar nationals, who attempted a mass entry into Malaysia, to 481.

The 30, including their boat's captain, were nabbed within 500m of the spot where most of them landed in Burau Bay here.

Police believe there were still more than 10 people from the group in hiding.

In the attempt at about 1.30pm on Sunday, about 500 Myanmar nationals, some as young as seven, were forced to jump off a boat and swim 500m to shore.

One was found dead and two others were very weak and were rushed to hospital. Police found 449 others stranded on the beach, worn out from the tiring swim.

Most of those rounded up were men. There were 13 women, seven boys and three girls.

A girl from the group was also sent to hospital but all three were later discharged.

Late on Sunday evening, 14 more were caught. Another eight were nabbed yesterday morning while the captain and seven other men were detained at Kuala Teriang about 4pm yesterday.

Together with the eight arrested yesterday morning, they were all handed over to the Langkawi Immigration Department and left Langkawi for the immigration detention camps or depots nationwide by 11am yesterday.

The body of the Myanmar, who was killed after he was hit by the boat's propellers when he jumped into sea, was buried at a Muslim cemetery in Langkawi yesterday.

According to a witness at the scene, the immigrants jumped from a 30m wooden boat.

“One of the Myanmar nationals said they had sailed from Myanmar for 12 days after paying the agent US$300 (RM900) per person.

“The agent did not tell them where they were heading. They were ordered to jump into the sea when the boat was near the shore. They starved for five days,” said the witness.

Resort worker Azizan Ramli said some of the survivors approached him for water, adding: “They even drank from the plant pots.”

Phuket Stop for Boatpeople: Rohingya Children Now Fleeing 'Certain Death' in Burma

Children enjoy snacks off Phuket after 13 days at sea in an open boat (Photo - Phuket Wan)

Alan Morison & Chutima Sidasathian

Phuket Wan

January 1, 2013

PHUKET: A boatload of Rohingya - including women and children as young as three - was intercepted off the holiday island of Phuket in Thailand today.

The leader of the group of 74 told Phuketwan through an interpreter: ''Our families put to sea because there is no hope in Burma. If we stay, we will die.''

Previously, only men and boys among the persecuted Muslim minority put to sea. The family homes of thousands of Rohingya have been torched so the women and children now are also making the perilous voyages south in open boats. 

Organisations connected with the Rohingya expect more than 20,000 will put to sea and voyage past Phuket this ''sailing season'' between October and April.

It was disturbing to see young children among the passengers in the exposed open boat today. Hands reached out eagerly for food and cigarettes.

Phuketwan rented a tourist speedboat and was able to interview the group of 74 alongside their boat as Royal Thai Navy ratings replenished their fuel and supplies. 

Under Thailand's ''help on'' policy, the group will be told they cannot land but have been given assistance to reach their preferred destination, Malaysia. 

Mohamad, 45, told us: ''We were heading south with a much larger boat but we ran out of fuel so we had to stop here.''

The larger boat is believed to be the vessel that recently dropped about 500 passengers off the holiday island of Langkawi in Malaysia, with one man dying when struck by a propeller.

Off the southern Phuket holiday island destination of Rawai this morning, we reached the Rohingya boat in about five minutes. 

Rawai is a popular setting off point for tourist visitors who would have been exploring reefs and other island beaches today without realising the epic human drama of the boatpeople was just metres away. 

Of the 74 people crowded into the open boat, said Mohamad, 10 were children under the age of 10. There were three three-year-olds, two boys and a girl. 

Forteen women on board looked to Phuketwan to be mostly young teenagers.

The children keenly chewed on snacks given to them by local Chalong police and some of the men enjoyed cigarettes. 

The hold below the open deck is also packed with people. Mohamad said they had been sailing for 13 days, departing from Maungtaw, in Rakhine state, where so-called ''community violence'' has caused death and destruction since June. 

Mohamad said the fee asked by the people smuggler was 400,000 kyat per person.

Phuketwan has been covering the Rohingya saga since 2008 but this is the first time we've been able to intercept a group at sea. 

Other boatloads have landed on Phuket and along the Andaman coast from time to time. 

Usually they are described as ''Burmese'' - although the Rohingya are denied citizenship in Burma - and trucked straight back to the Thai-Burmese border. 

The children waved to us as the speedboat pulled away to head back to Phuket. 

Once they are ready and fully refuelled, the Rohingya's ''holiday'' off Phuket will be at an end.

Burma denies genocide against the Rohingya, who are hated by virtually all of Burma's Buddhist majority. 

But most observers accept that a tactictly approved policy of ethnic cleansing is now forcing thousands of them to flee their homeland any way they can.

Institutional Discriminations on Education of Rohingyas: No Admission for Outstanding Students to the Universities with Professional Studies

(Translated into English by M.S. Anwar) 

There are so many students, in Maung Daw District, who passed the University Entrance Examination in 2012 with outstanding 3-4 distinctions and other flying colors. They applied for their respective interested courses for their tertiary education as per their examination results. According to the reports coming out, the announcement list and offers for their tertiary education had come out but none of the outstanding Rohingya students were offered the professional courses they deserve and applied for but offered those ordinary courses which they did not apply for. 

Once upon a time, Rohingya students used to get opportunities to study their university education in the fields of their interests with no discriminations. However, from 2001 onwards, the Burmese ultranationalist dictatorship government and the current pseudo-civilian fascist government of Burma have been discriminatorily seizing all the opportunities of higher education of the outstanding Rohingya students. As a result, the lives of these stupendous students ruin and sometimes they meet their untimely demises. 

“My son passed University Entrance Examination with three distinctions in 2004. He was offered no course for his university study even after one year of his application and eventually he got into depression and left his home for Malaysia. Nevertheless, unfortunately, their engine boat sank in the Bay of Bengal on its way to Malaysia and I lost my son” said to RB News by his mourning mother from Maung Daw. 

“A younger brother of mine passed his university entrance examination with four distinctions in 2008. He was not offered any of the professional courses he deserved. As a result, he got into depression and is mentally sick now” said an extremely anxious man from Buthidaung. 

“My son got three distinctions in the entrance examination in 2012. Since he achieved good grades, he applied for any of five professional courses of his interests. Shockingly, he was offered none of the courses he had applied for but Mathematics, a subject he had not applied for, was offered to him. Being a hardworking student with ambition, he is now extremely depressed and trying to commit suicide. The hearts of us, parents, bleed when we look at his situation” said a man from Buthidaung. 

In 1988, a Rakhine (Magh) extremist group called “Maung Daw AmmyoTha SaungChauk Ye Apphwe” (loosely translated into English as “Organization to Protect the National in Maung Daw”) demanded the then newly formed government by coup d’état to ban Rohingya Students from joining the universities for professional studies. The former dictator and ultranationalist general Khin Nyunt fulfilled the malicious wish of Rakhine (Magh) extremists by directing the Department for Higher Education not to give any Rohingya student from Maung Daw district admission to the Universities with Professional Studies. This is one of the many Ethnic Cleansing Policies of Myanmar’s Nazi Government implementing against Rohingyas. Such policies are still being implemented against Rohingyas by the President, U Thein Sein, who claims for Democratic Changes and Respects for Human Rights. Even though Rohingyas pleaded the government of U Thein Sein to stop such human rights violations, he is still continuing the violations. Such continuous violation of their human rights is clearly contradicting the recent statement of U Thein Sein “to Upgrade Rohingyas’ Education.” Thein Sein has proven that he is nothing an oxymoron and sociopath. 

[(Please Note: 

Maung Daw district consisting Maung Daw Tsp and Buthidaung Tsp can be called one of the most undeveloped and backward areas in Burma. There are no ample number of schools, good teachers, necessary study materials such as books, computers, internet services and so forth. 

Therefore, even merely passing the university entrance examinations in this area is not an easy task. 

And let me tell you that I was one of the victims of the same Institutional Discrimination on Education of Rohingyas. There are countless similar tragedies. 

I have deleted some writings of the original writer and added some new in order to adjust the article and make it easily understandable in English.)

A Look At Burma's Forced Famine

(Blockades Hold Back Food, Water, and Medical Aid)

Jack Lee
December 30, 2012

(part of The Darkness Visible series)

As Burma prepares the Rohingya for "citizenship" the order of the day appears to be starvation and police brutality. Thein Sein has publicly claimed that any Muslim who is a citizen of Myanmar will be treated as such under the newly formed democratic regime. Yet Rohingya and other Muslim ethnic groups in Burma have been subject to ethnic cleansing since June of 2012. This sort of violence occurred under the old Junta control and prior to Colonial power in the region. However this time around the threat of a total genocide against the Rohingya appears more plausible than ever before now that neighboring countries are developed enough to prevent escape. 

In the months that followed the massive influx of ethnic violence in the region the Junta style authorities reappeared in the Rakhine region of Burma. Police and military leaders immediately began rounding up Rohingya and in some incidents mass executions have taken place. Rohingya who were able to fight back were dealt with through systematic roundups and disarming by government and Buddhist militia like mobs. Those who survived were forced into camps that greatly resemble the small concentration camps used by the Japanese during World War Two. 

For those who were taken to police run camps and prisons the stories of torture became a very real situation. Boys as young as their early teens have been taken to these "safe houses" and prisons where they have been subjected to torture without ever once being convicted of any crime. Piles of bodies have been reported near or behind these facilities so as to leave the Muslim bodies out and unburied well past the time allotted for such ceremonies given by the Koran. 

Yet now that the outside world has shown even the most minimal amount of interest the Burmese government has pulled back on outright slaughter of the Rohingya. Instead of the mass executions that immediately followed the outbreak of violence, the Myanmar authorities have turned to their Communist teachings for inspiration in implementing the Rohingyas' "final solution". Following in the footsteps of Stalin, Thein Sien's government has begun expanding upon their original goal of starving out the Rohingya who they claim hide in the "illegal refugee camps". This method is meant to recreate Stalin's infamous "forced famines".

(Wasting Away As The Outside World Watches)

The goal of this barbaric method of warfare is to force submission or extermination of a selected group by withholding the basics all humans need to live. In the case of the Rohingya the Burmese have decided to blockade the camps and keep all sources of food, water, and medical aid out of Rohingya hands. Police and military have been recorded going into the camps to fetch any source of food or water that the Rohingya may scavenge. The blockades also serve as a way to keep the Rohingya in the camps so that they have no hope of escape. In affect, the refugee camps within Myanmar have become death camps. 

Starvation is the new reality for the Rohingya who hoped this wave of ethnic cleansing would pass like all the rest. Their children are dieing at an alarming rate as malnutrition claims the weakest members of their community first. Without some form of help soon the Rohingya within Burma may face total hell at the hands of their tormentors. 

There are stories leaking out of Burma that the government is growing tired of waiting. That the regime wants the "final solution" sooner than later. Military personnel have been reported to have been growing in number in regions further away from where Western media normally has access too. These soldiers, as usual, carry only more ammunition and absolutely no aid for the Rohingya they are now harassing. Even with starvation claiming more lives every day... it appears the Buddhists in charge are looking to cleanse their land of all other religions once and for all. 

This is the face of genocide in the modern age. This is the face of genocide in Myanmar. How long till we act? How many more times do we have to watch this before our hearts begin to beat?

Arakan News Updates: Neo-Nazi U Aung Min Soe and his Fascist Speech

Buthidaung, Arakan - U Aung Min Soe is a Rakhine (Magh) extremist and the head of the Maung Daw district administration that includes Maung Daw Tsp and Buthidaung Tsp. At 1PM yesterday (i.e. December 30, 2012), Maung Daw district administration gathered around 300 Rohingya Elders (from Buthidaung Tsp) at U Uttama Hall in Buthidaung Tsp. The administration authorities delivered speeches concerning a) uncertain data collection under the heading of illegal Bengali immigrants and invaders in computerized fingerprint system b) and Elections for the Administrations of the villages and quarters in the township. 

Of all the speeches delivered, the speech of the above-mentioned U Aung Min Soe was the bitterest, most chauvinistic, inauspicious, and fascist-and-neo-Nazi styled. Following are the some excerpts from his speeches.

1. You, people, are the descendants of foreigners. So, you all are foreigners as well. You must live here the way foreigners do. 
2. You don’t have any rights to possess properties or belongings worth more than Kyat 5,000,000 (Approximately US$ 6,000). 
3. You don’t have any rights to own a house, building, any kind of land, business and so on. 
4. You are not qualified to elect an administrator of a quarter or a village or to be elected as so. (In fact, most of the present administrators of the villages or quarters in Rohingya majority areas are and the former school teachers were Rohingyas themselves).
5. You will never have any rights equal to Rakhine Buddhists. 

Due to his racist and fascist speeches and ferocious movements in Buthidaung and Maung Daw nowadays, Rohingyas are living in fear of being the victims of targeted violence again led by Arakan State Administration (formed solely with Rakhine extremists) and Security Forces (Composed of mainly Rakhines). U Aung Min Soe is an extremist, anti-Rohingya and anti-Muslim. Likewise, Arakan State Administration and its Security Forces are also anti-Rohingya and anti-Muslim. 

U Aung Ming Soe has been in the forefront in systematically creating and plotting violence against Rohingyas triggered in June 2012. His book, Paccima Zone Magazine, Vol.1, published in February 2012, clearly proves that the violence against Rohingyas and Kamans in Arakan is plotted and conspired by Rakhine Extremists in the Administration, the radical Rakhine Buddhist Monks and other Rakhine (Magh) terrorists with the supports of Political-Gain-Centered Central Government of Myanmar.