Tuesday 30 September 2014

The Voice Of Rohingya

Myanmar’s national government has drafted a plan that will give around a million members of the persecuted Rohingya Muslim ethnic minority a bleak choice: accept ethnic reclassification and the prospect of citizenship, or be detained.
Most of Myanmar’s 1.1 million Rohingya already live in apartheid-like conditions in western Rakhine, where deadly clashes with ethnic Rakhine Buddhists in 2012 displaced 140,000 people, mostly Rohingya.
The plan, shared with Reuters by sources who have received copies of the draft, proposes Rakhine authorities “construct temporary camps in required numbers for those who refuse to be registered and those without adequate documents”.
Many Rohingya lost documents in the widespread violence, or have previously refused to register as “Bengalis”, as required by the government under the new plan, because they say the term implies they are illegal immigrants from neighbouring Bangladesh.
Despite winning praise for political and economic reforms introduced since military rule ended in March 2011, Myanmar has come under international pressure over its treatment of the Rohingya.
The plan says one of its aims is to promote peaceful co-existence and prevent sectarian tension and conflict.
It includes sections on resolving statelessness through a citizenship verification programme, as well as promoting economic development.
But rights advocates say it could potentially put thousands of Rohingya, including those living in long-settled villages, at risk of indefinite detention.
CITIZENSHIP OFFER
The government will offer citizenship for those that accept the classification and have required documentation. That may encourage some to consent to identification as Bengali.
Citizenship would offer some legal protection and rights to those Rohingya who attain it. But an official from Rakhine State who is part of the committee overseeing citizenship verification said even that would not resolve the simmering tensions between Buddhists and Muslims in the state, or prevent a recurrence of the inter-community violence that plagued the country in 2012.
“Practically, even after being given citizenship and resettlement and all that, a Bengali with a citizenship card still won’t be able to walk into a Rakhine village,” said Tha Pwint, who also serves on the committee that oversees humanitarian affairs in the Rakhine.
The plan was drafted at the request of the national government, said Tha Pwint and three other sources contacted by Reuters about the plan.
Myanmar government spokesman Ye Htut could not be reached for comment on the plan, despite repeated efforts by Reuters to contact him by telephone and email.
STATELESS MINORITY
Many Rohingya families have lived in Rakhine for generations and are part of a small minority in the predominately Buddhist Myanmar.
They are stateless because the government does not recognise the existence of the Rohingya ethnicity, and has to date refused to grant the majority of them citizenship.
Accepting the term Bengali could leave the Rohingya vulnerable should authorities in future attempt to send them to Bangladesh as illegal immigrants, said Phil Robertson, deputy director for Asia at Human Rights Watch.
“One of human rights’ core principles is the right to determine one’s ethnic and social identity and this is precisely what the Myanmar government is doggedly denying the Rohingya,” he said.
“So it’s no wonder that the Rohingya completely reject the national government’s efforts to classify them as ‘Bengalis’ because they know that is the starting point for an effort to confirm their statelessness and eject them from Myanmar.”
The draft plan states that the authorities would request the UN’s refugee agency, the UNHCR, to “resettle illegal aliens elsewhere”. That might leave them facing indefinite detention, Robertson said, as the UNHCR would be unable to assist.
Complying with the government request would be impossible, because the UNHCR only resettles “recognised refugees who have fled persecution and conflict across international borders”, said Medea Savary, a UNHCR spokeswoman in Myanmar.
“The group in question does not fall into this category.”
Myanmar is preparing to carry out a state-wide citizenship verification process for the Rohingya as part of the plan, a process it recently piloted.
The document says the plan “is a work in progress, with time frames to be adjusted according to the situation on the ground”.
Almost all Rohingya were excluded from a United Nations-backed census earlier this year after refusing to list their identities as Bengali.
The Action Plan for Peace, Stability and Development in Rakhine State also says the government will ask international agencies for help in having the “humanitarian needs met in terms of food, shelter, water and sanitation” for Rohingya living inside the new temporary camps.
Myanmar’s treatment of the Rohingya is proving a stumbling block to the country’s opening to the world since a semi-civilian, reformist government led by former general President Thein Sein took over after 49 years of military rule.
In May, U.S. President Barack Obama, who is due to visit Myanmar in November, cited abuses in Rakhine State as one reason for maintaining some economic sanctions.

The Voice Of Rohingya

Maungdaw, Arakan State: Burmese Border Guard Police (BGP) personnel produced 20 Rohingyas including four females to Maungdaw court on September 29 for remand, where the court granted seven days, according to an officer from court who denied to be named. 

“Now, they are kept in four miles riot police headquarters for more interrogations.”

BGP personnel went to near Bawli Bazar villages and arrested about nearly 20 villagers including females and males for not taking part in so-called population data collection or census since September 14, said, Amin, a local trader from the local.

Some of the arrestees are identified as---Maulana Nurul Islam (65); Hafez Abul Alam (25), son of Nurul Islam; Lalu (45), son of Mozer Meah; Abu Alam (43), son of Kadir Hussain; and Ms Tahera Begum (45), wife of Mohamed  Siddique. After arrest, all the arrestees were sent to Maungdaw police station and detained there, said one of the relative of the victims, prefer not to be named.. 

The concerned authorities restrict the Rohingya villagers’ movement, cannot move from one place to another without showing their family lists, which were checked by immigration. The villagers, who did not participate so-called population data collection or census are barred from going to any place and give them many kinds of harassment.  Even though, they are arrested by concerned authorities, with false and fabricated accusations such as ---linked with Rohingya Solidarity Organization - RSO (a rebellion group), Rashid Ahmed, a local leader said. 

The arrested villagers are innocent and have no links with said groups. It is a deliberate accusation to Rohingya community to harass them only. The Rohingya live under apartheid-like conditions, Rashid more said. 

Burmese officials use the term Bengali to indicate that the Rohingya are illegal immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh even they have been living in Burma for centuries, Rashid more added.

The Voice Of Rohingya

Maungdaw, Arakan State: Creating new method, the Burmese Border Guard Police (BGP) arrested six innocent villagers from Maungdaw north on September 27, over the allegation that they had linked with Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO), a rebellion group of Burmese Government, Shoffee (not real name) , a village leader preferring not to be named. 

“On September 25, in the morning, a group of army went to Burma- Bangladesh border and made two separate small groups and fought each other group about 15 minutes pretending as they met a suspected armed group at the border.” 
 
On September 27, Radio Free Asia (RFA) released a news about a fight between BGP and a suspected armed group on September 26, at the Burma-Bangladesh border, nearby pillar Nos. 46-47, about 15 minutes but, there were no casualties in both sides.
 
As a result, on September 28, the Burma police chief U Soe Maine also informed to RFA that three RSO members were arrested by BGP at BGP headquarters checkpost.

According to local sources, the three persons were going to Maungdaw from their villages, the BGP arrested them after checking their family lists which had no stamp of participated in so-called population data collection at BGP headquarters checkpost. But, the BGP inked them members of RSO. The arrested persons are; - Yasein Arafat from Kaladayfa village,  a person from Thit Htonena Khwasone ( Riazuddin Para) and another person from Taman Thar(Shab Bazar).  
 
Later, at the night of September 27, the BGP personnel arrested six innocent villagers including religious leaders from nearby Bawli Bazar under the Maungdaw Township. They are innocent villagers and had no linked with RSO. They were arrested only because they did not participate in so-called population data collection or census, said a local trader who denied to be named. 
 
The arrested villagers were identified as Malana Syed Alam , 34, son of Sultan Ahmed from Mingyi Ywa (Tola Toli),Malana Abdullah, 30,from Wed Kyain ( Wed Kyaung),Malana Shakar from PadaKha Daiwanali (Garata Bill),Warass, 29, son of Hamid Hussin  and Master Tayub, 32 from Kaladayfa village, were brought to Maungdaw police station where police are trying to frame case against them, said another relative of the victims. 

Similarly, the BGP arrested more than six persons from Taman Thar village on September 28 and tortured in Aung Tha Pay BGP camp and sent to Maungdaw police station where they were inked as RSO members, said Hashim from Maungdaw north.
 
Today, Police produced 20 Rohingya including four females in Maungdaw court for remand and court grant a week. Now they 20 Rohingyas were kept in four miles riot police headquarters for interrogation, according to an officer from court relative who denied to be named. 
 
 The villagers are living in their villages with fear because of arrest by BGP personnel in anytime implicating with RSO, said Ahmed Hussein, an elder  from Maungdaw.

The Voice Of Rohingya

Maungdaw, Arakan State: Burmese Border Guard Police (BGP) extorted money from villagers in Maungdaw Township recently for not participating in so-called population data collection or census by implicating false and fabricated case against the villagers, said Amin, a local elder from the locality.  

“Some of the BGP personnel from Kawar Bill BGP Headquarters accompanied by a group of military went to Balu Khali (Thay Chaung) village of Powet Chaung village tract under Maungdaw north on September 14, in the morning, and held a meeting in a primary school inviting  local villagers to discuss about the so-called population data collection or census.”
 
When the villagers went to the primary school for meeting, the BGP and army surround the school and were arresting the villagers according to their list. The authority has a list of 41 villagers to be arrested, but, of them, they were able to arrest 16 villagers, said one of the participants in the meeting. 
 
However, later, after interrogations, the authority released 12 villagers and the rest 4 villagers were brought to their camp and then sent to Maungdaw police station after implicating them that they had linked to Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO), the participant more added. 
 
The authority has no other ways and means to arrest the innocent villagers, so the authority deliberately accused them; they had connection with RSO, a rebellion group of Burmese government, said Anwer, a local leader from Maungdaw. 
 
“It is a deliberate design or strategy by the authorities to harass the Rohingya villagers because of not taking part in so-called population data collection or census”, said a political leader from Maungdaw Town who denied to be named. 
 
The arrested are identified as---- Akram (25), son of Abdul Hakim; Noor Hakim (20), son of Peran; Moulvi Jubair (28), son of Kasim; and Shuna Meah (25), son of Gura Meah. The authority arrested our youths because they want to destroy our young generation. However, on that day, they were released after taking Kyat 200,000 per head, one of the relatives of the victims said.  
 
Villagers have been facing many difficulties for only not participating in census or data collection because the authorities forced them to accept “Bengali” in placed of “Rohingya,” according to villagers. 
 
The concerned authorities also seized or taking away family lists of Rohingya villagers who were not taking participate in census and accused them they had connection with RSO. As a result, villagers are being frightened to meet with the concerned authorities to take return their family lists, said another villager named Seraz

The Voice Of Rohingya

Maungdaw, Arakan State: 17 villagers were arrested by Burmese Border Guard Police (BGP) in Maungdaw north, on September 20 over the allegation that they were not participated in so-called population data collection or census, said a local businessman Jalil from the local. 

“On that day, at about 9:00 am, Col. Tin Ko Ko, the Director of the BGP Headquarters of Kawar Bill (Kyigan Pyin) accompanied by some BGP personnel went to Kawar Bill village and held a meeting in a primary school, inviting villagers who were not taking part in so-called population data collection.” 
 
In the meeting, the police arrested 10 villagers who were refused the census processing or population data collection because of writing “Bengali” instead of “Rohingya” in the Forms, said Hamid, a man who attended the meeting.  
 
The arrested are identified as---Mohamed Rofique (32), son of Ismail; Hafizur Rahman (65), son of Mohamed Sidique; Nazir Ahmed (45), son of Moha (35), son of Abdu Kader; Mohamed Ayas (30), son of Mohamed Sultan; Mohamed Yasin (40), son of Mohamed Khorim; Mohamed Shoffique (32), son of Boshir Ahmed and two others.  They all belong to Kawar Bill village, Hamid added. 
 
After arrest, they were sent to Maungdaw police station and then the concerned authorities were trying to open case against them, but they did not find any clue or crime to file case as they were innocent.  However, at last, the authorities framed case against them over the allegation that they had linked with Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO), said a youth from the locality who denied to be named.  
 
According to a reliable source from Maungdaw, all the arrestees will be sent to Buthidaung jail from Maungdaw court soon.  
 
Besides, the BGP personnel of Maungdaw also arrested another 7 villagers from Kyauk Hla Gaar village of Maungdaw north one month ago, over the allegation that they were not taking part in so-called population data collection or census. They will be also sent to Buthidaung jail after two years imprisonment each by the Maungdaw court, according to a village elder, who denied to be named.
 
The concerned authorities illegally arrested the said villagers and will be sent to jail because of not participating in the so-called population data collection, said  Hasu, a local elder.

About Me

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