Myanmar authorities have denied an application for a planned seminar on the ethnic identity of Rohingya Muslims living in the troubled western state of Arakan (Rakhine), according to an official Thursday.

Rohingya – whom the United Nations consider to be the world’s most persecuted ethnic minority — have been fleeing Myanmar in droves since 2012, in fear of violence that some human rights groups consider to be state sponsored.

A senior official confirmed to Anadolu Agency on Thursday that Yangon’s regional government had decided Wednesday to block the seminar, expressing concern that it could have sparked anger among the public.

“According to the decision of the cabinet meeting yesterday, we informed the organizers today that [they] were not permitted to hold the seminar,” the official said on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak with media.

“The seminar is not necessary at this time as even the President doesn’t accept the ‘Rohingya’ word.

Anadolu Agency was unable to reach organizers and participants of the “Consideration on the Ethnic Identity of So-called Rohingya” event for comment.

More than one million Rohingya Muslims – who the government denies citizenship in their own land, living in Arakan (Rakhine), which has witnessed a series of violent outbreaks between ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and minority Muslims since mid-2012.

According to the Arakan Project, a group monitoring rights violations and migration across the Bay of Bengal, the conflict has left hundreds dead and more than 140,000 – mostly Rohingya — confined to internal displacement camps.

Following a human trafficking crisis in Southeast Asia earlier this year, Myanmar’s neighbors had called on the country to resolve its Muslim Rohingya issue — which human rights groups have claimed is the source of the trafficking problem.

Myanmar has responded to any criticism of its internal problems by accusing outsiders of interfering in its affairs.

A French national working with an Islamic NGO has been arrested in Bangladesh, reportedly accused of “suspicious activities” that could mean up to 10 years in jail. He was working with the Rohingya minority, Muslims who have fled persecution in Buddhist-majority Myanmar.

Puemo Tchantchuing, who prefers to be known as Moussa Ibn Yacoub since his conversion to Islam, was arrested on Tuesday 22 December and has been detained since then.

As well as being accused of “suspicious activities”, punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment, he may be charged with using a false identity, because the name he uses is not the one on his passport and identity card, according to lawyer Samim Bolaky.

He was working for the French-based NGO Baraka City, which says he was stopped at a checkpoint while going to schools and orphanages in the south of the country where the Rohingya camps are situated.

“He is being kept in catastrophic conditions in cells that contain more than 40 prisoners,” Bolaky said.

He also faces charges for not registering with the authorities, according to Baraka City, which says that since the Rohingya are considered illegal immigrants it is not possible for the NGO to declare its presence legally.

The French embassy in Bangladesh has provided the “usual protection” and he is waiting to appear in court, France’s foreign ministry said.

Baraka City, which was founded by strict Salafist Muslims, manages a budget of several million euros.

French police have searched its premises several times and its bank accounts have been closed on more than one occassion but no connection to terrorist groups has ever been established.

Over 97,000 people had signed a Facebook petition for the detained man’s release on Sunday afternoon.

At least seven Rohingya houses were destroyed by an accidental fire at ‘Aung Sit Pyin’ village in northern Maungdaw yesterday evening.

The fire is said to have broken out from the kitchen around 5:30PM yesterday (on December 23) and gone out of control afterwards. The began from the house of a man named U Dudu Meah at ‘Dom Paik’ hamlet of ‘Aung Sit Pyin’ village tract to the north of ‘Kyeing Chaung (Boli Bazaar)’ village.

The fire brigade didn’t arrive as usual as it is a Rohingya village. However, the villagers came together and managed to extinguish the fire few hours later.

The Burmese (Myanmar) Border Guard Police (BGP) severely beat up two Rohingya men in northern December 13 in order to squeeze money from them, the reliable sources report.

A group of six BGP personnel from ‘Nagkura (Nagpura)’ camp under commandment area 5 made to the ‘MyaZin’ hamlet of ‘Lon Doong’ village tract in northern around 10:00PM on December 13. There, they beat up two innocent Rohingya men accusing them of wrong reasons. 

“Anwar Sadek Iman Hussein, a young Rohingya boy, was talking to his friend on phone standing at the gate of his house. There, the BGP encountered them and accused him of using Bangala phone.

However, they searched his body, they only found out a Myanmar MPT phone. However, the BGP accused him of hiding his Bangala phone and started beating him. After that, they not only seized his MPT phone but also extorted Kyat 40,000 from him.

Subsequently, they raided the redsidence of Mr. Abu Shukkor Akhbar Ali around 11:00PM night and said that they received a complaint against him. There at his own home, they beat him for one hour until 12:00 midnight.

After that, they took him to their camp where they beat and threatened him for the whole night. On December 14 morning, they released him after extorting Kyat 500,000.

However, he received severe injuries on his face from the tortures,” said a local Rohingya in northern Maungdaw.

The Border Guard Police beat and torture Rohingyas for no reason; they extort money from them; they humiliate Rohingya women ; and sometimes, they even kill them (the innocent Rohingyas). However, the higher authorities just let them commit the atrocities with impunity.

The Burmese (Myanmar) Border Guard Police has ordered closures of several Rohingya owned-shops in southern Maungdaw, the local reports.

The Border Guard Police also known as BGP based in ‘Inn Din’ village ordered on December 17 to close down at least 10 Rohingya shops located at ‘Zaydi’ hamlet of ‘Kyauk Pandu’ village tract tract in southern Maungdaw. The order to close down the shops is said to have come from the BGP as the business of the shops booming with increasing customers.

“Around 10 Rohingya-owned shops located at Zadydi hamlet of Kyauk Pandu (Shitaaf) village tract. This is to say they are located by the road between Kyauk Pandu village and Thinbaw Kway (Kullon) village. They mainly sell basic commodities such as food stuffs, medicines and phone covers etc. Their business is blooming as their sales are increasing.

However, the evil eyes of Major Lin Lin Naing, the cruel BGP Commander in ‘Inn Din (Aan Daang) village,’ have fallen on their business. He, out of malice and jealousy, has subsequently ordered to close down the business accusing the owners of running the shops without their permission.

Now, due to the order and pressure to close the down the business, the lives of the owners will become difficult now,” said an elderly local Rohingya in a neighbouring village.

They have licenses and also taken permission from NaSaKa (the former Border Security Force, the predecessors of BGP) when they started business. However, the Burmese Buddhist Police just want to cripple Rohingyas economically” he continued.

Moreover, the BGP also frequently rob local traders and shopkeepers and extort money from them.

Similarly, two local Rohingya youths — Hamidullah Abul Hussein, 23, and Haroon, 27 — run small bamboo trading shop in ‘Kyauk Pandu.’ On December 17, the BGP forcibly took away around ‘300 Bamboos’ causing them a loss of Kyat 120,000.

“If our shops especially owned by youths make more sales and our business makes profits, the authorities wantonly disrupt them. It is a tactic being implemented for a long time to make the youths jobless and hopeless ultimately forcing them (the youths) to leave the country) once and for all” said a Rohingya student in Maungdaw

Five people who were sent to jail for their involvement in printing a calendar that stated that Rohingya Muslims are an ethnic-religious minority in Myanmar appeared for the third time at Yangon’s Pazundaung Township Court yesterday, charged under section 505(b) of the Penal Code.

Section 505(b) provides imprisonment for anyone making, publishing or circulating information which may cause public fear or alarm, and which may incite people to commit offences “against the State or against the public tranquillity”.

On November 21, the police searched Kyaw Press, situated at 54th Street, Pazundaung Township, and found 52 printing plates and 3,490 printed papers. Subsequently Pazundaung Township Police Force Police Major Khin Maung Latt registered a case against Kyaw Press owner Hoke Shwe (aka Kyaw Kyaw), Manager Ye Thu Aung, employees Win Naing aka Marmek, Zaw Min Oo (aka Harnik) and bookbinder Win Htwe (aka Ismail) as well as the man accused of ordering the calendar, Aung Khin, under section 20 of the Printing Law. They were consequently fined 1 million kyats each by Pazundaung trial court on November 23.

Defence lawyer Myo Min Swe representing Win Naing told Mizzima, “This case was finished with a 1 million kyat each fine on November 23 but the Pazundaung Police Station Police Major charged this case again under section 505(b) of Penal Code on November 24. Aung Khin who ordered the printing has absconded. The remaining five will be produced before the court today. The accused, Aung Khin, came to my client’s printing press ‘Shwe Letyar’ but he told him that he could not accept the order as his press was overloaded with other job orders and suggested he go to another printing press on 54th Street and so he was charged with abetting,”.

He further said that the case would take a long time as the court would examine prosecution witnesses first and then his client later.

During the court’s witness examination, prosecution witness Saw Tun, the Shwepyithar Township Ward No. 19 administrator, said that he visited and inspected the house of Aung Khin at No. 1018, Khwarnyo Street, Ward No. 19 on November 25 at 2 a.m. with Pazundaung police station House Officer and beat constable Aung Win. Aung Khin’s daughter told them that the house was a rented house and her father was out at the moment. The witness also told the court that they heard that Aung Khin might stay at his son’s house in Shwepyithar Township, Ward No. 20.

Today’s court proceedings were witnessed by the Htantabin Abbot from the Patriotic Myanmar Monks’ Union under directions given to him by the nationalist Buddhist organisation Ma Ba Tha.

The Htantabin Abbot said, “Our abbot U Parmaukkha came and witnessed the first hearing but today he was not free and asked me to come and witness the hearing. The statement given today by the prosecution witness was evasive and he didn’t give straight and clear answers. It will be premature to give comments on this case at the moment. We will continue to watch and monitor this case.”

The Pazundaung Township court judge Nay Aung Myin has fixed the next hearing for the 23rd of this month.