Sunday, 28 April 2013

B.R.A.T PRESS RELEASE STOP ROHINGYA ETHNOCIDE




MONDAY, 29 APRIL 2013


PRESS RELEASE 


BURMESE ROHINGYA  ROHINGYA ASSOCIATION IN THAILAND

STOP ROHINGYA ETHNOCIDE

We,the whole Rohingya and peeace loving people of Burma , condemn the police shooting, on 26 April 2013, of a group of Rohingya children for their peaceful protest chanting “Rohingya, Rohingya” when hostile operational team consisting of immigration, military, NaSaKa, police and village administrators RNDP goons, came to Thet Kay Byin village near Ba Du Pha Rohingya displacement camp in  Sittwe (Akyab), to perform the current operation forcing the Rohingya to register as “Bengali” for the census forcefully. A 15 year old boy namely Mohammad Ali S/o Kabir Ahmed of Thet Kay Bin was injured in the shooting and is now taking treatment in a private clinic.

From 26 April the police have arrested six innocent Rohingya people under concocted
charges. They are U Ba Tha (47), U Kyaw Myint (46), Mohammad Hussain (45) Saw Lay
Ma (35), San Lin (45) and Kyaw Khin (40). The police are also hunting down more Rohingya
elders in an attempt to terrorise the Rohingya community. All these have been done under the
direction of Rakhine Nationalities Development Party (RNDP) which dominates the Arakan
Sate government and pursues a policy of Rohingya extermination with the blessing of the
central government. An atmosphere of terror has been created while the whole Rohingya
community is being affected by the humanitarian disaster.

The so-called census operation was first conducted immediately after June and October 2012
deadly violence against Muslims in Arakan at irregular intervals but was stopped when the
Rohingyas rejected to be registered as “Bengali”. But from 10 April 2013 the authorities
resumed it selectively in Maungdaw and Buthidaung township torturing and forcing the
Rohingyas into agreeing to register as “Bengali”

The Rohingya people ‘have the collective right to live in freedom, peace and security as
distinct people’ and additionally they have the right to life. Burma is a state party to the UN
Convention on Rights of Child and it has basic obligation to ‘respect and ensure’ the rights
in the convention to Rohingya children without discrimination of any kind. To force the
Rohingya people into accepting ‘Bengali’ against their will is an ethnocide or an international
crime, and to this fact we invite the attention of the United Nations and the international
community.

We, therefore, demand the Burmese government:

1. To register the Rohingya people as “Rohingya” in the census in accordance with
their genuine and legitimate aspiration;

2. To stop all plan to deprive the Rohingya people of their integrity as distinct people, or
of their cultural values or ethnic identity;

3. To stop any action which has the aim or effect of dispossessing the Rohingya people
of their lands, properties or resources; and stop forcible transfer of their population
and creating domineering situation aims at expelling them from their ancestral
homeland;

4. To fulfil its obligation as a state party, and to ensue the rights of the Rohingya
children in accordance with the provisions of the UN Convention on the Rights of
Child (CRC) ;

5. To release all those Rohingyas who have been arrested under false charges, and to
investigate the police shooting of Rohingya children for their peaceful protest and
bring the perpetrators to justice.
For more information, please contact:

6.Demand sending ASEAN fact finding team to observe  the genocide neutrally . 

7.Demand urgently sit UNSC meeting to deploy UN Peace Keeping Forces to stop genocide and protect the remaining Rohingyas.

8.Demand to send all IDPs to their original places with full facility of housing and regular ration .  

Maung Kyaw Nu

President,B.R.A.T

+66 (0)853 690  442
email:brat.headoffice@gmail.com
web:www.rohingyathai.blogspot.com
F.book:Maung Kyawnu
Twitter@Maung Kyaw Nu.
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PRESS RELEASE-STOP ROHINGYA ETHNOCIDE


ARAKAN ROHINGYA NATIONAL ORGANISATION

ARAKAN, BURMA

STOP ROHINGYA ETHNOCIDE

We condemn the police shooting, on 26 April 2013, of a group of Rohingya children for their
peaceful protest chanting “Rohingya, Rohingya” when hostile operational team consisting
of immigration, military, NaSaKa, police and village administrators came to Thet Kay Byin
village near Ba Du Pha Rohingya displacement camp in Arakan’s capital Sittwe (Akyab), to
perform the current operation forcing the Rohingya to register as “Bengali” for the census. A
15 year old boy namely Mohammad Ali S/o Kabir Ahmed of Thet Kay Bin was injured in the
shooting and is now taking treatment in a private clinic.

From 26 April the police have arrested six innocent Rohingya people under concocted
charges. They are U Ba Tha (47), U Kyaw Myint (46), Mohammad Hussain (45) Saw Lay
Ma (35), San Lin (45) and Kyaw Khin (40). The police are also hunting down more Rohingya
elders in an attempt to terrorise the Rohingya community. All these have been done under the
direction of Rakhine Nationalities Development Party (RNDP) which dominates the Arakan
Sate government and pursues a policy of Rohingya extermination with the blessing of the
central government. An atmosphere of terror has been created while the whole Rohingya
community is being affected by the humanitarian disaster.

The so-called census operation was first conducted immediately after June and October 2012
deadly violence against Muslims in Arakan at irregular intervals but was stopped when the
Rohingyas rejected to be registered as “Bengali”. But from 10 April 2013 the authorities
resumed it selectively in Maungdaw and Buthidaung township torturing and forcing the
Rohingyas into agreeing to register as “Bengali”

The Rohingya people ‘have the collective right to live in freedom, peace and security as
distinct people’ and additionally they have the right to life. Burma is a state party to the UN
Convention on Rights of Child and it has basic obligation to ‘respect and ensure’ the rights
in the convention to Rohingya children without discrimination of any kind. To force the
Rohingya people into accepting ‘Bengali’ against their will is an ethnocide or an international
crime, and to this fact we invite the attention of the United Nations and the international
community.

We, therefore, demand the Burmese government:

1. To register the Rohingya people as “Rohingya” in the census in accordance with
their genuine and legitimate aspiration;
2. To stop all plan to deprive the Rohingya people of their integrity as distinct people, or
of their cultural values or ethnic identity;
3. To stop any action which has the aim or effect of dispossessing the Rohingya people
of their lands, properties or resources; and stop forcible transfer of their population
and creating domineering situation aims at expelling them from their ancestral
homeland;
4. To fulfil its obligation as a state party, and to ensue the rights of the Rohingya
children in accordance with the provisions of the UN Convention on the Rights of
Child (CRC) ;

5. To release all those Rohingyas who have been arrested under false charges, and to
investigate the police shooting of Rohingya children for their peaceful protest and
bring the perpetrators to justice.
For more information, please contact:

Nurul Islam: + 44-7947854652
Aman Ullah: + 8801558486910
Email:
info@rohingya.org
www.rohingya.org
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Saturday, 27 April 2013

Relief operations in Myanmar’s Rakhine state receive boost from UN emergency fund


Relief operations in Myanmar’s Rakhine state receive boost from UN emergency fund

Women in Thea Chaung camp, Rakhine State, Myanmar, prepare a meal. Photo: UNOCHA/ Nicole Lawrence

26 April 2013 – The United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has made available $5 million in additional funding to provide life-saving assistance to some 69,000 people displaced by the violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine state.

This is the third allocation of funds from CERF for urgent humanitarian operations in Rakhine state following inter-communal violence that erupted there in June and October 2012, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The violence led to large-scale internal displacement and a marked increase in people fleeing by boat from the region, OCHA Myanmar said in a news release. “The violence caused not only displacement, but also a loss of life, livelihoods and property.”

Currently, the UN estimates there are more than 140,000 people displaced throughout the state.

“Thanks to CERF’s immediate funding, humanitarian agencies are able to respond in a decisive manner to provide urgent life-saving aid such as emergency shelter, improved sanitation, water facilities, and healthcare. However, additional funding is still needed to meet all the needs,” said the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Myanmar, Ashok Nigam.

The latest allocation brings the total CERF disbursement for the humanitarian situation in Rakhine to more than $15 million since June 2012. The $5 million will go towards the activities of four UN agencies and their humanitarian partners so they can carry out activities in health, shelter, water and sanitation. It is especially timely, as UN agencies prepare to step up operations ahead of the monsoon rains in June.

Since its launch in 2006, CERF has provided $76 million in response to disasters and underfunded emergencies in Myanmar, with Rakhine state receiving $37 million.

CERF enables the fast delivery of life-saving assistance to people affected by natural disasters and other crises worldwide. It is funded by voluntary contributions from Member States, non-governmental organizations, regional governments, the private sector and individual donors.
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Thursday, 25 April 2013

Agenda for Open Academic Forum, on “Constructive Proposals to the Thai Royal Government on Solutions for Case of Rohinya”


Agenda for Open Academic Forum, on
“Constructive Proposals to the Thai Royal Government on Solutions for Case of Rohinya”
Monday 29th April 2013, 12.30-16.45
at Room No.709, Floor 7th, Office of the National Human Rights Commission
*********************
12.30-13.00
Registration
13.15-13.30
Presentation of the Video and Report on Situation from Site Visit,
By Secretariat to the Sub-Committee on ICCPR;
13.30-13.45
Opening Remarks with Presentation of Keys to Success for the Meeting:
By Mr. Nirun Phitakwatchara, Commissioner and Chairman to the Sub-Committee on ICCPR;
14.00-15.30
Discussion Panel on “Constructive Proposals to the Thai Royal Government on Solutions for Case of Rohinya”, by
  • Dr. Seree Nontasuth, Thai Representative to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights – AICHR;
  • Dr. Sripapha Petchamesee, Lecturer, Center for Human Rights Study, Mahidol University;
  • Associate Professor Chayan Wattanbhuti, Director of Research Center for Sustainable Development, Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai University;
  • Mr. Sunai Pasook, Advisory Coordinator for Human Rights Watch, Thailand
15.30-16.30
Open Discussion/ Reflection and Sharing from the floor;
16.30-16.45
Closing Remarks:
By Mr. Nirun Phitakwatchara, Commissioner and Chairman to the Sub-Committee on ICCPR;
Notes:
  • This agenda shall be modified upon appropriateness;
  • If you need more information, kindly contact Ms. Kedsarin or Ms. Utchima, tel: 089-232 5729,
    e-mail: kedsatul@gmail.com;
  • There will be on-site translation, either with taking note into English and showing points of discussion on LCD screen or verbal translation through headsets from Thai <->English , upon prior request; kindly confirm your request to kedsatul@gmail.com and epinkaew@gmail.com



On Thu, Apr 25, 2013 at 4:49 PM, EKACHAI PINKAEW <epinkaew@gmail.com> wrote:
Dear all,

Kindly see enclosed with tentative program for Rohinya Forum at Office of the National Human Rights Commission, Thailand.

For non-Thai speakers, I shall translate this enclosed agenda and get back to all again within this Friday. If any can join, kindly let me know beforehand.

BR,

Ekachai

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Pressure mounts for release of Rakhine report

IN PICTURES
By Ei Ei Toe Lwin   |   Thursday, 25 April 2013



2
As an international human rights group criticises the government over last year’s violence in Rakhine State, pressure is growing for the release of the government’s own investigation report.
The long-awaited report of an investigation commission into the Rakhine violence is now in the hands of President U Thein Sein – but it is still not clear whether or when the report will be made public.
Presidential spokesperson U Ye Htut confirmed that the president received the Rakhine report on April 22, one day ahead of the extended deadline.
“The president is studying the report, and we cannot yet confirm whether the report will be made public or not,” U Ye Htut, who is also deputy information minister, told The Myanmar Times on April 24.
In the meantime, Human Rights Watch released its own 153-page report on April 22, titled All You Can Do is Pray: Crimes Against Humanity and Ethnic Cleansing of Rohingya Muslims in Burma’s Arakan State.
The HRW report is strongly critical of the government, claiming that it engaged in a campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya that continues to this day through the denial of aid and restrictions on movement.
Commission member Ko Thura, better known as the comedian Zaganar, said on April 23: “We have submitted final report to the president’s office, with copies in both Myanmar and English. But I can't say whether it will be published.” Zaganar said that, at 105 pages long, the report might be too big to publish in the state-run media, as has been done with other reports.
The commission plans to hold a news conference at the Myanmar Peace Centre at the end of April to explain its findings.
“We've printed 500 books about the report to be distributed at the conference,” said Zaganar.  
The President’s Office announced the formation of the 27-member committee on August 17, 2012 to look into the causes of the violence in Rakhine State the previous May and June and to make recommendations.
The report was supposed to be filed by November 16. Since the report was not complete at the time – more unrest broke out in late October – the commission filed an interim report that has not been made public.
The government has said it will abide by the commission’s findings and recommendations.
Commission member U Aung Naing Oo hinted that the findings would differ from those of Human Rights Watch.

“International observers might take a different view of Rakhine than local people. We must study the views of all parties to the conflict, not just one side. Above all, we must study the local context in detail. But we shouldn’t neglect criticisms,” said U Aung Naing Oo, who is also director of the Myanmar Peace Centre’s peace dialogue program.
“Our report contains advice that we believe to be in the best interests of the state and the people, especially in terms of ensuring a lasting peace in Rakhine State in the long term,” he said.
U Shwe Maung, a Pyithu Hluttaw representative for Buthidaung in Rakhine State, said the president should publish the report in the interests of transparency.
“I assume the report’s recommendations are in the best interests of both communities. Peaceful co-existence is the most important point. I would be prepared to back the people’s demands in that respect,” said U Shwe Maung, who is a member of the Union Solidarity and Development Party.
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Myanmar to help resettle Thai Rohingya refugees


Myanmar to help resettle Thai Rohingya refugees

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Friday, April 26, 2013
MYANMAR has said it will find away to resettle more than 2,000 Rohingya refugees who fled to Thailand after violent anti-Muslim unrest hit the country.

During a meeting between the countries' leaders held on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit yesterday, Thai Prime Minister Her Excellency Yingluck Shinawatra expressed her concern about the refugee situation which was the result of recent sectarian violence in Myanmar.

"We have the Rohingya in our country, they cannot go back to Myanmar and they cannot stay in our country. It's a big problem right now," said Thailand's deputy government spokesperson Parkdehans Himathongkom.
The refugees, including 500 women and children, are currently being sheltered by Thai authorities.

Parkdehans explained that Myanmar does not recognise the Rohingya as citizens of their country and questions loom over where the refugees will be resettled.

"The prime minister was asking what is the solution for them, and President (Thein Sein) said they are coming to a conclusion soon. So that is good news."

Myanmar's Rakhine state was shaken twice by anti-Muslim violence last year. In March, the deadly unrest between Buddhists and Muslims spread for the first time to central Myanmar. UN estimates say 650 Rohingya have been killed and more than 50,000 displaced.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has condemned the violence saying the situation was tantamount to ethnic cleansing.

The former military regime considers the Rohingya illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and has denied them citizenship, even though many of their families have lived in the country for generations.

The communal tension has blighted Myanmar's democratisation process, posing one of the greatest challenges to President Thein Sein's reformist government.

Several Southeast Asian countries have expressed deep concern over the situation, including Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said his country supported Thein Sein's efforts to promote order and reconciliation.

"We support Myanmar government's efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice and we will address the matter in a way that is just," he told reporters.

Marty said His Excellency President Dato Laila Utama Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's trip to Myanmar on Tuesday was significant in terms of "locking in" the reform that was now underway, and both leaders recognised the need promote economic opportunities. The Brunei Times


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Is ethnic unrest brewing in southeast Asia? - Inside Story - Al Jazeera English

Is ethnic unrest brewing in southeast Asia? - Inside Story - Al Jazeera English
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Wednesday, 24 April 2013

Is ethnic unrest brewing in southeast Asia?



Please click the link- and watch my interview-http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/insidestory/2013/04/201342472654769316.html



[QODLink]
LATEST: UN SPECIAL INVESTIGATOR AGAINST TORTURE
INSIDE

Is ethnic unrest brewing in southeast Asia?

 STORY

As Buddhist-Muslim tensions increase in the region, we examine the causes and the consequences of the conflict.

 Last Modified: 24 Apr 2013 11:08
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Ethnic unrest in Myanmar has cast a wider spotlight on Buddhist-Muslim tensions in southeast Asia.
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the president of Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, is warning of a wider fallout, which could fuel growing inter-faith unrest across the region.
Security forces in Myanmar have been accused of a vicious campaign of ethnic cleansing against minority Muslims. But a report by Human Rights Watch has also raised concern about who was at the heart of much of the violence, and in many cases, it says Buddhist monks were either involved or even leading attacks against Muslim communities.
The idea that Buddhist monks could lead attacks on another group of people for religious reasons seems quite shocking …
Sam Zarifi , Asia Pacific Director at the International Commission of Jurists  an international human rights group.
Yudhoyono is sounding a note of caution and says the violence could cause problems for Muslims elsewhere in the region.
"I will encourage Myanmar to address it wisely, appropriately and prevent tension and violence. We in Indonesia are ready to support them to reach those goals," he said
Earlier this month, eight Buddhist monks were allegedly beaten to death by Rohingya Muslims at an Indonesian detention centre. It is all serving to raise concerns across the region.
In Sri Lanka, where Muslims make up nine percent of the population, interfaith tensions are also causing concern.

Extremist Buddhist groups like the Bodu Bala Sena - or Buddhist strength force - say they are protecting their culture against Muslim influence.

Buddhist extremists have carried out attacks on Mosques, and Muslim-owned businesses. In southern Thailand, tensions between Muslims and Buddhists have a historical dimension. 

Thailand annexed the Malay Muslim state of Pattani more than a hundred years ago. Muslims were not fully integrated into what is a predominantly Buddhist nation and a Muslim separatist movement has raged there for a decade.
And in countries like Malaysia and Indonesia, Buddhist-Muslim tensions have arisen from their economic standings. Chinese Buddhist minorities are seen as relatively wealthier than the native Muslim populations.

In Myanmar, the discord can be traced back to British colonial rule, when the country was known as Burma. Many Muslims migrating from India and what is now Bangladesh were given preferential treatment.
This is not the problem between Buddhist, Muslim or Christians - this a problem with the government and religious minorities ... 
Maung Kyaw Nu , the Burmese Rohingya Association in Thailand
Resentment grew after independence in 1948, and has been gaining momentum.
And this is one of the problems - a monk named Wirathu, has become known on the Internet as the Burmese Bin Laden. Wirathu was jailed for 25 years in 2003 for inciting anti-Muslim hatred, but freed under a general amnesty in 2010.
Since his release he has gone back to preaching against Muslims. In one sermon he declared:

"We are being raped in every town, being sexually harassed in every town, being ganged up on and bullied in every town."

And in another sermon he warned:

"In Rakhine State, with their populaton explosion they are capturing it. And they will capture our country in the end."
So are there any solutions for this ethnic problem? How much time will it take before peace can be achieved, and what will be the consequences of these tensions?
Inside Story, with presenter Hazem Sika, discusses with guests: Maung Kyaw Nu from the Burmese Rohingya Association in Thailand, and a former political prisoner; Alex Berzin, a Buddhist scholar and teacher; and Sam Zarifi, Asia Pacific Director at the International Commission of Jurists, an international human rights group.
"I think that it is unfair to characterise these religious conflicts, I think that people are just using the  ... dominant religion of the various group  to characterise these groups, but there seem to be much more ethnic differences, and ethnic conflicts ...  " 
- Alex Berzin, Buddhist scholar and teacher 
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