Despite reforms, Myanmar's ethnic violence continues

Source-CNN

By Matthew Smith, for CNN

May 7, 2013 -- Updated 0258 GMT (1058 HKT)

A Muslim Rohingya man sits at his burnt home at a villaged in Minpyar in Rakhine state in October.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Smith: Despite reforms, ethnic cleansing continues against Myanmar's Rohingya Muslims
• Attacks between ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims erupted in June
• More than 125,000 Rohingya were forced into dozens of internally displaced camps
• Smith: World should not be blinded by the excitement of Myanmar's political opening

Editor's note: Matthew Smith is a researcher for Human Rights Watch and author of the organization's report, "All You Can Do is Pray": Crimes Against Humanity and Ethnic Cleansing of Rohingya Muslims in Burma's Arakan State.

(CNN) -- When the European Union recently lifted economic sanctions on Myanmar, it closed a decades-long chapter designed to encourage democratic reform in the country.

Although an arms embargo remains in place, the action will send an unequivocal message of "mission accomplished."

But while the EU is celebrating the "new Myanmar," Rohingya Muslims in the western part of the country are targets in what appears to be an ongoing campaign of government-supported crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing.

Killings and arson attacks between ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims first erupted in Myanmar's Rakhine State in June 2012, and were followed in October by well-coordinated attacks on Rohingya populations. More than 125,000 Rohingya were forced into dozens of internally displaced camps while tens of thousands of others fled the country, launching Southeast Asia's newest refugee crisis.

Matthew Smith

READ: Myanmar accused of 'ethnic cleansing'

Satellite images obtained by Human Rights Watch from just five of the 13 townships that experienced violence since June show 27 unique zones of destruction, including the destruction of 4,862 structures covering 348 acres of mostly Muslim-owned residential property.

Myanmar's government has repeatedly characterized what happened as "inter-communal violence" between bitter enemies -- Arakanese Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims -- denying any involvement of the state or abuses by state security officials.

Since June, I visited several sites of attacks and every major camp for the displaced, interviewing more than 100 victims and witnesses of abuse, as well as some perpetrators of violence. There is extensive evidence of complicity of the state in ethnic cleansing.

Myanmar's minorities fight for survival

Myanmar's displaced detail violence

Behind the violence in Myanmar

READ: What's behind ethnic violence?

Following the first wave of violence and without setting foot in Rakhine State, the EU and others were quick to welcome the Myanmar authorities' "measured response" to the crisis. A spokesperson for the EU's high representative on foreign affairs, Catherine Ashton, said on June 11, "We believe that the security forces are handling this difficult inter-communal violence in an appropriate way."

The reality on the ground was very different. Rohingya survivors alleged how in June soldiers not only failed to protect them from arsonist mobs, but opened fire when they attempted to extinguish the fires, killing scores. Government authorities in Arakan State were busy bulldozing mosques, blocking humanitarian aid to Rohingya populations, conducting violent mass arrests of Muslim men and boys, and digging mass graves, impeding accountability. Human Rights Watch located the existence of at least four such grave sites.

IN PICTURES: Myanmar's sectarian crisis

Two days after the EU's June statement, a government truck dumped 18 naked and half-clothed bodies near a camp for displaced Rohingya, according to Human Rights Watch. Some of the victims had been "hogtied" with string or plastic strips before being executed. The move sent a strong message, consistent with a policy of ethnic cleansing, that the Rohingya should leave Myanmar permanently.

"They dropped the bodies right here," a Rohingya man told me on a visit to the grave site. "Three bodies had gunshot wounds. Some had burns, some had stab wounds."

After the smoke cleared in June, the Arakanese Buddhist monkhood (or the sangha), political operatives, and local government officialsallegedly held public meetings in Rakhine State, plotting to drive Rohingya Muslims from their homes. They seized on President Thein Sein's remarks on July 12 that "illegal" Rohingya should be sent to "third countries," and they actively worked to isolate Muslim communities from daily necessities and income. Influential groups released public statements calling explicitly for "ethnic cleansing" and forced population transfer -- the government took no action to stop them.

READ: Terrorized, starving and homeless

The planned second wave of violence began on October 22. Thousands of Arakanese reportedly descended by foot and boat on Muslim villages in nine townships, carrying machetes, swords, spears, homemade guns, Molotov cocktails, and other weapons. Plumes of smoke dotted the sky along the fertile patchwork of Arakan State's intra-coastal waterways as entire villages were razed. State security forces once again either failed to provide protection, or actively participated in attacks.

On October 23 in Yan Thei, Mrauk-U Township, security forces took away sticks and other rudimentary weapons from Rohingya and enabled an Arakanese mob to kill about 70 villagers, including 28 children, 13 of whom were under age five.

Today, tens of thousands of displaced Rohingya are being denied access to humanitarian aid, have their movements restricted, and are unable to return home. They live in segregated, squalid camps without adequate food and health services. In just weeks the monsoon season will flood several IDP sites, intensifying the humanitarian emergency.

At the root of the persecution is the question of citizenship. The Myanmar government considers all Rohingya to be immigrants from Bangladesh. They are denied citizenship under discriminatory national legislation from 1982, although many families have resided in Myanmar for generations. Official government statements reject their very existence and refer to them as "Bengali," "so-called Rohingya," or the pejorative "kalar."

The world should not be blinded by the excitement of Myanmar's political opening. Rohingya are paying for that approach with their lives.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Matthew Smith.

Violence in the name of Buddhism: Myanmar's Spreading Sectarian Violence

The Foreign Correspondents' Club of Thailand

The Bulletin

May 6, 2013

 

---

 

Violence in the name of Buddhism:
Myanmar's Spreading Sectarian Violence

 

 

8pm, Thursday May 9, 2013

Members: Free; Non-Members: 350 baht

 

Two years after President Thein Sein opened the doors of his country to usher in economic and political reforms, there are fears that the country formerly known as Burma is getting quickly and dangerously off track. Once suppressed views shaped by an undercurrent of hatred have recently burst to the surface. In the spotlight, as a result, is Meikhtila, an ancient garrison town in central Myanmar. A wave of anti-Muslim violence there in late March left 43 people dead -- most of them Muslims -- and displaced nearly 13,000 others after their homes, businesses and even a religious school were attacked. The mobs were led by radical Buddhist monks -- while the country's usually trigger-happy security forces did nothing to stop the carnage spread over three days.

Such an explosion of "Buddhist" rage was not the first in the country enjoying the new taste of freedom. Last year saw another group of Muslims, the Rohingya minority, being targeted by ethnic Arakan/Rakhine Buddhists in Western Burma. Two orgies of violence, in June and October, killed over 200 people and left some 140,000 homeless. Most of the victims were the stateless Rohingyas, whose once official identity Burma's successive military regimes since 1962 have refused to recognize, with tacit support from the society at large. Arakan Buddhist monks were implicated in this wave of hatred, too, including efforts to even deny humanitarian assistance to the victims in makeshift shelters.

This fault line has forced the country of nearly 60 million people -- of which an estimated five percent are Muslims -- to face a barrage of criticism about the nature of its local version of Theravada Buddhism, followed by the majority. This chorus includes outspoken Burmese critics living in exile and even respected international Buddhist organizations known for being champions of peace and moderation, such as the International Network of Engaged Buddhists (INEB), and other spiritual leaders including His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu.
Please join us for a thought-provoking panel discussion about the toxic mix of hatred, organized violence, Theravada Buddhism in Burma and Myanmar's still military-backed state. The participants are:

Ajarn Sulak Sivaraksa -- a highly respected Thai Buddhist philosopher, public intellectual and one of the founding fathers of INEB.

Maung Zarni -- an outspoken Burmese critic, blogger and visiting fellow in the Civil Society and Human Security Unity, the London School of Economics.

A speaker from inside Myanmar, whose identity will be revealed on the night of the panel.

Veronica Pedrosa -- independent journalist working for Al Jazeera English, who will moderate the panel.

Source-FCCT

Outcast Rohingya, stateless and unwanted, are exposed to trauma Photo by phuketwan.com Captive Boatpeople 'Facing Mental Issues' By Chutima Sidasathian and Alan Morison Tuesday, April 30, 2013 PHUKET: Rohingya in captivity in Thailand are having to cope with mental health issues as their detention drags on, Thailand's top Immigration officer, Major General Panu Kerdlabpon, said today. He said there had been 2026 Rohingya detained in Thailand in January but one had died in custody and 91 others - all men and boys - had escaped. The intention was to assess the status of the detained Rohingya and make a decision about their future at the end of six months, which would occur in late July. However, government funding had been approved for six months from April, so there was no end in sight for the process as yet, the major general said at Phuket Immigration headquarters in Phuket City. ''One of our concerns is that Immigration facilities were not designed for long-term stays and for now we don't know how long they will be in Thailand,'' Major General Panu said. Mental and physical health were already issues, he said. However, the Immigration Bureau was trying to cope. An outdoor area had been set aside at the Immigration centre in Ranong, on the border with Burma (Myanmar), where 84 men were being held, so that 10 people could have some exercise each day, he said. Two teenagers died in custody in Ranong when a group of Rohingya were held there for months with insufficient light and exercise in 2009. Thailand's government was ''trying to negotiate'' with Burma - which clearly does not want the Rohingya back - or seek a home for them in a third country, the major general said. He said that the Immigration Bureau was providing halal food and the opportunity for Burma's unwanted Muslim minority to pray five times a day. One difficulty was separating the stateless Rohingya, who are deprived of citizenship, from the Burmese, who were more regularly involved in short stays at Thai Immigration centres. While the future of the 1934 Rohingya being held in Thailand appears to have become a separate issue, little progress appears to have been made in determining the fate of Burma's 800,000 Rohingya inhabitants. A just-released Burmese government report into violence that led to - according to some estimates - more than 200 deaths and the torching of thousands of homes in Rakhine state last year provides few solutions. It refers to Rohingya throughout as ''Bengalis.'' Most of the Rohingya interviewed by Phuketwan in Thailand have said they do not want to go back to Burma because they would be in fear of their lives. Major General Panu revealed today on Phuket that of the 91 Rohingya men and boys who had escaped while being held in Thailand this year, six had fled on Phuket, five from Phang Nga, eight from Satun, 33 from Ranong and 39 from Pedang Besar. Of the 1934 remaining in custody in Thailand Immigation and refuge centres throughout the country, 1439 were men, 76 women, 418 boys and 93 girls. The flow of Rohingya boats leaving from Burma has slowed but not halted, Chris Lewa, director of the activist group Arakan Project, said today. One estimate put the number of boatpeople who had fled Burma this October-March ''sailing season'' at a total of 29,000, she said. ''Our numbers are a conservative estimate,'' she said. ''We believe more than 3500 have sailed from the troubled area of Sittwe while the majority have sailed from further north, near the Bangladesh border.'' Small fishing boats of the kind that usually are forced ashore in Thailand are no longer putting to sea, she said. ''We have confirmation of two large vessels arriving in Malaysia recently,'' she said. ''The ships hold 400 to 500 people and are considered safer, so those vessels may continue to come through the monsoon season.'' The larger vessels sail further off the Andaman coast and are usually not intercepted by Thai Navy patrol boats, she said. source-Phuket wan news

Police arrest two as anti-Muslim unrest spreads to Kachin state

(0)

By AFP

Published: 6 May 2013

Indonesian policemen are deployed outside the Burmese embassy during a protest by Indonesian Muslim hardline groups in Jakarta (Reuters)

Two Buddhists have been arrested after Muslim shops were destroyed in northern Kachin State, police said Saturday, in a new outbreak of religious violence.

Burma is in the grip of acute religious tension after a deadly wave of unrest in March that saw monks and Buddhist mobs attack Muslim areas in violence that has edged towards the country’s main city Rangoon.

But it is the first time similar violence has been reported in the majority-Christian Kachin State, which is also home to a patchwork of ethnic and religious groups who have found work in the jade and timber industries.
“We arrested two people at the scene… and are still interrogating them. We will charge them if there is enough evidence,” a police official in Kachin State’s Hpakant township told AFP, speaking anonymously, following Thursday night’s violence.

Bordering China the remote resource-rich region is currently locked in a bitter conflict between ethnic Kachin rebels and the Burmese army.
“About 30 people arrived in the evening and threw with stones at our shops and houses,” according to Moe Moe Lwin, 46, a Muslim woman from a village in Kachin’s Hpakant township.

“We couldn’t do anything except watch while they destroyed our shop… we will leave for a while. We have no idea how we should move forward,” she said, adding she believed outsiders were responsible for the attack.
A Buddhist villager nearby confirmed Muslim shops and houses were destroyed in three places in the area.

“We do not want to see this sort of violence. We denounce their act,” Tin Soe from a village near Hpakant township told AFP.

A renewed bout of anti-Muslim unrest in Oakkan, around 100 kilometres (60 miles) north of Rangoon, on Tuesday left one dead and saw mosques and homes destroyed, raising alarm across the country.

Attacks against Muslims — who make up an estimated four percent of Burma’s population — have exposed deep fractures in the formerly junta-run country and cast a shadow over reforms under a quasi-civilian regime that took power two years ago.

At least 43 people were killed and thousands left homeless in March’s flare-up which was apparently triggered by a quarrel between a Muslim gold shop owner and Buddhist customers in the central town of Meikhtila.

Some monks were involved in those clashes, while others are behind a nationalistic campaign calling for a boycott of Muslim-owned shops.
Speaking after a visit this week to Meikhtila, US Ambassador Derek Mitchell urged Myanmar’s authorities to do their utmost to prevent further violence and hold the perpetrators of the “terrible destruction” accountable.
“The recent anti-Muslim violence… has raised questions among many about whether this country’s historic spirit of tolerance and compassion will prevail in this new era,” he said in a statement on Saturday.

Buddhist-Muslim clashes in the western state of Arakan last year that left around 200 people dead, mostly minority Muslim Rohingya.

Tags: 969, Kachin, muslim, riots

Author: AFP              Category: Politics

Source-DVB.

Asean fails to step into the Rohingya mess

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Opinion > Opinion

COMMENTARY

cPublished: 6 May 2013 at 00.00

• Newspaper section: News

The Rohingya problem in Myanmar could have been a blessing in disguise for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The issue reminds Asean backers that the three "legs" of its supporting pillar _ economic, social and security _ should be going in the same direction, even if at a different pace.

The "club" has moved with a singularity of purpose and made remarkable moves on the economic front as the Asean Economic Community shimmers into view, but there is less cohesiveness on other issues among the 10 members.

The Asean bloc has in fact shown a real seriousness in tightening the economic knot. Most of the promises for economic union have been implemented; the rest will eventually be tackled in time for the launch of the community at the end of 2015. These remaining issues are, of course, the most sensitive ones and are a concern for trade and economic negotiators. However, the fast-approaching deadline will force them to work harder. There could be a heavy price to pay for another delay in the launch of the Asean community, which has already been deferred from the start of 2015 to December that year.

Asean leaders are jubilant at the steps being taken towards closer economic cooperation. That was reflected after the Brunei summit on April 25. "We are pleased with the progress of the Asean Economic Community, where 259 measures _ or 77.54% of the AEC blueprint _ have been implemented," the leaders boasted in a communique from Banda Seri Begawan.

But we must not forget that Asean also has two other legs _ security and social _ besides the economic one that are needed to make the AEC sustainable.

What was sadly missing from the 10-page summit communique was the issue that needs tackling right away _ the growing concern about communal unrest in Myanmar. The Southeast Asian leaders intentionally forgot to call it a regional worry _ at least for the moment.

Asean knows this issue is endangering the group's security stability, but the bloc is still leaving it to be sorted out by Myanmar. The Thein Sein government is showing no desire to turn it into a regional problem. The reality on the ground is it has already stirred up trouble for Myanmar's neighbours, especially Thailand.

The kingdom is currently sheltering 2,000 Rohingya refugees who have fled sectarian violence in Myanmar's Rakhine State and entered Thailand, mostly by ship. Others have landed in Malaysia and Indonesia, their primary destinations for reasons of Islamic religious bonds.

The plight of the Rohingya looks miserable after clashes with Buddhists in the western Myanmar state. Last year alone 200 died and tens of thousands were displaced. And there are no real moves being taken by the Myanmar government to end the problem. It seems it would be happy to see the Rohingya leave.

What is more disappointing is that no other Asean member is shouting loud enough for Myanmar to hear, except Indonesia. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told his Myanmar counterpart Thein Sein during his visit to Myanmar ahead of the summit that he was worried about the conflict. He sent a note in very diplomatic terms saying Jakarta was confident Thein Sein was "trying to do the right thing in terms of getting the communal violence under control".

What happened last week explains why the Indonesian leader is fretting about the unrest in Myanmar. The violence spread to other areas in Myanmar, angering the Muslims in his country enough that they came out to protest against the Myanmar government. Some even planned to bomb its embassy in Jakarta.

But Thailand, which is directly affected by the problem, is being very quiet. No pressure is being put on Myanmar to quickly solve this problem. Myanmar has told Thailand that the Rohingya refugees will be taken back if there is proof that they really came from Rakhine state. That is not a solution but a time-buying tactic for Yangon to wash its hands off the refugee problem. The process to verify their nationality will take months, or years, due to the lack of documentation and other evidence. Thus the verification process for the Rohingya will be outpaced by escalating violence and more refugees.

The Rohingya issue is destabilising the security of Asean as it spills over to other members' turf. But Asean leaders still decided not to take any action _ and that will be their stance until the situation becomes uncontrollable. After long years of eager anticipation of the Asean Community, the grouping's "not-my-business" attitude remains almost unchanged. It is pretending that Myanmar can solve the problem and that the economic issue is the only one that matters. In the meantime, more Rohingya will set out in rickety boats, more houses will be torched and more people will be killed.

---

Saritdet Marukatat is digital media news editor, Bangkok Post.

PHUKET NEWS	Monday, May 6, 2013  Phuket time: 6:04 AM
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Immigration chief highlights Rohingya plight in Thailand Phuket Gazette - Sunday, May 5, 2013 10:11:00 AM Immigration Bureau chief Pharnu Kerdlarpphon expressed concern over the number of Rohingya refugees in Thailand. Photo: Kritsada Mueanhawong PHUKET: Immigration Bureau Commissioner Pharnu Kerdlarpphon, in Phuket for a closed-door meeting of high-ranking officials, has expressed his concern for the growing number of Rohingya refugees being detained in Thailand. Lt Gen Pharnu’s visit to Phuket on Tuesday was to head a meeting tabled to discuss the bureau’s “working policy” at which Phuket’s own immigration superintendent did not attend. Following the meeting, Gen Pharnu told the press, “The number of Rohingya entering the country is a worrying situation. We are now detaining 1,936 Rohingya across the country, including 399 boys and 304 girls. “Immigration Police shelters in the South have no more room for refugees. We have even transferred some of the refugees to immigration shelters across the Kingdom,” he said. As an example, Gen Pharnu noted that 84 Rohingya are being held the Ranong Immigration shelter. “We provide them medical checkups and they have a chance to exercise and relax during their time at the shelter,” he explained. However, the refugees’ detention in Thailand is intended to be only temporary, he cautioned. “The shelters are supposed to be for only temporary detention before illegal immigrants are deported, but in the case of the Rohingya, we cannot really deport them because their home country [Myanmar] does not welcome them,” Gen Pharnu said. “Now the Thai Government is in discussions with other countries to find a place the refugees can be transferred to. “I have been assured that the Rohingya will be treated in a way that meets international-standards,” he added. Print this story | Send it to a friend  Save story to computer as pdf file Send Letter to Gazette Editor Comment on this story – Kritsada Mueanhawong Phuket,Thailand 10:11 local time (GMT +7)

Myanmar is on alert of terror attack

Myanmar is on alert of terror attack

Published on Sunday, 05 May 2013 23:25

3

Police in training for prevention against violence and riots in March (Photo - EMG)

Myanmar has beefed up security measures and tightened control over travelling visa after reports of possible terrorist attacks in the country, according to Min Aung, Police Lt. Col. from Headquarter of Myanmar Police Force.

 “We’ve been reported the terrorists are trying to enter the country and attempt bombing. So, we have ordered [regional police forces] to step up security measures. We must be always alert as they may wait for the chance to attack. Security has been tightened at the border checkpoints, too,” he said.

Indonesian terrorist Abu Bakar Bashir has recently called for a ‘jihad’ in Myanmar, rousing the mujahideens or the Islamic militants. This alerted the regional police to carry out necessary inspections in predominantly Muslim areas, Police Col. Hla Moe from Railway Police Department of Myanmar Police Force said.

“As the terrorists say they will wage jihad in Myanmar, we have to raise our security measures. We conduct inspections at the gates of and inside the city, said Mandalay Region Police Force’s Police Lt. Col. Tun Naing.

About 600 police are on duty every day. If anything happens in the area, units will reach there in no time to take action. The police have also been equipped to handle the bombs, he said.

Magway Region Government’s Director Min Yu Shein said Magway region is a white region-- peaceful area and will not allow any terrorists’ attack to happen. “We are cooperating with the police informers and the police forces. The police and soldiers are now patrolling the region every day,” he said.

Immigration officers are also strictly scrutinizing the travelers’ visa. “We are checking the foreigners’ visa systematically in accordance with the international regulations. We closely monitor those on the black list,” said Than Naing Tun, an official from the Ministry of Immigration and Population.

Police Col. Mya Win said the authorities check entries at the city gates to be aware of the strangers in the area and also inspect the hotels and motels.

Police have been ordered to implement the plans to source timely news at every level, he added.