Rohingya Refugees Seek to Return Home to Myanmar

Rohingya Muslims who have sought refuge in Bangladesh say they are desperate to stop living as refugees and return to their homeland in Myanmar.

“The Rohingyas have been seeking temporary shelter in Bangladesh only to save their lives from a genocide-like situation in Myanmar. For most of us, life as refugees is very hard in Bangladesh. Arakan (Rakhine), where our Rohingya community has lived for centuries, is our ancestral homeland. We want to go back to Arakan,” said Mohammad Shaker, a Rohingya leader in the Cox’s Bazar district of Bangladesh.

Nurul Islam, a Britain-based Rohingya rights activist and community leader, said whenever anti-Rohingya violence erupts in Myanmar, the international community has taken a keen interest to see that they get safe passage to other countries. But he alleges outside powers do not follow up to help the refugees return to their homeland. (Courtesy of voanews.com)

Myanmar Rohingya abuse may be 'crimes against humanity': UN

Myanmar's Rohingya may be victims of crimes against humanity, the UN's rights agency said, as former UN chief Kofi Annan arrived in the country for a visit that will include a trip to northern Rakhine.

The army has carried out a bloody crackdown in the western state and thousands of the Muslim minority have flooded over the border into Bangladesh this month, making horrifying claims of gang rape, torture and murder at the hands of security forces.

Some 30,000 have fled their homes and analysis of satellite images by Human Rights Watch found hundreds of buildings in Rohingya villages have been razed. (Courtesy of au.news.yahoo.com)

Bernicat lauds Bangladesh over handling of Rohingya issue

US Ambassador Marcia Bernicat has praised Bangladesh for “skillfully handling” the Rohingya issue and said Washington is closely monitoring the situation.

“I truly admire Bangladesh government for providing support and home to some Rohingyas that are here,” she said at a meeting with Diplomatic Correspondents Association Bangladesh in Dhaka on Monday.

“Bangladesh government has very patiently and skillfully been working on the Rohingya issue with the government of Burma,” she said.

Rohingya activists say more than 100 Rohingyas have been killed since Myanmar began its anti-insurgency operations in the Rakhine state in early October after attacks on border outposts that killed several policemen.

The latest crackdown has rendered an estimated 30,000 Rohingyas homeless.

Bernicat said: “We have been putting pressure on Burma both before and after the election to respect all the people living in the country including Rohingyas.” (Courtesy of dhakatribune.com)

Re-impose sanctions on Myanmar?

Rakhine is burning. The hapless Rohingyas are being butchered, children are thrown into fire, women are disrobed in public before being gang-raped and houses are looted, torched and razed. In the process Rohingya neighbourhoods are destroyed. 

In the past, extremist members of the majority Buddhist community carried out such dastardly acts while the security forces looked the other way. Denial was the order of the day and little punitive measures were taken against the perpetrators. Over the last several weeks the situation has taken a turn for the worse. The law enforcement agencies, including the armed forces, have actively unleashed violence. The attack on the security forces allegedly by radicalised Rohingyas was a flimsy pretext for a violent crackdown on this marginalised community. There is a strong body of evidence to argue that such an assault on the Rohingyas was part of a well-prepared strategy involving non-state actors and state agencies. In October 2016, mainstream international media began reporting distribution of lethal weapons among a section of the population in the Rakhine state. This was soon followed by gruesome acts of violence against the Rohingya minority that is now being aptly described as 'planned genocide'. (Courtesy of thedailystar.net)

‘I can’t take it anymore’: Ohio State attacker said abuses of Burma’s Muslims led to ‘boiling point’

The Ohio State University student who carried out a knife attack on campus Monday wrote in a Facebook post shortly before the rampage that the abuse of a little-known Muslim community in Burma had driven him to the “boiling point,” writing, “I can’t take it anymore,” CNN reported.

“Seeing my fellow Muslims being tortured, raped and killed in Burma has led to a boiling point,” Abdul Razak Ali Artan allegedly wrote on his Facebook page shortly before Monday’s rampage, where he injured 11 people with a butcher knife before police killed him.

“America! Stop interfering with other countries,” he wrote.

Artan’s Facebook post throws a little-known and long-persecuted Muslim community in western Burma, also known as Myanmar, into the spotlight. (Courtesy of washingtonpost.com)

Aung San Suu Kyi: Powerless for the Rohingyas

Championed as an icon for human rights, she languished in house arrest. World leaders and people all over called for her release while she stayed confined by the military junta for around 15 years in her own country.

She is now free.

And now, Aung San Suu Kyi chooses silence over a moral position while atrocities of the worst kind continue in her own country. She has become a glaring example of how a once human rights defender can become a reticent witness of human rights violation of one of the “most persecuted people in the world”.

She is the unquestioned leader of the party that is running Myanmar since last year. Her long struggle for democracy and human rights was supposed to be her schooling on how to run her country. (Courtesy of thedailystar.net)

Outcast: Adrift with Burma's Rohingya

In 2012, Rakhine Buddhists tore through Rohingya Muslim communities in western Myanmar (formerly Burma), attacking anyone in their path.

It sparked a wave of sectarian violence that spread to other parts of the country, with little hindrance from the authorities. Tens of thousands of Rohingya were housed in primitive camps under government-armed guard, while others tried to flee overseas to Malaysia or Thailand. (Courtesy of aljazeera.com)

Suu Kyi is missing all of the reasons for her Nobel peace prize

IT is time for the Nobel Foundation - the very organisation responsible for awarding Aung San Suu Kyi the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 - to strip her of the award due to her failure to speak up against the mistreatment and atrocities committed against the Rohingya and other minorities in her own country.

For many weeks, we have witnessed many incidents involving the continuous and merciless prosecution of the Rohingya and the minorities. According to Amnesty International and other international human rights groups, the ethnic Rohingya people have continued to suffer from many human rights violations under the country’s military regime.

It’s very sad to see a well known and highly respected figure keeping her silence and behaving as if nothing has happened in her own backyard. (Courtesy of thestar.com.my)

Myanmar's Suu Kyi delays Indonesia trip amid Rohingya crisis

Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday (Nov 28) postponed a visit to Indonesia after protests there over her country's bloody crackdown on Rohingya Muslims and a thwarted plot to attack its Jakarta embassy.

Thousands of desperate Rohingya have flooded over the border from Myanmar's Rakhine state into Bangladesh in the past week, making horrifying claims of gang rape, torture and murder at the hands of security forces.

The Nobel laureate has faced a growing international backlash for what a UN official has said amounts to a campaign of ethnic cleansing.

Suu Kyi's government has denied the allegations, saying the army is hunting "terrorists" behind deadly raids on police posts last month. (Courtesy of channelnewsasia.com)

Myanmar must react to humanitarian crisis

We note with alarm the grave human rights crisis unfolding in Rakhine State, Myanmar. Your article (Report, 25 November ) provides a timely spotlight on an increasingly desperate situation. The head of the local UN refugee agency describes a programme of ethnic cleansing. Other international experts point to indicators of genocide. At the very least, the alleged violations – the killings of hundreds, the rapes of many women, and the displacement of tens of thousands – amount to crimes against humanity. Aung San Suu Kyi’s government must respond, if a humanitarian catastrophe is to be prevented. Access for humanitarian aid, international media and human rights monitors is essential.

It is time for a unified diplomatic effort to call for humanitarian access. We urge UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon to use his final weeks in office to lead an effort to secure this. We urge the UK to demand an international inquiry and unrestricted aid access. The international community cannot stand idly by while peaceful civilians are mown down by helicopter guns, women are raped and tens of thousands left without homes. If we fail to act, thousands may starve to death if they are not killed by bullets, and we may be passive observers of ethnic cleansing. (Courtesy of theguardian.com)

Making money from the tragedy of Rohingyas

It is despicable when some unscrupulous, greedy men turn the plight of people into a business for making money. A report published in this paper yesterday revealed how some opportunist brokers are charging exorbitant amounts of money from Rohingyas to help them cross into Bangladesh.

The issue here is not one of whether Bangladesh should close its borders to the Rohingyas or not. We understand the horror of the situation of the Rohingyas in Myanmar, as the genocide against this minority continues unabated. The international silence is complicit in the mass murder and rape that the Rohingyas are victims to. And while we have previously said that Bangladesh should do what it can on humanitarian grounds, it cannot be the solution. (Courtesy of thedailystar.net)

Stop ethnic cleansing of Rohingyas, urges Malaysia

Wisma Putra has summoned the Myanmar ambassador to Malaysia over the escalation of violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine state resulting in the loss of innocent lives and displacement of thousands of people.

The Cabinet which met yesterday discussed the situation in Rakhine and directed Foreign Minister Da­­tuk Seri Anifah Aman to meet Myan­­mar State Counsellor and Fo­­reign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi as soon as possible.

In a statement issued by Wisma Putra yesterday, Malaysia condemned the escalation of violence and called on all parties involved to refrain from taking any action that would aggravate the situation.

The Myanmar Ambassador U Zaw Myint met the Foreign Minis­try’s deputy secretary-general (1) Datuk Shahrul Ikram Yakob yesterday. (Courtesy of thestar.com.my)

Myanmar's Rohingyas: Many go to Cox's Bazar, beyond

Three brothers -- Omar Farukh, Omar Khayer and Omar Sadeque -- were still in school uniform which had the logo of their school in Myanmar. The white shirts of the boys, aged between 8 and 10, became quite dirty as they had been wearing them for over a week.

On Friday night, they along with their mother, Shamsunnahar, 34, and three younger siblings reached the Nazirartek dry fish processing zone in Cox's Bazar town.

Their father, Hossain Ahmed, a farmer from Bar Gazobil village in Myanmar, has been missing since Myanmar police arrested him two weeks ago.

“We crossed the Naf river on Thursday morning and reached the fisheries project area near Rongikhali. There, BGB men stopped us and gave us food. Later that evening, they sent us back in our boat,” said Shamsunnahar. (Courtesy of thedailystar.net)

Buddhist leaders condemn atrocities on Rohingyas

Protesting the atrocities on the Rohingyas in Myanmar, leaders of Bangladesh Buddhist Federation today condemned the ongoing repression.

The Buddhists organisation also demanded the Myanmar government and authorities concerned to resolve the ongoing Rohingya issue immediately. (Courtesy of thedailystar.net)

Displaced Rohingya Children’s Lives at Risks as Deadly Infectious Diseases Surge

Hundreds of displaced Rohingya children’s lives are at grave risks as the deadly infectious diseases surge in northern Maungdaw, according to reliable sources.

Currently, hundreds of displaced Rohingya children in the region are suffering from diarrhea, disease like pneumonia-like disease and malnutrition. Three children were reported to have died at Dargyizar IDP camps on Friday.

At least 5 children get affected the infectious diseases daily at Dargyizar (Shudo Gozi Bil), Kyetyoepyin (Kiyari Ferang) and Pyaungpaik (Haant Gojja Fara) making the numbers of children infected by the diseases exceed 300 overall. Going by the unfolding situation, the lives of the children could well be at risks if they do not get access to healthcare.

The displaced Rohingyas hardly have any food and medicines as the Burmese government have blocked humanitarian access to the region since the army assaults (on the civilians) began on October 9. (Courtesy of rvisiontv.com)

The plight of the Rohingyas in Myanmar Time to act

In an op-ed piece I had written for this daily shortly after the historic elections in Myanmar in November 2015, I had expressed my fear that among all the euphoria that followed Aung San Suu Kyi's thumping victory, the fate of the disenfranchised and persecuted Rohingyas in Myanmar may continue to remain uncertain if the elected leadership fail to take concrete remedial steps in earnest. A year later, my fears are turning out to be true and in a worse form than what one would have thought.

The history of the sufferings of the Rohingyas in Myanmar is all too well known and is well documented. That the community had been socially marginalised and politically persecuted for long is also an established fact. One had been guardedly optimistic that a democratically elected government would make a sincere effort at rectifying the situation. However, as recent events show, things on the ground have turned for the worse; today the Rohingyas are being subjected to a systematic cycle of military repression that borders on ethnic cleansing, one that should bring back memories of the horrors the world witnessed helplessly in the Balkans in Europe over two decades back. Sadly, the victims in both cases have been Muslims. (Courtesy of thedailystar.net)

Death of a baby as unwanted Rohingya hunt for a home

Alam's short life ended on Saturday in a dark, tattered tent in Bangladesh, the Rohingya child's skeletal body succumbing to illness contracted while fleeing Myanmar where his stateless people are under attack.

He was six-months-old.

Alam died hours after arriving at a makeshift refugee camp close to Teknaf, the gateway to Cox's Bazar, a poor, densely populated coastal area already home to more than 230,000 Rohingya refugees.

But for the Rohingya, Bangladesh is far from a promised land.

So far little or no aid has been provided for the new arrivals, with Bangladeshi authorities fearing food, medicine and shelter will encourage more to cross the border. (Courtesy of msn.com)

Najib, Hadi to attend Rohingya gathering, opposition invited

A major gathering will held to express the concerns of Malaysian society over the Rohingya issue on Dec 4, said Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

He said it would be attended by Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and other leaders, including PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang.

Ahmad Zahid urged leaders of other parties, such as PKR and Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah), to participate in the gathering which would be held at a location to be announced later.

"We put aside our political differences and as Muslims we gather to express our concern for our fellow Muslims in Myanmar," he said when speaking at the launch of the 'Jalinan Kasih Suluh Budiman' Night organised by the Suluh Budiman Alumni Association of Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) in Kuala Lumpur, last night. (Courtesy of malaysiakini.com)

Spreading hatred against Buddhists ‘worsens Rohingya conflict’

A Burmese and Muslim human rights advocate, Kyaw Win, has called on Indonesian Muslims to stop spreading hatred against Burmese Buddhists, arguing that it only fuels the escalating tension and further endangers Muslims in the country.

Burma Human Rights Network (BHRN) executive director Kyaw Win told The Jakarta Post on Friday that the use of hateful language conveyed the wrong message and incited negative reactions in Myanmar, as it provided sound-bytes for Buddhist extremists to use to justify the killing of Muslims in the country.

“We suffered a lot from this,” he said, referring to a viral social media post shared by Indonesian users that called for the killing of Buddhists. (Courtesy of thejakartapost.com)

IS IT FAIR TO BLAME AUNG SAN SUU KYI FOR ETHNIC CLEANSING IN MYANMAR?

As international criticism mounts on Myanmar over a scorched-earth military campaign targeting its oppressed Rohingya Muslim minority, the country’s democracy icon and de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi finds herself between a rock and a hard place.

International rights groups this week took their gloves off in condemning the revered Nobel Peace Prize laureate’s ambivalent response to the escalating violence and allegations of widespread rights abuses by soldiers.

And on Thursday, a UN official accused Naypyidaw of seeking the “ultimate goal of ethnic cleansing of the Muslim minority in Myanmar” as the crisis deepened, with tens of thousands in the northwestern Rakhine state displaced and at least 86 killed. (Courtesy of scmp.com)

Rohingya cleansing: International silence deafening

It is quite appalling that despite the continuous reports of killing, raping, burning down of villages of Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine by the Myanmar security forces over last one month, there is still no global outrage.

The United Nations, United States, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and some others have voiced concern, but world governments seem still not so vocal in forcing the country to avert further bloodshed. Is it to give more time to newly installed government of the National League for Democracy (NLD), led by Aung Sung Suu Kyi, that won a landslide victory in the elections late last year, ending more than two decades of brutal military rule.  (Courtesy of thedailystar.net)

Burma’s leader can’t help Rohingya minority until she consolidates power

The treatment of the Rohingya, a Muslim minority, in Burma is appalling but, after years of studying, visiting and living in Burma, I can say with great confidence that Aung San Suu Kyi knows much about the mistreatment of the Rohingya and feels awful about it.

If she were the editor of a U.S.-based newspaper, she would not hesitate to call attention to the inhumane treatment of the Rohingya. But she is the democratically elected leader of a country in the early stages of an immensely difficult political transition from five decades of military misrule. Ending the civil war that has raged since independence in 1948 is rightfully Aung San Suu Kyi’s top policy priority. Overcoming the deeply rooted anti-Muslim sentiment endemic in the Buddhist majority in Burma is also a priority, but nowhere in the world has it taken less than a generation to overcome such sentiments. (Courtesy of washingtonpost.com)

'They raped us one by one,' says Rohingya woman who fled Myanmar

The brutal gang rape that Habiba and her sister endured is a story that is becoming depressingly familiar among the thousands of Rohingya refugees fleeing to Bangladesh to escape the violence of Myanmar's soldiers.

"They tied both of us to the bed and raped us one by one," said 20-year-old Habiba, who has now found shelter with a Rohingya refugee family a few kilometres (miles) from the Bangladesh-Myanmar border.

"We're almost starving here. But at least no one is coming here to kill or torture," said Hashim Ullah, Habiba's older brother who escaped with his sisters. (Courtesy of indiatimes.com)

Gang rape, torture claims as Rohingya flee Myanmar

Horrifying stories of gang rape, torture and murder are emerging from among the thousands of desperate Rohingya migrants who have fled to Bangladesh in the past few days to escape unfolding violence in Myanmar.

John McKissick, head of the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) in the Bangladeshi border town of Cox's Bazar, told the BBC that Myanmar authorities' actions against the Rohingya amounted to "ethnic cleansing".

Up to 30,000 of the impoverished ethnic group have left their homes in Myanmar, the UN says, after troops poured into the narrow strip where they live earlier this month. (Courtesy of yahoo.com)

Myanmar: Rohingya Muslims displaced, starving amid allegations of human rights abuses by security forces

Allegations of grave human rights abuses at the hands of Myanmar's security forces have drawn sharp criticism from international human rights advocates, but the nominal head of country and Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi remains taciturn.

"Suu Kyi risks shredding what residual credibility she still has on promoting human rights if she fails to speak out," says David Scott Mathieson, from Human Rights Watch.

"She has made it clear she is a politician, not a human rights defender or humanitarian, when the desperate situation in Rakhine requires any political leader to prioritise those issues." (Courtesy of abc.net.au)

Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi is failing to stop military violence against Rohingya Muslims in Burma

On 9 October, nine police officers were killed in Rakhine State, Burma. While the motivation and identity of the attackers remains unclear, the Burmese military responded with a series of operations against Rakhine’s Rohingya, a persecuted Muslim minority of approximately 1.3 million, blurring the lines between counter-insurgency and ethnic cleansing. Amid reports by Rohingya refugees and human rights organizations of arson, rape and killings, the lacklustre response of Burma's state counsellor and Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi has been criticised by media and human rights groups.

While Western governments and media alike have praised Burma's transition from military to civilian rule, Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy’s overwhelming victory in last year’s election merely overshadowed the fact that anti-Muslim sentiment remains pervasive throughout much of the country. Tensions in Rakhine in particular remain a festering wound in the country’s multi-ethnic society. And while the government appears to have reined in the Buddhist-nationalist Ma Ba Tha movement, which had heavily agitated against Muslims and the Rohingya in particular, the NLD has adopted the military’s narrative of the Rohingya constituting ‘illegal immigrants’ from Bangladesh. (Courtesy of independent.co.uk)

Malaysia to summon Myanmar envoy on Rohingya as protests mount

Malaysia will summon Myanmar's ambassador over the crackdown on Rohingya Muslims in northwestern Rakhine state, it said on Friday, as protesters across Southeast Asia demonstrated against the rising violence.

The conflict in Rakhine has sent hundreds of Rohingya Muslims fleeing to neighboring Bangladesh and poses a serious challenge to leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who swept to power last year on promises of national reconciliation.

At least 86 people are reported to have been killed in escalating violence that has displaced about 30,000 in the region's most serious bloodshed since hundreds were killed in communal clashes in 2012. (Courtesy of reuters.com)

Burma Is Pursuing ‘Ethnic Cleansing’ of Rohingya Muslims, U.N. Official Says

Burmese authorities are carrying out a campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya Muslim minority in the country’s western Arakan state, a senior U.N. official said, as the military continues to sweep the area for what it has labeled Islamic militants.

The BBC reports that John McKissick, a representative of the U.N. refugee agency, UNHCR, said Burmese troops have been “killing men, shooting them, slaughtering children, raping women, burning and looting houses, forcing these people to cross the river” into neighboring Bangladesh.

Thousands of Rohingya have already sought refuge in Bangladesh, the BBC cited the country’s Foreign Ministry as saying. Thousands more are reportedly turning up at the border hoping to escape. Bangladesh does not view the Rohingya as refugees, and its official policy is to not allow them in. (Courtesy of time.com)

Severing Diplomatic Ties With Myanmar Not A Wise Move At This Time - Syed Hamid

The proposal by certain quarters for Malaysia to severe diplomatic relations with Myanmar in protest of the genocide against the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar is not an apt move at this time, says OIC special envoy to Myanmar, Tan Sri Syed Hamid Syed Albar.

He said Malaysia should instead call the Myanmar high commissioner here to discuss on measures that could be taken to end the oppression and violence against the Rohingya Muslims.

He also suggested that a special ASEAN-level meeting be held to obtain the report and explanations from the Myanmar government on the violent attacks which he regarded as genocide.

"I do not see cutting off diplomatic relations (with Myanmar) as the solution. We want the discussion door to remain open and we need this diplomatic relations to resolve the issue through discussion and dialogue. (Courtesy of malaysiandigest.com)

Myanmar wants ethnic cleansing of Rohingya - UN official

Armed forces have been killing Rohingya in Rakhine state, forcing many to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh, says John McKissick of the UN refugee agency.

The government of Myanmar, also known as Burma, has been conducting counter-insurgency operations since coordinated attacks on border guards in October.

It denies reports of atrocities.

A spokesman said the government was "very, very disappointed" by the comments.
Burmese officials say Rohingya are setting fire to their own houses in northern Rakhine state. The BBC cannot visit the area to verify what is occurring there, as journalists and aid workers have been barred.

The Rohingya, who number about one million, are seen by many of Myanmar's Buddhist majority as illegal migrants from Bangladesh. (Courtesy of bbc.com)

Malaysia debates pulling out of soccer cup over Myanmar's Rohingya crackdown

Malaysia is considering pulling out of a soccer tournament co-hosted by Myanmar in protest at its crackdown on ethnic Rohingya Muslims, a senior Malaysian official said on Wednesday, risking a possible global ban by the sport's governing body, FIFA.

A withdrawal by Muslim-majority Malaysia from the ASEAN Football Federation's (AFF) Suzuki Cup, which began on Saturday, would run counter to the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations' long-standing policy of non-interference in other members' affairs.

Malaysian Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said he raised the issue last week, but a decision would only be made at a cabinet meeting on Friday.

"While we've known for a while that Myanmar will be the host, this (decision) is based on recent reports from the Rakhine that showed proof of attacks, that reportedly show evidence of genocide," Khairy told reporters. (Courtesy of reuters.com)

More Rohingyas flee to Bangladesh as violence spreads in Myanmar

More Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar poured into neighboring Bangladesh this week, with some feared to have drowned after a boat sank during a bid to flee violence that has killed at least 86 people and displaced 30,000.

Some Rohingya refugees have been missing since Tuesday after a group crossed the River Naaf that separates Myanmar and Bangladesh. Those who managed to enter Bangladesh sought shelter in refugee camps or people's homes.

"There was a group of people from our village who crossed the river by boat to come here, but suddenly the boat sank," said Humayun Kabir, the father of three children untraceable since the mishap.

Although many of those on board could swim, and were able to reach the river bank, seven people remain missing, he added, his children among them. (Courtesy of reuters.com)

Bangladesh Keeps Border Shut for Myanmar Rohingyas

Ignoring international appeals, Bangladesh is holding to its decision to bar Rohingya Muslim refugees fleeing Myanmar by boat after new sectarian violence broke out in the Buddhist-majority country.

As a military lockdown in northwestern Myanmar's Rakhine state stretches into a second month, hundreds of Rohingya people have sought to illegally cross over to neighboring Bangladesh. The United Nations last week said 30,000 people, mostly Muslim Rohingya, have been displaced and rights groups estaimate more than 80 have been killed during the crackdown.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) urged Myanmar to take all measures to protect civilians in Rakhine. (Courtesy of voanews.com)

Democracy, death and dictatorship under Aung San Suu Kyi

SHOCKING new satellite pictures from Myanmar have exposed evidence of widespread ethnic cleansing in the troubled Rakhine State, according to human rights groups.

The news is a further blow to the tens of thousands of us around the world who campaigned for years to have pro democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi set free from the house arrest enforced by the ruling military junta in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma.

For the uncomfortable truth is there is little to separate the diminutive Suu Kyi from the dictatorship which was globally reviled because of its treatment towards her and her vast army of supporters. She was swept to power on a peaceful, non violent campaign but her hands are now stained by the blood of innocents. (Courtesy of commonspace.scot)

DU students protest against mass killing of Rohingyas

Around 300-400 DU students of gathered at Raju Memorial Monument around 11am with placards and festoons and urged the United Nation and other global human rights bodies to force the Myanmar government to stop the mass killing and violence against the Rohingya people.

The protesters also demanded Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi be stripped of her Nobel Peace Prize since she failed to stop the violence against the Rohingyas of Rakhine state. (Courtesy of dhakatribune.com)

'Mass destruction' of ethnic Rohingya villages underway in Burma, human rights group warns

New satellite imagery from Burma’s western Rakhine state reveals mass destruction in ethnic Rohingya villages, said Human Rights Watch on Monday, calling for an urgent United Nations investigation into alleged abuses.

The high resolution images show that between November 10 and 18, 820 structures were destroyed in five villages in the jungles of the remote state. The area is inhabited by Muslim Rohingyas, one of the world’s most persecuted minorities.

The damage was in addition to earlier reports by the human rights group of 430 more flattened buildings, along with evidence of multiple fires from thermal anomaly data. (Courtesy of telegraph.co.uk)

Burma: New Wave of Destruction in Rohingya Villages

 New satellite imagery of Burma’s Rakhine State shows 820 newly identified structures destroyed in five different ethnic Rohingya villages between November 10-18, 2016, Human Rights Watch said today. The Burmese government should without further delay invite the United Nations to assist in an impartial investigation of the widespread destruction of villages.

The latest images bring the total number of destroyed buildings documented by Human Rights Watch in northern Rakhine State through satellite imagery to 1,250. US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power, at a November 17 UN Security Council meeting on the deteriorating situation in Rakhine State, called for international observers to be allowed to investigate and for aid groups to have their access restored. After a short visit by diplomats to the area, Yanghee Lee, the UN special rapporteur on Burma, said on November 18, “The security forces must not be given carte blanche to step up their operations under the smokescreen of having allowed access to an international delegation. Urgent action is needed to bring resolution to the situation." (Courtesy of hrw.org)

World community must open its eyes to ATROCITIES in Rakhine State

The targeting of rohingya by Myanmar security forces in the name of cracking down on extremists is unacceptable

The October 9 killing of nine Myanmar police officers in Rakhine State has jolted that country and its security apparatus is doing all it can to hunt down the culprits behind the attack, seemingly by just about any means possible.

But the massive security sweep in Rakhine is tainted by allegations of rape, execution, torture and arson attacks on the homes of Rohingya Muslims in the conflict-affected region bordering Bangladesh.

According to the United Nations, so far, about 30,000 Rohingya have been displaced by this operation.

The October attack posed a serious challenge to the government of Aung San Suu Kyi which came to power just six months ago and undermined the country’s military that is constitutionally in charge of national security.

The famous pro-democracy icon is facing serious criticism for failing to deal with the abuse of the Rohingya  – who the Myanmar government consider as stateless people – and other Muslims in the country amid a vicious campaign of Islamophobia by radical Buddhist monks and Myanmar nationalists to devastate their livelihood. (Courtesy of nationmultimedia.com)

Ma Ba Tha’s U Wirathu: Trump ‘Similar to Me’

 Shunned by Burma’s new government and its Buddhist hierarchy, a nationalist monk blamed for whipping up at times bloody anti-Muslim fervor said he feels vindicated by US voters who elected Donald Trump to be president.

U Wirathu, a high-profile leader of the Burma Buddhist organization known as Ma Ba Tha, drew parallels between his views on Islam and those of the Republican president-elect. Trump’s campaign was rife with anti-Muslim rhetoric and proposals that included banning Muslims from entering the country and heightening surveillance of mosques. The form his actual policies will take remains unclear.

“We were blamed by the world, but we are just protecting our people and country,” U Wirathu said. “… The world singled us out as narrow-minded. But as people from the country that is the grandfather of democracy and human rights elected Donald Trump, who is similar to me in prioritizing nationalism, there will be less finger-pointing from the international community.” (Courtesy of irrawaddy.com)

Silence on Rakhine violence is equal to complicity

The worst is already happening in Rakhine State, Myanmar, with tens of Rohingya murdered, mutilated, and tortured. Unverified accounts have emerged of horrors, including children being thrown into burning homes by the Myanmar military, who are acting with total impunity.

This escalation of violence has been going on for weeks now, with the Rohingya diaspora and human rights advocates appealing for intervention and help through social media.

Yet the world is silent. There has not been a whimper from Asean or its member governments. Malaysia, a country with an added responsibility given its instrumental role in bringing Myanmar into the Asean fold, is quiet. The United Nations has not said very much, and the world superpowers are dismissive. No one believes that the butchering of Rohingya by the military is a worthy enough cause to take up. (Courtesy of bangkokpost.com)

Gov’t Suspicious Activities Trigger Fears among Sittwe’s Rohingya Community

The Burmese government’s suspicious activities including the ban on reading Friday Sermons in Mosques in Sittwe today are triggering panic among the Rohingya community in the township, a reliable source reports.

The Burmese army and the police are currently seizing smart phones, computers and other electronic gadgets from the Rohingyas not only in the villagers but also in IDP (Internally displaced people) camps in Sittwe.

Going by some latest reports, the armed forces are likely to conduct raids on the Rohingya homes in the villages and the IDP camps to dispossess the people from having any electronic gadgets, sticks and knives (including kitchen knives) in their hands.

What seems to be panicking the people more in the region is the sudden withdrawal of the international and national staffs of the INGOs from the IDP camps. Adding to the fear is the closures of the schools. (Courtesy of rvisiontv.com)

Myanmar bars US photographer ahead of Rohingya show

Myanmar has blacklisted a prominent US photographer and prevented him from attending his own exhibition about stateless people, which would have featured pictures of the persecuted Muslim Rohingya minority.

Award-winning documentary photographer , who asked to keep where he lives private, said he was stopped at Yangon airport on Friday and told he was on a "blacklist".

Mr Constantine said he believed it was linked to his work documenting the lives of the Rohingya, whose status is a major flashpoint in Myanmar.

Many in the Buddhist-majority country revile the million-strong Muslim minority, who are based in western Rakhine state, and vigorously oppose any move to grant them citizenship. (Courtesy of bangkokpost.com)

UN and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation must cooperate on resolving conflicts, Security Council told

Citing more than 20 years of collaboration between the United Nations and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), a senior UN political official today urged greater efforts by the two entities to draw on each other’s strengths and devise joint strategies to prevent and resolve conflicts.

“The magnitude and complexity of [global and regional] challenges are simply too big for any country or organization to tackle alone,” Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Miroslav Jenca told the UN Security Council during an open debate, which explored best ways for the two organizations to enhance their strategic partnership in preventing and countering extremist ideology.

“To be successful in preventing and resolving conflicts, we need to join forces with the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, to devise joint strategies and draw on our comparative advantages,” he added.

The UN has been working closely with the OIC for more than 20 years in promoting a culture of peace, tolerance and understanding, he said, noting that in the last years, the UN, in particular through the Department of Political Affairs, has stepped up its cooperation with the regional organization and has engaged with it to promote a deeper political dialogue. (Courtesy of un.org)

Is The Lady listening? Aung San Suu Kyi accused of ignoring Myanmar's Muslims

Women wail in the background as the camera pans across the scene.

"Oh brothers, look at this, look," the narrator says, as he films the remnants of a burned house, bodies clearly visible sticking out of the mud and ash.

The disturbing video is one of a handful that have emerged from northern Rakhine State, in Myanmar, where human rights groups warn of widespread human rights abuses.

Hundreds of homes have been destroyed in multiple villages amid an ongoing crackdown by the Burmese military following violence last month, according to Human Rights Watch.

Burmese authorities claim the fires were set by local militant groups, and have disputed HRW's account.

Authorities in neighboring Bangladesh said dozens of people have attempted to flee across the border in recent days. (Courtesy of edition.cnn.com)

You can see the purge of Myanmar's Rohingyas from space

If Myanmar’s notorious army is to be believed — that’s a very big if — its soldiers are facing a highly deranged adversary.

Along Myanmar’s marshy coastline, villages keep going up in flames. All of them belong to the Rohingya, a horribly persecuted Muslim group. The arsonists? Muslims themselves, according to the army.

The Rohingya, we are told, are burning their own homes to attract well-armed government platoons — and then sprinting at them with knives, berserker style, so that they can get mowed down by the dozens.

This narrative defies logic. But it’s hard to challenge directly — and that’s how the army likes it. (Courtesy of usatoday.com)

Myanmar army continues to pound Rohingya villages

As many as 69 members of what Myanmar’s government has described as a Rohingya Muslim militant group and 17 security forces have been killed in a recent escalation of fighting in northwestern Rakhine State, the army said on Tuesday.

The death toll, announced in the state-owned Global New Light of Myanmar daily, exceeded that reported by state media over the weekend, demonstrating the scale of the largest escalation of the conflict since violence erupted a month ago.

Diplomats and observers have held out hope that the military will swiftly conclude its “clearance operation” in the troubled north of Rakhine, but the recent wave of killings has cast a doubt over such prospects.

The violence is the most serious since hundreds were killed in communal clashes in Rakhine in 2012. (Courtesy of saudigazette.com.sa)

Rohingya advocates say Myanmar deaths exceed 100

Advocates for Myanmar’s Muslim ethnic Rohingya community said Wednesday that more than 100 members of the minority group have been killed in recent government counterinsurgency sweeps in the western state of Rakhine.

Ko Ko Linn of the Arakan Rohingya National Organization said that according to villagers, at least 150 people had been killed in Maungdaw district by security forces since Saturday. Independent verification of both army and activists’ claims is difficult because the government has restricted access to the area.

“The reason why the international news agencies and aid groups are not allowed to go there is because the military is trying to cover up what they are doing there, the killings and other things,” Ko Ko Linn said by phone. “They are lying.” (Courtesy of washingtonpost.com)

'Shoot first, ask questions later': Violence intensifies in Rakhine State

Concerns are mounting about escalating violence in Myanmar's Rakhine State after a series of army raids on villages that have left dozens dead and hundreds arrested.
At least 17 members of Myanmar's security forces and 69 people described as "violent attackers" were killed in the latest uptick of violence in the state, home to the country's Rohingya Muslims, according to state media.

Though the government says it's going after terrorists, Myanmar security forces have been accused of conducting a violent, heavy-handed response that's targeting Rohingyas.
Head of the ruling National League for Democracy, Aung San Suu Kyi, has remained silent on the issue amid criticism and calls for her to do more to stop what some say amounts to genocide. (Courtesy of edition.cnn.com)

Death Toll Rises in Myanmar Bloodshed

Myanmar’s army said that 69 ethnic-minority Rohingya Muslims and 17 members of the country’s security forces were killed in fighting in the west of the country over the past month, as former United Nations chief Kofi Annan called for an end to the worsening violence.

The clashes in Rakhine state along Myanmar’s western border with Bangladesh are the worst since 2012, when Buddhist mobs targeted Rohingya villages, killing more than 100 people.

More than 100,000 Rohingyas still live in squalid camps in the state, denied citizenship by the government and prevented from leaving. Another 1 million live in villages and towns in the state, but aid agencies and groups such as Human Rights Watch say they have come under attack and seen their homes set ablaze by the military after alleged Rohingya militants attacked police outposts near the Bangladesh border over a month ago, leaving nine police officers and eight attackers dead. (Courtesy of wsj.com)

Around 200 Rohingya stranded at Bangladesh border

Around 200 Rohingya Muslims fleeing a surge in violence in Rakhine State are stranded at the Bangladesh border, community leaders said Tuesday.

Bangladeshi border guards pushed back the Rohingya — mostly women and children — to the Myanmar side on Monday, community leaders told AFP.

"We heard they are 200 in number. They are mostly women and children who were only seeking a safe place to stay. They have no homes to go back," one of the Rohingya leaders told AFP from a refugee camp in Bangladesh's Teknaf border town.

A border guard spokesman put the figure at closer to 80. (Courtesy of frontiermyanmar.net)

Myanmar: UN envoy urges investigation into alleged sexual assaults after violence flares in Rakhine state

Gravely concerned about allegations of rape and sexual assault of women and girls in Northern Rakhine state in Myanmar following recent border attacks, Zainab Hawa Bangura, the United Nations Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict called today on the Government to ensure that an impartial and effective investigation is conducted into the alleged incidents.

It is also vital to provide enough access for the humanitarian organizations to intervene and ensure life-saving clinical management and psycho-social support services for survivors, and end access restrictions on human rights monitors and member of the media, she added in a statement issued by her Office.

The envoy warned that there might be more similar incidents of sexual assaults in the future as the escalation of the violence continues, and urged to the Government of Myanmar to act now to prevent any future incidents. (Courtesy of un.org)

Myanmar anti-Muslim groups wax lyrical on Trump victory

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}Myanmar's anti-Muslim hardliners cheered Donald Trump's election as US president in prose and poetry on Thursday, hailing the divisive billionaire's triumph as a victory in the fight against "Islamic terrorism".

Trump's shock ascent to the White House topped a vitriolic campaign in which he promised to ban Muslims from entering the US and pledged to establish a database of those living in the country.

Muslims around the world were left reeling from his surprise win on Tuesday, with many fearing he would bring in anti-Islam policies that could help bolster extremist groups like Islamic State.

But in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, a country simmering with religious tensions, hardline anti-Muslim groups waxed lyrical about his victory.

Firebrand monk Wirathu, once dubbed the "face of Buddhist terror" for his anti-Muslim sermons, celebrated with a four-line poem on Facebook. (Courtesy of au.news.yahoo.com)

UN clarifies position on Arakan rape claims

A United Nations spokesperson has clarified that a senior UN official who visited northern Arakan State last week did not categorically deny rape allegations made by Rohingya women living in the region, contrary to reports by state media.

Stéphane Dujarric, the spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, explained that remarks made by Renata Lok-Dessallien, the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator in Burma, at a press conference held on 3 November did not constitute a denial of the claims.

Speaking at a press briefing on Wednesday, Dujarric said that “given the nature and scope” of last week’s two-day visit to the region by senior diplomats, “the intent of the delegation was not to look into allegations nor draw full conclusions.”

Burma’s government has consistently denied claims of human rights abuses in the region in the wake of security operations carried out since Rohingya militants attacked border police outposts on 9 October. (Courtesy of dvb.no)

Myanmar's Rohingya brace for more attacks in Rakhine

As the sun creeps towards its midday peak, Soe Myat Naing's house grows insufferably hot. Despite the stifling air, he dare not leave the safety of his oven walls and sits with unease, waiting for his cue to flee.

"We have to run away from our village when the military comes, they threaten the men so we have to run and leave the women. When we are not in the villages they go into our houses and take our possessions" he says.

Three days ago the Myanmar army raided the village of Nga Sar Kyu in northern Rakhine state where Soe Myat Naing lives with his family. They stole his solar panels, but did not stop at this.

"They arrested 30 women and raped 19, including my younger sister who is 23 years old. She cannot walk," he says. "The situation is getting worse every day." (Courtesy of aljazeera.com)

Myanmar Government’s Fascist Tactics Are Deplorable – Oped

Last week the Myanmar Police Force announced a plan to recruit and arm ethnic Rakhine and other non-Muslim civilians in restive Maungdaw Township, a predominantly Muslim township in Buddhist-majority Rakhine State. The township has recently witnessed widespread abuse of human rights against the minority Rohingya and other Muslims by the police and military forces. Weeks earlier, military moved into the territory to flush out the attackers – reportedly Rohingyas – who had raided 3 police posts.

Rakhine State Police Chief Colonel Sein Lwin told Reuters that the new “regional police” would include non-Muslim residents who would not otherwise meet educational or physical requirements to join the Myanmar Police Force, adding that recruits would serve in their own villages. More than 100 recruits between the ages of 18 and 35 are to receive a 16-week “accelerated” training program, beginning in the state capital of Sittwe on November 7. The police intend to provide the recruits with weapons and “other equipment” as well as compensation.

It is worth noting here that the creation of such a force violates international law, as articulated by the United Nations Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials and the U.N. Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials. According to the Principles, “internal political instability or any other public emergency may not be invoked to justify any departure from these basic principles.” (Courtesy of eurasiareview.com)

Myanmar paper banned from reporting on soldiers' violence against Rohingyas

he Myanmar Times, the country's oldest English-language daily, stopped covering the situation of Rohingyas after one of its senior staff was fired over an article citing multiple gang rapes of Rohingya women by soldiers.

Sources inside the newspaper said that one editor has already resigned in protest and several other staff members were considering leaving.

"The paper withstood the pre-publication censorship of the junta era," AFP quoted an unnamed source as saying, adding, “There are major concerns about backsliding in the commendable gains made on press freedom in recent years." (Courtesy of presstv.com)

What is Aung San Suu Kyi doing about the Rohingya?

ONE Southeast Asian issue that gets a lot of news coverage is the issue of Burma’s (Myanmar) Rohingya, a group that is oppressed and who have had their citizenship stripped off since 1982, by the former military junta.

The exodus of this people for decades has now seen tremendously negative implications. Refugees, corruption, human trafficking, the sex trade, murder, rape and torture are all associated with this problem.

One of the on-going criticism in the region is about ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), the regional intergovernmental organisation, having a non-interference policy. Hence, they have not done anything about the Rohingya issue in Burma.

Readers who are unfamiliar with the Rohingya issue are urged to find out more. However, it would definitely be hard pressed to find any individual today who would have no knowledge of the issue at all. (Courtesy of asiancorrespondent.com)

Rohingya may face 'death penalty' over Myanmar murders

A total of 113 people have now been arrested for alleged involvement in last month's attacks in Myanmar’s western Rakhine State, some of whom could face the death penalty.

Nine border police officials were killed and dozens of weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition were stolen Oct. 9. when around 400 armed men attacked three police station outposts in Maungdaw and Yathay Taung Townships.

Myanmar troops have since been searching villages predominantly occupied by the country’s Rohingya population for the assailants and stolen weapons. (Courtesy of aa.com.tr)

Myanmar gov't asked to step in to stop non-Muslim force

A Bangkok-based human rights group is calling on the Myanmar government to "immediately" intervene in a regional government's plan to arm non-Muslim civilians in a predominantly Muslim area of northern Rakhine State.

In a statement released Saturday, Matthew Smith, chief executive officer at Fortify Rights, called the move "highly inadvisable and dangerous".

“If the government wants to improve security, it should take urgent action to protect members of all races and religions and immediately provide free and unfettered access to aid groups.” (Courtesy of aa.com.tr)

Myanmar involved in cleansing Rakhine of Muslims: Activist

Diplomats from the UN, the EU and the US have urged Myanmar to launch a transparent investigation into human rights violations against Rohingya Muslims in its western Rakhine state. The request on Friday came after a two-day visit to the region, where Myanmar’s security forces stand accused of rape, torture, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests and burning of homes.

Jahangir Mohammad, director of the Center for Muslim Affairs from Manchester, said Myanmar’s government and military are pursuing the agenda of ethnic cleansing in Muslim-populated areas.

“We’ve seen over the last four or five years that the Rohingya Muslims are being slowly cleansed from society," he told Press TV. (Courtesy of presstv.com)

Rallying behind an old enemy in Burma

EVER since the 9 October attacks on police outposts in Burma’s Rakhine State led to the deployment of security forces to the region, numerous reports have emerged of rapes, arson attacks and extra-judicial killings of Rohingya. Those responsible for the initial attack, which left nine policemen dead, appear to have been Rohingya. Whether they came from Rakhine State or from Bangladesh, or both, is unclear.

But the response by security forces has been to place the entire area on lockdown as troops sweep through Rohingya villages searching for the militants. The government in Naypyidaw has roundly dismissed reports of abuses. “All are well convinced that the accusations of international media of violations of human rights of local residents during Maungtaw area clearance operations were intentionally fabricated in collusion with terrorist groups,” said a statement from the Ministry of Information. Aung San Suu Kyi — currently in Japan, despite the worst crisis faced by her six-month old administration — said on 3 November that security forces were abiding by the “rule of law”. (Courtesy of asiancorrespondent.com)

Myanmar Times joins the enemies of press freedom

As some of you may know I was fired from the Myanmar Times this week after the presidential spokesman Zaw Htay named me personally on his face book page last Friday and accused me of bias in a report I wrote on alleged military rapes of Muslim women in northern Rakhine.

As would be expected given sensitivities in Myanmar, the posts generated a considerable amount of hate speech against myself and the paper.

The reason given for my sacking was that the rape allegations story and "several" other unidentified articles I had written breached company policy by damaging national reconciliation and the paper's reputation. (Courtesy of yangon.coconuts.co)

Myanmar freedom of speech under threat amid Rakhine violence: monitors

Human rights monitors have raised concerns about press freedom in Myanmar after a journalist at an English-language newspaper said she was fired following government criticism of her reporting of allegations of rape by soldiers.

Violence in the north of troubled Rakhine State, which began with deadly attacks on border police posts on Oct. 9, has sparked the biggest crisis of de facto Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi's seven months in power.

Troops poured into the region after the attacks, which the government says were carried out by minority Rohingya Muslims with links to militant Islamists overseas.

The military operation has sharpened the tension between Suu Kyi's civilian administration and the army, which ruled the country for decades and retains key powers, including control of ministries responsible for security. (Courtesy of reuters.com)