The French government, human rights organisations and social media users worldwide have spent the past two weeks calling on the Bangladeshi government to release Moussa Tchantchiung, who was arrested on December 22.
Moussa Tchantchiung a French citizen and a member of the French NGO Barakacity was arrested on December 22 as he was on his way to visit Rohingya refugee camps in the country. [Al Jazeera]
Tchantchiung is a French citizen and a member of the French NGO Barakacity, a human rights organisation providing humanitarian services to needy communities in 22 countries. He was arrested by the BGB, an elite Bangladeshi police unit while on his way to visit Rohingya refugee camps in the country. The Bangladeshi government has since accused him, among other charges, of having ties to "terrorism".
The #FreeMoussa campaign, which has been trending on Twitter, was started in reaction to his arrest, while online petitions have called on the Bangladeshi government to release him. Celebrities and intellectuals have been publicly drawing attention to the case. (Courtesy of Dhaka Tribune)
January 9, 2016
Rohingya facing crisis again
As West focuses on Syria, Rohingya crisis flares again, Jan. 2.
Rohingyas seep into our news occasionally as they did in 2012 when Rakhine Buddhists went into violent rampages, burning villages and setting people ablaze under the watchful eye of the Burmese police. They were hunted down like animals, forced into deplorable camps, trapped between the army and the sea where thousands have no other escape but “leaky boats” and the Andaman Sea.
While the world is consumed in the Syrian refugee crisis, another humanitarian disaster is taking place in Myanmar where Buddhist racism is at the root of the ethnic cleansing forcing hundreds of thousands of Muslim Rohingyas to flee for their lives. (Courtesy of Toronto Star)
Rohingyas seep into our news occasionally as they did in 2012 when Rakhine Buddhists went into violent rampages, burning villages and setting people ablaze under the watchful eye of the Burmese police. They were hunted down like animals, forced into deplorable camps, trapped between the army and the sea where thousands have no other escape but “leaky boats” and the Andaman Sea.
While the world is consumed in the Syrian refugee crisis, another humanitarian disaster is taking place in Myanmar where Buddhist racism is at the root of the ethnic cleansing forcing hundreds of thousands of Muslim Rohingyas to flee for their lives. (Courtesy of Toronto Star)
China frets over relations with Myanmar
China is clearly anxious over the trajectory of relations with Myanmar, concerned that a West-ward shift in policy under President U Thein Sein will go even further in that direction under the new government to be led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
Those worries were seemingly on display late last month when a large Myanmar delegation – including National League for Democracy members, researchers and journalists – were given a 12-day tour of three Chinese cities sponsored by the ruling Communist Party.
Rao Huihua, deputy director general of the party central committee’s International Department, cautioned that Myanmar’s development of relations with the West should not have a negative impact on its ties with China, its largest trading partner and a major investor.
“Relations between Myanmar and China have been built systematically. Such good relations did not harm any country, and also relations between Myanmar and Western countries should not harm China,” she told her Myanmar guests.
Visits to China over the past 20 years by senior members of Myanmar’s previous junta and U Thein Sein’s military-backed government were commonplace. But last year China capped its efforts to build a relationship with the NLD leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi by arranging her first-ever visit to the country last June, at the invitation of the Communist Party. (Courtesy of Myanmar Times)
Those worries were seemingly on display late last month when a large Myanmar delegation – including National League for Democracy members, researchers and journalists – were given a 12-day tour of three Chinese cities sponsored by the ruling Communist Party.
Rao Huihua, deputy director general of the party central committee’s International Department, cautioned that Myanmar’s development of relations with the West should not have a negative impact on its ties with China, its largest trading partner and a major investor.
“Relations between Myanmar and China have been built systematically. Such good relations did not harm any country, and also relations between Myanmar and Western countries should not harm China,” she told her Myanmar guests.
Visits to China over the past 20 years by senior members of Myanmar’s previous junta and U Thein Sein’s military-backed government were commonplace. But last year China capped its efforts to build a relationship with the NLD leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi by arranging her first-ever visit to the country last June, at the invitation of the Communist Party. (Courtesy of Myanmar Times)
Netflix streams into Myanmar
Netflix – the world’s largest internet television network – has come to Myanmar as part of the firm’s expansion into 130 new countries. But slow download speeds and expensive data fees mean Myanmar’s DVD shops are not under threat from online streaming just yet.
During a keynote speech at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Netflix co-founder and chief executive Reed Hastings said the move was “the birth of a new global internet TV network”.
“With this launch, consumers around the world – from Singapore to St Petersburg, from San Francisco to Sao Paulo – will be able to enjoy TV shows and movies simultaneously – no more waiting,” he said. “With the help of the internet, we are putting power in consumers’ hands to watch whenever, wherever and on whatever device.”
But the promise of no more waiting may be premature for Myanmar, which has just recently entered the age of 3G networks and Wi-Fi connections. Myanmar’s internet remains frustratingly slow. According to a May 2015 study conducted by internet metrics provider Ookla, Myanmar’s internet download speed averaged just over 6 megabits (Mbps) per second. At that speed it would take a Myanmar Netflix user 3.7 hours to download one gigabyte of video – such as an hour-long episode of Netflix’s original series House of Cards. (Courtesy of Myanmar Times)
During a keynote speech at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Netflix co-founder and chief executive Reed Hastings said the move was “the birth of a new global internet TV network”.
“With this launch, consumers around the world – from Singapore to St Petersburg, from San Francisco to Sao Paulo – will be able to enjoy TV shows and movies simultaneously – no more waiting,” he said. “With the help of the internet, we are putting power in consumers’ hands to watch whenever, wherever and on whatever device.”
But the promise of no more waiting may be premature for Myanmar, which has just recently entered the age of 3G networks and Wi-Fi connections. Myanmar’s internet remains frustratingly slow. According to a May 2015 study conducted by internet metrics provider Ookla, Myanmar’s internet download speed averaged just over 6 megabits (Mbps) per second. At that speed it would take a Myanmar Netflix user 3.7 hours to download one gigabyte of video – such as an hour-long episode of Netflix’s original series House of Cards. (Courtesy of Myanmar Times)
These Calendars Can Get You Into Trouble in Thailand and Myanmar
Calendars are supposed to be practical, harmless gifts during the New Year, but some calendars can land you in jail, especially if you are living in Thailand and Myanmar.
In Thailand, authorities confiscated some calendars that featured the photos of two former prime ministers. Meanwhile, in Myanmar, the government arrested five men who printed a calendar about an ‘illegal’ ethnic group.
The Thai junta, which grabbed power in 2014, is accused of stopping the distribution of 2016 calendars printed by Pheu Thai, the political party of Thaksin and Yingluck Shinawatra. Thaksin was Thailand’s prime minister who was ousted by a coup in 2006. He fled the country in 2008 after being convicted of corruption and continues to live in exile today. Yingluck is Thaksin’s younger sister who was elected prime minister in 2011 but was also ousted by a coup in 2014.
On January 5, some women supporters of Yingluck were summoned by the army for distributing the 2016 calendars of the opposition Pheu Thai. Some municipal officials in north Thailand were against the giving away of calendars, which included a photo of Yingluck hugging her older brother Thaksin. Civil servants were told not to distribute calendars during public assemblies because it can be interpreted as an act of ‘political partiality’. (Courtesy of Global Voices)
In Thailand, authorities confiscated some calendars that featured the photos of two former prime ministers. Meanwhile, in Myanmar, the government arrested five men who printed a calendar about an ‘illegal’ ethnic group.
The Thai junta, which grabbed power in 2014, is accused of stopping the distribution of 2016 calendars printed by Pheu Thai, the political party of Thaksin and Yingluck Shinawatra. Thaksin was Thailand’s prime minister who was ousted by a coup in 2006. He fled the country in 2008 after being convicted of corruption and continues to live in exile today. Yingluck is Thaksin’s younger sister who was elected prime minister in 2011 but was also ousted by a coup in 2014.
On January 5, some women supporters of Yingluck were summoned by the army for distributing the 2016 calendars of the opposition Pheu Thai. Some municipal officials in north Thailand were against the giving away of calendars, which included a photo of Yingluck hugging her older brother Thaksin. Civil servants were told not to distribute calendars during public assemblies because it can be interpreted as an act of ‘political partiality’. (Courtesy of Global Voices)
Ethnic Alliance to Boycott Political Dialogue
CHIANG MAI, Thailand— An alliance of ethnic armed groups that did not sign an October ceasefire agreement with the Burmese government has announced that they will not participate in upcoming political dialogue.
Non-signatories, who are members of the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), have been invited only to audit the dialogue, which will begin on Jan. 12 in Naypyidaw.
More than 700 representatives of non-state armed groups and the newly formed Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee (UPDJC) are set to convene for five days in the capital.
The UNFC boycotted the signing of the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA), a multilateral peace pact reached between the government and eight of Burma’s more than 20 non-state armed groups on Oct. 15 of last year.
The group abstained because the government refused to admit three allied rebel groups into the pact: the Arakan Army, the Ta’ang National Liberation Army and the Myanmar National democratic Alliance Army of eastern Burma’s troubled Kokang region. (Courtesy of Irrawaddy)
Non-signatories, who are members of the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC), have been invited only to audit the dialogue, which will begin on Jan. 12 in Naypyidaw.
More than 700 representatives of non-state armed groups and the newly formed Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee (UPDJC) are set to convene for five days in the capital.
The UNFC boycotted the signing of the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA), a multilateral peace pact reached between the government and eight of Burma’s more than 20 non-state armed groups on Oct. 15 of last year.
The group abstained because the government refused to admit three allied rebel groups into the pact: the Arakan Army, the Ta’ang National Liberation Army and the Myanmar National democratic Alliance Army of eastern Burma’s troubled Kokang region. (Courtesy of Irrawaddy)
Myanmar surfaces during Bangla FM, OIC chief talks
RIYADH: The plight of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar was among the issues that came up during a meeting between Bangladesh Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali and OIC Secretary-General Iyad Ameen Madani on Thursday.
During the meeting, the OIC headquarters in Jeddah, the two parties discussed matters of common interest of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation member states. Hassan expressed his country’s readiness to extend full support to the cause of Muslim Ummah.
The visiting minister briefed Madani on the initiatives of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for socio-economic development of the country as well as adoption of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolution of culture of peace and non-violence. (Courtesy of Arab News)
During the meeting, the OIC headquarters in Jeddah, the two parties discussed matters of common interest of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation member states. Hassan expressed his country’s readiness to extend full support to the cause of Muslim Ummah.
The visiting minister briefed Madani on the initiatives of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for socio-economic development of the country as well as adoption of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolution of culture of peace and non-violence. (Courtesy of Arab News)
Gambia: Rohingya Muslim Congratulates Jammeh for Islamic Republic Declaration
Salim Ullah Ahamed, President of the Rohingya National Union (RNU), from Burma/Myanmar and currently in Bangladesh has written to the Gambian leader, His Excellency Sheikh Professor Alhaji Dr. Yahya AJJ Jammeh, Babili Mansa congratulating him for declaring The Gambia an Islamic Republic.
Salim as well commended President Jammeh for offering shelter to the oppressed Rohingya Muslims of Myanmar/Burma.
The letter reads:
Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah Wa Barakatuh
Hope Your Excellency may find this mail while enjoying good health and high Islamic spirit. (Courtesy of allAfrica)
Salim as well commended President Jammeh for offering shelter to the oppressed Rohingya Muslims of Myanmar/Burma.
The letter reads:
Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah Wa Barakatuh
Hope Your Excellency may find this mail while enjoying good health and high Islamic spirit. (Courtesy of allAfrica)
Foreign minister seeks world help for Myanmar Muslims
A collective role of international community is needed in addressing the plight of the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, said Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali.
He made the call during a meeting with Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary General Iyad Ameen Madani in Jeddah on Thursday.
He highlighted measures taken by Bangladesh to resolve the matter with Myanmar, which is expected to get due importance after assumption of the office by new government led by Aung San Suu Kyi. (Courtesy of The Daily Star)
He made the call during a meeting with Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary General Iyad Ameen Madani in Jeddah on Thursday.
He highlighted measures taken by Bangladesh to resolve the matter with Myanmar, which is expected to get due importance after assumption of the office by new government led by Aung San Suu Kyi. (Courtesy of The Daily Star)
Sharp drop in Rohingya migrants after Thai, Bangladesh crackdowns
The number of migrants leaving Myanmar and Bangladesh by boat in the past four months has plummeted because of Thai and Bangladeshi crackdowns on human smugglers, the United Nations and a rights activist said on Friday.
Thai police launched a sweeping campaign against smuggling gangs in May following the discovery of 30 bodies in graves near a human-trafficking camp close to the Malaysian border.
The police operation led to traffickers abandoning 4,000 migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh at sea, sparking a chaotic round of "maritime ping-pong" as Indonesian, Malaysian and Thai navies pushed migrant boats away from their shores.
Tens of thousands of Rohingya Muslims have fled poverty and persecution in western Myanmar since religious violence erupted there in 2012.
Most have headed for Muslim-majority Malaysia, but many have made landfall first in southern Thailand or been intercepted and held for ransom in camps hidden deep in Thailand's jungles. (Courtesy of Reuters)
Thai police launched a sweeping campaign against smuggling gangs in May following the discovery of 30 bodies in graves near a human-trafficking camp close to the Malaysian border.
The police operation led to traffickers abandoning 4,000 migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh at sea, sparking a chaotic round of "maritime ping-pong" as Indonesian, Malaysian and Thai navies pushed migrant boats away from their shores.
Tens of thousands of Rohingya Muslims have fled poverty and persecution in western Myanmar since religious violence erupted there in 2012.
Most have headed for Muslim-majority Malaysia, but many have made landfall first in southern Thailand or been intercepted and held for ransom in camps hidden deep in Thailand's jungles. (Courtesy of Reuters)
In Myanmar, A Simple Verdict on a Flawed Election
Myanmar’s November election—a landslide victory for the National League for Democracy (NLD) – was a procedural success. Turnout was high, the voting process went smoothly, and there was little electoral violence.
These are impressive results for a nation ruled under military dictatorship for half a century, until the country began introducing modest democratic reforms over the last few years.
The November 8 election, however, has elicited a fair amount of criticism from the international community. And it’s easy to understand why.
The Rohingya, a deeply marginalized Muslim community doubly cursed as an ethnic and religious minority, were completely banned from both running and voting in the election. Many other groups were banned as well. Additionally, for all the talk of democratization in Myanmar, the military—much like in another fragile democracy, Pakistan—continues to wield power behind the scenes. The Constitution of Myanmar, written by the military junta, sets aside a quarter of Myanmar’s national and state assemblies for military-appointed representatives.
In a statement issued immediately after the election, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry declared that “there remain important structural and systemic impediments to the realization of full democratic and civilian government” in Myanmar. (Courtesy of The Diplomat)
These are impressive results for a nation ruled under military dictatorship for half a century, until the country began introducing modest democratic reforms over the last few years.
The November 8 election, however, has elicited a fair amount of criticism from the international community. And it’s easy to understand why.
The Rohingya, a deeply marginalized Muslim community doubly cursed as an ethnic and religious minority, were completely banned from both running and voting in the election. Many other groups were banned as well. Additionally, for all the talk of democratization in Myanmar, the military—much like in another fragile democracy, Pakistan—continues to wield power behind the scenes. The Constitution of Myanmar, written by the military junta, sets aside a quarter of Myanmar’s national and state assemblies for military-appointed representatives.
In a statement issued immediately after the election, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry declared that “there remain important structural and systemic impediments to the realization of full democratic and civilian government” in Myanmar. (Courtesy of The Diplomat)
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