any of the Muslims displaced by inter-communal violence in Myanmar are still prevented from moving freely and often denied access to local hospitals, a senior United Nations humanitarian official said on Tuesday, calling for an end to such discriminatory practices.
More than 100,000 people remain displaced by the ongoing conflict in Kachin and northern Shan States, while some 120,000 Muslims, mainly Rohingya, and 5,000 ethnic Buddhists remain displaced following the inter-communal violence of 2012 in Rakhine state, said John Ging, Director of Operations for the UN Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), as he briefed the media in New York about his recent visit to the southeast Asian country.
Despite an impressive democratic transformation, which is unlocking significant economic growth and development, not everyone in Myanmar is benefiting in this transition, he said. (Courtesy of newkerala.com)
March 3, 2016
IDPs must not be forgotten in wake of elections: UN
United Nations representatives are continuing to pressure Myanmar on the international stage over its treatment of Muslim minorities and internally displaced people.
A high-ranking UN official who recently toured IDP camps in Rakhine, Kachin and Shan states yesterday spoke of his “heartbreaking” experiences.
John Ging, director of operations for the Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), stressed that the welfare of these groups cannot be forgotten in the aftermath of the election as the country continues to transform economically and politically.
In Rakhine State, Mr Ging met with some of the 120,000 Muslim Rohingya – who are officially called Bengalis by the government – and 5000 ethnic Rakhine who remain displaced after communal violence in 2012, which saw more than 150 killed and several villages razed. (Courtesy of Myanmar Times)
A high-ranking UN official who recently toured IDP camps in Rakhine, Kachin and Shan states yesterday spoke of his “heartbreaking” experiences.
John Ging, director of operations for the Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), stressed that the welfare of these groups cannot be forgotten in the aftermath of the election as the country continues to transform economically and politically.
In Rakhine State, Mr Ging met with some of the 120,000 Muslim Rohingya – who are officially called Bengalis by the government – and 5000 ethnic Rakhine who remain displaced after communal violence in 2012, which saw more than 150 killed and several villages razed. (Courtesy of Myanmar Times)
Boat crackdown forces smuggling shift
The ready pipeline of refugees seeking to flee displaced persons camps continues to fuel the multi-million-dollar smuggling industry. But deterred by stories of abuse and the increasing likelihood of not being able to complete the often-deadly journey, Muslim Rohingya who previously have fled by sea in droves are no longer as willing to crowd onto the converted fishing boats and risk being stranded as smugglers desert the vessels.
But that doesn’t mean they aren’t still desperate to leave.
“Now, some are trying to find another way out, like by flights,” said Aamir, 24, a Rohingya living in Baw Du Pha 1 camp in Sittwe. (All names of Rakhine State IDPs have been changed to protect identitites.) “This way is safer than by boat. Even though it’s possible to be arrested on the way, that means a prison sentence, not death.”
Though his odds may be better with a flight, the cost difference is prohibitively high. A place on a smuggler’s boat costs just K50,000, he said. Many were able to drum up the sum by selling United Nations food rations. By contrast, the cost of forged documents and an air ticket, just to Yangon, is 20 times higher, at more than K1 million per person, he said. (Courtesy of Myanmar Times)
But that doesn’t mean they aren’t still desperate to leave.
“Now, some are trying to find another way out, like by flights,” said Aamir, 24, a Rohingya living in Baw Du Pha 1 camp in Sittwe. (All names of Rakhine State IDPs have been changed to protect identitites.) “This way is safer than by boat. Even though it’s possible to be arrested on the way, that means a prison sentence, not death.”
Though his odds may be better with a flight, the cost difference is prohibitively high. A place on a smuggler’s boat costs just K50,000, he said. Many were able to drum up the sum by selling United Nations food rations. By contrast, the cost of forged documents and an air ticket, just to Yangon, is 20 times higher, at more than K1 million per person, he said. (Courtesy of Myanmar Times)
Despite successful elections, Myanmar's Rohingyas languish in dreadful conditions: UN
Myanmar's persecuted Rohingya continue to languish in "dreadful conditions" with children dying because they are refused healthcare, the UN has warned, adding that the Muslim minority risked being forgotten in the afterglow of recent elections.
The comments were made by a senior UN official following a visit to western Rakhine state, where the Rohingya have been targeted by violent attacks and state-sanctioned discrimination in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, earning a reputation as one of the world's most persecuted peoples.
More than 100,000 Rohingya are languishing in camps in Myanmar's west after communal unrest in Rahkine state left villages torched and scores dead in 2012. (Courtesy of Firstpost)
The comments were made by a senior UN official following a visit to western Rakhine state, where the Rohingya have been targeted by violent attacks and state-sanctioned discrimination in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, earning a reputation as one of the world's most persecuted peoples.
More than 100,000 Rohingya are languishing in camps in Myanmar's west after communal unrest in Rahkine state left villages torched and scores dead in 2012. (Courtesy of Firstpost)
Myanmar's parliament has moved up by a week the deadline for nominating the country's next president, bringing the nation a step closer to a historic transition of power
Myanmar's parliament has moved up by a week the deadline for nominating the country's next president, bringing the nation a step closer to a historic transition of power.
The new deadline, set Tuesday, means the upper and lower houses of parliament and the military bloc that holds a constitutionally mandated 25 percent of seats will now nominate their presidential candidates by March 10. The original deadline was March 17.
The new president is virtually certain to be from Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party. After its landslide election victory in November, the NLD commands majorities in both chambers of parliament, so it will get to nominate two candidates. (Courtesy of greenfieldreporter.com)
The new deadline, set Tuesday, means the upper and lower houses of parliament and the military bloc that holds a constitutionally mandated 25 percent of seats will now nominate their presidential candidates by March 10. The original deadline was March 17.
The new president is virtually certain to be from Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party. After its landslide election victory in November, the NLD commands majorities in both chambers of parliament, so it will get to nominate two candidates. (Courtesy of greenfieldreporter.com)
Rohingya Muslims: The world’s most persecuted minority
Rohingya Muslims are considered to be the most persecuted minority in the world. This fact is recognized by the United Nations and by almost all human rights organizations. Several prominent international human rights activists have noted that Rohingya Muslims have been subjected to massive ethnic cleansing in Myanmar (formerly Burma), a predominantly Buddhist country in Southeast Asia.
The military government in Myanmar has deprived these hapless people of their citizenship after considering them to be illegal residents who migrated from Bangladesh irrespective of the fact that they are an ethnic community who have been living in the northwestern Rakhine state since the 8th century CE. (Courtesy of Saudi Gazette)
The military government in Myanmar has deprived these hapless people of their citizenship after considering them to be illegal residents who migrated from Bangladesh irrespective of the fact that they are an ethnic community who have been living in the northwestern Rakhine state since the 8th century CE. (Courtesy of Saudi Gazette)
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