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)
November 23, 2016
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)
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)
November 22, 2016
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)
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)
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)
November 21, 2016
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)
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)
November 20, 2016
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)
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)
November 19, 2016
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)
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)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)