The U.N. special adviser on Myanmar called on civilians in troubled Rakhine state on Tuesday to exercise maximum restraint and refrain from responding to recent fighting that led to the deaths of security personnel as well as civilians.
Vijay Nambiar expressed concern at violent attacks by unidentified individuals and groups against border guards and security forces on Oct. 9 and subsequent fighting in three areas of Northern Rakhine, situated on Myanmar’s western coast, that resulted in the deaths.
Longstanding discrimination by majority Buddhists against Muslim Rohingya in Rakhine exploded into bloody violence in 2012. More than 100,000 people, mostly Rohingyas, are still in displacement camps. (Courtesy of khaosodenglish.com)
October 12, 2016
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi Responds to Arakan State Attacks
Burma’s State Counselor and Foreign Affairs Minister Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said on Wednesday that she would not accuse any individual or organization before obtaining evidence regarding the culprits of the recent violent attack in Arakan State.
While responding to questions posed by journalists during a joint press conference of the State Counselor and her counterpart Bert Koenders, the Foreign Affairs Minister of the Netherlands who is currently in Naypyidaw on an official visit, she pledged to handle the case “fairly” and manage the situation according to “rule of law.”
“We are not going to accuse anybody until we know clearly [who is behind the attack] and have solid evidence.”
According to information from the government, the Sunday attack on border guard headquarters and outposts in Maungdaw and Rathedaung Townships in Arakan State resulted in the death of nine police officers and eight alleged attackers.
A manhunt by security forces in Maungdaw Township reportedly involved the death of four soldiers and seven suspects. (Courtesy of irrawaddy.com)
While responding to questions posed by journalists during a joint press conference of the State Counselor and her counterpart Bert Koenders, the Foreign Affairs Minister of the Netherlands who is currently in Naypyidaw on an official visit, she pledged to handle the case “fairly” and manage the situation according to “rule of law.”
“We are not going to accuse anybody until we know clearly [who is behind the attack] and have solid evidence.”
According to information from the government, the Sunday attack on border guard headquarters and outposts in Maungdaw and Rathedaung Townships in Arakan State resulted in the death of nine police officers and eight alleged attackers.
A manhunt by security forces in Maungdaw Township reportedly involved the death of four soldiers and seven suspects. (Courtesy of irrawaddy.com)
October 11, 2016
Burma’s Rohingya Need International Help Now More Than Ever
Earlier this year the United Nations published a report ‘Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar’, which concluded that human rights violations against us could amount to crimes against humanity.
The report also stated that the government of Burma needed to take urgent action to end the anti-Rohingya policies of past governments. The response of the NLD led government and rest of the international community was silence. Once again, evidence of violations of international law have been provided, and once again no action has been taken. Our suffering goes on.
Worse, the day after the UN report was published, European Union diplomats based in Burma announced that in response to a demand by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to avoid using the word Rohingya, they would also not use the word Rohingya when talking about Rohingya people. (Courtesy of huffingtonpost.co.uk)
The report also stated that the government of Burma needed to take urgent action to end the anti-Rohingya policies of past governments. The response of the NLD led government and rest of the international community was silence. Once again, evidence of violations of international law have been provided, and once again no action has been taken. Our suffering goes on.
Worse, the day after the UN report was published, European Union diplomats based in Burma announced that in response to a demand by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to avoid using the word Rohingya, they would also not use the word Rohingya when talking about Rohingya people. (Courtesy of huffingtonpost.co.uk)
October 9, 2016
Nine Myanmar police killed in attack on Bangladesh border
Nine Myanmar police officers were killed in coordinated attacks by insurgents on posts along the border with Bangladesh early Sunday, an official and police said.
No-one has claimed responsibility but a senior local Myanmar official pointed the finger at a militant group from the Muslim Rohingya minority that has been dormant for years.
The assaults hit three border posts around 1:30 am near Maungdaw in the impoverished western state of Rakhine, simmering with tensions between Buddhists and Muslim Rohingyas, who are forced to live in dire conditions. (Courtesy of dailymail.co.uk)
No-one has claimed responsibility but a senior local Myanmar official pointed the finger at a militant group from the Muslim Rohingya minority that has been dormant for years.
The assaults hit three border posts around 1:30 am near Maungdaw in the impoverished western state of Rakhine, simmering with tensions between Buddhists and Muslim Rohingyas, who are forced to live in dire conditions. (Courtesy of dailymail.co.uk)
September 21, 2016
Demolition of Religious Buildings in Myanmar's Rakhine State Set to Start
Rakhine state government officials are moving to demolish more than 3,000 allegedly illegal buildings, including a dozen mosques and more than 30 other religious buildings, in the Maungdaw District, RFA’s Myanmar Service has learned.
During a meeting in the state capital of Sittwe, a committee of village elders was convened to take stock of illegal buildings that need to be razed, Rakhine State Security and Border Affairs Minister Col. Htein Lin told RFA.
Those buildings include 12 mosques, 35 religious school buildings and more than 2,500 houses and other structures that were constructed over the years without permission from the authorities, he said.
Maungdaw area village chiefs were notified of the decision on Sept. 18, he said. It was unclear exactly when the demolitions would occur, or precisely how the buildings were chosen.
Tensions between majority Buddhists and minority Muslims in various parts of the country flare up from time to time over the building of religious structures. (Courtesy of rfa.org)
During a meeting in the state capital of Sittwe, a committee of village elders was convened to take stock of illegal buildings that need to be razed, Rakhine State Security and Border Affairs Minister Col. Htein Lin told RFA.
Those buildings include 12 mosques, 35 religious school buildings and more than 2,500 houses and other structures that were constructed over the years without permission from the authorities, he said.
Maungdaw area village chiefs were notified of the decision on Sept. 18, he said. It was unclear exactly when the demolitions would occur, or precisely how the buildings were chosen.
Tensions between majority Buddhists and minority Muslims in various parts of the country flare up from time to time over the building of religious structures. (Courtesy of rfa.org)
September 20, 2016
Political parties rail against Rakhine State commission
Further buttressing complaints about the Rakhine State Advisory Commission, 11 political parties put out a joint statement calling for the disbanding of the “illegitimate” new body.
On September 16, the political parties – including the former ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party and the Arakan National Party – met in Yangon to discuss objections to the newly formed commission.
Eleven of the 13 parties present at the meeting agreed to support the Rakhine State parliament’s vote to reject the committee, a symbolic decision made last week.
The commission was formed by the state counsellor last month as an impartial body with a mandate to propose concrete measures for improving the welfare of all people in Rakhine State. The crux of opposition to the nine-member commission, amplified by nationalist protests, has hinged on its inclusion of three foreigners, including former UN secretary general Kofi Annan. (Courtesy of mmtimes.com)
On September 16, the political parties – including the former ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party and the Arakan National Party – met in Yangon to discuss objections to the newly formed commission.
Eleven of the 13 parties present at the meeting agreed to support the Rakhine State parliament’s vote to reject the committee, a symbolic decision made last week.
The commission was formed by the state counsellor last month as an impartial body with a mandate to propose concrete measures for improving the welfare of all people in Rakhine State. The crux of opposition to the nine-member commission, amplified by nationalist protests, has hinged on its inclusion of three foreigners, including former UN secretary general Kofi Annan. (Courtesy of mmtimes.com)
Deadly clashes in Myanmar threaten rebel peace bid
At least eight people have been killed and thousands displaced by clashes in southeast Myanmar, rebels and border forces said Monday, violence that threatens to undercut the new government's push for peace.
Fighting broke out this month between government troops and an ethnic rebel splinter group known as the DKBA in Karen state, near the border with Thailand.
More than 4,000 people have fled the violence so far.
Video footage sent to AFP showed dozens of women and children packed into a monastery, some handing out food packages from aid groups while others rifled through piles of donated clothing.
The clashes come just weeks after Aung San Suu Kyi's government held a landmark summit aimed at ending almost seven decades of ethnic insurgencies. (Courtesy of au.news.yahoo.com)
Fighting broke out this month between government troops and an ethnic rebel splinter group known as the DKBA in Karen state, near the border with Thailand.
More than 4,000 people have fled the violence so far.
Video footage sent to AFP showed dozens of women and children packed into a monastery, some handing out food packages from aid groups while others rifled through piles of donated clothing.
The clashes come just weeks after Aung San Suu Kyi's government held a landmark summit aimed at ending almost seven decades of ethnic insurgencies. (Courtesy of au.news.yahoo.com)
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