The Rohingya people from Myanmar/Burma are arguably the "most persecuted people on earth."
They have been made stateless in their own country and have been subject to extreme ethnic-based violence and discrimination perpetrated by sectors of the Burmese government and community. Many are forced to flee their homeland and many arrive in Malaysia.
In Malaysia, Rohingya refugees are allowed to stay for now, but they have no health care, education, security or employment support. They are sometimes extorted by local criminals, and children have been kidnapped and sent into slavery or tenured work situations.
Throughout this ordeal, the Rohingya have not resorted to organised violence even in their own defence. (Courtesy of pozible.com)
April 26, 2016
Myanmar Rejects Bangladesh Border Police Claim about Rohingya Expulsion
Myanmar’s government has rejected claims by the Border Guard Bangladesh that hundreds of Rohingya Muslims have been sent back to Myanmar.
A report of 340 Rohingya Muslims being sent back to Myanmar from Bangladesh this month was “not true,” Zaw Htay, a spokesman for Myanmar’s President’s Office, said in an interview Sunday.
“We checked with authorities concerned after seeing this story. The top levels didn’t know anything and then we asked security and border officials on the ground and learnt the event didn’t take place. That’s why we said this story was not true,” he said.
“It’s a highly sensitive issue between Bangladesh and Myanmar. If we have to accept people, the decision has to come from the Union government. And there are immigration procedures,” he went on to say.
“We have to make detail[ed] checks whether they are really from Myanmar. We can’t do it without [a] verification process. We won’t handle it lightly. And we’ll let the media know,” he went on to say, calling the story “unbalanced.” (Courtesy of benarnews.org)
A report of 340 Rohingya Muslims being sent back to Myanmar from Bangladesh this month was “not true,” Zaw Htay, a spokesman for Myanmar’s President’s Office, said in an interview Sunday.
“We checked with authorities concerned after seeing this story. The top levels didn’t know anything and then we asked security and border officials on the ground and learnt the event didn’t take place. That’s why we said this story was not true,” he said.
“It’s a highly sensitive issue between Bangladesh and Myanmar. If we have to accept people, the decision has to come from the Union government. And there are immigration procedures,” he went on to say.
“We have to make detail[ed] checks whether they are really from Myanmar. We can’t do it without [a] verification process. We won’t handle it lightly. And we’ll let the media know,” he went on to say, calling the story “unbalanced.” (Courtesy of benarnews.org)
South Asia's forgotten, forced migration and its stories
Facing an inexorable enemy, they fled - the lucky ones flying out, some over the sea, while most others had to trudge across difficult terrain with a range of predators, including two-legged ones, to reach safety. Left behind in all cases were properties and businesses built painstakingly over the years while ahead was an uncertain future. They were not the Partition refugees but victims of a earlier displacement - Indians fleeing Burma as World War II arrived.
However, their story, occurring just a few years before 1947, is less-known, as is of the glittering Indian presence in Burma (renamed Myanmar only in 1989), and a part of British India till 1937.
Till the war, ethnic Indians made over half of Rangoon's population and 16 percent of the whole country - including a large chunk not technically British subjects as they hailed from Portuguese Goa. Survivors have now thinned out and memories obliterated but there was a time when catchy Hindi film song "Mere Piya Gaye Rangoon" would have not been strange for Indian audiences as well as the setting of the Ashok Kumar-starrer "Samadhi" (1950). (Courtesy of bignewsnetwork.com)
However, their story, occurring just a few years before 1947, is less-known, as is of the glittering Indian presence in Burma (renamed Myanmar only in 1989), and a part of British India till 1937.
Till the war, ethnic Indians made over half of Rangoon's population and 16 percent of the whole country - including a large chunk not technically British subjects as they hailed from Portuguese Goa. Survivors have now thinned out and memories obliterated but there was a time when catchy Hindi film song "Mere Piya Gaye Rangoon" would have not been strange for Indian audiences as well as the setting of the Ashok Kumar-starrer "Samadhi" (1950). (Courtesy of bignewsnetwork.com)
Clashes resume in Kachin State between KIO and army
The past few weeks have seen a resumption of fighting in Kachin state between government forces and troops from the Kachin Independence Army's (KIA). The latest wave of fighting began when the Burma Army troops attached a Kachin Independence Army (KIA) outpost near the group's Laiza capital on Thursday April 7th.
While KIA troops have clashed frequently with army forces in Shan State, this month's clashes have been the first army attack on KIA positions in Kachin since since last year.
The Kachin News Group (KNG) has learned that fighting at the Pau Se outpost on 17 April resulted in losses for KIA forces. The outpost is located west of Nam San Yang on the Myitkyina to Bhamo Road. The Burma Army attacked the KIA post which was mostly manned by troops from the KIO's local militia, known in Kachin as MHH. with three columns after the Kachin troops conducted their prayers at around 11 am on Sunday April 17th. Two soldiers were killed and seven were injured, according to a KIA official, who spoke on condition anonymity. The KIA was forced to retreat from their outpost following the attack he said. (Courtesy of kachinnews.com)
While KIA troops have clashed frequently with army forces in Shan State, this month's clashes have been the first army attack on KIA positions in Kachin since since last year.
The Kachin News Group (KNG) has learned that fighting at the Pau Se outpost on 17 April resulted in losses for KIA forces. The outpost is located west of Nam San Yang on the Myitkyina to Bhamo Road. The Burma Army attacked the KIA post which was mostly manned by troops from the KIO's local militia, known in Kachin as MHH. with three columns after the Kachin troops conducted their prayers at around 11 am on Sunday April 17th. Two soldiers were killed and seven were injured, according to a KIA official, who spoke on condition anonymity. The KIA was forced to retreat from their outpost following the attack he said. (Courtesy of kachinnews.com)
Extreme Weather Kills 13, Destroys Hundreds of Pagodas
Gale-force winds and hailstorms have killed more than 10 people and destroyed homes, religious buildings and livestock in northern Burma since Friday.
The affected areas were in Mandalay, Sagaing and Magwe divisions, as well as Shan and Arakan states, claiming the lives of 13 people and injuring dozens. Storms damaged more than 15,000 homes and killed hundreds of cattle, local media reported on Monday.
According to a report on Saturday from the office of Burma’s military commander-in-chief, a 30-minute-long gale-force wind toppled more than 800 pagodas in the Kakku Pagoda compound about 30 miles outside of Taunggyi, the capital of Shan State. The pagoda complex boasts a cluster of more than 2,400 religious structures, believed to be many centuries old. (Courtesy of Irrawaddy)
The affected areas were in Mandalay, Sagaing and Magwe divisions, as well as Shan and Arakan states, claiming the lives of 13 people and injuring dozens. Storms damaged more than 15,000 homes and killed hundreds of cattle, local media reported on Monday.
According to a report on Saturday from the office of Burma’s military commander-in-chief, a 30-minute-long gale-force wind toppled more than 800 pagodas in the Kakku Pagoda compound about 30 miles outside of Taunggyi, the capital of Shan State. The pagoda complex boasts a cluster of more than 2,400 religious structures, believed to be many centuries old. (Courtesy of Irrawaddy)
How the NLD Can Fulfill Its Promise of Peace
Burma’s new government has declared that finding a solution to the country’s decades-long civil war is one of its top priorities. That is clearly in line with the policies of the ruling National League for Democracy (NLD), which stated when the party was formed in September 1988, “[t]he forty-year history of [ethnic] relations has been a chapter of misfortune verging on the tragic … the development of the country has suffered greatly since 40 percent of the national budget has to be devoted to defence requirements … for these reasons we must seek a lasting solution to the problems of the ethnic minorities … it is the aim of the League to secure the highest degree of autonomy consonant with the inherent rights of the minorities and the well-being of the Union as a whole.”
But in order to achieve peace, it is also obvious that the new government must find a novel approach to this issue.
In late 2012, Thein Sein, the previous president, set up an organization called the Myanmar Peace Center and, with massive financial support from the international community, embarked on an ambitious program of talks with Burma’s many ethnic armed organizations (EAO). But the problem was that the Myanmar Peace Center put the cart before the horse by asking the EAOs to sign a “nationwide ceasefire agreement” first and hold political talks later. In practice, that meant that groups which agreed to a ceasefire with the government army would be rewarded with lucrative business opportunities. And then, perhaps, some political talks would be held. (Courtesy of Irrawaddy)
But in order to achieve peace, it is also obvious that the new government must find a novel approach to this issue.
In late 2012, Thein Sein, the previous president, set up an organization called the Myanmar Peace Center and, with massive financial support from the international community, embarked on an ambitious program of talks with Burma’s many ethnic armed organizations (EAO). But the problem was that the Myanmar Peace Center put the cart before the horse by asking the EAOs to sign a “nationwide ceasefire agreement” first and hold political talks later. In practice, that meant that groups which agreed to a ceasefire with the government army would be rewarded with lucrative business opportunities. And then, perhaps, some political talks would be held. (Courtesy of Irrawaddy)
David I. Steinberg: Aung San Suu Kyi's sanctions conundrum
The United States maintains certain sanctions in Myanmar against many individuals, military-led institutions, and other organizations for their involvement in the Southeast Asian nation's unpleasant past. Although the most basic sanctions have been lifted and the country is in the process of moving from military to civilian rule, in order to continue the remaining sanctions regimen, each May the U.S. president must issue an order indicating that "the actions and policies of the Government of Burma continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States."
This is bizarre considering that the U.S. has opened a trade office, encouraged responsible investment, and is actively engaged in an economic aid program in the country formerly known as Burma. If one were to take the U.S. statement seriously, its government is encouraging its citizens who are involved in these programs to put their safety in jeopardy by operating in Myanmar. Although this is simply a U.S. bureaucratic requirement, how the Burmese or foreign investors may feel about it raises other issues. (Courtesy of Nikkei Asian Review )
This is bizarre considering that the U.S. has opened a trade office, encouraged responsible investment, and is actively engaged in an economic aid program in the country formerly known as Burma. If one were to take the U.S. statement seriously, its government is encouraging its citizens who are involved in these programs to put their safety in jeopardy by operating in Myanmar. Although this is simply a U.S. bureaucratic requirement, how the Burmese or foreign investors may feel about it raises other issues. (Courtesy of Nikkei Asian Review )
China-Myanmar relation in the Suu Kyi's age
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with his Myanmar counterpart Aung San Suu Kyi in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar on April 5.
Despite Suu Kyi's close relations with the West, China's top diplomat was the first foreign minister to have visited the Southeast Asian country after its new government took office earlier this year, which demonstrates Suu Kyi's friendly attitude toward its neighbor and her willingness to tackle domestic problems by cooperating with China in the wake of its political upheaval.
Wang's visit showed that the change in Myanmar's political landscape is not hindering bilateral relations. However, it should be noted that China and Myanmar, which share a long and porous border, still face a number of difficulties.
Closer together
The two leaders' meeting came one week before the country's New Year water festival at a time when the National League for Democracy (NLD), led by Suu Kyi, was bracing for new challenges as the ruling party of the country. Wang also met with top leaders including President Htin Kyaw, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and General Secretary of the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) Tin NaingThein.(Courtesy of china.org.cn)
Despite Suu Kyi's close relations with the West, China's top diplomat was the first foreign minister to have visited the Southeast Asian country after its new government took office earlier this year, which demonstrates Suu Kyi's friendly attitude toward its neighbor and her willingness to tackle domestic problems by cooperating with China in the wake of its political upheaval.
Wang's visit showed that the change in Myanmar's political landscape is not hindering bilateral relations. However, it should be noted that China and Myanmar, which share a long and porous border, still face a number of difficulties.
Closer together
The two leaders' meeting came one week before the country's New Year water festival at a time when the National League for Democracy (NLD), led by Suu Kyi, was bracing for new challenges as the ruling party of the country. Wang also met with top leaders including President Htin Kyaw, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and General Secretary of the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) Tin NaingThein.(Courtesy of china.org.cn)
Malaria Control among neglected populations along the China-Myanmar Border
As a malaria control staff member in Yunnan Province of China, I have been working on the China-Myanmar border for 27 years. I’ve heard many stories about malaria, experienced many malaria situations, and joined many intervention activities.
Understanding the high death rates
In November 2003, more than 100 deaths occurred in Kokang, Shan Special Region in Myanmar. At the time, local people and the authorities didn’t know the cause of these deaths. Chinese investigators suspected Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) or plague to be the main cause of these deaths.
Eventually, experts from Yunnan Institute of Parasitic Diseases (YIPD) confirmed it was malaria. For 13 days, between November 7 and November 19, 1392 new cases of malaria and 125 deaths were detected across 30 villages in Kokang, Myanmar. (Courtesy of On Health)
Understanding the high death rates
In November 2003, more than 100 deaths occurred in Kokang, Shan Special Region in Myanmar. At the time, local people and the authorities didn’t know the cause of these deaths. Chinese investigators suspected Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) or plague to be the main cause of these deaths.
Eventually, experts from Yunnan Institute of Parasitic Diseases (YIPD) confirmed it was malaria. For 13 days, between November 7 and November 19, 1392 new cases of malaria and 125 deaths were detected across 30 villages in Kokang, Myanmar. (Courtesy of On Health)
Pagoda Near Church Inflames Religious Tensions in Karen State
A Buddhist monk and spiritual leader of an ethnic armed group stoked religious tensions last week when he and his followers built a pagoda on the property of an Anglican Church in Hlaingbwe Township, at Kondawgyi village in Karen State.
The monk, U Thuzana, is also an influential figure within the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA), a splinter group of the predominantly Christian-led Karen National Union, a fellow ethnic armed organization.
Hundreds of his supporters this month brought bricks, cement and other building materials to construct the pagoda. Some among the group were members of the DKBA and wore military uniforms while building the shrine.
This was not the first time U Thuzana, 73, has used provocative measures to “proselytize.” The monk believes that these types of actions will generate good karma, according to a Karen Buddhist leader in Hpa-an, the state capital. (Courtesy of Irrawaddy)
The monk, U Thuzana, is also an influential figure within the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA), a splinter group of the predominantly Christian-led Karen National Union, a fellow ethnic armed organization.
Hundreds of his supporters this month brought bricks, cement and other building materials to construct the pagoda. Some among the group were members of the DKBA and wore military uniforms while building the shrine.
This was not the first time U Thuzana, 73, has used provocative measures to “proselytize.” The monk believes that these types of actions will generate good karma, according to a Karen Buddhist leader in Hpa-an, the state capital. (Courtesy of Irrawaddy)
Anti-war protests spreading across Rakhine State
Protests against the civil wars between the Myanmar Defense Services (Tatmadaw) and the Arakan Army (AA) that erupted in Butheedaung, Yathedaung and Ponngyun townships starting on April 16 are being planned to take place around Rakhine State.
Hundreds of displaced people have fled their homes to seek safety in other villages due to the recent clashes in Rakhine State.
The protesters will demand that the government to stop the fighting and ban illegal arrests and porterage committed by the armies. They will also raise money to assist war victims.
“A meeting about the protest was held in Ponngyun yesterday. We are going to stage a protest against all civil wars. The residents of this area do not want wars. Although battles have occurred among the armed groups, these should not affect uninvolved residents. Nonetheless, people have had to flee to safety due to the fighting. We are going to urge the government to swiftly carry out rescue operations,” said Kyaw Than.
The Arakan National Party (ANP), the ruling party in Rakhine State, also urged the new Union government and the Rakhine State committee to work to end the fighting. (Courtesy of Eleven Myanmar)
Hundreds of displaced people have fled their homes to seek safety in other villages due to the recent clashes in Rakhine State.
The protesters will demand that the government to stop the fighting and ban illegal arrests and porterage committed by the armies. They will also raise money to assist war victims.
“A meeting about the protest was held in Ponngyun yesterday. We are going to stage a protest against all civil wars. The residents of this area do not want wars. Although battles have occurred among the armed groups, these should not affect uninvolved residents. Nonetheless, people have had to flee to safety due to the fighting. We are going to urge the government to swiftly carry out rescue operations,” said Kyaw Than.
The Arakan National Party (ANP), the ruling party in Rakhine State, also urged the new Union government and the Rakhine State committee to work to end the fighting. (Courtesy of Eleven Myanmar)
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