Spending his third Ramadan in Malaysia, schoolteacher and Rohingya refugee Arfat Ganumia is not at all optimistic that the newly democratic Myanmar will be rolling out a welcome mat for the Rohingya anytime soon.
The forecast looks the same for this ethnic minority, even as Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) takes the mantle to build a democratic bedrock in formerly authoritarian Myanmar.
However, not all is gloomy. (Courtesy of thestar.com.my)
June 14, 2016
Can Suu Kyi bring change for Myanmar expats?
Aung San Suu Kyi's stated readiness to discuss migrant issues with her counterparts here when she visits Thailand next week as state counsellor and foreign minister of Myanmar is welcome news. Optimism must be tempered, however, unless she arrives with a comprehensive plan covering not just migrant labourers but also refugees - and the benighted Rohingya in particular.
Suu Kyi, whose National League for Democracy formed the government at the end of March, will be in Thailand from June 23 to 25 for talks on bilateral issues. She is expected to visit the Myanmar expatriate community here, perhaps in Mahachai, home to thousands of migrant workers, as a way of demonstrating her government's concern for their wellbeing. (Courtesy of nationmultimedia.com)
Suu Kyi, whose National League for Democracy formed the government at the end of March, will be in Thailand from June 23 to 25 for talks on bilateral issues. She is expected to visit the Myanmar expatriate community here, perhaps in Mahachai, home to thousands of migrant workers, as a way of demonstrating her government's concern for their wellbeing. (Courtesy of nationmultimedia.com)
Surviving in the worst: The tale of widow Rohingya refugees living in Jammu
Three weeks ago, Tahira Begum, 25 a Rohingya refugee along with her husband and two kids, was living a harsh, but acceptable life in a one-room rented Jhuggi (hut) in Karyani Talab area of Narwal Jammu, where like her, hundreds of other Rohingya refugees live thus giving the area a pseudonym of refugee colony.
However, her world came crashing down when in the third week of May, her husband Mohd Rafiq died due to electrocution while fixing the main wire which supplied electricity to the refugee families, thrice a week, living in Jhuggis under the scorching heat. Now, Tahira along with her two kids are living alone with no one around to take care of them, besides the burden of being a refugee and widow on her shoulder. (Courtesy of twocircles.net)
However, her world came crashing down when in the third week of May, her husband Mohd Rafiq died due to electrocution while fixing the main wire which supplied electricity to the refugee families, thrice a week, living in Jhuggis under the scorching heat. Now, Tahira along with her two kids are living alone with no one around to take care of them, besides the burden of being a refugee and widow on her shoulder. (Courtesy of twocircles.net)
Çavuşoğlu stresses Turkey aims to help 'all' in Myanmar
Turkey's foreign minister has emphasized the shared history between his country and Myanmar during a visit to the Southeast Asian country's capital Monday, and underlined his determination to assist "all" in the impoverished region of Rakhine, not just the area's Muslims.
Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, speaking after a meeting with Myanmar Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi -- stressed to reporters that Turkish aid groups did not discriminate between peoples, "actively reaching out to all areas in need, making roads and opening health clinics across the country." (Courtesy of yenisafak.com)
Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, speaking after a meeting with Myanmar Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi -- stressed to reporters that Turkish aid groups did not discriminate between peoples, "actively reaching out to all areas in need, making roads and opening health clinics across the country." (Courtesy of yenisafak.com)
Indonesian Medical Emergency Rescue Committee to build hospital in Myanmar
A humanitarian organization, Indonesia Medical Emergency Rescue Committee (MERC), will join hands with the Indonesian Buddhist Representatives (Walubi) organization to build a hospital in Mrauk-U, Rakhine state, Myanmar.
"The hospital will be built through a collaboration between Muslims and Buddhists of Indonesia. The vice president has appreciated the plan, and there will be a meeting with Walubi to discuss technical issues," the Chairman of the Presidium of the MERC, Dr. Sarbini Abdul Murab, said here on Monday.
According to Sarbini, Vice President Jusuf Kalla has asked the Walubi leader, Hartati Murdaya, to facilitate the meeting in the next two days. (Courtesy of antaranews.com)
"The hospital will be built through a collaboration between Muslims and Buddhists of Indonesia. The vice president has appreciated the plan, and there will be a meeting with Walubi to discuss technical issues," the Chairman of the Presidium of the MERC, Dr. Sarbini Abdul Murab, said here on Monday.
According to Sarbini, Vice President Jusuf Kalla has asked the Walubi leader, Hartati Murdaya, to facilitate the meeting in the next two days. (Courtesy of antaranews.com)
Dalai Lama urges Myanmar's Suu Kyi to ease Rohingya tensions
Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi has a moral responsibility to try to ease tensions between majority Buddhists and minority Rohingya Muslims, her fellow Nobel laureate, the Dalai Lama, said on Monday.
The Tibetan spiritual leader said he had stressed the issue in meetings with Suu Kyi, who came to power in April in the newly created role of state counselor in Myanmar's first democratically elected government in five decades.
"She already has the Nobel Peace Prize, a Nobel Laureate, so morally she should ... make efforts to reduce this tension between the Buddhist community and Muslim community," he told Reuters in an interview in Washington.
"I actually told her she should speak more openly." (Courtesy of mobile.reuters.com)
The Tibetan spiritual leader said he had stressed the issue in meetings with Suu Kyi, who came to power in April in the newly created role of state counselor in Myanmar's first democratically elected government in five decades.
"She already has the Nobel Peace Prize, a Nobel Laureate, so morally she should ... make efforts to reduce this tension between the Buddhist community and Muslim community," he told Reuters in an interview in Washington.
"I actually told her she should speak more openly." (Courtesy of mobile.reuters.com)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)