Advocates for Myanmar’s Muslim ethnic Rohingya community said Wednesday that more than 100 members of the minority group have been killed in recent government counterinsurgency sweeps in the western state of Rakhine.
Ko Ko Linn of the Arakan Rohingya National Organization said that according to villagers, at least 150 people had been killed in Maungdaw district by security forces since Saturday. Independent verification of both army and activists’ claims is difficult because the government has restricted access to the area.
“The reason why the international news agencies and aid groups are not allowed to go there is because the military is trying to cover up what they are doing there, the killings and other things,” Ko Ko Linn said by phone. “They are lying.” (Courtesy of washingtonpost.com)
November 17, 2016
November 16, 2016
'Shoot first, ask questions later': Violence intensifies in Rakhine State
Concerns are mounting about escalating violence in Myanmar's Rakhine State after a series of army raids on villages that have left dozens dead and hundreds arrested.
At least 17 members of Myanmar's security forces and 69 people described as "violent attackers" were killed in the latest uptick of violence in the state, home to the country's Rohingya Muslims, according to state media.
Though the government says it's going after terrorists, Myanmar security forces have been accused of conducting a violent, heavy-handed response that's targeting Rohingyas.
Head of the ruling National League for Democracy, Aung San Suu Kyi, has remained silent on the issue amid criticism and calls for her to do more to stop what some say amounts to genocide. (Courtesy of edition.cnn.com)
At least 17 members of Myanmar's security forces and 69 people described as "violent attackers" were killed in the latest uptick of violence in the state, home to the country's Rohingya Muslims, according to state media.
Though the government says it's going after terrorists, Myanmar security forces have been accused of conducting a violent, heavy-handed response that's targeting Rohingyas.
Head of the ruling National League for Democracy, Aung San Suu Kyi, has remained silent on the issue amid criticism and calls for her to do more to stop what some say amounts to genocide. (Courtesy of edition.cnn.com)
Death Toll Rises in Myanmar Bloodshed
Myanmar’s army said that 69 ethnic-minority Rohingya Muslims and 17 members of the country’s security forces were killed in fighting in the west of the country over the past month, as former United Nations chief Kofi Annan called for an end to the worsening violence.
The clashes in Rakhine state along Myanmar’s western border with Bangladesh are the worst since 2012, when Buddhist mobs targeted Rohingya villages, killing more than 100 people.
More than 100,000 Rohingyas still live in squalid camps in the state, denied citizenship by the government and prevented from leaving. Another 1 million live in villages and towns in the state, but aid agencies and groups such as Human Rights Watch say they have come under attack and seen their homes set ablaze by the military after alleged Rohingya militants attacked police outposts near the Bangladesh border over a month ago, leaving nine police officers and eight attackers dead. (Courtesy of wsj.com)
The clashes in Rakhine state along Myanmar’s western border with Bangladesh are the worst since 2012, when Buddhist mobs targeted Rohingya villages, killing more than 100 people.
More than 100,000 Rohingyas still live in squalid camps in the state, denied citizenship by the government and prevented from leaving. Another 1 million live in villages and towns in the state, but aid agencies and groups such as Human Rights Watch say they have come under attack and seen their homes set ablaze by the military after alleged Rohingya militants attacked police outposts near the Bangladesh border over a month ago, leaving nine police officers and eight attackers dead. (Courtesy of wsj.com)
Around 200 Rohingya stranded at Bangladesh border
Around 200 Rohingya Muslims fleeing a surge in violence in Rakhine State are stranded at the Bangladesh border, community leaders said Tuesday.
Bangladeshi border guards pushed back the Rohingya — mostly women and children — to the Myanmar side on Monday, community leaders told AFP.
"We heard they are 200 in number. They are mostly women and children who were only seeking a safe place to stay. They have no homes to go back," one of the Rohingya leaders told AFP from a refugee camp in Bangladesh's Teknaf border town.
A border guard spokesman put the figure at closer to 80. (Courtesy of frontiermyanmar.net)
Bangladeshi border guards pushed back the Rohingya — mostly women and children — to the Myanmar side on Monday, community leaders told AFP.
"We heard they are 200 in number. They are mostly women and children who were only seeking a safe place to stay. They have no homes to go back," one of the Rohingya leaders told AFP from a refugee camp in Bangladesh's Teknaf border town.
A border guard spokesman put the figure at closer to 80. (Courtesy of frontiermyanmar.net)
November 12, 2016
Myanmar: UN envoy urges investigation into alleged sexual assaults after violence flares in Rakhine state
Gravely concerned about allegations of rape and sexual assault of women and girls in Northern Rakhine state in Myanmar following recent border attacks, Zainab Hawa Bangura, the United Nations Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict called today on the Government to ensure that an impartial and effective investigation is conducted into the alleged incidents.
It is also vital to provide enough access for the humanitarian organizations to intervene and ensure life-saving clinical management and psycho-social support services for survivors, and end access restrictions on human rights monitors and member of the media, she added in a statement issued by her Office.
The envoy warned that there might be more similar incidents of sexual assaults in the future as the escalation of the violence continues, and urged to the Government of Myanmar to act now to prevent any future incidents. (Courtesy of un.org)
It is also vital to provide enough access for the humanitarian organizations to intervene and ensure life-saving clinical management and psycho-social support services for survivors, and end access restrictions on human rights monitors and member of the media, she added in a statement issued by her Office.
The envoy warned that there might be more similar incidents of sexual assaults in the future as the escalation of the violence continues, and urged to the Government of Myanmar to act now to prevent any future incidents. (Courtesy of un.org)
November 11, 2016
Myanmar anti-Muslim groups wax lyrical on Trump victory
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}Myanmar's anti-Muslim hardliners cheered Donald Trump's election as US president in prose and poetry on Thursday, hailing the divisive billionaire's triumph as a victory in the fight against "Islamic terrorism".
Trump's shock ascent to the White House topped a vitriolic campaign in which he promised to ban Muslims from entering the US and pledged to establish a database of those living in the country.
Muslims around the world were left reeling from his surprise win on Tuesday, with many fearing he would bring in anti-Islam policies that could help bolster extremist groups like Islamic State.
But in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, a country simmering with religious tensions, hardline anti-Muslim groups waxed lyrical about his victory.
Firebrand monk Wirathu, once dubbed the "face of Buddhist terror" for his anti-Muslim sermons, celebrated with a four-line poem on Facebook. (Courtesy of au.news.yahoo.com)
wp_enqueue_script( 'comment-reply' );
}Myanmar's anti-Muslim hardliners cheered Donald Trump's election as US president in prose and poetry on Thursday, hailing the divisive billionaire's triumph as a victory in the fight against "Islamic terrorism".
Trump's shock ascent to the White House topped a vitriolic campaign in which he promised to ban Muslims from entering the US and pledged to establish a database of those living in the country.
Muslims around the world were left reeling from his surprise win on Tuesday, with many fearing he would bring in anti-Islam policies that could help bolster extremist groups like Islamic State.
But in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, a country simmering with religious tensions, hardline anti-Muslim groups waxed lyrical about his victory.
Firebrand monk Wirathu, once dubbed the "face of Buddhist terror" for his anti-Muslim sermons, celebrated with a four-line poem on Facebook. (Courtesy of au.news.yahoo.com)
November 10, 2016
UN clarifies position on Arakan rape claims
A United Nations spokesperson has clarified that a senior UN official who visited northern Arakan State last week did not categorically deny rape allegations made by Rohingya women living in the region, contrary to reports by state media.
Stéphane Dujarric, the spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, explained that remarks made by Renata Lok-Dessallien, the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator in Burma, at a press conference held on 3 November did not constitute a denial of the claims.
Speaking at a press briefing on Wednesday, Dujarric said that “given the nature and scope” of last week’s two-day visit to the region by senior diplomats, “the intent of the delegation was not to look into allegations nor draw full conclusions.”
Burma’s government has consistently denied claims of human rights abuses in the region in the wake of security operations carried out since Rohingya militants attacked border police outposts on 9 October. (Courtesy of dvb.no)
Stéphane Dujarric, the spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, explained that remarks made by Renata Lok-Dessallien, the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator in Burma, at a press conference held on 3 November did not constitute a denial of the claims.
Speaking at a press briefing on Wednesday, Dujarric said that “given the nature and scope” of last week’s two-day visit to the region by senior diplomats, “the intent of the delegation was not to look into allegations nor draw full conclusions.”
Burma’s government has consistently denied claims of human rights abuses in the region in the wake of security operations carried out since Rohingya militants attacked border police outposts on 9 October. (Courtesy of dvb.no)
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