Tensions have broken out between Bangladesh settlers and local Rohingyas in Buthidaung after a robbery attempt was thwarted and a woman’s hand was broken in an assault by the aggressors.
On Friday, a gang of Bangladeshi settlers from the Longchoon area raided the Rohingya neighbourhood of Naikongdong and started to forcibly take poultry belonging to Muslim households. When a woman protested, she was brutally beaten up by robbers.
On hearing her cries, locals gathered on the spot and beat up some of the robbers while the others fled. Later however the settlers launched a complaint with the authorities. More than a hundred military personal soon flooded the area creating panic among the Rohingyas who thought a crackdown was imminent. (Courtesy of Burma Times)
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December 3, 2015
Arakan (Rakhine) State groups push for ban on word ‘Rohingya’
Myanmar does not use or recognize the term ‘Rohingya’ when talking about the hundreds of thousands of displaced Muslims in Arakan (Rakhine) State.
But foreign governments, leaders, journalists and NGOs use the word frequently as its their ancestral name, which dozens of Racist Bhuddist Organizations in Arakan (Rakhine) State denies to recognize.
To end that ancestral naming, more than 60 civil society groups in Arakan (Rakhine) have banded together to demand that authorities bar usage of the offending word, the Voice Weekly reported.
Daw Saw Khin Myint, the head of the Arakan (Rakhine) Literature and Cultural Development Committee, reportedly asked the government to step in during a press conference about the terminology on Monday.
She singled out the news media, which should be stopped from using what she called the “illegal word,” the Voice Weekly reported.
U Kyaw Sein, chairman of the Rakhine Patriotic Organization, said since parliament has already decided “whether Rohingya exist or not,” the term should be officially scrapped. And especially with the National League for Democracy (NLD) coming to power early next year, Kyaw Sein is worried that Aung San Suu Kyi’s party might not hold the line, even though a spokesman has indicated he has nothing to worry about. (Courtesy of Rohingya Vision TV)
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But foreign governments, leaders, journalists and NGOs use the word frequently as its their ancestral name, which dozens of Racist Bhuddist Organizations in Arakan (Rakhine) State denies to recognize.
To end that ancestral naming, more than 60 civil society groups in Arakan (Rakhine) have banded together to demand that authorities bar usage of the offending word, the Voice Weekly reported.
Daw Saw Khin Myint, the head of the Arakan (Rakhine) Literature and Cultural Development Committee, reportedly asked the government to step in during a press conference about the terminology on Monday.
She singled out the news media, which should be stopped from using what she called the “illegal word,” the Voice Weekly reported.
U Kyaw Sein, chairman of the Rakhine Patriotic Organization, said since parliament has already decided “whether Rohingya exist or not,” the term should be officially scrapped. And especially with the National League for Democracy (NLD) coming to power early next year, Kyaw Sein is worried that Aung San Suu Kyi’s party might not hold the line, even though a spokesman has indicated he has nothing to worry about. (Courtesy of Rohingya Vision TV)
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Rohingya Students Tell Rohingya Sufferings in Global Ummatic Week at IIUM
Kuala Lumpur (Rohingya Vision) – The Rohingya students told the world about the extreme sufferings of Rohingyas in Myanmar as they took part in the Global Ummatic Festival Week held at International Islamic University (IIUM), Malaysia, from 22nd November 2015 to 30th November 2015.
The University is home for many international students and staffs from different parts of the world.
The event is held at the university every year with a view to promoting and helping realize the vision and mission of the university, integration, Islamization, internationalisation and comprehensive excellence; exposing and appreciating cultural diversity in IIUM Community as a catalyst towards; strengthening the spirit of brotherhood and enhancing the spirit of caring and helping among the IIUM Community; and providing a universal platform for the students and staff to exchange ideas as a way to understand and appreciate each other. (Courtesy of Rohingya Vision TV)
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The University is home for many international students and staffs from different parts of the world.
The event is held at the university every year with a view to promoting and helping realize the vision and mission of the university, integration, Islamization, internationalisation and comprehensive excellence; exposing and appreciating cultural diversity in IIUM Community as a catalyst towards; strengthening the spirit of brotherhood and enhancing the spirit of caring and helping among the IIUM Community; and providing a universal platform for the students and staff to exchange ideas as a way to understand and appreciate each other. (Courtesy of Rohingya Vision TV)
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969 and MaBaTha Monks Meet Rakhine Extremists in Maungdaw District
Maungdaw, Arakan State (Rohingya Vision) – The 969 and MaBaTha Extremist Monks held gatherings with Rakhine (Magh) Buddhist extremists in Maungdaw District in late November 2015, the reliable sources report.
On November 22 evening, 10 Buddhist Monks, members of 969 Group of Extremist Monks and MaBaTha Extremist Group of Monks, arrived in Buthidaung Township, one of the two townships comprising in Maungdaw District and the another township being Maungdaw Township itself.
In Buthidaung at night, they held a gathering at a Rakhine residence in ‘Nyaung Chaung’ village with the Rakhine extremists from the village and its surrounding villages. And on 23rd November, they held a meeting with the Rakhine members of 969 extremist groups in the downtown of Buthidaung.
On 23rd November evening, they arrived in Maungdaw Township. On 24th November morning, they held a gathering with the members of 969 Group in Maungdaw, the Monks and the Rakhine extremists, at ‘Alludaw Bye’ Monastery in Myoma Kayintan (Shidda Fara). In the evening, they gathered again the monastery at ‘Three-Mile-Area’ Maungdaw.
“Although we don’t know what they have discussed about, it is always an unwelcoming signs like Omen. They always hold gatherings to plot against Muslims. We are worried as well as on alert,” said an elderly Rohingya in Maungdaw.
The 969 Group is a group of extremist Monks and Buddhists in Myanmar led by Abbot U Wirathu labelled as the ‘Face of Buddhist Terror’ by TIME Magazine, whereas the MaBatha Group is another group of extremist monks under the banner of ‘Association for Protection of Race and Religion’ led by another high-profile extremist Buddhist Abbot known as ‘Sitagu Monk.’ (Courtesy of Rohingya Vision TV)
On November 22 evening, 10 Buddhist Monks, members of 969 Group of Extremist Monks and MaBaTha Extremist Group of Monks, arrived in Buthidaung Township, one of the two townships comprising in Maungdaw District and the another township being Maungdaw Township itself.
In Buthidaung at night, they held a gathering at a Rakhine residence in ‘Nyaung Chaung’ village with the Rakhine extremists from the village and its surrounding villages. And on 23rd November, they held a meeting with the Rakhine members of 969 extremist groups in the downtown of Buthidaung.
On 23rd November evening, they arrived in Maungdaw Township. On 24th November morning, they held a gathering with the members of 969 Group in Maungdaw, the Monks and the Rakhine extremists, at ‘Alludaw Bye’ Monastery in Myoma Kayintan (Shidda Fara). In the evening, they gathered again the monastery at ‘Three-Mile-Area’ Maungdaw.
“Although we don’t know what they have discussed about, it is always an unwelcoming signs like Omen. They always hold gatherings to plot against Muslims. We are worried as well as on alert,” said an elderly Rohingya in Maungdaw.
The 969 Group is a group of extremist Monks and Buddhists in Myanmar led by Abbot U Wirathu labelled as the ‘Face of Buddhist Terror’ by TIME Magazine, whereas the MaBatha Group is another group of extremist monks under the banner of ‘Association for Protection of Race and Religion’ led by another high-profile extremist Buddhist Abbot known as ‘Sitagu Monk.’ (Courtesy of Rohingya Vision TV)
Ten lessons from Myanmar's peace process
Myanmar witnessed two major events in the last quarter of 2015. First was the Nov. 8 parliamentary election when the main opposition party, the National League for Democracy, won a crushing victory. Before that was the Oct. 15 signing of a ceasefire pact (known as the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement) between the government and eight ethnic armed groups.
The government and the Nationwide Ceasefire Negotiation Team, which represented 16 armed groups, started talking in late 2013. By late 2015, all these groups agreed on the content of the NCA, a 17-page document that included various military and political agreements. They could not agree, however, on whether groups outside the official process could also sign the NCA, and consequently only eight groups signed the pact. There are high hopes that the remaining groups will soon join, if they can agree on entry criteria.
Irrespective of the number of signatories, the NCA is a significant achievement, as it is Myanmar's only experience with multilateral negotiations since the country's independence from Britain in 1948. (Courtesy of Nikkei Asia Review)
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The government and the Nationwide Ceasefire Negotiation Team, which represented 16 armed groups, started talking in late 2013. By late 2015, all these groups agreed on the content of the NCA, a 17-page document that included various military and political agreements. They could not agree, however, on whether groups outside the official process could also sign the NCA, and consequently only eight groups signed the pact. There are high hopes that the remaining groups will soon join, if they can agree on entry criteria.
Irrespective of the number of signatories, the NCA is a significant achievement, as it is Myanmar's only experience with multilateral negotiations since the country's independence from Britain in 1948. (Courtesy of Nikkei Asia Review)
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Persecution of Muslims in Myanmar is misunderstood by the West
The debate on asylum seekers from Myanmar in Australia is ill-informed and skewed. The Australian government and international community must realise that refugee status is first of all not about ethnicity or identity, but about a well-founded fear of persecution.
Reports that a man who has been moved by Australia to Cambodia may have been misidentified as Rohingya misses the point. Even if the man is not Rohingya, it is still possible that he has a well-founded fear of persecution as a Muslim fleeing from Myanmar.
Since 2012, the anti-Muslim violence has affected a range of Muslim communities in towns right across Myanmar. The violence has not just affected Muslims who may identify as Rohingya.
Muslim businesses have been targeted. Mosques burnt down, damaged and closed. Homes of Muslim families destroyed. Many Muslims have been injured and some killed. Muslims face discrimination in educational and employment opportunities. This is not new, but has a long history in Myanmar. At times, monks have been clearly implicated in this anti-Muslim violence.
While the international community has seemingly confused all "Muslims" with "Rohingya" in Myanmar, this is not the reality. Most Muslims in Myanmar do not self-identify as Rohingya. The Muslim population is highly diverse, and many identify as "Burmese Muslim".
It is true that Muslims in Rakhine State, some of whom identify as Rohingya, are certainly among the worst off and these communities have faced large-scale displacement and marginalisation. The humanitarian crisis is severe. (Courtesy of WA Today)
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Reports that a man who has been moved by Australia to Cambodia may have been misidentified as Rohingya misses the point. Even if the man is not Rohingya, it is still possible that he has a well-founded fear of persecution as a Muslim fleeing from Myanmar.
Since 2012, the anti-Muslim violence has affected a range of Muslim communities in towns right across Myanmar. The violence has not just affected Muslims who may identify as Rohingya.
Muslim businesses have been targeted. Mosques burnt down, damaged and closed. Homes of Muslim families destroyed. Many Muslims have been injured and some killed. Muslims face discrimination in educational and employment opportunities. This is not new, but has a long history in Myanmar. At times, monks have been clearly implicated in this anti-Muslim violence.
While the international community has seemingly confused all "Muslims" with "Rohingya" in Myanmar, this is not the reality. Most Muslims in Myanmar do not self-identify as Rohingya. The Muslim population is highly diverse, and many identify as "Burmese Muslim".
It is true that Muslims in Rakhine State, some of whom identify as Rohingya, are certainly among the worst off and these communities have faced large-scale displacement and marginalisation. The humanitarian crisis is severe. (Courtesy of WA Today)
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Challenging Hate Speech Head-On in Burma
IWPR has begun training monitors in Burma (Myanmar) in readiness for the launch of a 12-month anti-hate speech project to promote greater tolerance of ethnic, religious and marginalised groups through information, education and public debate.
The first short training course in the former capital Yangon was attended by 19 journalists from that city and from Mandalay. It was led by IWPR’s Asia Director Alan Davis and by our new programme manager and editor, both of them former journalists with leading Burmese dailies.
Burma’s political transition in recent years has been accompanied by a rise in exclusive nationalism. Leading Buddhist monks from the Ma Ba Tha movement claim to speak for the Bamar majority and engage in anti-Muslim narratives targeting the Rohingya minority. To counter this, IWPR’s programming will encourage peaceful public engagement and seek to build a consensus that hate speech, left unchecked, is bad for the country’s future.
“The essential challenge facing Burma is how to protect and defend things without going on the offensive and attacking and inciting violence against others,” Davis said. “Consequently, our project is all about our belief that the more information and education and debate is encouraged and shared respectfully, the more we can all reduce the influence and impact of hate speech. (Courtesy of IWPR)
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The first short training course in the former capital Yangon was attended by 19 journalists from that city and from Mandalay. It was led by IWPR’s Asia Director Alan Davis and by our new programme manager and editor, both of them former journalists with leading Burmese dailies.
Burma’s political transition in recent years has been accompanied by a rise in exclusive nationalism. Leading Buddhist monks from the Ma Ba Tha movement claim to speak for the Bamar majority and engage in anti-Muslim narratives targeting the Rohingya minority. To counter this, IWPR’s programming will encourage peaceful public engagement and seek to build a consensus that hate speech, left unchecked, is bad for the country’s future.
“The essential challenge facing Burma is how to protect and defend things without going on the offensive and attacking and inciting violence against others,” Davis said. “Consequently, our project is all about our belief that the more information and education and debate is encouraged and shared respectfully, the more we can all reduce the influence and impact of hate speech. (Courtesy of IWPR)
For more information - Visit here.
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