ROHINGYAS’ CONCERN

ARAKAN ROHINGYA NATIONAL ORGANISATION

ARAKAN, BURMA

Press Relaese

(28^th February 2009)

ROHINGYAS’ CONCERN

We express our serious concern that Association of Southeast Asian Nations agreed on February 27, 2009 in Hua Htin, Thailand to send hundreds of Rohingya boatpeople back to Burma. We have not expected such a verdict from the 10-member regional bloc.

We would remind the ASEAN leaders that Burma under the ruling military SPDC is just like a hell particularly for the Rohingya people. The military regime is cunning, cruel and brute, and it has not the least sense of human rights. It will be totally injudicious to send the boatpeople back to Burma against their will.

Human rights are universal. The violations of human rights cannot be pleaded a domestic affairs of a country. The ASEAN’s policy of non-intervention should not take precedence over the human rights. Contrary to the sprit of ASEAN Charter to respect human rights and international law, the agreement may encourage tyrannical SPDC to continue persecution against the Rohingya and other Burmese peoples.

As the saying goes ‘a burn child dreads the fire’, the persecuted boatpeople are unwilling to return to Burma. The countries of refuge should provide them with shelters and basic necessities for life until a congenial atmosphere is created for their safe return to Arakan. It may again be emphasised that the root cause of the Rohingya problem, including the boatpeople issue, needs to be properly addressed towards finding a ‘permanent solution’.

We urge upon ASEAN to put pressure on Burma to recognize the ethnic rights of the Rohingya on par with other ethnic nationalities of the countries.