Arakan Rohingya National Organisations (ARNO) welcomes the resolution of the European Parliament dated 11 February 2010 which, inter alia,

ARAKAN ROHINGYA NATIONAL ORGANISATION

ARAKAN, BURMA

12 February 2010

Arakan Rohingya National Organisations (ARNO) welcomes the resolution of the European Parliament dated 11 February 2010 which, inter alia,

• Welcomes the fact that the Government of Bangladesh is allowing a fact-finding mission by its south Asia delegation to examine the situation of the Rohingya population in Cox’s Bazar and Banderban Districts next week, and calls on Bangladesh Government to recognize that the unregistered Rohingyas are stateless asylum seekers who have fled persecution, and to provide them with adequate protection, access to livelihood and other basic services;

• Strongly condemns the ethnic cleansing campaign directed by the Burmese military junta against minorities, including those seeking refuge in neighbouring countries; condemns systematic violations of human rights, fundamental freedoms and basic democratic rights of the people of Burma, including politically motivated arrests and arbitrary charges, repression and intimidation of Buddhist monks, restrictions on freedom of assembly, association, movement and expression;

• Calls for immediate and unconditional release of Daw Aung Suu Kyi; under the present condition with the ban on Daw Aung Suu Kyi standing as a candidate the elections in Burma cannot be considered free and democratic; calls on the Burmese military junta to open immediately a genuine tripartite dialogue;

• Urges the SPDC to take without delay the steps needed to ensure a free and fair, transparent and all inclusive electoral process, consistent to international standards and agreeing to the presence of international observers;
• Calls strongly on the Burmese military junta to put an immediate end to the continuing recruitment and use of child soldiers, and to protect the children from armed conflict;

• Expresses grave concerns at the continuing discrimination, human rights violations, violence, child and forced labour, displacement and forms of repression suffered by numerous ethnic and religious minorities, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, rape and other forms of sexual violence, torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment;

• Calls on the Royal Thai Government to continue providing shelter and protection to Karen refugees fleeing abuses in Burma and to work with Office of the UNHCR, the Thai-Burma Consortium and the international community to find an alternative solution that ensures the safety of the 3000 Karen refugees;

• Urges the governments of China, India and Russia to use their economic and political leverage with the authorities of Burma in order to bring about substantial improvement in the country and to stop supplying the Burmese regime with weaponry and other strategic resources.

Nurul Islam:

STATEMENT OF THE ARAKAN ROHINGYA NATIONAL ORGANISATION ON THE 63RD UNION DAY OF BURMA

ARAKAN ROHINGYA NATIONAL ORGANISATION

Arakan, Burma

12th February 2010

STATEMENT OF THE ARAKAN ROHINGYA NATIONAL ORGANISATION ON THE 63RD UNION DAY OF BURMA

12^th February marks the 63^rd Union Day, a very important day for the people of Burma. On 12^th February 1947 the Union Treaty was signed at Panlong, Shan State, between father of the nation Gen. Aung San and leaders of the nationalities to take the independence together from the British and to form Burma a Federal Union on the agreed upon principle of ‘unity in diversity’.

Thus the Panglong spirit of ‘unity in diversity’ is the basis for the unity of the ethnically diverse peoples of Burma. It is equally important for the development of federal democracy and perpetuation of peaceful democratic Burma. It was recognition that we respect, tolerate and uphold the differences of culture, language and life style that exist among the different peoples of Burma. Never the less, we were and are united for building a strong Union, the Union of Burma that ensures national self-determination equality, justice and sustainable development. This Union is to be free from any sort of discrimination on grounds of culture, religion and ethnicity. It is not to accommodate domination of one people by another and the emergence of ‘prime nation’ or ‘sub-nation’; but every people is equal in the Union. It is to be noted that diversity is not a weakness, but strength.

Since Burmese independence the union spirit was not fully respected. Particularly, under military rule from 1962, the Panlong spirit has been hijacked; the union treaty and the union structure have been destroyed. Inter-conflicts and intra-conflicts have been systematically created, so that peoples are not united for continuation of military rule. Resentment developed among the diverse national groups that gave rise to civil war continuing till today.

For many years Burma was without a constitution. The SPDC has given a strange constitution in 2008, which is distortion of democracy, and it does not match with any known constitutional system of the world. It looks like as if sovereignty belongs to the military, not to the people. To them people are not trustworthy, while they claim they are the saviours of the country. It is to legitimise their illegitimate military rule. They are now going still unscheduled election this year. But the election based on this undemocratic constitution cannot give us federal democracy, human rights and culture. So we strongly oppose and condemn it.

Last not least, at this trying situation, let us revive the union spirit of Panlong and resist the conspiracy of the military dictators in full unity, with unity of mind, unity of purpose and unity of dedication.

Nurul Islam

AFK Jilani