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: