Why Won't #Obama Speak Out for the #Rohingya?

Published on Monday, November 19, 2012 by Common Dreams
Why Won't Obama Speak Out for the Rohingya?
by Tom Andrews
U.S. President Barack Obama, left, meets with Myanmar's President Thein Sein at the Yangon Parliament building in Yangon, Myanmar, Monday, Nov. 19, 2012. (AP/Carolyn Kaster)
Why is President Obama meeting with leaders in Burma who are systematically fomenting hatred and violence that has already claimed innocent lives, destroyed entire villages and displaced tens of thousands?

U.S. President Barack Obama, left, meets with Myanmar's President Thein Sein at the Yangon Parliament building in Yangon, Myanmar, Monday, Nov. 19, 2012. (AP/Carolyn Kaster)
President Obama traveled to Burma to recognize progress that one of the most brutal regimes on the planet has made toward democracy. Now that modest improvements have been made or pledged by the regime, and Aung San Suu Kyi is free, the U.S. government has decided to lift the economic and diplomatic pressure that made reform in Burma possible.
That is bad news if you are part of an ethnic minority in Burma. And it is life threatening if you are a member of the Rohingya Muslim minority.
Systematic hate speech and entreaties for the local population to isolate and attack the Rohingya Muslim minority is pervasive in western Burma. The Burmese military stand aside or actively participate in attacks against innocent men, women and children. More than one hundred people have already lost their lives, tens of thousands have lost their homes, and over one hundred thousand have been displaced.
What is the U.S. government doing about it? Sunday, President Obama became the first President to visit Burma. He is there to recognize and congratulate the military dominated government for making modest reforms toward democracy. As hundreds of thousands of Rohingya continue to live in fear, President Obama is congratulating a government that wants to ethnically cleanse every one of them from Burma.
Burma's President, Thein Sein-who Obama will be sitting down to dine with-has been actively fomenting hatred against the Rohingya community. He has gone so far to ask the United Nations to help him ethnically cleanse Burma by forcing 800,000 Rohingya people out of their home villages and into refugee camps or out of the country altogether!
I saw what violence and persecution looks like first hand in Burma when I snuck into Kachin State last May. I saw entire villages abandoned, its population driven into makeshift camps filled with desperate people without adequate food, shelter of medical care. I spoke with families whose loved ones had been tortured, raped, incarcerated or killed by Burmese troops. Without international pressure on the regime, I know what the Rohingya are experiencing will only continue to get worse.
An entire people are under attack not because of what they have done but because of who they are. Instead of traveling to Burma, President Obama should be leading the call for a United Nations observer mission to investigate the violence in Rakhine State, deter the escalation of the violence and hold the perpetrators accountable. The leading role that the Obama administration played in scaling back sanctions on Burma obligates the U.S. government to act urgently to hold the Burmese government to its responsibilities to protect its ethnic populations.
We've seen these warning signs before. The hateful rhetoric of Rakhine monks is reminiscent of the hateful propaganda directed at the Tutsi population and their sympathizers leading up to, and during the Rwandan genocide. While renewing calls for their expulsion from Burma, several Rakhine monks have urged the local population to sever all relations with the Rohingya, including trade and the provision of humanitarian aid and have called on Rakhines to expose Rohingya sympathizers as national traitors, potentially exposing them to violent attacks.
There is no word to describe the response from the United States and the international community other than inadequate. The conditions that led to two major outbreaks of mass killings in the last few months are worsening daily. Greater loss of life and displacement are a certainty without a change of course.
In a day and age in which technology affords us the ability to connect with people across the world, we can no longer claim ignorance to the fact that the Rohingya people are being slaughtered, displaced, and terrorized. When we look back on the books of history, will this be another example of when we failed to show up or showed up too late?

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Tom Andrews, a former Member of Congress from the first Congressional District of Maine, is President and Chief Executive Officer of United to End Genocide. Tom most recently served as National Director of Win Without War, a coalition of forty-two national membership organizations including the National Council of Churches, the NAACP, the National Organization of Women, the Sierra Club, and MoveOn.  He is also co-founder of New Security Action.

#Myanmar fighting kills 84, displaces at least 22,500

By the CNN Wire Staff

People have been displaced across Rahkine state in western Myanmar.

Some fled from the violence by boat

Hong Kong (CNN) -- The death toll from fighting between Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims in western Myanmar last week has risen to 84 and at least 22,500 people have been displaced by the sectarian violence, state media and the United Nations say.

The state-run New Light of Myanmar newspaper said on Monday that 129 people were also injured during the violence, which erupted on October 21 and has cast a pall over recent reforms in the Asian nation.

However, the paper added that no new clashes had been reported since Sunday and the areas affected had returned to "normalcy."

Following a visit to five townships where the fighting took place, Ashok Nigam, the U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Myanmar, on Sunday said his team had seen "large-scale" destruction of houses and the displaced were in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

The swath of arson, the group said, stretched over 35 acres and included houseboats and floating barges. It added that local police shot at Muslims trying to put out the fires.

Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch, said the government in Myanmar has done little to address the root causes of the violence and the discriminatory treatment that many Rohingya face.

"Extremists in both communities have been empowered by a lack of accountability where people involved in sectarian violence haven't been bought to justice so it's a very, very bad situation and one that is getting worse," he told CNN.

The Rohingya are a stateless Muslim minority who say they have been persecuted by the Myanmar military during its decades of authoritarian rule. Myanmar doesn't recognize them as citizens.

Unrest between the Rohingya and majority Buddhists has tested President Thein Sein's administration, which is trying to seek reconciliation with Myanmar's different ethnic groups and move the country toward more democratic governance.

The government has sent extra security into the troubled region and declared a state of emergency. The president's office warned Thursday that "manipulators" behind the violence can expect to be found and prosecuted.

Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, speaking in Parliament on Friday, called for a greater security presence and urged authorities to investigate suspected human rights offenses.

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#Hague calls for end to 'terrible violence in #Burma'

Foreign Secretary William Hague calls for peace in Burma's Rakhine state, after the destruction of settlements occupied by Muslim Rohingyas following fierce fighting with Buddhists.

In a statement, Mr Hague said: "Our ambassador is in constant contact with the Burmese government.
"He spoke to the president’s office earlier today to express our grave concerns about recent developments and our readiness to assist at both a humanitarian and diplomatic level in the search for a sustainable solution to this long running issue."
It follows claims of intense fighting in the past week and satellite images from Human Rights Watch that show the widespread destruction of a predominantly Rohingya Muslim part of Kyaukpyu, one of several areas in Rakhine state.
This is where battles between Rohingyas and ethnic Rakhine Buddhists threaten to derail the country's fragile democratic transition.
Members of the Muslim Rohingya community say that more than 100 Rohingya were killed on Tuesday and 440 houses burnt by ethnic Rakhine Buddhists in a village called Yaing Thay, in the northern part of the state.
Local Rohingya have accused the police of participating in the violence and shooting members of their community. Speaking to Krishnan Guru-Murthy on Channel 4 News, Tun Khin from the Burmese Rohingya Oraganisation in the UK said the kiling amounts to "ethnic cleansing".

Read more from Channel 4 News' Asia Correspondent John Sparks who has been reporting on the Burma crisis since June

The allegations continue - community leaders claim 350 homes, two mosques and a madrassa were burnt in the village of Thayet Oat on 22 October and they say 200 Rohingya houses were burnt in a place called Aung Dine later that same day.
Although the claims have not been independently verified, if true the events would be the worst outbreak of violence since June when fighting left some 75,000 Rohingya and 5,000 Buddhists homeless.

Mr Hague said:
"The UK calls again on all parties to cease the violence and for the Burmese authorities to take all necessary measures to guarantee security in the region. We also call for supplies of humanitarian support to be able to reach all those who need it without delay.
"The UK is at the forefront of the international community's efforts to address the current crisis and to reach a sustainable settlement which respects the legitimate rights of all those who live in Rakhine.
"I have raised this issue with the Burmese foreign minister and continue to do so; we most recently discussed it when we met last month.
"I hope that we will soon see an end to this terrible violence and that peace will return to Rakhine state."

'If we stayed, we would have been killed' #Rohingy #Brrma

Refugees accuse Burmese government of ignoring ethnic cleansing: 'If we stayed, we would have been killed'


Refugees accuse Burma's civilian government of standing by as dozens die in communal violence

When the fire truck arrived at his burning village in Burma's western Rakhine state late last Monday, local teacher Khin Maung Kyi thought help had finally come. Muslim villagers in Kyauk Pyu township had been battling the blaze for hours, after a petrol bomb attack by their Buddhist neighbours. But instead of dousing the flames with water, Khin Maung Kyi claims that the firemen sprayed the fire with petrol.

"The firemen threw petrol on the flames, as if it was water! The authorities are one-sided. We can never trust them," he said. Last Wednesday, the entire Muslim community in Kyauk Pyu decided to flee in their fishing boats, joining thousands of others trying to escape a new outbreak of communal violence between the majority Buddhist Rakhine population and the Muslim Rohingya.

"The first sign of trouble was when our Rakhine neighbours began to leave their homes. Then at 8pm [on Monday] we heard the ringing of a bell. Soon after, a car turned up full of Rakhine," said Khin Maung Kyi, 64. "They threw petrol bombs at our homes and then sped away. When we tried to put the fires out, the Rakhine attacked us with swords and spears."

Satellite images of Kyauk Pyu and its coastal surrounds, released by Human Rights Watch at the weekend, show the extent of the devastation. Where once there were houseboats and floating barges moored along a harbour town packed with houses, now there is charred desolation, with 811 homes and other structures destroyed.

"If we had stayed, we would have been killed," said Khin Maung Kyi. "This is like Bosnia. This is ethnic cleansing." The violence stems from an incident in May, when a Rakhine Buddhist woman was raped and killed, allegedly by three Muslim men.

A few days later, 10 Muslims were killed on a bus. In the violence that followed, around 100 people were killed, and 100,000 fled to camps in and around the state capital, Sittwe – the vast majority of them Muslim Rohingyas, an ethnic minority described by the United Nations as one of the most oppressed groups in the world. While tensions calmed for a few months, unrest flared again last week, with at least 67 people killed.

The violence in Rakhine state has placed the new civilian government in a difficult position, as it emerges from decades of dictatorship. There is widespread hatred in Burma of the Rohingya, who are considered illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. But accusations from abroad of ethnic cleansing are not what the government needs when it trying to attract foreign investment and diplomatic recognition. A recent report by Human Rights Watch accused the government of "both failing to intervene to stop sectarian violence and directly participating in abuses". Villagers fleeing the stricken areas say police have opened fire indiscriminately, injuring both Muslims and Buddhists.

"At first the army protected us," said Mohammed Salim, 31, who fled Pauk Taw township. "But the Nasaka border security force told us this is Rakhine land and we should leave. If anything happened, they couldn't protect us. They refused to take any responsibility for our safety."

A spokesman for Burma's President, Thein Sein, told the BBC at the weekend that "there have been incidents of whole villages and parts of the towns being burnt down in Rakhine state", and said police had been deployed to restore order. The government has in the past denied any abuses in the area, and said security forces act with "maximum restraint".

Buddhist residents of Rakhine also speak of atrocities against them. In the grounds of a Buddhist monastery in Sittwe, mother-of-three Ma May Than, 34, feeds balls of rice to her daughter. She fled Pauk Thaw and arrived here on Saturday. "The Muslims are buying and making diesel to set fire to our houses," she claimed. "They surrounded our village and tried to set it on fire. We were so afraid, so all the women and children from our village have come here. There's no way we can ever live together again."

While the inaccessibility of the worst-hit regions, and the long history of animosity between the communities, make the claims and counter claims difficult to verify, the scale of the exodus speaks of the horrors on the ground. UN and government officials said yesterday that 20,000 more people – mostly Muslims – had fled the latest violence. Some have set up makeshift shelters on the beaches, while other pack into already crowded refugee camps. Those who fled and made it ashore also allege that the authorities have prevented boatloads of Rohingya from landing on the coast near Sittwe. At least 20 boats from Kyauk Pyu were held offshore on Thursday. Villagers who had made it to land said two women had given birth on the boats and two people had died. Former residents of Pauk Taw said that a government ferry had rammed their fishing boats at sea, with dozens drowning. Officials at the ferry's jetty in Sittwe refused to answer questions about the incident.

The inhabitants from Number 3 and Number 4 village in Pauk Taw fled on Monday. "The violence began on 23 June, when the Rakhine set fire to our homes. The security forces intervened and fired at both sides. Two Rakhine were injured. But that didn't stop them," said Noor Nahar, 27. "They threw stones, bamboo and spears at our homes the whole night. We didn't dare to go outside."

So when violence flared again this month, the Muslims of Pauk Taw decided it was safer to leave, and set sail in their fishing boats with their families. They left just in time: the latest rumour around Sittwe is that their village is now up in flames as well.

The violence began in May, when a Rakhine woman was raped and killed, allegedly by Muslims
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#UN says 22,000 displaced in latest #Myanmar unrest

SITTWE, Myanmar — Victims of Myanmar's latest explosion of Muslim-Buddhist violence fled to already packed displacement camps along the country's western coast, with a top U.N. official saying the unrest has forced more than 22,000 people from their homes.

State television reported the casualty toll has risen to 84 dead and 129 injured over the past week in nine townships in Rakhine state. The figures have not been broken down by ethnic group, but New York-based Human Rights Watch has said Rohingya Muslims bore the brunt of the unrest and the true death toll may be far higher.

On Sunday, wooden boats carrying some refugees arrived outside the state capital, Sittwe. The people trudged to the Thechaung camp, already home to thousands of Rohingya who took refuge there after a previous wave of violence in June.

"I fled my hometown, Pauktaw, on Friday because there is no security at all," said 42-year-old fisherman Maung Myint, who arrived on a boat carrying 40 other people, including his wife and six children. "My house was burned to ashes and I have no money left."

Another Muslim refugee said she fled her village, Kyaukphyu, on Thursday after attackers set her home on fire.
"We don't feel safe," said 40-year-old Zainabi, a fish seller who left with her two sons, aged 12 and 14. "I wish the violence would stop so we can live peacefully."

Human Rights Watch released dramatic satellite imagery of Kyaukphyu on Saturday showing a vast, predominantly Rohingya swath of the village in ashes. The destruction included more than 800 buildings and floating barges.

There were no reports of new violence Sunday. It was unclear what sparked the latest clashes, but ill will between Muslims and Buddhists in Rakhine state goes back decades and has its roots in a dispute over the Rohingya's origins. Although many Rohingya have lived in Myanmar for generations, they are seen as foreign intruders who came from Bangladesh to steal scarce land.

Today, the Rohingya also face official discrimination, a policy encouraged by Myanmar's previous military regimes to enlist popular support among other groups. A 1984 law formally excluded them as one of the country's 135 ethnicities, meaning most are denied basic civil rights and are deprived of citizenship.

Neighboring Bangladesh, which also does not recognize the Rohingya as citizens, says thousands of Rohingya refugees have sought to flee there by boat. Its policy, however, is to refuse them entry.

Rights groups say Myanmar's failure to address the root causes of the crisis means the situation may worsen.

Over the weekend, Border Affairs Minister Lt. General Thein Htay traveled to the affected areas with the U.N. resident and humanitarian coordinator in Myanmar, Ashok Nigam.

Nigam said 22,587 were displaced and they included both Muslims and ethnic Rakhine Buddhists, but he gave no breakdown.

Speaking to The Associated Press on Sunday while visiting Thechaung camp, Nigam said getting aid to the new wave of displaced people will be a challenge as some fled on boats and others have sought refuge on isolated hilltops.

"The situation is certainly very grave and we are working with the government to provide urgent aid to these people," he said.

Some 4,600 homes were also destroyed, according to the U.N, which said it had begun distributing emergency food and shelter supplies to refugees.

The latest unrest pushes the total displaced to nearly 100,000 since the clashes in June, when at least 90 people died and 3,000 homes were destroyed. About 75,000 people, mostly Rohingya, have lived in refugee camps since then.

"It is critically important that the government ensures that the rule of law prevails, prevents any further spreading of this violence and continues to communicate strong messages of harmony," Nigam said in a statement later Sunday.

"The violence, fear and mistrust are contrary to the democratic transition and economic and social development that Myanmar is committed to," Nigam said. "It should not become an impediment to progress."

___

Associated Press writers Aye Aye Win in Yangon and Todd Pitman in Bangkok contributed to this report.

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New 'retaliatory' attacks on #Myanmar's #Rohingyas

Rohingya activists have alleged that Myanmar's Buddhist protesters have launched fresh attacks on Muslims in retaliation to last week's attacks by Muslims on Buddhist temples and houses in Bangladesh.

Nurul Islam, a Rohingya activist in Bangladesh, told DW that a number of Myanmar Buddhists took out a protest rally on Sunday against the attacks on Buddhist temples and houses in Bangladesh. He alleged that the protesters attacked a 400-year-old mosque and burnt hundreds of copies of the Muslim holy book, the Koran, and other religious texts.

"In the past few days, many Burmese Buddhists have launched a series of attacks on Muslims," Islam said. "They are posting derogatory texts and pictures about Islam on social networking websites. They seem to be retaliatory attacks.”

Last month, an outbreak of anti-Buddhist rioting in Bangladesh left at least four temples and dozens of homes gutted by fire. Muslims had taken to the streets to protest against an internet photo they said defamed Islam. At least 20 people were believed to have been injured in these riots. The rioters targeted the Bangladeshi town of Ramu and its adjourning villages, some 350 kilometers (216 miles) from the capital, Dhaka.

Deadly riots erupted in Myanmar's Rakhine state in June. Rohingya activists claim that more than 650 Rohingyas have so far been killed in these riots.

"After the violence broke out in Rakhine in June, the Buddhists started using social networking sites to organise attacks on Rohingyas," Aung Kyaw Oo, a member of the Rohingya community, told DW. "Now, after the attacks on Buddhists in Bangladesh, they have taken the anti-Rohingya campaign to a new height."

The prejudice

Bangladesh has started turning Rohingya away

Myanmar's Rohingyas live predominantly in the western state of Rakhine. They are not officially recognized by the Burmese government as an ethnic minority group, and for decades they have been subjected to discrimination and violence by the Buddhist majority.

Viewed by the United Nations and the US as one of the world's most persecuted minorities, many Rohingyas have fled to neighboring countries such as Bangladesh and India to escape persecution.

Despite the fact that Myanmar has embarked on a series of political and economic reforms, human rights organizations and activists say the situation of Myanmar's ethnic communities has not improved significantly.

Mark Farmaner, head of the Burma Campaign UK, says that anti-Muslim prejudice is not restricted to the Rohingyas, and that it is certainly on the rise.

"While I was in Myanmar just before the start of the crisis, I came across anti-Muslim prejudice everywhere. This prejudice is encouraged by the Burmese government, with ministers making derogatory remarks about Muslims publicly," said Farmaner.

But experts say it is difficult to get credible information out of the region. They say it is hard to tell the difference between rumors, propaganda and the truth.

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#OIC ignored by head of the state, #Burma blocks opening of office for Islamic body #OIC

My comments : 
TOWARDS A DEMOCRATIC TRANSITION IN BURMA. Burma is not going towards A Secular Democratic Country. Its Going Towards 65% Burmese Dominating Racist and Fundamental new type of overaggressive country. only one religion rights is only Theravada Buddhism. Only One Dharma kill other religion. #Karen and #Rohingya minority. demolishing. the chin and others will come like Formar #Yugoslavia. I can see a Slobodan #Milošević.        

Monks have voiced their anger at plans by the OIC for an office

Burma's president has blocked a global Islamic body from opening an office to help Muslims involved in recent communal violence in the west of Burma.

A statement on the president's website said such an office was not in accordance with the people's wishes.

Thousands of monks have joined protests against the Organisation of Islamic Conference's plans to open an office.

Tensions in western Rakhine state have been high after deadly clashes between Muslims and Rakhine Buddhists.

But the issue remains a highly sensitive one with many across the Buddhist-majority nation.

"We cannot accept any OIC office here," Oattamathara, a monk leading the Mandalay protest, told the AFP news agency.

A statement posted on the presidential website reflected this: "The government will not allow the opening of an OIC office as it is not in accordance with the desire of people."

The OIC told the BBC it had not yet been notified of the president's decision.

Rakhine clashes

The violence in Rakhine state began in late May when a Buddhist woman was raped and murdered by three Muslims. A mob later killed 10 Muslims in retaliation, though they were unconnected with the earlier incident.

Sectarian clashes spread across the state, with houses of both Buddhists and Muslims being burnt down. The attacks left many dead and forced thousands of people on both sides to flee their homes.

There is long-standing tension between Rakhine people, who are Buddhist and make up the majority of the state's population, and Muslims, many of whom are Rohingya.

Many Rakhine Buddhists have said that much of the violence in June was carried out against them by Rohingya groups. Rohingyas say they have been forced to flee because of the violence.

The Burmese authorities regard the Rohingya as illegal immigrants.

In August Burma set up a commission to investigate the violence between Buddhists and Muslims in the west of the country, in which dozens died. Authorities earlier rejected a UN-led inquiry.

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Plight of #stateless #Rohingyas hinges on #citizenship: #US official

The lack of citizenship must be addressed for any long-term solution to the distress in the Rohingya community to occur, a top US refugee official said on Tuesday.

Conditions are rough in Teknaf camp in Bangladesh. Movement of refugees is restricted and housing is in need of repair or renewal. Photo: UNHCR

Kelly Clements, a US deputy assistant secretary of the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, spoke to the Open Society Foundation and Refugees International in Washington, DC, on the Rohingya issue.

In a transcript of his talk, released on Wednesday, he said citizenship is a core concept that defines the relationship between a state and an individual – each has obligations to the other.

“Citizenship is often the gateway to a person’s ability to realize a range of human rights and basic services, including freedom of movement, freedom from discrimination, arbitrary arrest and detention, the right to vote, access to education, and property ownership,” he said.

The former Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court, Earl Warren, described citizenship as “the right to have rights,” he said.

For this reason, stateless persons are vulnerable to abuse and exploitation, including gender-based violence, trafficking in persons, and arbitrary arrest and detention, he said.

“Combating statelessness requires first that governments, civil society groups, and international, regional, and local organizations recognize the problem, its causes, and the suffering and indignities it inflicts on millions of people around the world,” he said, calling it an under-recognized issue.

He said the US is the single largest donor to the UN commission of refugees, contributing over $775 million to UNHCR’s work on protection, assistance and statelessness this year.

“The Rohingya’s ethnic identity and origin are highly disputed,” he said. “While some historical accounts note that they are indigenous to the kingdom of Arakan since the 9th century, which at times, also occupied southern parts of modern Bangladesh; others claim that Rohingya migrated to the region during British colonialism. This latter claim has consistently fueled anti-Rohingya sentiment, leading to periodic tension and violence against the Rohingya by the former military regime after Burma gained independence.”

He said approximately 800,000 stateless Rohingya live in a region that has experienced significant displacement and periodic violence over decades.

“Much needs to be done: to reduce tensions, to improve the humanitarian situation, and to work towards a sustainable and just solution for all those who have suffered from the conflict and longer-term deprivation of rights,” he said.

“Some of the tough issues to be addressed include lasting security and stability, freedom of movement for Rakhine and Rohingya, protection (and when I say protection, including the provision of physical security and basic rights), and unimpeded humanitarian access and assistance to meet basic immediate needs.”

He said that at the same time as the Burmese government works to address the underlying causes of ethnic conflict, “We believe a regional approach is necessary to address mixed flows of refugees and migrants by land and sea and ensure that those fleeing are treated humanely.”

He said, “Sadly, solutions to this protracted displacement appear increasingly elusive. I noticed a definite increase in tension and desperation since my last trip in 2011, and an escalation in humanitarian need. School enrollment is down as parents pull children from classes to become income earners, and malnutrition rates exceed emergency levels and continue to rise. Unfortunately, at the same time, organizations are facing greater obstacles to help ameliorate the situation.

“In our field visits to the official camps, refugees demonstrated for the right to nationality, highlighted human rights violations, and advocated for more services and education for their children. Outside the camps, the undocumented Rohingya population suffers even more without access to school, health care or decent shelter,” he said.

He said the US would continue to work to organize an effective plan to address the Rohingya issue involving Burma, Bangladesh and the international community.

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Latest Burmese amnesty not good enough: #HRW

Activists and rights groups are responding cautiously to Burma's latest release of political prisoners, saying hundreds more are still being held despite the government's promise to release them, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a statement on Thursday.

Burmese President Thein Sein's amnesty came a week before he travels to the US to attend the United Nations General Assembly session. Human Rights Watch called for governments to use the UN visit to press him to release all remaining political prisoners and allow international monitors unhindered access to Burma's jails.

The Burmese government this week released 514 prisoners, and activists estimate that around 90 were prisoners of conscience.

It was the fourth amnesty declared in the past year by the Burmese government, which has also eased press restrictions, allowed greater political participation, and signed cease-fire deals with some rebel groups.

But Human Rights Watch said the amnesty falls short of the president's commitment to release all political prisoners.

The New York-based group called for independent monitors to be allowed into Burmese prisons to determine how many political prisoners remain behind bars.

Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi on said Tuesday that her party, the National League for Democracy, estimates there are still 200 political prisoners behind bars. The Nobel laureate, currently on a tour of the United States, said Burma cannot have real democracy until all prisoners of conscience are released.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday that Burma still has “a lot of work to do,” citing the political prisoners that remain in detention, as well as ongoing communal unrest in Rakhine State and other ethnic areas.

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US wants open Bangladeshi border but safe return of Rohingya to Myanmar in long term

DHAKA, Bangladesh — The United States on Thursday urged Bangladesh to keep its border open to Rohingya refugees fleeing Myanmar in the wake of June violence but advocated their safe repatriation as a long-term solution.

A delegation of the U.S. State Department recently visited the troubled region in Myanmar where violence between Rakhaine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims in June left at least 80 people dead. The team later visited refugee camps of Rohingya in Bangladesh’s southern Cox’s Bazar district.

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UN envoy Nambiar discusses Rakhine State aid with Thein Sein

United Nations special envoy to Burma Vijay Nambiar met with Burmese President Thein Sein on Thursday to discuss Rakhine State and a range of other topics, said the President's Office.

President Thein Sein received a delegation led by UNSG’s Special Adviser on Burma Vijay Nambiar at the Credentials Hall of the Presidential Palace on Friday, September 13, 2012. Photo: President's office

The talks focused on Burma-UN cooperation in providing assistance to riot victims in Rakhine State, including arrangements for advance aid teams representing Turkey, Indonesia, the United States and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to assess the Rakhine situation.

Other topics included security and the rule of law being enforced in the state to prevent similar recurrences and arrangements for the rehabilitation of the victims.

Nambiar, a special adviser to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and UN Under-Secretary-General, is currently on his fourth visit to Burma.

The two sides also discussed socio-economic development projects including fulfilling the UN Millennium Goals.

President Thein Sein's upcoming attendance at the 67th UN General Assembly in New York, expected at the end of September, was also discussed.

Nambiar, an Indian diplomat who was appointed UN special envoy to Burma in 2010, has been Ban Ki-moon's chief of staff since January 2007.

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The Dalai Lama says reports of human rights violations in Burma ‘very unfortunate’

His Holiness the Dalai Lama speaking on "Non-violence and Ethical Values" at the Jamia Millia Islamia University in New Delhi, India, on September 12, 2012. Also seen in the picture is Vice Chancellor Prof. Najeeb Jung. (Photo/OHHDL/Tenzin Choejor)

DHARAMSHALA, September 13: Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama called the reports of gross human rights violations n Burma “very unfortunate” and said he tried to contact pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and the Burmese government over the issue.

“Yes, it’s very unfortunate. But no avenue of communication with the Burmese government is open to me. Although I am a Buddhist, very few Buddhist countries, apart from Japan, have given me permission to visit them on pilgrimage,” the Dalai Lama said in response to a question on the reports of gross human rights violations against the Rohingya Muslims in western Burma.

“In fact you could say I have greater freedom to visit Christian countries or even a Muslim country like Jordan, than I do to visit most Buddhist countries. The situation with Burma is the same.”

The Dalai Lama, who was speaking on the Importance of Non-violence and Ethical Values at the Jamia Millia Islamia University in New Delhi on Wednesday, further added that he wrote to Aung San Suu Kyi, his only contact in the country, on the issue. The two Nobel Peace laureates had recently met in London.

“Accordingly, I wrote to her about this matter, but have had no reply. Likewise, I asked my representative in Delhi to approach the Burmese Embassy here, but after several weeks we’ve had no response. So, there’s little I can do but pray,” the Tibetan leader said.

“If allegations that Buddhist monks have been involved in assaulting these Muslim brothers and sisters turn out to be true, it is totally wrong.”

Earlier in the day, the Dalai Lama also separately met with the editors of three Urdu language newspapers.

Returning back to the University which conferred an honorary degree of Doctor of Letters (Honoris Causa) on him in 2010, the Dalai Lama reflected on the oneness of humanity in our common desire and right to be happy.

The 77-year-old Tibetan leader explained that trust and friendship were necessary to be a contented human being, which he said tends to develop “much better once we realise that all beings have a right to happiness, just as we do.”

“Taking others’ interests into account not only helps them, it also helps us. Warm-heartedness and concern for others are a part of human nature and are at the core of positive human values.”

Referring to the 20th century as an era of bloodshed, the Dalai Lama said all problems and conflicts must be resolved through peaceful ways and dialogue.

“Non-violence doesn’t mean we have to passively accept injustice. We have to fight for our rights. We have to oppose injustice, because not to do so would be a form of violence,” the Tibetan spiritual leader said. “Gandhi-ji fervently promoted non-violence, but that didn’t mean he was complacently accepting of the status quo; he resisted, but he did so without doing harm.”
Source 

OIC signs MoU on Rakhine State aid

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Burmese government to provide humanitarian aid for riot-hit victims in Myanmar's western Rakhine ethnic state, official media reported on Wednesday.

The signing took place after the OIC Ambassador Ufuk Gokeen and Minister of Border Affairs Lieutenant-General Thein Htay met in Naypyitaw on Tuesday, said the New Light of Myanmar, the state-run newspaper.

The meeting focused on aid to be provided for Rakhine state and participation in rehabilitation tasks by OIC without political and religious creed, providing shelters, food and utensils to both local nationals and Bengalis regardless of race, and improvement of rehabilitation and urbanization plan of Rakhine state.

In August, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who is also OIC Secretary, made the first ever visit to Myanmar and witnessed the situation in the state.

Turkish donors have donated US$ 50 million to the victims in Rakhine State to buy food and medicine, according to earlier official reports.

The report also said OIC Assistant Secretary-General Atta AI- manam Bakhit visited Burma and an invitation is being extended to the OIC Secretary-General to visit Burma and further observe the situation.

The article said Burmese officials said the violence in Rakhine State was not a conflict between religious groups of different faiths nor a humanitarian issue but was a violence conflict between two communities within Burma following a criminal act.

Fighting in Rakhine State has left almost 90 people dead, both Buddhists and Muslims, since it erupted in June according to an official estimate, although rights groups fear the real toll is much higher.

Officials said the government has been working closely with international community for relief and rehabilitation for the victims of both communities in a non-discriminatory and transparent manner, according to a statement of the Foreign Ministry said.

Burma formed a 27-member Investigation Commission on Aug. 17 comprising leaders from religious organizations including Islam, intellectuals, politicians and retired government officials among others.

Officials said that law and order in Rakhine State is improving and the overall situation there is now returning to normalcy.

Source

Bangladesh should open borders to Rohingyas: #HRW

Source :  Mizzima News
The government of Bangladesh should immediately remove its restrictions on international organizations providing life saving humanitarian aid to the more than 200,000 Rohingya Muslims in Bangladesh, Human Rights Watch said on Thursday. In addition, it should open its borders to Rohingyas seeking to flee Rakhine State, it said.

Bangladeshi Border Guard personnel keep watch at a wharf in Taknaf on June 12, 2012. Border guards turned back boats transporting Rohingya Muslims fleeing violence in Burma, officials said, as the UN refugee agency called for the border to be opened. Photo: AFP

In late July 2012, the Bangladesh government ordered three prominent international aid organizations – Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders), Action Contre la Faim (Action Against Hunger), and Muslim Aid – to cease providing assistance to Rohingya living in Cox’s Bazaar and surrounding areas.

The government contends that the presence of aid groups in Cox’s Bazaar encourages Rohingya to come to Bangladesh, and that it cannot afford to host them. The government accused the three aid groups of encouraging the Rohingyas’ flight by providing medical and other assistance. It also raised concerns about criticisms of Bangladesh in the international media. 

However, as a party to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Bangladesh is prohibited from denying those within its borders, including refugees and asylum seekers, access to food and healthcare, among other protections, said HRW.

In a July 28 media interview, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh disavowed any responsibility for the Rohingya, claiming the responsibility was with the Burmese government.

“Bangladesh is already an overpopulated country,” Hasina said. “We cannot bear this burden.” She denied that Rohingya were being forced back to Burma, saying, “It isn’t true, [the border guard force] didn’t force them. They persuaded them that they should go back to their own country, and they went back.” In the same interview, she added the Burma authorities are “creating a congenial atmosphere” and “providing all the [needed] assistance and everything” to the Rohingya.

In June, the Bangladesh foreign minister, Dipu Moni, told a news conference in Dhaka that, “It is not in our interest that new refugees come from Myanmar [Burma].”

The three aid organizations provide water, healthcare, sanitation, and other basic assistance to Rohingya refugees and asylum seekers in Bangladesh. Approximately 30,000 Rohingya who are officially recognized refugees are living in two camps; 40,000 who are unregistered live in a makeshift refugee camp, and the remaining 130,000 live in surrounding areas. All of the settlements are squalid and overcrowded.

Seasoned aid workers have told Human Rights Watch that the conditions in the makeshift camps for Rohingya are among the worst they have seen anywhere in the world.

“Bangladesh authorities are placing the lives of Rohingya refugees at grave risk by forcing aid groups to stop their feeding and health programs,” HRW said. “It is unthinkable that the government would actively attempt to make the terrible conditions faced by Rohingya even worse by stopping aid from reaching them.”

The communal violence in Burma broke out in early June displacing over 100,000 people. United Nations agencies still lack full and unfettered access to all affected areas of Arakan State, said HRW. 

While Bangladesh is not a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol, customary international law establishes the obligation of governments to respect the principle of nonrefoulement, which holds that refugees should not be forcibly returned to a place where their lives or freedom would be threatened. Bangladesh also is a party to several treaties – including the Convention against Torture, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child – that provide that no one, including refugees and asylum seekers, should be returned to a place where they face a genuine risk of being subjected to torture.

Special Video Interview with Rohingyas from Refugee Camp, Arakan- Burma (2)August-17-12 3:15 PM

Special Video Interview with Rohingyas from Refugee Camp, Arakan- Burma (2)August-17-12 3:15 PM

Interview with Rohingya Part-1

A: Interviewer B: interviewee (one couple)
B: Regarding to the criminal case from Kyaut Ni Maw (the place where Rakhine Buddhist “Ma Thi Dar Htway” was raped and killed. This is the source that ignite this Rohingya Genocide). The Rakhine sparked this riot saying that you Muslim did such a bad thing to us. Actually, we have been living here since our ancestry. There were no Rakhine here at that time. All places are belonging to Muslim. The Rakhine immigrated here bit by bit later.The Muslim have been discriminated and suppressed so that they moved to Yangon and foreign (for their better life). This village is called Rohingya para by Muslim terms and we can call Zay Haung Maw Late for the whole village generally. This Zay Haung Maw Late village can be divided by the three wards of Kyaung Tan Lan, Yuu Pa Taung and Maw Late. There were 120 Muslim homes but they sold out theirs homes to Rakhine and moved out to the safer and better place as there are such suppression and discrimination. Frequently, if there were some problems, they made huge suppression towards us, minority Muslim. By the time this riot was began to broken out, we gave hundred calls to the police station and polices asked us who were marching to your villages who were making problem and noise, whether Muslim or Rakhine. When we answered that they were Rakhine and the police said that “Ok, then, it’s not important and no problem” and ended the phone conversation. There are so many cases like that in the past. It has been 4 times that they committed such violence to us when in 1985, 2000, 2004 and 2012 respectively. This 2012 riot is the most inhumane case. We assumed that this 2012 case is like the same case in the year mentioned above so that we didn’t go out and we remained inside of our homes when the violence was blasted. If we would know that this is such a critical crisis, we would run away and moved out from this place in advance. And why we still remained inside our home is there is a Mosque in our village and we don’t want to go away parting from this Mosque. And I m not so much in desperate on what people lost theirs homes and prosperities but I am very much in miss our Mosque and our Holy Quran which were burnt and destroyed.
A: I heard that they are injures case currently? B: Yes, in my family, 5 people got injured. My 3 children are living in The Chaung (Refugee camp) currently and another one is in the other place. Here my head got injured as well. (The interviewee is showing his head). The person who is familiar with us in our village did not beat us but the person who is not familiar beat us. They are from our village too. They beat us saying that “U Muslim beat and kill our Rakhine in Maung Daw”. On 10th Jun, 2012 at 8:00 AM, they were throwing stones onto our Mosque severely. There were so many Rakhine who threw the stones harshly. The involvers are Ya.Wa.Ta (Authority), the employer Saw Win Kyaw and groups from Sein Video and how the authorized person U Hla Wai from Kyaung Tan Lan told to Rakhine is “don’t burn, don’t blast fire. Do what ever except theirs death”. Why he asked not to set fire is Rakhine homes and Muslim homes are near each other and they were afraid of theirs houses would be on fire too. Previously, there were 120 Muslim homes in our village of Zay Haung Maw Late but now only 36 were left as the rest sold out theirs home (to shift to safer place). Around 10:30 or 11:00 , I heard with my ears that the business man who live near to AZG made conversation with the Authorized person U Hla Wai from Kyaung Tan Lan ( when the riot is on going) to separate and to control the groups of Rakhine and Muslim such as he will control the Muslim and he want U Hal Wai to control the Rakhine. But he did not do instead he run away and was hiding in his homes. And this U Hla Wai did not speak out upon such violence towards us by Rakhine. We were hiding in our home to avoid this stones throwing by Rakhine. But, they push theirs knives into our home from every corners so that we family kept ourselves to station at the center of homes not to catch up by Rakhines knives. And our one window leave was opened and one guy said “Aunty, I m not involve in this riot, but my friends are”. So, we jumped out from another very high window and we assembled at that place. But they tied our children’s body saying that we would not do anything and looked for my husband. They threatened me that if my husband would not come out from home, they would search inside and if they would find they would kill him then. (Husband) So I came out leaving the two old women in home. Once they saw me they started to beat me with steel rod. Here is the effected arm resulted from this beating (the man is showing the injuries) I can’t straight my hand, need to bend like this all the time and now I m feeling dizzy always. The violence was sparked in this way, at 8:00 Am, they did throw stones and arrested every body to beat the head. They beat only head.

________________________________________________________________
Interview with Rohingya Part-2

A: Interviewer
B: interviewee (one couple)

B: And they brought us along with them saying that “you are required to send to police station”. When we reach to Yat Kwat Sone (Sone Ward), where there are a lot of Rakhine, almost all are Buddhist. So we though that we/our lives are going to be finish. My family except my two sons Saw Moe Kyaw and Saw Hein kyaw were brought to this ward. So we family were reciting the kalaymar (Muslim recite this verse when they are nearly to die). My son Saw Hein Kyaw was beaten with steel rod and he currently he is suffering dizzy, can’t move his body, if he do dizzy is starting to give trouble him. He is not getting remedying. We are not getting any surgery also. One thing we were lucky at that time is, we were asked to sit near to one stream where one women and one from one car shouted to the Rakhine croed who brought us here that “why you are keeping all these people, just finish all. They are finishing our Rakhine in Maung Daw.” But, one Rakhine boy who is my customer, used to buy tea from my shop replied that “how can we beat all this crowd” and send us to the police station. This is real process. On the way to police station, one old person aged 50 beat me with small steel plate that resulted major injury here in forehead. (Showing her forehead). We were very much afraid of this Buddhist crowd. Some are familiar with us, some immigrated here not too long. They are familiar with us so they didn’t beat us. There are also some Chinese, so we thought that they are not beating us because other are also existed at the site. Then we reached to the police station. When we reached there, police office said ‘Don’t you know that it will happen like that? Why you all are not staying away from your houses?’, then I answered, how do we know that and it was never happened before. Then inspector of the station took picture of both of us. Then they sent those injured people to the hospital using the police van. When reach to hospital, the treated us nicely. Dr. Thein Htay Aung treated my wound. Then a Rakhine Man, U Nay Win, gave us a meal, food and tea. It happened on Sunday, and on Tuesday, we are dismissed from hospital. There are only one officer following our vehicle and left all of us.
A: Where did they leave you?B: They left us near ‘Thel Chaung’.
A: So it is very far?B: Yes, we have to walk by ourselves to reach here. There are a man called Sunny who is from our village had left at the hospital. That man came to the hospital during evening time while we are fainted.
A: That Sunny is also from the village where your brother who had killed?B: Yes, my own brother was killed and a child too. They don’t let us to be alone. If they see us alone, they will not let us escaped and kill us. There are three people died immediately on 10 June. My younger brother, my sister’s son-in-law and my cousin brother. Sunny died on hospital. And Kyaw Zin Htoo who dismissed hospital with me on 12 June passed away on 18 June here.
A: Do you willing to stay back at your own place where conflict was happened?B: Yes we have to go back to our own place. Where else can we go? This (Myanma) is our birthplace. My parents were Burmese citizens with proper national ID cards. We were all born here. What is our crime? We are being persecuted simply because we are Muslims here in Rakhine State.

8/17/2012Translated by snowy (RB Team)

Special Video Interview with Rohingyas from Refugee Camp, Arakan- Burma (1)August-18-12 1:25 AM

A: Interviewer
B: interviewee

A: You reached here (means camp) so did they (Extremist Rakhine Buddhist, arm-forced) keep your home as it is?

B: They burnt all. They have burnt all. They burnt our Mosque which had been build by British period but not by us. But they don’t know. They arrested Lawyer U Kyaw Hla Aung. Who worked in (AZG).A: Did they burn your home after you had arrived here or?
B: They burnt all, they destroyed all.

A: So how you get food to live here?
B: They gave us a few rations. We have to rely on this if not from where do we get and who will offer food to us?

A: I have heard of it that Muslim were burning their homes and running away.
B: They pretended to be Muslim wearing Muslim attire and they burnt all. The arm-forced were around. Me myself told them not to burn and kill us brutally but kill us all simply.

8/17/2012
Translated by snowy (RB Team)
___________________________________________________
Rohingya Business man story

A: InterviewerB: Interviewee (Rohingay business man and his wife)
A: May I know your name please?B: My name is U Tin Shwe.
A: Where do you live place?B: I am from Myo Thu Gee village/ward.
A: when did this riot break out in Myo Thu Gee?B: It’s on 10.6.12 at 12:00.
A: Can you tell me please about this violence?B: There were Monks, the village heads who threw with broken bricks to us. The crowd was made up of almost 3000 people. This crowd surrounded our home and threw with stone after that they invaded into our home and looted all of our properties by cars collaborating with monks and Rakhine. Then, they went upstairs and when they found my wife they attacked her with spears and set fire on her and robbed gold. (She got major injury). They were not satisfied after getting gold and did slaughter to her head with knife. (The couple is showing theirs wounds).
A: Can you show me your wound please?B: Here this is when they attacked with spears.
A: Oh! It penetrated your arm on the spot.B: Yes yes. It did. Here is the wound of fire on my hand. Here is the wound on my head resulted from being beaten with steel rod.
A: How about you, brother?B: Its here (showing his hand). This is effect from being slaughted by knife. They slaughtered my mom and my aunt’s body into two pieces.
A: And?B: They pulled out them from upstairs to the ground and did slaughter to make two pieces. This crowd did. So both of my mom and aunt died. I have two twins (son). One was attacked at the eyes and the other was slaughtered on the head. My neighbor slaughtered him at the head making into two pieces horizontally. He was brought to the hospital with me, He did not die. But the police kill him with spears. He was brought to no.1 police station. (a hmat tit). He was asked that whose son was he. And when they (police and the crowd) know he is Musar’s son (my son), they beat him to death accusing him that he is Musar’s son who set fire. They killed him.
A: So, you were accused of setting fire?B: Yes.yes. But I did not do it.
A: So why did they to did like that is Muslim set fire, is it?B: No No. We Muslim did not do it. In this village, there are only 3 Muslim homes. My home is the amidst of Rakhine’s. In my homes, our relative and neighbors were hiding at the mezzanine. But they pulled out every body and kill them with various weapons such as knives, rods and spears. When security forces reached, they (the crowd) were keeping killing to us in front of them. But, army helped us once they reach. They brought us to hospital.
A: So I want to ask you a question. They did beat you in front of security forces and police, is it?B: Yes, yes. In front of security forces. First, we were calm down and did not do anything as this forces arrived. So we left our gold and money and bags as it is because securities were around.
A: So, was this violence in front of police and securities?B: Yes yes, in front of them. The crowd beat us with knives. Our neighbors guided the persons from other villages who beat us and robbed. The chairman of our ward “U Ngwe Kyaw” himself involved in this case. Still now, we can show our neighbors now who was involved. They took all of our properties with cars. U can ask every body. I do business with the person from Yangon.
A: Let’s say, if the situation would be better and become cool, oh I noted that you had shop right?B: Now it has been destroyed and demolished. We have 4 shops. All the properties from shops had been occupied by them. When we were hospitalized, the village head himself informed this mob who came to hospital long sward to kill us. So we had to live in the dark room of the hospital.
A: Dark room in the hospital?B: Of course. We had to live. They came along with sword to finish all of our family. They intended to kill us. But we did not die. The doctor U Thane Htun Aung said why you brought this kalar (blacky) here, why you have not finished them. They told it into English language because we understand both Rakhine and Myanmar language.
A: Let’s say, if the situation would be better and become cool, do you have a will to live in your home again and to open your shops?B: If we would live again, according to condition we do not think it will be ok. They will loot our properties again. Only 3 Muslim homes are here in the amides of Rakhine.
8/18/2012
Translated by snowy (RB Team)

______________________________________________________________

Rohingya Old woman Interview

Q: Interviewer
A: interviewee

Q: Where are you from? A: From Zay-Haung Maw-Late (Old-market Maw-Late) village

Q: The houses are destroyed by putting fire? A: No, it houses were not destroyed by fire, they demolished them. Totally demolished.
Q: Those men came to demolish houses are from same village (ward) or from other villages. A: The people are from same villages and from others also.
Q: Is there any police accompany the crowd? A: No. there are no police.
Q: So those people who demolish houses asked you to get out from your houses? A: Yes, they asked us to get out from our houses. They brought knives and spears. We are not even allowed to take our slippers. They said we are not deserved to put on our slippers. They just immediately forced us out from our houses.
Q: Did they said such word in front of your houses? A: Yes, in front of our houses, and we are sitting on the road. And they drag us to nearest camp. While we are at the camp, some said they are going take a list of us, and some said "no need to take list of them" and forced us to board on police vehicle (usually dispatch the criminals). All the children are crying and finally they dropped us near Aung Min Ga Lar Township and forced us to go inside. They said we have to go inside that township and stayed there. This is our place they continued.
Q: So how you came out from Aung Min Ga Lar Township? A: Once we get to the township, U Shwe Hla Aung family help us food and we overnight there for one night. Next day another family from township call us to stay with them. And after that we heard Nazi Village was burning and so many Rakhine people marching in and set fire on "Democracy Market". The fire burning too high and it was about to reach to our place, it already reached near the school, people are running here and there, finally the owner of the big house called all the villagers to take refuge at his house. And finally police and military come to fight fire. Once there is no fire. We moved to another house to take refuge. We stay there about ten days, but we feel not safe. Even at night we heard that some place were set fire. So we asked help from security guards and took a vehicle to move here.
Q: We heard that Muslims were setting fire on their own houses. A: No, how can you set fire on your own houses. There are some Hindus and Marr-mar who look like Muslims and they asked them to set fire. There are so many well-planned cases involved.

8/18/2012
Translated by snowy (RB Team)

The history and plight of the Rohingyas

Susan Marie Public Relations Posted August 18, 2012

The Rohingyas are one of the most persecuted communities in the world. Although, they have been living in the state of Arakan since the 8th century (which is now part of Burma), the Rohingyas have been under extreme scrutiny by the Burmese government. They haven’t been recognized as citizens of The Union of Burma since Burmese independence in 1948, instead they are known as ‘non citizens’.

The Burmese Junta have discriminated the Rohingya because:
•    They are not similar in looks
•    Speak a different language
•    Have a different religion.

As a means of clamping down on the Rohingya, the Junta has restricted even the most basic of rights such as education, marriage and citizenship.

The Burmese government endorses the Burmese culture and the Buddhist faith for their national citizens; the Rohingyas fall outside of this ideal criteria because they want to retain their own culture and the Muslim faith. As a result, the Rohingyas, sidelined and marginalized, have to live with their derogatory national status of ‘non-citizens’.

Between 1978 and 1992, approximately 200,000 Rohingyas left Burma to escape the tyranny of the Burmese military. Most of them moved to southern Bangladesh where they remain as refugees. In one of the most densely populated countries in the world, life in Bangladesh proved just as hard as it did in Burma.

In Bangladesh, the Rohingyas are faced with hardly any protection from their host country. A burden to the densely populated country, the Rohingyas are denied humanitarian aid which forces them to turn to other means of income such as drug trafficking.

There is one registered camp situated meters away from the registered camp where 90,000 refugees live. Another camp 15 miles away, in Leda Bazaar where approximately 25,000 Rohingya live, is where Restless Beings focus has been.

In 1962, the Rohingyas were systematically denied of political, civil, economic and social human rights. Today, the Rohingyas in Burma cannot commute from one village to another due to the security forces known as ‘Nasaka’ that patrol their movement at various checkpoints. This affects their education and access to medication.

Rohingyas are denied citizenship despite living in Arakan for centuries because Muslims are portrayed as ‘relics of a colonial past’. This stems from the fact that Muslims supported the British during the colonial period because they were promised autonomy in Rakhine previously known as Arakan.

Rohingyas have been subject to the systematic use of rape as a weapon of war, forced labour, and land confiscation. Over 3,500 villages have been destroyed since 1996.

Similar to the Rohingyas living in Burma, the Rohingya refugees are limited in their movement and subject to exploitation. In refugee camps, the Rohingya women are victims of sexual violence, children are denied education and there is limited access to health and medical aid.

The hostile environment for Rohingyas in Bangladesh urges the refugees in Bangladesh and Burma to seek help in other parts of Asia such as Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia; however, these parts are not usually welcoming.

Update from Restless Beings

Reports have been flooding in this afternoon of a new wave of attacks on Rohingya this afternoon leaving hundreds homeless and looking for shelter on foot during torrential monsoon rains whilst others were left dead. The recent clashes have been reported from 4 villages near Rauthedoung were as many as 12 have been killed with 1,000 Rohingya displaced as well as in 3 villages south of Maungdaw where 3 people have been killed this Thursday, August 16, 2012.

In the minutes leading up to sunset as many Rohingya were preparing to open their fasts (Ramadhan) hundreds of Rakhine activists armed with sticks, batons and other weaponry forced their way into Rohingya houses in three adjacent villages. As the villagers attempted to fight back against the Rakhine who had violated their homes, Lun Htin and Nasaka (Burmese armed forces and paramilitary) opened live rounds of fire on the villagers.

Three men and one woman have been shot dead whilst many others have been injured. In total the three entire villages are being evacuated with the Rohingya unsure of where they are to move to next. Whilst one of the sources was describing the events, shooting and wailing could be heard in the background.

In a separate incident, but most likely part of this new wave of violence, four villages near Rathedoung were attacked late last night, Wednesday, leaving more than 12 dead and over 1,000 Rohingya displaced. Similar to incidents in Maungdaw today, Rakhine had attacked the villages and were backed up by Burmese armed forces and paramilitary servicemen.

The forces pushed the Rohingya villages from their homes, across the river and now the camp of 1,000 are moving north through mountainous terrains and during monsoon season looking for shelter. 12 people have been confirmed dead – 8 were shot dead and 4 more have lost their lives battling against the elements whilst being shelter less.

As international media have recently been reporting from the region and as an aid deal has been agreed by the President with OIC, this is seen as the final, brutal wave against the Rohingya during the recent clashes. It is feared that this move will be drawn out over many days surely; many more lives will be lost.

Minority Shows Burma Has a Long Way to Go

By Emily Rauhala
 

Muslim residents carry their belongings as they evacuate their houses amid ongoing violence in Sittwe, capital of Burma's western state of Rakhine, on June 12, 2012

 The callous handling of sectarian violence in Arakan reminds us that the country's transition is far from complete

For much of the past five decades, Burma has been a byword for political repression. The generals that seized power in 1962 ruled with fearsome, often reckless, authority, stomping out dissent and turning one of Asia’s breadbaskets into a barren, hungry place. In the past two years, the story changed. The men in green handed power to a quasi-civilian government, promising to end the country’s isolation. In April, the world watched Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi lead the National League for Democracy to a near sweep in by-elections hailed as a landmark for the Southeast Asian nation. Suu Kyi, long incarcerated by the junta, was now a parliamentarian acceptable to the regime. The nation’s own reversal, it seemed, was only a matter of time.

But a recent spate of violence in the country’s northwest reminds us that Burma’s transition is far from complete. Even as the West relaxes sanctions and investors flock to Rangoon, swaths of the country seethe. Since June, clashes between ethnic Arakan Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims in Arakan (also called Rakhine state) have left at least 78 people dead and tens of thousands displaced. An investigation by Human Rights Watch found government forces did little to quell the violence, leaving terrified villagers to defend themselves with sharpened sticks and homemade spears. Worse, police and paramilitary forces have since launched a crackdown on Rohingya, conducting violent sweeps, opening fire on villagers and arresting large numbers of Muslim men and boys.

(PHOTOS: Sectarian Unrest in Burma)

The uncomfortable truth is that in Arakan, at least, the new Burma looks a lot like the old. This patchwork nation is still split along sectarian lines, still divided by history, geography and language. Military men still hold key positions in government. And whereas reformers might have spoken out, many are staying silent, turning away as Arakan burns. Fact is, most of Burma’s people don’t see the Rohingya as part of the country’s ethnic fabric. Asked about the Rohingya, President Thein Sein, a former general, suggested refugee camps or mass expulsion as “solutions.” “The government claims it is committed to ending ethnic strife and abuse,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, in a statement accompanying the group’s 56-page report on the crisis. “But recent events in Arakan state demonstrate that state-sponsored persecution and discrimination persist.”

The immediate cause of the unrest was the alleged May 28 rape and murder of an ethnic Arakan woman, allegedly at the hands of three Muslim men. Word of the killing spread quickly, hastened by pamphlets steeped in anti-Muslim propaganda. On June 3, Arakan villagers in a neighboring township stopped a bus and murdered 10 Muslims onboard. Within the week, riots broke out in at least two cities to the north, Human Rights Watch found, escalating an ongoing cycle of mob violence. In the regional capital, Sittwe, most of the Rohingya are gone. The Muslim quarter sits shuttered. “It’s like looking at the aftermath of a natural disaster,” an unnamed Channel 4 News correspondent said, surveying the damage in a dispatch from the city. “Except human beings did this.”

In many ways, the conflict has been brewing for years. The Arakanese and the Rohingya live, literally and figuratively, at Burma’s periphery. The coastal state, which traces the Bay of Bengal to the Bangladesh border, is separated from the rest of the country by mountains. It is poor, even by Burma’s standards, and most of its residents are minorities in a country dominated by the ethnic Burmese of the heartland to the east. Like the Rohingya, and indeed most of Burma’s minorities, the Arakanese suffered immensely under military rule. Unlike the Rohingya, they are citizens. If there is common ground to be found between Naypyidaw and Arakan, it is the belief that Rohingya don’t belong in Burma.

(MORE: Will Ethnic Violence Kill Burma’s Fragile Reforms?)

The Rohingya are among the most isolated and oppressed people in the world. The end of British colonial rule left them stateless, sandwiched between present-day Burma and Bangladesh. Though many trace their Bay of Bengal roots back centuries, the Burmese government insists they are illegal South Asian migrants, relics of colonial times. They have never been recognized as one of Burma’s 135 indigenous races and have routinely been denied the right to travel, marry or work. The ruling junta played on nativist sentiment, stoking racial hatred. A Burmese diplomat once called them “ugly ogres.” Many still see them as outsiders bent on stealing Buddhist lands.

The suspicion is such that even Burmese activists seem afraid, or unwilling, to speak out. Suu Kyi, the symbolic heart of the country’s opposition, has been accused of dodging questions on the matter. While touring Europe in June, she responded to a query about the crisis by saying, obliquely, that she does not know if the Rohingya are Burmese. Absent opposition from inside Burma, Muslim groups from Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and Turkey have rallied behind the Rohingya cause. The Burmese government last week agreed to aid from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, but maintains that the conflict is nonsectarian. In a way, of course, it’s right: this is, at its heart, a matter of basic rights and government accountability. On both counts, the new Burma has far to go.

(PHOTOS: Aung San Suu Kyi Travels Abroad for the First Time in 24 Years)
Emily Rauhala is an Associate Editor at TIME. Find her on Twitter at @emilyrauhala. You can also continue the discussion on TIME’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME