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

Arakanese Rohingya patriotic singer dies

Kaladan News

November 24, 2009

Arakanese Rohingya patriotic singer dies

By Tin Soe

Jeddah, KSA: Arakanese Rohingya patriotic singer, Shabir Ahmed (Shobu) died on November 19, 2009 at about 9:20 am at the King Abdul Aziz University Hospital in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), according to Ronnie, who works for human rights of Rohingya in Jeddah. He was 59.

Shobu died due to failure of both kidneys. He was going through dialysis for the last one year.

He was admitted to the hospital nearly two weeks ago, he said.

The Arakanese Rohingya patriotic singer, Shabir Ahmed (Shobu) son of Azhar Meah, hailed from Myoma Khayandan (Shidar Phara) village, Maungdaw.

Shobu left his home town Maungdaw in 1980 for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for his performing arts given the oppression of the Arakanese Rohingya community by the Burmese military junta.

Shobu was the main singer of the Arakanese Rohingya theatre in Maungdaw and Buthidaung where they (he and some patriotic youth groups) explained about the Arakanese Rohingya and their situation through their artistic performance, said an elder from Maungdaw.

He was a patriot and imparted love and patriotism to thousands of Arakanese Rohingya through his wonderful songs. Tears would roll down people’s cheeks, when they heard his songs like “Arakanor Meri Herejohar…..”, said his best friend, Mohamed Alam who loved his songs and worked for his stage shows in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Shobu was a friendly person and worked for his community whenever he had time and composed songs of his community situation in Arakan, said Alam.

“His songs were an inspiration and a shelter to run away from the many untold suffering that the Arakanese Rohingya have to go through,” he added

Forced labor in Maungdaw as army practices target shooting

Kaladan News

November 21, 2009

Forced labor in Maungdaw as army practices target shooting

Maungdaw, Arakan State: The Nasaka headquarters in Kawarbill in Maungdaw Township has been using forced labor from nearby villagers since November 1, even as troops practice target shooting in its headquarters, said a school teacher on condition of anonymity.

Since November 10, Burma’s border security force (Nasaka) has been into target shooting near the headquarters at the foot of a mountain. They are into target shooting in 10 places.

While the target shooting is on, Nasaka headquarters has been using forced labor. Daily, about 100 villagers have to work in Nasaka headquarters preparing tents, renovate roads, make and repair chairs, clean the headquarters and do other works, said a local elder requesting not to be named.

After 10 days the number of laborers was reduced to between 20 and 35. Forced labor is still on in the headquarters. The workers have to carry food from their homes.

Besides, villagers nearby are barred from going to the forest to cut bamboo and wood as about 100 Nasaka personnel patrol the forest for the target shooting.

This time, many Nasaka personnel have been participating in the target shooting. After 1992, “We have never seen so much target shooting in the camp,” said a local youth.

A village elder said, “Target shooting is done for the army’s own purpose but, villagers have to provide forced labor. So the forced labor is not related to target shooting.”

Another businessman from the locality said, “In the presence of Nasaka Director Lt. Col Aung Gyi, villagers are forced to work in the camp.”

There is international pressure on the ruling military junta to do away with forced labor, but the junta is not bothered, said a trader in Maungdaw town.

Deja VU Cafe.

14th November i was at Deja VU Cafe.The day after black Friday...I ordered Turkish coffee..before 25 year i ate same flavor pickle in my life. Which was made by Burma...Awesome coffee....Turkish coffee...first time in my life..

16th November Emily mailed me..Mark and Emily was on that cafe 3 years back before...

Thanks Mark and Emily to show me that cafe in BD...After meeting with both of you i learn how to survived....That cafe is one block far from my head office... But every time I didn't get any company to enter......At last i went alone...

Rohingyas Forced to Work on Border Fence

By LAWI WENG

Burmese junta troops force 200 Rohingyas to build a wire fence on the Bangladesh-Burmese border in Burma’s northern Arakan State each day.

Speaking to The Irrawaddy on Wednesday, Tun Tun, a resident on the Bangladeshi side of the Bangladesh-Burmese border said troops from the Burmese junta’s Light Infantry Battalions No. 233, 234, and 236 ordered headmen to martial 200 people daily to build a wire fence along the border.

“The headmen are told to, ‘Volunteer labor to develop your country’,” Tun Tun said.

The junta troops use forced labor rotated from four villages near the border in Maungdaw Township, he said.

Chris Lewa, coordinator of the Arakan Project, said that the junta’s troops have used forced labor since they started building the fence in March. She said they sometimes pay 500 kyat (US 50 cents) a day to each worker.

“Villagers can buy exemption from forced labor duties,” Lewa said, “but most Rohingyas have very little money and cannot avoid it.”

Two refugees who fled to Bangladesh recently told Tun Tun they were forced to work three days a week.

“They told me every man in the village had to work on the fence if he wanted to continue living in the village,” Tun Tun said.

The Burmese resumed building the wire fence in Maungdaw Township on the border with Bangladesh in October.

Burmese authorities started the 200-kilometer wire fence earlier this year, saying it was to stop human trafficking along the border with Bangladesh.

Bangladesh and Burma share a 320-kilometer border, partly demarcated by the Naf River, a regular route for smuggling and illegal crossings by Muslim refugees.

Many Rohingya refugees from Burma cross the border to look for work in Bangladesh, but many end up in UN refugee camps in Cox’s Bazaar District in Bangladesh.

The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) estimate that 400,000 unregistered Rohingya refugees live in two camps near Cox’s Bazaar.

The Rohingya are a stateless Muslim minority who face severe discrimination in Burma. Many have fled the country to escape human rights abuses, including forced labor for Burmese junta forces.

Bangladesh authorities have cracked down on Rohingyas living illegally in Bangladesh recently. More than 1,000 people have been arrested and pushed back across the border into Burma in recent months, Lewa said.

Who is Shakib Al Hasan?

Source : The Wisden Cricketer

Who is Shakib Al Hasan? Ask most cricket followers around the world who the best player in the last 12 months has been and you are likely to hear the names of Graeme Smith, Mitchell Johnson, Gautam Gambhir or Andrew Strauss. Shakib’s is far less likely to get a mention. Yet he has taken 45 wickets at 23 with his left-arm spin, including five five-fors. Add to that 498 runs at 35.57 and he already has the kind of allrounder figures that Andrew Flintoff could only have dreamed of – not bad for a 22-year-old.

Yet it almost was not to be. “I never had any interest in cricket until I found out I was good at it and that you can travel the world playing this game,” says Shakib. “At the age of 15 to 16 I got selected in three representative age-group teams. I was touring countries and thought this wasn’t too bad considering I hadn’t held a proper cricket ball until I was 14.”

Rabeed Imam is a journalist and Bangladesh cricket’s media manager

1 Shakib Al Hasan (B) 8 7.94
2 Gautam Gambhir (I) 8 7.63
3 Graeme Smith (SA) 7 7.21
4 Sachin Tendulkar (I) 9 7.00
= Jacques Kallis (SA) 8 7.00
6 Ben Hilfenhaus (A) 8 6.94
7 Andrew Flintoff (E) 8 6.88
= Dale Steyn (SA) 8 6.88
9 Fidel Edwards (WI) 8* 6.81
10 Andrew Strauss (E) 13* 6.77