A news piece was published by the State Assemblyman of Meru, Klang at his official blog. ARRC seeks assistance for this school by means of volunteers, stationeries, text books, recycle materials and etc.
http://khidmatmeru.blogspot.com/2008/09/madrasah-pengajian-pelarian-rohingya.html
Monday, October 25, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Masa depan generasi Rohingya
.com
DENGAN tangan kiri yang berbalut dan langkah longlai, seorang wanita yang berumur dalam lingkungan umur 40-an membawa sepinggan nasi kosong. Nasi itu putih dan berkilat. Tiada langsung lauk-pauk yang melengkap hidangan.
Di ruang tamu rumah sewanya yang agak bersepah, beberapa orang kanak-kanak menunggu untuk menikmati menu makan tengah hari.
Sambil menggaul nasi tersebut, tangannya pantas menyuakan makanan itu kepada seorang anak kecil yang sedang menangis.
Walaupun pada mulanya kanak-kanak terbabit enggan membuka mulut, namun nasi putih kosong itulah yang menjadi santapannya.
Mungkin kerana lapar, anak kecil yang langsung tidak mengetahui corak kehidupan yang dilaluinya itu menerima apa sahaja yang disuapkan si ibu.
“Tengoklah, itu sahaja makanan yang ada di rumah ini. Nasi kosong yang digaul dengan minyak dan sedikit garam. Jadilah buat alas perut mereka,” ujar Faridah Fazal Ahmad, 36, salah seorang wanita Rohingya pelarian Myanmar yang fasih berbahasa Melayu dan menetap di rumah usang tersebut.
Ditanya mengapa tangan wanita itu berbalut, Faridah dengan wajah yang sayu berkata, ia disebabkan rutin mengetuk besi buruk untuk dijual bagi menampung kehidupan.
Itu sebahagian insiden yang menyentuh hati apabila menyaksikan kedaifan komuniti pelarian Rohingya Muslim di sekitar kawasan Kampung Tasik Tambahan, Ampang, Selangor.
Jika dilihat mengenai berita-berita yang merakamkan kesengsaraan etnik yang tertindas dan dinafikan hak-hak politik, sosial dan budaya oleh pemerintah junta di Myanmar itu, sudah terlalu banyak untuk dihitung.
Namun, isu sejak puluhan tahun itu masih belum bernoktah. Etnik yang 90 peratus daripadanya beragama Islam itu tetap tidak diakui kewujudan mereka.
NASIB anak-anak pelarian Rohingya ini perlu dibela agar tidak menjadi orang gelandangan apabila dewasa kelak.
Malah, mereka kehilangan tanah yang diserahkan kepada etnik Rakhin beragama Buddha.
Penindasan yang berterusan menyebabkan mereka terpaksa menjadi pelarian dan mencari perlindungan di negara lain.
Memetik kata-kata jurucakap Pesuruhjaya Tinggi Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu untuk Pelarian (UNHCR), Kitty McKinsey menyebut bahawa etnik Rohingya mungkin merupakan golongan masyarakat yang langsung tiada rakan di dunia, merupakan satu penghinaan kepada mereka.
“Secara keseluruhan, tiada kumpulan atau masyarakat yang menyokong mereka. Boleh dikatakan tidak ada walau seorang pun daripada mereka mempunyai status sah menduduki mana-mana negara di dunia,” kata McKinsey dalam satu temu bual bersama agensi berita antarabangsa AP pada bulan Februari 2009.
Faridah yang datang ke Malaysia sejak dua dekad lalu mengakui sebagai etnik pelarian, mereka merupakan golongan yang terpinggir di bumi asing.
Namun, dia bersyukur kerana masih bernafas dan meneruskan survival di negara orang.
Ibu kepada lima cahaya mata yang berusia di antara 16 hingga dua tahun itu memberitahu, untuk menyara kehidupannya sekeluarga, dia menjual bunga di sekitar kawasan tersebut. “Apa sangatlah keuntungan hasil daripada menjual bunga. Nak dapatkan RM10 sehari pun susah. Tetapi, saya kena bekerja untuk cari rezeki yang halal,” jelasnya.
Ditindas tentera Burma
Menurut Koordinator Program Arakan Rohingya Refugee Committee (ARRC) Malaysia, Mohamad Sadek Ali Hossain, 38, kehidupan di Arakan boleh digambarkan seolah-olah neraka dunia kepada etnik tersebut.
“Sejak tahun 1962 kami ditindas oleh rejim tentera Burma ketika itu akibat tekanan politik. Mereka tidak membenarkan kami menunaikan solat di masjid, dihalang mendapat pendidikan dan menerima rawatan perubatan.
“Sebaliknya, kami dipaksa bekerja sebagai askar dan perlu membayar duit kepada pemerintah untuk membina kuil-kuil Buddha sedangkan mereka tahu bahawa kami adalah penganut agama Islam.
HARUN (kanan) menggunakan ilmu yang ada untuk menabur bakti pada anak-anak Rohingya dengan mengajar mereka mengenal al-Quran.
“Selain itu, masyarakat Rohingya juga dihalang berkahwin untuk mengelakkan perkembangan zuriat dan selama tiga hari seminggu, kami wajib bekerja secara percuma tanpa gaji,” terang Mohamad Sadek yang datang ke Malaysia sejak empat tahun lalu.
Dianggarkan kira-kira 750,000 etnik Rohingya menetap di kawasan pergunungan utara di wilayah Rakhine atau Arakan yang bersempadan dengan Bangladesh.
Mereka dipercayai berasal daripada keturunan pedagang Arab dari abad ketujuh.Warna kulit mereka agak gelap berbanding rakyat Myanmar yang berkulit cerah.Di Malaysia, hanya 26,000 pelarian Rohingya diiktiraf oleh UNHCR.
“Kami hanya bergantung kepada kad keahlian UNHCR dan tidak memiliki sebarang dokumen yang sah. Ini menyebabkan kami tidak boleh mendapat sebarang pekerjaan.
“Lebih malang, anak-anak Rohingya tidak berpeluang menerima pendidikan formal,” tutur Muhammad Husson Ali, 59, pula.
Asas-asas Islam
Buat masa ini, terdapat lapan buah sekolah Rohingya di bawah kendalian UNHCR, namun enam daripadanya menerima bantuan daripada persatuan Buddha dan Kristian.
Buat masa ini, terdapat lapan buah sekolah Rohingya di bawah kendalian UNHCR, namun enam daripadanya menerima bantuan daripada persatuan Buddha dan Kristian.
Situasi itu amat membimbangkan Muhammad Husson apabila memikirkan masa depan generasi muda Rohingya. Tidak mustahil mereka menjadi murtad atau memilih agama selain Islam.
Bagi Harun Bashir, 44, yang sudah 18 tahun menetap di Malaysia, dia terpanggil untuk mengajar asas-asas Islam kepada anak-anak etnik Rohingya yang berada di rumah-rumah atau di pejabat ARRC.
Dia yang pernah bergelar guru di sebuah sekolah pondok di daerah Arakan satu ketika dahulu bersyukur kerana mereka mudah menerima apa yang diajar.
“Alhamdulillah, anak-anak ini boleh membaca Muqaddam dan al-Quran dengan baik. Setiap minggu, saya akan mengajar selama lima hari dalam tempoh satu hingga dua jam.
“Saya harap, dengan cara ini setidak-tidaknya ada usaha bagi mengelakkan berlakunya insiden murtad di kalangan generasi muda Rohingya. Saya tidak mahu mereka hilang agama,” ungkap Harun yang melakukan kerja sampingan seperti mengambil upah memotong rumput.
Salah seorang murid Harun, Siti Nurhaliza Nor Mohamed, 10, berkata, dia sudah pandai membaca al-Quran pada usia tujuh tahun.
Anak bongsu daripada tujuh adik beradik itu juga berjaya menunaikan ibadah puasa selama sebulan tanpa meninggalkan sehari pun. Adakah dia mengetahui sejarah etnik Rohingya? Anak kecil itu pantas menggeleng.
“Saya tak tahu sangat pasal itu. Tapi, apa yang saya tahu kami adalah pelarian yang menumpang di negara orang,” tutur Siti Nurhaliza yang fasih bertutur bahasa Melayu. Dia juga bercita-cita untuk menjadi seorang guru, satu impian tinggi yang mungkin tidak akan dapat dicapai jika nasib pelarian Rohingya tidak dibela.
Taraf kerakyatan
Sementara itu, Pensyarah Politik dan Pen tadbiran Awam di Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Prof. Dr. Ahmad Atory Hussain berkata, isu pelarian Rohingya ini hanya akan selesai sekiranya negara mereka kembali pada kerajaan demokrasi.
Sementara itu, Pensyarah Politik dan Pen tadbiran Awam di Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Prof. Dr. Ahmad Atory Hussain berkata, isu pelarian Rohingya ini hanya akan selesai sekiranya negara mereka kembali pada kerajaan demokrasi.
“Seluruh dunia tahu bagaimana penghinaan yang diterima etnik tersebut daripada kerajaan pemerintah junta Myanmar.
“Jadi, agak sukar untuk mana-mana negara berurusan dengan mereka terutama dalam isu pelarian ini,” jelasnya sambil memberitahu terdapat dua jenis pelarian Rohingya iaitu pelarian politik dan biasa.
Tambahnya, isu tersebut memang memberi kesan besar terhadap masalah sosial, pengemis dan meningkatkan lagi jumlah orang gelandangan di Malaysia.
Namun, sedar atau tidak, ramai pelarian Rohingya dieksploitasi oleh pihak tertentu yang mengambil kesempatan di atas nasib buruk mereka.
“Antaranya diberi upah yang terlalu rendah untuk kerja-kerja buruh atau pelayan restoran dan sebagainya.
“Justeru, pada pendapat saya mereka ini terutama yang sudah menetap begitu lama di Malaysia perlu diberi taraf kerakyatan (PR) yang secara tidak langsung akan menanamkan sifat sayangkan negara ini,” ujarnya sambil menegaskan bahawa satu jawatankuasa pemilihan perlu ditubuhkan untuk tujuan tersebut.
Kepada sesiapa yang ingin menghulur sumbangan peribadi kepada komuniti Rohingya sama ada dalam bentuk kewangan, pakaian mahu pun makanan, boleh berhubung dengan Mohamad Sadek di talian 016-309 4599 atau layari laman web www.arrcrohingya.ning.com.
Monday, October 18, 2010
PM's child refugee strategy hailed
By Karlis Salna, AAP
October 18, 2010, 8:56 pm
Support for a federal government decision to move hundreds of children and families from detention centres into the community has flooded in from human rights advocates.
The Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) was among those to welcome Prime Minister Julia Gillard's announcement on Monday, but said the scheme should be expanded to include all families with children and unaccompanied minors.
The AHRC also said the detainees should be moved as quickly as possible, especially given many youngsters had already been in detention for a number of months.
That call was echoed by other groups, including the Refugee Council of Australia (RCA) and Catholic social justice organisation the Edmund Rice Centre (ERC), which say the government's time-frame is too long.
Under the scheme, several hundred children and families will be moved into community-based accommodation by June 2011, although all unauthorised arrivals will continue to be mandatorily detained when they first arrive while identity and security checks are carried out.
The government would partner with non-government organisations and community groups to house the asylum seekers and would cover the cost, which is yet to be revealed.
"... They are a special case and we would hope that their processing might be expedited to ensure they remained in detention for as little time as possible," ERC Director Phil Glendenning said.
The government's two-pronged announcement also drew criticism from those groups opposed to mandatory detention.
Ms Gillard's plan also includes a major expansion of facilities on the mainland with the commissioning of two new detention centres, at Northam in Western Australia and Inverbrackie in South Australia, to cater for up to 1900 asylum seekers.
Amnesty International (AI) expressed disappointment, saying that part of the initiative represented a missed opportunity for the government to move away from "the failed policy of mandatory detention".
"As AI has highlighted time and again, Australia is the only country to mandatorily detain asylum seekers in this way," AI's refugee coordinator Graham Thom said.
"By reaffirming its commitment to the policy, the government is failing to acknowledge that this system is not working."
Dr Thom said that if the government was serious about protecting the best interests of families and children, it should immediately move to legislate against detaining children.
The AHRC agreed, with its president, Catherine Branson QC, saying detaining children should only be a last resort.
"And ... if they are detained it is for the shortest appropriate period of time," she said.
But Ms Branson added that it was pleasing to see the government adopting an alternative approach by moving the vulnerable into the community.
"The commission has been raising concerns over the past 12 months that this alternative system was not being used for vulnerable groups in detention," she said.
The United Nations Refugee Agency, the UNHCR, said the detention of any asylum seeker was inherently undesirable once health, identity and security checks were completed.
"Experience shows that prolonged detention can have a negative impact on the health and wellbeing of people who have often already suffered from torture or trauma before arriving in this country," UNHCR regional representative Richard Towle said.
"This is particularly the case for children, and so we welcome the decision."
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Sunday, October 17, 2010
The raids against poor migrants and refugees are continuing in Malaysia
1According to area based refugee representatives, the situation in farer region like Peneng, Terangganu is unstable compare to KL.
1) In last September 28, 2010, two unregistered Rohingya refugee teens were arrested in Bukit Payong, Terengganu. They are aged about 16 and 18. They both were lifted to Ajil detention camp.
2) Another spot-raid on September 21, 2010, UNHCR card holder 5 Rohingya refugees were lifted by immigration raid in Sugai Besi-KL area. The raid of that day was already reported in Malay-mail newspaper but not covered these 5 refugees. The source available at:http://www.mmail.com.my/content/49937-apartment-guards-duty-nabbed-immigration-raid
3) On 19th Sept 2010, another two unregistered refugee teens were arrested from bus-station in Kotabaru but the father was escaped. His father said that they are comming to UNHCR office in KL for registration of his two sons. His father’s UNHCR File No. is 354-10C-01767.
4) Again on Aug 2010, UNHCR card holder Mr.Husein (UNHCR’s File No. 512-03C-02444), a 75 years old, Rohingya refugee was arrested in Penang and lifted to prison. Because he is a sick-man, he was released from prison after one month of detention.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Overseas Rohingya Groups Urged UN Refugee Agency to Register Rohingya Refugees in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan
For Immediate Release
Date: December 10, 2010
Rohingya Refugees in Malaysia and their Plight
On the occasion of International Human Rights Day 2010
Today, people in all over the world mark the 62nd anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) which was adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 10, 1948. We, the undersigned organizations express our firm deed towards full respect and implementation of all sorts of human rights norms as declared in the UDHR with a view to pursuing the accountability of the declaration.
It is undeniable that the people of Burma have been experiencing of gross human rights abuses in the hands of Burmese military ruler since 1962, while the Rohingya people’s experiences are much earlier than that year, even in the times of Parliamentary Democracy Period. These inhumanities forced the Rohingya people to be scattered in across the neighboring countries, particularly in Bangladesh, Thailand, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and etc.
Wherever, they reach, they are deprived of their basic human rights and human dignity as all these neighboring courtiers are not party the United Nations Refugee Instruments. These states of Rohingyas’ refuge are not bound to respect the rights of refugees and asylum seekers and thus install inhuman pressures over the Rohingya vulnerable.
Many quarters express very slight commitments towards temporary settlement of Rohingya refugees by believing Muslim in religion but do nothing except the development of modern salvation, which is not only promoted by the authorities but also by every local individuals.
We notices that the US officials and the international community have realized some facts of inhumanity, enforcing by the Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh but notably the issues of refugee rights violations in Malaysia, Pakistan and Thailand are kept uncovered.
Among the ASEAN nations, Malaysia is found as extra ordinary and parliamentary dictatorship which never considered the appeal of Rohingya refugees in Malaysia for advocating their causes to the international community to have permanent solution rather unreliable temporary local integration or the development of effective mechanism towards ethnic cleansing or religious tension in near future.
We also found that the Malaysia is one of the key states which support the Burmese military regime to keep in power under the current agenda of the improvement of nuclear in the regions in order to strengthen ASEAN regional atomic command.
Therefore, we appeal to the international community to urgently install pressure on Burmese military regime for people elected democracy in conjunction with cheerful pressure on Muslim states, particularly Malaysia, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan to stop slavery ambition over the Rohingya refugees and to ensure their basic human rights and human dignity within a time frame.
We appeal the UN Refugee Agency to immediately take step to open refugee registration and refugee status determination process in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and other Muslim countries to extend international protection for the Rohingya Refugees.
We also appeal the UNHCR to take necessary measure to refer the cases of the Rohingya refugees to the refugee resettlement countries with special provision, particularly from Malaysia.
We appeal the refugee resettlement countries to make spaces for the Rohingya refugees who are being marginalized by the concerned quarters for past few decades.
Signed by:
1-Arakan Rohingya Refugee Committee (ARRC), Malaysia
2-Arakan Rohingya Organization-Japan (JARO)
3-Arakan Rohingya Ulama Council (ARUC), Malaysia
4-Burmese Rohingya Association in UAE (BRA-UAE)
5-Canadian Burmese Rohingya Organization (CBRO), Canada
6-Human Rights Association for Rohingya (HURAR), Arakan –Burma
7-Myanmar Muslim Council (MMC), KSA
8-National Council for Rohingya (NCR), Malaysia
9-National Democratic Party for Human Rights (NDPHR-exile) USA (HQ)
10-Rohingya Youth Development Forum (RYDF) Arakan-Burma
11-World Rohingya Congress (WRC), USA
For further information, please contact:
1- Mohammad Sadek (Tel: 60 16-3094599)
2- Kyaw Soe Aung (Tel: 414-7364273)
Overseas Rohingya Groups Urged UN Refugee Agency to Register Rohingya Refugees in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan as Refugees
For Immediate Release
Date: December 10, 2010
Rohingya Refugees in Malaysia and their Plight On the occasion of International Human Rights Day 2010
Today, people in all over the world mark the 62nd anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) which was adopted by the UN General Assembly on December 10, 1948. We, the undersigned organizations express our firm deed towards full respect and implementation of all sorts of human rights norms as declared in the UDHR with a view to pursuing the accountability of the declaration.
It is undeniable that the people of Burma have been experiencing of gross human rights abuses in the hands of Burmese military ruler since 1962, while the Rohingya people’s experiences are much earlier than that year, even in the times of Parliamentary Democracy Period. These inhumanities forced the Rohingya people to be scattered in across the neighboring countries, particularly in Bangladesh, Thailand, India, Malaysia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia and etc.
Wherever, they reach, they are deprived of their basic human rights and human dignity as all these neighboring courtiers are not party the United Nations Refugee Instruments. These states of Rohingyas’ refuge are not bound to respect the rights of refugees and asylum seekers and thus install inhuman pressures over the Rohingya vulnerable.
Many quarters express very slight commitments towards temporary settlement of Rohingya refugees by believing Muslim in religion but do nothing except the development of modern salvation, which is not only promoted by the authorities but also by every local individuals.
We notices that the US officials and the international community have realized some facts of inhumanity, enforcing by the Saudi Arabia and Bangladesh but notably the issues of refugee rights violations in Malaysia, Pakistan and Thailand are kept uncovered.
Among the ASEAN nations, Malaysia is found as extra ordinary and parliamentary dictatorship which never considered the appeal of Rohingya refugees in Malaysia for advocating their causes to the international community to have permanent solution rather unreliable temporary local integration or the development of effective mechanism towards ethnic cleansing or religious tension in near future.
We also found that the Malaysia is one of the key states which support the Burmese military regime to keep in power under the current agenda of the improvement of nuclear in the regions in order to strengthen ASEAN regional atomic command.
Therefore, we appeal to the international community to urgently install pressure on Burmese military regime for people elected democracy in conjunction with cheerful pressure on Muslim states, particularly Malaysia, Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan to stop slavery ambition over the Rohingya refugees and to ensure their basic human rights and human dignity within a time frame.
We appeal the UN Refugee Agency to immediately take step to open refugee registration and refugee status determination process in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and other Muslim countries to extend international protection for the Rohingya Refugees.
We also appeal the UNHCR to take necessary measure to refer the cases of the Rohingya refugees to the refugee resettlement countries with special provision, particularly from Malaysia.
We appeal the refugee resettlement countries to make spaces for the Rohingya refugees who are being marginalized by the concerned quarters for past few decades.
Signed by:
1-Arakan Rohingya Refugee Committee (ARRC), Malaysia
2-Arakan Rohingya Organization-Japan (JARO)
3-Arakan Rohingya Ulama Council (ARUC), Malaysia
4-Burmese Rohingya Association in UAE (BRA-UAE)
5-Canadian Burmese Rohingya Organization (CBRO), Canada
6-Human Rights Association for Rohingya (HURAR), Arakan –Burma
7-Myanmar Muslim Council (MMC), KSA
8-National Council for Rohingya (NCR), Malaysia
9-National Democratic Party for Human Rights (NDPHR-exile) USA (HQ)
10-Rohingya Youth Development Forum (RYDF) Arakan-Burma
11-World Rohingya Congress (WRC), USA
For further information, please contact:
1- Mohammad Sadek (Tel: 60 16-3094599)
2- Kyaw Soe Aung (Tel: 414-7364273)
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