Activists warn of Rohingya refugee influx

20:03 Thu Dec 15 2011

AAP

Human rights groups say up to 25 boats of Burmese Muslim Rohingya refugees have set off from Bangladesh since September for Malaysia or Indonesia and may head on to Australia.

Chris Lewa, Thailand-based co-ordinator for the Arakan Project, a human rights group supporting the Rohingya, says groups of up to 15 refugees may later seek to make the journey onwards to Australia.

"In terms of (numbers of) boats I would say Australia for some is a secondary movement. But the boat leaving from Bangladesh in Arakan border are mostly heading to Malaysia," Ms Lewa said.

"But we have observed a small number of Rohingya and maybe increase in the future of Rohingya who have been in Malaysia for a while and they are now moving towards Australia," she told AAP.

Up to 300 Rohingya have made their way to Australia over the past three years, fleeing discrimination and destitution.

The Rohingya, a Muslim minority, mostly live in Rakhine State in western Burma, but face discrimination and official abuse by Burmese authorities, says Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

"Clearly the situation in northern Rakhine State is horrific. There have been no significant changes in the way they are treated by the Burmese authorities. So you still have discrimination," Mr Robertson said.

In Bangladesh there are some 20,000 United Nations-registered Rohingya refugees as well as 400,000 unregistered living in sprawling overcrowded camps.

Recently Bangladesh and Burma agreed to see the Rohingya refugees be returned to Burma despite many have no national identity papers.

"It's their discriminatory policies and their abuse of the Rohingya over the years that have created this incentive to flight," Mr Robertson said.

He said Australia should press Burma to deal humanly with the Rohingya refugees.

"The Australian government should be pressing very hard on the Burmese to recognise in fact the Burmese government is in many ways a source of this problem," he said.

The Rohingyas' plight comes as Australia's Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) denied security clearance to three Rohingya asylum seekers, despite the men being transferred to refugee centres on the mainland.

The three men had previously lived in Penang, Malaysia.

"These people were just simple refugees involved in some small business to survive in Malaysia," the Arakan Project's Ms Lewa said.

The case has been taken up by Amnesty International.
AA

New Wave of Burmese Rohingya Take Flight by Sea

Thursday, 15 December 2011

Human rights groups say hundreds of ethnic Muslim Rohingya refugees from Burma have fled their temporary homes in Bangladesh, hoping to sail to nearby countries to escape discrimination and rights abuses. The flight of the refugees includes many women and comes as Burma reaches an agreement with Bangladesh to take back thousands of Rohingya refugees now living in camps. 

New Wave of Burmese Rohingya Take Flight by Sea

Human rights groups say more than two dozen vessels carrying Muslim Rohingya refugees have set sail into the Bay of Bengal since September amid few positive signs of improvement in their plight and ongoing abuses and discrimination.

The plight of the Rohingya, a stateless Muslim ethnic minority from Burma’s western Rakhine state, has long been a source of tension and conflict with other communities. Tens of thousands of Rohingya have sought shelter in Bangladesh. Most flee with the aid of human traffickers, paying the agents and often going into debt.

A lack of progress in gaining greater rights and recognition remain key reasons why the Rohingya take to boats, says Lynn Yoshikawa, an advocate with the Washington-based Refugees International. “So they are taking quite a perilous journey off into Malaysia, Indonesia, this year. And, if that’s a sign then the outlook for the Rohingya remains bleak. The root cause lies in as much the government’s citizenship laws as with the intolerance with the minorities,” she said.

Thousands of Rohingya refugees have fled into Bangladesh in recent decades, especially around the town, Cox’s Bazaar.  In the camps of Nayapara and Kutupalong, some 30,000 Burmese refugees receive United Nations assistance.  A further 200,000 refugees living in the camps are undocumented.

In early December, Burma and Bangladesh jointly agreed that the Burmese living in Bangladesh could be returned to Burma. The agreement followed a two-day visit to Burma by Bangladesh Prime Minister Shiekh Hasina.

Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, says a political solution is necessary to the plight of the Rohingya, often referred to as the “forgotten people”. “There has to be some political will from the leaders of Burma and Bangladesh to want to deal with it and so far neither the Burmese Government nor the government of Shiekh Hasina in Bangladesh have indicated in any way that they want to do anything except the continued abuse of this community and let them go on to rickety boats possibly to float off into perilous situations and their deaths,” he said.

Under the joint agreement, Burma agreed to take back the refugees but only after a verification process of the almost 30,000 registered refugees by the U.N. High Commission for Refugees.

Chris Lewa, spokesperson for the rights group, the Arakan Project, says the international community should press President Thein Sein’s administration to end discrimination against the Rohingya.

"I think all the governments now engaged, including Australia, who engage with the Burmese government should also engage on that issue - to put concerted pressure to try to create some changes in that area and make the conditions more sustainable for the Rohingya to survive in Burma so they don’t have to flee,” Lewa said.

In 2009 regional governments from the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and other governments under the 38-member nation Bali Process on human trafficking attempted to solve the issue after reports of hundreds of Rohingya refugees perishing at sea.

Rights groups had accused the Thai authorities of seizing boats that landed on Thai coasts, removing their motors and towing them back to sea where some 550 people died while adrift.  Thailand officially denied the allegations but called on regional governments, including Burma, to support efforts to find a solution.

Source: VOA

Dozens feared dead in Bay of Bengal trawler camsizes

Passengers being trafficked to Malaysia, police say

Wednesday, 14 December 2011

COX’S BAZAR: At least 25 persons were feared dead after a Malaysia bound-trawler capsized at Bar Bain area of Bay of Bengal near Saint Martin coast early Wednesday.

Witnesses said the trawler, carrying more than 130 passengers who were trying to enter Malaysia illegally, sank at around 5:00am. More than 100 of the passengers swam ashore, our Cox’s Bazar correspondent reported.

“The trawler, operated by members of a trafficking ring consist of known traffickers like – Firoz, Sabbir, Selim, Alam, Ismail, Younus, Golam Hossain and Dulu Hossain – started picking up people from the west side of Shah Parir Island at around midnight. After the trawler sank, some swam ashore while some others were rescued by a fishing boat nearby,” Abdur Rahim, a survivor of the capsized trawler, told The Independent.

People from Myanmar and different areas of Cox’s Bazar were on board, the survivor added.

“I learned about the incident from the locals. The passengers in the boat were trying to enter Malaysia illegally in search of work,” Mahbubul Haque, officer-in-charge of Teknaf Model Police Station, said while talking to the Independent.

However, he could not provide any other detail of the incident.

A team from Bangladesh Coast Guards are now conducting search operations in the capsize area to find the missing till filing the report at 7:25pm.

 Author / Source : Independent Online Report

Rohingya repatriation

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Editorial

Editorial

Myanmar's assurance welcome

Assurance by the Myanmar government to take back the rest of the Rohingya refugees numbering about 28000 is indeed very welcome and good news. This has come at the end of the bilateral talks with PM Sheikh Hasina and President U Thein Sein in the Myanmar capital.

One would recall that a similar call was also made by our foreign minister in Bali in September 2009, very soon after the AL led alliance government assumed the reins of the government. We welcome the assurance to take back the Rohingyas albeit after verification, particularly for the reason that Myanmar has shifted its earlier position that Rohingyas were not an ethnic entity of that country.

It should be noted that Bangladesh has had to endure great stress for almost two decades of a very large number of Rohingyas, who were illegally evicted from their hearth and homes despite the fact that they were living in that region of Myanmar for centuries.

And notwithstanding the spontaneous assistance of the donor agencies and other international organisations, the refugees were creating adverse law and order and social and environmental problems for Bangladesh which, given our meager resources, had been difficult to mange. Reportedly, many of these refugees had also managed to merge with the local population and eventually get Bangladeshi passports to travel abroad as Bangladeshi workers.

And, in spite of its limitations, not only had the Bangladesh government handled the refugee issue with the most humanitarian approach it had also extended all kinds of assistance to its eastern neighbour for the repatriation of the Rohingyas.

We would like to emphasise on quick repatriation, and since there is already a list cleared by the UNHCR we feel that the process can commence immediately. We also endorse our PM's suggestion to establish a working group for a permanent resolution of the problem.

Source: Daily Star, Bangladesh

Statement on International Human Rights Day 2011

Today is the 63rd Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. People in all across the world are celebrating the International Human Rights Day. The declaration was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 10, 1948, which prohibited all forms of discrimination, torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

This year thousands of people in various parts of the world decided the time had come to claim their rights. They took to the streets and demanded change. Many found their voices using the internet and instant messaging to inform, inspire and mobilize supporters to seek their basic human rights.

Unfortunately, the Rohingya, an indigenous ethnic minority of Burma’s western province “ARAKAN” are being denied to claim their rights to citizenship in Burma’s territory. These people origin there in BC 3000 years ago from the descendents Indo-Aryan (Indo-European),while the rest of Burmese people are the descendents of Mongolian.

Military backed Burmese ruler is continuously and systematically suppressing the non- Mongolian stock of people, by saying illegal aliens of the State, while the military have promoted a group of people from the Rohingyas’ statehood and sister community to implement the programs of the government in order to sweep out the Rohingyas from their ancestral homeland.

The scheme of Burmese military regime is likely total ignorance to the world that has been grossly violating legitimate rights for equality, liberty and fraternity. The military ruled As part of a highly orchestrated and criminal government strategy to deny legitimate rights to the minorities, Burmese military government is committing crime against humanity through a systematic uses of rape, arbitrary arrest, torture, extra judicial killing, forced relocation, taxation, humiliation, ethnic cleansing, religious persecution and racial discrimination against the Rohingya people as weapons of war. As a result, around 2 million Rohingya populations are in Diasporas, particularly in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Maldives, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia and etc. The ruling General Thein Sien Government is forcibly exterminating the remaining Rohingya populations from the country and pushing them to become de-facto stateless persons in the region.

The Rohingya refugees in above countries are in serious condition. They are deprived of their basic rights to identity, health services, economic and socio-cultural development. They frequently face with impending danger of arrest, mandatory detention, forcible deportation,  extra-judicial killing, extortion, etc. Their children are totally deprived of education, health, sanitation, etc.

Rohingya refugees in Muslim States of Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia and Malaysia are in dangerous fears of massive crackdown, arrests and deportation to Burma in up coming year of 2012 where their lives will be at risks. They are urgently in need of sympathetic treatments from countries their refuge.

2 Besides, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees remain undocumented in Bangladesh and Malaysia. Some of whom already spent more than half decade. These people have been approaching to the office of the UNHCR for registration but they are being denied under the discriminative policies toward Muslim refugees, while engaging non-refugees and non- Rohingya for the genuine Rohingya refugees in Malaysia.

Despite having continuous reports on human rights violations against indigenous ethnic Rohingyas in Arakan State, the Thein Sein Government is reluctant to stop it. Upon the promises of Thein Sein Government to the US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, no significant change is shown yet. Prof. Tomas Ojea Quintana, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Burma clarified that it is not addressing the problems of discrimination, and the endemic situation of Rohingyas.

It may be mentioned here that that continuous deprivation and rejection of Rohingyas’ rights to citizenship and expulsion from the homeland through systematic discrimination are the root causes of the Rohingya problems, which is affecting the countries of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). These 2 regional bodies are appropriate authorities to advocate the causes of the Rohingyas to the concern International Arenas.

By this statement, we therefore appeal to the international community in conjunction with the UN Bodies, OIC, EU, ASEAN, SAARC, USA, UK, Commonwealth of Australia, Canada, Norway and etc for the following:

1. To enhance new strategy pressure on the Burmese regime to stop ongoing and systematic human rights abuses against ethnic Rohingyas and crimes against humanity;

2. To advocate to the UNHCR in Malaysia, Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia for the registration entire Rohingya refugees in order to ensure their protection from maltreatment, arrests, detention and forcible deportation to the dangerous places;

3. To ensure the resettlement of Rohingya refugees through the UNHCR to third countries in order to bring an end of refugee phenomena;

4. To uphold needful step to restore the citizenship rights Rohingya and recognize them  as indigenous ethnic minority of Burma;

5. To address the root causes of the Rohingya refugees, asylum seekers and boat people to the international arenas in order to find a permanent solution to the plights of Rohingyas.

Endorsed By:

1. Arakan Rohingya Organization-Japan (JARO), 

2. Arakan Rohingya Ulama Council (ARUC), Malaysia

3. Ethic Rohingya Committee of Arakan (ERCA), Malaysia

4. Human Rights Association for Rohingya (HURAR), Arakan –Burma

5. Myanmar Muslim Council (MMC), KSA

6. National Democratic Party for Human Rights (NDPHR) exile, USA (HQ)

7. National Democratic Party for Human Rights (NDPHR) exile, SEA Regional Office 

8. Rohingya Arakanese Refugee Committee (RARC), Malaysia 

9. Rohingya Youth Development Forum (RYDF) Arakan-Burma 

10. World Rohingya Congress (WRC), USA

For further information, please contact:

Kyaw Soe Aung (Tel: 414-7364273)

Source: Rohingya Blogger.Com

Burma-Bangladesh Joint Statement, Stated the Rohingya Burmese Refugee Issu

Bangladesh and Myanmar enter into new phase in bilateral relations with pragmatic and practical approach based on sovereignty, equality, friendship, trust and understanding for mutual benefit and collective prosperity of the region

NAY PYI TAW, 7 Dec— At the invitation of President U Thein Sein of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, the Bangladeshi delegation led by Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina paid a State visit to Myanmar from 5 to 7 December, 2011.

During the visit, a joint statement between the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and the People’s Republic of Bangladesh was issued on 6 December, 2011.

The full text of the statement is as follows:

Joint Statement issued between the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and the People’s Republic of Bangladesh during the State Visit of the Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh to the Republic of the Union of Myanmar

1. Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Her Excellency Sheikh Hasina paid an official visit to Myanmar from 5-7 December, 2011 at the invitation of H.E U Thein Sein, the President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. The Prime Minister of Bangladesh was accompanied by Foreign Minister Dr. Dipu Moni, Ambassador-at-Large Mr. M. Ziauddin, Principal Secretary Mr. Shaikh Md Wahid-Uz Zaman, Member of Parliament

Mr. Nazmul Hassan Papon, Member of Parliament Mr. Bir Bahadur U Shwe Sing, Foreign Secretary Mr. Mohammed Mijarul Quayes and other Senior Officials and Business Delegation.

2. During the visit, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh H.E Sheikh Hasina held official talks with H.E U Thein Sein, the President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. She laid the foundation stone of the Bangladesh Chancery Building in Nay Pyi Taw and visited Gems Museum and Uppatasanti Pagoda. Union Minister for Foreign Affairs U Wunna Maung Lwin called on the Prime Minister of Bangladesh H.E Sheikh Hasina.

3. The Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina was accorded a ceremonial reception

with Guard of Honour at the Presidential Office. President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar U Thein Sein hosted a banquet in honour of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh and her delegation.

4. The bilateral talks between Bangladesh and Myanmar were held on 6 December, 2011 in a cordial, warm and friendly environment reflecting the excellent bilateral relations and friendship that exist between the two countries. The two Heads of Government led their respective sides.

5. On the Bangladesh side the Prime Minister was assisted by Foreign Minister Dr. Dipu Moni, Ambassador-at-Large Mr. M. Ziauddin, Principal Secretary Mr. Shaikh Md Wahid-Uz Zaman, Member of Parliament Mr. Nazmu Hassan Papon, Member of Parliament Mr. Bir Bahadur U Shwe Sing, Foreign Secretary Mr. Mohammed Bangladesh and Myanmar enter into new phase in bilateral relations with pragmatic and practical approach based on sovereignty, equality, friendship, trust and understanding for mutual benefit and collective prosperity of the region Mijarul Quayes, Ambassador of Bangladesh to Myanmar Major-General Anup Kumar Chakma,and other Senior Officials. On the Myanmar side the President was assisted by Union Minister for Foreign Affairs U Wunna Maung Lwin, and other Union Ministers and Senior Government Officials.

6. At the outset, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh congratulated H.E U Thein Sein on his assumption of office as the President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and being elected as the President of ASEAN for 2014. The Prime Minister of Bangladesh also expressed happiness at the steps taken for political reconciliation by the President of Myanmar. Both Heads of Government reaffirmed their satisfaction at the excellent bilateral relations that have developed over the years based on geographic proximity, rich

historic and cultural traditions, people-to-people interactions as well as common aspiration for development. They expressed happiness that Bangladesh-Myanmar friendship is growing stronger and emphasized on the need to further accelerate the relations in the best interest of the two peoples.

7. The President of Myanmar praised the initiatives taken by the Bangladesh Prime Minister in strengthening democracy and promoting peace, security and stability in the region. Both Heads of Government noted that Bangladesh and Myanmar are going to enter into a new phase in bilateral relations with a pragmatic and practical approach based on sovereignty, equality, friendship, trust and understanding for the mutual benefit of their peoples and collective prosperity of the region.

8. The two Heads of Government welcomed the holding of Foreign Office Consultations, Joint Trade Commission’s Meetings, Nodal Agency’s Meetings in controlling narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and other meetings that took place in recent years on various issues between the two countries for further deepening of cooperation and widening of the relationship into newer areas; and towards that end, agreed on a number of measures.

9. The Prime Minister of Bangladesh raised the issues of Myanmar refugees living in Nayapara and Kutupalong camp and the huge number of undocumented Myanmar nationals living in Bangladesh and stated that early resolution of the issue will help strengthen the bilateral relations to a great extent. The President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar expressed his desire to cooperate with Bangladesh in resolving the issue.

10. The Prime Minister expressed Bangladesh’s willingness to import energy from Myanmar and requested the President to import readymade garments, pharmaceutical products, knitwears, jute and jute goods, ceramics etc. from Bangladesh at competitive price and mentioned that Bangladesh was keen to organize a “Single Country Trade Fair” in Yangon early next year.

11. The two Heads of Government stressed upon the establishment of direct banking arrangement under ACU (Asian Clearing Union) so that L.Cs can be opened directly between the two countries and wished to launch direct air flight between Dhaka/Chittagong and Yangon; have plying of non-conventional vessels between the designated commercial routes of the two countries and emphasized on the increase of border trade.

12. Both Heads of Government suggested that businessmen and entrepreneurs of Bangladesh and Myanmar explore investment possibilities in Bangladesh and Myanmar and take advantage of the enormous opportunities for extending bilateral cooperation in the area of tourism development in providing opportunities for people-to-people contacts.

13. Myanmar and Bangladesh signed the following Agreement/Memorandum of Understanding:

(a) Agreement on the Establishment of a Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation between the Government of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh;

(b) Memorandum of Understanding on Establishment of Joint Business Council (JBC) between the Republic of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI) and the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI)

14. The Prime Minister of Bangladesh thanked the President of Myanmar and the Government and the people of Myanmar for the warm and gracious hospitality extended to her and the members of her delegation during their stay in Myanmar.

15. The Prime Minister of Bangladesh extended a warm invitation to President of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar U Thein Sein and wife Daw Khin Khin Win to visit Bangladesh at a mutually convenient time. The President of Myanmar thanked the Prime Minister of Bangladesh and accepted her invitation with immense pleasure, dates for which would be fixed by mutual consultation through diplomatic channel.

Nay Pyi Taw,

6 December, 2011

The New Light of Myanmar, Dated: 8 December 2011