Statelessness

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Description: "Senior United Nations personnel and some international humanitarian organisations have supported Myanmar government polices against Rohingya Muslims by backing their acceptance of National Verification Cards, human rights advocacy group Fortify Rights says in a new report. The accusation is made in “Tools of Genocide: National Verification Cards and the denial of citizenship of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar”, a 102-page report released in Bangkok on September 3. The release of the report comes as the International Criminal Court is considering whether to seek a full investigation into allegations that Rohingya Muslims were the victims of crimes against humanity during a “clearance operation” by the Tatmadaw in northern Rakhine State that began in August 2017. The operation, launched after coordinated attacks on security posts by the militant Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, was accompanied by widespread reports of killings, mass rape, torture and the torching of villages and sent about 740,000 people fleeing to safety to neighbouring Bangladesh..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Frontier Myanmar"
2019-09-03
Date of entry/update: 2019-09-03
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Sub-title: Human rights group says 'citizenship scrutiny' has gradually limited Rohingya rights in Myanmar and at root of crisis.
Description: "The National Verification Card (NVC) scheme targetting Myanmar's Rohingya Muslims is part of a systematic campaign by Myanmar authorities to erase their identity, according to a new report by Fortify Rights published on Tuesday. The human rights organisation says the NVC process and denial of citizenship fall within the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court in its probe into crimes against the minority group, which was initiated last year. "The Myanmar government is trying to destroy the Rohingya people through an administrative process that effectively strips them of basic rights," Matthew Smith, Chief Executive Officer of Fortify Rights, said in a statement by email. "This process and its impacts lie at the root of the Rohingya crisis, and until it's addressed, the crisis will continue."..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Al Jazeera"
2019-09-03
Date of entry/update: 2019-09-03
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "Today marks two years since more than 700,000 Rohingya fled Myanmar to escape what UN investigators have called a "genocide" in Rakhine state. Al Jazeera's correspondents Mohammed Jamjoom and Stefanie Dekker reflect on the stories they heard and the suffering they saw when they visited the camps in Bangladesh where the Rohingya sought shelter..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Al Jazeera English"
2019-08-25
Date of entry/update: 2019-09-01
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "Health workers in the world’s largest refugee camp say they’re struggling to provide proper care for babies born to Rohingya women in Bangladesh. More than 100 babies are born every day in Rohingya refugee camps in southeast Bangladesh. That's where hundreds of thousands of Rohingya have sought refuge, since fleeing violence in Myanmar in the past two years. Al Jazeera's Stefanie Dekker reports from Kutupalong Camp in Cox's Bazar..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Al Jazeera English"
2019-08-28
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-31
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "The governments of Myanmar and Bangladesh should suspend any immediate plans to return Rohingya refugees to Myanmar, said Fortify Rights today. The authorities should ensure Rohingya have basic rights and protections in Myanmar and engage in meaningful consultations with Rohingya refugees before facilitating future refugee returns to Myanmar. Bangladesh and Myanmar authorities agreed to begin refugee returns tomorrow, August 22, 2019. “Repatriations now would be dangerous and reckless,” said Matthew Smith, Chief Executive Officer of Fortify Rights. “Governments should focus on ensuring accountability for mass atrocities, restoring Rohingya citizenship rights, and ending deprivations of basic human rights that are ongoing in Rakhine State.” Myanmar reportedly added 3,450 Rohingya to a “repatriation list” derived from a list of more than 22,000 Rohingya provided by the Government of Bangladesh. In 2016 and 2017, Myanmar Army-led genocidal attacks forced nearly 800,000 Rohingya to flee from Myanmar’s northern Rakhine State to Bangladesh. The Rohingya are a Muslim ethnic minority, indigenous to Myanmar. “My house was set on fire and burned during the military operations [in August 2017],” a Rohingya refugee woman, 40, told Fortify Rights in Cox’s Bazar District, Bangladesh. “Before we go home, I want citizenship.”..."
Source/publisher: "Progressive Voice" via Fortify Rights
2019-08-21
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-28
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh are once again living in fear that they will be forced to return to Burma despite the Burmese government having taken no genuine steps to ensure safe return. “The international community keep saying that there must be safe, voluntary and dignified return, but are doing nothing to pressure Aung San Suu Kyi to make that a reality,” said Tun Khin, President of Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK. “Safe voluntary and dignified return means full citizenship, an end to discrimination, and justice and accountability, such as referring Burma to the International Criminal Court.” Bangladesh and Burma have begun the process of attempting to return more than 3,000 Rohingya refugees to Burma, just days before the second anniversary of the Burmese military’s genocidal military offensive which forced more than 700,000 Rohingya into Bangladesh. Since that time the civilian government of Burma, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, has continued with a policy of implementing a system of Apartheid against the Rohingya, implementing laws and policies which violate international law. This is an integral part of the genocide against the Rohingya, which goes far beyond the military offences against us..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "progressive Voice" via Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK
2019-08-21
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-28
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Format : pdf
Size: 101.41 KB
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Description: "61 NGOs warn of worsening crisis in Myanmar; call for refugees’ engagement on safe, voluntary returns: Two years after mass atrocities in Myanmar forced more than 740,000 people to flee for their lives, the Government and the people of Bangladesh continue to generously host nearly 1 million Rohingya refugees. While UN agencies and over 130 local, national, and international NGOs have supported the Government of Bangladesh to provide life-sustaining assistance, refugees require much more than basic support for survival; they need their rights, security and dignity. Many long to return but fear further violence and persecution back home. Refugees report feeling fearful and anxious following recent reports about possible expedited repatriation to Myanmar in the current conditions which do not guarantee their safety and rights. Current levels of engagement do not afford them their right to make informed decisions about their future, including voluntary return. Worsening Conditions in Rakhine State (Myanmar): Discriminatory policies in Myanmar mean that Rohingya communities in Rakhine State continue to face severe movement restrictions, as well as limited access to education, healthcare, and livelihoods opportunities. Some 128,000 displaced Rohingya and other Muslim communities have remained trapped in confined camps in central Rakhine State since 2012, unable to return home..."
Source/publisher: "Progressive Voice" via 61 Non Governmental Organizations
2019-08-21
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-28
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Format : pdf
Size: 121.58 KB
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Sub-title: Refugees in Bangladesh camps demand rights and citizenship on second anniversary of exodus after Myanmar crackdown.
Description: "Thousands of Rohingya refugees have marked the second anniversary of their exodus into Bangladesh by rallying and praying as they demand Myanmar grant them citizenship and other rights before they agree to return. Almost 200,000 Rohingya participated in a peaceful gathering, which was attended by UN officials, at the Kutupalong camp in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar on Sunday, police officer Zakir Hassan told AFP news agency. Children, hijab-wearing women, and men wearing long lungis shouted: "God is great, long live Rohingya" as they marched in the heart of the world's largest refugee camp to commemorate what they described as "Genocide Day". READ MORE 'Conditions here are inhumane': Rohingya in Bangladeshi camps Some carried placards and banners, reading "Never again! Rohingya genocide remembrance day" and "Restore our citizenship". On August 25, 2017, nearly 740,000 Muslim-majority Rohingya fled Rakhine State for Bangladesh - joining 200,000 already there - after Myanmar's armed forces launched a brutal crackdown following attacks on security posts..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Al Jazeera"
2019-08-25
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-26
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "Two years after the start of the influx of Rohingya refugees from Burma to Bangladesh, hostility has increased. Videographic on the Rohingyas. VIDEOGRAPHIC..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "AFP news agency"
2019-08-23
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-23
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "A new push to repatriate Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh to Myanmar has apparently ended in failure after no one turned up to board the waiting buses. Myanmar has given the go ahead for more than 3,000 refugees to be returned to Myanmar and issued them with documentation, but none of them have yet chosen to follow through with it, fearing what might happen to them on their return. This is Bangladesh‘s second repatriation attempt, after a previous push in November failed. Nearly 750,000 of the persecuted Muslim minority fled ethnic persecution in 2017 in Myanmar's Rakhine state..."
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Source/publisher: "DW News"
2019-08-22
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-23
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "COX'S BAZAR, Bangladesh: A fresh attempt will likely be made on Thursday to repatriate to Myanmar some of the Rohingya Muslim refugees who fled to Bangladesh to escape a military crackdown two years ago, according to diplomatic sources. The previous repatriation process failed in November 2018 in the face of protests by the refugees, who feared conditions in Myanmar's western state of Rakhine were not yet safe. This time the move has been initiated by China with the help of the UN refugee agency UNHCR. If everything goes smoothly the process could get under way in the morning, according to the sources. Officials said 3,450 Rohingya refugees whose identities have been verified and eligibility to return confirmed by Myanmar are the focus of the current initiative..."
Source/publisher: "Bangkok Post"
2019-08-21
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-22
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "Rohingya Muslims who crossed over into Bangladesh refused to return to Myanmar ahead of a planned repatriation starting Aug 22. Bangladesh's refugee commissioner said more than a thousand families were selected for repatriation. But all the displaced families said they would not go back unless Myanmar gives them citizenship..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "CNA"
2019-08-21
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-22
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Sub-title: More than 700,000 refugees from Myanmar facing dire conditions at Cox's Bazar camps two years after they fled violence.
Description: "Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh - Driving through the Rohingya refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, bamboo huts with makeshift tarpaulin roofs stretch across the hilly horizon as far as the eye can see, while flags with the names of aid organisations ripple in the breeze. Along the road, young boys carry reusable orange butane tanks up a hill to get in line for the day, to wait for free cooking gas, while men walk by carrying white bags of rice to bring back to their families. A few more metres down the road, a school building has been built in the grass, but remains mostly empty, with few shirtless children and cows wandering around it, no teachers or education supplies to be found. "Compared to Myanmar, Bangladesh still feels like paradise," said Metun*, a Rohingya refugee who has been living in Kutupalong refugee camp since 2017..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Al Jazeera"
2019-08-22
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-22
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "A Walkley Award winning special investigation into the mass exodus of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar. We examine evidence that Myanmar’s security forces used systematic rape and terror tactics to expel hundreds of thousands of Rohingya from the country. Dateline reporters scour the globe to bring you a world of daring stories. Our reputation is for fearless and provocative reporting. Australia's beloved, award winning and longest running international current affairs program..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: SBS Dateline
2018-05-15
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-21
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "As thousands of Rohingya refugees continue to pour into Bangladesh, Clive Myrie reports on the world's fastest growing humanitarian crisis. The plight of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya people is said to be the world's fastest growing refugee crisis. Risking death by sea or on foot, more than half a million have fled the destruction of their homes and persecution in the northern Rakhine province of Myanmar (Burma) for neighbouring Bangladesh since August 2017. The United Nations described the military offensive in Rakhine, which provoked the exodus, as a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing". Myanmar's military says it is fighting Rohingya militants and denies targeting civilians..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "BBC News"
2017-10-19
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-21
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "Myanmar and Bangladesh will soon make a second attempt to start repatriating Rohingya Muslims, 700,000 of whom fled a security crackdown in Myanmar almost two years ago, officials from the two countries and the United Nations said Friday. Myanmar government spokesman Zaw Htay, speaking in his country’s capital, Naypyitaw, said the parties concerned had agreed that the process would begin next Thursday. Bangladesh Refugee, Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Abul Kalam said the identities of the refugees have been confirmed by Myanmar and they could go back there if they want. Speaking in Dhaka, Bangladesh’s capital, he said the government had ordered local officials in Cox’s Bazar district to locate those on the list in the four refugee camps there, but their repatriation would only happen if they want to return voluntarily. He said Bangladesh is ready to provide support to any refugees who wish to return home, but also would not use force to make them go back. Caroline Gluck, a spokeswoman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, told The Associated Press that the Bangladesh government has asked for its help in verifying 3,450 people who signed up for voluntary repatriation. She said the list was whittled down from 22,000 names that Bangladesh had sent to Myanmar for verification..."
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Source/publisher: "Time"
2019-08-16
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-18
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "For children and young people, the protracted state of limbo has awoken an intense desire for learning opportunities that prepare them for the future. When the huge infl ux of refugees began in 2017, UNICEF and partners responded by setting up large numbers of Learning Centres in the camps. For children unable to fi nd space in the Centres, other options have emerged: religious schools (madrasas) provide free lessons in Koranic studies, Arabic and other subjects; and private and group tutors offer classes for those who can afford them. By June 2019, the overall education sector had provided non-formal education to 280,000 children aged 4 to 14. UNICEF and its partners have ensured access to learning for 192,000 of those children, enrolled in 2,167 Learning Centres. At the same time, this leaves a gap of over 25,000 children not attending any learning programmes, while an additional 640 learning centres are needed. Furthermore, an estimated 97 per cent of adolescents and youth aged 15 to 18 years are not enrolled in any type of learning facility. Parents are concerned that the longer their children are deprived of education, the greater the risk that they will be exposed to exploitation and abuse. “Educated people have a value wherever they are,” said Mohamed Hussein, who sends two of his children to a Learning Centre in Camp 18. “Whether my son goes back to Myanmar or to Malaysia or anywhere else, the same is true.”..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: UNICEF
2019-08-00
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-17
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf pdf
Size: 2.82 MB 4.01 MB
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Sub-title: Fresh attempt at repatriations agreed but refugees fear they will return to persecution and violence
Description: "Myanmar and Bangladesh are to make a fresh attempt to begin repatriating the Rohingya Muslims who fled ethnic cleansing in Rahkine state in 2017, though the community say they have not been consulted. More than 700,000 Rohingya fled over to border to Bangladesh after a military-led crackdown in Rahkine state which saw villages razed, women raped and thousands killed. A UN fact-finding mission declared the violence had “genocidal intent”. A document prepared by UN agency UNHCR to be sent to the Rohingya community to inform them of the repatriation plan said: “The Government of Myanmar has confirmed that 3,450 Rohingya refugees are eligible to return. This is a welcome first step as it acknowledges that your right to return is recognized.” According to UNHCR, the Bangladesh government shared the names of Rohingya approved for repatriation with the UN agency on 8 August. Louise Donovan, a UNHCR spokeswoman in Cox’s Bazar, said: “If any express the intention to return voluntarily, UNHCR will meet with them on an individual basis and in a confidential setting to confirm the voluntariness of their decision and complete a voluntary repatriation form. The refugees will make the decision themselves.” She emphasised that “refugees who decide to exercise their right to return must be able to return to their places of origin or a place of their choice.” However, the situation is complex as UNHCR have no access to Rahkine state so are unable to verify first hand the conditions the Rohingya would be returning to. “Responsibility for ensuring conditions are conducive for safe and dignified return rests with Myanmar,” said Donovan..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "The Guardian"
2019-08-16
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-17
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: ''Visiting Bangladesh this week, Angelina Jolie, the Special Envoy for the UN Refugee Agency, said the world must not turn away from the nearly one million Rohingya refugees who have fled from Myanmar to Bangladesh. She urged continued support for those who have been displaced, until the Myanmar authorities show the genuine commitment needed to end a decades-long cycle of violence and displacement. Yesterday in the capital, Dhaka, the Special Envoy held official meetings with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, in which she expressed UNHCR’s gratitude to the people and Government of Bangladesh for their generosity in receiving over 700,000 refugees since August 2017. She reiterated UNHCR’s support for collective efforts to enable Rohingya refugees to live dignified lives in Bangladesh and the pursuit of lasting solutions. She also raised concerns that without an urgent expansion and strengthening of educational opportunities, the future of a generation of Rohingya children would be at risk. While in Dhaka, Jolie also visited two museums – the Liberation War Museum and the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum – where she viewed exhibitions about the country’s history, including its own experience of large-scale displacement. Jolie began her three-day visit on Monday in Chakmarkul and Kutupalong refugee camps, where she heard testimonies from Rohingya women, children and men who have endured a lifetime of persecution and discrimination. There she witnessed some of the remarkable humanitarian response efforts to date, including a registration process, led jointly by the Government and UNHCR, that is providing many refugees with a legal identity for the first time. She also visited a transit centre for newly arrived refugees and a hospital giving much-needed care and support to women and girls...''
Source/publisher: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
2019-02-07
Date of entry/update: 2019-02-08
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: ''U.N. refugee agency special envoy Angelina Jolie has visited camps in Bangladesh for Muslim Rohingya refugees from Myanmar and condemned the world's failure to prevent a crisis that saw 730,000 people driven from their homes...''
Source/publisher: The Irish Times
2019-02-08
Date of entry/update: 2019-02-08
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: ''Angelina Jolie has shared the stories of rape survivors during a visit to Rohingya refugee camps and said the responsibility to let them return “lies squarely with the government and the authorities in Myanmar”. The envoy for the UN refugee agency said Myanmar must “show genuine commitment” to end violence that has driven hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims into neighbouring Bangladesh. The Hollywood star made the comments on the second day of emotional meetings with Rohingya in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar district where 740,000 Rohingya have taken refuge since August 2017...''
Source/publisher: The Guardian via "Agence France-Presse"
2019-02-06
Date of entry/update: 2019-02-08
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: ''When Myanmar security forces launched its now notorious “clearance operations” in western Rakhine state in August 2017, it was not the first time the country’s Rohingya Muslim minority had fled en masse into neighboring Bangladesh. But a failed attempt to repatriate a first group to Myanmar in November and the construction of solid, concrete buildings on an island off the Bangladeshi coast signal an entirely new situation is emerging: a Palestine-like scenario with a permanent, stateless and impoverished refugee population ripe for exploitation by extremist groups in South and Southeast Asia...''
Creator/author: Bertil Lintner
Source/publisher: Asia Times
2018-12-24
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-18
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: "There was no shortage of bad news from Myanmar in 2018 and few foresee cause for new hope in the year ahead. The Rohingya refugee crisis, the possibility that Myanmar’s military leaders may be held to account on charges of genocide at the International Criminal Court, and State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi’s fall from grace as a pro-democracy icon dominated international media coverage of the country. At the same time, the United States imposed limited sanctions on certain Myanmar military leaders for their roles in the abuse of Rohingya; the European Union contemplated whether to remove the country’s tariff-free access to the bloc for the same reason...''
Creator/author: Bertil Lintner
Source/publisher: Asia Times
2018-12-28
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-18
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: "The authorities in Saudi Arabia have deported at least 13 Rohingyas, the Bangladeshi newspaper The Daily Star reported on January 9. The Rohingyas, who were deported on January 8, had entered Saudi Arabia with passports from Bangladesh “several years back,” the report said. They were detained and deported after they had admitted they were Rohingyas from Myanmar, not Bangladeshis. They were sent back to Bangladesh on a Saudi Arabian airlines flight and many more may be deported soon, according to The Daily Star...''
Creator/author: Bertil Lintner
2019-01-10
Date of entry/update: 2019-01-15
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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