Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first)
Individual Documents
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..."
Source/publisher:
"DW News"
Date of publication:
2019-08-22
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-23
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Statelessness
Language:
more
Description:
"မြန်မာနိုင်ငံရှိ လိင်ပိုင်းဆိုင်ရာ နှင့် ကျား/မ အခြေပြု အကြမ်းဖက်မှုများနှင့်၊ တိုင်းရင်းသား ပဋိပက္ခများက လိင်အုပ်စုတစ်စုစီကို တမျိုးစီ ကွဲပြားစွာသက်ရောက်ပုံ။ (အကျဉ်းချုပ်)...(၂၀၁၈) စက်တင်ဘာလတွင် လူ့အခွင့်အရေးကောင်စီသို့ ထုတ်ပြန်ခဲ့သော အစီရင်ခံစာ (ယခုမစ၍ "၂၀၁၈ အစီရင်ခံစာ") အတွင်း မြန်မာနိုင်ငံဆိုင်ရာ သီးသန့်လွတ်လပ်သော နိုင်ငံတကာ အချက်အလက်ရှာဖွေရေးကော်မစ်ရှင် (ယခုမစ၍ "ကော်မစ်ရှင်က" "(၂၀၁၁) ခုနှစ်မှစ၍ ရခိုင်၊ ကချင်နှင့်ရှမ်းပြည်နယ်များရှိ အရပ်သားပြည်သူများကို ပစ်မှတ်ထားသော ကျူးလွန်မှုများတွင် မုဒိမ်းမှုနှင့်လိင်ဆိုင်ရာ အကြမ်းဖက်မှုများသည် အလွန်အကျွံဆိုးရွားပြီး၊ အဖန်တလဲလဲ ဖြစ်ပွါးနေသော လက္ခဏာတရပ်ဖြစ်သည်"ဟုကောက်ချက်ချခဲ့သည်။..."
Source/publisher:
The United Nations Human Rights Council (A/HRC/42/CRP.4)
Date of publication:
2019-08-22
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-23
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Statements, reports, press briefings and webcasts on Myanmar by fact-finding entities mandated by the Council, Myanmar Documents submitted to CEDAW by civil society organisations, Sexual orientation - Discrimination based on, Women's rights, Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first)
Language:
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295.93 KB 467.77 KB
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Description:
"The U.N. Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar said the country’s military must stop using sexual and gender-based violence to terrorise and punish ethnic minorities. The Mission said the brutal tactic was still being employed in Kachin and Shan states, and was so severe in Rakhine State, during the “clearance operations” of 2017, that it was a factor indicating the Myanmar military’s genocidal intent to destroy the Rohingya population.
The Mission made its conclusions in a new report, released Thursday in New York, that soldiers routinely and systematically employed rape, gang rape and other violent and forced sexual acts against women, girls, boys, men and transgender people in blatant violation of international human rights law.
“Extreme physical violence, the openness in which it is conducted … reflects a widespread culture of tolerance towards humiliation and the deliberate infliction of severe physical and mental pain or suffering on civilians,” the report said.
Marzuki Darusman, chair of the Fact-Finding Mission, said, “The international community must hold the Myanmar military to account for the tremendous pain and suffering it has inflicted on persons of all genders across the country.”
The Mission conducted interviews with hundreds of survivors and witnesses of sexual violence in Kachin and Shan States in the north, and in Rakhine State in the west, where the military’s “clearance operations” that began on 25 August 2017 led to more than 700,000 Rohingya fleeing to Bangladesh. On the second anniversary of the beginning of the operations, this report is an important reminder of the continuing need for accountability...လိင်ပိုင်းဆိုင်ရာနှင့် ကျားမ အခြေပြု အကြမ်းဖက်ခံရသူများအတွက် တရားမျှတမှုကို ကုလသမဂအချက်အလက်ရှာဖွေရေးမစ်ရှင် တောင်းဆိုချက်..."
Source/publisher:
The United Nations Human Rights Council (A/HRC/42/CRP.4)
Date of publication:
2019-08-22
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-23
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Statements, reports, press briefings and webcasts on Myanmar by fact-finding entities mandated by the Council, Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) - UN/Myanmar documents, Sexual orientation - Discrimination based on, Women's rights, Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first)
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Size:
736.96 KB 467.77 KB
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Description:
"Through their bilateral Joint Working Group on repatriation, the Government of Myanmar conveyed to the Government of Bangladesh the names of 3,450 Rohingya refugees who have been cleared for return to Rakhine State, Myanmar. UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, sees Myanmar’s engagement in this process as a positive step in the affirmation of the right to return of Rohingya refugees.
UNHCR has been assisting the Government of Bangladesh in surveying these refugees on whether they wish to return to Myanmar and to confirm the voluntariness of any individual decision to do so.
Over the past few days, together with Bangladeshi officials, UNHCR has visited refugee families in their shelters to establish whether they wish to return to Myanmar. So far, none of those interviewed have indicated a willingness to repatriate at this time. UNHCR will continue assisting the Government of Bangladesh in this process to ensure that all those cleared for return are interviewed. UNHCR appreciates the consistent commitment by Government of Bangladesh to ensure that the refugees’ decisions will be respected..."
Source/publisher:
UNHCR
Date of publication:
2019-08-22
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-23
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Human rights issues, UN human rights bodies and mechanisms
Language:
more
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"
Date of publication:
2019-08-21
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-22
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Statelessness
Language:
more
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..."
Source/publisher:
"CNA"
Date of publication:
2019-08-21
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-22
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Statelessness
Language:
more
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..."
Source/publisher:
"Al Jazeera"
Date of publication:
2019-08-22
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-22
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Statelessness
Language:
more
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..."
Source/publisher:
SBS Dateline
Date of publication:
2018-05-15
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-21
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Statelessness
Language:
more
Description:
"AA LANDMINE attack killed
two police personnel and
wounded three more as well as
damaging 3 police vehicles.
The incident occurred near
Pat Kwet Village and Pyine Taw
Village between Kyauktaw and
Ponnagyun towns in Rakhine
State yesterday morning.
A column and a company
led by a police major were returning
to Sittway by police vehicle
on Yangon-Sittway Union
Highway after conducting rule
of law and security operations
MraukU Town, in Rakhine State.
Near Pat Kwet Village and
Pyine Taw Village about 16 miles
away from Ponnagyun Town,
the vehicles were hit by an AA
landmine attack.
The attack killed a police
officer and police personnel,
wounded three police personnel
and damaged three police
vehicles.
Tatmadaw columns were
clearing the area around the
place where the landmine attack
occurred according to the Myanmar
Police Force..."
Source/publisher:
Myanmar Ministry of Information via "The Global New Light of Myanmar"
Date of publication:
2019-08-21
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-21
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
266.78 KB
Local URL:
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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..."
Source/publisher:
"BBC News"
Date of publication:
2017-10-19
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-21
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Statelessness
Language:
more
Description:
"COX'S BAZAR, Bangladesh: Some 3,500 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh have been cleared to return home to Myanmar beginning this week, a top official said Monday (Aug 19), nearly two years after a military crackdown sparked their exodus.
Some 740,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh in August 2017 from a military offensive in Myanmar - joining 200,000 already there - but virtually none have volunteered to return despite the countries signing a repatriation deal.
Bangladesh refugee commissioner Mohammad Abul Kalam, however, said he was "optimistic" about a new repatriation process scheduled to start on Thursday.
A previous attempt in November 2018 to return 2,260 Rohingya failed after they refused to leave the camp without guarantees for their safety.
"Everything is ready ... the land transit point has been prepared," Kalam told reporters after a meeting with Myanmar officials in Cox's Bazar, southeast Bangladesh, where the refugees live in vast camps..."
Source/publisher:
"CNA"
Date of publication:
2019-08-19
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-20
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Discrimination against the Rohingya
Language:
more
Description:
"Bangladesh will work with the United Nations refugee agency to determine if more than 3,000 Rohingya refugees will accept Myanmar’s offer to return home, an official said on Monday, nearly a year after a major repatriation plan failed. More than 730,000 Rohingya fled Rakhine for camps in Bangladesh after a military-led crackdown in August 2017 the United Nations has said was perpetrated with “genocidal intent”, but many refugees refuse to go back, fearing more violence.
“It will be a joint exercise led by UNHCR,” Abul Kalam, Bangladesh’s Refugee Relief and Repatriation commissioner, told Reuters by telephone on Monday, referring to the refugee agency.
The United Nations Security Council is due to discuss the latest repatriation plan behind closed doors on Wednesday at the request of France, Britain, the United States, Germany and Belgium, diplomats said..."
Source/publisher:
"Reuters"
Date of publication:
2019-08-19
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-20
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
more
Description:
"Plans for a second attempt at repatriating Rohingya Muslim refugees to Myanmar have spread panic in the world’s largest refugee settlement, home to 1.2 million people, prompting humanitarian officials to reassure families that no one will be forced to return.
Last week, news spread through the sprawling temporary camps in southern Bangladesh that the Myanmar government had created a list of 3,450 refugees who were eligible to return with their families.
But hardly any refugees are willing to go back to Myanmar’s Rakhine state, where they have suffered systematic persecution and hundreds of thousands fled a 2017 government offensive that the United Nations termed a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing.” An earlier attempt at repatriating 2,200 Rohingya families, in November 2018, was halted after protests by refugees and criticism from advocacy groups that argued that Myanmar had not created safe conditions for their return..."
Source/publisher:
"Los Angeles Times"
Date of publication:
2019-08-19
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-20
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
more
Description:
"The United Nations’ refugee agency and Bangladesh authorities on Tuesday started to consult more than 3,000 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar to determine if any want to return home, officials said, as a fresh repatriation bid was launched.
More than 730,000 Rohingya fled Rakhine for neighboring Bangladesh after a military-led crackdown in August 2017 the United Nations has said was perpetrated with “genocidal intent”, but many refugees refuse to go back, fearing more violence.
Myanmar cleared 3,450 people to return, from a list of more than 22,000 provided by Bangladesh, authorities said.
“The intentions surveys are beginning today,” Louise Donovan, a UNHCR spokeswoman in the Cox’s Bazar district of Bangladesh, told Reuters..."
Source/publisher:
"Reuters"
Date of publication:
2019-08-20
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-20
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
more
Description:
"Malaysia’s foreign ministry said Tuesday that Myanmar’s government must pursue justice for alleged human rights abuses against the Muslim Rohingya minority so that hundreds of thousands who fled a brutal military crackdown can return safely to the country.
The call came ahead of a meeting of Southeast Asian foreign ministers in Bangkok this week. It also followed a weekend meeting between a Myanmar government delegation and representatives of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh to discuss creating conditions for their safe repatriation.
More than 700,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh after a counterinsurgency campaign by Myanmar’s military in the western state of Rakhine in response to attacks in 2017 by a Rohingya insurgent group. The campaign led to accusations that security forces committed mass rapes and killings and burned thousands of homes..."
Source/publisher:
"The Washington Post" via Associated Press
Date of publication:
2019-08-17
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-18
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Genocide, ASEAN-Burma relations
Language:
more
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..."
Source/publisher:
"Time"
Date of publication:
2019-08-16
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-18
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Statelessness
Language:
more
Description:
"Rupa Patel, MD, and Anne Glowinski, MD, colleagues at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, are working with the Bangladeshi nongovernmental organization Friends in Village Development Bangladesh (FIVDB) to help deliver mental health services to traumatized Rohingya refugees who fled their home country of Myanmar for refugee camps in southeastern Bangladesh.
Follow this link for a story on their efforts: https://medicine.wustl.edu/news/docto...
Video by E. Holland Durando and Huy Mach, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis..."
Source/publisher:
"Washington University School of Medicine"
Date of publication:
2019-03-13
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-17
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Mental health, Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
more
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..."
Source/publisher:
"The Guardian"
Date of publication:
2019-08-16
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-17
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Statelessness, Discrimination/violence against women: standards, mechanisms and commentary - international and Myanmar-specific, Women's rights
Language:
more
Description:
"UN human rights investigators say military leaders in Myanmar should be investigated for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity - and have called for them to be referred to the International Criminal Court. In an unprecedented move, the investigators named 6 top generals, including the Commander in Chief of the armed forces, and his deputy. UN investigators interviewed hundreds of victims and found evidence of murder, rape, and torture against the Rohingya predominately in Myanmar's Rakhine state. More than seven-hundred-thousand of them have fled into Bangladesh. But Myanmar's UN representative rejected the report, describing it as one-sided. Our Myanmar correspondent Nick Beake sent this report from Cox's Bazaar in Bangladesh..."
Source/publisher:
"BBC News"
Date of publication:
2018-08-28
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-17
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Genocide, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
more
Description:
"Spend a day in the life of a teacher and student in our virtual reality film, "Learning to Hope," set in a camp in Sittwe, Myanmar.
Education cannot wait for any child, any where..."
Source/publisher:
UN Humanitarian
Date of publication:
2017-04-26
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-16
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Children, Human rights and education
Language:
more
Description:
"After the strongest storm in years devastated the state of Odisha in eastern India and parts of Bangladesh, UN agencies are monitoring its movements closely and taking measures to protect people living in refugee camps near Bangladesh’s border with Myanmar.
UN News reported on May 3 that the impact of Cyclone Fani, as the storm was called, was expected to be “less severe in areas such as … Cox’s Bazar” where nearly one million Muslim Rohingya refugees from Myanmar are housed in makeshift huts and similar, potentially vulnerable structures. Even so, the UN had extra food and other supplies in place in the camps. “Tie-down kits” have been distributed “to secure houses and shelters … [and to] avoid any loss of lives.”
In other parts of Bangladesh, schools were shut, airports closed and transport suspended. The World Food Program said in a statement quoted by UN News that “its staff had completed engineering and disaster risk reduction work around Cox’s Bazar to make the camps safer and more accessible during the monsoon and cyclone seasons.”"
Source/publisher:
"Asia Times"
Date of publication:
2019-05-06
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-14
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Natural Disasters - General, Cyclones - regional
Language:
more
Sub-title:
Fund says growth could be hit by factors linked to Rohingya refugee crisis and banking sector weakness
Description:
"The International Monetary Fund has warned that the Myanmar economy “appears to be losing momentum”, citing concerns over fallout from the Rohingya refugee crisis and weaknesses in the banking sector, The Myanmar Times reported on April 21.
“A prolonged humanitarian crisis and any withdrawal of trade preferences could reduce concessional donor financing and investment leading to lower growth,” the IMF said.
The fragility of its banks presents another risk, the Myanmar Times quoted the IMF as saying. Macro-financial spillovers from ongoing restructuring of the banking sector may become more severe if banks delay recapitalization, the IMF warned.
Headline inflation was moderate in fiscal 2017-2018, averaging 4.0%, but is rising now because of increased fuel prices and depreciation of the Myanmar currency, he kyat. The kyat has depreciated 14.5% since April 2018.
Despite the IMF’s assessment that the country has “favorable long-term prospects”, growth is expected to “remain below potential” this year due to weakening export demand and subdued private construction activity..."
Source/publisher:
"Asia Times"
Date of publication:
2019-04-23
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-14
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Burma/Myanmar's relationship with the Global Economy, Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
more
Sub-title:
About 3000 people remain trapped after more than a week of fighting between the Tatmadaw (military) and Arakan Army (AA) in Minbya township, Rakhine State, said Ko Zaw Zaw Tun of the Rakhine Ethnic Congress (REC).
Description:
"“We don’t know how to rescue these trapped people. The military blocked access to Let Khote village, so we can’t deliver food,” he said.
The fighting between the military and AA began on August 4 and trapped about 3000 people from 15 villages, including Zedi Yan, Nga Tet, Kyaw Maw, Phon Thar, Pale Taung, Oh Pon Taung, Pyaing Chaung, Ngan Tet, Khwa Zon, Nat Maw, Maung Poke Ke, Nyaung Chone, Kyauk Sone, Seittaya and Let Khote.
When the rescue team, including monks and MPs, went there on Friday, they were stopped at Let Khote village, which is a designated conflict zone of the military, said U Hla Thein Aung, state hluttaw MP for Minbya.
“We asked why we weren’t allowed in. The Tatmadaw replied that it was because of security reasons, so I told them the security of those 3000 people is more important than our lives, but they said they were just following orders,” he said..."
Source/publisher:
"Myanmar Times"
Date of publication:
2019-08-13
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-13
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Armed conflict in Rakhine (Arakan) State
Language:
more
Description:
"The Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and Arakan Army (AA), which have not yet signed the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement, said in a statement that hundreds of innocent people have died and 60,000 people have been forced to flee their homes due to the fighting.
The fighting in northern Rakhine grows more intense by the day and the military is shelling areas controlled by the TNLA and MNDAA, a spokesperson for the alliance said.
The military had also entered areas controlled by the Shan State Army, it said.
These activities were based on ethnic hatred, it said, which could destroy trust and delay the peace process.
It said the military has to stop its attacks on allied groups or the military will have to accept responsibility for the consequences.
Efforts to reach Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun, spokesperson of the military’s True News agency, were unsuccessful..."
Source/publisher:
"Myanmar Times"
Date of publication:
2019-08-13
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-13
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Non-Ceasefire Groups, Armed conflict in Rakhine (Arakan) State, Peace processes, ceasefires and ceasefire talks (websites, documents, reports and studies)
Language:
more
Sub-title:
The government has provided plenty of aid for people forced to flee clashes between the Tatmadaw (military) and Arakan Army (AA) in Rakhine State, a senior official told the Pyithu Hluttaw (Lower House) on Thursday.
Description:
"U Soe Aung, deputy minister of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, was responding to a question from MP U Pe Than of Myebon township in Rakhine.
“The government has provided adequate assistance for refugees from the armed conflict. Our ministry and others are cooperating in the relief work,” he said.
There are nearly 60,000 refugees in Rakhine and much more assistance is needed, U Pe Than said.
“The government provided only K100 million, which is not enough for one month, but the minister said the aid is sufficient. I don’t want to argue about it. Rakhine nationals will complain after hearing this. He also said they are ready to help, but we have seen nothing,” he said.
Seven refugee camps are being built in six townships in Rakhine at a cost of K1.6 billion, U Soe Aung said.
The regional government has made no restrictions on donations. “There is only one restriction and that is security. We cannot reach some remote places because of security concerns,” he said..."
Source/publisher:
"Myanmar Times"
Date of publication:
2019-08-12
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-12
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Refugees from Burma: general reports, Armed conflict in Rakhine (Arakan) State
Language:
more
Description:
"During the reporting period, monsoon-related events affected over 200 refugees. Some 39 refugees were temporarily displaced.
Impact on sector activities and essential facilities has been limited, with only a few reports of key facilities damaged.
Camp clean-up and dengue awareness campaigns continue.
The monsoon season in Bangladesh officially started on 17 June. However, weather-related incidents have been recorded in the Rohingya refugee camps since April 2 . Almost 6,250 people have been temporarily displaced, while 42 have been injured..."
Source/publisher:
"Reliefweb" via Inter Sector Coordination Group
Date of publication:
2019-08-08
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-12
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Refugees from Burma: general reports
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
197.31 KB
Local URL:
more
Description:
"Rohingya refugees and the local host communities of Cox’s Bazar District in Bangladesh continue to display immense resiliency amid the harsh conditions inflicted by the ongoing monsoon season.
For much of July, relentless rains have been pounding the area, which is home to more than 1 million Rohingya refugees. According to ISCG data for 4-11 July, flooding, landslides and wind storms have affected 13,738 people, within this time frame, throughout the 34 camps*.
UNFPA commends and supports the action taken by all humanitarian actors working closely in repairing and reconstructing shelters and other precautionary structures in order to ensure the safety and preserve the dignity of the affected populations.
Despite the ongoing weather-related challenges, UNFPA continues its efforts to make Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) services available, including safe pregnancy and childbirth services as well as psychosocial counselling. Service providers, including community mobilizers, are facing difficult terrain and damaged facilities and shelters, and have been forced to adapt to shorter hours, but are still managing to provide these essential services..."
Source/publisher:
"Reliefweb" via United Nations Population Fund (UNPF)
Date of publication:
2019-07-16
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-11
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Refugees from Burma: general reports
Language:
more
Sub-title:
The Chinese-backed Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone is shaping Myanmar’s conflict with the Arakan Army. Rakhine communities will benefit little from the project while bearing many of the costs, and it ignores their calls for control over the area’s natural
Description:
"Resource-rich Ramree Island, on the coast of Myanmar’s Rakhine State, has remained on the sidelines of recent violence as fighting between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army (AA) continues to intensify. But the Myanmar government’s relations with the AA are now increasingly shaped by pressure from Beijing to advance the Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone (SEZ), a US$1.3 billion Chinese-backed development project based on Ramree.
The Myanmar government and Chinese state-owned CITIC Group are pushing the Kyaukphyu SEZ ahead despite public opposition. There has been limited transparency and inadequate public consultation with communities affected by the project.
The movement for Rakhine autonomy and federalism calls for local control of natural resources as a key tenet. If the National League for Democracy (NLD) government moves ahead with the Kyaukphyu projects without addressing these issues, it risks prolonging the conflict with the AA, making repatriation for the Rohingya increasingly risky and unlikely.
“The communities hope to have their own laws, their own management, their own regulation of natural resources and government – that’s why the Rakhine people support the AA, because they want their rights,” Tun Kyi, a spokesperson for the community-based organisation the Kyaukphyu Rural Development Association, told ASEAN Today..."
Source/publisher:
"ASEAN Today"
Date of publication:
2019-05-17
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-10
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Armed conflict in Rakhine (Arakan) State, Burma's economic relations with China, Other Special Economic Zones, “One Belt, One Road” initiative, China-Burma-US relations
Language:
more
Sub-title:
Biometric, fraud-proof cards being issued to all verified refugees over 12 years old, says UNHCR
Description:
"More than half a million Rohingya refugees living in makeshift camps in Bangladesh have been issued identity documents, a UN agency said Friday.
To date, “more than 500,000 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar have been jointly registered by the Bangladesh authorities and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency”, the UNHCR said in a statement.
Those registered, mostly for the first time, now have proof of their identity -- a secure identity card, it added.
“The biometric, fraud-proof cards are being issued jointly by Bangladeshi authorities and UNHCR to all verified refugees over the age of 12.”
The accurate data will help agencies in their program planning, particularly for those with specific needs such as women, children and people with disabilities, the statement said.
“The new registration cards indicate that Myanmar is the country of origin, a critical element in establishing and safeguarding the right of Rohingya refugees to return to their homes in Myanmar,” it said.
The fraud-proof identification can be used by humanitarian partners to ensure there is no overlap in assistance and nobody is left out, the statement added.
An estimated 900,000 Rohingya refugees live in crowded settlements in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar district, with over 740,000 thought to have fled from Myanmar since August 2017, it said, although according to Bangladesh government statistics, the country is now hosting more than 1.1 million Rohingya refugees.
According to Amnesty International, more than 750,000 Rohingya refugees, mostly women and children, have fled Myanmar and crossed into Bangladesh after Myanmar forces launched a crackdown on the minority Muslim community in August 2017..."
Source/publisher:
"ASIA - PACIFIC"
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-09
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, UN System humanitarian assistance
Language:
more
Sub-title:
This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Andrej Mahecic – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today's press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
Description:
"More than 500,000 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar have been registered in a joint registration exercise by the Bangladesh authorities and UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.
For many of these refugees, it is the first time they have an identity card. The biometric, fraud-proof cards are being issued jointly by Bangladeshi authorities and UNHCR to all verified refugees over the age of 12.
This comprehensive registration being simultaneously carried out in all refugee settlements in Cox’s Bazar – is meant to ensure the accuracy of data on refugees in Bangladesh, giving national authorities and humanitarian partners a better understanding of the population and their needs. Accurate data will help agencies in their programme planning and be able to target assistance where it is needed most, particularly for people with specific needs, such as women and children taking care of their families and people with disabilities.
Last week, using the biometric data collected during this registration exercise, UNHCR launched the Global Distribution Tool (GDT) initially in one of the refugee settlements in Cox’s Bazar. Through verification of fingerprints or iris scans, this tool speeds up distributions, is fraud proof, and can be used by partners to ensure that there is no overlap in assistance, and to ensure that nobody is left out. It continues to be rolled out in more settlements in the coming weeks.
The new registration cards indicate that Myanmar is the country of origin, a critical element in establishing and safeguarding the right of Rohingya refugees to return to their homes in Myanmar, if and when they decide the time is right for them to do so;
An estimated 900,000 Rohingya refugees live in crowded settlements in Cox’s Bazar, with over 740,000 thought to have fled from Myanmar since August 2017.
The registration exercise, currently under way, began in June 2018. On average, some 5,000 refugees are being registered daily at seven different sites within the settlements. More than 550 local staff have been recruited with the goal of completing the registration process during the last quarter of 2019.
UNHCR’s Biometric Identity Management System (BIMS) captures biometric data, including fingerprints and iris scans, which secure each refugee’s unique identity as well as other important information such as family links.
Both UNHCR and the Bangladesh authorities meet regularly with the refugee community, including with elected community representatives, imams, elders and teachers, to explain the benefits of registration and respond to questions and concerns. Outreach teams composed of refugee volunteers also go into the community to explain the registration process and encourage people to register..."
Source/publisher:
"UNHCR"
Date of publication:
2019-08-09
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-09
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
more
Description:
"The Rohingya people have faced decades of systematic discrimination, statelessness and targeted violence in Rakhine State, Myanmar. Since August 2017, more than 745,000 Rohingya refugees have fled into Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. The 2019 Joint Response Plan sets out a comprehensive programme shaped around three strategic objectives – deliver protection, provide life-saving assistance and foster social cohesion. The Plan covers all humanitarian sectors and addresses key cross-cutting issues, including protection and gender mainstreaming. The Plan also aims to strengthen emergency preparedness and response for weather-related risks and natural disasters, with a focus on community engagement. Priorities for the coming year include supporting strengthened government leadership and accountability, including in the camps, and the effective participation of the refugee community in decisions affecting their lives..."
Source/publisher:
reliefweb via "International Organization for Migration"
Date of publication:
2019-02-28
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-08
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, International non-governmental organisations (INGOs) present in Burma
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
363.36 KB
Local URL:
more
Description:
"There are around 14,000 registered Rohingya refugees in India.
The Indian government has given Long Term Visas to 500 Rohingyas.
But, India has made no official comment about the handling of the Rohingya crisis..."
Source/publisher:
Mint
Date of publication:
2017-06-20
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-08
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Burmese refugees in India, Children, Laws, decrees, bills and regulations relating to nationality, citizenship and immigration (commentary)
Language:
more
Description:
"UN aid agencies and NGO partners launched the 2019 Joint Response Plan (JRP) for the Rohingya humanitarian crisis, and are seeking to raise USD920 million to meet the massive needs of more than 900,000 refugees from Myanmar and over 330,000 vulnerable Bangladeshis in host communities..."
Source/publisher:
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency
Date of publication:
2019-02-15
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-08
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Children, Education and training of migrants and refugees from Burma
Language:
more
Description:
"ASEAN and Myanmar have held their second high-level meeting on the repatriation of Rohingyas from Bangladesh. Correspondent Leong Wai Kit shared more on how ASEAN will support the repatriation of Rohingya refugees..."
Source/publisher:
CNA
Date of publication:
2019-05-28
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-07
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, ASEAN-Burma relations
Language:
more
Description:
"On Jul 10, Singapore announced that several Myanmar nationals would be deported over their links with a terror group. They raised funds for the Arakan Army, an organisation which has been involved in violent attacks in Myanmar. Dr Min Zaw, Executive Director at the Myanmar Institute for Peace and Security, gave more details about the Arakan Army..."
Source/publisher:
CNA
Date of publication:
2019-07-11
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-07
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Ethnic groups in Burma: general studies and articles
Language:
more
Description:
"The United Nations hurled a fresh accusation at security forces and insurgents in Myanmar. An investigator said their actions in the restive states of Rakhine and Chin may amount to war crimes. Government troops, known as the Tatmadaw, have been battling ethnic rebels, the Arakan Army, for close to two years now..."
Source/publisher:
CNA
Date of publication:
2019-07-03
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-07
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Armed conflict in Rakhine (Arakan) State, Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Human rights issues, UN human rights bodies and mechanisms
Language:
more
Description:
"MYANMAR has shared information on arrangements
made for prospective returnees from Bangladesh
and implementing the recommendations made in
the Preliminary Needs Assessment report at Cox’s
Bazar, said Union Minister U Kyaw Tin at the working dinner for
the 52nd AMM in Bangkok, Thailand on 30 July.
For better or worse, the Rakhine situation is one of the most
complex and challenging problems in Myanmar’s modern history.
The Union Government and the UN have formed their respective
investigation commissions, and many more similar groups have
contributed, to review the stability, rule of law, humanitarian assistance
and repatriation status of Rakhine State.
The world has differing opinions on Myanmar concerning the
situation in Rakhine State. On the one hand are countries who try
to negatively put pressure on Myanmar with prejudice and on the
other hand there are countries that offer constructive criticism and
genuine support through these difficult times.
It is important to refrain
from making the situation more
complicated and avoid driving a
wedge between the different organizations
and communities.
The Union Government
has promised the communities
in Rakhine to implement
stability, security and development
to the best of its abilities.
They have formed respective
commissions to speed up the
process. The Union Government
is earnestly cooperating
with the UN and ASEAN to create
a conducive environment
for potential returnees and
addressing the root causes of
the problem.
Myanmar’s recent collaborations
with ASEAN are not
meant to replace UN’s assistance.
They are simply mutual
support provided among
regional neighbours.
The Rakhine situation is
among one of the many challenges
presented to the Union
Government as it puts in concentrated effort in Myanmar’s democratic
transition and journey towards peace, national reconciliation
and development. The reason its garnering so much attention is
due to the misguided portrayal by international media.
The Rakhine situation is extremely nuanced and complex with
deep-rooted underlying reasons that date back decades in the past.
It requires careful review and an open-minded approach to resolve it.
We must understand that it will take time and dedication to
rebuild trust and instil harmony among the different communities
of Rakhine and work towards achieving it together.
We welcome ASEAN’s extended support for implementing
sustainable development, rule of law, harmonious coexistence in
Rakhine State and assisting Myanmar’s government in realizing
them.
Furthermore, we must continue working hand in hand with
our neighbours and affiliated countries to resolve issues of peace,
development and stability across the whole of Myanmar..."
Source/publisher:
Myanmar Ministry of Information via "The Global New Light of Myanmar"
Date of publication:
2019-08-06
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-06
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
763.47 KB
Local URL:
more
Title: Lift Internet-Blackout in Rakhine and Chin States: Ensure Access for Aid Groups and Monitors.
Description:
"Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi should immediately lift an internet blackout that the government has imposed for more than one month in western Myanmar, Fortify Rights said today. On June 21, the government ordered the shutdown of internet services in nine townships—eight in Rakhine State and one in Chin State—severely impeding humanitarian aid, business, media access, and human rights monitoring.
“We can’t move anywhere and now we can’t communicate with anyone,” a Rohingya resident in Maungdaw Township told Fortify Rights. “We are in total darkness.”
“The civilian government imposed this blackout, and it can lift it,” said Matthew Smith, Chief Executive Officer of Fortify Rights. “This shutdown is happening in a context of ongoing genocide against Rohingya and war crimes against Rakhine, and even if it were intended to target militants, it’s egregiously disproportionate, affecting an estimated one million civilians for nearly a month.”
The Myanmar Ministry of Transport and Communications directed all mobile phone operators in Myanmar to disable internet services in Ponnangyun, Kyauktaw, Maungdaw, Buthidaung, Rathedaung, Mrauk-U, Minbya, and Myebon townships in Rakhine State, and Paletwa township in Chin State. The Myanmar military and Arakan Army are fighting in these areas, and many of the areas are sites of previous military-led attacks against Rohingya civilians.
A local aid worker in northern Rakhine State who works for an international non-governmental organization told Fortify Rights: “We have no access to information…Providing aid without internet is very difficult. We cannot share information and communicate effectively with the headquarters or other offices to deliver aid.”
The length of this shutdown is one of the world’s longest ever and is disproportionately affecting civilians and their protection, Fortify Rights said.
A vague provision of the 2013 Telecommunications Law permits the suspension of internet services “when an emergency situation arises” and “for public interest.”..."
Source/publisher:
"Progressive Voice" via Fortify Rights
Date of publication:
2019-07-22
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-06
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Chin State, Racial or ethnic discrimination in Burma: reports of violations against several groups
Language:
more
Sub-title:
Dr. Shamsul Bari, a former Director of UNHCR, talks to The Daily Star about the Rohingya refugee crisis, its local, regional and global implications and the possible solutions to the crisis.
Description:
"Based on your experience in dealing with refugees the world over, how would you categorise the Rohingya refugee crisis in Bangladesh?
During my long career with UNHCR, I had the opportunity to deal with refugee problems all over the world. In fact, the influx of Rohingyas into Bangladesh in 1978 was one of the first refugee groups I dealt with at the UNHCR, which I joined the same year. However, compared to that group of around 250,000 refugees, most of whom went back, and a similar number of Rohingya refugees who came in the early 1990s, who too largely went back, and a lesser number who came in 2012 and drew international attention for their desperate efforts to travel to Malaysia and other Asean countries in rickety boats, the influx of August 2017 was of a very different nature and on a much larger scale.
The latest batch of refugees was composed of people who were victims of a brutal military pogrom in Myanmar, which was planned ahead and meticulously executed. They came as a human avalanche, accompanied by heart-wrenching scenes of pain, suffering and destitution. Their narratives about the horrific circumstances which made them flee Myanmar reminded the world of human tragedies that have “shocked the conscience of mankind” throughout history. Sympathy and compassion for these refugees poured in from all corners of the world. Financial and material support flowed in from governments, international financial institutions, UN bodies, civil societies and individuals alike. Charges of genocide and crimes against humanity were raised against Myanmar forces. Calls for international accountability measures against them were rife. More than seven hundred thousand came in continuous waves in a very short period. Together with another four hundred thousand, who had remained in Bangladesh from earlier influxes, they form the largest single refugee group in the world today..."
Source/publisher:
2019-08-05
Date of publication:
The Daily Star
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-05
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
more
Description:
"The government of Myanmar reached out late last month to the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees who have taken refuge in the Bangladeshi city of Cox’s Bazar with a seemingly straightforward plea: “Come back home.”
That offer might have seemed irresistible for those familiar with conditions in the teeming refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar. And the dozens of Rohingya refugees that Physicians for Human Rights has interviewed there over the past two years are almost unanimous in their desire to return to Myanmar. But that desire is offset by what they know about the nature of the government that made that offer. And those refugees have made clear that they’d rather endure the privations of their Bangladeshi refugee camps than risk returning to Myanmar any time soon.
That’s a wise choice. Memories of the catastrophic campaign of widespread and systematic targeted violence by Myanmar security forces against Rohingya in northern Rakhine state beginning on August 25, 2017, are still painfully fresh among the survivors who fled to Bangladesh in fear of their lives. That campaign, executed on the pretext of an anti-terrorist operation aimed at the insurgent Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, entailed what both Physicians for Human Rights and the United Nations have documented as a catalogue of atrocities against Rohingya civilians including mass killings, rampant sexual violence, torture, mutilation and the torching of hundreds of Rohingya villages.
In the two years since those crimes, the 740,000 Rohingya survivors of that violence who fled to safety in the refugee camps of Cox’s Bazar have watched in dismay as the Myanmar government has defied all international efforts for accountability. The authorities have failed to conduct impartial and independent investigations and have stymied the efforts of the UN and other bodies seeking to do so. A four-member commission formed by the Myanmar government to investigate the alleged crimes announced in December 2018 that it had found no evidence to corroborate the UN’s accusations, an assertion roundly rejected by human-rights groups.
Any lingering hopes among Rohingya refugees that the government was willing and capable of providing meaningful accountability for the bloodshed of late 2017 were dashed with the confirmation this May that the Myanmar military had pardoned the only military personnel successfully prosecuted for their role in the violence: seven soldiers convicted in April 2018 of killing 10 Rohingya men and boys in the infamous Inn Din village massacre of September 2017..."
Source/publisher:
"Asia Times"
Date of publication:
2019-08-05
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-05
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
more
Sub-title:
United Nations investigators urged world leaders on Monday to impose targeted financial sanctions on companies linked to the military in Myanmar, and said foreign firms doing business with them could be complicit in international crimes.
Description:
"A panel of human rights experts identified scores of companies tied to the army, which controls vast swathes of Myanmar's economy through holding firms and their subsidiaries, and is accused by the UN of executing a campaign with "genocidal intent" against the Rohingya minority.
More than 730,000 Rohingya, members of a persecuted Muslim minority, fled Myanmar's Rakhine state into neighbouring Bangladesh amid a military-led crackdown in August 2017 that the UN and Western countries have said included mass killings and gang-rapes. The UN investigatory panel condemned the violence in a report last year that called for the economic isolation of the military. Investigators said the purpose of the new report was to help countries cut financial ties with all army-linked companies.
"For the first time, this report comes out with a clear picture of the involvement of specific European and Asian companies, and makes a point that in fact there is this relationship and it's a violation of UN treaties and UN norms," panel chairman Marzuki Darusman said in an interview in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta on Sunday.
A military spokesman did not answer phone calls seeking comment. Zaw Htay, a spokesman for civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi's government, could not immediately be reached for comment. The Myanmar government was sent an advance copy of the UN report.
The investigators identified at least 59 foreign companies with some form of commercial ties to the Myanmar military, including firms from France, Belgium, Switzerland, Hong Kong and China. Of those, 15 operate joint ventures with the two military conglomerates or their subsidiaries, the report said.
Calling for the imposition of an arms embargo on the country, the investigators also named 14 companies that have sold weapons and related equipment to security forces in the country since 2016, including state-owned entities in Israel, India, South Korea, and China..."
Source/publisher:
The Daily Star
Date of publication:
2019-08-05
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-05
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
more
Description:
"There has been much written about the Rohingya people of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. The Muslim ethnic group has been persecuted for generations, most recently from 2017, when 800,000 picked up whatever they could carry to flee to Bangladesh. But little has been written from the point of view of a Rohingya growing up in Myanmar – the daily humiliations, the struggle for survival, the fear, the stories whispered through generations to ensure they are not lost. Habiburahman, known as Habib, was born in a village in the west of the country around 1979 – he is not quite sure of the year. He has written his life story, and through that, the story of his people.
We meet in his publishers’ bland office in Melbourne, Australia. He is dressed in a neat blue shirt and dark trousers, and his black hair is slicked back. He laughs readily and his phone buzzes with messages.
Habib arrived in Australia by boat in 2009 and, although he is a recognised refugee and has a temporary visa, his status remains unresolved. He is still stateless. He has no passport. “I have nowhere to go,” he says, with a laugh that has little humour in it. We speak in English and Habib wrote the book in English with the help of a French journalist, Sophie Ansel, who has reported extensively on the Rohingya. He explains that the book began with Ansel writing him questions, to which he would provide long answers about his life. It was first published in 2018 in French and is now being released in English.
Habib says he wanted to write his story because “my generation, my grandfather, great-grandfather – we have been oppressed for a long time and this has never been reported. Our history is [becoming] lost. The land where we lived in the past is now replaced with government buildings, new projects; everything has gone. The new generation of Burmese, they don’t know anything about Rohingya.” He called the book First, They Erased Our Name..."
Source/publisher:
The Guardian
Date of publication:
2019-08-04
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-05
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
more
Sub-title:
Bangladesh has sought comprehensive engagement of the international community, particularly Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), in creating a conducive environment in northern Rakhine state and help repatriation and reintegration of the Rohing
Description:
"“If the Rohingya crisis remains unresolved for long, it may seriously undermine the security and stability of the entire region,” Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said at the 26th ASEAN Regional Forum in Bangkok today.
Thailand, chair of ASEAN, is hosting the event where foreign ministers from 26 countries and representative from European Union, USA, UK, Japan, China and India are participating.
Foreign Minister Momen stated that Bangladesh is not in a position to bear the burden of the 1.1 million, including 750,000, who fled atrocities from Myanmar since August 2017, for indefinite period.
“It should be a global responsibility to resolve this issue,” he said.
At the forum, foreign ministers from Japan, USA, Canada, Australia, South Korea, New Zealand and Malaysia also urged Myanmar to create conducive environment for early repatriation of Rohingya in safety and dignity, while seeking ASEAN’s enhanced engagement in this process.
USA, Canada and Malaysia particularly emphasised on ensuring justice and accountability in relation to atrocities committed against Rohingyas, according to a statement of the foreign ministry.
At this regional high-level Forum, Abdul Momen also embarked on key regional issues, including denuclearisation of Korean Peninsula, degradation of marine environment, human trafficking, illicit drugs trafficking and cybercrimes.
He stressed on the need for sustained peaceful atmosphere in the Korean Peninsula for the continued stability in the Asia-pacific region..."
Source/publisher:
The Daily Star
Date of publication:
2019-08-02
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-04
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, ASEAN-Burma relations
Language:
more
Sub-title:
Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono has urged the Myanmar government to take "more strenuous efforts" to take Rohingyas back from Bangladesh to their place of origin in Rakhine State.
Description:
"During his recent meeting with Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Nay Pyi Taw, Minister Kono said the Japanese government would continue to encourage and urge Myanmar as "much as possible", said an official.
The Japanese Foreign Minister, who visited Bangladesh before his engagements with Myanmar leadership, said it is important to conduct the Independent Commission of Enquiry in a "transparent and credible" manner stressing the Myanmar government to act to that end.
On May 31 last year, the government of Myanmar announced to establish an Independent Commission of Enquiry, including an international personality, concerning the violation of human rights and related issues in Northern Rakhine State since 25 August 2017.
The Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population of Myanmar, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) agreed on the texts of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for repatriation and resettlement of the displaced persons to Northern Rakhine State.
The government of Japan welcomed it as "important key progress" towards improvement of the human rights and humanitarian situation and the "voluntary, safe and dignified" repatriation of Rohingyas to Northern Rakhine State.
The Japanese Foreign Minister, in his latest meeting with Suu Kyi, vowed to continue their efforts to help resolve the Rohingya problem by joining hands with the Myanmar government.
Both the leaders exchanged views over the situation in Rakhine State and discussed the efforts to take Rohingyas back from Bangladesh.
He hoped that the Myanmar government would "accelerate" its implementation efforts, including the work of the ICOE - Independent Commission of Enquiry.
The Myanmar State Counsellor, however, in the meeting, described the problem of Rohingyas as a "bilateral issue" between Bangladesh and Myanmar and appreciated Japanese kind offer to help resolve the problem..."
Source/publisher:
The Daily Star
Date of publication:
2019-08-02
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-04
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
more
Sub-title:
Activists back Mahathir for calling end to genocide and restoring full rights to Rohingya
Description:
"Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s comments on the Rohingya genocide has angered Myanmar, as it continued to deny crimes against the Muslim community in Rakhine state.
In an exclusive interview with Anadolu Agency last week, Mahathir had said that the Rohingya faced “massacre or genocide” and “they should either be treated as nationals, or they should be given their territory to form their own state.”
Taking exception, Myanmar’s Foreign Ministry, in a statement on Wednesday, expressed “dismay and objected” to the Malaysian leader’s comments.
Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Myint Thu who met Malaysian Ambassador to Myanmar Zahairi Baharim on Wednesday at the headquarters of Myanmar Foreign Ministry in Naypyitaw, rejected the allegations of genocide.
“Such allegations are not supportive to the ongoing efforts of Myanmar government and ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian Nations] in finding a sustainable solution for peace, development and social harmony in Rakhine State,” he told the Malaysian envoy.
He also said that Malaysian leader’s statement was not constructive and described it as a breach of the principles enshrined in the ASEAN Charter. “It was also against the ASEAN’s cardinal principles of non-interference in the internal affairs and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of ASEAN member states,” said the ministry statement.
Rohingya experts, however, blamed Myanmar for "buying time" and diverting the focus of international community, by repeatedly denying crimes, it has committed against the Rohingya Muslim community in the Rakhine state.
Some 750,000 Rohingya fled state persecution since August 2017 and took shelter in neighboring Bangladesh as thousands were killed, raped and hundreds of Rohingya villages were completely burnt..."
Source/publisher:
ASIA - PACIFIC
Date of publication:
2019-08-01
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-04
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, ASEAN-Burma relations, Genocide
Language:
more
Sub-title:
India recognizes humanitarian burden shouldered by Bangladesh’s society and economy, says ASEAN forum report
Description:
"India has urged the world community to help Bangladesh deal with the huge Rohingya influx from Myanmar, saying it poses a threat to regional security.
India recognizes the humanitarian burden on Bangladesh’s society and economy, said the Security Outlook 2019 of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum held on Friday, according to BSS, Bangladesh’s state-run news agency.
India praised Bangladesh’s generosity towards displaced people in the report, the agency reported on Saturday
“India is deeply conscious of the humanitarian and security implications of the displacement of nearly one million people (Rohingya) in Bangladesh from contagious areas of Rakhine state in Myanmar,” said the outlook report.
“India recognizes the economic burden this crisis places upon Bangladesh’s society and economy,” it added.
The report said bordering northeastern India, Myanmar’s stability and prosperity is crucial for regional security. India has provided aid to Myanmar to facilitate the return of Rohingya to Myanmar’s Rakhine state, the place of their origin. Thailand, as the ASEAN chair, hosted this year’s forum with the participation of foreign ministers from 26 countries and representatives from the European Union, U.S., U.K., Japan, China, and India.
Addressing the event, A K Abdul Momen, Bangladesh’s foreign minister, sought support and cooperation from the world community to carry out the Rohingya repatriation to Myanmar in a safe manner..."
Source/publisher:
ASIA - PACIFIC
Date of publication:
2019-08-03
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-04
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, ASEAN-Burma relations
Language:
more
Sub-title:
Myanmar delegation failed to make convincing case for safe return of Rohingya to their homes, says Human Rights Watch
Description:
"An international human rights watchdog has described recent talks between the Rohingya representatives and the Myanmar delegation, as "disappointing".
The New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said that during the talks, the Myanmar delegation failed to make a convincing case for the safe return of refugees.
The 10-member delegation, led by the Permanent Secretary of the Myanmar Foreign Ministry, Myint Thu arrived at the sprawling refugee settlement in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh earlier this week, to discuss the repatriation of the Rohingya population.
The HRW South Asia Director Meenakshi Ganguly said that the Myanmar officials, armed with "facts" and colorful brochures, tried to persuade the displaced population to return home, claiming it was safe.
"They did not even use the term Rohingya," Ganguly said, quoting a refugee.
She said it reminded the Myanmar government’s longstanding unwillingness to recognize the ethnic group.
The Myanmar team also explained the categories of citizenship and promoted the government’s National Verification Card (NVC) process..."
Source/publisher:
ASIA - PACIFIC via Human Rights Watch
Date of publication:
2019-08-01
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-04
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
more
Sub-title:
AK Abdul Momen stated that Rohingya crisis should be a global responsibility to resolve the issue
Description:
"Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen has sought support and cooperation from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) regional forum partners so that Rohingyas can return to their homeland in safety and security.
The minister made the appeal while addressing the 26th Asean in Bangkok, a Foreign Ministry press release said on Friday.
Thailand as the chair of Asean is hosting this year's forum where foreign ministers from 26 countries and high representatives from European Union, USA, UK, Japan, China, and India are participating.
Minister Momen mentioned that if the Rohingya crisis remained unresolved for long, it might seriously undermine the security and stability of the entire region.
Momen sought comprehensive engagement of the international community, particularly Asean, in the creation of a conducive environment in northern Rakhine state as well as in the repatriation and reintegration process.
He stated that Bangladesh was not in a position to bear the brunt for indefinite period and it should be a global responsibility to resolve this issue.
At the forum, foreign ministers from Japan, USA, Canada, Australia, South Korea, New Zealand, and Malaysia urged Myanmar to create a conducive environment for early repatriation of Rohingyas in safety and dignity..."
Source/publisher:
Dhaka Tribune
Date of publication:
2019-08-03
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-03
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
more
Sub-title:
Regional bloc accused of whitewashing Myanmar's crimes against Rohingya.
Description:
"The efforts by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to encourage a "dialogue" between the refugees and the Myanmar government has sparked fierce criticism from Rohingya activists who accuse the bloc of whitewashing the Myanmar military's crimes and legitimising its deeply flawed repatriation plans.
A team from the humanitarian arm of the 10-member trade bloc joined a Myanmar government delegation on a visit to the camps last week in a bid to launch fresh repatriation talks with Rohingya leaders and activists.
Almost 730,000 Rohingya crossed the border into Bangladesh and arrived in Cox's Bazar in August 2017 after fleeing military-led massacres in Myanmar's western Rakhine state.
However, relations between members of the Rohingya and those who are supposed to help them have often been fraught.
The United Nations's refugee agency, UNHCR, has sown mistrust by signing secret repatriation deals with Myanmar and pushing an identity card scheme that many Rohingya opposed, leading to alleged intimidation and violence when security forces tried to get them to sign up.
Rohingya refugees reject Myanmar delegation's offer to return (2:34)
Bangladesh authorities, praised for their generosity in hosting the Rohingya, imposed severe restrictions on the refugees, preventing them from moving freely, getting an education, earning a living and denying them official refugee status.
At a meeting during the visit by the team, a Rohingya youth activist asked the ASEAN visitors what they were doing to help some 128,000 Rohingya in Rakhine state who are trapped in disease-ridden detention camps..."
Source/publisher:
Al Jazeera
Date of publication:
2019-08-03
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-03
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, ASEAN-Burma relations
Language:
more
Description:
"Myanmar has expressed dismay after Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said Rohingyas faced “massacre or genocide”.
In an exclusive interview with the Anadolu Agency last week, Mahathir said the Rohingyas “should either be treated as nationals, or they should be given their territory to form their own state.”
Myanmar’s Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Myint Thu said such allegations would not help the efforts of Myanmar government and ASEAN in finding a sustainable solution for peace, development and social harmony in Rakhine State.
Thu, who met Malaysian Ambassador to Myanmar Zahairi Baharim on Wednesday at Myanmar’s foreign ministry headquarters in Naypyitaw, also said the Malaysian leader’s statement was not constructive and described it as a breach of principles enshrined in the ASEAN Charter.
“It was also against the ASEAN’s cardinal principles of non-interference in the internal affairs and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of ASEAN member states,” said the ministry in a statement..."
Many commentators, however, blamed Myanmar for “buying time” and diverting the international community’s focus, by repeatedly denying crimes it has committed against the Rohingya community in the Rakhine state.
Some 750,000 Rohingyas fled state persecution since August 2017 and took shelter in Bangladesh as thousands were killed, raped and hundreds of Rohingya villages were completely burnt.
The UN independent investigators late last year called for Myanmar military generals to be investigated for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. Myanmar denies the allegations.
Meanwhile, nearly two years after the mass influx of Rohingyas into Bangladesh, the repatriation could not begin as the refugees say the situation in Rakhine is not conducive for return, while there is no guarantee of citizenship, which they have been denied since 1982..."
Source/publisher:
The Daily Star
Date of publication:
2019-08-03
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-03
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Laws, decrees, bills and regulations relating to nationality, citizenship and immigration (commentary), Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
more
Description:
"MYANMAR and Bangladesh
conducted a coordinated naval
patrol along the Naf River on
31 July, according to the information
released by Myanmar
Police Force.
The patrol of Myanmar
was led by Police Captain Naing
Aung Thu from Ma Gyi
Chaung police outpost, No10
Border Police sub-division, Area
7, Maungtaw Township, while
the Bangladeshi side was led by
Subedar Md, Nure Alam from
No 2 Border Guard Force, Shahparirdip
BOP outpost of Border
Guards Bangladesh (BGB).
The Myanmar troops in
the two water crafts, including
vessel No 002 and Bangladeshi
troops on their two water crafts
patrolled together from nautical
mile 2 (Ma Gyi Chaung creek
mouth) to nautical mile 5 (
Kanyin Chaung creek mouth)
along the Naf River. After the
patrol, the two forces held a
discussion on watercraft No
002..."
Source/publisher:
Myanmar Ministry of Information via "The Global New Light of Myanmar"
Date of publication:
2019-08-02
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-02
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
417.07 KB
Local URL:
more
Description:
"To strengthen the District Sadar Hospital, Cox’s Bazar, WHO completed renovation of four wards there, with support from King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KS Relief).
The preliminary findings of the rapid healthcare waste management assessment(HCWM) revealed that it is a priority of public health concern in the settlement, requiring special attention on setting-up robust and sustainable HCWM system in the district.....There are an estimated 913 316 Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar, according to the latest ISCG situation report (June 2019). This includes 34 172 refugees from Myanmar who registered before 31st August 2017. All refugees, including new arrivals, face compounding vulnerabilities, including in health. WHO has been responding to this crisis since September 2017. A summary of response actions from epidemiological weeks 29 and 30 of 2019 is presented below by WHO functions..."
Source/publisher:
World Health Organization (WHO)
Date of publication:
2019-08-01
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-02
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
World Health Organisation (WHO), Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
702.65 KB
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
Chinese investment and tourism are rising fast in the country at a time the US and EU pull back in revulsion at new rights abuses
Description:
"Myanmar’s ethnic turmoil and political uncertainties are keeping Western investors and tourists away, as the Rohingya refugee crisis has once again made the country a pariah byword for grave human rights abuses.
At the same time, China has emerged as the largest investor in Myanmar’s commercial center Yangon, accounting for 65 of 113 approved foreign invested projects in fiscal 2018-19.
Chinese tourist arrivals, guided in part by Beijing’s control of tour groups and Myanmar’s new relaxed visa rules for Chinese visitors, have also skyrocketed, making them far and away the largest national group to visit the country in 2018.
According to a July 26 report in The Irrawaddy, the surge in new Chinese investment has been concentrated in Yangon but is also growing fast in other parts of the country. The report said: ”China is planning to implement multi-billion dollar projects, including a deep seaport, new cities, industrial parks, border economic cooperation zones and high-speed railroad lines under its ambitious Belt and Road Initiative.”
In November, Myanmar signed a Memorandum of Understanding with China which officially established the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC), a transport artery that will connect China’s southwestern Yunnan province with the Bay of Bengal, thus giving China an alternative trade route to the congested Malacca Strait..."
Source/publisher:
Asia Times
Date of publication:
2019-07-31
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-01
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
“One Belt, One Road” initiative, Burma's economic relations with China, Canada-Burma relations, Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
more
Topic:
Refugee Rights, Asylum Seekers ,Internally Displaced People
Sub-title:
Foreign Minister Taro Kono Should Use Trip to Raise Rohingya’s Plight
Topic:
Refugee Rights, Asylum Seekers ,Internally Displaced People
Description:
"Japan’s foreign minister, Taro Kono, should raise critical human rights issues during his visit to Bangladesh and Myanmar from July 29 to July 31, 2019, Human Rights Watch said in a July 26 letter to the foreign minister.
“Foreign Minister Kono should press the Bangladeshi government about arrests under its draconian digital security laws and online censorship that is stifling peaceful criticism and dissent,” said Kanae Doi, Japan director. “While in Myanmar, Foreign Minister Kono should urge the government to ensure that humanitarian agencies, human rights groups, and independent media have access to ethnic Rohingya and other at-risk minorities.”
Kono should press the Bangladeshi government to drop politically motivated charges against critics and the opposition. Bangladesh should also amend the Digital Security Act to ensure the right to freedom of expression, investigate enforced disappearances, and ensure that any repatriation of Rohingya is voluntary.
In Myanmar, Kono should urge Aung San Suu Kyi’s government to end the arbitrary arrest and detention of government critics, reform or repeal the Media Law and other abusive legislation to eliminate restrictions on basic rights, end institutionalized discrimination against the Rohingya, and fully cooperate with international fact-finding mechanisms..."
Source/publisher:
Human Rights Watch
Date of publication:
2019-07-29
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-01
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Japan-Burma relations
Language:
more
Description:
"A Plan International aid worker was shot by Myanmar security forces in Rakhine State, the army said Tuesday, the first time an NGO employee has been swept up in violence plaguing the area.
Rakhine State is one of Myanmar's poorest regions and NGOs provide aid to tens of thousands of Rohingya Muslims still languishing in displacement camps as well as other local communities.
But the Tatmadaw has deployed thousands of troops there in recent months to try and crush rebels from the Arakan Army, who are fighting for more autonomy for ethnic Rakhine Buddhists.
Myanmar national Ko Ye Lin Naing, 25, was driving a motorcycle in Mrauk U township Sunday when "a security forces member opened fire... as a warning shot" when he did not stop, according to a statement from the commander-in-chief's office.
He was wounded and taken to the hospital, but the army says he was carrying a grenade and charged him under a counterterrorism law.
Plan International, a prominent aid agency that provides aid to displaced households and children affected by conflict in Rakhine, said it was "extremely concerned" about their employee who remains in the custody of security forces.
Fighting between the Arakan Army and the military prompted a weeks-long internet shutdown that rights groups say is being used to provide cover for abuses including extrajudicial killings and torture.
The military says it fighting insurgents and dealing with a sophisticated group that uses modern technology and is heavily armed.
The clashes follow an army crackdown in 2017 against the Rohingya Muslim minority in northern Rakhine, when more than 740,000 were driven into Bangladesh..."
Source/publisher:
Frontier Myanmar
Date of publication:
2019-07-30
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-01
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Armed conflict in Rakhine (Arakan) State, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
more
Sub-title:
Reiterating that Bangladesh sheltering 1.1 million Rohingyas for the sake of humanity, Law Minister Anisul Huq today told the United Nation that the flow of Rohingyas into Bangladesh still continues, albeit low.
Description:
''"The most disconcerting fact is that the flow of Rohingyas, albeit low, still continues," he said while submitting a report to the UN Committee against Torture.
The report highlighted on Bangladesh's two priority sectors -- protecting human rights and providing shelter to forcibly displaced Rohingyas in the country.
A 19-member delegation, including Senior Secretary to the Law Ministry, foreign secretary and permanent representative of Bangladesh to UN joined him in the UN office.
Anisul said, "We've opened our border to 700,000 Rohingyas and allocated over 6,000 acres of forest land allowing environmental degradation and social instability in the area for sheltering them for the sake of humanity in 2016."
As a host to 1.1 million Rohingyas, the Law Minister said Bangladesh maintained the principle of non-refoulment, despite significant resource constraints and challenges.
The report submitted by Bangladesh to the Committee against Torture was prepared in accordance with procedural obligations under the Convention. The country became a state party to the Convention against Torture on 5 October 1998 through accession.
Anisul in the report focused on three aspects of the Convention - legal, administrative and judicial actions taken by the government for implementing the Convention.
The Law Minister in the report marked two priority sectors -- curbing violence against women and children - for Bangladesh..."
Source/publisher:
The Daily Star
Date of publication:
2019-07-30
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-01
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
more
Topic:
Refugee Rights, Asylum Seekers
Sub-title:
Myanmar Delegation Fails to Make Convincing Case for Safe Return
Topic:
Refugee Rights, Asylum Seekers
Description:
"Myanmar officials arrived at the sprawling refugee settlement in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh this week to discuss the repatriation of the Rohingya population.
Armed with “fact” sheets, colorful brochures, and PowerPoint presentations, officials whose government committed a campaign of ethnic cleansing that forced hundreds of thousands of Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh two years ago were now trying to persuade them it was safe to return home.
They were not convincing. “They didn’t even use the term ‘Rohingya,’” one refugee noted, alluding to the government’s longstanding unwillingness to recognize the ethnic group.
The 10-member delegation, led by the permanent secretary of the Myanmar Foreign Ministry, Myint Thu, explained categories of citizenship and promoted the government’s National Verification Card (NVC) process. Many Rohingya despise this deeply flawed process, which they view as a perpetuation of the discriminatory 1982 Citizenship Law, which has effectively left them stateless in their own country. The newly digitized NVC process would require Rohingya to reapply for their citizenship using their biometric data, which may further encourage discrimination. Myint Thu told them this was a first step towards achieving “naturalized citizenship.” The problem is that many Rohingya already consider themselves Myanmar citizens.
“We showed them documents that prove that our ancestors were Burmese,” said Dil Mohammad, one of Rohingya participants. “Why do we need to go through that NVC process again which will identify us simply as a foreigner?”
Given the horror of the atrocities they survived, the refugees understandably first want Myanmar authorities to assure them that they and their families will be safe if they return home, before they discuss terms of their repatriation..."
Source/publisher:
Human Rights Watch
Date of publication:
2019-07-31
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-01
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Laws, decrees, bills and regulations relating to nationality, citizenship and immigration (commentary)
Language:
more
Topic:
Refugee Rights, Asylum Seekers, Internally Displaced People
Sub-title:
Prime Minister’s Racist Comments Reflect Inhumane Asylum Seeker Policy
Topic:
Refugee Rights, Asylum Seekers, Internally Displaced People
Description:
"Thai Prime Minister Gen. Prayuth Chan-ocha’s racist slurs directed at the Rohingya are bad enough. But they are made even worse because they reflect the Thai government’s cruel policy toward Rohingya asylum seekers who take perilous journeys to escape persecution and serious abuses in Myanmar’s Rakhine State.
While presenting his new government’s policy statement to parliament on July 25, Prayuth said: “Speaking of the Rohingya, I am sympathetic. But their looks, their appearance is very different from us. If you can accept to have more of these people in Thailand, that is up to you.”
Thai authorities have for years said they do not want to accept Rohingya asylum seekers, and the Internal Security Operations Command (ISOC), chaired by Prayuth, stops them with a three-step action plan.
Under the action plan, the Thai navy can intercept Rohingya boats nearing the coast, and provide fuel, food, water, and other supplies if the boat’s occupants agree to travel onward to Malaysia or Indonesia. Any boat that lands on Thai shores is seized. Thailand treats all Rohingya as illegal immigrants, subject to indefinite detention in squalid immigration and police lockups, and refuses to let the United Nations refugee agency conduct refugee status determinations for them.
But under customary international law, Thailand cannot summarily reject asylum claims at the border. It is obligated to allow Rohingya asylum seekers to enter the country and seek protection.
Thailand’s inhumane “push-back” policy for new boat arrivals should be scrapped immediately. As chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Thailand should lead efforts to set up a regional preparedness and protection mechanism for Rohingya asylum seekers in collaboration with sympathetic countries and relevant United Nations agencies. In particular, Thailand should grant the United Nations refugee agency unhindered access to conduct refugee status determination interviews for all Rohingya arriving in Thailand..."
Source/publisher:
Human Rights Watch
Date of publication:
2019-07-31
Date of entry/update:
2019-08-01
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas
Language:
more
Description:
"Over 741,000 Rohingya refugees have fled violence from Myanmar’s Rakhine state since August 2017 and are hosted in Bangladesh. Most of the refugees rely on humanitarian assistance, having left with few possessions and exhausted their financial resources during the journey.
More than 910,000 Rohingya refugee women, men, girls and boys are hosted in Cox’s Bazar District, including 34,172 registered refugees who arrived in the 1990s (4%); and other unregistered Rohingya refugees who had settled in host communities prior to August 2017. Children make up 55% of the total refugee population and women and girls make up 52%.
One in three refugee families have at least one easily identifiable protection vulnerability. Whilst the pace of arrivals has decreased, refugees continue to arrive in Bangladesh, as of end of May 2019.
The dashboard monitor the monthly achievements of selected indicators from the 2019 country operation plan for each strategic area of activity with cumulative key figures and monthly highlights..."
Source/publisher:
reliefweb via UN High Commissioner for Refugees
Date of publication:
2019-07-31
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-31
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Discrimination against the Rohingya
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
653.76 KB
more
Description:
"Rohingyas is a big burden for us ... we want to resolve the issue through discussions," she said during a meeting with Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon in London on Monday evening (London time).
PM's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim told UNB over phone from London that Lord Ahmad assured all possible support over the Rohingya issue, saying new British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is aware of it.
About combating terrorism, both the Prime Minister and Lord Ahmad said Islam is a religion of peace and it does not support terrorism.
Sheikh Hasina said her government has created mass awareness involving the cross section of people to fight terrorism.
She also talked about the existing communal harmony in Bangladesh, saying people of all faiths are exercising their respective religions freely.
She informed Lord Ahmad that the government is establishing Islamic research centres across the country to uphold the true spirit of Islam.
The Prime Minister and Lord Ahmad also shed light on the Brexit issue.
Lord Ahmad highly praised women empowerment in Bangladesh under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Sheikh Hasina said only education can ensure women empowerment.
Describing various initiatives of the government for ensuring women empowerment, she said the government recruits 60 percent of teachers at primary level from women.
Expressing satisfaction over the existing wonderful relations between Bangladesh and the UK, they hoped that the ties will be strengthened further in the days to come
Lord Ahmad was accompanied by his spouse Siddiqa Ahmed while PM's Principal Secretary Md Nojibur Rahman and Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK Saida Muna Tasneem were present at the meeting..."
Source/publisher:
The Daily Star
Date of publication:
2019-07-30
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-31
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas
Language:
more
Description:
"A top-level Myanmar government delegation began repatriation talks with Rohingya leaders in a Bangladesh refugee camp on Saturday, an official said, with many of the Muslim minority fearing for their safety if they return home.
Some 740,000 Rohingya fled a 2017 crackdown by Myanmar's military and are living in squalid conditions in camps in Bangladesh's southeastern border district of Cox's Bazar.
The two countries signed a repatriation deal in November 2017 but so far virtually no Rohingya have volunteered to go back to Myanmar, where the group has faced decades of repression.
The Myanmar team, led by permanent foreign secretary U Myint Thu, arrived in Cox's Bazar on Saturday amid tightened security in the camps.
'Seemed positive'
The delegation visited Kutupalong — the world's largest refugee settlement — where they discussed repatriation with Rohingya community leaders over several hours, said Bangladesh refugee commissioner Mohammad Abul Kalam.
"Both parties seemed positive about it and the discussion will continue [Sunday]," he told AFP.
One of the Rohingya leaders who joined the talks, Dil Mohammad, said they "went well" as he reiterated demands for Myanmar to recognize Rohingya as an ethnic group.
"We hope this discussion will be fruitful. We told them that we won't return unless we are recognized as Rohingya in Myanmar," he said.
Myanmar denies the minority citizenship and refers to them as "Bengalis" — implying that the Rohingya are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.
Second such session
It was the second time in less than a year that Myanmar officials were trying to persuade Rohingya refugees to return to their homeland in violence-wracked Rakhine state, after a repatriation offer was rejected by Rohingya leaders in October.
The massive camps have sparked tensions between the neighboring nations, with Bangladesh blaming Myanmar for delays in repatriating the refugees.
Dhaka has said it will not force any Rohingya to leave, while Myanmar has faced international pressure to allow the Rohingya to return to Rakhine and grant them citizenship rights.
The U.N. has complained that progress to address the refugee crisis has been far too slow.
The new visit comes in the wake of talks between Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.
China is a key ally of Myanmar, and Hasina said then that Beijing would "do whatever is required" to help resolve the Rohingya crisis..."
Source/publisher:
VOA
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-30
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Laws, decrees, bills and regulations relating to nationality, citizenship and immigration (commentary)
Language:
more
Description:
"Prime minister's security affairs advisor urged the international organizations to focus on the Rakhine State instead of just Bangladesh
Prime Minister's Security Affairs Advisor Maj Gen (retd) Tarique Ahmed Siddique has said a hybrid security threat might have an impact outside Bangladesh if the Rohingya crisis remains unresolved.
He said this while addressing the Second Meeting of Track 1.5 Bimstec Security Dialogue Forum as the chief guest at the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) auditorium on Tuesday.
"You never know who is going to take advantage of it," he said, seeking efforts from all to help resolve the problem.
The prime minister’s security advisor urged the international organizations working on the Rohingya issue to work more on the other part of the border-- Rakhine State -- instead of only focusing inside Bangladesh to help boost confidence among Rohingyas to return to their place of origin.
"It's a vicious circle we are getting into. If it becomes hot, it will be very difficult to cool down," he said, adding that he is seeing danger in future.
Rohingya crisis, and repatriation process
Bangladesh is now hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas and most of them entered Bangladesh since August 25, 2017, after a crackdown by the Myanmar military on the ethnic minority
Bangladesh and Myanmar signed the repatriation deal on November 23, 2017..."
Source/publisher:
Dhaka Tribune
Date of publication:
2019-07-30
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-30
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
more
Sub-title:
The Burmese politician and Nobel Peace Prize winner has been slammed for her silence amid Myanmar’s genocide of Rohingya Muslims, while Orban is a fierce critic of Islam and Muslim migration to Europe.
Description:
"Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi has become a pariah in recent years over her lack of action and silence over Myanmar’s persecution of its mainly Muslim Rohingya minority.
But there appears to be at least one Western leader willing to court her support — Hungary’s populist Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
The pair have seemingly found common ground, sharing concerns over migration and the ‘growing Muslim population’.
A Hungarian government statement issued on Wednesday included pictures of the two greeting each other with gleaming smiles during a meeting in Budapest.
The issue of illegal immigration was at the top of the agenda, according to the official release.
“At the meeting the two leaders highlighted that one of the greatest challenges at present for both countries and their respective regions – South East Asia and Europe – is migration,” the statement said.
“They noted that both regions have seen the emergence of the issue of coexistence with continuously growing Muslim populations.”
Hungary was a key transit route for refugees and migrants trying to reach northern Europe during the refugee crisis, although few decided to stay there.
Myanmar is home to native Muslim minorities, such as the Rohingya, who have roots in the country dating back centuries and does not experience significant inward migration..."
Source/publisher:
TRT World
Date of publication:
2019-06-06
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-29
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
more
Sub-title:
India and Myanmar have managed to put aside their differences to tackle a common enemy.
Description:
"In his briefing to the security council, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said last year that the situation in Myanmar was “one of the world’s worst humanitarian and human rights crises.”
But there is one question that has gone unanswered in the entire discussion over the Rohingya issue so far: how have India and Myanmar forgotten their hostilities to rally behind the massacre of the Rohingya people?
Human rights groups have termed the Rohingya issue a “textbook case of ethnic cleansing.”
A brief background of the geopolitics in the region will allow us to understand better how this bizarre alliance has unleashed such a terrible catastrophe.
Since the Cold War era, when Myanmar and its junta faced international sanctions, China’s big-brotherly patronage transformed Myanmar into a virtual client-state of China. China was the economic and military bloodline, which made it possible for Myanmarese to breathe in an otherwise suffocating international environment.
The days of the Cold War have gone, however, and China’s influence in the country has only increased since. Thanks to China’s ever-increasing penchant for growth and influence, China has several massive ongoing economic and infrastructure projects in Myanmar, and Myanmar's military equipment is predominantly supplied by the Chinese
Given this love affair, it is only natural that India, China’s biggest rival in the region that refused to join the Chinese-led project, the Belt and Road Initiative or the New Silk Road project, be very concerned.
India also shares a long border with Myanmar. The Indian side of the shared border with hosts the insurgency-ridden and heavily militarised northeastern states of India, which have added volatility to bilateral relations. The same logic that has kept India suspicious of Chinese influence on its borders should dictate that India would oppose Myanmar permitting the Chinese to build a seaport in the western coastal state of Arakan (official name was changed to Rakhine). However, India has not raised its voice on this issue.
Why? Well, the Answer lies in a shared enemy. India's populist Hindutva nationalism under the current BJP regime, which is centred around Bengali Muslims (e.g. the case of Assam), has overlapped with Theravada Buddhist-nationalism in Myanmar, which also identifies Bengali Muslims (in this case Rohingya) as its enemy..."
Source/publisher:
TRT World
Date of publication:
2019-06-21
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-29
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
more
Sub-title:
The Cox's Bazar district – home to nearly one million Rohingya Muslims – has seen at least 58.5 centimetres of rain since July 2, Bangladesh's meteorological department said.
Description:
At least 10 people have died and thousands of shanty homes have been destroyed by monsoon rains in overcrowded Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh's southeast, officials said on Sunday.
An International Organisation for Migration (IOM) spokeswoman said heavy rains triggered mudslides in the refugee camps – which are mostly built on hill-slopes – destroying some 4,889 tarpaulin and bamboo shacks in the first two weeks of July.
More than 200 landslides have been reported since April in the camps, built near the border with Myanmar, and at least 10 people were killed, a UN report said, adding nearly 50,000 people have been affected.
Source/publisher:
TRT World via IOM
Date of publication:
2019-07-14
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-29
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Natural Disasters - General
Language:
more
Sub-title:
Malaysia FM Saifuddin Bin Abdullah says perpetrators of violence against Myanmar's minority must "be brought to justice," in talks with members of Association of Southeast Asian Nations gathered in Thailand conference.
Description:
"Malaysia on Saturday said the perpetrators of violence against Myanmar's Rohingya minority must "be brought to justice," in sharp comments delivered at a normally tame regional summit of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
In talks on Saturday with Southeast Asian counterparts, Malaysia's Foreign Minister Saifuddin Bin Abdullah called for the "perpetrators of the Rohingya issue to be brought to justice," his ministry said in Tweet.
He also said repatriation of the minority from the fetid, overcrowded refugee camps of Bangladesh "must include the citizenship of the Rohingya." Myanmar does not recognise the Rohingya as citizens, instead officially labelling them "Bengalis," short-hand for illegal immigrants from neighbouring Bangladesh.
A military crackdown in 2017 drove more than 740,000 Rohingya Muslims into Bangladesh, carrying accounts of rape, mass killings and the razing of villages.
UN investigators have called for Myanmar's top generals to be tried for genocide.
But Myanmar's army and de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi have defended the action as necessary to flush out Rohingya rebels from Rakhine state..."
Source/publisher:
TRT World
Date of publication:
2019-06-22
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-29
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Laws, decrees, bills and regulations relating to nationality, citizenship and immigration (commentary), ASEAN-Burma relations
Language:
more
Description:
"The Rohingya are a people who pride their existence for centuries in #Myanmar and achievements amidst the nations of the world.
Mission
To revive the culture and spirit of the Rohingyas throughout the world via the new media channels and social networking
Goals
• To create a vivid Rohingya media through developing various media programs to focus the news throughout the world
• To bring awareness of the Rohingya crisis to the world through the media networking programs
• To promote the spirit of cooperation and coordination with the people around the world
• To stop Rohingya from deviating to extremism
• To promote peace and to pride on Rohingya's Islamic identity
• To promote Rohingya genius and outstanding people as one of the ethnic minority group of Myanmar which has been denied by Myanmar government despite its existence in Myanmar for centuries
• To promote Rohingya culture, history and civilization among the Rohingya youths to prove the world as one of the civilized minority group of Myanmar
• To document Rohingya history and events to the people across the world
We Are Trying To Update Rohingya News To The International Community With The Little Hope Of Life Since Myanmar Government Denying Us To Accord Citizen.
Broadcasting & Media Production, Rohingya, Myanmar..."
Source/publisher:
Arakan Times
Date of publication:
2019-07-28
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-29
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
more
Sub-title:
The soldiers were sentenced in 2018 for 10 years over killing a group of Rohingya Muslims but served less than the journalists who uncovered the killing.
Description:
"Seven soldiers jailed for killing a group of Rohingya Muslims have been freed from a Myanmar jail despite serving less time than two reporters imprisoned for exposing the massacre.
Prisons department director-general Myint Soe told journalists the soldiers were "no longer in detention", declining to give any further information.
Four officers and three soldiers were sentenced in 2018 to 10 years with hard labour for killing 10 Rohingya villagers, with army chief Min Aung Hlaing and civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi holding up the sentence as evidence of accountability within the military.
Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who helped expose the killing, were jailed last September for seven years on charges linked to their reporting.
They were granted a presidential pardon this month after spending over 500 days behind bars.
The killings unfolded during a bloody army crackdown in 2017 that forced some 740,000 Rohingya to flee across the border into Bangladesh.
UN investigators say the violence warrants the prosecution of top generals for "genocide" and the International Criminal Court (ICC) has started a preliminary probe..."
Source/publisher:
TRT World
Date of publication:
2019-05-28
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-29
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
more
Description:
"A high-level delegation from Myanmar has visited Rohingya camps in Bangladesh, to persuade refugees to return home.
Hundreds of thousands have been sheltering there since fleeing a violent crackdown...Al Jazeera's Tanvir Chowdhury reports from Cox's Bazar..."
Source/publisher:
Al Jazeera English
Date of publication:
2019-07-27
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-29
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Laws, decrees, bills and regulations relating to nationality, citizenship and immigration (commentary)
Language:
more
Description:
"Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, has a population of around 51 million people. The Burman ethnic group constitutes around two-thirds of this figure and controls the military and the government. But there are also more than 135 ethnic groups in the country, each with their own culture.
Many of them have become internally displaced by government moves to exploit land, provoking long-standing friction.
In fact, the conflict between Myanmar's ethnic minorities and the ruling Burmese majority represent one of the world's longest ongoing conflicts.
One group, the Muslim Rohingya, are not recognised as an ethnic nationality of Myanmar, so they suffer from arguably the worst discrimination and human rights abuses of all. The Rohingya population is somewhere between one and two million and they are living mainly in Rakhine State in the north of the country.
In this film, Al Jazeera Arabic correspondent Salam Hindawi goes to Myanmar to investigate the situation surrounding the Rohingya.
Myanmar has been tightly controlled for decades and Hindawi has enormous difficulties gaining access to certain areas of the country that the government simply doesn't want anyone from outside to see..."
Source/publisher:
Al Jazeera English
Date of publication:
2017-08-13
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-29
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Discrimination/violence against women: reports of violations in Arakan (Rakhine) State
Language:
more
Description:
"The United Nations has condemned itself for what a new report calls an obviously dysfunctional performance; one that led to what the UN says was a 'genocidal' campaign against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar..."
Source/publisher:
The Newsmakers
Date of publication:
2019-06-26
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-29
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Human rights issues, UN human rights bodies and mechanisms
Language:
more
Description:
"The United Nations condemns its own actions in Myanmar. Could learning the lessons of the past have prevented a genocide?..."
Source/publisher:
The Newsmakers via TRT World
Date of publication:
2019-06-26
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-29
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Genocide
Language:
more
Description:
"The United States announced sanctions on Tuesday against the Myanmar military's Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing and other leaders it said were responsible for extrajudicial killings of Rohingya Muslims, barring them from entry to the United States..."
Source/publisher:
TRT World
Date of publication:
2019-07-17
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-29
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Human rights issues, UN human rights bodies and mechanisms, Discrimination against the Rohingya, USA-Burma relations
Language:
more
Description:
"The Rohingya have been systematically driven out by the Myanmar government leading to the fastest growing humanitarian crisis in recent years.
Subscribe to our channel! http://goo.gl/0bsAjO
Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com to get up to speed on everything from Kurdistan to the Kim Kardashian app..."
Source/publisher:
Vox
Date of publication:
2017-09-25
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-29
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Inter-Communal violence and discrimination - Myanmar - General articles and analysis
Language:
more
Topic:
Myanmar, Rohingya, Refugee, Citizenship, Persecution.
Topic:
Myanmar, Rohingya, Refugee, Citizenship, Persecution.
Description:
"Myanmar is the least developed country in the Southeast Asia. In the 1947
Constitution, the name of the country was proclaimed Burma, and in 1989, the military
junta changed the name to Myanmar (Ullah, 2011). Some scholars believe that Burma
is derived from the eponym ‘Brahma Desha’ after Brahma, one of the gods of the Hindu
trinity. Some other scholars believe that “Burma” is the name derived from the spoken
form of Bamar (the language of the majority ethnic group), and was also used during
the independence movement in 1948. “Myanmar” is taken from the literary form of
the language, and is supposed to be more neutral than Burma. “Myanmar” supposedly
is associated with democratic and federalist ideologies, while “Myanmar” recalls
military enforcement and hierarchal units (Dittmer, 2010). The official name of the
country according to the 2008 constitution is “The Republic of the Union of Myanmar”
(Government of Myanmar [GoM], 2008).
Rakhine is a state located in the west coast of Myanmar, one of the poorest
regions of the country. Its area is 14,200 square miles (Islam, 1999). In Rakhine, it is
estimated that 59.7% of the 3.8 million people are Buddhist, 35.6% are Muslim
Rohingya, and the remainder are from other religious groups. The Rohingya Muslims
did not originate from just one single racial stock. They are the mixture of diverse
ethnic groups, including Arabs, Moghuls, and Bengalis (Alam, 2013). In Myanmar there
are 7 million Muslims, which are 15% of the total populations of the country, and half
of them live in Rakhine (Jaha, 1994).
Buddhist nationalism began to emerge in response to British colonial rule, and
saw Buddhists identifying with Burmese culture and history. During the colonial
period, the Burmese military Tatmadaw and the founders of several armies including
Aung San were patronized and trained by the military of imperial Japan to defeat
Allied forces and the British colonials. Myanmar’s Buddhist nationalism was
influenced by Japanese fascism (Zarni, 2013). The Rohingya crisis is not only on
religion but also on economical and political related (Shams, 2015). The Buddhists of
Myanmar claim that the Rohingya are economically developed, and their culture is
under siege than the Rohingya. The Rohingya are confronted with a deeplyentrenched Islam phobia with Rakhine in Myanmar. Myanmar is surrounded by some
Islamic countries, such as Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The Buddhists think
that if any Islamic country attacks Myanmar, the Rohingya will fight against Myanmar.
History of Rakhine State and the Origin of the Rohingya Muslims
21
As a result, they are culturally discriminated, economically exploited, and politically
sidelined by the GoM (Wolf, 2017).
There have been many debates on the origins of the Rohingya and the Arakan
State. The two conflicting theories are that i) Rohingyas are illegal immigrants from
neighboring Bangladesh (Saw, 2011; Ahmed, 2012), and ii) Rohingyas are native to
Arakan, and are descendents of the original Muslim converted on Ramree Island
(Bahar, 2010a; Forster, 2011). Although there are two opposing debates about the
origin of the Rohingya, it is true that a large number of Muslims have resided in the
Arakan for hundreds of years (Azad & Jasmine, 2013; Leitich, 2014).
The sectarian conflict has been especially focused in the Muslim areas that lie in
the northern part of Rakhine State: Maungdaw, Rathedaung, and Buthidaung
Townships (Human Rights Watch [HRW], 2013). During the last few years the
Rohingya ethnic violence in Rakhine became extensive, which has transformed into
ethnic cleansing and genocide (Nawoyski, 2013)..."
Source/publisher:
The Indonesian Journal of Southeast Asian Studies
Date of publication:
2018-07-01
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-28
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Discrimination against the Rohingya, Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
1.46 MB
more
Sub-title:
Virtually no Rohingya have volunteered to go back to Myanmar, where the group has faced decades of repression
Description:
"A top-level Myanmar government delegation began repatriation talks with Rohingya leaders in a Bangladesh refugee camp on Saturday, an official said, with many of the Muslim minority fearing for their safety if they return home.
Some 740,000 Rohingya fled a 2017 crackdown by Myanmar’s military and are living in squalid conditions in camps in Bangladesh’s south-eastern border district of Cox’s Bazar.
The two countries signed a repatriation deal in November 2017 but so far virtually no Rohingya have volunteered to go back to Myanmar, where the group has faced decades of repression.
The Myanmar team, led by permanent foreign secretary U Myint Thu, arrived in Cox’s Bazar on Saturday amid tightened security in the camps.
The delegation visited Kutupalong – the world’s largest refugee settlement – where they discussed repatriation with Rohingya community leaders over several hours, said Bangladesh refugee commissioner Mohammad Abul Kalam. “Both parties seemed positive about it and the discussion will continue tomorrow [Sunday],” he said.
One of the Rohingya leaders who joined the talks, Dil Mohammad, said the talks “went well” as he reiterated demands for Myanmar to recognise Rohingya as an ethnic group.
“We hope this discussion will be fruitful. We told them that we won’t return unless we are recognised as Rohingya in Myanmar,” he said..."
Source/publisher:
The Guardian
Date of publication:
2019-07-28
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-28
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
more
Description:
"Rohingya refugees pressed their demand to be granted Myanmar citizenship in a meeting on Saturday with a delegation from Yangon.
The meeting, held at the Cox’s Bazar refugee camp in southeast Bangladesh, is the first between the Myanmar government and Rohingya Muslims since their exodus from their homeland in August 2017 to flee rampaging Buddhiest vigilantes.
The 17-member delegation from Myanmar arrived in Bangladesh on Friday night on a three-day visit to discuss repatriation issues with the refugees. The delegation included five members from ASEAN states led by the permanent secretary of the Myanmar Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Myint Thu.
A 35-member team of Rohingya community leaders participated in the Saturday meeting, which lasted for more than three hours.
The meeting is an outcome of Bangladesh’s efforts to persuade Myanmar to send a delegation to convince the Rohingyas about the situation in Rakhine —the province in Myanmar where most of the refugees came from — to help them decide about repatriation..."
Source/publisher:
ARAB NEWS
Date of publication:
2019-07-28
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-28
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
more
Description:
"UN aid agencies and NGO partners launched the 2019 Joint Response Plan (JRP) for the Rohingya humanitarian crisis, and are seeking to raise USD920 million to meet the massive needs of more than 900,000 refugees from Myanmar and over 330,000 vulnerable Bangladeshis in host communities.
Information for media:
If you would like to use this video to communicate refugee stories or require B-Roll, transcripts, stills or much more information, please contact [email protected]..."
Source/publisher:
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency
Date of publication:
2019-02-15
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-28
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, UN System humanitarian assistance
Language:
more
Description:
"The Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Myanmar travelled to the country from 9 to 18 July. In Yangon, she met with representatives of civil society, think-tanks, eminent personalities and INGOs, the UN country team and the diplomatic corps. She also met with religious leaders, members of the Union Enterprise for Humanitarian Assistance and Development (UEHRD) and members of the former Rakhine Advisory Commission.
In Rakhine she travelled to Myebon and to Sittwe and visited IDP camps from both Rakhine and Muslim communities, as well as resettled Rakhine persons. She met with the representatives of civil society, political parties and members of parliament and the Rakhine State government. She also had discussions with the INGOs and with representatives of the resident UN agencies in Sittwe.
In Nay Pyi Taw, she met with various government officials, including the State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi; the Union Minister for Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement Dr. Win Myat Aye; the Union Minister of Labour, Immigration and Population U Thein Swe; the Union Minister of Education Dr. Myo Thein Gyi; the Union Minister of the State Counsellor’s Office U Kyaw Tint Swe; the Union Minister of International Cooperation U Kyaw Tin, and the Vice-Senior General Soe Win of the Tatmadaw . She also met with members of parliament, in particular, U Aye Tha Aung, the Deputy Speaker of the Amyotha Hluttaw (Upper House) in his capacity as Chair of the Committee for Supporting Peace and Stability in Rakhine State (CSPSRS) together with some members of the Committee, and the Public Complaints Committees of the Amyotha Hluttaw and of the Pyithu Hluttaw (Lower House).
While welcoming the fact that the IDP Camp Closure Strategy had been finalised and was pending distribution, she regretted that for instance in Myebon, where over 80% of the IDPs have citizenship, their freedom of movement remained very limited. In her discussions, issues of security and divisions within and between the communities were raised. She repeatedly underlined the need to overcome them..."
Source/publisher:
Progressive Voice via "UN Special Envoy of the Secretary General on Myanmar"
Date of publication:
2019-07-18
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-26
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, UN System humanitarian assistance
Language:
more
Description:
"As representatives of the international community, we stand together in expressing deep concern about ongoing and undue restrictions on religious freedom, including those on members of minority ethnic and religious groups, in Burma/Myanmar. We call on authorities to uphold the rights protected by Burma/Myanmar’s own Constitution “to freely profess and practice religion” and pursue accountability for those who have denied others these rights. Many of Burma/Myanmar’s religious and ethnic minorities – including Rohingya and other Muslims, Christians in Kachin and Chin States, and Hindus – face discrimination because of their beliefs.
We are appalled by the horrific acts of violence and ethnic cleansing of Rohingya in northern Rakhine State, where Burmese security forces engaged in shocking and brutal violence that caused more than 740,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh and many others to be displaced within Burma/Myanmar. The government continues to commit abuses in Rakhine State and restrict access to citizenship and freedom of movement for the majority of Rohingya who remain in Rakhine State, especially for the more than 127,000 Rohingya in camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in central Rakhine State. We are also troubled by the widespread reports of human right violations and abuses committed by the military in Kachin and Shan States, which have contributed to the displacement of more than 106,000 civilians. In other regions, authorities and armed actors have detained religious leaders on account of their faith, unduly restricted travel and religious practice, destroyed religious property and texts, denied or failed to approve permits for religious buildings and renovations, transferred lands away from minority communities without proper and transparent process, and discriminated on the basis of religion and ethnicity in public employment..."
Source/publisher:
Progressive Voice via "Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom"
Date of publication:
2019-07-18
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-26
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Various rights: reports of violations against several ethnic groups
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
106.04 KB
more
Description:
"The Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Myanmar travelled to the country from 9 to 18 July. In Yangon, she met with representatives of civil society, think-tanks, eminent personalities and INGOs, the UN country team and the diplomatic corps. She also met with religious leaders, members of the Union Enterprise for Humanitarian Assistance and Development (UEHRD) and members of the former Rakhine Advisory Commission.
In Rakhine she travelled to Myebon and to Sittwe and visited IDP camps from both Rakhine and Muslim communities, as well as resettled Rakhine persons. She met with the representatives of civil society, political parties and members of parliament and the Rakhine State government. She also had discussions with the INGOs and with representatives of the resident UN agencies in Sittwe.
In Nay Pyi Taw, she met with various government officials, including the State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi; the Union Minister for Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement Dr. Win Myat Aye; the Union Minister of Labour, Immigration and Population U Thein Swe; the Union Minister of Education Dr. Myo Thein Gyi; the Union Minister of the State Counsellor’s Office U Kyaw Tint Swe; the Union Minister of International Cooperation U Kyaw Tin, and the Vice-Senior General Soe Win of the Tatmadaw . She also met with members of parliament, in particular, U Aye Tha Aung, the Deputy Speaker of the Amyotha Hluttaw (Upper House) in his capacity as Chair of the Committee for Supporting Peace and Stability in Rakhine State (CSPSRS) together with some members of the Committee, and the Public Complaints Committees of the Amyotha Hluttaw and of the Pyithu Hluttaw (Lower House)......ကုသလမဂ္ဂအတွင်းရေးမှူးချုပ်၏ မြန်မာနိုင်ငံဆိုင်ရာ အထူးကိုယ်စားလှယ်သည်မြန်မာနိုင်ငံသို့ဇူလိုင်လ ၉
ရက်နေ့မှ၁၈ ရက်နေ့အထိသွားရောက်ခဲ့သည်။ သူမသည်ရန်ကုန်မြို့တွင်အရပ်ဖက်အဖွဲ့အစည်းများမှ
ကိုယ်စားလှယ်များ၊ တွေးခေါ်မျှော်မြင်ရေးအဖွဲ့များ (think-tanks)၊ ထင်ရှားကျော်ကြားသောပုဂ္ဂိုလ်များ၊
အစိုးရမဟုတ်သော အဖွဲ့အစည်းများ၊ ကုလသမဂ္ဂအဖွဲ့အစည်းများနှင့်သံတမန်တို့နှင့်တွေ့ဆုံခဲ့သည်။
ထို့အပြင်ဘာသာရေးခေါင်းဆောင်များ၊ ရခိုင်ပြည်နယ်တွင်း လူသားချင်းစာနာမှုအကူအညီအထောက်အပံ့
ပေးရေး၊ ပြန်လည်နေရာချထားရေး၊ ဖွံ့ဖြိုးရေးစီမံကိန်း (UEHRD)နှင့်ယခင်ရခိုင်ပြည်နယ်ဆိုင်ရာ အကြံပေး
ကော်မရှင်အဖွဲ့ဝင်များတို့နှင့်ပါ တွေ့ဆုံခဲ့သည်။
ရခိုင်ပြည်နယ်တွင်သူမသည်မြေပုံမြို့နှင့်စစ်တွေမြို့တို့ကိုသွားရောက်ခဲ့ပြီး၊ ရခိုင်နှင့်မွတ်စလင်လူမှု
အသိုင်းအဝိုင်း နှစ်ခုစလုံးမှ နေရပ်စွန့်ခွာသူများ နေထိုင်ရာစခန်းများသို့သွားရောက်ခဲ့သည့်အပြင်၊ ပြန်လည်
နေရာချထားသော ရခိုင်လူမျိုးများကိုလည်း တွေ့ဆုံခဲ့သည်။ ထို့အပြင်သူမသည်အရပ်ဖက်အဖွ့ဲအစည်း
များမှကိုယ်စားလှယ်များ၊ နိုင်ငံရေးပါတီများ၊ လွှတ်တော်အဖွဲ့ဝင်များနှင့်ရခိုင်ပြည်နယ်အစိုးရနှင့်လည်း
တွေ့ဆုံခဲ့သည်။ သူမသည်အစိုးရမဟုတ်သောအဖွဲ့အစည်းများ၊ စစ်တွေမြို့အခြေစိုက်သော ကုသမဂ္ဂ
အဖွဲ့အစည်းများ၏ ကိုယ်စားလှယ်များနှင့်တွေ့ဆုံဆွေးနွေးခဲ့သည်။..."
Source/publisher:
reliefweb via United Nations
Date of publication:
2018-07-19
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-24
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
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64.97 KB 125.21 KB
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Topic:
IUCN Bangladesh along with the UNHCR, has celebrated World Refugee Day 2019 with the displaced Rohingya sheltered in Cox’s Bazar district. Arising a sense of environmental awareness among the refugees was attempted through sports and cultural activities.
Topic:
IUCN Bangladesh along with the UNHCR, has celebrated World Refugee Day 2019 with the displaced Rohingya sheltered in Cox’s Bazar district. Arising a sense of environmental awareness among the refugees was attempted through sports and cultural activities.
Description:
"The celebration was organised to honor the courage and determination of those who have been forced to flee their homes because of conflicts. Cox’s Bazar district in Bangladesh is considered the world’s largest settlement camp with an estimated 745,000 Rohingya refugees taking shelter in the area.
The event included a session on IUCN talking about the importance of elephants in the ecosystem, in the context of the ‘Biodiversity conflict mitigation around the refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar District’ project implemented by IUCN and UNHCR. It also included talks on the role of forests, with emphasis on the negative impacts of deforestation. The talks were held at Camp four and attended by 400 members from the project’s Elephant Response Teams (ERTs). The main highlight of the event was the inauguration of an environmental youth club which had 20 members. With IUCN's assistance, the club will conduct environmental awareness and management-related activities within the camps and the host communities.
The one-day event was filled with fun and entertainment for the refugees. The refuges participated in football matches, sack races, and sprints. Participants also engaged in activities such as puppet making, pot breaking, pillow passing, biscuit picking from a rope, and frog jumping. Children also recited Burmese and English poems, as part of a play. In a break with tradition, elder Rohingya women also participated in the games. The event ended with a prize-giving ceremony and a cultural programme. Paul Maccalion, Senior Energy and Environment Officer, UNHCR appreciated the endeavor of gender inclusion through the programme.
‘Many thanks to IUCN to arrange this multidimensional programme taking together the female and children. Hope refugees will apply the learning from here and engage themselves and will encourage their neighbors in environmental awareness activities.’ He said.
Since 2018, UNHCR and IUCN have been partners in the implementation of a project to minimize the conflicts between elephants and refugees in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. The Katupalong of Ukhia in the Cox’s Bazar district is known as a migration corridor for Asian elephants traveling from Bangladesh to Myanmar and vice versa. With the influx of Rohingya refugees from Rakhine District of Myanmar into the area, several conflicts between humans and elephants have been reported. These conflicts resulted in human deaths since September 2017. Through the project, road signs along the elephant migration routes were installed to lessen elephant and human encounters. Elephant Response Teams (ERTs) were organised to oversee human-elephant mitigation options. The project also aims to increase the awareness of the camps on the importance of biodiversity, and forests..."
Source/publisher:
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
Date of publication:
2019-07-07
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-21
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
more
Description:
"Burma Human Rights Network applauds the July 3rd statements at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva by the UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar, Yanghee Lee. In her statements to the council, the Special Rapporteur directed strong criticism against both the Burmese Military and Government for crimes committed in conflict and systematic failures and abuses by the central government and authorities.
“Ms. Lee’s statements are greatly appreciated in a time where many in the international community struggle to speak the truth. Her acknowledgment of the ongoing crimes and wrongs done to religious and ethnic minorities is heartening for these communities to know that they have not been forgotten”, said BHRN’s Executive Director, Kyaw Win.
Among her many criticisms, Ms. Lee called out the Burmese Government’s discrimination and harassment of Burmese Muslims, atrocities carried out by the Burmese Military in Rakhine State, attacks and arrests of peaceful protesters and activists, and the governments major shortcomings in business pursuits negatively impacting the environment and safety of villagers in affected areas. Ms. Lee also took the time to remind the world of the dire situation of the Rohingya living as refugees in Bangladesh who continue to suffer as the world neglects their needs.
Most importantly, Ms. Lee reiterated a call for Burma to be referred to the International Criminal Court for crimes outlined in her statements.
BHRN urges Ms. Lee to also address further the issue of Burmese Muslims living on the Thai side of the border who have been denied citizenship and documentation by Burma, leaving them in limbo and vulnerable to undo punishment by Thai authorities.
The international community should hear Ms. Lee’s calls and act upon them. The recommendation to refer Burma to the ICC or the establishment of a separate tribunal is both necessary and just. The powers of the world should act to pursue these referrals and ensure they can pass. The international community must cease business as usual with Burma as long as these crimes are ongoing and until justice is obtained for the victims of their crimes. While many hoped for reform in Burma with the rise of the National League for Democracy, it is past time that we view the country with clear eyes and admit that the free and democratic Burma the world hoped would emerge will not come from the current establishment..."
Source/publisher:
Progressive Voice via "Burma Human Rights Network"
Date of publication:
2019-07-08
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-20
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Discrimination against the Rohingya
Language:
Format :
pdf
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84.2 KB
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Description:
"The Burma Human Rights Network, in cooperation with Queen Mary University of London’s International State Crime Initiative, is proud to reveal its latest report, NVC: A Barrier To Rohingya Repatriation focusing on Burma’s deeply troubling National Verification Card (NVC) process. The NVC is often portrayed as a stepping stone to citizenship for the Rohingya but BHRN believes this process to further marginalize the Rohingya and that it ultimately enhances apartheid conditions in Rakhine State. BHRN disputes claims by the Burmese authorities that the NVC is being used as a stepping stone to citizenship for the Rohingya or that it has any useful purpose as a tool to verify the identities of returning refugees.
“Burma has convinced many in the world that the NVC process will help the Rohingya to become citizens and grant them greater rights in the country but this is clearly false. The NVC has been in use for years as a tool to identify Rohingya as foreigners and they have not received any greater rights as a result. The international community must not go along with Burma on this endeavor and should instead insist upon citizenship and full rights for the Rohingya,” said BHRN’s executive director, Kyaw Win.
For this report, BHRN interviewed 25 Rohingyas. In Bangladesh, BHRN interviewed 18 refugees, 5 from Buthidaung, 6 from Maungdaw and 7 from Ratheadaung about the extensive documentation the Burmese authorities have of Rohingya who lived in Northern Rakhine State since the 1990s as part of an annual survey conducted by authorities called “SweTinSit.” BHRN interviewed an additional 7 Rohingya currently living inside of Burma, both with and without National Verification Cards, about how the identification system has affected their day to day lives and the pressures they were under to accept them.
The SweTinSit survey demonstrates that Burma has extensive records of Rohingya living in the state prior to the mass exoduses of Rohingya fleeing genocidal campaigns by the Burmese Military in 2016 and 2017. These records negate the need for NVC to verify returning refugees as they contain extensive records of who is to return and what their original locations were. These records also detail births of Rohingya inside of Burma whose claims to citizenship should be unquestionable..."
Source/publisher:
Progressive Voice via "Burma Human Rights Network"
Date of publication:
2019-07-11
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-20
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Laws, decrees, bills and regulations relating to nationality, citizenship and immigration (commentary)
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pdf
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1.8 MB
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Description:
"Mr. President,
We thank the High Commissioner for her update.
Crimes against humanity are ongoing against the estimated 600,000 Rohingya still living in Rakhine State, in the form of the systematic denial of their rights, including to equality, to a nationality, to freedom of movement, and access to adequate healthcare, education, and work opportunities. Their rights to participate in public life and to manifest religious beliefs continue to be routinely violated in what amounts to a system of apartheid.1
We are appalled that seven years after they were forced from their homes some 128,000 people – mostly Rohingya – remain confined to squalid detention camps within Rakhine State, reliant on humanitarian assistance for their survival.
The Myanmar authorities have not engaged in genuine efforts to implement recommendations of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State, led by the late Dr. Kofi Annan. The authorities claim to be implementing 81 of the report’s 88 recommendations, however the reality on the ground is very different. Humanitarian access and access for independent journalists and human rights monitors remains severely restricted, and Rohingya and other Muslim communities are systematically discriminated against and do not have freedom of movement. There has been no progress in restoring Rohingya’s citizenship rights or reviewing the deeply discriminatory 1982 Citizenship Law.
Mr. President,
Since the start of 2019 there has been major escalation in fighting between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army, an ethnic Rakhine armed group, in Rakhine State. Amnesty International has documented serious violations – including war crimes – by the military against civilians from all communities, including the Rohingya.2
These new violations highlight the institutionalised and systematic nature of military violations in Myanmar, as well as the consequences of ongoing impunity. Indeed, some recent violations have been committed by soldiers from the same units implicated in atrocities against the Rohingya population in late 2017.
Since 21 June 2019, Myanmar authorities have shut down internet access in conflict-affected areas of Rakhine and Chin States. The situation has created an information black hole and raises urgent concerns about the safety of civilians given the ongoing conflict.3
Rakhine State is not safe for the communities still living there, it is most certainly not safe for refugees to return to.
Madam High Commissioner,
Given the conclusions of the Rosenthal report, which found “systemic and structural” UN failures in Myanmar,4 how do you think the UN can better integrate human rights into its work in the country and beyond?
Thank you, Mr. President..."
Source/publisher:
Progressive Voice via "Amnesty International" (AI Index: ASA 16/0642/2019)
Date of publication:
2019-07-10
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-20
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Human rights policies of various actors in Burma/Myanmar
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
334.36 KB
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Description:
"The Burma Human Rights Network is extremely alarmed by the continued fighting, deaths of individuals in the custody of Burmese authorities, and worsening humanitarian situation in Rakhine State amid the conflict between the Burmese Military and the ethnic insurgent group, the Arakan Army. The conflict in Rakhine stems from the conflict in Burma’s Kachin State, where the Arakan Army first formed, but spread to Rakhine State and worsened significantly over the past year. Most recently a 28-year-old man named Zaw Win Hline died under suspicious circumstances while in military custody in Rakhine’s Mrauk U Township. He is the 14th civilian to die in military custody in Rakhine State this year, according to The Irrawaddy.
“The number of civilian deaths, reports of torture, arbitrary arrests, and worsening humanitarian situation should be alarming for the entire international community. The issue has seldom been raised and Burma has not been held to account for their continued violations of human rights and international norms. The international community should act now, to avoid repeating the mistakes of past inaction,’ said BHRN’s executive director, Kyaw Win.
As fighting carries on in Rakhine State, BHRN has received continued reports of torture, indiscriminate attacks by security forces against civilians, arbitrary arrests, attacks on religious places, the use of land mines, and injuries or deaths resulting from unexploded artillery shells. At the same time, internally displaced persons (IDPs) are reporting shortages of food and aid due to restrictions related to the conflict. IDPs near Mrauk U Township also complained of flooding during recent rains, which is likely to worsen as the rainy season continues. Rohingya refugees living in northern Rakhine State are also suffering from significant aid shortages, many of them since 2017 when the Burmese army engaged in a genocidal campaign against the minority.
In light of recent revelations about the UN’s failure to avoid catastrophes in Rakhine State in recent years, it is imperative that the International Community act now to avoid repeating the same mistakes. Burma must allow full and unhindered access for NGOs operating in Rakhine State and all civilians must have access to aid. The use of sanctions against the Burmese Military and their business associates should be utilized without hesitation until human rights violations cease. The international community should also take steps to negotiate a ceasefire between the Burmese Army and the Arakan Army and move to have the Burmese include the Arakan Army in existing treaties with other insurgent groups throughout the country. Finally, ASEAN nations have a particularly important role to play in influencing Burma’s behavior, as they will most likely have to bear the consequences of new refugees created by the conflict fleeing by land or boat..."
Source/publisher:
Progressive Voice via "Burma Human Rights Network"
Date of publication:
2019-07-09
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-20
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Armed conflict in Rakhine (Arakan) State
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
84.29 KB
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Description:
"The situation of the Rohingya community remains dire. More than 730,000 Rohingya men, women and children continue to be confined to desperate humanitarian conditions in Bangladesh, whose government’s efforts in hosting the refugee community in Cox’s Bazar is to be saluted and commended. And as OHCHR continues to document, Rohingya continue to flee northern Rakhine State, who report ongoing serious discrimination, and continuous and systematic violations of their fundamental rights and freedoms.
While the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Government of Myanmar, UNHCR and UNDP on the return of the Rohingya population was extended for an additional year on 28 May 2019, the conditions conducive for refugee return simply do not yet exist and the implementation of programs under the MoU have been tightly constrained.
The Government of Myanmar has taken some steps to implement some recommendations made by the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State (appointed by the Government) but has yet to tackle the most fundamental issues that must be addressed if the requisite enabling environment for returns is to be in place.
Excellencies,
In northern Rakhine State, around 240,000 Rohingya remain from a previous population of approximately one million. Verifying their situation remains difficult due to lack of access by OHCHR and other international actors. However, we continue to receive and verify reports from a variety of sources, including reports on Sexual and Gender Based Violence related cases allegedly committed by members of the security forces.
In a continuation of attacks, it was reported that on 2 and 9 May 2019 Rohingya homes and shops were burned in Maungdaw and Buthidaung townships. Later, on 28 May 2019, reports alleged that the remaining Rohingya houses in Taung Bazar, Buthidaung township, were also burned to the ground. Our information suggests that the authorities have taken no steps to investigate these attacks.
Disappearances of Rohingya continue to be reported. In May, a Rohingya man newly arrived in Bangladesh, told my colleagues that he fled Myanmar rather than comply with a summons he and three other individuals received to report to the local police station. The three others did report to the police station and their families have not heard from them since.
OHCHR has received numerous reports that Rohingya face harassment, threats, physical violence and at times restrictions on their freedom of movement when they leave their residences to try to farm their lands, fish or conduct their businesses. This also limits their access to essential, life sustaining services, including to humanitarian assistance on which many now depend.
In another concerning development, it was reported that the authorities in northern Rakhine State went house-to-house in January to revise the official household registration lists, allegedly removing the names of those not present. If substantiated, the ramifications of this intervention are very serious. For many Rohingya, the household registration lists may be the only official record that establishes their place of origin and rights to their property within Myanmar. Without such proof of residence, returning to their places of origin or reclaim of their property may well be impossible while access to basic services, including healthcare, education, or other essential Government services can be denied.
The situation of the estimated 126,000 Rohingya, mostly IDPs, who live in central Rakhine is of equal concern. The appalling living conditions that they are forced to endure – lack of access to basic services, including poor levels of nutrition, water, adequate shelter, healthcare, and education – are once again more acute during the monsoon season..."
Source/publisher:
Progressive Voice via "UN High Commissioner for Human Rights"
Date of publication:
2019-07-10
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-20
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
more
Description:
"Since arriving to Bangladesh after the August 2017 crisis that forced them to flee their native Myanmar, Rohingya refugees have attempted to rebuild a semblance of normalcy in the squalid camps of Cox’s Bazar District. By 2019, a measure of stability has been achieved, with humanitarian agencies meeting the minimum survival needs of the 700,000 new refugees for food, shelter, water, and basic health care services. In contrast to the improvements in these sectors, refugees’ education needs remain largely unmet. The Government of Bangladesh restricts formal schooling for refugee children and youth; the lack of education has become a major source of concern and despair for refugees. In response, numerous refugee-led networks of community teachers have formed in an attempt to fill the gap in formal education.
A mapping study consisting of survey and interview components was undertaken in March and April 2019 to identify these networks and learn about their role within the refugee community. The networks surveyed comprise 373 teachers educating 9,848 schoolchildren, mainly primary learners but spanning ages 3 to 23. These teachers, many of whom arrived in Bangladesh with significant prior teaching experience, represent a pool of human resources dedicated to improving camp education. They could be engaged by humanitarian agencies working in the education sector to benefit the overall education situation for refugees.
While agencies navigate a highly politicized and complex context throughout each step of camp education planning, community-led education networks operate informally within a comparatively relaxed environment at camp level. While none have formal permission to work, many have received verbal permission from camp government authorities and operate openly. Many utilize the Myanmar government curriculum and state that it is a high priority to continue doing so, viewing adherence to the Myanmar education system as a way to prepare for future repatriation. Few of these education networks have had contact with humanitarian agencies. They are however keen to build external relationships, particularly if doing so enables them to participate in camp education planning and to access resources such as teaching materials, financial support, and teacher training..."
Source/publisher:
Progressive Voice via "Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO)"
Date of publication:
2019-07-09
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-20
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Education and training of migrants and refugees from Burma, Children
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
824.48 KB
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Description:
"I have just completed my mission to Myanmar’s neighbours Thailand and Malaysia. I thank the Governments of both countries for facilitating my visit.
Myanmar continues to deny my access; however as I am mandated by the Human Rights Council, I continue to collect information regarding the human rights situation in Myanmar, including from people on the ground. My meetings with different interlocutors in both Thailand and Malaysia have provided me with ample information for my update to the Human Rights Council in September and my report to the General Assembly in October, some of which I will share with you today.
Following my visit, it is extremely clear to me that the human rights situation of Myanmar has created and is continuing to create, serious regional issues for South and South East Asia. These issues include for example, the existence of nearly 1.5 million refugees from Myanmar in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand; trafficking and smuggling of people from Myanmar through the region; and the drug trade within and outside the region. It is incumbent on Myanmar’s neighbours to acknowledge these most serious issues, that Myanmar has produced them and that they continue to have significant impacts on countries in the region.
It is of great concern to me that Myanmar appears to be increasing pressure and engaging the Governments of neighbouring countries in its efforts to violate rights and avoid scrutiny. This includes obstructing me in carrying out my mandate. While I was in Thailand, I had to abort part of my visit due to interference. This is very serious and not to be taken lightly.
Additionally, while I was in Thailand, I was extremely disturbed to hear about Singapore’s deportation of six Myanmar nationals whom they claim to have been supporting the Arakan Army (AA). The six were arrested upon their return to Myanmar, and I am told that they are now detained incommunicado. I am extremely concerned about their situation, in view of recent cases of deaths of Rakhine men while in custody on suspicion of association with the Arakan Army in Rakhine State. I am also worried about the fate of their families and other Rakhine people living in Singapore. I urge Singapore to uphold its customary international law obligation not to return people to where they would be in danger of being subjected to torture.
The conflict between the Tatmadaw and the AA is raging on, and the reports I have received indicate that human rights violations and abuses against the civilian population are worsening. The Government ordered mobile internet shutdown in nine townships in northern Rakhine and southern Chin has been in place for nearly a month now – this is unprecedented and it is also unacceptable. As you know, it is now monsoon season in Myanmar and there have been terrible floods in three townships in Rakhine State. There is no access to mobile internet in any of those townships, meaning that people were not adequately prepared for or warned of the floods that occurred. This has resulted in displacement and houses being destroyed. Humanitarian actors and natural disaster responders, including Government actors, were impeded by the lack of internet access, rendering the Government’s disaster preparedness planning ineffective. The question is, did the Myanmar Government impose the internet ban to inflict more harm on the people living in Rakhine?
The internet blackout has also prevented individuals wanting to engage with me from being able to make contact. It is challenging to get information on what is happening on the ground under these circumstances, but I have been told that three villages in Rakhine have been burned down by the Tatmadaw in the last two weeks. We have seen this before. We saw it happen to minorities in Shan and Kayin States in the 1990s and 2000s. We saw it happen to the Rohingya in 2016 and 2017. And we are seeing it happen to other minorities in Rakhine State now..."
Source/publisher:
reliefweb via UN Human Rights Council
Date of publication:
2019-07-18
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-19
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Armed conflict in Rakhine (Arakan) State, Human rights issues, UN human rights bodies and mechanisms, ASEAN-Burma relations
Language:
more
Sub-title:
Washington ups pressure on Naypyitaw by sanctioning Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and three other top military officers
Description:
"The United States on Tuesday banned visits by Myanmar’s army chief and three other top officers due to their role in the “ethnic cleansing” of the Rohingya minority, urging accountability for their brutal campaign.
The State Department said it took action against army chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and the others after finding credible evidence they were involved in the violence two years ago that led about 740,000 Rohingya to flee across the border to Bangladesh.
“With this announcement, the United States is the first government to publicly take action with respect to the most senior leadership of the Burmese military,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, referring to the country’s previous name.
“We remain concerned that the Burmese government has taken no actions to hold accountable those responsible for human rights violations and abuses, and there are continued reports of the Burmese military committing human rights violations and abuses throughout the country,” he said in a statement.
The sanctions are the most visible sign of US disappointment with Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, since it launched political reforms in 2011, with the military junta reconciling with Washington and eventually allowing an elected political leadership.
Also sanctioned were Deputy Commander-in-Chief Soe Win, Brigadier General Than Oo and Brigadier General Aung Aung as well as the families of all four officers.
Buddhist-majority Myanmar refuses to grant the mostly Muslim Rohingya citizenship or basic rights and refers to them as “Bengalis,” inferring that the Rohingya are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.
UN investigators say the violence warrants the prosecution of top generals for “genocide” and the International Criminal Court has started a preliminary probe..."
Source/publisher:
"Asia Times"
Date of publication:
2019-07-17
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-17
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), US State Dept. - reports on human rights in Burma, Discrimination against the Rohingya, USA-Burma relations
Language:
more
Sub-title:
Steps are the strongest the country has taken in response to massacres of minority Rohingya in 2017
Description:
"Mike Pompeo, the US secretary of state, has announced sanctions on the Myanmar military’s commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing and other military leaders over extrajudicial killings of Rohingya Muslims, barring them from entry to the United States.
The steps, which also covered Min Aung Hlaing’s deputy, Soe Win, and two other senior commanders and their families, are the strongest the United States has taken in response to massacres of minority Rohingya in Myanmar, also known as Burma.
“We remain concerned that the Burmese government has taken no actions to hold accountable those responsible for human rights violations and abuses, and there are continued reports of the Burmese military committing human rights violations and abuses throughout the country,” Pompeo said in a statement.
He said a recent disclosure that Min Aung Hlaing ordered the release of soldiers convicted of extrajudicial killings at the village of Inn Din during the ethnic cleansing of Rohingya in 2017 was “one egregious example of the continued and severe lack of accountability for the military and its senior leadership.”
“The commander-in-chief released these criminals after only months in prison, while the journalists who told the world about the killings in Inn Din were jailed for more than 500 days,” Pompeo said..."
Source/publisher:
"The Guardian"
Date of publication:
2019-07-17
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-17
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), US State Dept. - reports on human rights in Burma, Discrimination against the Rohingya, USA-Burma relations
Language:
more
Description:
"The State Department on Tuesday sanctioned four top Myanmar military officials for human rights abuses against the Rohingya population in the country's northern Rakhine State.
In a statement, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the officials were responsible "for gross human rights violations," including extrajudicial killings, during the campaign of violence beginning in August 2017. Under the designations, Commander-in-Chief of Myanmar's Armed Forces Min Aung Hlaing, Deputy Commander-in-Chief Soe Win, Brigadier General Than Oo, Brigadier General Aung Aung and their families will not be permitted to enter the United States.
A senior State Department official told reporters Tuesday that they believe the designations "send a message to other Burmese officials that should they commit atrocities or other serious human rights abuses, there will be consequences under US law." However, in a statement, Pompeo noted that the US remains "concerned that the Burmese government has taken no actions to hold accountable those responsible for human rights violations and abuses, and there are continued reports of the Burmese military committing human rights violations and abuses throughout the country." The violence against the Rohingya was "extreme, large-scale, widespread, and seemingly geared toward both terrorizing the population and driving out the Rohingya residents," a US State Department report from September 2018 found.
The report suggested that Myanmar's security forces engaged in a "well planned and coordinated" campaign of violence against the Muslim minority that included mass killings, sexual violence and destruction of villages. Information collected by a UN fact-finding mission "suggests that the estimate of up to 10,000 deaths is a conservative one," their extensive report from August 2018 noted. Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees fled into neighboring Bangladesh. As of June, more than 900,000 remain in Cox's Bazar, according to a UN report..."
Source/publisher:
"CNN"
Date of publication:
2019-07-16
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-17
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), US State Dept. - reports on human rights in Burma, Discrimination against the Rohingya, USA-Burma relations
Language:
more
Sub-title:
Donor Support Critical for Refugees’ Safety, Protection
Description:
Rohingya refugees in crowded camps in Bangladesh are at serious risk of displacement and injury from monsoon flooding and landslides, Human Rights Watch said today. Since early July 2019, flooding and landslides have displaced nearly 6,000 refugees in the camps near Cox’s Bazar, damaged over 3,500 shelters, and killed two people, including a child.
The International Organization for Migration reported over 400 landslides, 60 windstorms, and at least 28 incidents of flooding in the first 10 days of July, affecting over 22,000 people. Bangladesh authorities should relocate Rohingya refugees to safer areas near the refugee camps and allow permanent structures inside the camps for protection during heavy monsoon seasons, Human Rights Watch said.
“Monsoons and landslides are making the Rohingya refugees’ difficult situation even more precarious,” said Bill Frelick, refugee rights director at Human Rights Watch. “Support to Bangladesh from donor governments is crucial for making sure there will be continuing assistance to the refugee population.”
Myanmar’s campaign of ethnic cleansing, beginning August 2017, forced over 740,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee to neighboring Bangladesh. The Myanmar government’s unwillingness to address the systemic persecution and other serious rights violations against the Rohingya leaves the refugees stranded in Bangladesh without prospects for a safe or dignified return in the foreseeable future.
Over the past two years, aid agencies have improved shelter conditions, built safer infrastructure, and developed monsoon preparedness in the camps. However, the humanitarian response remains critically underfunded. The 2019 Joint Response Plan for the Rohingya humanitarian crisis has received only a third, or US$301 million, of the $920 million needed to meet the needs of the Rohingya refugees and host communities in Bangladesh this year. The Joint Response Plan notes that, “The shelter materials and disaster risk reduction training provided to the refugees in 2018 are insufficient for protection against adverse weather conditions.”
Earlier in July, Human Rights Watch spoke to 10 Rohingya refugees across four settlements within the Kutupalong-Balukhali Expansion Camp. All expressed concerns about inadequate assistance. They described a shortage of drinking water and a looming health crisis due to flooded toilets, which foster disease outbreaks. Several learning centers have been inundated and children have stopped attending because of muddy conditions in their classrooms. UNICEF reported that the education of 60,000 children has been interrupted, with over 750 learning centers partially damaged and 5 heavily damaged.
One of the refugees interviewed said that when a group of refugees approached a Bangladeshi camp official after several homes were destroyed, he told them not to complain. “We have been taking shelter in nearby Bangladeshi schools or with relatives,” the man said.
Source/publisher:
Human Rights Watch
Date of publication:
2019-07-12
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-14
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Discrimination against the Rohingya
Language:
more
Sub-title:
Squalid and bulging refugee camps in Bangladesh risk morphing into epicenters of extremism similar to those seen in Palestine in the Middle East
Description:
"Myanmar’s Rohingya refugee crisis, characterized by United Nations’ investigators as “ethnic cleansing” with possible “genocidal intent”, could finally be redounding on the country’s powerful and autonomous top brass.
But while Western nations press to penalize Myanmar’s latest abuses, definitively ending a short-lived engagement with the long-isolated county, neighboring states are taking a more self-interested approach.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) at The Hague said last month that it plans to initiate pre-trial procedures which could lead to legal action against Myanmar’s military leaders for mass atrocities.
A conviction against top soldiers, including military commander Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, could spur renewed Western sanctions, soon after the US and European Union lifted their previous punitive measures in diplomatic reward for implementing democratic reforms.
The government in Naypyitaw is clearly in damage control mode. Reports suggest it will send a delegation to Cox’s Bazar in southeastern Bangladesh, where at least 700,000 Rohingya refugees have been housed in squalid camps since being driven out of Myanmar in 2016 and 2017..."
Source/publisher:
Asia Times
Date of publication:
2019-07-11
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-14
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Discrimination against the Rohingya
Language:
more
Sub-title:
Oral statement delivered by Amnesty International during the interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar at the 41st session of the UN Human Rights Council
Description:
"Oral statement delivered by Amnesty International during the interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar at the 41st session of the UN Human Rights Council.
Mr. President,
We thank the Special Rapporteur for her update. We agree that the human rights situation in Myanmar remains critical.
In Rakhine State, there has been a major escalation in fighting between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army, an ethnic Rakhine armed group, since January 2019. Amnesty International has documented serious violations by the military against civilians, including unlawful attacks, arbitrary arrests, torture and other ill-treatment, enforced disappearances, extrajudicial executions, and forced labour. All communities – including Rakhine, Rohingya, Mro, Khami, and Chin – are being affected, regardless of their ethnicity and religion.1
Similarly serious violations are also ongoing in Kachin and Shan States in northern Myanmar, despite the announcement of a temporary ceasefire by the military in December 2018, recently extended by two months until 31 August 2019. These include unlawful killings, arbitrary arrests, torture and ill-treatment, and the use of landmines.
These ongoing violations show the consequences of ongoing impunity for a military which stands accused of crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide. The prospect of meaningful justice and accountability in Myanmar is currently almost non-existent. We urge the Council to continue to explore all avenues for international justice and support the swift operationalization of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM).
Mr. President,
There is a worrying erosion of the freedoms of expression, association, and peaceful assembly across the country, and we are concerned by a surge in politically-motivated arrests and imprisonment in recent months.
Filmmaker Min Htin Ko Ko Gyi has been detained since 12 April 2019 for criticising the military’s role in politics on social media,2 while Rakhine journalist Aung Marm Oo is hiding after learning – through the media – that he faces criminal charges under Myanmar’s notorious Unlawful Associations Act.3
Politically-motivated arrests and detention are made possible by a range of laws which have long been criticised for violating the rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly. Repealing or else amending these laws is one area where the current civilian-led government could make important progress, but with less than 18 months until general elections, time is running out.
Ms. Lee,
Given continuing violations in the country and the authorities’ refusal to cooperate with UN human rights mechanisms, including your mandate, what additional measures do you think this Council should take to address the situation?..."
Source/publisher:
Amnesty International
Date of publication:
2019-07-03
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-12
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Peace processes, ceasefires and ceasefire talks (websites, documents, reports and studies), Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Human rights issues, UN human rights bodies and mechanisms, Racial or ethnic discrimination in Burma: reports of violations against several groups
Language:
more
Description:
"Background: There are many problems related to statelessness and refugees in Asia, among which are the following: Assam in India; Myanmar-Thailand border; and Rohingyas in Myanmar. The Muslim majority Rohingyas have been living in the Rakhine state for as long as they, their parents, their grandparents, and their great grandparents can remember. Their land is in between Bangladesh on its west and the rest of Myanmar on its east. Myanmar is home to a multiplicity of ethnicities, religions, and languages.
Research Questions: This paper responds to the following queries regarding the Rohingya refugee crisis:
1. What are the historical and current contexts that gave rise to the Rohingya crisis?
2. What were the causes and effects of the problem?
3. What are the proposed actions to resolve the current crisis?
Objective: To answer the above questions, this paper presents the contexts, problems, and proposed solutions related to the Rohingya crisis.
Literature Search: Since this crisis is still brewing, there is a gap in the academic journal on this matter, which this paper seeks to fill. Most of the literature cited are from the news media outlets, such as The Atlantic, BBC, Democracy Now, El Diario, Frontline PBS, The Guardian, El Mundo, El País, New York Times, and the Washington Post, to name a few. Insider views from Myanmar are also cited, including publication in the English language, such as the Irrawaddy. From the news sources reviewed, this paper analyzes, organizes, and synthesizes the current state of the literature about the Rohingya refugee crisis, which scrutinizes (1) the historical and current contexts, (2) the causes and effects of the problem which emerged, and (3) the proposed agenda to solve the refugee crisis besetting the Rohingyas. The central focus of this paper was the major events surrounding the refugee crisis which took place in 2017, looking back at the historical contexts that led to this situation as well as the synthesizing the major proposals to solve this refugee crisis..."
Source/publisher:
Literature Search
Date of publication:
2019-00-00
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-12
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
359.96 KB
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Description:
"The situation of human rights in Myanmar[1] is increasingly deteriorating with the Myanmar military becoming evermore emboldened to act with impunity, continuing to evade accountability for the grave crimes they have committed in Rakhine State. Just days after the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar delivered her oral statement at the 41st Regular Session of the UN Human Rights Council, warning of possible fresh war crimes being committed under the blackout of information due to the ongoing internet shutdown, reports of the military burning down villages emerged as civilians, such Zaw Win Hline who was tortured, continue to die while in military custody.
Fifteen days after the Myanmar government shut down the internet in eight townships in Rakhine State and in Paletwa Township in Chin State, the Myanmar military burned down villages in Rathedaung Township as they carried out “clearance operations” against the ethnic armed organization, the Arakan Army (AA). A school teacher residing in Amyet Taung Village where the Myanmar military torched homes stated that while the Myanmar military assumed AA members were residing in the village, this “wasn’t true” and that “It [the attacks] only affects the civilians…The villagers are now fleeing their homes and are in trouble.”
While the Myanmar military steps up its presence in Rakhine State as they conduct such heinous operations, they have also continued to arrest and detain those suspected of being members of the AA. Most recently, a local resident from Shwe Tun Phyu Village in Mrauk-U Township, Zaw Win Hline, was arrested by the Myanmar military on 20 June, 2019, suspected of being a member of the AA. He died on June 24th after being subjected to several days of interrogation and torture. According to his mother, when he was brought to the Sittwe hospital having sustained severe injuries, he was vomiting blood and unable to eat or drink water. Reportedly his last words, “Don’t give me water, Mom. I will not last long. My organs are badly damaged. I can’t breathe. Don’t give me water, Mom. I have to go,” were shared widely on the internet drawing outrage among rights activists, sparking a campaign demanding justice. According to reports, soldiers had beaten him with packed stones in a longyi (traditional Burmese sarong) on his back and chest.
Such cases of torture, as well as extrajudicial killings and arbitrary arrests that continue to be reported widely in Rakhine State, constitute war crimes under international law. According to reports by Radio Free Asia, some 14 civilians have died in custody of the military or the police since March 2019 during the intensification of the Rakhine conflict. Meanwhile, the Myanmar Police Force has filed charges against four of the top leaders of the AA under the Counter-Terrorism Law. This is the first time leaders of any ethnic armed organization have been charged under the Counter-Terrorism Law.
The Myanmar military is also becoming evermore intolerant of criticisms against them. A report by Athan, a freedom of expression activist organization, found that the Myanmar military has sued nearly 80 individuals over a three and a half year period, with numbers surging in the past three months. Many have been charged under the outdated and repressive colonial-era penal code – Article 505(a) – and are accused of “causing or intending to cause members of the armed forces to mutiny, fail or disregard their duties.” In addition, there is a wider trend of increasing numbers of political prisoners under the National League for Democracy-led government. The recent numbers of political prisoners documented by the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners indicate a total of 466 political prisoners with 34 currently serving their sentences, 161 awaiting trial inside prison and 271 awaiting trial outside prison. This is an increase of 78 political prisoners since last month.
Meanwhile, Christopher Sidoti, a member of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar (IIFFMM) has likened the conditions for Rohingya internally displaced person’s camps in Rakhine State to a Nazi concentration camp. Speaking on the continuing restrictions on the freedom of movement for the Rohingya, he stated “What has happened in the past two years has strengthened the genocidal intent.” His comments come as the IIFFMM prepares their report to the Human Rights Council, which will be delivered at the upcoming 42nd Regular Session in September 2019..."
Source/publisher:
Progressive Voice
Date of publication:
2019-07-11
Date of entry/update:
2019-07-11
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Armed conflict in Rakhine (Arakan) State, Discrimination against the Rakhine
Language:
more
Description:
"A meeting between Dr. Win Myat
Aye, UEHRD Vice Chairman (1),
UEHRD committee members
and Task Forces was held at
the National Reconciliation and
Peace Center in Yangon yesterday
afternoon. Dr. Win Myat Aye
is also the Union Minister for
Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement.
(UEHRD – Union
Enterprise for Humanitarian
Assistance, Resettlement and
Development in Rakhine).
At the meeting, Union
Minister U Kyaw Tint Swe said
UEHRD was a national movement
that included ministerial departments,
responsible officials
from the government and business
persons from the private
sector. Without the cooperation
and participation of persons from
all walks of life, UEHRD projects
would not reach their respective
goals. He thanked UEHRD committee
members and all Task
Forces for participating in this
important venture on behalf of
the State Counsellor and on his
own behalf.
Next, Union Minister Dr. Win
Myat Aye said that the UEHRD
was an important initiative that
came about due to the requirement
of the country. It was a national
movement implemented
under the leadership of the Union
Government with the cooperation
of the people, private sector, local
NGOs and CSOs, partner countries,
United Nations agencies
and INGOs. The goal of the Union
Government was establishment
of a Democratic Federal Republic
where the entire people achieve
equality. Equality meant fulfilling
where required and raising the
development standard of certain
states such as Chin and Rakhine
State. Rakhine State was such
a place required much needed
development assistance. Complications
and challenges had occurred
or existed for close to 70
years and thus many difficulties
were faced in creating changes.
It was a pleasure to see that
UEHRD committee task force
leaders and members were working
for the benefit of the people.
ASEAN had conducted preliminary
assessment to cooperate
with Myanmar in the repatriation
process and was implementing
the three future work processes
of raising the capacity of government
departments, conducting
repatriation works, distribution
of news and information and implementing
development works.
It was important to show the
world how UEHRD Task Forces
were cooperating and coordinating
with countries of the ASEAN
region in Rakhine State. All were
urged to participate in working
for socio-economic development,
social cohesion and rule of law in
Rakhine State.
Afterwards, Union of Myanmar
Federation of Chambers of
Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI)
secretary general U Aung
Kyi Soe explained about how UMFCCI
has been providing support
for development of economic enterprises
in Rakhine State with
UEHRD Task Forces, Rakhine
State Chambers of Commerce
and Industry, merchants and industrialist
association.
Later, U Toe Aung, Advisor
to UEHRD Chairperson said that
UEHRD initiative was a very important
enterprise implemented
by the Union Government.
Although there were international
criticisms about Rakhine
State affairs, the criticisms could
not increase further due to the
UEHRD committee and Task
Forces working hand in hand.
Future work processes were to
be conducted in accordance with
the present situation and efforts
were made to provide news and
information of works conducted
to be made known internationally.
The day’s meeting was held in order
to implement more UEHRD
projects, he said.
This was followed by
UEHRD Task Forces members
making brief presentations about
their respective tasks, difficulties
faced and future works.
Chief Coordinator Dr. Aung
Tun Thet then said UEHRD was
facing a lot of international pressures
and discussed about works
conducted in Rakhine State with
Task Forces.
The meeting came to a close
after Union Minister Dr. Win
Myat Aye delivered a concluding
speech.
The meeting was attended
by the following persons:
Union Minister U Kyaw Tint
Swe from the Ministry of the Office
of the State Counsellor, Union
Minister for Social Welfare,
Relief and Resettlement Dr. Win
Myat Aye, Deputy Minister U Soe
Aung, Secretary of the Committee,
committee members, Chief
Coordinator Dr. Aung Tun Thet, U
Toe Aung, Advisor to the UEHRD
Chairperson , Information and
Communications Director U
Kyaw Myaing, Chief Operation
Officer U Nyi Nyein Aye and Task
Forces leaders and representatives..."
Source/publisher:
Myanmar Ministry of Information via "The Global New Light of Myanmar"
Date of publication:
2019-06-23
Date of entry/update:
2019-06-23
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
858.88 KB
Local URL:
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Topic:
More harsh weather expected as rains begin to impact refugee camps, causing damage and concern for coming cyclones
Topic:
More harsh weather expected as rains begin to impact refugee camps, causing damage and concern for coming cyclones
Description:
"Monsoon preparedness has given way to monsoon response as rains and wind from the Gulf of Bengal have descended upon Cox's Bazar. The start of May saw IOM accelerate efforts to boost camp shelter readiness following Cyclone Fani's near miss in April. Efforts included re-enforcing slopes with bamboo poles and trellising and installing drainage systems to channel excess water into newly-dug basins and out of the camps. Category 3 Cyclone Fani was expected to hit Cox's Bazar and sent IOM into emergency mode as staff and volunteers on the ground distributed over 90.000 cyclone preparedness kits. Ultimately. Fani veered to the west and thankfully missed Cox's Bazar. While IOM and its partners were able to rehearse its disaster responses. The monsoon seasons started in late-May, causing damage in and around the camps. With the rains in full swing. Site Management Support (SMS) teams were disbursed camp-wide to repair damage and respond to injuries. Rain and wind resulted in a total of 12 landslides, over 2,800 partially-damaged households, and 176 totally damaged households. Infrastructure was also hit by severe weather, with over 300 latrines, four health facilities and 23 waterpoints damaged, according to IOM figures. Coifs Bazar is at especially high-risk for extreme weather and experiences major cyclones at an average of every six years..."
Source/publisher:
reliefweb via International Organization for Migration (IOM)
Date of publication:
2019-05-31
Date of entry/update:
2019-06-21
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, International Organization for Migration (IOM)
Language:
English
Format :
pdf
Size:
2.43 MB
more
Description:
"As the Myanmar military has committed atrocity crimes during operations in Kachin, Rakhine, and Shan States, older people confront particular risks. Some older people stay behind as villages empty at word of a military advance, often due to their strong ties to home and land or to being physically unable to flee. After finding them, soldiers arbitrarily detain, torture, and at times kill older women and men.
A 67-year-old ethnic Rakhine farmer who stayed behind when most of his village fled in March 2019, in part because a severe hearing impairment meant he had not heard fighting nearby between the military and Arakan Army (AA), described what Myanmar soldiers did after forcing him out of his home: “When I got to where the captain was, the soldiers tied my hands… behind my back, with the rope that’s used for cattle. They asked me, ‘Did the AA come to the village?’ I said no, I’d never seen [the AA]… and then the soldiers beat me.”
During the military’s attack on the Rohingya population in 2017, many older women and men were burned alive in their homes. Mariam Khatun, an ethnic Rohingya woman around 50 years old, fled to the nearby forest with her three children when Myanmar soldiers entered her village in Maungdaw Township. “My parents were left behind in the home,” she said. “I had two young children, how could I take them as well? … My parents were physically unable to move.”
As she and her children reached the river next to the village, Mariam Khatun looked back and saw the village burning, knowing her parents were still inside their home.
Amnesty International’s review of lists of people killed from different Rohingya villages indicates older people often suffered disproportionately. A quantitative study by Médecins Sans Frontières found similarly, showing that in the month after the military began its brutal operations on 25 August 2017, the highest rates of mortality – by far – were among Rohingya women and men age 50 and older.
For older people in Rakhine and Kachin States who have fled, the journey through Myanmar’s mountainous borderlands was often difficult, worsened by the military blocking main routes and restricting humanitarian access. Amnesty International documented several cases of older people dying as they tried to flee to safety, unable to access health care..."
Source/publisher:
Amnesty International
Date of publication:
2019-06-18
Date of entry/update:
2019-06-21
Grouping:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Armed conflict in Rakhine (Arakan) State, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Discrimination against the Rohingya
Language:
English
more