Discrimination against the Rohingya
See also Main Library > Refugees > Burmese Refugees in Bangladesh and Main Library >Administration and administrative areas > Arakan (Rakhine) State - http://www.burmalibrary.org/show.php?cat=1241&lo=d&sl=0 - which carries OBL's main documentation on the current crisis of the Rohingya, with links to UN, governmental, NGO and other sources.
Websites/Multiple Documents
Description:
"Pakistan?s most widely circulated English language newspaper". Archive from 1998. August 2017: 12,600 results for a local search for "Myanmar" 11,900 for a Google site-specific search for "Myanmar"
Source/publisher:
"Dawn" (Pakistan)
Date of entry/update:
2003-06-03
Grouping:
Websites/Multiple Documents
Category:
News - Burma/Myanmar news sources in English (current sites), Discrimination against the Rohingya, News - International sources
Language:
English
more
Description:
This news service covers Bangladesh-Burma relations, the Bangladesh-Burma border, events in Arakan and human rights violations against both the Buddhist and Muslim population of Arakan. Email delivery of the reports may be requested from [email protected]
Source/publisher:
Narinjara News
Date of entry/update:
2003-06-03
Grouping:
Websites/Multiple Documents
Category:
News - Burma/Myanmar news sources in English (current sites), Discrimination against the Rakhine, Discrimination against the Rohingya, Bangladesh-Burma relations, News - Burma newsletters, periodicals and news archives, "Narinjara News", Rakhine (Arakanese) - cultural, political, News - Burma news sources focussed on non-Burman peoples, Burma/Myanmar news sources in Burmese (online news and articles)
Language:
English
more
Description:
About 153,000 results (August 2017)
Source/publisher:
Various sources via Youtube
Date of entry/update:
2017-08-20
Grouping:
Websites/Multiple Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya
Language:
English, Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ)
more
Description:
"According to the 1947 Constitution, a group of people who entered Burma before 1825 and settled in a defined territory are also indigenous race of Burma. This clause was
especially written for Rohingya people, said Dr. Aye Maung,
one of the author of the 1947 constitution. Accordingly U Nu
government recognized Rohingya as an indigenous race of Burma..." Keywords: Islam, Muslim, stateless.
Big, flashy site with lots of content.
Date of entry/update:
2003-06-03
Grouping:
Websites/Multiple Documents
Category:
Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Rohingya (cultural, political etc.)
Language:
English
more
Description:
BROUK was founded on 2nd of January 2005 with seven executive committee members. Organisation is with its written constitution which has set up with core objectives, criteria for membership and EC election process. BROUK is a member of Burma stake holder listed by Foreign and Commonwealth Office UK and European Burma Network (EBN).
BROUK objectives are;
1. To promote or carry out various research activities, provide the students with stipends, learning materials and all out assistance for higher education.
2. To promote and publicize the genuine case and cause of the Rohingya people and to monitor the situation human rights of Rohingya and other peoples in Burma.
3. To support and express solidarity with the Rohingya national democratic movement(s), the struggles of all democratic and ethnic forces of Burma.
4. To share information, strengthen friendship and solidarity and understanding with the people of the United Kingdom. To provide advice to the community, to raised funds for the charity and to cooperate with other bodies.
BROUK is advocating within UK and Europe in particular spreading message of the plight of Rohingya people and Human right violations in Burma. We are closely working with Rohingya organizations around the world, Burma Campaign UK, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Burmese Democratic groups, Burmese ethnic groups in UK, Euro Burma Office in Brussels and other NGOs.
Date of publication:
2005-01-02
Date of entry/update:
2016-04-06
Grouping:
Websites/Multiple Documents
Language:
English, Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ)
more
Description:
About 369,000 results (March 2017) - videos about the Rohingya on Al Jazeera.
Source/publisher:
Aljazeera via Google
Date of entry/update:
2017-03-21
Grouping:
Websites/Multiple Documents
Category:
Discrimination against the Rohingya
Language:
English
more
Description:
About 10,000,000 results (August 2017); About 16,800,000 results (September 2017)
Source/publisher:
Various sources via Google
Date of entry/update:
2017-08-31
Grouping:
Websites/Multiple Documents
Category:
Discrimination against the Rohingya
Language:
English
more
Description:
About 51,400,000 results (August 2018)
Source/publisher:
www via Google
Date of publication:
2018-08-27
Date of entry/update:
2018-08-27
Grouping:
Websites/Multiple Documents
more
Description:
"...Myanmar's government is on trial in the International Court of Justice, accused of orchestrating a campaign of destruction against the Rohingya people..."
Source/publisher:
"Al Jazeera English"
Date of publication:
2020-04-16
Date of entry/update:
2020-04-25
Grouping:
Websites/Multiple Documents
more
Description:
"...This week, Myanmar’s government issued two presidential directives in response to the ICJ’s January order that the government and military prevent genocide of the Rohingya Muslim ethnic group and preserve evidence of crimes that could amount to genocide.The court ordered Myanmar to report on its compliance by May 23 and then every six months while Gambia’s case alleging that abuses against the Rohingya violated the Genocide Convention proceeds...."
Source/publisher:
Human Right Watch
Date of publication:
2020-04-09
Date of entry/update:
2020-04-12
Grouping:
Websites/Multiple Documents
more
Description:
Various articles, photos videos, profiles, campaigns etc. on the Rohingya. Unfortunately, the material is not precisely dated.
Source/publisher:
Restless Beings
Date of entry/update:
2014-08-21
Grouping:
Websites/Multiple Documents
Category:
Discrimination against the Rohingya, Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first)
Language:
English
more
Description:
A set of 5 reports by David Weissbrodt to the UN Sub-Commission - Link to an OBL section.
David Weissbrodt
Source/publisher:
UN Sub-Commission via Online Burma/Myanmar Library
Date of publication:
2003-05-00
Date of entry/update:
2012-08-24
Grouping:
Websites/Multiple Documents
Category:
Laws, decrees, bills and regulations relating to nationality, citizenship and immigration (commentary), Discrimination against the Rohingya
Language:
English
more
Description:
"The United Nations Security Council will be briefed by Secretary-General António Guterres, UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Cate Blanchett, and UN Development Programme (UNDP) Associate Administrator Tegegnework Gettu on the situation in Myanmar and the Rohingya refugee crisis. The UK Minister of State for the Commonwealth and the UN, Lord Ahmad, will chair the meeting."
Source/publisher:
UN Security Council
Date of publication:
2018-08-28
Date of entry/update:
2018-08-31
Grouping:
Websites/Multiple Documents
more
Description:
The 3 members of the Fact-finding Mission gave presentations on their report, the final version of which will be submitted to the Human Rights Council on 18 September, and took questions from the press in Geneva. See also the report HCR39/64 and the Alternate Link, below.
Mr. Marzuki Darusman, Ms. Radhika Coomaraswamy, Mr. Christopher Sidoti
Source/publisher:
Human Rights Council
Date of publication:
2018-08-27
Date of entry/update:
2018-08-28
Grouping:
Websites/Multiple Documents
Category:
Discrimination against the Rohingya
more
Individual Documents
Description:
"For many of Myanmar's ethnic minorities, the bloodshed inflicted across the country's towns and cities this week is a continuation of the oppression they have suffered at the hands of the military for decades.
The Southeast Asian country is home to some of the world's longest civil wars, where myriad ethnic insurgencies have fought the military, central government and each other for greater rights and autonomy. Some of those bloody conflicts have ebbed and flowed in the borderlands for 70 years.
Throughout years of conflict in Myanmar's jungles and mountains, ethnic people have witnessed and been subjected to horrific atrocities including massacres, rape and other forms of sexual violence, torture, forced labor and displacement by the armed forces, as well as state-sanctioned discrimination.
In 2016 and 2017, the military launched a brutal campaign of killing and arson that forced more than 740,000 Rohingya minority people to flee into neighboring Bangladesh, prompting a genocide case to be heard at the International Court of Justice. In 2019, the United Nations said "grave human rights abuses" by the military were still continuing in the ethnic states of Rakhine, Chin, Shan, Kachin and Karen. This week, that brutality played out on the streets of Myanmar's biggest cities, as the ruling junta launched a systematic and coordinated attack on unarmed peaceful demonstrators calling for an end to the February 1 coup. Witnesses, footage and photographs showed police and the military shooting dead anti-coup protesters, beating detainees and reported extrajudicial killings, while images of crumpled bodies laying in pools of their own blood or being dragged through the streets shocked the world.
Determined to fight against those abuses and ensure their distinct voices and demands are heard, ethnic people have loudly joined the nationwide protests, uniting in solidarity against a common enemy. Though many fear further violence and intensified conflict from an unchecked military junta operating with impunity and now firmly in control of the country.
"This fight has been since the beginning of the forming of the country itself. We hope that the current fight against the military coup in 21st century might be a new hope for our people," said Chin activist Sang Hnin Lian..."
Source/publisher:
"CNN" (USA)
Date of entry/update:
2021-03-06
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Political role of the Tatmadaw, Politics and Government - global and regional - general studies, strategies, theory, The 2020 General Elections in Burma/Myanmar, Racial or ethnic discrimination in Burma: reports of violations against several groups, Discrimination against the Rohingya, Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first)
Language:
Local URL:
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Description:
"This article aims to explore the historical development of Buddhist nationalism in Myanmar, and
the way it has been politicized by the state. According to the study, political legitimacy has been
constructed by the revival of Buddhist nationalism in two ways. First, it is through policy implementation
and legislation of religious protection laws, which declare Buddhism’s superiority in Myanmar and to
segregate as well as discriminate against non-Buddhists in the conduct of their daily lives. The state uses
state authorities, including an unelected civilian government and National Legislative Assembly, with retired
soldiers and representatives from the tatmadaw (the military) as members, to function in this process.
Second, the state supports civilian movements to stage activities and to stimulate nationalist sentiments
among the Buddhists. The state uses Buddhist nationalist movements that include monks and laypeople
as the main actors for mass mobilization in accordance with policy and legislation. Unlike dictatorial rule,
these two elements adjust the relationship between state and religion such that the old elites could retain
its power. Furthermore, the state chooses to restore Buddhist nationalism through Islamophobia and
historical memory about Rohingya Muslims in order to bring out the significance of the regime. In
addition, Buddhist nationalism builds the political legitimacy of this semi-authoritarian government in order
that it could retain power despite democratic transition, and contributes to its popularity for upcoming
elections in the near future..."
Source/publisher:
Chulalongkorn University (Thailand)
Date of entry/update:
2021-03-02
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Muslims in Burma, Rohingya (cultural, political etc.)
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
178.13 KB
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Description:
" After grabbing power in a February 1 coup that has been resisted by massive demonstrations and condemned by the US, EU and UN, Myanmar’s military regime would appear to have few cards to play to win acceptance.
But one the coup-makers amazingly think they can play is the plight of Muslim Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, who were driven across the border during brutal military campaigns in 2016-17, and those who have remained behind in Myanmar.
Shortly after overthrowing Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratically elected government, the new military regime sent a letter to Bangladesh’s government through its ambassador in Myanmar to explain their reasons for the coup, namely unsubstantiated allegations of fraud at the November 2020 election Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) resoundingly won. In the letter, the full contents of which has not been made public, the military regime also mentioned a possible solution for solving the Rohingya crisis. That prompted Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Abdul Momen, quoted by the Dhaka Tribune on February 6, to say “these are good news. It’s a good beginning.”
Inside Myanmar’s Rakhine state, several local military commanders have visited Muslim-inhabited areas close to the Bangladesh border and a camp for internally displaced Rohingyas in the state capital Sittwe..."
Source/publisher:
"Asia Times" (Hong Kong)
Date of entry/update:
2021-02-10
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Discrimination against the Rohingya, Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Political role of the Tatmadaw, The 2020 General Elections in Burma/Myanmar
Language:
Local URL:
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Sub-title:
Filing, made two weeks before military staged a coup and detained the country’s civilian leaders, is likely to delay proceedings by at least a year.
Description:
"Myanmar is being accused of attempting to delay court proceedings after it emerged the country last month filed preliminary objections to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over genocide charges for its treatment of the mostly Muslim Rohingya.
The case was brought by The Gambia in 2019 after a brutal military crackdown in the western state of Rakhine in 2017 forced hundreds of thousands of Rohingya to flee across the border to neighbouring Bangladesh. “On 20 January 2021, the Republic of the Union of Myanmar filed preliminary objections to the jurisdiction of the Court and the admissibility of the Application,” the ICJ said in a filing signed by Court President Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf and dated January 28.
The filing did not elaborate on the nature of the objections, but legal experts say they are likely to include whether the court has jurisdiction to hear the case and whether The Gambia has the appropriate standing to bring the suit.
Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s former civilian leader raised similar issues during preliminary hearings in December 2019 when she travelled to The Hague to defend her country’s treatment of a minority group that has been described as among the world’s most persecuted.
The Gambia has until May 20 to respond and the court will then consider the points raised.
“These objections will fail and are nothing more than delaying tactics,” Mark Farmaner, the director of the Burma Campaign UK wrote on Twitter, urging the British government to intervene..."
Source/publisher:
"Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of entry/update:
2021-02-05
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Genocide, Discrimination against the Rohingya, International Court of Justice (ICJ) - Myanmar
Language:
Local URL:
more
Description:
"Amid the worsening domestic COVID-19 situation, Myanmar’s election in November 2020 brought a landslide victory for the National League for Democracy (NLD) under the leadership of Aung San Suu Kyi. Despite voting restrictions in parts of Rakhine and Shan states, the election was overall a step in the right direction, and the NLD increased its majority in the Pyithu Hluttaw (lower house) and Amyotha Hluttaw (upper house). The show of support at the ballot box for the NLD indicates the domestic popularity of Aung San Suu Kyi. Her defence of Myanmar’s handling of the Rohingya crisis at the International Court of Justice — and in many other international venues — was dubbed a betrayal of democracy and human rights by Western media, but it boosted her domestic aura as a defender of Myanmar.
The priorities for the NLD government are no doubt domestic. The COVID-19 pandemic ransacked Myanmar’s economy and the domestic poverty rate skyrocketed. High on the government’s agenda is creating employment for millions of Myanmar workers who lost their jobs during the pandemic.
The country still faces one of the worst humanitarian crises with the Rohingya issue which battered its international image and led to economic sanctions. Myanmar’s domestic peace process has also stalled and militarised conflicts in the north of the country have no end in sight.
To deal with these issues, China is the most indispensable country for Aung San Suu Kyi and her government. As one of the manufacturers of COVID-19 vaccines and with a promise to contribute to the accessibility and affordability of vaccines in developing countries, Myanmar needs to work with China to vaccinate its population. Vaccine diplomacy was high on the agenda during a visit by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi to Myanmar in early January 2021, despite Naypyidaw making the first order of 30 million doses from India.
As the largest trading partner and second largest FDI source for Myanmar, the continued economic growth and opening up of the Chinese market will also have positive reverberations. Although Myanmar society overall holds anti-Chinese sentiments, Aung San Suu Kyi’s government still sees the benefits of engaging in close economic cooperation with China. Initiatives such as the China–Myanmar Economic Corridor aim to further connect the two economies.
With the recent signing of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), Myanmar is also set to benefit from further relaxing of trade restrictions among its major trading partners. The government is optimistic that participating in RCEP will help Myanmar gain access to a large market for its exports, and that there will also be opportunities for responsible, high-quality investment inflows.
While Myanmar faces tremendous pressure from the West on the Rohingya issue, Myanmar’s Asian neighbours are hesitant to jump on the bandwagon. Only Malaysia and Indonesia — as the two Muslim-majority countries in ASEAN — have been more vocal.
China is Myanmar’s strongest supporter on the Rohingya issue and is actively involved in facilitating negotiations between the governments of Myanmar and Bangladesh. The protection China offers to Myanmar at international institutions is crucial. A quid pro quo is evident between the two countries with Myanmar offering support for China at the United Nations on Xinjiang and Hong Kong. This cooperative relationship will likely continue as both face similar pressure from the West..."
Source/publisher:
"East Asia Forum" (Australia)
Date of entry/update:
2021-01-23
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Burma's economic relations with China, China-Burma relations, Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya
Language:
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
The families of 18 people taken by the military nearly a year ago are still waiting for news of their loved ones – and justice.
Description:
"One evening, as Ma Nway* and her family were having dinner, soldiers from Myanmar’s armed forces, known as the Tatmadaw, came to her house and asked for her husband. According to her account, they blindfolded him, took out their guns and beat him in front of her.
“At the time, I could only cry,” said Ma Nway, an ethnic Arakanese from Myanmar’s westernmost Rakhine State, who prefers not to reveal her identity for fear of reprisals. “I feared they would shoot me, so I held my tongue … I felt like they were the most brutal people in the world.” It was March 16 2020 and the last time she saw her husband. He is among 18 people from the neighbouring villages of Tinma Thit and Tinma Gyi in Rakhine State’s northern Kyauktaw township who were arrested in March and have not been seen since. Their families’ relentless search for information has been met with silence, rejection and threats. Ten months later, they are still looking for answers – and justice.
Three witnesses, whose testimonies align with those published by other media, told Al Jazeera that on March 13 and 16, uniformed soldiers wearing the badge of the Tatmadaw’s Light Infantry Division No. 55 went door to door arresting dozens of men it suspected of having ties to the Arakan Army, an ethnic armed group seeking autonomy.
Most of those arrested were released the same day, but 18 were not. The missing include a 16 year old, three people over the age of 65 and one person who is deaf. Al Jazeera has used pseudonyms for the three witnesses to protect them from possible reprisals.
On March 18, four bodies were seen floating in the Kaladan River near the villages. One of the bodies was identified by family members as among the missing villagers. The family told local media that soldiers shot at them when they approached the body, which the US-government funded broadcaster Radio Free Asia reported was riddled with bullet holes. The three other bodies were never identified..."
Source/publisher:
"Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of entry/update:
2021-01-21
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
No Justice for Ongoing Crimes Against Humanity, Apartheid
Description:
"The Myanmar government has repeatedly violated basic civil and political rights, and failed to hold the country’s security forces accountable for atrocities against ethnic minorities, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2021.
The ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party overwhelmingly won the November 8, 2020, election, which was marred by serious problems. Prior to the vote the government prosecuted its critics, censored opposition party messages, and did not provide equal access to state media. Systemic problems include the continued ethnic Rohingya disenfranchisement, the 25 percent of assembly seats reserved for the military, and the lack of an independent and transparent Union Election Commission. The commission cancelled voting in 57 primarily ethnic minority townships for security reasons, but provided little or no consultation or explanation to affected political parties and candidates.
“Aung San Suu Kyi and the ruling National League for Democracy have turned their backs on human rights concerns since taking power, betraying promises to Myanmar’s people to revoke repressive laws and break with abusive past practices,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “By winning a significant parliamentary majority, the NLD has an opportunity to introduce rights-respecting reforms that would protect everyone.”..."
Source/publisher:
"Human Rights Watch" (USA)
Date of entry/update:
2021-01-15
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Racial or ethnic discrimination in Burma: reports of violations against several groups, Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Human Rights Watch Reports on Burma/Myanmar
Language:
Local URL:
more
Description:
"Bangladesh, Myanmar and China will hold a tripartite meeting on Rohingya repatriation in Dhaka on January 19, as Dhaka finds their repatriation to Myanmar as the only solution to the crisis.
"We hope it would be a fruitful meeting," Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen told reporters on Wednesday about the tripartite talks.
He said the meeting would be held at secretary level. The last tripartite meeting like this was held on January 20 last year.
The foreign minister said Bangladesh had handed over a list of 840,000 Rohingyas to Myanmar for verification.
"Myanmar has verified very few people. They are very slow. They verified only 42,000 people. There is (a) serious lack of seriousness," said the foreign minister.
Dr Momen said they were doing their part of the job, but Myanmar is not responding the same way.
Responding to a question, he said he is always hopeful of beginning repatriation as Myanmar has taken back their nationals before – in 1978 and 1992. The government earlier hinted that the repatriation talks would begin this month as there was no Rohingya repatriation and discussion in 2020, because of the Covid-19 pandemic as well as the general elections in Myanmar..."
Source/publisher:
"Dhaka Tribune" (Bangladesh)
Date of entry/update:
2021-01-15
[field_licence]
Type:
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:
Local URL:
more
Summary:
"Japan-based Kirin Holdings Company, Ltd. should publish its investigation report on the military-owned Myanmar Economic Holdings Ltd. (MEHL) and swiftly cut ties with the company, Human Rights Watch...
Sub-title:
Japanese Beverage Giant Should Release Investigation Report
Description:
"Japan-based Kirin Holdings Company, Ltd. should publish its investigation report on the military-owned Myanmar Economic Holdings Ltd. (MEHL) and swiftly cut ties with the company, Human Rights Watch said today. Kirin announced the conclusion of an investigation by Deloitte Tohmatsu Financial Advisory LLC on January 7, 2021, but declined to publish the report for confidentiality reasons.
“Kirin should regain some trust of consumers, investors, and rights groups by releasing the details of its investigation into the operations of its Myanmar military business partner,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Kirin’s business association with MEHL raises serious human rights concerns that need urgent action, not further obfuscation behind an investigation whose results are kept secret.”
In its January 7 statement, Kirin said the investigation by Deloitte was “inconclusive as a result of Deloitte being unable to access sufficient information required to make a definitive determination.” Kirin said the investigation aimed to determine the “destination of proceeds received by” MEHL from Myanmar Brewery Ltd. (MBL) and Mandalay Brewery Ltd. (MDL), and that it would provide a “further update” on its business activities in Myanmar by the end of April.
Kirin owns a majority stake in Myanmar Brewery Ltd. and Mandalay Brewery Ltd. in partnership with the military-owned-and-operated MEHL. In 2015, Kirin bought 55 percent of Myanmar Brewery Ltd., 4 percent of which it later transferred to the military-owned firm. In 2017, Kirin acquired 51 percent of Mandalay Brewery Ltd. in a separate joint venture with the firm.
Myanmar’s armed forces, the Tatmadaw, have been responsible over many years for numerous grave violations of human rights and war crimes against the country’s ethnic minority populations. These abuses culminated in the August 2017 campaign of ethnic cleansing against the ethnic Rohingya population in Rakhine State, including killings, sexual violence, and forced removal. Human Rights Watch found that Myanmar’s security forces committed crimes against humanity and genocidal acts in those 2017 operations against the Rohingya..."
Source/publisher:
"Human Rights Watch" (USA)
Date of entry/update:
2021-01-09
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Human Rights Watch Reports on Burma/Myanmar, Burma's economic relations with Japan, Discrimination against the Rohingya, Economic activities of the Myanmar Military, Japan-Burma relations, Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first)
Language:
Local URL:
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Summary:
"Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, government restrictions on movement in Myanmar have been widespread, but certain people have been more affected than others. On January 6, Myanmar police detained 99...
Sub-title:
Oppressed Ethnic Group Denied Right to Freedom of Movement
Description:
"Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, government restrictions on movement in Myanmar have been widespread, but certain people have been more affected than others. On January 6, Myanmar police detained 99 ethnic Rohingya in Yangon for traveling without documentation in the country where they were born and lived all their lives.
The Rohingya – mostly women as well as children reportedly as young as 5 years old – were apparently bound for Malaysia. They sought to escape Myanmar’s longstanding oppression of the group. Rohingya are effectively denied citizenship under the 1982 Citizenship Law so the government considers them “illegal” aliens, refusing to issue legal documentation that would allow them to travel within the country.
All 99 Rohingya are now being held in government quarantine on the outskirts of Yangon, after which they will likely be transferred to immigration detention to await criminal charges. In Myanmar’s western Rakhine State, an estimated 600,000 Rohingya are confined to camps and villages without freedom of movement, cut off from access to adequate food, health care, education, and livelihoods. In 2017, a campaign of ethnic cleansing by Myanmar’s security forces against the Rohingya involved crimes against humanity and acts of genocide..."
Source/publisher:
"Human Rights Watch" (USA)
Date of entry/update:
2021-01-09
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya
Language:
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
The Right to Mental Health for Rohingya Survivors of Genocide in Myanmar and Bangladesh
Description:
"It has been three years since “Saiful,” 27, escaped genocidal attacks in
Myanmar’s Rakhine State. His experience continues to affect him.
“I cannot think well,” he said. “I’ve become thin and gangly because of the
stress. I feel tired. I cannot eat well. I feel angry when I imagine the persecution.”
Born and raised in northern Rakhine State, Saiful survived grinding human
rights violations since his childhood, and in 2017, he witnessed mass atrocities
perpetrated by Myanmar Army soldiers against Rohingya civilians. In August
that year, at the height of Myanmar Army-led attacks on Rohingya, Saiful fled
massacres, deadly arson attacks, mass rape, and other crimes, leaving behind
murdered family and friends to join Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, who
now number approximately one million.
“No one is helping us in proper ways,” he said from a refugee camp in Cox’s
Bazar District, Bangladesh. “I cannot sleep when I remember my relatives who
were killed. It is very difficult for me to do any work.”
Saiful is describing symptoms typically associated with Post-Traumatic Stress
Disorder (PTSD), a serious mental health condition. In the case of Rohingya
who survived recent attacks, the mental harm of PTSD can be destructive,
impairing daily functioning and the ability to live a full and constructive life.
Saiful is unfortunately not the only Rohingya refugee suffering from serious
mental health conditions due to human rights violations and violence
perpetrated against Rohingya in Myanmar.
The quantitative research included in this report and conducted by a team
of ten Rohingya researchers and Fortify Rights provides new evidence of the
pervasive and severe mental health toll that human rights violations and
violence has had on the Rohingya community. This report documents and
analyzes the findings of this Rohingya-led participatory action research.
The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimate that 12 months after an
emergency, approximately 15 to 20 percent of adults will experience some
type of moderate or mild mental health disorder. The Rohingya are suffering
at significantly higher rates. The Rohingya-led participatory action research..."
Source/publisher:
"Fortify Rights" (Myanmar)
Date of entry/update:
2021-01-07
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Mental health
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
3.11 MB ( reduce version)
more
Description:
"When the Myanmar Army attacked and massacred ethnic Rohingya civilians in 2017, more than 700,000 men, women, and children fled to Bangladesh, some riddled with bullets, burns, and gaping wounds. Hundreds of villages were in ashes, razed by soldiers and their civilian proxies.
But long after the physical wounds scarred over, Rohingya continue to suffer mental harm on a massive scale. President-elect Biden can and should do something about it.
There are upwards of one million Rohingya refugees now languishing in Bangladesh. They are experiencing trauma, depression, and anxiety at staggering rates. The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 15 to 20 percent of adults will experience some type of moderate or mild mental health disorder one year after an emergency, and in theory, those figures should decrease over time. By contrast, a new report published by Fortify Rights finds that 89 percent of Rohingya refugees in sprawling camps in Bangladesh are experiencing serious depression. Eighty-four percent are experiencing severe emotional distress. And a staggering 62 percent are experiencing symptoms equivalent to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder—a debilitating condition that can prevent its victims from leading normal and constructive lives. What drives these extreme levels of distress?
Ongoing genocide in Myanmar is partly to blame, but the new quantitative data reveals that long-term systematic human rights violations in Myanmar and ongoing impunity are also key factors that continue to impact Rohingya mental health..."
Source/publisher:
"Time"
Date of entry/update:
2021-01-07
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Genocide, Atrocities against Groups - documents, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Mental health
Language:
Local URL:
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Description:
"Videotaped 'confessions' from two Myanmar soldiers appear to confirm alleged atrocities against Rohingya Muslims. Are they credible and can they build a case against the army?
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Source/publisher:
"DW News"
Date of entry/update:
2021-01-06
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Atrocities against Groups - documents
Language:
Local URL:
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Summary:
"Study of the Impacts of Covid-19 on Internally Displaced People in Myanmar
Thank you to the Chairperson and Honorable Members of Parliament for inviting me to appear before this Committee to...
Sub-title:
Statement of Manny Maung, Myanmar Researcher, Human Rights Watch Subcommittee on International Human Rights Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development
Description:
"Study of the Impacts of Covid-19 on Internally Displaced People in Myanmar
Thank you to the Chairperson and Honorable Members of Parliament for inviting me to appear before this Committee to discuss the impacts of Covid-19 on internally displaced people in Myanmar. My name is Manny Maung and I am the Myanmar Researcher for Human Rights Watch.
Decades of conflict have resulted in over 360,000 internally displaced peoples across the country. They are mainly members of ethnic minority communities spread across northern Myanmar, in Kachin and Shan States; in western Rakhine State; and in the southeast near the Myanmar-Thai border. Renewed conflict has created fresh displacements in 2020 in both Rakhine and Shan States. Humanitarian agencies reported that the government did not take measures to ensure that they could deliver emergency aid under the government-imposed travel restrictions to protect against the spread of Covid-19.
In October, Human Rights Watch released a report, “An Open Prison without End,” on Myanmar’s detention of 130,000 Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State since 2012.[1] Human Rights Watch found that the squalid and oppressive conditions imposed on the interned Rohingya and Kaman Muslims amount to the crimes against humanity of persecution, apartheid, and severe deprivation of liberty. Starting in August 2017, a military campaign of killings, sexual violence, arson, and forced eviction of Rohingya in northern Rakhine State forced more than 700,000 to flee to Bangladesh. Human Rights Watch determined the Myanmar security forces committed ethnic cleansing, crimes against humanity, and acts of genocide..."
Source/publisher:
"Human Rights Watch" (USA)
Date of entry/update:
2021-01-05
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Human Rights Watch Reports on Burma/Myanmar, Burma: Internal displacement/forced migration of several ethnic groups., Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Internal displacement/forced migration of Kachin, Internal displacement/forced migration of Shan. Palaung and Wa villagers, Racial or ethnic discrimination in Burma: reports of violations against several groups, Discrimination against the Rakhine, Discrimination against the Rohingya, Discrimination against the Shan, Discrimination against the Kachin, Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first)
Language:
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Sub-title:
While stating that he has written to his counterpart in Myanmar in this regard, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said Bangladesh wants to initiate the repatriation of Rohingyas this year.
Description:
"Bangladesh has written to Myanmar over the issue of repatriation of Rohingya Muslims. The announcement by Bangladesh's Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen comes days after the UNGA passed a resolution in this regard.
While addressing a press briefing on Sunday, AK Abdul Momen said he wrote a letter to his counterpart in Myanmar on the occasion of the New Year. "In the New Year, a letter has been sent to the State Council office in Myanmar," Momen said.
"Japan will also cooperate with us in the Rohingya repatriation. Japan has a huge investment in Myanmar. India and China are also working on the Rohingya repatriation. They all want a solution to this crisis," Momen said in response to a question.
Bangladesh wants to implement the repatriation process this year, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen told journalists. He went on to add, "You know for many years, we have been trying this. After the start of the campaign in Rakhine on August 25, 2016, Rohingyas came to Bangladesh over a period of seven months and took refuge. Four lakh more Rohingyas have taken shelter in Bangladesh since."
The government of Myanmar, in the face of international pressure, signed an agreement with Bangladesh in this regard in 2016. However, the repatriation of Rohingya Muslims is yet to begin.
Referring to Myanmar's role in the repatriation, Bangladesh Foreign Minister Momen said, "You have repeatedly said that they will not go. You are saying that you will do it in a helpful environment so that it goes smoothly. But progress has been done. For this, political goodwill is needed. In the New Year, we hope you keep your word."..."
Source/publisher:
"India Today" (India)
Date of entry/update:
2021-01-04
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Bangladesh-Burma relations
Language:
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
In a proposal regarding the Rohingya issue and other human rights situation in Myanmar placed before the 75th General Assembly of the United Nations, China and Russia yet again took stance in favour of Myanmar while India abstained from voting.
Description:
"On Thursday, December 31, the last working day of 2020, the voting on the proposal was held during the 48th meeting of the 75th UNGA Session, according to a UN release.
The 25-point proposal regarding allegations of alarming extent of human rights violations by the Myanmar military and security forces in Kachin, Rakhine, Chin and Shan states of the country was discussed in the Thursday meeting.
A total of 130 countries voted against Myanmar, including nine which previously voted in favour of Myanmar, while 26 countries, including India, Bhutan, Japan, Sri Lanka, Singapore, abstained from voting.
China, Russia, Belarus, Cambodia, Laos, Philippines, Vietnam and Zimbabwe voted in Myanmar's favour. Defending Myanmar's position, the country's representative at the meeting said human rights is being made a political issue against Myanmar, adding that the issues being discussed are Myanmar's internal matter.
Myanmar's newly elected government is against human rights violence and steps are being taken in the country to this end, the representative also said.
Rejecting the UN proposal, the Myanmar representative said the country's government is interested to discuss the issues with the Rohingya and other minority communities in Myanmar..."
Source/publisher:
"The Daily Star" (Bangladesh)
Date of entry/update:
2021-01-03
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Discrimination against the Rakhine
Language:
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
As Myanmar set to go to polls in November, Muslim community fears if no candidate from them will be elected as in 2015 elections
Description:
"Political parties in Myanmar have geared up for upcoming general elections with Nov. 8 set as the date for crucial polls which will be the first held under the civilian government in more than six decades.
The Union Election Commission announced the election date on July 1, inviting candidate registration from the 96 registered political parties from July 20 to Aug. 7.
A few days after the commission’s announcement, a 16-membered team was formed to assist Muslim candidates in campaigning in their constituencies countrywide. The team includes mainly Muslim legal experts.
Spokesman of the team Maung Muang Myint told Anadolu Agency that the group will help Muslim candidates financially, legally and technically.
“It was a shame that our parliament has no Muslim lawmaker although Muslims make up more than 5% of the country’s population,” he said over the phone.
“Of more than 6,000 candidates in the 2015 elections, only 28 were Muslims. And they won no seat,” he said, adding that the commission had rejected more than a hundred would-be candidates, mostly Muslims, on the grounds of citizenship. Election law states that candidates’ parents must be already recognized as citizens at the time of the candidates’ birth.
“So this year, we teamed up to help them in the whole process starting from candidate registration,” said Myint.
Two largest political parties in the county, Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party and military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), did not file any Muslim candidates for the last general elections.
Parties have yet to submit the lists of candidates to election commission for registration. Myint, however, said Muslims have only a slim chance of being chosen as candidates of the political parties in the Buddhist-majority country..."
Source/publisher:
"Anadolu Agency" (Ankara)
Date of entry/update:
2020-07-21
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Politics, Government and Governance - Burma/Myanmar - general studies
Language:
Local URL:
more
Summary:
"Human Rights Watch has called on Bangladesh to move more than 300 Rohingya refugees, including children, to the camps in Cox's Bazaar district, more than two months after they were quarantined on a...
Description:
"Human Rights Watch has called on Bangladesh to move more than 300 Rohingya refugees, including children, to the camps in Cox's Bazaar district, more than two months after they were quarantined on a small flood-prone island in the Bay of Bengal.
The Rohingya were rescued by the Bangladesh navy in early May after being stranded at sea for weeks, and sent to Bhashan Char island - a silty strip of land off the southern coast that is vulnerable to monsoon storms.
Bangladesh has said the 308 refugees were sent to the island rather than the camps in Cox's Bazar because authorities were afraid they might have the highly infectious disease COVID-19.
"Bangladesh authorities are using the pandemic as an excuse to detain refugees on a spit of land in the middle of a churning monsoon sea while their families anxiously pray for their return," Brad Adams, Asia director of HRW, said in a statement on Thursday.
"The government is inexplicably delaying aid workers' access to support the refugees with immediate care, and refusing to reunite them with their families in the Cox's Bazar camps."
According to the US-based rights group, the quarantined refugees do not have adequate access to food, clean drinking water or medical care. Some have also alleged being beaten up and mistreated by the authorities, it said..."
Source/publisher:
"Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of entry/update:
2020-07-11
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya
Language:
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
Activists, organizations denounce lack of transparency, say foolish to expect justice from Myanmar’s military
Description:
"Rohingya rights groups have denounced the recent court-martial of three Myanmar army officers as “a miscarriage of justice” and another of the country’s “sham attempts” to mislead the international community.
The three officers were convicted on June 29 for the 2017 massacre of Rohingya people in the Gu Dar Pyin village of Rakhine state’s Buthidaung township, where five mass graves were previously uncovered.
The UK-based Arakan Rohingya National Organization (ARNO) rejected the ruling, saying the secrecy of the trial negates the essential requirement of transparency and impartiality.
“No details were provided on the perpetrators, their crimes or sentences, keeping the people in the dark. This secret trial without transparency is a complete miscarriage of justice,” read a statement issued on Friday.
The group reiterated its demand for “a transparent and impartial probe into the crimes against Rohingya in Myanmar by a competent international independent commission.”
Referring to a similar trial in March 2018, the rights body said: “All these were sham attempts […] aimed at reducing international pressure and to divert the world’s attention away from the Rohingya genocide. We cannot expect justice from the perpetrators.” In the 2018 trial by court-martial, four Myanmar army officers and three soldiers were sentenced to 10 years in prison for killing 10 Rohingya men in the Inn Din village of Rakhine in 2017.
“But the perpetrators were released in less than one year [November 2018], whereas the two Reuters journalists who exposed the massacre were detained for more than 16 months before they were pardoned, following global outcry,” the statement added..."
Source/publisher:
"Anadolu Agency" (Ankara)
Date of entry/update:
2020-07-07
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Political role of the Tatmadaw
Language:
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
Convictions Obscure Widespread Military Impunity
Description:
"Myanmar’s court-martial conviction of three military personnel for crimes against ethnic Rohingya reflects ongoing government efforts to evade meaningful accountability, Human Rights Watch said today. Myanmar authorities have repeatedly failed to adequately investigate and prosecute grave abuses against Rohingya in Rakhine State, including crimes against humanity.
On June 30, 2020, the Myanmar military announced that two officers and a soldier had been convicted for “weakness in following the instructions” during the “Gu Dar Pyin incident.” Rakhine State’s Gu Dar Pyin village was the site of a massacre by the military on August 27-28, 2017, part of its campaign of mass atrocities that forced more than 740,000 Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh. The military did not provide any other information, such as the names and ranks of those convicted, their role in the massacre, or their sentences.
“Myanmar’s farcical court martial is the latest attempt to feign progress on accountability in an apparent attempt to influence the United Nations and international tribunals,” said Shayna Bauchner, assistant Asia researcher. “Foreign governments should demand Myanmar open its doors to truly independent and impartial international investigators.”
The Gu Dar Pyin court martial began in November 2019 following a military investigation led by Maj. Gen. Myat Kyaw that found “grounds to believe the soldiers did not fully comply with the rules of engagement.” Closed hearings were held in Buthidaung township through April 30..."
Source/publisher:
"Human Rights Watch" (USA)
Date of entry/update:
2020-07-04
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
Local URL:
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Description:
"In March, I sat down with Katie Striffolino, InterAction's Senior Manager for Humanitarian Practice, to discuss her work with the NGOs on the front lines of this crisis.
"We undertake a number of field visits every year, looking at different operational and policy issues as they affect humanitarian NGOs and conditions at the field level," she told me. "We do documentation and analyses, produce recommendations, and engage stakeholders on improvements to the humanitarian response, as well as actions that can improve humanitarian conditions to support overall response operations in any given context."
From February 10-20, Katie traveled to Myanmar with Rachel Unkovic, InterAction's NGO Coordination Advisor, to consult with, support, and learn from the Myanmar INGO Forum, its 140 NGO members, many of them InterAction members and local and national NGO networks and actors. Their trip had two objectives.
"First, we were looking at the Myanmar INGO Forum's governance, structures, and practices," she said. "We asked ourselves what lessons and experiences could we share with them from other response locations around the world and what we could learn from them to bring to NGO Consortia working in other humanitarian settings?
"Second, we conducted research into bureaucratic and administrative impediments as they affect the humanitarian response for both U.N. and NGO actors which will form a case study and inform InterAgency Standing Committee (IASC) normative guidance to Humanitarian Coordinators and Country Teams around the world on how to best, collectively support the humanitarian community in addressing undue bureaucratic and administrative impediments. We need to be collectively addressing these issues so that humanitarian programs can continue to run in an efficient, unfettered and principled manner."
The more time they spent with the Myanmar INGO Forum, the more they realized how similar it is to InterAction. While the diversity of their membership is a strength, it can often make it challenging to drive consensus and provide equal support to each member..."
Source/publisher:
" InterAction" via "Reliefweb" (New York)
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-19
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas
Language:
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
The regional body has been notably silent on genocide in Myanmar, ducking behind the myth of non-interference.
Description:
"On 26 June, leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will meet virtually for their 36th semi-annual summit. The meeting is expected to include a focus on the re-opening of borders and economies post-pandemic, as well as discussions about the continuing tensions in the South China Sea and progress against the ASEAN 2015–2025 Community Building Blueprints.
For ASEAN, the summit comes at a critical time. Since the mid 1970s, ASEAN has progressively increased its clout as a credible regional organisation, but today this centrality is threatened by shifting regional dynamics. Major powers within and outside the region have proposed the establishment of alternative regional frameworks: Australia’s proposal for an Asia-Pacific Community, the notion of the Indo-Pacific region, and what became the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, involving some ASEAN member states but not ASEAN as a regional organisation. With ASEAN members interacting more independently with external partners and trading regimes, the importance of a Southeast Asian regional association is arguably diminished.
And now, as ASEAN leaders prepare for next week’s summit, one of its member states – Myanmar – is preparing its defence against allegations of genocide brought by the state of Gambia before the International Court of Justice. Simultaneously, the International Criminal Court is investigating allegations that Myanmar’s senior authorities forcibly deported and persecuted the Rohingya people.
In explaining the ASEAN stance on the Rohingya crisis, much has been made of the “ASEAN Way” – the principles of sovereignty, non-interference and consensus decision-making enshrined in numerous ASEAN agreements and declarations.
Running in parallel with these developments in international justice has been a tide of international condemnation and sanctions against Myanmar, related to its violence against the Rohingya ethnic minority. The UN Secretary General, the Security Council and the General Assembly have all expressed concern, and the US, Canada and the EU have imposed sanctions..."
Source/publisher:
"The Independent" (UK)
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-17
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), ASEAN-Burma relations, Discrimination against the Rohingya
Language:
Local URL:
more
Description:
"The lawyers prosecuting Myanmar for the alleged genocide against the Rohingya are once again breaking new legal ground. The International Court of Justice action by the Gambia was unprecedented, and long overdue, when initiated last year. But the received wisdom is that genocide accountability is particularly difficult because the plaintiff has to prove genocidal intent. And proving intent is taken to be one of the hardest standards to clear in legal proceedings.
But in a logical, if unprecedented, move, the Gambian legal team, led by the formidable Justice Minister Abubacarr Tambadou, have asked a US court to force Facebook to hand over the data they have relating to the leading Myanmar army officials who ordered the “clearance operations” against the Rohingya, chief among them Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the commander-in-chief of Myanmar’s armed forces.
If there is anywhere the prosecution might find records of the thinking that went into the actions by the Myanmar military before and during the operations against the Rohingya, Facebook is going to be the place. In 2017, I wrote about the ways in which Facebook was the principal medium through which anti-Rohingya hatred and propaganda was being stoked up for years, leading to the “clearing operations.” And, while at that time I was referring mainly to the crazed rants of extremist nationalists and Buddhist fundamentalists from Myanmar’s civil society, many senior officials, including the military leadership of the country, also weighed in on the issue on Facebook.
Without wanting to pre-judge the proceedings, those statements by leading government and military officials were never to condemn the worst excesses of hate-baiting against the Rohingya, but instead had the general intent and purpose of moderating and rationalizing antagonism toward the minority group. On those grounds alone, it may be possible to make inferences about intent. But perhaps a bigger prize is possible: It would be of genuine public interest to see what the communications between leading military officials looked like at the time, and to what extent their hostility to the Rohingya might have been expressed in genocidal language in private..."
Source/publisher:
"Arab News" (Saudi Arabia)
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-17
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Genocide
Language:
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
Fighting in Myanmar’s Rakhine State is taking a rising toll. It will hinder any effort to contain COVID-19 or resolve the Rohingya crisis. Rather than trying to defeat the Arakan Army, Naypyitaw should negotiate with ethnic Rakhine, endeavouring to convince them of electoral democracy’s benefits.
Description:
"The armed conflict being waged between government forces and the ethnic Rakhine Arakan Army in western Myanmar is currently the most serious by far of the country’s multiple, decades-old internal wars, with some of the most sustained and intense fighting seen in many years. After the conflict escalated significantly in early 2019, the government ordered a tough military response and on 23 March designated the Arakan Army as a terrorist organisation. These measures have exacerbated the grievances underlying the conflict and made a negotiated end to the fighting more difficult to attain. At the same time, neither side will be able to achieve their military objectives. The government needs a political strategy, now missing, to negotiate with Rakhine leaders, address their community’s grievances, and demonstrate that electoral democracy and political negotiation offer a realistic and effective path to realising their aspirations. The trajectory of the armed conflict is alarming, complicating problems in a state already traumatised by the separate crisis that resulted in the violent expulsion of more than 700,000 minority Rohingya to neighbouring Bangladesh in 2016-2017. Over the last eighteen months, clashes have increased in regularity and intensity, their geographical scope has expanded and the civilian toll has grown. Despite the significant loss of life on both sides, nothing suggests that Myanmar’s military, the Tatmadaw, is wearing down the Arakan Army or degrading its ability to operate. But nor is there reason to believe that the Arakan Army can achieve its aim of greater political autonomy on the battlefield. Civilians are paying a heavy price, caught in the crossfire or targeted as Arakan Army partisans or for harbouring fighters in their villages. Schools and medical facilities have been hit with alarming regularity, with each side usually blaming the other. It is difficult to see how general elections, which were provisionally slated for November, could be held in many parts of Rakhine State, the conflict’s locus..."
Source/publisher:
"International Crisis Group (ICG)" (Belgium)
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-16
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Armed conflict in Rakhine (Arakan) State, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
Language:
Local URL:
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Sub-title:
Several hundred Rohingya stranded since February after countries sealed borders to stop the spread of coronavirus.
Description:
"People traffickers holding hundreds of Rohingya refugees at sea are demanding payments from their families to release them from boats off the shores of Southeast Asia, relatives and rights groups say.
Several hundred Rohingya, members of a largely Muslim minority from Myanmar fleeing persecution at home and refugee camps in Bangladesh, have been stranded for months after countries sealed their borders to block the spread of the coronavirus.
More:
'Desperate journeys': Rohingya children recall ordeal at sea
Lawyers seek Facebook posts of Myanmar leaders in Rohingya case
Rohingya crisis through the eyes of Al Jazeera's journalists
Three people who said their relatives were at sea told the Reuters news agency that traffickers had demanded money to release them from boats that have been off Southeast Asia since February, trying to find a place to land.
"Before, the deal was that if they were able to reach the Malaysian shore then they will take the money, but they're asking for it now," said Mohammed Ayas, who said his 16-year-old brother left a refugee camp in Bangladesh in February.
Since then, the family has heard nothing from him, Ayas said.
Musha, whose two sisters are also at sea after leaving camps in Bangladesh in February, said brokers acting for the traffickers asked the family to pay 12,000 ringgit ($2,800) via a mobile banking service for their transfer to Malaysia.
He said the family paid the sum but did not know the fate of the two teenaged girls.
For years, Rohingya have boarded boats between November and April, when the seas are calm, to get to Southeast Asian countries including Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia. But coronavirus lockdowns have left boats stranded at sea.
Dozens of people died on board a boat that had to return to Bangladesh in April after running out of food and water, survivors told Reuters..."
Source/publisher:
"Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-16
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Trafficking: global, regional and national reports
Language:
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
A new report has detailed how movement restrictions are devastating the lives of Rohingya in Rakhine and helping to maintain their enforced segregation from the state’s other ethnic groups.
Description:
"On May 25, the government published a report in The Global New Light of Myanmar that detailed progress made in Rakhine State implementing recommendations of the Rakhine State Advisory Commission.
One of the items that drew my particular attention showed the discrepancy in access to tertiary health care between Muslims and other ethnicities. Of 26,860 patients treated between September and December last year at Sittwe General Hospital, the state’s only tertiary medical institution, only 814 – or just 3 percent – were Muslim.
Since the flight of hundreds of thousands Rohingya to Bangladesh in 2017, Muslims (Rohingya and Kaman) probably comprise between 20pc and 25pc of the state’s population. This puts the fact that they accounted for only 3pc of admissions to Sittwe General Hospital in a stark light.
This new information is welcome because acknowledging such discrepancies should spark efforts to understand and address them. A new report does just that. Support independent journalism in Myanmar. Sign up to be a Frontier member.
The report, Freedom of Movement in Rakhine State, by the Independent Rakhine Initiative, an evidence-based advocacy project, sheds light on reasons for this particular discrepancy, and much more. The study was conducted between March 2019 and January 2020 and used a qualitative methodology consisting of a literature review and interviews and focus group discussions with 211 individuals. It builds on an evidence base of 1,056 interviews conducted for IRI’s earlier reports on access to health, education and livelihoods.
It shows that perhaps more than any other human right, freedom of movement does not stand on its own. It “underpins the ability of individuals to live free and dignified lives, and is instrumental for the enjoyment of other rights, including access to health care, education and livelihoods”. IRI researched one of the key recommendations of the final report in August 2017 of the Rakhine State Advisory Commission, led by the late Mr Kofi Annan: to undertake a mapping exercise to identify all existing restrictions on movement in Rakhine affecting the state’s diverse ethnic communities and to develop a roadmap for the lifting of restrictions..."
Source/publisher:
"Frontier Myanmar" (Myanmar)
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-11
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
Testimonies reveal harrowing details of life on ships, as Malaysia detains more than 200 Rohingya found off Langkawi.
Description:
"Left to starve for months at sea, Rohingya children who escaped Bangladesh's refugee camps took "desperate" journeys to reach Malaysia on flimsy smuggling boats, according to a new report released as it emerged Malaysian authorities had detained nearly 300 Rohingya trying to reach the country by sea.
Testimonies by refugee children, who were rescued from a boat found adrift in the Bay of Bengal in April, revealed how they were beaten and forced to watch their parents' bodies thrown overboard. UN's Guterres asks Bangladesh to move Rohingya to refugee camps
First coronavirus case found in Bangladesh Rohingya refugee camps
Bangladesh quarantines hundreds of Rohingya rescued from sea
"It is clear that Rohingya families are still so desperate that they are ready to make dangerous journeys, often at the mercy of criminal organisations," Hassan Saadi Noor, Asia Regional Director of Save the Children, which compiled the report, said in a statement.
Hassan is urging countries across the region "to share the responsibility" of both protecting and providing for the Rohingya, while also working with Myanmar to find a long-term solution to this crisis.
"As long as Rohingya do not see a future for themselves, families will continue to make dangerous journeys and put themselves in harm's way in search of a better life," Hassan said..."
Source/publisher:
"Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-09
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Children, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Discrimination against the Rohingya
Language:
Local URL:
more
Description:
"Malaysia on Monday (Jun 8) detained 269 Rohingya migrants when they tried to enter the country on a damaged boat off the holiday island of Langkawi, authorities said.
The Southeast Asian country, which does not recognise refugee status, has been a favoured destination for ethnic Rohingya who fled a 2017 military-led crackdown in Myanmar and more recently squalid conditions in refugee camps in Bangladesh.
Acting on a tip-off received a day earlier, Malaysian authorities intercepted a boat ferrying the Rohingya in the pre-dawn hours of Monday off Langkawi off the northwestern corner of the Malaysian peninsula.
A coastguard vessel spotted the suspected migrant boat off the island, and was set to push it out to international waters, authorities said.
But as the coastguards approached, 53 Rohingya jumped into the sea and were detained.
"An inspection of their boat found 216 Rohingya migrants and the body of one female illegal immigrant. Further inspections found that the boat was deliberately damaged ... making it unfit to be turned back," Malaysia's National Task Force (NTF) on border patrol said in a statement.
According to the statement, a Marine Police Team boat and the KM Kimanis from the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) were sent to the scene to carry out surveillance and deportation operations.
"When the KM Kimanis approached the boat, 53 of the Rohingya jumped off the boat and swam ashore, but they were all arrested by MMEA personnel who were standing by on land," said the statement.
The KM Kimanis also provided food and fresh water to them. The National Security Council allowed the boat to be towed to the Teluk Ewa Jetty in Langkawi..."
Source/publisher:
"CNA" ( Singapore)
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-09
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Malaysia-Burma relations
Language:
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
A public reassessment of the Rohingya crisis will require deeply uncomfortable conversations to be held in the open, and great courage and humility on the part of many prominent figures.
Description:
"As the wheels of justice slowly turn at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, it’s easy to forget the hysteria that took over Myanmar in late 2017.
Newspapers across the world ran images of the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya fleeing a military crackdown in Rakhine State, which had been launched in response to attacks by Rohingya militants on security posts. As international condemnation followed, the pages of Myanmar social media were filled with defiance. The popular narrative went that the largely stateless Rohingya had attacked their hosts, the Myanmar citizenry, in a campaign of Islamist terror that the world was intent on denying. Faced with this apparent threat, members of the public felt they had a duty to rally behind their government. Pressured to conform, and fired by fear and anger at what they perceived to be blatant lies in international media, many people said things they probably now regret. One of them might be Ko Zayar Lwin, the jailed member of the Peacock Generation thangyat troupe. As Frontier reported on May 24, the young dissident wrote a series of Facebook posts at the height of the crisis that included claims that the Rohingya – whom he called by the derogatory labels “kalar” and “Bengali” – were burning down their homes before fleeing to Bangladesh, and that it was difficult to distinguish ordinary Rohingya from “terrorists”.
“The situation has turned these people whom we regard as terrorists into poor things in the eyes of the world,” he wrote in a post dated September 8, 2017, showing what many would regard as a shocking lack of empathy.
“These people” had been denied citizenship and confined for years to camps and villages without freedom of movement, and with extremely limited access to health and schooling. They were now in the crosshairs of a military whose history of violence against civilians is well documented..."
Source/publisher:
"Frontier Myanmar" (Myanmar)
Date of entry/update:
2020-06-03
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya
Language:
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
"Nobody knows how many people have died. It could be 50 or even more," recalls Khadiza Begum.
Description:
"The 50-year-old was among 396 Rohingya Muslims who had tried to reach Malaysia but who finally returned to the Bangladeshi shore after the boat carrying them was stranded at sea for two months.
Her estimate on the number of deaths comes from the funerals her son officiated as an imam, a Muslim preacher, on the same boat.
The human smugglers never delivered them to their longed-for destination.
Khadiza had to run away from her home in Myanmar because of violence that UN investigators described as a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing".
Neighbouring Bangladesh gave her shelter, settling the fleeing Rohingya Muslims in what has now become the world's largest refugee camp.
Around one million Rohingya are housed in Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh, and some among them, like Khadiza, hold dreams of a better life in Malaysia, lying across the Bay of Bengal..."
Source/publisher:
"BBC News" (London)
Date of entry/update:
2020-05-31
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
Local URL:
more
Description:
"Kyaw Thu* waited until night fell before taking his family to the bank of a river not far from their village. While millions across the world were told to remain at home to stay safe from the coronavirus pandemic, he and his neighbours were forced to flee.
That night in March, he recalls, residents from Tin Ma village, in Rakhine state, clambered anxiously into boats, crossed the river, then trekked through foothills to seek refuge in the relative safety of a nearby town. No one switched on a torch or even lit a cigarette for fear of drawing the attention of Myanmar’s army.
It is less than three years since the Myanmar military’s violent crackdown on Rohingya Muslim communities in Rakhine state, a campaign of violence that has since led to a genocide case in the UN’s highest court. Now the army is once again accused of committing war crimes against its own people. The tactics are familiar, but the primary targets this time are Rakhine Buddhists such as Kyaw Thu, as well as Rohingya, Mro, Daignet and Chin communities.
Despite sharing a faith with Myanmar’s rulers, Rakhine Buddhists have long complained of persecution, and say the development of their state has been stifled by the central government. Repression has now, they say, escalated into violent atrocities.
For more than a year, a long-simmering conflict has escalated between the military and the Arakan army, a rebel group drawn from Rakhine state’s Buddhist majority, that says it is fighting for greater autonomy..."
Source/publisher:
"The Guardian" (UK)
Date of entry/update:
2020-05-25
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Armed conflict in Rakhine (Arakan) State, Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya
Language:
Local URL:
more
Description:
"“The NLD government still has time to make this right by taking the following actions without delay: Immediately and unconditionally release all political prisoners and drop charges against those who are being persecuted for their fundamental right to freedom of expression; stop harassing the media and reporters for doing their legitimate work; repeal repressive legislation and enact laws that enshrine press freedom and freedom of expression.”
Myanmar has announced that it will indeed go ahead with the 2020 general election as planned, most likely in November. However, as noted by civil society organizations in light of World Press Freedom Day on 3 May, freedom of expression is in decline in the country. It is essential that this fundamental freedom is guaranteed to hold the government accountable, to monitor the fairness of the elections and ensure transparency and fairness in its organization, and to scrutinize the platforms of the political parties that will contest it.
One of the most pressing concerns in regard to freedom of expression and restrictions on the press, is the ongoing internet shutdown in Rakhine and Chin States. While one township in Rakhine State, Maungdaw, was recently taken off this list, this is probably a tactical PR move from the government given the upcoming reporting deadline to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on progress on implementation of measures as ordered by the Court. The remaining eight townships, however, are black holes of information. This is particularly galling in the context of both the coronavirus pandemic – where information dissemination is key for public health – and the ongoing armed conflict, in which 157,000 people have been displaced and the Myanmar military continues to commit egregious human rights violations. It has now been ten months without internet access in this part of Myanmar. Furthermore, on the same day that the Myanmar government officially announced its first coronavirus cases, they also announced that over 230 websites would be blocked. While the government gave the reason that such sites either contain adult content or spread ‘fake news,’ the reality is that some of these websites are essential ethnic media outlets such as Karen News and the Rakhine-based Development Media Group. These media outlets are not purveyors of ‘fake news’ but trusted local agencies that provide valuable information regarding the ground situation in their respective areas, areas where mainstream domestic or international media do not have access to. This valuable information pertains not just to the coronavirus pandemic, but also on the human rights violations and atrocities committed by the Myanmar military..."
Source/publisher:
Progressive Voice (Thailand)
Date of entry/update:
2020-05-18
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, International Court of Justice (ICJ) - Myanmar
Language:
Local URL:
more
Description:
"At least 1,000 Rohingya are stranded at sea as Southeast Asian nations tighten their borders to keep out the new coronavirus, Amnesty International said on Friday, urging action to ensure they were not buried in an “invisible graveyard” at sea.
Rights groups believe at least two boats carrying Rohingya, members of a Muslim minority from Myanmar, are off the coast of the Indonesian province of Aceh, but officials said they had no clear information.
Spokesmen for the Western Fleet of the Indonesian navy as well as Aceh’s disaster mitigation agency and search and rescue team told Reuters they were trying to confirm the location of the vessels.
Refugees from two other boats have landed in Bangladesh since mid-April, many starving and emaciated after weeks at sea. Survivors from one said dozens died on board.
Saad Hammadi, from the South Asia Regional Office of Amnesty International, said the refugees could have been sailing for several weeks or even months without food or water, citing information from humanitarian agencies and local news reports..."
Source/publisher:
"Reuters" (UK)
Date of entry/update:
2020-05-15
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya
Language:
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
Bloc's top diplomatic says return to peace process 'would help addressing root causes of plight of Rohingya'
Description:
"The EU on Friday urged all armed forces in Myanmar to implement an unconditional cease-fire and return to the peace process.
“Several hundreds of Rohingya people, including women and children, have been drifting for weeks at sea in appalling conditions, being pushed away from the shores in the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea,” EU High Representative Josep Borrell said in a written statement.
He said the bloc urges governments in the region to carry out a search and rescue operation for stranded Rohingya.
“Bangladesh granted safe landing and assistance to 400 Rohingya on one of the boats on 16 April 2020, showing continued generosity and humanity,” Borrell said, adding that it expects other countries to follow suit.
Bangladesh coast guard units rescued a boat carrying 390 Rohingya who were reportedly turned back from Malaysia nearly two months ago. As many as 100 perished at sea.
In the face of deadly clashes in Myanmar and the uncertainty of peaceful repatriation, the Rohingya are leaving crammed camps in Bangladesh to flee to countries like Malaysia through risky sea routes.
“The EU urges all armed forces in Myanmar to urgently implement an unconditional ceasefire and recommit to an all-inclusive peace process,” he said. “This would help addressing the root causes of the plight of the Rohingya.”
It added that the bloc is ready to provide further support for Rohingya refugees in the region..."
Source/publisher:
"Anadolu Agency" (Ankara)
Date of entry/update:
2020-05-03
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
Local URL:
more
Description:
"Xenophobic sentiments on social media against “the most discriminated people in the world” – the Rohingya of Myanmar – is on the rise in Malaysia.
A few weeks ago, it was reported that Malaysia denied entry to a boat carrying around 200 Rohingya refugees which was spotted by an air force jet off the north-western island of Langkawi. Malaysian sailors provided the Rohingya food before escorting them out of the country’s waters.
“With their poor settlements and living conditions … it is strongly feared that undocumented migrants who try to enter Malaysia either by land or sea will bring (COVID-19) into the country,” read a statement by Malaysia’s air force.
To date, more than three million people have been infected with the deadly coronavirus. The pandemic has prompted governments to imposed drastic measures to contain the outbreak. In Malaysia, 100 people have succumbed to COVID-19, as of 28 April. The country has enacted its nationwide partial lockdown, also known locally as the Movement Control Order (MCO) since mid-March and is due to end on 12 May. This has led to the closure of border gates and the barring of foreigners from entering the country.
"Receiving the Rohingya at times like this could open the floodgates for more foreign nationals and vessels to approach the Malaysian border and therefore hinder the government's effort to fight Covid-19,” said Mohamad Hasan, deputy president of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO). He also said that the country has “far exceeded” its capacity to host refugees..."
Source/publisher:
"The ASEAN Post" (Malaysia)
Date of entry/update:
2020-05-01
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
Language:
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
Yanghee Lee says Myanmar's leader Aung San Suu Kyi failed to live up to her reputation as an icon of human rights.
Description:
"The United Nations' outgoing human rights envoy for Myanmar has told Al Jazeera that the country's civilian leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, failed to live up to her reputation as a humanitarian.
Yanghee Lee's time in the role was dominated by Myanmar's bloody crackdown in western Rakhine state in 2017, when at least 750,000 people, mostly ethnic Rohingya, fled across the border to Bangladesh.
More:
UN envoy calls for investigation into "possible war crimes" in Myanmar as Rakhine conflict continues
Eight killed in Myanmar's troubled western state of Rakhine
Myanmar to release 25,000 prisoners to mark New Year festival
Aung San Suu Kyi has been widely criticised for remaining mostly silent on accusations of anti-Rohingya violence, and Lee told Al Jazeera on Wednesday she believed the Myanmar leader's inaction was "utterly disappointing"..."
Source/publisher:
"Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of entry/update:
2020-05-01
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
Yanghee Lee says the army is ‘maximising suffering’ on Rohingya and other people in attacks reminiscent of the 2017 assault in Rakhine state
Description:
"Myanmar’s military may once again be committing crimes against humanity in Rakhine state, the UN special rapporteur on human rights has warned, urging the international community to prevent further atrocities.
In a damning statement issued on Wednesday, Yanghee Lee said the military was inflicting immense suffering on communities living in conflict-affected states, and called for increased efforts to “ensure that there is not another systemic failure like in 2017”. The military had also expanded its campaign against minorities from Rakhine to neighbouring Chin state, she said.
Myanmar is already facing allegations of genocide over a brutal military crackdown that began in August 2017, and which forced more than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee over the border to Bangladesh. Earlier this year, Myanmar was instructed by the UN’s highest court to take action to prevent genocidal violence against Rohingya citizens and to report back on its progress..."
Source/publisher:
"The Guardian" (UK)
Date of entry/update:
2020-04-29
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Internal displacement/forced migration of Rohingyas, Armed conflict in Rakhine (Arakan) State
Language:
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
Yanghee Lee steps down after six years of raising the alarm on atrocities committed against Rohingya minority.
Description:
"The UN's special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, Yanghee Lee, is stepping down after spending six years raising the alarm on atrocities committed against the Rohingya minority.
In her final report, Lee said the military's actions bore the "hallmarks of genocide" and accused the civilian government of doing nothing to change things.
Al Jazeera's Florence Looi reports from Kuala Lumpur..."
Source/publisher:
"Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of entry/update:
2020-04-29
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya
Language:
Local URL:
more
Description:
"Rohingya Muslims fleeing persecution from Myanmar have been left stranded at sea on the Bay of Bengal following a decision by Bangladesh to refuse to bring them ashore. Rohingya refugees were trying to make their way to Malaysia; however, the country’s restrictions on receiving any boats in light of the coronavirus pandemic left them in the Bay of Bengal. Now the nearest country, Bangladesh, is likewise leaving them deserted.
There are approximately 500 Rohingyas, including many women and children, stranded on two trawlers, risking starvation and in need of urgent medical assistance after having been left at sea for weeks. According to the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, Rohingya refugees at sea have no access to adequate food or water, leaving them in an unacceptable plight. Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Abdul Momen said, “I am opposed to allowing these Rohingya into the country because Bangladesh is always asked to take care of the responsibility of other countries.” He further added, “We have no room to shelter any foreign people or refugees.” In addition, the Bangladesh government has even denied the fact that these trawlers full of Rohingyas exist, in a bid to try to shirk further responsibility..."
Source/publisher:
"The Diplomat" (Japan)
Date of entry/update:
2020-04-27
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
Appeal made to Bangladesh after its FM said the South Asian country would not accept the boats.
Description:
"A top UN official has urged Bangladesh to let two stranded boats with Rohingya refugees on board land amid mounting fears over their fate.
On Monday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet warned of a "human tragedy of terrible proportions" unless action is taken to help the Rohingya on the boats.
More:
Do not push Rohingya out to sea amid coronavirus emergency: UNHCR
Hundreds of doctors in Bangladesh infected with coronavirus
OPINION: Refugees must be protected during the coronavirus pandemic
"In a spirit of solidarity and at the beginning of the Holy Month of Ramadan, I appeal to you in the strongest terms to open your ports and allow the boats to land," Bachelet said in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by AFP news agency.
"The reportedly more than 500 men, women and children aboard these boats have been at sea for an extended period of time, and we understand that they require urgent rescue, food, medical care and other necessary humanitarian assistance."
The appeal was made to the Bangladesh government after Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said the South Asian country would not accept the boats..."
Source/publisher:
"Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of entry/update:
2020-04-27
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
Rights groups urge Dhaka to allow some 500 Rohingya stuck in the Bay of Bengal to come ashore.
Description:
"The Bangladesh government has refused to allow some 500 Rohingya refugees stranded on board two fishing trawlers in the Bay of Bengal to come ashore, drawing criticism from rights groups.
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen told Al Jazeera on Saturday that the Rohingya refugees, who are believed to have been at sea for weeks, are "not Bangladesh's responsibility."
More:
Do not push Rohingya out to sea amid coronavirus emergency: UNHCR
Hundreds of doctors in Bangladesh infected with coronavirus
OPINION: Refugees must be protected during the coronavirus pandemic
"Why you are asking Bangladesh to take those Rohingyas? They are in the deep sea, not even in Bangladesh's territorial water," Momen said, adding that there are at least eight coastal countries surrounding the Bay of Bengal.
"It's your duty to ask Myanmar government first because those are their citizens," Momen told Al Jazeera.
The two trawlers - carrying an estimated 500 Rohingya women, men and children - are in the Bay of Bengal after being rejected by Malaysia, which has imposed restrictions on all boats in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
According to the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, the stranded Rohingya might "have been at sea for weeks without adequate food and water."
Momen said that just weeks ago, Bangladesh rescued a total of 396 Rohingya people from a vessel that had been adrift for about two months after also failing to reach Malaysia..."
Source/publisher:
"Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of entry/update:
2020-04-26
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
Refugee advocates say fear of Rohingya refugees carrying the virus is not an excuse to refuse them asylum.
Description:
"Stateless Rohingya refugees who have fled Myanmar by boat face a "dire, and in many cases fatal predicament" at sea, and countries in the region should allow them to disembark on humanitarian grounds despite the coronavirus health crisis, the United Nations refugee agency has said.
Indrika Ratwatte, director of the UNHCR Asia-Pacific region, said on Thursday the international body is "increasingly concerned" by reports of hundreds of Rohingya refugees on board fishing boats being refused entry to countries despite the dangerous conditions on the smugglers' ships. More:
Myanmar violence: Thousands displaced by fresh fighting
Students injured in shelling at school in Myanmar's Rakhine state
UN urged to suspend Myanmar return plan for Chin amid unrest
"We are increasingly concerned by reports of failure to disembark vessels in distress and of the grave immediate risk this poses to the men, women and children on board," Ratwatte said..."
Source/publisher:
"Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of entry/update:
2020-04-23
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
Language:
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
At least 32 civilians have been killed in western Myanmar since late last month, the UN says, in fighting between the military and an armed ethnic group.
Description:
"The UN described the situation as “dire,” and said almost daily fighting was taking place in areas of Rakhine and Chin provinces.
It is unclear whether civilians were targeted or caught in crossfire between security forces and militants.
The Arakan Army militants are ethnic Rakhine Buddhists.
Myanmar’s military denies targeting civilians.
Countries including the UK and the US have called for an end to fighting amid the global coronavirus pandemic. More than 80 cases have been reported in Myanmar, along with four deaths.
The Arakan Army declared a month-long ceasefire but this was rejected by the government.
In another development, the authorities in Myanmar say they will free nearly 25,000 inmates as part of a traditional new year prison release.
Among those to be released are hundreds of Rohingya jailed for breaking travel restrictions applied to them because they are not recognised as citizens.
Groups monitoring the country’s notoriously overcrowded prisons have been campaigning to get inmates released early to reduce the likelihood of Covid-19 spreading in jail..."
Source/publisher:
"BBC News" (London)
Date of entry/update:
2020-04-23
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, COVID-19 (Coronavirus)
Language:
Local URL:
more
Description:
"...The conflict between Buddhists and Muslim Rohingya in Myanmar is a multilayered problem with various interlinked causes. The disputes have spread outside the local area and become a regional problem that also involves other countries. This problem cannot be solved in the near future, not as long as the majority of Burmese citizens share the same mindset of hatred toward the Rohingya. It is impossible to fix or change the bitter history between Burmese people and Rohingya. To solve the conflict, the perspective of the Burmese toward the Rohingya must be changed – not only from the Burmese side, as the perspective of the Rohingya towards the Burmese is also hostile. The most important thing is for the Burmese government to treat the conflict seriously and sincerely. The government must find a solution to handle the situation with emphasis on humanity and human rights. I have found that the perspective and perception of the Burmese towards Rohingya depend on the education level of Burmese people. Among the well-educated, even if they believe that the Rohingya are a Bengalese migrants, they still agree that as human beings, the Rohingya should get a chance to enjoy basic human rights. The Rohingya issue is no longer just a Myanmar problem, as it already affects the international community..."
Date of entry/update:
2020-04-18
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Armed conflict in Rakhine (Arakan) State
Language:
Format :
PDF
Size:
552.8 KB
Local URL:
more
Description:
"...Considerable historical evidence affirms that the Rohingya Muslims are indigenous inhabitants and rightful citizens of Myanmar, who have been living in Rakhine State not for decades, but for centuries. The Myanmar government has been systematically eradicating the Rohingya people due to their Islamic religious identity. This analysis finds that the ongoing persecution on Rohingya Muslims is a manifestation of a classical model of ethnic cleansing. The disasters experienced in Rakhine State present a complete evidence of systematic, widespread and prolific human rights violations, including heinous crimes against humanity. This article presents an academic perspective on repeated incidents, based on authentic proofs to international community of ethnic cleansing committed by the Myanmar army. This research has been carried out through various types of sources, such as recent and previously published books, articles, local and international newspapers, TV channels, magazines, documentaries, human rights organizations’ reports, and eye-witness accounts of the victims. Finally, it provides suggestions to resolve the rising problems, which may bring a permanent solution to the long-lasting humanitarian crisis in Rakhine State..."
Date of entry/update:
2020-04-05
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Discrimination against the Rohingya, Genocide
Language:
Format :
PDF
Size:
1.8 MB
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
The award was granted to the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi three years ago.
Description:
"The City of London Corporation (CLC) on Thursday revoked an honour granted to Aung San Suu Kyi over the treatment of minority Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.
Elected representatives on the body that runs London's historic centre and financial district voted to revoke the freedom of the city granted to Suu Kyi three years ago.
More:
ICJ orders Myanmar to protect Rohingya
Myanmar finds war crimes but no genocide in Rohingya crackdown
'Justice served': Rohingya in Bangladesh hail ICJ order
This move in the United Kingdom followed Suu Kyi's appearance, as Myanmar's civilian leader, at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague in December to personally defend her country against allegations of rape, arson and mass killings against Rohingya victims..."
Source/publisher:
"Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of entry/update:
2020-03-06
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), About Aung San Suu Kyi, Genocide, Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
Myanmar is restricting media access to the far western state of Rakhine where the military is fighting Arakan Army rebels.
Description:
""I think I might have told you too much already. Someone will probably tell the government I've been speaking to journalists," the shopkeeper told me.
We were in Maungdaw, a once-bustling town in the northern part of Rakhine state, Myanmar.
We looked around.
There wasn't anyone who stood out as secret police.
After all, it's usually not difficult to pick them out. They are normally better dressed than villagers. A close-cropped haircut means they are most likely to be military intelligence. Sometimes there's a tell-tale sign- a walkie talkie. But the shopkeeper was still worried. He wouldn't tell us his name or give us his phone number. We were on a government-arranged media trip to northern Rakhine. This was where the Myanmar military had launched a brutal crackdown on 25 August 2017, targetting the mainly Muslim Rohingya, an ethnic minority in Myanmar.
Soldiers and Buddhist mobs were accused of killing, torturing and raping Rohingya men and women. Homes were ransacked and set ablaze. The fires raged for days and could be seen from across the border in Bangladesh..."
Source/publisher:
"Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of entry/update:
2020-03-06
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Genocide, Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
Local URL:
more
Description:
"UN agencies and their partners on Tuesday launched an appeal for 877 million U.S. dollars to help Rohingya refugees from Myanmar who are in Bangladesh, as well as the hosting communities, said a UN spokesman.
The aim is to help some 855,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and more than 444,000 vulnerable Bangladeshis in the communities which are generously hosting these refugees, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
More than half of the money will be for vital services and assistance, such as access to food, shelter, clean water and sanitation, he said.
This marks the third year of exile for most Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. They are clear that they want to return home, but only when they and their families will be safe, can access basic rights and see a pathway to citizenship in Myanmar, said the spokesman..."
Source/publisher:
"Xinhua" (China)
Date of entry/update:
2020-03-05
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
UN agencies together with the Bangladesh authorities have appealed for $877 million to support hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, where conditions are still not conducive for their safe return, UN refugee agency chief Filippo Grandi said on Tuesday.
Description:
"Speaking on the sidelines of the 2020 Joint Response Plan (JRP) launch for 855,000 ethnic Rohingya, and the more than 444,000 vulnerable Bangladeshis in host communities, Mr. Grandi urged Myanmar to take quicker action to help the displaced to return home. “The solution continues to be in Myanmar”, said the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). “The problem is that things that need to be done there, to create conditions for refugees to return from Bangladesh into Myanmar, are too slow or not happening yet.”
In August 2017, a military operation in Myanmar’s Rakhine state in response to separatist violence prompted hundreds of thousands of ethnic Rohingya to flee.
At the time, then High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, likened the episode to a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing”.
Reporting to the Human Rights Council, he also cited reports of Myanmar authorities laying landmines along the border with Bangladesh and requiring returnees to provide “proof of nationality” - an impossibility, given that successive Myanmar governments have, since 1962, progressively stripped the Rohingya population of their political and civil rights, including citizenship rights.
Longstanding discrimination
At the current Human Rights Council session in Geneva, Zeid’s successor, Michelle Bachelet, noted that for over half a century, the policies of Myanmar had discriminated against religious and ethnic minorities..."
Source/publisher:
UN News
Date of entry/update:
2020-03-04
[field_licence]
Type:
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:
Local URL:
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Description:
"Al Jazeera cameras have been allowed on a tightly-controlled, government-organised trip to Rakhine state in northern Myanmar, where the army has denied carrying out a genocidal campaign against the Rohingya..."
Source/publisher:
"Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of entry/update:
2020-03-02
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Genocide, Discrimination against the Rohingya, International Court of Justice (ICJ) - Myanmar
Language:
Local URL:
more
Description:
"At least five ethnic Rohingya were killed and several injured after troops clashed with insurgents in Myanmar's conflict-torn western state of Rakhine, a lawmaker and two residents said on Sunday (March 1).
Saturday's fighting broke out after Arakan Army rebels attacked a military convoy passing the historic temple town of Mrauk U, the regional MP, Tun Thar Sein, and a spokesman for the armed group, Khine Thu Kha, said.
Two military spokesmen did not answer telephone calls from Reuters to seek comment, and the army did not immediately issue a statement on its website.
Khine Thu Kha, the Arakan Army spokesman, blamed government troops for the civilian casualties. A government spokesman said he could not comment.
Reuters was unable to independently confirm the details of the attack in the remote area, where journalists are barred and internet access curtailed.
Myanmar army artillery shells hit the village of Bu Ta Lone, killing four people, the Arakan Army spokesman said in a message.
The MP, a health worker who treated the injured, and a villager said at least five Rohingya, members of a persecuted Muslim minority, had died.
There were conflicting accounts of the number of Rohingya injured, which ranged from six to 11, along with several members of the state's Rakhine ethnic majority. Rakhine is the state from which more than 730,000 Rohingya were forced to flee for neighbouring Bangladesh after a military crackdown in 2017 that the U.N. has said was executed with genocidal intent. Myanmar denies committing genocide..."
Source/publisher:
"The Star Online" (Selangor)
Date of entry/update:
2020-03-02
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
Local URL:
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Description:
"Officially, rape hardly happens in Myanmar and domestic abuse is non-existent. The reality? Violence against women is so pervasive it is regarded as normal -- and as a result -- woefully underreported, says lawyer and activist Hla Hla Yee.
"Domestic abuse in Myanmar is regarded as a family matter and even if it is reported, the police fail to take action," she explains, adding that many still view it as a normal part of marriage that women must endure.
The UN has warned violence against women and girls is a "silent emergency" in the country, with incidents spanning groping on public transport to trafficking, and has called for a zero-tolerance approach in communities, police, and the justice system. Analysis by the Demographic and Health Survey suggested at least one-fifth of women were abused by a partner in 2016.
According to government statistics, there were 1,405 rape cases in 2017, up from 1,110 the year before -- around two thirds committed against children..."
Source/publisher:
Agence France-Presse (AFP) (France) via "Bangkok Post" (Thailand)
Date of entry/update:
2020-03-02
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Women's rights, Articles, reports and sites relating to women of Burma, Discrimination against the Rohingya
Language:
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
Afraid to return home, Myanmar's Rohingya refugees are stuck in camps in Bangladesh, three years on from a military crackdown.
Description:
"Rohingya who fled a campaign of violence against them in Myanmar remain fearful of returning home, despite the government saying it is now ready to receive them.
More than 700,000 Rohingya fled to neighbouring Bangladesh in 2017.
A recent United Nations court ruling ordered Myanmar to protect them.
Al Jazeera's Tanvir Chowdhury reports from Kutupalong refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh..."
Source/publisher:
"Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of entry/update:
2020-03-02
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, International Court of Justice (ICJ) - Myanmar
Language:
Local URL:
more
Description:
": The contact group of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), led by Saudi Arabia, met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at his office at the UN’s New York headquarters to discuss the latest developments related to the Muslim Rohingya ethnic minority community in Myanmar.
The group included representatives from Turkey, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia and the OIC Observer Mission to the UN.
The Kingdom’s permanent representative to the UN, Abdallah Al-Mouallimi, lauded the efforts of Guterres to support the legitimate rights of the Rohingya, highlighting the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) decision demanding the government of Myanmar honor its obligations to provide protection to the group.
“The ICJ decision was the result of the efforts exerted by the OIC members states in New York and the Contact Group on Rohingya Muslims of Myanmar headed by the Kingdom,” he said..."
Source/publisher:
"Arab News" (Saudi Arabia)
Date of entry/update:
2020-03-01
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
International Court of Justice (ICJ) - Myanmar, Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya
Language:
Local URL:
more
Description:
"Myanmar authorities have apprehended more than 2,200 Rohingya Muslims as they attempted to illegally leave the country by sea since 2015, according to a list of the detainees obtained from a naval officer by RFA’s Myanmar Service.
Nearly 1,500 Rohingya were detained in 2015, more than 500 were picked up in 2018, and roughly 250 have been apprehended so far in 2019, according to the list provided by the officer, who declined to be named because he is not authorized to give information to the media.
The figures did not include Rohingya who fled by land from two military-led crackdowns in northern Rakhine state in 2016 and 2017. During the first round of violence, about 90,000 Muslims left and headed across the border and into Bangladesh, while the second, more brutal clampdown forced more than 740,000 into Bangladesh.
Thousands of other Rohingya have tried to leave Myanmar in the last several years to escape institutionalized persecution, grinding poverty, and insecurity in Rakhine state. They pay human traffickers hundreds of dollars each to transport them to other Muslim-friendly nations in Southeast Asia where they hope to have a better life..."
Source/publisher:
"RFA" (USA)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-29
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
Local URL:
more
Summary:
"In 1948, Myanmar, then called Burma, gained independence from Britain, although the promised autonomy to the Rohingya people (who are mainly Muslim), as well as other ethnic groups like the Shan and...
Description:
"In 1948, Myanmar, then called Burma, gained independence from Britain, although the promised autonomy to the Rohingya people (who are mainly Muslim), as well as other ethnic groups like the Shan and Kachin people was never granted. Instead, military-government led persecution and theft of land have been their lot. The Rohingya people were stripped of their nationality in 1982, and subsequently labelled as ‘Bangladeshis’.
Since 2012, especially in 2015 and 2017, there were several outbreaks of vicious attacks on the Rohingya people by the Tatmadaw, the Myanmar military forces, which forced over 700,000 to flee from Rakhine province into refugee camps in neighbouring Bangladesh. More than a million Rohingyas live in the squalor, disease, and poverty of the refugee camps in southern Bangladesh, having fled from appalling violence and rape or sexual abuse.
According to “Physicians for Human Rights”, Rohingyas in the camps had been subject to being beaten or injured with weapons, hit by grenades or mortars, or raped or sexually assaulted. For example, in 2017, 6-year-old Abdul Wahid was shot in the head and left leg; despite surviving the attack after surgery in Bangladesh, walking is now an extreme difficulty for him. 21-year-old Rabia Basri lost five relatives when fired at by military forces, and is now unable to walk or even carry loads without the use of crutches.These examples are but the tip of the iceberg.
There are currently around ten refugee camps in Bangladesh, each housing anywhere between 9,000 and 600,000 Rohingyas. The largest camp, Kutupalong, has the highest number and contains an expansion site of makeshift camps.
International hypocrisy
The government of Bangladesh is, of course, not a benevolent force intervening in the crisis; it previously provided the Myanmar government with tens of thousands of names of Rohingyas marked for repatriation, following a joint agreement signed in 2018.
Voluntary repatriation has been refused by many Rohingya refugees over fears of further violence or sexual assault when back in Rakhine province. The government of Myanmar has also steadfastly refused to grant full citizenship to the Rohingya people, instead offering only the concession of ‘part-citizenship’..."
Source/publisher:
"The Socialist" (UK)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-28
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
International Court of Justice (ICJ) - Myanmar, Genocide, Discrimination against the Rohingya, Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first)
Language:
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
The Human Rights Council on Thursday held an interactive dialogue with UN rights chief, Michelle Bachelet, on the root causes of violations and abuses suffered by the Rohingya mainly-Muslim minority and other minorities in Myanmar. She said the Government now has a historic opportunity to counteract systematic violations, "by bringing its people together, as one".
Description:
"The High Commissioner also presented her oral update, as well as country reports of the Secretary-General and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), followed by a general debate.
Ms. Bachelet said she welcomed the engagement and constructive input of the Government of Myanmar in the compilation of the report.
She reminded Member States that for over half a century, the policies of Myanmar had discriminated against religious and ethnic minorities. Women and girls heavily impacted
Democratic deficits, entrenched impunity, weak rule of law and the lack of civilian oversight had all contributed to human rights abuses in Myanmar, Ms. Bachelet noted, adding that women and girls were especially impacted as a result of sexual and gender-based violence. Government policies “have contributed to and perpetuated violence, extreme poverty, exploitation and dispossession. Notably, the 1982 Citizenship Law rendered stateless a significant proportion of the Rohingya and other Muslims, compounding their vulnerability”, she said. She added that the “root causes of these violations are complex, multi-dimensional and long-standing. Unpacking and untangling this multi-faceted human rights challenge requires understanding the historical, political, economic and social dimensions as a prerequisite to identifying solutions.”..."
Source/publisher:
UN News
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-28
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, International Court of Justice (ICJ) - Myanmar
Language:
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
UN rights chief makes recommendations in report on Rohingyas, other minorities in Myanmar
Description:
"Myanmar should repeal and review laws and policies that discriminate against the Rohingyas based on their ethnicity, religion, language and culture, said Michelle Bachelet, United Nations high commissioner for human rights.
“Review and repeal laws and policies that perpetuate discrimination on the basis of ethnic, religious, linguistic or cultural identity, including, but not limited to, those on citizenship, the four ‘race and religion’ laws, and laws perpetuating economic exclusion of minorities, such as in relation to land and natural resources,” she said in her report on Rohingyas, other minorities in Myanmar submitted at the 43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Thursday.
“The concept of ‘national races’ should be revoked to allow for self-identification on ethnic, religious and linguistic grounds for all official and legal purposes,” she added in her recommendations for the government of Myanmar, religious leaders and communities, and social media platforms active in Myanmar with respect to the Rohingya community.
“Myanmar stands at a critical point in its democratic transition. The 2020 general elections, the renewed initiative for constitutional reform and the ongoing peace process present important opportunities to address the root causes of human rights violations against minorities and to shape a common vision for the future,” said the UN rights chief in her 17-page report.
“Fundamentally, this requires an immediate cessation of ongoing violations, an end to systemic impunity, and comprehensive State reforms on democratic federal lines that removes the control of the military and ensures its accountability to elected civilian authorities,” she said..."
Source/publisher:
"Dhaka Tribune" (Bangladesh)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-28
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya
Language:
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
Human rights lawyer will represent Maldives, which is joining the Gambia in taking Myanmar to court for alleged genocide
Description:
"Amal Clooney will represent the Maldives in seeking justice for Rohingya Muslims at the UN’s highest court, where Myanmar faces accusations of genocide.
The Maldivian government has said it will join the Gambia in challenging Myanmar’s treatment of Rohingya people during an army crackdown in Rakhine state in 2017 that forced more than 700,000 people to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh.
In a unanimous decision in January, the international court of justice (ICJ) in The Hague imposed emergency “provisional measures” on Myanmar, instructing it to prevent genocidal violence against its Rohingya minority and preserve any evidence of past crimes.
The ruling was an outright rejection of the defence put forward by Aung San Suu Kyi, who attended court in person to defend the military’s actions. In evidence to the court she urged ICJ judges to dismiss allegations of genocide and instead allow the country’s court martial system to deal with any human rights abuses. A final judgement is expected to take years. In a statement, Clooney, the human rights lawyer and barrister at Doughty Street Chambers in London, said: “Accountability for genocide in Myanmar is long overdue and I look forward to working on this important effort to seek judicial remedies for Rohingya survivors.”
Clooney successfully represented former the Maldivian president Mohamed Nasheed and secured a UN decision that his 2015 jailing for 13 years was illegal.
She also represented Reuters journalists Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who spent more than 500 days in prison in Myanmar convicted of breaking the colonial-era Official Secrets Act. The journalists had been working on a Reuters investigation into the killing of 10 Rohingya Muslim men in Rakhine state. They were freed in May 2019..."
Source/publisher:
"The Guardian" (UK)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-27
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
International Court of Justice (ICJ) - Myanmar, Genocide, Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first)
Language:
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
The Ministry of Information regularly arranges trips to northern Rakhine State for journalists and interesting encounters occur when their minders’ backs are turned.
Description:
"ALL IT TAKES is a quick turn around a corner to evade the scrutiny of the minders and get a better understanding of the whole picture.
“Please, sir, you need to know that we have been lying to you all along because the government employees are listening,” the young man told Frontier. “We are afraid of repercussions if we don't say what they want us to say. We don't have a choice. I am sorry.”
It would be irresponsible to publish the young man’s name or say where in northern Rakhine State that the encounter occurred.
Furtive conversations with journalists are not what the government-appointed commission headed by former United Nations secretary Mr Kofi Annan had in mind when it recommended that “the Government of Myanmar should provide full and regular access for domestic and international media to all areas affected by recent violence – as well as all other areas of the state”. Support more independent journalism like this. Sign up to be a Frontier member.
The recommendation is one of 88 in the final report that the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State released on August 24, 2017. In the early hours of the next day the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army launched a series of coordinated attacks on security posts in northern Rakhine, triggering a response from the Tatmadaw that sent more than 750,000 Rohingya fleeing to safety in Bangladesh..."
Source/publisher:
"Frontier Myanmar" (Myanmar)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-27
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
Local URL:
more
Description:
"DHAKA: Bangladesh has yet again shelved a controversial plan to relocate some 100,000 Rohingya refugees to a flood-prone island in the Bay of Bengal, a minister said on Wednesday (Feb 26).
Authorities have long sought to relocate some of the country's million-plus Rohingya population to Bhashan Char, despite warnings the silty strip of land was prone to violent and potentially deadly monsoon storms.
The move would take some pressure off the overcrowded border camps home to huge numbers of the persecuted and stateless Muslim minority, most of whom fled neighbouring Myanmar in 2017 after a brutal military crackdown.
But rights groups say that some refugees had been coerced into agreeing to relocation and the plan has been staunchly opposed by the Rohingya community at large.
Junior disaster management minister Enamur Rahman said Bangladesh would increase its focus on diplomatic talks aimed at returning the refugees home.
"The relocation plan has been postponed," he told AFP, adding that there had been "much progress" in repatriation discussions with Myanmar with China acting as intermediary. Bangladesh and Myanmar have already signed a repatriation deal to send back some Rohingya to their homeland - but safety fears mean very few have agreed to return..."
Source/publisher:
"CNA" ( Singapore)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-26
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
The minister made the declaration while addressing the 43rd Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva on Tuesday
Description:
"Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdulla Shahid has announced the Maldivian administration's decision to file a written declaration of intervention at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at The Hague, in support of the persecuted Rohingya people.
The minister made the declaration while addressing the 43rd Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva on Tuesday.
In his statement, Minister Shahid noted that the government welcomed ICJ's ruling last month, which ordered Myanmar to "take all measures within its power” to protect the Rohingya from genocide.
"The Maldives intends to support the ongoing efforts to secure accountability for the perpetrators of genocide against the Rohingya people, in line with the decision taken by the OIC during the Summit held in Makkah last year," said Minister Shahid, referring to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation's calls on the ad hoc ministerial committee to launch a case over Myanmar's human rights violations against the Rohingya Muslims at the ICJ..."
Source/publisher:
"Dhaka Tribune" (Bangladesh)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-26
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
International Court of Justice (ICJ) - Myanmar, Genocide, Discrimination against the Rohingya, Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first)
Language:
Local URL:
more
Description:
"Rohingya Muslims displaced by communal violence with ethnic Rakhine Buddhists across western Myanmar’s beleaguered Rakhine state nearly eight years ago say prospects for the betterment of their lives look dimmer than ever as they still live in near-apartheid conditions.
The wave of brutal slayings and attacks in June 2012 left more than 200 people dead and displaced about 120,000 Rohingya, who were later forced to live in squalid camps scattered around the state.
Entire communities were burned down, including Narzi ward in Rakhine’s capital Sittwe, where Khin Maung, a 30-something year-old Rohingya lived with his family. During the violence, he, his relatives, and other residents escaped to the west side of town where other Muslims resided.
Khin Maung told RFA’s Myanmar Service that he does not know whether his family will ever be able to return to their original ward, with restrictions still imposed on the free movement of the Rohingya in Rakhine and beyond..."
Source/publisher:
"RFA" (USA)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-25
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
Local URL:
more
Description:
"In this episode of UpFront we challenge Aung San Suu Kyi's former spokesperson on allegations of genocide in Myanmar's Rakhine state.
And we debate the police response to protests in France against President Emmanuel Macron's government with La Republique En Marche MP Roland Lescure..."
Source/publisher:
"Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-24
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Genocide, About Aung San Suu Kyi
Language:
Local URL:
more
Title: Rohingya response: Proper planning for response could make Bangladesh economically benefitted
Sub-title:
JRP 2020 stated that Rohingya response should be a real joint venture ensured by aid transparency and management that should be accountable
Description:
"Demanding a single line authority for ensuring maximum benefit for the displaced Myanmar citizens (Rohingya refugees), a Cox’s Bazar based network has stated that proper planning will benefit the national and local economy at the same time.
The network, Cox’s Bazar CSO NGO Forum (CCNF), was presenting its response to the Joint Response Plan (JRP) 2020 at a press briefing in the city’s press club.
JRP 2020 stated that Rohingya response should be a real joint venture ensured by aid transparency and management that should be accountable.
The JRP in Rohingya response is being prepared by ISCG (Inter-Sectoral Coordination Group). The Rohingya response will formally be launched in Geneva in March. The plan envisages funds to the tune of around $887 million for 2020.
Barkat Mullah Maruf, joint director of Coast Trust, an NGO, said: “Localization does not necessarily mean giving response-based jobs to locals; it rather means the development of locals through using their resources.” He also stated that local traders could additionally benefit from selling necessary items to the Rohingya community..."
Source/publisher:
"Dhaka Tribune" (Bangladesh)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-24
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
Aung San Suu Kyi's former spokesperson Nyo Ohn Myint dismisses atrocities carried out against the Rohingya.
Description:
"In January the International Court of Justice ordered Myanmar to prevent the genocide of Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state. Myanmar's government rejected the ruling, saying it was based on a "distorted picture of the situation".
According to the UN, at least 10,000 people have been killed and more than 700,000 have fled Rakhine state since the Myanmar military's crackdown began in 2017. Thousands of Rohingya women and girls have been raped, and around 300 villages burnt to the ground.
The former spokesman of Myanmar's de-facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, is dismissing the allegations, describing them as "one-sided".
"Most of the international people live in the rumours, hearsay," Nyo Ohn Myint said.
"This is a political accusation … because you know, they just joined the bandwagon," he added.
Nyo Ohn Myint also questioned the evidence gathered by the international community - which has been denied access to Rakhine state by Myanmar's government.
"When I read the US State Department report that said the Rohingya women were raped by soldiers and surrounded by hundreds of soldiers, it looked like the very, you know ... third-class Hollywood movie," he said.
Nyo Ohn Myint suggested that some of the women who gave accounts of their rape to Amnesty International were lying.
"I don't know because if I, if I look at her eye, maybe she was true or maybe she was lying," he said.
This week's Headliner, Aung San Suu Kyi's former spokesperson, Nyo Ohn Myint..."
Source/publisher:
"Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-23
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Genocide
Language:
Local URL:
more
Description:
"Dozens of Rohingya Muslims, including two children, appeared in court in Myanmar on Friday, the latest group to face charges after attempting to flee conflict-torn Rakhine state. The group of about 20 were among 54 people from the Rohingya minority arrested on Wednesday on the outskirts of the commercial capital Yangon while trying to leave for Malaysia, according to judge Thida Aye.
“The immigration officer submitted the case because they found no identification cards from these people,” she told Reuters.
Some were barefoot, others clothed in colorful head-scarfs, as they were ushered into the small courtroom in Yangon. A small boy was naked from the waist down.
Defense lawyer Nay Myo Zar said they had fled Rakhine state, the western region where hundreds of thousands of Rohingya live in apartheid-like conditions and have come under increasing pressure as government troops battle ethnic rebels.
More than 730,000 Rohingya fled Myanmar to Bangladesh in 2017 to escape a military-led crackdown that U.N investigators have said was carried out with “genocidal intent” and included mass killings and rapes..."
Source/publisher:
"Reuters" (UK)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-23
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, The rights of non-citizens, Laws, decrees, bills and regulations relating to nationality, citizenship and immigration (commentary)
Language:
Local URL:
more
Description:
"The Myanmar military announced Friday that it will investigate and open court-martial proceedings against soldiers accused of killing Rohingya Muslim civilians during a violent army-led crackdown in the country’s Rakhine state in 2017, the third such case in a country facing international criticism for failing to hold troops accountable for widespread atrocities.
In a move experts said would be unlikely to meet Myanmar’s U.N.-mandated obligations toward the Rohingya, the military said it would probe a government-appointed commission’s findings on killings in Maung Nu and Chut Pyin villages, where about 300 civilians are believed to have died at the hands of soldiers during “clearance operations.”
The military said it had reviewed reports of the killings in the two communities in a report issued in January by the Independent Commission of Enquiry (ICOE), a Myanmar government-appointed body tasked with probing allegations of human rights violations in Rakhine.
The ICOE made more than 20 recommendations in the report and advised both the military and the government to continue investigating incidents related to the crackdown. President Win Myint sent copy of the report to armed forces commander-in-chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing to be used in military investigations and prosecutions..."
Source/publisher:
"RFA" (USA)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-23
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
Exclusive: Australia accused of giving legitimacy and credibility to a military accused of mass atrocities
Description:
"The commander-in-chief of Myanmar’s defence forces – recommended by the UN for investigation and prosecution for war crimes and genocide – has met with Australia’s ambassador and says he wants to train more of his officers in Australia.
Senior General Min Aung Hlaing is the supreme commander of Myanmar’s military, known as the Tatmadaw, which has been accused of genocide in its systematic persecution of the ethnic and religious minority Rohingya.
In “clearance operations” begun in August 2017, thousands of Rohingya were murdered, women and girls were gang raped, while pregnant women were targeted for torture and murder. Other people were burned alive in their homes, and more than 700,000 Rohingya fled over the border to Bangladesh.
Australia’s ambassador, Andrea Faulkner, met Min Aung Hlaing on 29 January at the Bayintnaung Villa in the capital, Naypyidaw. The pair exchanged gifts and posed for photos. Human Rights Watch has said Australia’s decision to take the meeting risked giving legitimacy and credibility to a military accused of mass atrocities..."
Source/publisher:
"The Guardian" (UK)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-21
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Genocide, Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Australia-Burma relations
Language:
Local URL:
more
Description:
"Myanmar authorities on Wednesday arrested nearly 50 Rohingya Muslims in Yangon region as they attempted to flee the country for Malaysia, a lawmaker said, while a separate group of Rohingya detainees appeared in court in Ayeyarwady region to face charges on traveling without official permission over their earlier attempt to flee.
The 49 Rohingya picked up included 28 woman, 18 men, and three children in a wooded area in Hlegu township, said Myat Marlar Tun, a lawmaker in Yangon’s regional parliament.
“They were arrested last night,” he told RFA’s Myanmar Service. “They are being interrogated. The authorities will transfer them this evening.”
“I don’t know if they will be sent to Insein Prison or someplace else,” he added, referring to the detention center on Yangon’s outskirts.
Thazin Myint Myat Win, an attorney representing the Rohingya, told RFA that the detainees will appear in court on Friday.
“They are going through medical tests,” he said. “The authorities are preparing their case files and getting testimonies. They will go on trial tomorrow.”
It was not immediately clear whether the 49 Rohingya would be charged with traveling without official permission, or with immigration offenses..."
Source/publisher:
"RFA" (USA)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-21
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Malaysia-Burma relations
Language:
Local URL:
more
Description:
"Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming yesterday said his country is not trying to protect Myanmar over the Rohingya issues as his country has friendly relations with both Bangladesh and Myanmar.
Responding to a question at the DCAB Talk, organised by Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) at the National Press Club in the capital, Li Jiming said China wants an end to the crisis through dialogue with the intervention of China and international bodies.
The ambassador said “It is often said that China is protecting Myanmar on the Rohingya issue. We have friendly relations with Bangladesh and Myanmar. We are not trying to protect Myanmar. We are trying to persuade all to settle the issue through dialogue, especially bilateral dialogue,” he said.
“Rohingya crisis is a bilateral issue of Bangladesh and Myanmar. But in solving the crisis, they need helping hands, including China,” he added. Li Jiming We hope we can see a very concrete and sustainable result in the near future,” he added.
“China made a lot of efforts as the mediator between Myanmar and Bangladesh to resolve the Rohingya crisis. China is not the main player. Bangladesh and Myanmar are the main players. China is only helping to find a solution of the crisis. We hope we can see a very concrete and sustainable result in the near future,” he added..."
Source/publisher:
"The Independent" (UK)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-18
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, China-Burma relations
Language:
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
How likely is Myanmar to make policy changes after the ICJ ruling?
Description:
"oes Myanmar have any obligation to take the world court -- the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague – seriously?
The second question is whether Myanmar’s quasi-military ruler has the political will to implement the landmark judgment of January 23. Myanmar has officially rejected the International Court of Justice’s historic ruling, and accused international rights groups of making exaggerated statements about the prevailing situation. It also rejected the UN fact-finding mission’s report on the basis of being “one-sided.”
It is well understood that the ICJ has no legal jurisdiction over Myanmar or any individual nation.
The ICJ ordered Myanmar to implement vital measures to protect its Rohingya population from facing any further atrocities. This ruling has been hailed as an “accomplishment of international justice.” The court further ordered Myanmar to ensure protection from destruction of any evidence of “possible” genocide.
The ruling means that a global body, for the first time, has officially recognized the threat of abuse against the Rohingya, and ordered Myanmar to protect the community..."
Source/publisher:
"Dhaka Tribune" (Bangladesh)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-18
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
International Court of Justice (ICJ) - Myanmar, Genocide, Discrimination against the Rohingya, Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first)
Language:
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
Kirin has stakes in two breweries and donated directly to the military, which the UN says is ‘indefensible’
Description:
"Japanese beverages giant Kirin – parent brewer of a suite of Australian beer brands such as XXXX, Tooheys, and James Squire – could pull out of the brewery it co-owns with the Myanmar military, after facing international condemnation for its business partnership with an army accused of genocide.
The company’s president and chief executive, Yoshinori Isozaki, said in a statement the company recognised the “challenges of operating in frontier markets” and was working to improve its practices.
“Human rights is fundamental to all of our business activities … we are reviewing strategic options for our operations in Myanmar.”
Kirin’s review of its partnership with the Myanmar military is being led by its international advisory board, whose members include Australians Sir Rod Eddington and Paula Dwyer. Kirin owns a little over half of both Myanmar Brewery and Mandalay Brewery in partnership with Myanmar Economic Holdings Ltd (MEHL), a conglomerate of the Myanmar military, accused of committing genocide in its persecution of the Rohingya ethnic and religious minority.
The business partnership with Kirin provides not only much-needed foreign currency for the isolated Myanmar military – which is subject to global arms embargoes – but also, crucially, is a source of international legitimacy..."
Source/publisher:
"The Guardian" (UK)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-16
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Genocide, Japan-Burma relations
Language:
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
'We don't know how authorities in Pathein town will proceed'
Description:
"Nearly 50 Rohingya Muslims have been detained at sea by Myanmar's navy, a local official said Friday, the latest from the persecuted minority to be caught trying to flee camps in Bangladesh and Myanmar's restive Rakhine state.
It was not immediately clear where the group started their boat journey but they were likely aiming for Malaysia or Indonesia, predominantly Muslim countries with large Rohingya diasporas.
Thousands of Rohingya have taken to the sea over the years in high-risk attempts to escape sprawling refugee camps in Bangladesh and oppressive conditions in Rakhine.
Village administrator Myint Thein told AFP by phone the navy had picked up 48 Rohingya men, women and children, as well as five "traffickers," at sea on Wednesday evening.
An AFP reporter saw the group arrive Friday morning at Pathein township police station.
"We don't know how authorities in Pathein town will proceed," Myint Thein said.
Some 740,000 Rohingya fled Myanmar's Rakhine to Bangladesh to escape a brutal military crackdown in 2017 and now languish in sprawling refugee camps.
Hundreds of thousands more remain in Rakhine, living under tight restrictions with little access to healthcare, education or livelihoods in conditions Amnesty International brands as "apartheid". The group detained at sea this week is just the latest in a series of arrests in recent months as seasonal calmer waters tempt more Rohingya to put their lives in the hands of traffickers..."
Source/publisher:
Agence France-Presse (AFP) (France) via "Dhaka Tribune" (Bangladesh)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-15
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
Local URL:
more
Description:
"On 23 January, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued what amounted to a “cease and desist” order against Myanmar, ordering authorities there to end genocidal practices against the Rohingya. The ruling of the so-called “World Court” has brought hope that international justice will prevail after the horrors inflicted on women, men and children in Rakhine State by Myanmar’s security forces.
But while the court’s ruling was a landmark moment, there are still many lingering questions. What happens next? What effects will the ruling have on Myanmar’s domestic scene, where an election looms later this year? Will Myanmar comply with the order — and what happens if it does not?
The ICJ’s ruling meant that a global legal body for the first time officially recognised the real threat of abuse against the Rohingya, and ordered Myanmar to do what it can to protect them. The ICJ also called on Myanmar to prevent further breaches of the Genocide Convention, rein in abuses by its security forces and preserve evidence of past abuses..."
Source/publisher:
"Euronews" (Lyon)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-15
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
International Court of Justice (ICJ) - Myanmar, Genocide, Discrimination against the Rohingya, Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first)
Language:
Local URL:
more
Description:
" At least 15 women and children drowned and more than 50 others were missing after a boat overloaded with Rohingya refugees sank off southern Bangladesh as it tried to reach Malaysia Tuesday, officials said.
Some 138 people — mainly women and children — were packed on a trawler barely 40 feet long trying to cross the Bay of Bengal, a coast guard spokesman told AFP.
"It sank because of overloading. The boat was meant to carry maximum 50 people. The boat was also loaded with some cargo," another coast guard spokesman, Hamidul Islam, added..."
Source/publisher:
"CBS News" (New York)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-14
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Children, Children's Rights - studies, Discrimination/violence against women: reports of violations in Arakan (Rakhine) State
Language:
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
Genesis of sustained, institutionalized destruction of Rohingya is anchored in group’s identity as Muslims
Description:
"The International Court of Justice’s Jan. 23 interim order in a case filed by Gambia against Myanmar is designed to protect the Rohingya and preserve the crime sites. It has brought a sense of vindication to several million Rohingya victims – in the diaspora, inside Myanmar, and in refugee camps in Bangladesh.
It was by far the most significant act the international community has taken since the Rohingya have been subjected to a national policy of discrimination, disenfranchisement, displacement and destructive deportation by various organs of the state in Myanmar.
The case which Gambia brought before the court has focused narrowly on the violent events of 2016 and 2017. However, it is crucial to see this group destruction in the proper context which began under the false pretext of Myanmar’s attempts at cracking down on the “illegal immigration” across Myanmar-Bangladesh borders which stretch 270 miles.
As a matter of fact, today (Feb. 12) marks the 42nd anniversary of the first violently genocidal purge -- centrally organized by the then military dictatorship of General Ne Win in Rangoon involving various agencies, not only the government troops and police force but also departments or ministries of religious affairs, customs and various branches of intelligence
Paradoxically, this is also the date in which Myanmar celebrates “Union Day” -- when the country’s majority Buddhist Burmese public and several national minorities along the borders of colonial Burma agreed to merge their regions voluntarily to form a single federated independent nation in 1947.
On the very same day, in Rakhine, a state in western Myanmar that borders Bangladesh, Myanmar launched the first-ever violent deportation of literally hundreds of thousands of Rohingya -- the majority of whom were born and raised in the region and had official IDs and documentation that proved their Myanmar nationality.
The purges were carried out in two phases under military-style operations collectively known as Operation Dragon King.
The first phase was launched in Rakhine state’s capital Sittwe on Feb. 12, 1978, and lasted only a week, involving 200 interagency forces that resorted to various acts of violence and terror. The second phase was carried out in the northern Rakhine towns of Buthidaung and Maungdaw with 400 interagency security forces.
Myanmar troops resorted to arson, slaughter, rape and other terror methods in the region where the population was peaceful, unarmed and compliant as evidenced in the newspaper reports of the time from Bangladesh, Pakistan and other Asian regions..."
Source/publisher:
"Anadolu Agency" (Ankara)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-13
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Genocide, Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first)
Language:
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
At least 14 people have drowned when a boat carrying Rohingya refugees sank off the south coast of Bangladesh, officials say.
Description:
"The boat was destined for Malaysia and included Rohingya refugees from camps in Bangladesh, local authorities told the BBC.
All of the dead bodies recovered are reportedly of women and children.
An official told the AFP news agency that 70 people were rescued. Many are still missing.
Myanmar Rohingya: What you need to know
The boat capsized in the Bay of Bengal near Saint Martin's island.
In August 2017, a deadly crackdown by Myanmar's army on Rohingya Muslims sent hundreds of thousands fleeing across the border into Bangladesh.
Most have been placed in refugee camps and some have tried to flee in boats to Malaysia..."
Source/publisher:
"BBC News" (London)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-11
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
Political will is extremely crucial since ICJ has no jurisdiction or legal apparatus over individual nations.
Description:
"In a historic judgement, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on 23 January ordered Myanmar to implement vital measures to protect its Rohingya population from any further atrocities. This ruling has been hailed as an “accomplishment of international justice.” This lawsuit was brought by Gambia, a small African Muslim state backed by the 57 nation Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in November at the United Nations’ highest body for disputes between states. It accused Myanmar of genocide against Rohingya in violation of a 1948 Genocide Convention.
The court witnessed the trial on 10–11 December where the State Counsellor of Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi was herself present to defend her country’s honour. She emphasised that the accusations made against her government are “incomplete and misleading factual picture of the situation,” thus categorically denying the allegations of genocide and thereby requesting to dismiss the charges brought to it. Under the presiding Judge Abdulqawi Yusuf and 16 other judges present in the panel, the undisputed ruling on 23 January granted Gambia’s request for preliminary measures. According to the court, the Rohingyas face an ongoing threat that necessitates Myanmar to “take all measures within its power to prevent all acts” prohibited under the 1948 Genocide Convention, and report back to the court within four months, and then, every six months after that..."
Source/publisher:
Observer Research Foundation (ORF) via "Europe-Asia Studies"
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-11
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
International Court of Justice (ICJ) - Myanmar, Genocide, Discrimination against the Rohingya, Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first)
Language:
Local URL:
more
Description:
"Worldwide 70.8 million people were forcibly displaced from their home because of armed
conflict, generalized violence and human rights violations. These millions of stateless people
have been denied national identity and fundamental rights (education, healthcare, employment
and freedom of movement) (UNHCR, 2019a). According to UNHCR, 67% (Two-thirds) of all
the refugees worldwide belong to only five countries: Syria, Afghanistan, South Sudan,
Myanmar and Somalia (UNHCR, 2019b). The Rohingya ethnic minority group is among some
of those stateless people who used to live in the Rakhine state of Myanmar. Myanmar is a multiethnic, multi-lingual and multi-religious country which has 135 official ethnic groups. All of
these ethnic groups are aggregated in eight major ethnic groups where Bamars (32% of the total
population) are the majority, and intrastate conflicts are often recorded between the Burmese
military force (Tatmadaw1
) and other ethnic armed groups (Stokke et al., 2018:3-4, 46;
Strömberg, 2018:6; François and Souris, 2018:12; Mithun, 2018:648). In contrast, compared to
the other ethnic conflicts in Myanmar, “The Rohingya conflict is highly asymmetrical in terms
of power, resources and military assets as the Rohingya population as a group has very few
resources, military or otherwise”. Describing the Rohingya conflict as a two-party conflict is
difficult. It is more like systematic discrimination, denial of human rights and violence,
specifically against the Rohingya civilians (SIDA, 2019:2)..."
Source/publisher:
Academia.edu (USA) via Mostakim Bin Motaher
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-11
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Genocide, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
864.87 KB (33 pages)
Local URL:
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Summary:
"Recent literature on Buddhism in Southeast Asia and especially Burma or Myanmar has focused
on Theravada formations in traditional and modern contexts.1
Theravada civilizations, in particular,...
Description:
"Recent literature on Buddhism in Southeast Asia and especially Burma or Myanmar has focused
on Theravada formations in traditional and modern contexts.1
Theravada civilizations, in particular, are characterized by elite institutions, by their use of a prestige language, Pali, and by related,
vernacular narratives that convey in art, manuscript, and print cultures the ethical values or
imaginaries of this religious tradition. These imaginaries are sustained through social discourse,
cultural practices, and regional networks.2
The study of traditional Theravada Buddhist social
formations thus presumes an encompassing hegemony that is grounded in truth claims about
particular civilizational narratives, teleological histories, and the moral universe they embody.
Showing how Theravada Buddhist literature, practices, and discourse have shaped local and
regional histories has allowed scholars to go beyond received distinctions between text and practice in the study of Theravada Buddhism. Anthropological studies in particular have centered
on Buddhist institutions, monastic and lay practices, and ritual exchange, around which social
hierarchies are constructed. Interdisciplinary and transregional studies on Theravada formations
also describe the cultural and historical contexts in which the ‘Pali imaginary’ has been articulated
and trace its vernacular iterations in social practices, particular formations, and local and transregional discourses that distinguish Theravada civilizations (Schober and Collins 2012, 2017)..."
Source/publisher:
Juliane Schober via Academia.edu (USA)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-10
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against Muslims in Burma/Myanmar, Discrimination against the Rohingya
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
338.35 KB
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Description:
"Divisive groups have taken advantage of Myanmar’s much lauded new political and media
freedoms to pursue an agenda that will limit the civil and political rights of the country’s
Muslim population. This article examines how extremist groups such as the Ma Ba Tha
have exploited these new political and media freedoms and analyses the policy agenda
they have pursued. The article argues that the enforcement of the four Protection of
Race and Religion Laws will disadvantage Myanmar’s already politically marginalized
Muslim residents by creating a de facto religious test for full Myanmar citizenship rights.
Despite considerable evidence that Myanmar’s democratization process has stalled
(Anguelov 2015; Eck 2013; Irrawaddy 2014; Kingsbury 2015; Sifton 2014), the country
has nonetheless liberalized more during the last five years than throughout the previous
five decades of direct military rule (Hlaing 2012; Renshaw 2013; Ware 2012; Zin and
Joseph 2012). This article examines the freedoms that have accrued to Myanmar’s residents since the country’s 2010 national elections began a transition to a notionally civilian
administration. It will briefly describe the nature of these freedoms and the opportunities
they have provided for the country’s long-suppressed pro-democracy groups to organize
and engage with the political process. However, the darker consequences of these freedoms
will be addressed as well. It will be shown that increased freedoms to express political
opinions, combined with a growing, less censored media landscape and ready access to
the Internet and mobile phones, have provided opportunities for divisive voices to enflame religious and ethnic tensions and promote discriminatory policies, often to the
detriment of Myanmar’s Muslim population (Freedom House 2013; Holland 2014; Trautwein 2015)..."
Source/publisher:
Islam and Christian–Muslim Relations via Academia.edu (USA)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-10
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Discrimination against Muslims in Burma/Myanmar
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
1.43 MB (18 pages)
more
Description:
"For over half a century, Myanmar had no real press, not much freedom and certainly no
press freedom.
An absurdly oppressive military dictatorship turned the South-East Asian country into a
pariah state where private daily newspapers were prohibited, the rightful president were
in house arrest and the internet was a place where the term 'democracy' wouldn't exist
either.
But now, something exciting is happening in Myanmar, and it is happening at a dizzying
speed. Under president Thein Sein, Myanmar currently experiences an unprecedented
political transition. The government is trying to shed its rogue status and has freed not
only political prisoners from jail, but also one of the most repressed media systems in
the world from an all-encompassing paralysis. Suddenly, the formerly ignored
journalists find themselves at the frontline of democratic reforms.
After Thein Sein's government abolished all censorship in August 2012 and allowed
private newspapers in April 2013, now is the time to critically ask what the relaxation of
state control towards media freedom mean – and which changes it brought along for
journalists and citizens. In this study, the effects and limits of the political liberalization
towards political newspaper coverage should be examined..."
Source/publisher:
Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-10
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Freedom of opinion and expression: - the situation in Burma/Myanmar - reports, analyses, recommendations, Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya
Language:
Format :
pdf pdf
Size:
1.36 MB (original version), 982.37 KB (reduce version)
more
Summary:
"State sponsored persecution and subsequent migration of Rohingya has emerged as a serious challenge to existing International system as the international community despite recognizing the fact that...
Description:
"State sponsored persecution and subsequent migration of Rohingya has emerged as a serious challenge to existing International system as the international community despite recognizing the fact that Rohingya are subjected to systemic persecution and genocide could only silently witness the burning villages and capsizing boats of Rohingya refugees effectively failing to respond to the crisis. Forced migration of Rohingya has therefore posed serious questions to the effectiveness of incumbent International security regime centered around UNSC; and international human rights regime particularly Genocide convention and International Refugee Convention of 1951. This essay presents to its readers a chronological record of the longstanding crisis surrounding Rohingya and response of the regional as well as international players at different stages of the conflict. Thus, An attempt has been made to understand the anatomy of Rohingya migration crisis with an aim to explore doable options to resolve this protracted humanitarian issue.."
Source/publisher:
Iqra University via Academia.edu (USA)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-09
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Statelessness: general studies and reports, Nationality, citizenship and immigration
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
242.91 KB (19 pages)
more
Description:
"The concepts of Human rights have become most crucial and also momentous issues of the current history in Muslim as well as western countries. In all respects, the history, as well as the philosophy of human rights, has been to confirm the human reverence, religion, impartial of a nation, race and also colour. Articles, Theories, and also some conduct have been introduced to assure initial ethics and morality. On the other hand, There is one of the groups in the world has been deprived of their basic human rights like Rohingya refugee Muslims. The Rohingya are Muslim communities who have encountered overwhelming disparity of Myanmar since their countries turn to autocracy in 1962. However, Rohingyas are one of the most oppressed minorities in the world. Their situation has impoverished by Myanmar’s current prejudiced democratization and to rebuild ‘Buddhism’, whereas a newly opened public space has been unfortunately filled with persecutions, unrestricted arrests, using religion to escalate oppression, oppression, and also assassination have been repeated again and again against this minority group. For this reason, Most of the Rohingya people try to escape from their motherland, searching for a new and better life, but most of them die at the sea area and some of them coming to Bangladesh. This lachrymose news made the world commiserate with the Rohingya as well as alleged Human rights infractions in Rakhine State are a reason for anxiety at the world’s community. UNO, EU, NAM, SAARC and also ASEAN international organizations only denounce this matter. But, Most of the Imperialist countries like the US, UK, China, Russia, and India are directly stoking with supporting to Myanmar because of their self-interest to controlling South Asia, Australia, and Africa continents even though Turkey is the main partner of Bangladesh for dealing Rohingya issues along with a proactive approach since 1990. Another reason is that there is a plethora of natural resources in Arakan like iron, uranium, coal, petroleum as well as the maritime line about of 300 Kilometers and also a strategic area for military whatever they want to control itself. However, OIC, D8 and also Muslim International organizations should build up as a strong platform to ensure basic human rights in the United Nations about this. This research tries to show that an overview of the Rohingya crisis from the Human rights perspective including the role of Turkey and Bangladesh. Therefore, this research will highlight that the residence place of Rohingyas like an independent Arakan state might be a proper solution to this Rohingya refugee crisis..."
Source/publisher:
Balkan and Near Eastern Journal of Social Sciences
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-09
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
380.72 KB (11 pages)
more
Description:
"At the end of August 2018, as this book was about to go to press,the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) released its
report summarizing the main endings and recommendations of its
Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar. Thereport outlines serious human rights violations and abuses in Kachin,Shan and Rakhine States. It recommends that six senior military
agures be investigated for genocide against the Rohingya, including
Myanmar’s armed forces commander-in-chief Senior General MinAung Hlaing, and that the case be taken up by the InternationalCriminal Court (ICC), or alternatively that an ad hoc internationalcriminal tribunal be created (Human Rights Council 2018).
1
The
report notes that “The role of social media is significant. Facebook has
been a useful instrument for those seeking to spread hate, in a contextwhere for most users Facebook
is
the internet. Although improved inrecent months, Facebook’s response has been slow and ineffective” p. 74). Facebook quickly responded to the report’s release byremoving the accounts of eighteen high-profile army figures in
Myanmar, including Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, and fifty-two
Facebook pages, which had a combined total following of close totwelve million users (Facebook 2018).A few days later, two Reuters journalists, Wa Lone and Kyaw
Soe Oo, were sentenced to seven years in prison under the Official
Secrets Act over accusations of holding secret government documentsthat they intended to share with international media and the ethnicarmed group Arakan Army (Sithu Aung Myint 2018). The two werearrested in December 2017 after investigating a massacre of Rohingyamen and boys in the coastal town of Inn Din in northern Rakhine
State. After responding to a call from police officers, who met them in
a restaurant and handed them documents, the journalists were arrestedfor having the documents in their possession. As they were beingtaken away from the court after the sentencing, Wa Lone was quotedas saying, “We know we did nothing wrong. I have no fear. I believein justice, democracy and freedom” (Shoon Naing and Aye Min Thant2018, 122). The arrest and subsequent sentencing were met with nationaland international condemnation, as was the rejection of their appealin early 2019. At a public protest to call for their release, organizer EiEi Moe, from the pro-democracy youth movement Generation Wave,described their jailing as “blocking the eyes and blinding the ears ofthe public” (Dunant and Su Myat Mon 2018, 115).
2
These events underscore the complexities of Myanmar’s muchlauded “transition”. Celebrated early on for the release of imprisoned journalists and the end of pre-publication censorship, hopes forincreased freedom of expression and media freedom were tempered by the crackdown that followed. Much has happened in the mediasector since the controversial elections in 2010 organized by themilitary junta and boycotted by Aung San Suu Kyi and the NationalLeague for Democracy (NLD), including reforms to laws that hadrepressed the media for decades. Some argue that these changes area continuation of the military government’s Seven Step Roadmap toDisciplined Democracy, announced in 2003 (see the interview withThiha Saw, this volume; Lall 2016; Rogers 2012)..."
Source/publisher:
Academia.edu (USA)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-09
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, International Criminal Court (Myanmar), Politics, Government and Governance - Burma/Myanmar - general studies
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
1.29 MB (56 pages)
more
Description:
"On September 22, 2007, a group of monks and protestors marched past
barricades in downtown Yangon, Burma1
, chanting the words of Buddha’s loving
kindness. They stopped outside the house where Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung
San Suu Kyi was serving her sentence of house arrest and she tearfully greeted
them at the gate. Four days later, the Burmese military cracked down violently on
the peaceful demonstrations, killing at least nine unarmed protestors.
During the Saffron Revolution, hundreds of thousands of citizens took to
the streets to peacefully protest against the repressive military regime. This was
the largest social movement in Burma since the 1988 protests, which led to the
deaths of 3,000 people in the resulting government crackdown. Why did the
people of Burma choose to participate peacefully with the knowledge that the
military government would undoubtedly respond with violence? How does a
country with no civil rights or political freedoms find peaceful means for conflict
resolution?..."
Source/publisher:
Syracuse University (New York)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-09
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
415.93 KB (88 pages)
more
Description:
"Myanmar is on a long and tedious road to democratic transition. As the country prepares for
General Elections in 2015, the struggle to maintain hegemony and legitimacy is becoming
even more intense for Thein Sein‘s Union Solidarity and Development party, given the
public support enjoyed by the newly revived opposition party National League for
Democracy led by pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. This transition and struggle to
maintain status quo is coming at a high price for Myanmar, particularly for those belonging
to the ethnic minority groups. This paper is particularly concerned with the situation of one
such minority group — the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.
The Rohingya Muslims live in the Rakhine state bordering the Bay of Bengal in the west.
Despite an estimated 1-2 million Rohingya Muslims living in the region, they are not
recognized as ethnic minority group by the Myanmar government but are believed to be
Bangladeshi migrants who have settled in the state illegally. This perspective has given birth
to all the discriminatory policies and actions against them since beginning of the last century.
In June 2012, sectarian violence broke out between the majority Arakanese Buddhists and the
Rohingya Muslims, triggered by the rape of a 28-year old Buddhist woman by three Muslim
men. The violence in October was on a larger scale and much more lethal. The ensuing
violence since June has reportedly claimed hundreds of lives and caused thousands of
Rohingyas to flee their homes. As of July 2013, an estimated 140,000 Rohingya Muslims
have been displaced from their homes. An unaccounted number of people are dying almost
daily in the open sea as they attempt to flee to neighboring countries on rickety boats, and
many more are dying due to systematic blockade of aid, food, water or medicine supply in
the Rohingya IDP camps. Several factors clearly indicate that the ongoing violence is much
more than sectarian clash..."
Source/publisher:
European Peace University via Academia.edu (USA)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-09
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Statelessness: general studies and reports, Laws, decrees, bills and regulations relating to nationality, citizenship and immigration (commentary), Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
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pdf
Size:
654.35 KB (23 pages)
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Summary:
"Rohingyas are the inhabitants of historical Arakan (RakhineState) of Myanmar. Arakan shares nearly 171 mile-longcommon border with Bangladesh. Its toatal area is 14,914 sq mileswhich contains...
Description:
"Rohingyas are the inhabitants of historical Arakan (RakhineState) of Myanmar. Arakan shares nearly 171 mile-longcommon border with Bangladesh. Its toatal area is 14,914 sq mileswhich contains approximately 3 million population according to the census of 2014. Out of this, there are around one million
Rohingyas in Arakan (Farzana, 2017, p. 2). It is a piece of land
along the eastern coast of the Bay of Bengal from the Naaf river on
the border of Chittagong to cape Negaris. Topographically, it is
separated from the mainland of Myanmar by Yoma range in one
side and widely connected to the Bay of Bengal in the other side.
That is why it is known as the ‗Gate Way to the Far East‘ (Yunus,
1994, p. 7). Because of its geographical location, it started to atract
the seafarers from the very ancient period. It was one of the
maritime activities centre in the South Asia. With this Arakan grew
up with economic development and multi cultural environment.
However, because of the geographical condition, Arakan remained
as an independent entity from the very ancient period. According to archaeological evidences, the earliest human
settlement in Myanmar dates back to 11,000 BC (Maw, 1995, pp.
213-220). In case of Arakan, antique relics have been found from
Indo-Aryan groups who arrived from the Ganges Valley to Arakan
as early as 3000 BC. And these people were basically from the
ancient India. Hence, the culture of Arakan was influenced by
India instead of mainland of Myanmar at least up to the 10th
century because of its easy access to the Gangetic land and the Bay
of Bengal instead of mountainous boundary on the other side..."
Source/publisher:
Borno Prokash Ltd. via Academia.edu (USA)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-09
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Statelessness: general studies and reports, Laws, decrees, bills and regulations relating to nationality, citizenship and immigration (commentary)
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
632.52 KB (26 pages)
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Description:
"Myanmar’s widely hailed transition from military dictatorship to a Chinese
model of great commercial opening and calibrated political liberalization—
“discipline flourishing democracy,” as the generals call it—has had one
unintended consequence for the country’s military-controlled government: ugly
things have been exposed.4 Suddenly, the dark secrets of this predominantly
Buddhist nation of 51 million people with diverse ethnic and religious
backgrounds have been laid bare. Te world now has access to hitherto-closed-of
sites of religious and ethnic persecution via international media such as CNN,
BBC, wire news agencies, and so on. First, the world witnessed the eruption of
two large bouts of violence in 2012 between Rohingya Muslims and Buddhist
Rakhine communities in the western coastal region of the country.5
Within a
year, there were incidents of organized violence against Muslims in about one
dozen towns and neighborhoods across the country.6
Burmese social media
sites were littered with various hues of genocidal comments, articles, analyses,
and updates, and remain so to date. Many openly call for the slaughter of all
Muslims (or Kular, in Burmese), while others are more specifc about the type
of Muslims that should be killed: the phrase “kill all illegal Bengalis,” a popular
racist reference to Rohingyas, indicates that they belong in former East Bengal
(Bangladesh) and not in Buddhist Myanmar.7
Led by Buddhist monks, protests sprang up in the Rakhine state and in
other major urban centers such as Mandalay and Yangon; they called on the
quasi-civilian, military-backed government of ex-General Tein Sein to crack
down on Muslims and expel all Bengalis to any country, Muslim or Western
liberal, that would take them. In fact, in President Tein Sein’s meeting with
António Guterres—the then visiting head of the UN High Commission for
Refugees (UNHCR)—in Naypyidaw in August 2012, Tein Sein stated that “the
only solution” to the troubles in Rakhine was either to send unwanted Rohingyas
to countries that may be prepared to accept them as refugees or to contain them
in UNHCR-administered camps.8
Burmese media outlets, including those run
by former Burmese political exiles, echoed the ofcial and popular view that
Rohingyas were illegal Bengali migrants with no organic ties to the country..."
Source/publisher:
Maung Zarni and Natalie Brinham
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-09
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Politics and Government - global and regional - general studies, strategies, theory
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
493.94 KB (27 pages)
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Description:
"The word “Rohingya” was used
for the first time as "Rooinga" (=
inhabitant of Arakan, today's
province Rakhine) in 1799 in the
"Journal Asiatic Researches" for a longestablished population in Rakhine
(Ibrahim 2016, Gill 2015). Later they
were called "Muslim Arakanese".
Myanmar is one of the most ethnically diversified societies of the
world. 135 "ethnic nationalities"
with numerous subgroups are
officially recognized in the Burma
Citizenship Law from 1982, but the
ethnic Rohingya were not included
(Farzana 2017, 2018). In the first
constitution of Myanmar in 1947,
all people living at that time in
“Frontier Areas” and who intended
to stay permanently were considered
citizens and accepted as “The People
of Burma” (Farzana 2018). However,
when General Ne Win came to power
in 1962, the Rohingya were deemed
as not compatible with other ethnic
groups in Burma. Other Muslims,
who do not belong to the Rohingya,
have Myanmar nationality (Ibrahim
2016).
The Muslims in Rakhine have not
always identified themselves as an
independent group. But a uniform
concept with an identifying name had
political advantages, since recognition
as an ethnic group would increase the
chances to gain the right to citizenship.
The common experience generated by
decades of discrimination contributed
further to the identity formation of
the Rohingya. The term "Rohingya"
as an ethnic group spread only after
the major refugee movements with
the human rights debate through
international organizations (Farzana
2017; Bochmann 2017)...ဓ
Source/publisher:
Academia.edu (USA)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-09
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Statelessness: general studies and reports, Laws, decrees, bills and regulations relating to nationality, citizenship and immigration (commentary)
Language:
Format :
pdf
Size:
1.26 MB (7 pages)
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Description:
"This paper problematizes the situation of vulnerable migrants, in particular, that ofrefugees and asylum seekers in Southeast Asia as against policy pronouncements towards a
people-centered ASEAN. As a case in point, the paper highlights the so-called Boat People
Crisis of 2015 and argues that the events that lead to and resulted from it reveal a situation ofhyper-precarity, as well as a crisis of and for human security. Additionally, the paper offersJudith Butler’s notion of an ethic of cohabitation as a means of substantiating claims for a
people-centered community. From Visions of a ‘People-Centered’ Community to PrecarityMany trace the emergence of visions for a ‘people-centered’ ASEAN community to
the development of human security or otherwise less state-centric approaches to security in
the region. As early as the 1960s, Indonesia’s concept of
ketahanan nasional
or national
resilience, Malaysia under Mahathir, and Singapore’s notion of Total Defence, all embrace a
concept of security that goes beyond the military dimension to incorporate political,
economicand socio-cultural dimensions (Caballero-Anthony, 2004: 160). Nishikawa argues that suchformulations were still essentially state-centric because protecting territory and
resourcesfrom internal and external threats continue to be the main concerns for Southeast Asiancountries as a result of its postcolonial experiences. Nonetheless, since the 2004 VientianneAction Programme (VAP), which outlines ASEAN’s program of actions towards the creationof an ASEAN Security Community (ASC), Nishikawa agrees that there has been
a move awayfrom a traditional military definition of security towards a more a more people- centeredapproach (Nishikawa, 2009: 217)..."
Source/publisher:
Southeast Asia Research Centre via Academia.edu (USA)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-09
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh, Statelessness: general studies and reports, Laws, decrees, bills and regulations relating to nationality, citizenship and immigration (commentary)
Language:
Local URL:
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Sub-title:
The ICJ's order that Myanmar does all it can to prevent genocide offers the Rohingya hope for the future.
Description:
"On January 23, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague imposed emergency "provisional measures" on Myanmar regarding its actions against and treatment of the Rohingya minority - my people. To the average person this may sound like incomprehensible legalese. But for many Rohingya, who had long been waiting for the international community to take meaningful action to end their suffering, this was some of the best news they had ever received.
With this decision, the United Nations' "World Court" effectively instructed the government of Aung San Suu Kyi to respect the requirements of the 1948 genocide convention and bring an end to its military's attacks on the Rohingya. This decision marked the first time that a credible international body said "enough" to the government that for so many decades has abused and oppressed us.
My people's plight captured global headlines in August 2017, when the Tatmadaw (the Myanmar military) launched a vicious "clearance operation" in the Rakhine State, which was home to more than a million Rohingya. Over the course of a few weeks, soldiers rampaged through the region, killing thousands, committing mass rapes, burning villages to the ground, and driving more than 700,000 people to flee into neighbouring Bangladesh.
As shocking as the violence was, it was only the tip of the iceberg. For decades, the Myanmar authorities have confined the Rohingya to a virtual open-air prison in the Rakhine state. It denied us citizenship since 1982, effectively rendering us stateless. Our freedom of movement even within Myanmar is extremely limited. We are expected to acquire official permission, and often pay bribes, to leave our home villages. Healthcare and education are off-limits to most Rohingya. This is all part of a deliberate effort by Myanmar not only to dehumanise us, but also to make our lives so miserable that we have no option but to leave..."
Source/publisher:
"Al Jazeera" (Qatar)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-08
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
International Court of Justice (ICJ) - Myanmar, Genocide, Discrimination against the Rohingya, Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first)
Language:
Local URL:
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Sub-title:
Refugees in Cox’s Bazar complain the international aid community does not utilise their experience and say the lack of education risks creating a ‘lost generation’
Description:
"In a tea room just outside Bangladesh’s Rohingya refugee camps, a group of young activists fiddle with their phones, which have suddenly started pinging in chorus now they are finally reconnected to the internet.
To circumvent a government internet blackout around the camps in Cox’s Bazar, they have to break a ban on travelling to nearby Bangladeshi towns, from where they can communicate and coordinate messages for the international community.
With simple smartphones the activists have been able to build some kind of Rohingya voice, speaking to the world through WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter. But their efforts have often been frustrated, mostly for a more fundamental reason than the technological barrier in place since August: they believe the aid community sent to help them is not listening.
“The Rohingya community are not weak, but the situation makes us weak,” says Mohammad Arfaat, an activist who was part of a Rohingya team that made a short film about how violence had forced them from Myanmar in 2017. He has been calling for more help for Rohingya to launch their own initiatives, for everything from education to arts, but complains there has been no support. “The Rohingya youth are very talented … but nobody sits, nobody talks with them, so their voices have stopped,” says Arfaat..."
Source/publisher:
"The Guardian" (UK)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-08
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Children, Education and training of migrants and refugees from Burma, Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
Local URL:
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Description:
"European member states of the United Nations called for Myanmar on Tuesday to take measures to hold to account those responsible for committing human rights violations against Rohingya Muslims after the Security Council failed to support an order by the international body’s top court to protect members of the minority group.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Jan. 23 ordered Myanmar to implement emergency provisions to protect Rohingya living in the country from genocide and to preserve evidence of atrocities from a 2017 military-led crackdown targeting them.
After the Council did not reach an agreement on issuing a declaration urging Myanmar to comply with the ICJ’s order, current Council members France, Estonia, Germany, and Belgium, and former member Poland issued a statement calling on the Southeast Asian nation to take measures to prevent a Rohingya genocide.
“Myanmar must address the root causes of its conflicts” and take “credible action to bring to justice those responsible for human rights violations,” the joint statement said, according to news wire reports.
“Myanmar must also create conditions for and facilitate a voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return of the Rohingya to Myanmar,” the statement said, referring to the yet to be realized repatriation of some of the more than 740,000 Rohingya who fled to Bangladesh during the crackdown. The Rohingya who have been officially approved for repatriation have refused to return, citing safety concerns and demands for full citizenship..."
Source/publisher:
"RFA" (USA)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-07
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), International Court of Justice (ICJ) - Myanmar, Discrimination against the Rohingya
Language:
Local URL:
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Description:
"Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has sought continued support of the European Union (EU) to ensure safe, dignified, and sustainable return of the displaced Rohingya refugees back to Myanmar, a media report said on Friday.
"The Bangladesh Prime Minister thanked the EU members, including Italy, for their support to the cause of the Rohingya," The Daily Star newspaper quoted a joint statement issued on Thursday after talks between Hasina and her Italian counterpart Giuseppe Conte in Rome, as saying.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, Hasina's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim said both sides welcomed the January 23 decision of International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the Rohingya crisis.
Karim said that Conte appreciated Bangladesh's management of the Rohingya crisis, adding that he encouraged Hasina to continue with the policy of hospitality. In its January ruling, the ICJ directed Myanmar to prevent the alleged genocide against the Muslim minority community.
The court said Myanmar must "take all measures within its power to prevent the commission of all acts" described by the convention.
Nearly 738,000 Rohingya refugees are living in camps in Bangladesh since Aug. 25, 2017, following a wave of persecution and violence in Myanmar that the UN has described as a textbook example of ethnic cleansing and possible genocide.
Myanmar does not use the Rohingya term and also doesn't recognize them as its citizens, arguing that they are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh..."
Source/publisher:
Daijiworld.com
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-07
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
International Court of Justice (ICJ) - Myanmar, Genocide, Discrimination against the Rohingya, Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first)
Language:
Local URL:
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Description:
"The more than 600 Rohingya refugees who have returned to Myanmar from Bangladesh of their own volition say they have not yet been able to go back to their original villages and are facing hardship in violence-ridden northern Rakhine state nearly three years after their expulsion by army troops.
Thousands of members of the Muslim minority group were killed during a brutal military-led crackdown on their communities in 2017, while more than 740,000 others escaped across the border, where they now live in sprawling displacement camps in southeastern Bangladesh.
Despite an agreement between Myanmar and Bangladesh to repatriate Rohingya refugees who receive approval to return, none of the displaced Rohingya has shown up at border crossings to go back to northern Rakhine state through the official program, citing fears of ongoing discriminatory policies and more violence.
A refugee named Chowbi told RFA's Myanmar Service that he returned to northern Rakhine on his own in September 2019 via the Taungbyo border crossing.
The 35-year-old fled Oodaung village during the August 2017 violence, which included indiscriminate killings, mass rapes, and community torchings, and lived for two and a half years in the Thankhali refugee camp in Bangladesh..."
Source/publisher:
"RFA" (USA)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-07
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, Burmese refugees in Bangladesh
Language:
Local URL:
more
Sub-title:
The reach of the International Court of Justice is limited in ameliorating violent conflicts within or between states, says Hurst Hannum.
Description:
"Myanmar has been ordered by the International Court of Justice to take “provisional measures” to protect the Rohingya, an ethnic Muslim minority in the Buddhist-majority country that has suffered “mass killing, mass displacement, mass fear [and] overwhelming … brutality” at the hands of the military.
Over 700,000 Rohingya fled or were forced out of the country since 2016, most to neighbouring Bangladesh. The order comes after the African state of Gambia in November 2019 filed a complaint of genocide of the Rohingya against Myanmar with the International Court of Justice, the judicial organ of the United Nations.
Under the 1948 Genocide Convention, genocide requires a specific intent to destroy a group in whole or in part. READ: Myanmar already protecting Rohingya, ruling party says after world court's order
The United Nations (UN) General Assembly and numerous human rights organisations have for years condemned Myanmar’s attacks on the Rohingya..."
Source/publisher:
"CNA" (Singapore)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-05
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
International Court of Justice (ICJ) - Myanmar, Genocide, Discrimination against the Rohingya, Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first)
Language:
Local URL:
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Description:
"The UN Security Council's EU member states called Tuesday for Myanmar to bring to justice those who have carried out human rights violations against Rohingya Muslims.
France, Estonia, Germany and Belgium urged Myanmar to comply with measures meant to prevent genocide set forth by the International Court of Justice, in a joint statement issued following a closed-door Security Council meeting.
The text was also signed by former Security Council member and EU state Poland. But it marked the first time the EU members have issued a joint Security Council statement without Britain, which exited the union on Friday.
Britain was among the countries that requested the meeting on Myanmar, alongside France, Germany, Belgium and the United States.
China, an indispensable ally for Myanmar, opposed issuing a joint declaration by the entire council, according to a diplomatic source.
"Myanmar must address the root causes of its conflicts," the joint statement said, urging the southeast Asian nation to take "credible action to bring to justice those responsible for human rights violations."
"Myanmar must also create conditions for and facilitate a voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return of the Rohingya to Myanmar," they said..."
Source/publisher:
"The News International" (Pakistan)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-05
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first), Discrimination against the Rohingya, European Union-Burma relations (commentary/analysis)
Language:
Local URL:
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Sub-title:
The International Criminal Court has officially launched an investigation into Myanmar.
Description:
"Phakiso Mochochoko, director of the Department of Jurisdiction, Cooperation and Complementarity, made the announcement at a press conference at Pan Pacific Sonargaon hotel in Dhaka this afternoon.
“Justice will be delivered,” Mochochoko said following the announcement.
Investigations from the Office of the Prosecutor will now carefully and thoroughly seek to uncover the truth about what happened to the Rohingya people in Myanmar which brought them here to Bangladesh, the press release added. The ICC has jurisdiction to prosecute individuals for the international crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression..."
Source/publisher:
"The Daily Star" (Bangladesh)
Date of entry/update:
2020-02-05
[field_licence]
Type:
Individual Documents
Category:
International Court of Justice (ICJ) - Myanmar, Discrimination against the Rohingya, Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc. by date (latest first)
Language:
Local URL:
more