KALADAN PRESS NETWORK
THE WORST KIND OF MOVEMENT RESTRICTION AND ROHINGYA
STUDENTS’ APPEAL TO
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY
By our Correspondent
Buthidaung, May 13: “Cattle
can freely move from
grazing ground to grazing ground,
but we Rohingyas
can’t move from place to
place, even within a same
locality. The whole Arakan is like
a hell for the
Rohingyas,” said Sultan who is a
student of Akyab
University.
Restriction on the freedom of movement has seriously
affected the Rohingya Muslims in
activities social, economic,
religious, cultural and
educational. Since SPDC (State
Peace and Development
Council) sponsored communal riot at Akyab
in the 1st
week of February 2001 the Rohingyas are totally
forbidden to travel to this provincial
capital.
NGOs and Human Rights Organizations have often
expressed that the Rohingyas are experiencing the
worst kind of restriction on their
freedom of movement
in
Travel Permits to go to their schools, colleges and
universities issued under very
restrictive
regulations. It takes a few weeks
to process their
applications for Travel Permits.
“Last year 8 Rohingya students could not appear in
their examinations in
authorities deliberately delayed to
issue travel
passes with unholy intention”, said
another student
who wishes to remain anonymous.
First of all a Rohingya student has to get
recommendation from his VPDC
(Village Peace and
Development Council) showing his Offer letter or
Student Identity Card and paying Kyat 200
as fee. On
receipt of it he has to take “Form
4”, from the
Township Immigration office on payment of Taka 100,
which is usually meant for
foreigners. Then the
completed copy of “Form 4”,
accompanied by VPDC
recommendation, Offer letter/
Student Identity Card
and original copy of Family Holding
List, has to be
submitted to Military Intelligence
(MI) 18, who
forwarded the same with
necessary remark to its
headquarters. Here the student is
required to meet the
demand of the MI-18. After
scrutiny, the MI-18
headquarters send it back to the
local MI office with
“No Objection”.
Upon receipt of “No Objection” the applicant has to
make prayer to the Township
Immigration Authority
enclosing all documents and
recommendations obtained
from various departments and
officials, including
Offer letter/ Student Identity Card (photocopy),
National Registration Certificate (original &
photocopy) paying Taka 500/-. Then “Form 4” or
Travel
Permit is issued to travel to Akyab
for a stay of 14
days only. Finally the applicant
has to approach the
NaSaKa for recommendation and
approval paying Kyat
200.
All the way to Akyab the students travelling with
Travel Permits have to pay and pay at various
check-posts dotted all along the
motor road and
waterway. Each student has to pay
at least Kyat 200 at
each check-point. Sometimes,
students are required to
give the photocopies of their
travel documents and
recommendations.
On arrival at Akyab, the
provincial capital of Arakan,
the students have to appear before
State Immigration
officers with both original and
Photostat copies of
the “Form 4” or Travel Permits,
thereupon the original
copies are returned to them. For
this Kyat 200 is
charged from each student. On
expiry the students are
required to renew the Travel
Permits from State
Immigration office for which the students have to pay
again.
The worst is Rohingya students admitted to
professional courses in
in
to movement restriction. Sometimes
in the past, a few
Rohingyas who could grease the
palm of the army
officials, with an amount of not
less than Kyat
1,20,000/- were permitted to travel
to
proper
are totally prohibited. This conspired many Rohingya
students to abandon their studies,
as they do not see
any other way left for them.
“This year Rohingya students, who were admitted to
professional courses like Medicine,
Engineering,
Veterinary Science, Commerce, Forestry etc. in
Educational Institutes in
despite their efforts exploring all
available venues
while making repeated appeals even
to the SPDC”, said
a guardian of student who want not
be named.
“Is there any country in the world that deprives its
people of their right to freedom of
movement,
residence and education in this
21st century…… Even a
foreigner has the right to pursue
his education and to
travel with dignity and honour”, a student who is
forced to give up his studies and
who does not wish to
be identified exclaimed angrily.
Talking to Kaladan Press, on
condition of anonymity,
some of the victimized Rohingya
students cried, “ we
appeal to UN with the international
community, fellow
student community with the Seats of
learning of the
world, NGOs and Human Rights
Organizations to
sympathise
with us and help us continue our studies in
Editor
Kaladan Press Net Work
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