Bangladesh says refugees must return quickly

New Delhi (Mizzima) – Refugees living in the Nayapara and Kutupalong refugee camps and the huge number of undocumented Burmese nationals living in Bangladesh should be returned quickly, according to a joint statement by Burma and Bangladesh.

The Kutupalong Rohingya refugee camp in Teknaf, Cox’s bazar. There are 30,000 un-registered Rohingya refugees living in the camp. Photo: Bayazid Akter

The statement came following a two-day visit to Burma by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh, which ended on Wednesday. President Thein Sein was quoted in the Burmese state-run newspaper Myanmar Ahlin as saying: “Burma wants to cooperate with Bangladesh in resolving the issue.” According to figures compiled by UNHCR, there are about 29,300 Burmese refugees assisted by the UN group and more than 200,000 Burmese of questionable status in Bangladesh. The joint statement did not use the word “Rohingya,” a term the Burmese government does not accept. On Tuesday, the Bangladesh newspaper The Daily Star reported that Burma had agreed to take back Rohingya refugees who have been recently verified by Burmese authorities. The Daily Star quoted the Bangladesh prime minister saying that the presence of the Burmese refugees creates social, financial and environmental challenges to Bangladesh In other business, the joint statement said the two governments stressed the establishment of a direct banking arrangement under the Asian Clearing Union and a plan to launch direct air flights between Dhaka/Chittagong and Rangoon. The governments also discussed border trade, and Bangladesh said that it wanted to organize a trade fair in Rangoon early next year. The Bangladesh prime minister asked Burma to import readymade garments, pharmaceutical products, knitwear, and jute goods and ceramics from Bangladesh. During the visit, the two countries signed an “Agreement on the Establishment of a Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation,” and an agreement for the two countries’ chambers of commerce to cooperate more closely. On Wednesday, a ceremony was held to lay a foundation to build a Bangladesh Embassy in the diplomatic zone in Naypyitaw.

Amnesty International's T. Kumar to Speak at the Islamic Society of North America's Convention

Amnesty International's T. Kumar to Speak at the Islamic Society of North America's Convention Advocacy Director T. Kumar to Speak on Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar (Burma) Contact: Carolyn Lang, clang@aiusa.org, 202-675-8759 /EINPresswire.com/ (Washington, D.C.) -- Amnesty International Advocacy Director T. Kumar will address the Islamic Society of North America's 49th Annual Convention "One Nation Under God: Striving for the Common Good," in regards to the minority community of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar (Burma) on Saturday, September 1, at 11:30 am at the Washington DC Convention Center.

American Buddhists Promote 969 Movement With Website

Irrawaddy News: July 9, 2013 A group of American Buddhists has launched an English-language website promoting the 969 movement, in response to negative media surrounding the ultra-nationalist Buddhist campaign in Burma. The website aims to dispel “myths” about the movement, with a letter from nationalist monk Wirathu to a Time magazine reporter whose article about 969 was banned in Burma. “We’re not officially endorsed by Ven Wirathu at this time but will send a delegation to his monastery soon,” a spokesperson for the site said via email, adding that the group would create a nonprofit to coordinate “969 activities worldwide in response to religious oppression.”

Rohingya Activist Nominated for Human Rights Award

PHR congratulates Zaw Min Htut, a Burmese Rohingya activist, on his nomination for the 2011 US State Department Human Rights Defenders Award . Zaw Min Htut has been working for Rohingyas’ rights through the Burmese Rohingya Association of Japan since he fled Burma in 1998. Prior to that he was a student activist in Burma, and was detained for his participation in protests in 1996. In Japan, Zaw Min Htut has organized protests at the Burmese embassy and has written books on the history of Rohingya.

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