Malaysia’s Rohingyas protest violence in Myanmar.
DUBAI: Qatar Charity on Tuesday announced the beginning of a relief campaign for the Muslims of Myanmar under the slogan “Burma … Till pain goes away.”
CEO of Qatar Charity Yousef Ahmed al-Kuwari said that the campaign aims to “provide emergency relief and humanitarian aid to Rohingya Muslims who face real challenges in their country.”
A delegation from the Qatar Charity and representatives of other Qatari associations visited the Bangladesh-Myanmar border to assess the needs of Rohingya Muslims in the refugee camps, and the main challenges that prevent provision of humanitarian aid to refugees there.
The campaign comes as other campaigns ave been launched by Sheikh Thani bin Abdullah for Humanitarian Services (RAF) for helping the displaced people as a result of the atrocities suffered by Muslims in the state of Arakan in Myanmar.
Chairman of the Board of Trustees of RAF, Ayed bin Dabssan al-Qahtani, said that RAF began to receive donations which has so far reached QR1.2mn.
He added that RAF “will begin next week the one-month long first phase of its relief campaign for the Muslims of Burma including provision of relief aid, while there will be subsequent phases that will last for more than 6 months.”
A United Nations senior official on Friday expressed serious concern about reports of human rights violations committed by security forces in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, after clashes between its Buddhist and Muslim communities reportedly killed at least 78 people and displaced thousands last month.
“We have been receiving a stream of reports from independent sources alleging discriminatory and arbitrary responses by security forces, and even their instigation of and involvement in clashes,” the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, said in a news release.
“Reports indicate that the initial swift response of the authorities to the communal violence may have turned into a crackdown targeting Muslims, in particular members of the Rohingya [Muslim] community,” she added.
According to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the violence between ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims in the state, located in the country’s west, was triggered when an ethnic Rakhine woman was raped and murdered on May 28. This was followed by the killing of 10 Muslims by an unidentified mob on June 3.
Pillay called for a prompt, independent investigation, noting that the crisis reflects the long-standing and systemic discrimination against the Rohingya Muslim community, who are not recognized by the Government and remain stateless.
“The government has a responsibility to prevent and punish violent acts, irrespective of which ethnic or religious group is responsible, without discrimination and in accordance with the rule of law,” Pillay said.
She also called on national leaders to speak out against discrimination, the exclusion of minorities and racist attitudes, and in support of equal rights for all in Myanmar. She also stressed that the UN was making an effort to assist and protect all communities in Rakhine state.
“Prejudice and violence against members of ethnic and religious minorities run the risk of dividing the country in its commendable national reconciliation efforts, undermine national solidarity, and upset prospects of peace-building,” Pillay said.
Meanwhile, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Friday said it is delivering aid to the more than 30,000 people that were affected by the violence.
“As we speak, additional tents are being airlifted from the Republic of Korea to meet urgent shelter needs on the ground,” a UNHCR spokesperson, Andrej Mahecic, told reporters in Geneva. BM
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