The Stateless Rohingya Blog

A coalition of international NGOs stated that the current Citizenship Law issued in 1982 is not compatible with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and it deprives many people in Burma of their right to citizenship.  Below is an article published by  The Irrawaddy : A coalition of 31 international NGOs, including many top Burma lobbyists and funders, issued a statement on Monday calling for the repeal of the country’s Citizenship Law.

HAROON HABIB   in Dhaka Bangladesh is facing another influx of Rohingyas following sectarian violence in the Rakhine state in western Myanmar.   Rohingya Muslims who fled Myanmar in boats in Shahporir Dwip in Teknaf, Bangladesh, on June 18. The spillover of the sectarian violence that began in early June in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, located south of Bangladesh, has once again started affecting the border regions of the neighbouring country. The state’s majority Buddhist Rakhines have been frequently clashing with the Muslim Rohingyas, who are locally called Bengalis and not considered a fellow ethnic community. Bangladesh is in a terrible predicament: should it open its border, which was closed in response to the unrest, and take in more refugees? The Bangladeshi border police have been turning back those fleeing the violence.

Staff sell copies of Burma's constitution at the Lower House of Parliament in Naypyidaw on 9 July 2012. (Reuters) Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy (NLD) must play a leading role in repealing the authoritarian 1982 citizenship law that rendered the Rohingya stateless in Burma, a group of human rights organisations urged on Monday. “The 1982 citizenship law should be repealed, and replaced with a new law founded on basic principles of human rights,” 31 leading INGOs said in a statement. “The new law should honour equality and non-discrimination, and help create an inclusive and tolerant Burma.”

Buthidaung Township: Two villagers were killed by army on July 6, at Naya Para village nearby State Government High School of Buthidaung Town. They were identified as Nabi Hussain (35), son of Ali Akbar and Fokira (15), son of Gora Meah, said an elder from the village. They were picked up by army in front of their houses while they were standing on the road at about 5:30 pm. They knew that they had to enter their houses before 6:00 pm, as the section 144 and the state of emergency have been imposing since June 10.