The Stateless Rohingya Blog

An MP has raised the issue of Muslim Rohingyas refugees with Bangladeshi Ambassador Sadiq Khan MP, Member of Parliament for Tooting, has written to the High Commissioner for Bangladesh asking for him to respond to reports that Muslim Rohingyas, seeking a safe haven from persecution and violence in Burma, are being turned away by Bangladeshi authorities. The allegations were made in a report by Human Rights Watch, who claim to have witnessed Rohingya men, women and children land on Bangladeshi shores only to be forced back into their ‘barely seaworthy wooden boats’ where they risk drowning or starving at sea – or returning to persecution in Burma. The Rohingya refugees are fleeing state sanctioned violence in Burma, where it estimated that 78 people have been killed and more than 100,000 people displaced by the actions of the ruling military junta. The Rohingya are an ethnic minority which lives in the Rakhine State in west Burma. Earlier this summer an incendiary pamphlet

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia has called for the Extra-ordinary Session of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on 14-15 August in Makkah Al-Mukarramah. OIC meetings are routinely held without ever creating even a ripple in world politics as nobody takes it seriously, not even the member states, let alone the world powers that matter. So, one more meeting, routine or extra-ordinary, shouldn't be of any special concern to any one. Nonetheless, the wording of the agenda for this upcoming meeting -- "to examine the situation in many countries of the Islamic world, intensify efforts to confront this situation, address the sources of discord and division therein, reunify the Islamic Ummah and promote Islamic solidarity" -- deserves attention in view of the person/country calling for the meeting. There are 56 Muslim countries, a few with the word "Islamic" on their government stationery. That is where Islam begins and ends for them, though Saudi Govern

Foreign Secretary William Hague spoke about ongoing violence in Burma. “The UK, as ever, stands ready to assist the government of Burma in its efforts to develop Rakhine State, to share our knowledge and experience of tackling the many complex and long-standing issues to be overcome and, as Burma continues its path towards establishing full democracy,  to support an inclusive political settlement that protects the rights of all members of the local population. “Whilst the reform process has already borne many fruits, we remain seriously concerned about the nature and extent of the recent violence. We have urged the government to resolve the crisis by taking effective and lawful steps to prevent any further violence, in accordance with international human rights law. We have also called upon the communities based there to act with restraint. We have done the same with our international partners, and in international institutions, such as the European Union and the United Nations. 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday said Britain and the countries concerned about Rohingya refugees should talk to the Myanmar government regarding the refugee issue instead of pressurising Bangladesh. The prime minister said this when British Secretary of State for International Development Affairs Andrew Mitchell met her at her hotel suite in London in the evening. After the meeting, PM’s Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad briefed reporters about the outcome of the meeting.

WAM Abu Dhabi, Aug 13th, 2012 (WAM) -- A UAE paper has praised President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan's decision ordering immediate aid for displaced Rohingya Muslims. "Given the serious deterioration of the Rohingya's situation, the UAE was one of the first nations to highlight their plight and send them aid," "Gulf News" commented today in its editorial. There is a tragedy and a humanitarian crisis that is unfolding on a massive scale in Myanmar. The Rohingya Muslims in the country are facing a brutal attack on their very existence, and it is time that the international community took a firm stance on the matter. In addition, the UAE has called on the international community to take immediate steps to stop the violence that has been going on for a long time. Foreign Minister H.H. Shaikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Saturday expressed the UAE's extreme concern over the killings of thousands of the Muslims in Myanmar. The tragic

Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi poses for a photograph with Burma President Thein Sein during their meeting at the president's office in Naypyitaw Photo: AP As Burma is pressured to address the simmering Rhoingya issue and long-term ethnic peace, Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and President Thein Sein met on Sunday for the third time in one year.  The meeting included Cabinet members, a first for Suu Kyi and Thein Sein, who have forged an informal agreement to cooperate in addressing the country’s many obstacles to peace and economic development.  The meeting underscored the government’s desire to use Suu Kyi to try to resolve the decades of unrest involving minority groups throughout the country.  At the top of the agenda is the Muslim Rohingya community in western Burma, where two months of community clashes has claimed up to 80 dead and destruction of thousands of homes and other property. Soe Thane, who leads a government panel conducting peace talk