The Stateless Rohingya Blog

  Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged Bangladesh government to immediately cease its restrictions on international organisations providing aid to more than 200,000 Muslim Rohingyas in the country. It also called on the government to open its borders to Rohingyas fleeing sectarian violence and abuses by Myanmarese security forces in Arakan State in western Myanmar, said a press release of New York-based Human Rights Watch published on Wednesday.

ARNO Statement on the current situation in Arakan, dated 23, August 2012 Since June brutal violence, the Burmese security forces barred the Muslim Rohingyas from worshipping in mosques across Rakhine (Arakan) State. The authorities have shut down almost all mosques in northern Arakan while prohibiting the daily 5 time congregational prayers. During the holy month of Ramadan the clampdown intensified. On the Annual Eid Festival Day of 20 August, the anxious Muslims have to remain inside their homes without congregating for prayers.

by Charles Grant Europe's stance on Burma has been 'messy', but the common line forged by the EU has helped to change Burma for the better – argues think-tank Disunity is bad but pluralism is good. The story of European Union policy on Burma illustrates this point. Disunity is normal: sovereign states with varied histories and traditions might be expected to disagree. The remarkable thing is that in the end, on Burma as on much else, the EU manages to achieve a common policy. The policy may even be better for being the product of disagreement and

KITCHENER—Aziz Nur has only a few clear memories of the first years of his life in his native country. He remembers going fishing, looking after his family’s dogs, and playing with his cousins, experiences not unlike those of many preschoolers. But Nur, now 23, also recalls military officers knocking on his door asking for money, and of them taking livestock from his family for their own consumption.

Human Rights Watch says Bangladesh's restriction on international aid groups is contributing to a worsening humanitarian emergency for ethnic Rohingya Muslims fleeing sectarian violence in Burma. Bangladesh last month ordered three charity groups to stop providing assistance to Rohingya because it said they were encouraging more refugees to cross the border.

Humanitarian Aid Desperately Needed; Crisis Situation in Burma Continues AUGUST 22, 2012 Members of the Border Guards of Bangladesh (BGB) stand guard as they detain Rohingyas from Burma on June 18, 2012. © 2012 Reuters RELATED MATERIALS:  “The Government Could Have Stopped This” Burma: Government Forces Targeting Rohingya Muslims Bangladesh: Rights Abuses Under Washington Spotlight The Bangladeshi government is trying to make conditions for Rohingya refugees already living in Bangladesh so awful that people fleeing brutal abuses in neighboring Burma will stay home. This is a cruel and inhumane policy that should immediately be reversed. The government should be welcoming aid organizations that provide life-saving aid, not shutting down their programs to assist refugees. Bill Frelick, director of the Refugees Program   (New York) – The government of Bangladesh should immediately cease its punitive restrictions on intern