The Stateless Rohingya Blog

Buthidaung, Arakan State : A Rohingya Muslim was killed in tortured by the concerned authorities in jail of Buthidaung on September 11, said a businessman on condition of anonymity. “ He was arrested from Maungdaw Township by the Nasaka personnel over allegation two years ago.” The dead body was identified as Moulvi Mohammed Rafique son of Gul Mohamed, hailed from Gudu Sora of Maungdaw Township, Arakan State, Burma.

WHY  is Asean silent on the issue of Rohingya Muslims, who have been suffering for centuries under the Myanmar army junta? Recently, they were told to leave the country to a third world nation willing to receive them. This is cruelty towards their own people and it seems that the world is just watching the injustice done to them, without any assistance, support or solution.

ICAPP vice chairman Abdul Matin Khasru has made clear Bangladesh's stand on the Rohingya issue that Dhaka would not accept any more Rohingya refugee, reports BSS. "Bangladesh could no longer afford to accept any more Rohingya refugee from Myanmar," Mr Matin, also MP and Awami League law secretary, said while holding meetings with top leaders of the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and the National League for Democracy (NLD) during their visit to Myanmar from September 11-13.

YANGON — Myanmar grew used to international criticism under a notoriously brutal junta, but reformist leaders tackling the fallout from deadly communal unrest are facing a new reality — having to listen. Festering animosity between Buddhists and Muslims in western Rakhine state erupted in June leaving, according to official figures, nearly 90 dead. Whole villages lie decimated as a result of the fighting, leaving tens of thousands displaced, many from the stateless Rohingya Muslim minority who have long suffered persecution in the country and elsewhere.

Aung San Suu Kyi’s plate seems to be full. She had fought for years for democracy against the military junta. Vindicated, she entered Burma’s parliament to build a coalition by representing her party, the National Democratic League (NLD), after  winning  a by-election. She tended to a steady stream of foreign dignitaries who visited Burma right after the military government granted her  freedom . Then for the first time in years she set foot outside Burma to visit foreign countries and open paths for diplomatic relationships. 

According to recent reports, Muslims in Myanmar are suffering a tragic plight. Reports shows several hundred of nearly one million Muslims have been killed since June 28 during clashes in the western region of Rakhine.  The UN has described Myanmar Muslims as one of the most persecuted minorities in the world.  They are deprived from basic rights including education and employment and are subject to forced labor, extortion and other coercive measures. The government of Myanmar refuses to recognize the Muslim minority. 

The humanitarian mission to Myanmar should be further empowered by having the Indonesian government exert political pressure on Myanmar in order to ensure the protection of the Rohingya Muslims, lawyers have said. “We are sending them logistical aid, treating them as though they were victims of natural disasters, when what they need most is legal status, adequate livelihoods and a stable future,” Mahendradatta, one of a team of Muslim lawyers, said in Jakarta on Saturday. “The most significant problem is their legal status, and Indonesia’s government should put more pressure on the Myanmar government to grant them citizenship,” he added.