The Stateless Rohingya Blog

Maungdaw, Arakan State: Nasaka (Burma’s border security force) checked every family lists, houses and shops in Maungdaw south recently, said an aide of Nasaka from Aley Than Kyaw. “Nasaka personnel checked every family houses and shops who built new houses and shops after communal violence.”

Yesterday I listened to the Turkish First Lady, the wife of the Prime Minister, Emine Erdogan, speak about her recent harrowing visit to the Rohingya people in the the federal state of Arakan ( formerly now known as Rakhine) who are located in northwestern Burma (aka Myanmar). The Rohingya are a Muslim minority numbering over one million, long victimized locally and nationally in Burma and on several occasions over the years their people have been brutally massacred and their villages burned. 

For decades, the Rohingya population has been persecuted in Burma (Mynamar) to such an extent that the UN calls them one of the most persecuted minorities in the world. Doctors Without Borders calls them among the most likely people to become extinct. There are roughly 3 million Rohingyas left in the world. This calls for serious, collective and urgent actions by world governments, media, corporations, interfaith organizations, and individuals. None of us can afford to remain silent any longer. Neighboring countries can specially play a vital role in stopping this.

Maungdaw, Arakan State: A Rohingya villager was severely beaten up and became senseless  by army and Natala villagers, at Maungdaw south while he was returning home after  collecting firewood from nearby forest, said a close relative of the victim.   “The victim was identified as Abdu Karim (28), son of Abdu Goffar, hailed from Gudu Sara village of Maungdaw Township.”

A delegation of more than 30 US military and civilian officials has arrived in Myanmar at the weekend, in Washington’s most comprehensive push yet to engage with Myanmar’s military and government. The visit by 22 senior officials with support staff highlights a growing debate, in Europe and in other western countries, about greater engagement with the military, which for decades ruled the country with scant regard for human rights, prompting many governments to impose harsh sanctions.