The Stateless Rohingya Blog

Shofica Belcom, 25, waits with other mothers at a Myanmar Red Cross health clinic near Sittwe, capital of Myanmar's Rakhine state, October 14, 2012. The United States is describing its first ever human rights dialogue with Burma as "very positive," saying it now has an "open channel" to discuss sensitive topics with Burmese leaders. State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said Wednesday a "full-range of human rights issues" was discussed during the talks in the capital of Naypyidaw.

No help, please, we’re Buddhists , When offending the Muslim world seems a small price to pay. IT IS as if a veil had been lifted to reveal a hideous blemish. Terrible ethnic and religious violence in June in Myanmar’s western state of Rakhine pitted Buddhists against the mostly Muslim Rohingya minority. The aftermath risks marring the coming-out celebrations of Myanmar’s hugely welcome rejection of tyrannous isolation. Thein Sein, a former general who has become the country’s reforming president, is thought by some unlucky to have lost this year’s Nobel peace prize (to the EU). But on October 15th he reneged on an agreement to let the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC) open an office in Myanmar’s commercial hub, Yangon.

When the military regime took power through coup d'tat, discrimination started being used in identity or registration documents. National Identity Card of Burma ,Front Page (SITTWE AKYAB, Myanmar) - Myanmar, formerly Burma has been threatened by disintegration since 1948 when it gained independence from British. Myanmar has diverse ethnics with different historical backgrounds and discrimination has been practiced widely within the Union of Burma. This has caused several rebellions against the regime. THe discrimination is mostly based on religion; especially Christianity and Islam, they have became victims since independence. During the parliament democracy of U Nu, he tried to make Burma into a Buddhist country.

Efforts of Burma’s government-appointed commission to investigate the recent communal violence in Rakhine State have been blocked by local community members “from all sides” who refuse to cooperate, according to reports.   Political activist and well-known comedian Zarganar.  MizzimaZarganar, a popular entertainer who is one of 27 commission members, told Radio Free Asia (RFA), “At some point, things have become tougher as we do not have enough cooperation from all sides. For example the local ethnic Rakhine, Muslim community, government offices, and even the members of parliament have become increasingly less willing to participate.”

The announcement of President Thein Sein’s government not to allow OIC offices in Myanmar did not surprise us at all because it was well predicted. We really were stunned to acknowledge that Burmese government had signed a MOU with OIC to allow them open offices in Yangon and Akyab. But we know that they will never tolerate any international body to observe how Rohingya Muslims and Burmese Muslims or other ethnic minorities are persecuted both by the regime and Rakhines especially in Arakan as racists Rakhine and monks are given licenses to kill, loot, rape and harass to the Rohingya Muslims. In our opinion the MOU was signed just to show the world that they were genuinely interested in bringing the peace and stability in Arakan State.