ARAKAN ROHINGYA NATIONAL ORGANISATION
ARAKAN, BURMA
PRESS RELEASE
(23 March 2013)
STOP SYSTEMATIC
KILLING OF MUSLIM IN BURMA
Arakan Rohingya National
Organisation (ARNO) strongly condemns the increasing anti-Muslim propaganda and
organized killings of the Muslims in Burma/Myanmar.
Since Wednesday March 20,
many Muslims were killed, at least 14 mosques with hundreds of Muslim homes
were destroyed, shops damaged and looted, and more than 20,000 displaced in the
central Burma town of Meiktila and around the airport area of capital
Naypyidaw. The violence spread to Yameithein tonight where a mosque was
destroyed. A lot of Muslim residents have fled their homes. Extremist Buddhist
mobs with Buddhist monks armed with sticks and lethal weapons are prowling the
streets and hunting the Muslims. 4 Islamic religiousteachers and 28 madrassa
students, who included children as young as 12 years old, were among those
killed.
The police and security
forces did nothing to control the situation. The government is fully
responsible for allowing such a former Yugoslavia-like genocide encouraging
anti-Muslim propaganda and Islamophobia in Burma/Myanmar. This is the worst
carnage after the genocide carried out in the western state of Rakhine/Arakan
last year that left more than 5000 Rohingya and Kaman Muslims killed, missing
or drowned and about 140,000 displaced, who have been kept in segregation under
government’s ‘neo-apartheid policy’. It is apprehensive that the Rakhine
academics and monks backed by the local administration are inciting a third
massacre of the Muslims in Arakan.
It has been observed that
crimes against humanity against Muslims have escalated when some powerful
countries are trying to reward the ruling civil-military hybrid government
while lifting or suspending sanctions on Burma under the label of democratic
progress. It is worth-mentioning that human rights are universal; racism and
human rights violations are foreign to democracy; and most importantly
genocide, ethnic cleansing and apartheid are international crimes. We,
therefore:
Demand that the government
end forthwith all killing, violence and terrorization against the Muslims in
Burma/Myanmar and ensure full religious freedom with their security of life,
property and dignity;
1.
Further demand that the
government stop spreading of such pre-planned violence against Muslims in other
places of Burma
2.
Request the international
community, United Nations, OIC, USA, UK and their western allies, EU, ASEAN and
neighbouring countries to put pressure on Burma and exert concerted efforts to
protect and save the Muslim community in Burma;
3.
Rapidlifting or suspension
of sanctions on Burma is premature in this stage; and request to reinstate
sanctions in order to protect the Rohingya and other minorities, promote human
rights and inclusive democratic and political reforms in Burma;
4.
To scrap Burma Citizenship
Law of 1982 and to replace it with a new law that conform to international law
standards;
5.
Request to conduct a UN
independent inquiry and bring the perpetrators to the book.
For more information,
please contact:
Nurul Islam: + 44
7947854652
Aman Ullah: + 880-15584
86910
Email: info@rohingya.org