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Salem-News.com
April 5, 2013
KUALA LUMPUR) -
Myanmar Ethnic Rohingyas Human Rights Organization Malaysia (MERHROM) received
numerous urgent calls from Rohingyas in the Arakan State of Myanmar. On 2nd
April 2013 at 2.45 a.m. in Maung Nifara Village of Maungdaw Township, Rohingyas
villagers saw 35 Rakhines Buddhists gathered near the mosques in the village.
The Rakhines brought
petrol, matches and lethal weapons with them. The Rohingyas immediately
reported to the security forces, namely Nasaka and Police. The security forces
brought the 35 Rakhines to another place and questioned them. The Nasaka and
the police then told the Rohingyas to return home without explaining the
intention of the Rakhines gathered near the mosque. The Rohingyas believe that
they were planning to burn the mosque. However there is no action taken against
the Rakhine group who clearly has a plan to burn down the mosque.
On 3rd April 2013, at
about 3:00 a.m. in Butthidaung, a group of Rakhines tried toenter the main
mosque. They had petrol, matches, a long knife and other weapons with them. Due
to the noise some Rohingyas residents who stay near the mosque realized that a
group of people were trying to enter the mosque. They immediately called the
police. The police questioned them as to what are they doing early morning in
that area. The Rakhines told the police that they were looking for frogs.
According to the Rohingya residents who stays in the area there are no frogs in
that area.
The Rakhines actually had an intention to burn
the main Mosque in the city. The Rohingyas told the police that the Rakhines
tried to burn the Mosque but the police got angry. Police ordered the Rohingyas
and Rakhines to return home. The police reportedly warned the Rohingyas not to
prolong the story otherwise the police will put them into the jail.
On 3rd April 2013, at
about 6:30 a.m., the police and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) arrested two
Rakhine Buddhists with two pistols at Ramu fish market under the Cox’s Bazar
district. They were arrested on suspicion as they were wandering from place to
place and the police and BGB found two foreign made pistols with 22 bullets
from them.
The two Rakhines claimed
they were newcomers from Arakan, but police found their wristwatches were set
to Bangladesh Standard Time (BST). One of them said he was a carrier and will
get taka 200,000, if he reached Arakan with guns. He is not the owner of the
guns, according to Altaf, an aide of BGB.
After the arrest,
they were brought to Ramu Police station for further interrogations. Some
shopkeepers of Ramu market believe that they are the members of Arakan
Liberation Party (ALP) who are appointed to do a special job in Bangladesh.
Some local villagers said, “They came here to kill people in Bangladesh and we
heard that recently a group of Rakhine people had been sent to Bangladesh from
Arakan.”
Today, 4th April
2013, two Rakhines from Bangladesh who entered Maungdaw Township were arrested
by Nasaka as they were holding two AK-47 guns. The Rohingyas do not know what
happened to them and if there is any action taken on them for holding guns. The
Rohingyas villagers feel really unsafe as there are already several violent
incidents in recent months where the security forces found the Rakhines groups
with petrol, matches and arms but we do not know what actions were taken in
those cases.
On the same day, 14
Rohingyas Richmen in Tung Bazar Village, Buthidaung Township were arrested by
Nasaka and all of them taken to Nasaka camp. The Nasaka forced them to hold
different arms, guns and lethal weapons. Nasaka then took pictures of the
Rohingyas holding arms and guns. Then they were beaten and tortured by Nasaka.
The Nasaka forced the 14 Rohingyas to admit that they were from Rohingyas
Solidarity Organization (RSO) and the weapons belong to them. They were still
detained by Nasaka. We do not know their fate as the allegations against them
are very heavy.
MERHROM strongly
emphasized that the Rohingyas Solidarity Organization (RSO) has stopped a very
long time ago. Since the violence started in June 2012, the Rohingyas in Arakan
State are highly monitored and controlled by the Security forces. Beyond that,
a curfew was imposed on the Rohingyas until now. In this very tight and highly
controlled situation, how could the Rohingyas be involved in RSO?
The humanitarian
crisis in Arakan State is not over yet. Currently there are more than 125,000
Rohingyas living in the temporary camps with a severe lack of food, water,
medical, clothes and other basic needs. Day by day the Rohingya children,
women, elderly and men die in the camps due to starvation, malnutrition and
diseases. Many more will die as the rainy season already started in Arakan
State.
The situation in the
camp is worsening as the Myanmar government is systematically restricting
humanitarian aid and imposing discriminatory policies on Rohingya Muslims in
Arakan State as revealed by the Human Rights Watch.
While the
humanitarian crisis for the Rohingyas continues in Arakan State, we were
shocked to hear the riot started in Meiktila which claimed more lives of
minority Muslim and destroyed more houses, mosques and Muslim properties. In
the last few days, riots have spread quickly to the other towns and more
houses, mosques and properties were destroyed.
Recently the
International Community was shocked to hear 13 teenage boys at a Muslim school
in Yangon were killed in a blaze. The Myanmar government put the blame on
electrical fault while the teacher and the student said they could smell fuel
during the blaze. Further to this they were slipping on an oily liquid on the
ground floor while escaping.
MERHROM strongly
emphasized that all of these incidents proves the continuous attacks against
Muslims across Myanmar by the Myanmar government. They are attacking top Muslim
businesses, Mosques, Muslim houses and properties and recently young
generations. There is Genocide towards Muslim across Myanmar. We do not know
what to expect next by the Myanmar government. The Myanmar government is using
all its Security forces together with the Buddhist population to clean Muslim
from Myanmar.
MERHROM urgently
calls for the United Nations Security Council to send their Peace Keeping
Mission to Arakan State, Meiktila and other affected area Urgently to stop the
Genocide towards Minority Muslim in Myanmar.
MERHROM urgently
calls for World Leaders, OIC, ASEAN and to the International Communities to
stop the economic and political relationship with Myanmar until they resolve
the conflict and protect Muslims in Myanmar with equal rights.
MERHROM urgently urge
the World Leaders and International Communities to prosecute the President
Thien Sein and former General Thein Shwe for Genocide and Crimes Against
Humanity. They must be brought to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for
killing, raping, torturing, detaining and abusing Minority Muslims and other
ethnics.
We thank you for your
Urgent Intervention to resolve the conflict and Save the minority Muslims from
the state sponsored ethnic cleansing and GENOCIDE.
Thank you,
Yours sincerely,
Mr. Zafar Ahmad Bin
Abdul Ghani
President
Myanmar Ethnic
Rohingya Human Rights Organization Malaysia (MERHROM)
Tel: +6016-6827287
Email :
rights4rohingya@yahoo.co.uk
Blog:
http://merhrom.wordpress.com