The Stateless Rohingya Blog

Maungdaw, Arakan State: A meeting was held between Rohingya – religious leaders (Maulana), elders – and Maungdaw concerned authorities- Burmese border security force (Nasaka), Township administration office, Immigration official- at State High School, Aley Than Kyaw, Maungdaw south on February 5, said a participant in the meeting on condition of anonymity. “The Rohingya religious leaders were summoned by Nasaka Director and discussed different issues of Rohingya regarding the present situation of Maungdaw Township.” More than 30 religious leaders (Maulana) participated in the meeting while the Maungdaw Township Administration officer, U Kyi San,  the  Nasaka  Director Col Aung Naing Oo, Immigration officer of Maungdaw Township, Commanders of  Nasaka  area No. 7 and  8 and other concerned officers  also participated in the meeting, according to a village admin office member. Everybody must follow the law of Burma as per your religious –Islam. If anyone doesn’t follow the

Source: Refugees International Country: Myanmar Despite an abundance of natural resources, Rakhine State is the second-poorest state in Burma. The simmering tension that exists between the Rakhine and stateless Rohingya communities has been stoked by poverty for decades. However, in June 2012 that tension boiled over. What began as inter-communal violence was followed by a wave of state-sponsored persecution of the Rohingya, along with a refusal to allow humanitarian agencies access to the northern part of the state, where the majority of Rohingya live. In October, Rohingya and other Muslim communities were attacked again, resulting in the destruction of thousands of houses, the displacement of tens of thousands of people, and an unknown number of deaths. In the state capital, Sittwe, tens of thousands of displaced Rohingya are now living in segregated, squalid camps outside of town and cut off from their livelihoods. The conflict has brought much-deserved international atten

Maungdaw, Arakan State:  11-villager was sentenced to 10 years jail per each by Maungdaw court yesterday those who were arrested by the security force after the June 8, 2012 bigoted violence between Rakhine and Rohingya communities in Maungdaw Town, said an elder from Maungdaw Town on condition of anonymity. Burmese border security force (Nasaka) with together Rakhines surrounded and tried to touch the Zeydi Pyin and Hati Para of Loung Don village tract of Maundaw north on June 8, 2012 evening. But, an officer of Nasaka area number 5, suddenly fired to the villages which caused one villager died, 4 wounded and 14 arrested by Nasaka, said a villager who was watchdog the incident at that time. The arrested villagers were identified as—Jaker Hussain (25), son of Abdul Hakim, Eliyas (30), son of Habi Ullah, and Sayed Amin (44), son of Bosho, hailed from Hati Para (village), Enam (35), son of Hairul Boshor, Keramat Ali (25), son of Moktol Hussain, Monshi Alam (25), son of Abu

The Nation February 6, 2013  House Standing Committee on State Security chairman Weng Tojirakan Wednesday discussed the Rohingya migrant issue and recommended talks with Myanmar to repatriate them or contact the United Nations to find a third country to take them in. National Human Rights Commission's head of violation inspection division, Kesarin Tiangsakul, said it found many women  and children among the Rohingya migrants who aimed to work in Malaysia and Indonesia, using Thailand as a transit point. After they were arrested - and Thai law could detain them for six months - the government had to find a  solution  to the problem because these people couldn't be repatriated elsewhere. It also had to provide them with care on a humanitarian basis, Kesarin said.    The Nation

REPORT from   UN Human Rights Council Source Reliefweb : February 5, 2013 GENEVA – The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar, Tomás Ojea Quintana, will undertake an official visit to the country from 11 to 16 February 2013, which will include gathering information on the current situation in Kachin State and Rakhine State. The rights expert visits the country at the invitation of the Government. “As Myanmar continues to undergo wide-ranging reforms, it is important to assess the current human rights situation and to reflect on positive developments and remaining challenges,” Mr. Quintana said, preparing for his seventh mission to Myanmar, for which he has requested the authorities to visit Kachin and Rakhine States. “A particular concern is the escalation of the conflict in Kachin State, and I hope my visit will give me a clearer picture of the situation there and the impact it has had on civilians,” he noted. “I will be len

Radio Free Asia February 05, 2013 A UN official urges the Burmese government to allow assistance to tens of thousands of people displaced by violence. AFP Vijay Nambiar (L) gives money to a Kachin family at a refugee camp in Myitkyina, Feb. 5, 2013. The U.N.’s special advisor on Burma on Tuesday visited refugee camps in Kachin state that had previously been closed to international aid groups, pledging to work with the Burmese government to deliver aid to those displaced by clashes between rebels and government troops. Vijay Nambiar, the U.N. Secretary-General’s Special Advisor on Burma, visited the camps in the capital Myitkyina and nearby Waimaw together with Burmese Immigration Minister Khin Ye, government-appointed peace negotiator Aung Min and presidential advisor Soe Thein. They met with several nongovernmental organizations and residents of Myitkyina later that day. The visit marks the first by a U.N. official to observe the refugee situation in Kachin state, whe