The Stateless Rohingya Blog

Sri Lanka's navy soldiers assist an injured Myanmar national to a navy ship in Galle February 17, 2013. The navy said it rescued rescued 32 Myanmar nationals who were stranded after their wooden vessel begun to sink in the deep seas off the eastern coast. Picture taken February 17, 2013. Credit: Reuters/Stringer (Reuters) - Myanmar nationals rescued from a sinking ship by the Sri Lankan Navy have told of throwing 98 people overboard after they died of starvation and dehydration, Sri Lanka's police said on Monday. Sailors rescued 31 adult males and a boy on February 16 when their damaged wooden ship began to sink about 250 nautical miles off Sri Lanka's southeastern coast, Sri Lanka's navy said on its website (www.navy.lk). "They said they had carried food and water for only one month and they had been in the sea for two months after the ship engine stalled," police spokesman Prishantha Jayakody told Reuters. "Their captain and 97 others h

The UN's Special Rapporteur for Human rights in Myanmar, Tomas Ojea Quintana, visited this camp for displaced Rohingyas in Myebon in Rakhine State. (PHOTO: UNIC)   Mizzima News 18 February 2013  The United Nations Special Rapporteur to Myanmar, Tomás Ojea Quintana, says that the use of excessive force by Myanmar’s government forces against local communities and ethnic groups was worrying to the UN.  Speaking at a press conference at Yangon International Airport before leaving the country on Saturday, Quintana said nearly 120,000 people are now living in camps in Rakhine State with a lack of adequate healthcare, and noted that conditions were worse in camps sheltering Rohingyas and other Muslims. The UN official said harassment of medical staff by Buddhist extremists in Rakhine State was one of the reasons behind the poor healthcare.  The government needs to address the problem of freedom of movement in the camps, Quintana stated, adding that one of the cam

Horible Bridge(Dagyi Zarr-Yekay Chaung Kwarr Sone)-photo 2013 Maungdaw, Arakan State:  Two Rohingya women had defended Burmese border security force (Nasaka) and Natala (new settlers) who entered their homes at night, while looting their ornaments on February 14, according to a villager elder from Ngakhura village. “The Nasaka personnel from Ngakhura outpost under the Nasaka area number 5 with together Natala villagers went to Ngasaku (Naisapru) village at night, entered Rohingyas’ homes to loot valuables while male Rohingyas were out of village for fear of arrest.” The Nasaka and Natala villagers entered some Rohingya homes where the two Rohingya women had defended while the security force tried to snatch the gold ornaments from their bodies till they become serious wounded. At last, the Nasaka and Natala villagers toke away their ornaments, said a relative of victims. The Nasaka and Natala looted the houses of; – Alizuhar, Md. Rafique, Nur