The Stateless Rohingya Blog

The OIC plans to take the issue of attacks against Muslims in Burma to the United Nations OnIslam News: March 31, 2013 CAIRO – A global Muslim body is planning to take the issue of persecution of Muslims in Buddhist-majority Burma to the United Nations to help stop continuing attacks against the minority. “The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) intends to raise the issue in the Security Council and the Human Rights Council to find a solution that contributes to putting an end to religious persecution against Muslims in Burma,” an OIC official told Arab News on Sunday, March 31. “The OIC had previously tried to contact government officials in Burma to no avail.” The Jeddah-based group plans to hold a meeting in Saudi Arabia on April 14 to discuss attacks against Muslims in Burma. OIC chief Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said the organization was “ready to take all necessary measures and actions” in dealing with the impending crisis. Ihsanoglu also urged

Exhausted and hungry, the Rohingya refugees wait to be processed at Phuket Immigration. Photo: Phuket Marine Police Phuket Gazette: March 31, 2013 PHUKET: The arrival of more than 100 Rohingya men, women and children last weekend has left Phuket Immigration overflowing, with no respite on the horizon. The huge influx of refugees fleeing strife-torn Myanmar has forced Phuket Immigration to seek help elsewhere, said Capt Angkarn Yasanop. Of the 102 Rohingya taken into custody last weekend when the refugees sought shelter on Koh Lone after their boat engine seized, 35 men were transferred to Ranong Immigration (story here). “The women and children are now at a shelter on Koh Sireh [on the east side of Phuket Town],” Capt Angkarn explained. “We had to transfer some of them because Phuket Immigration was built to accommodate only 50 people,” Capt Ankarn said, noting that 67 Rohingya were still currently under detention. And Ranong Immigration is also running

Maungdaw, Arakan State: Crime investigate police officer – U Than Htay- from Maungdaw police station is extorting huge amount of money from Rohingyas by forcing them involvement in the murder of March 28, according to an elder from Maungdaw. “U Than Htay summoned all the fishing pound owners – Bakagonena village tract and Itali village tract for investigate about the murder of a Rohingya in the pound of government ( Immigration), but who appear to the police station were arrested  and harass to pay money.” Abdul Naser – fishing pound owner from Kaliza Banga village- was arrested on March 30 while he went to see U Than Htay and released March 31 after taking huge amount of money from him, said a village admin officer from Maungdaw. “Acutely, no body know who killed the Rohingya in the fishing pound and authority had given permission the Italiya villagers to bury the dead body after investigated. So the villagers and all the fishing pound owners help to bury the body.”

Mohamed Farooq Mayu Press: March 31, 2013  The Burmese authority warmly welcomes Bengali ethnic Buddhists mostly from different villages of Ragamati, Bandarban and Kagrachori of Bangladesh Hill tract for permanent residency with the entire necessary living supports to the lands owned by Rohingya in different localities of Maungdaw and Buthidaung in Arakan. At least 300 Bengali Buddhist families have settled in Arakan within last three months. On 29th March 2013, ten Bengali Buddhist families having about 70 genders were temporary sheltered inside the Border Security Force (Nasaka) Camp No: 05 named Ngayin Chaung (Boutoror Ghati) in Northern Maungdaw. The Border Security Force (Nasaka) prepared truck and bus to send them Border Security Force (Nasaka) Headquarter for their settlement informed by a resident. One week back, another 16 Bengali Rakhine families were given permanent resident to Aung Mingalar Model village in Maungdaw, Arakan told by a police personnel. Th

Zipped Lips, Bloodshot Eyes (part of  The Darkness Visible  series) Alders Ledge: March 30, 2013 Every since the end of the October massacres the few strong voices on Twitter and the blog-a-sphere have warned us of the coming "third massacre". Hate groups such as 969 in Myanmar have been feeding the fires that fuel the hate for Muslims across Burma. This was the same sort of fuel that had sparked the flames of the first two Rohingya pogroms. The religious fervor that they feed upon has not been subdued or left to die as the Buddhist monks help prop it up. And it was this basis that had led many of the Rohingya activist around the world to fear the next wave of massacres.  Jamila Hanan on Twitter (@JamilaHanan) spends countless hours warning her 8 thousand plus followers of the both present and coming massacres. Yet the vast majority of them remain silent or stuck in the world of retweets as the genocide goes unabated. Their voices remain silent as the sc