The Stateless Rohingya Blog

Burma, Sittwe township, Arakan State Rohingya Refugee Appeals to the World The Siasat Daily:  April  3, 2013 April 03: Rohingya Muslims of Myanmar are leading a miserable life. The Govt. of Myanmar doesn’t recognize them as the citizens of the country. The Muslims of Myanmar are the worst affected persons in the world. In 1948, Burma got freedom from the slavery of the Britishers but the Muslims of this country didn’t yet get freedom. Rakhain is the province which is adjacent to the border of Bangladesh. The Muslims of Myanmar are therefore taking shelter in Bangladesh. Islam has established the concept of brotherhood. It declared that a Muslim is the brother of another Muslim. Therefore, it is the responsibility of all the Muslims of the world to help the Muslims suffering in any part of the world. These thoughts were expressed by Mr. Mohammed Abdur Rahim Quraishi, President of All India Majlis-e-Tameer-e-Millat while addressing a gathering of the study circle of T

Alaska Dispatch April 2, 2013 According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, an estimated 27 million people remain displaced by conflict inside their own homelands. One heartbreaking story is that of the Rohingya people in Myanmar (Burma). Members of a Muslim minority, they are denied Burmese citizenship even though their families have lived in the country for centuries. Enduring the ravages of ethnic violence, the Rohingyas are prohibited from leaving designated areas for work, to forage for food, or to seek medical treatment. Identified as “eternal outsiders,” they are denied the rights of citizenship and human rights and are virtually forgotten by the world. News of this situation jolted me out of my Western comfort. I could see how much I had taken for granted my rights as a citizen of a country such as Australia, which gives me protection from injustice and deprivation. But the thought of the untenable position of so many peo

Dr. Ali Al-Ghamdi Saudi_Gazette  April 3, 2013 A report recently published by the British newspaper The Independent said about 100 Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar died slowly of hunger after spending 25 days at sea on their way to find a new home. The report said this might be shocking to those who do not know what is going on in what is alleged to be the latest democracy in Asia. It added that news about the rape and torture of Rohingyas in the western state of Rakhine may also seem shocking to those who are not aware of what is happening to Muslims in Myanmar. However, for those who closely follow the seemingly endless waves of threats, violence and torture of Rohingya Muslims, such news is not at all surprising. The Rohingyas are the weakest minority in Asia. They have been deprived of their citizenship rights in the country in which they have lived since birth. They have no right to education, health care or employment and are not allowed to own land. They ha

Maungdaw,Arakan State: More new arrival Rakhines were seen in Maungdaw north since middle of March, according to an elder from Maungdaw. “So many new arrival Rakhines from Rathidaung and other parts of Arakan were seen at Ngwai Taung Natala village – situated inside the mountain, east of Bakagonena village tract and informed to the concerned authority –army outpost and Nasaka outpost in Kawliza Banga village.” But, the security force didn’t charge on these new Rakhine community in Ngwai Taung Natala village, said a village from Nwahyondaung village. Similarly, One Rakhine from Rathidaung was loitering near the Rohingya village of Yay Myet Taung on March 28  night which was informed to the security force (Army) stationed in Kawliza Banga. The army arrested the Rakhine and toke to their camp where the army interrogated him. The Army found- two patrol bottles, matches, rings of incendiary material used in committing arson and iron hooks. But, he was release

Bernama: April 3, 2013 NUSA DUA, Bali, April 3 (Bernama) -- Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa and his Bangladeshi counterpart, Dipu Moni, held a bilateral meeting to discuss the Rohingya issue, on the sidelines of the Fifth Bali Process Meeting, here, Tuesday. Bangladesh, as the major recipient of Rohingya refugees, wanted to have in-depth discussion with Indonesia regarding the problem, Indonesia's Antara news agency quoted Marty as saying. Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslim refugees have migrated to Bangladesh. "The point is how we could prevent the problem from becoming more complicated," he added. In the meeting, the two foreign ministers also discussed the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Indonesia. Minister Marty Natalegawa also held a bilateral meeting with Erika Feller, the Assistant High Commissioner of the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) on the sidelines of the Bali Process on People Smuggling

Family members escort the bodies of children who died in a fire in an Islamic school as they make their way to a funeral in Yangon April 2, 2013 REUTERS/Minzayar By Foreda Begum   Restless Beings:   April 2, 2013 The last few weeks fears have materialised to reality, as extremist Buddhist attacks have spread further than just within the Arakan region in Myanmar, to Mandalay and now to Yangon (formerly Rangoon). The opportunistic ‘969’ extremist group, had started the violent rampage in the Meikhtila township of Mandalay, which is now razed to the ground, unrecognizable to the local inhabitants who used to call the area their home. The now barren land has had 1000 houses and 12 mosques burnt down, and 12,000 Muslims have been displaced, who have now taken refuge in the football fields in the town centre. In the span of a week, violence spread to other parts of Muslim populated areas who had experienced the same brutal treatment from the 969. These areas are the

As the attacks on the Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar continue, calls for the international community’s support increase.  World Bulletin/News Desk April 2, 2013 A Special Representative in the UN Secretary-General, has assessed the violence in Myanmar by stating “the support of the international community is necessary for the Rohingya Muslims.” for humanitarian aid / support of the international community needed.'' In an interview with Turkish media, Vijay Nambiar— a Special Representative in the UN Secretary-General—reminded that the attacks against the Muslim minority in the Arakan state of Myanmar have been ongoing since last year. Nambiar indicated that, according to the government’s figures, around 100 people lost their lives in the events last June, but other sources claim that the death toll was much higher. Emphasizing that the approximeatly 1.5 million Rohingya Muslims have been struggling with problems over the last 60 yea