The Stateless Rohingya Blog

     Saint Martin’s Island beach Daily Star: April 8, 2013 Bangladesh Navy personnel yesterday detained 21 Rohingyas near Saint Martin’s Island in the Bay of Bengal when they were going to Malaysia illegally in search of jobs. They also detained three boatmen. On information, a team of Bangladesh Navy conducted a drive near the island around 11:30am and seized an engine boat with 24 people on board. The detainees are Rafiq, Rashid, Ismail, Sohel, Jamal, Shamsul, Musa, Shahid, Aiyub, Abdur Rahman, Sirajul Islam, Rafiq, Hamid, Javed, Hashem, Nur Alam, Ziaur, Ibrahim, Dwin Mohammad, Ansarul, Mozammel, Forkan, Tayeb and Siddique. They are aged between 20 and 40. The detainees were later handed over to Bangladesh Coast Guard (East Zone). Of the detainees, Rafiq, Sirajul and Rashid were the boatmen and inhabitants of Shah Porir Dwip in Teknaf upazila in Cox’s Bazar and the rest are residents of a Rohingya camp in Teknaf, said Lt Abdullah-al-Mamun, commander o

Maungdaw, Arakan State:   The Burma’s border security force (Nasaka) ordered to the local Village Administration officers to collect fund from Rohingya villages for  upcoming Buddhist water-festival in April in Maungdaw Township on April 6, according to one of the village Administrators who preferred not to be named,    “The Village Administration officer of Maung Nama village tract of Maungdaw Township was ordered by the Nasaka Headquarters of Kawar Bill (Kyigan Pyin) to collect money from Maung Nama Village tract for the upcoming Buddhist water-festival in April ( Burmese New year).” Maung Nama village tract has three Villages—- Maung Nama Gyi, Maung Nama Ngay and Maung Nama Aley (middle).  The tree villages have to pay Kyat 450,000 to the Nasaka Headquarters.  The water-festival will fall on April 13 to 16, according to Buddhist calendar.  The Nasaka also threatened to the Villagers that who does not comply with the order, he/she will be punished according to the law,

Originally Myanmar Rohingyas stranded in Aceh, Middle Those In Jamu By Local Residents. Zeenews.India: April 7, 2013 Banda Aceh (Indonesia): Indonesian police on Sunday detained 80 Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar on a remote island off Sumatra after they had got lost attempting to reach Malaysia, an official said. It was the latest boatload of Rohingya to arrive on the shores of Indonesia, as thousands flee Myanmar after tensions between Muslims and Buddhists exploded in their home state of Rakhine last year. The migrants, including five women and six children, arrived late morning on the island in Pulo Aceh, a cluster of tiny islands off the northwestern coast of Sumatra, local police official September Sembiring told AFP. "Their boat is still in good condition and they have enough food and fuel. They said they wanted to go to Malaysia but lost their way," he said. "They are all well. Two had stomach problems but nothing major." They w

Ukhiya, Bangladesh :  180 Rohingyas –who were arrested by border security force on 4-5 April – are not long march joiners of Hefazate Islam Bangladesh (HIB), said refugees from unregistered and registered refugees from Kutupalong,Ukhiya. “Most of the arrestee refugees are from unregistered camp who are facing shortage of foods for blocking them to go to work for their survival. So, they are taking risk for their family survival and to feed them by working in different places along the border and Cox’s Bazar.” The refugee demanded the concerned authority of camp to issue any kinds of identification to recognize us as refugee, while the camp authority block them not to go out of camp, said an elder from the camp to deny to mention his name. “If we have any identification cards, we can go to work safely and no need to us to give any kinds of support. Our family member will not face starvation and never come hunger.” The News which published in the Daily Independent,

Jakarta Post: April 6, 2013 The North Sumatra Police have named 18 Rohingya refugees suspects for a fight, which left eight Myanmar fishermen dead and 21 others with injuries, at the Belawan Immigration Detention Center in North Sumatra, a police official said. “They are accused of conducting collective assault and torturing. They face a maximum sentence of 12 years if proven guilty,” local police spokesman Sr. Comr. Heru Prakoso said Saturday. According to police investigations Rohingnya refugees were angered when a female refugee was sexually harassed by the fishermen. “We found no other motive. Thus, speculation that the brawl was because of religious differences wasn’t true,” he said referring to reports that the incident followed a heated debate between a Muslim cleric and the Buddhist fishermen regarding conflict in Myanmar. The refugees came to Indonesia in search of asylum, while the fishermen were detained over alleged illegal fishing activities.

“Regarding Situation of suffering Muslims in Burma” BRAFA Chairman Shaukhat Kyaw Soe Aung alias MSK Jilani highlighted the situation of suffering Muslims in Burma at the MAS Convention- Milwaukee Chapter are as follows.  - Burma is located in Southeast Asia and it is majority Buddhist country with a population of an estimated more than 60 million people consisting of Buddhist, Muslim, Christian, Hindu and other religious groups. Muslim settlements and propagation of Islam in Burma has been widely documented by Arab, Persian, European and Chinese travelers in the 8 century A.D.  - The current Muslim population in Burma are an estimated 8 to 9 million and they are descendants of Arabs, Persians, Turks, Moors, Indians, Pakistanis, Pathans, Moghuls, Bengalis, Chinese Muslims, Malays and other indo-Mongoloid people who settled down and intermarried with the local people and other ethnic Burmese groups in Burma according to historical survey.  - So, Muslims in Burma have