The Stateless Rohingya Blog

Bangkok Post: May 9, 2013 Myanmar's rapidly evolving political landscape produced another symbolic event at the recent Armed Forces Day parade. Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi attended for the first time, sitting alongside generals in the viewing stands as thousands of troops, tanks and missiles passed by. An open question is who needed who more _ a deeply unpopular military seeking the aura of an international icon and Nobel Peace Prize winner, or a newly minted politician seeking to change constitutional provisions that currently bar her from running for president in 2015? To the surprise of many, despite the fact that she and the rest of the country suffered 50 years of brutal military rule that devastated every sphere of the country, Mrs Suu Kyi has decided that her future lies in making friends with and perhaps co-opting the military, or the Tatmadaw. This makes political sense, as the military still holds ultimate power, with 400,000 troops and an

Kaladan Press: May 9, 2013 Maungdaw, Arakan State: A group of Natala villagers from Sommana and Udaung villages have been harassing Rohingya villagers at night, said a local elder on condition of anonymity. “The Natala villagers are going to different Rohingya villages where they (Natala villagers) try to torch houses at midnight while villagers sleep.” According to sources from the area, a group of Natala villagers went to Khonza Bill(village) on May 7, at about 11: 30 pm and try to attack some villagers where the Rohingya villagers screamed and gathered on the spot, saw Natala villagers were holding long swords and other lethal weapons. “The Rohingya villagers were very afraid for doing anything in the village against Rohingya by Natala villagers”. Besides, yesterday the concerned authority prohibited the villagers not to cross the main road –Maungdaw Aley Than Kyaw highway- for security reason through the village admin officer, a village admin office member s

These children of Rohingya-people in a camp in Sittwe to flee attacks in Rakhine region of Myanmar. The conflict which threatens the stability of the country as a whole is in the process of major upheaval. PHOTO: SOE THAN WIN / NTB SCANPIX David Hopkins Asia Times : May 9, 2013 BANGKOK - A constructivist view of international security posits that the threats and insecurities of states are not objectively present or absent but socially constructed. Actors or organizations with a sufficient degree of legitimacy or public profile have the capacity to identify, or create, real or imagined threats through "speech acts" aimed at convincing a target audience - the general public, the military, legislative branch, etcetera - of an ostensible security reality. This approach, which emphasizes the extent to which security issues are constructed through language, is pertinent for examining the role of political, civil society, and religious leaders in Myanmar. Thes

A poster of Long March for Muslim in Burma inside Bangladesh Maungdaw, Arakan State: Security forces –police, Hluntin and Nasaka- shot and wounded a Rohingya in Maungni village of Maungdaw yesterday night, according to a school teacher from Maungdaw. “The security forces – police personnel- shot to a Rohingya who was going to his home from neighboring home while the township administration officer and district administration officer were at present in the spot.” “The high officers from Maungdaw didn’t said any word to the police personnel who shot to Rohingya –whowas going to his home, not running or attacking them. Rohingya had no weapon or any harmful things in his hand.” The high officers and security force round up the village at night for Gawni Meah – a Rohingya from village- but shot an innocent Rohingya who was going to his house  and admitted to hospital  with wounded, said a member of village administration office. On the other hand, some official said t

Ikhwan Web May 9, 2013 As Shura Council debates urgent solution to Burma’s persecuted Muslims, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry vows to act without further delay. Shura Council’s Arab and Foreign Affairs and National Security Committee, headed by Ridha Fahmi, heard statements by Alaa El-Kashef, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia; and Rania Al-Banna, Assistant Secretary of State, on the issue of persecution and massacres committed against Muslims of Burma, over two million people. Alaa El-Kashef said, "Egypt did not spare any effort in supporting Muslims of Burma. We did not stand idly by with regard to this important issue. "The Egyptian Foreign Ministry issued three statements in which it strongly condemned the massacres and the burning of Muslim families and homes. We tasked our ambassador to inform the government in Burma of our total rejection of the genocide being committed against Muslims there. Egypt’s Foreign Minister met with government

Why Their Name Is Actually Important (part of  The Darkness Visible  series) Alders Ledge: May 9, 2013 As the campaign of ethnic cleansing drags on in Burma the Rohingya continue to suffer from starvation, easily preventable diseases, and forced isolation. When the Rohingya do anything that the Burmese officials dislike they run the risk of prison time, attacks, and possible death. This is all compounded by the fact that according to the government of Myanmar there aren't any Rohingya within Burma to begin with. And it is this aspect of the genocide that shows where Burma has the most success at carrying out their campaign of ethnic cleansing. For a government to "cleanse" their country of a given targeted community the end result would be exactly what Myanmar's leaders already claim... the complete absence of the targeted community. The act of attacking the very name of a targeted community gives the state the power to attack without impunity.

Maungdaw, Arakan State: Rohingya are losing their farmlands for building a road – joining from Natala village to main road (Aley Than Kyaw- Maungdaw highway) - on Rohingya farmlands by authority, a villager said on condition of anonymity. “The road is going to main road - Aley Than Kyaw-Maungdaw – through Rohingya farmlands where most Rohingya community lost their farmlands around 100 acres.” According to sources, the Natala villagers were using the road which was pass the Udaung village before sectarian violence between Rakhine and Rohingya last year, but, now the Natala demanded to concerned authority to build a road for them separately for their movement from village to main road. The authority are building  the road on Rohingya farmlands which made Rohingya landless and will become starvation for shortage of foods. Some owners of lands have been identified as Kamal (45), son of Hussain Ahmed of Khonza Bill (village), Abdu Goffar (40), son of Azhar Meah, Eliyas (40),