The Stateless Rohingya Blog

File photo shows residents sitting on a railway track watching buildings burning around a mosque in Meiktila, central Myanmar. Press TV : July 20, 2013 Officials in Myanmar have lifted a state of emergency imposed in a riot-hit area in March where deadly violence claimed dozens of lives. According to a notice published in the New Light of Myanmar daily on Saturday, the order was revoked “as peace and stability has already been restored” in the central town of Meiktila and surrounding areas. On March 20, extremist Buddhists attacked dozens of houses and mosques in Meiktila. The state of emergency was declared on March 22. More than 40 people were killed and 12,000 people were displaced during three days of clashes in the town. In 2012, violence against Rohingya Muslims in the western state of Rakhine left about 200 people dead. Rohingya Muslims have faced torture, neglect, and repression in Myanmar for many years. Hundreds of Rohingyas are believed t

A scene at Te Chaung, a crowded camp near Sittwe that is home to several thousand displaced Rohingya Muslims. (Photo: Jpaing / The Irrawaddy) Radiance Viewsweekly July 20, 2013 Burma Task Force USA, in a statement on 8 July, expressed that it is “deeply troubled” to learn of the recent bombings at the Mahabodhi Temple in Bodh Gaya, India. “It would be tragic if this event were to further worsen the cycle of violence,” stated Dr Malik Mujahid, Chairperson of Burma Task Force USA. “To prevent this escalation let us all join together in the spirit of respect and to build trust among our communities. At this time of stress and anxiety, we invite Buddhists to respond and open dialogue with our diverse Muslim community.” The statement said that the Burma Task Force sent this message in the spirit of the Holy Month of Ramadhan, a month of mercy and forgiveness. According to tradition, Muslims are taught to revere knowledge and to seek it even if we must travel “as far

U Kyaw Hla Aung, 73, an activist/lawyer and former administrator for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Sittwe. He is one of more than 100,000 Muslim Rohingya IDPs displaced following two bouts of sectarian violence in western Rakhine State in 2012  © Contributor/IRIN ABC Australia July 19, 2013 Human rights activists have called into doubt the Myanmar president's promise to free political prisoners following the detention of a prominent rights lawyer. President Thein Sein made the pledge during a visit to London this week. It is part of a series of democratic reforms initiated by his civilian government since taking power in 2011. However, Amnesty International says a prominent Rohingya lawyer, U Kyaw Hla Aung, was detained in Myanmar's Rakhine state on the same day as the presidents announcement. The rights group has accused Myanmar police of targeting the 74-year-old because of his work as a Rohingya human rights advocate. Shibab Ahamed, the c