The Stateless Rohingya Blog

Heavy flooding in eastern Myanmar has forced some 25,000 people to take refuge in relief camps.(file photo) PressTV July 31, 2013 Heavy flooding in eastern Myanmar has forced some 25,000 people to take refuge in relief camps, officials say. Monday torrential rain, which led to serious flooding in Karen State, has driven thousands out of their homes, forcing them into around 80 relief camps, the director of the social welfare, relief and resettlement department, Chum Hre, told AFP on Wednesday.  "Altogether 24,499 flood victims have been evacuated in Karen State," Chum Hre said, adding that about hundred others have been evacuated in Mon and Rakhine.  He further added that helicopters have been sent to the same areas, though "It is very difficult to reach some of the disaster-hit places because of the bad weather and landslides."  Some areas across the border with Thailand have also been swamped with water due to the heavy rains.  Tha

KPN News: July 30, 2013 Maungdaw, Arakan State: U Aung Myint Soe, the Maungdaw district administrator and U Kyi San, the Township administrator held election for village administration officer post  since June, said an elected village admin  officer  from Maungdaw north. “The authority gave us training about administration structures and how to handle the law in the village tract. But, after finished the training, the township admin officers didn’t issued the appointment letters to 36 village tracts. The Township officer said to wait till upper ordered come out.” The township and district officers issued the appointment to Buddhist community who was fail in the election. The Buddhist community are the new settler and are minority of the village tract, said the elected village admin officer. Township admin officer U Kyi San issued 13 village tracts appointment of village admin officer to Buddhist community who was not elected in the election without concerned of v

Rohingya slaves now on sale in Thailand: US$2,300 per head Grant Bayldon Dominion Post  July 31, 2013  As Australia closes the door on desperate boat arrivals, Amnesty International New Zealand head Grant Bayldon thinks it's time for New Zealand to increase the number of refugees it takes. I'm not told the name of the well-dressed, 30-something-year-old man I'm introduced to in Bangkok, and I know not to ask. He shows me the outside of his red Myanmar passport. It wouldn't seem worth much to me - there's not many countries a Myanmar passport will get you into - but he holds it like gold dust. It's hard to place a value on belonging to a country - any country - until you meet people who don't. The fact that this man even has a passport is surprising, for he is Rohingya, an ethnic minority group in Myanmar that has been described by the United Nations as one of the most persecuted in the world. Over the centuries, Myanmar - also

Police harassment increase in Rohingya villages KPN News: July 30, 2012 Maungdaw, Arakan State: Army, police and luntin (riot police) jointly went to a Rohingya village of Maungdaw south and ransacked the village and villagers on July 28, without any provoking them, said a local elder who denied to be named.  “A group of army, police and Hluntin from Maungdaw went to the Kilaidaung (Dou Chee Yartan) village on July 28, before noon and ransacked the village without any reason where the security force arrested Monir Ahmed (45), son of Fazal Ahmed, and Rahmed Ullah (50), son of Zalal of Kilaidaung village, Maungdaw south without any reason while they were walking on the road in the village.” The security forces severely tortured the two Rohingyas in front of the villagers by saying “why you were walking on the road in front of the security forces as we hate you very bitterly.” “We, Rohingya community become eye sores of Burmese security forces,” said a youth from Maung