The Stateless Rohingya Blog

By KPN December 19, 2013   Bandarbon, Bangladesh : A member of Arakan Army (AA) was arrested with gun and ammunition from Bangladesh-Burma border by locals on December 16, according to local Bangla newspaper named Purbokon. On Monday night, he was caught by local villagers on suspicion from the area of Biashari under the Bandarbon district on suspicion. He tried to fire the villagers, but he failed. The arrestee was identified as Than Shwe (45), hailed from Buthidaung Township, Arakan State, Burma. After arrest, he was handed over to the Baishari police station for further investigation, according to a local villager named Shaker. According to Sub-Inspector, Forid Uddin from the Baishari police station, Than Shwe was caught with a local made gun with one round of bullet by local villagers on suspicion. He claimed that he is a Burmese citizen of Buthidaung, Arakan State, Burma. However, he is being detained and investigated at the police custody. Police had

Rohingya migrants sit on a police van in southern Thailand. Pic: AP. By Saksith Saiyasombut & Siam Voices  Asian Correspondent  December 19, 2013 The Royal Thai Navy has filed defamation charges against international journalists for their reports on authorities being involved in human trafficking of ethnic Rohingya refugees. The move sends a chilling reminder to the media about the dismal state of press freedom in Thailand, the easy exploitation of flawed laws and how little outside inquiry Thailand’s military tolerates. Ever since  the deadly persecution of the Rohingya people , an ethnic minority denied citizenship in Burma, in 2012 that caused tens of thousands to flee, mostly on frail and overcrowded vessels on the Andaman Sea, the plight of Rohingya refugees in Thailand has been well documented in the past 12 months*.  Reports of abuse, rape, inhumane detention conditions and human trafficking  have persistently accompanied the coverage of the refugees in T