Rushanara Ali MP calls for action to help Rohingya Muslims in Burma

Rushanara Ali MP in Burma

By Adam Barnett

April 24, 2014

Rushanara Ali has voiced her concerns about the plight of Rohingya Muslims in Burma with the foreign secretary William Hague in Parliament.

The Bethnal Green and Bow MP says she is pushing the government to do more to tackle their suffering, having visited the Rakhine state of Burma between April 26 to May 2 last year.

She asked Mr Hague what action he is taking to stop the Burmese government - which receives £10million in aid from the UK - from using its census to discriminate against Rohingya Muslims.

The government said it recently allocated £5.8million of humanitarian funds to help people in Rakhine state,

Speaking afterwards, Ms Ali said: “I welcome efforts made by the UK to fund humanitarian work in Burma. But aid by itself is not enough.

“That’s why I’m calling on the Burmese authorities to address the culture of marginalisation and discrimination of the Rohingya community in Burma. We need to ensure that money sent from the UK to conduct any official census is not misused.”

She added: “I visited Burma last year to see for myself how the Rohingya are marginalised. What must happen is a review of the 1982 Citizenship Law which renders the Rohingya stateless, denying them basic human rights.

“The international community – with Britain taking the lead – must now apply pressure on the Burmese Government to facilitate humanitarian access and improve freedom of religion in Burma.”

Comments

Amnesty International's T. Kumar to Speak at the Islamic Society of North America's Convention

Amnesty International's T. Kumar to Speak at the Islamic Society of North America's Convention Advocacy Director T. Kumar to Speak on Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar (Burma) Contact: Carolyn Lang, clang@aiusa.org, 202-675-8759 /EINPresswire.com/ (Washington, D.C.) -- Amnesty International Advocacy Director T. Kumar will address the Islamic Society of North America's 49th Annual Convention "One Nation Under God: Striving for the Common Good," in regards to the minority community of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar (Burma) on Saturday, September 1, at 11:30 am at the Washington DC Convention Center.

Iran Ready to Dispatch Medical Teams to Myanmar

TEHRAN (FNA)- Head of the Basij Organization of Iran's Medical Society Mohammad Rayeeszadeh voiced the society's readiness to dispatch medics, nurses and relief and rescue forces to help Myanmar's Muslims who are under the daily attacks of the majority in the Southeast Asian country. "The Basij (volunteer) organization of the Medical Society is prepared to dispatch emergency teams of physicians, nurses and rescue workers to Myanmar," Rayeeszadeh told FNA on Saturday.

2,600 tonnes of aid delivered to Myanmar Muslims

Khalifa Foundation has distributed urgent aid totalling 5,200 tonnes Gulf News March 04, 2013 Burma: The Khalifa Bin Zayed Humanitarian Foundation (KZHF) has distributed another 2,600 tonnes of food aid to Myanmar Muslims, completing its third and last phase of the urgent aid totalling 5,200 tonnes of relief items among 850,000 beneficiaries. As per directives of President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the assistance was purchased from the local markets of Myanmar in cooperation and coordination with the Embassy of Kuwait to be shipped by sea to “Rakhine (Arakan)” for distribution among the affectees there.

The Stateless Rohingya Blog

Search This Blog