The Stateless Rohingya Blog

BY KPN January 04, 2014 Teknaf, Bangladesh: Twenty-nine Rohingya were arrested at border areas and pushed back to Burma by Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) yesterday, Hasan, a local from Teknaf border town said. “They were arrested from the entry points of Teknaf town on January 2 and 3 by BGB after conducting an operation.” A BGB team of Nayapara out-post under the Teknaf Battalion No. 42 conducted a drive at  border areas and arrested 8 Rohingyas yesterday morning while entering the Bangladesh in illegal way. After arrest, they were pushed back to Burma from the entry point of Nayapara yesterday at about 11: 30 am, according to BGB official. The team was led by a BGB officer--- Habil Dar Humayun of Nayapara out-posts. Besides, on January 2, 2014, a team of BGB of Dum Dum Meah out-posts also arrested 21 Rohingyas including 13 males, 5 women and 3 children from the entry point of Naitong Para while entering Bangladesh crossing the Naff River by a row boat, BGB sources

By  Helen Regan Democratic Voice of Burma January 04, 2014 Burmese asylum-seekers currently based in Indonesia say they will continue to risk their lives and travel by boat to Australia, despite the very high chance they will never get there. Among the rolling hills of Cisarua, a small town three hours from Jakarta, about 800 asylum-seekers live in overcrowded houses. Those who have fled their homes in Burma, Afghanistan, Iran and elsewhere in Asia have paid people-smugglers to take them to Indonesia, in the hope that one day they will be able start a new life in Australia. Saw Aung is originally from Mon state. He fled his home because he said he was being persecuted for being a Muslim. He has been living in Cisarua with his wife, Cho Cho, and two children for a year. He has already tried to get to Australia by boat but a storm forced the tiny vessel to turn back to Indonesia. “Suddenly, heavy rain and a storm came in. Everyone was scared,” he said. “We had to

Muslim refugees rest at Baw Du Pha refugee camp in Sittwe, Rakhine State, western Myanmar (AP Photo/Khin Maung Win) By Kayleigh Long  Myanmar Times January 03, 2014 Pressure is mounting for the Myanmar government to ensure full humanitarian access to the Taung Paw IDP camp in Rakhine State's Myebon Township, with several international bodies decrying the conditions within the camp as "inhumane". A joint statement issued on December 30 by the European Union delegation, along with the embassies of Switzerland, Turkey and the United States, has pointed to the "dire humanitarian situation" faced by the camp's 752 resident families. Chief among the concerns outlined were the poor living conditions within the camp, including a lack of safe drinking water, limited healthcare services, widespread malnutrition, and the restriction of access beyond camp bounds. The detrimental impact of the movement restrictions imposed on those in the camp