The Stateless Rohingya Blog

  By Ahmad Ibrahim The Daily Star June 08, 2014 The UNHCR estimates that at the moment there could be as many as 500,000 unregistered Rohingya refugees inside Bangladesh. This number is in excess to the 25,000 that are registered refugees and are living in two of the camps provided by the UNHCR. What it means is that half a million people are living on Bangladeshi soil without any legal rights or provisions. They exist like ghosts in the wind because the government of Bangladesh does not recognise their presence. The real problem, though, starts in Myanmar, where Thein Sein's military backed government fails to acknowledge their presence as well, often turning a blind eye to the massacre of Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine and the crimes against humanity being committed on Myanmar land. On March 29, the Myanmar government banned the word 'Rohingya' and insisted that the Muslim community register as 'Bengalis.' Critics will point to the fact that it is a po

Maungdaw, Arakan State: The concerned authority (Police and Hluntin) have been harassing and extorting money from Rohingya travelers since the first week of June 2014 in Maungdaw south who go to one village to another village and market after crossing the police check-post, Hamid, a local villager said. “The concerned authority has recently set up a new police check-post on high way between Udaung and Ghorakhali village under the Myient Hlut border guard police sector No.8 of Maungdaw Township.” According to sources, the Rohingya males, women and girls are being checked the whole bodies and travel documents by the security police while crossing the new police check-post. Sources also said that if the security police don’t get travel documents, he/she will be demanded and extorted Kyat 500-1000 by the security police. Hasu Meah, a rice trader told the Kaladanpress, “We have to go to market of Aley Than Kyaw once a day because we sell rice, chili and vegetable in th

By Ibrahim Shah Burma Times June 07, 2014 Maungdaw, western Burma - It is reported by a police from Police station of Maungdaw District that 8 Rohingya defendants were imprisoned. Respectively, they were imprisoned for 7 years with hard labor by the Maungdaw District court. The main reason behind such long term jail against them was because they were alleged that they involved in Ducheeratan massacre. According to the statement of a responsible person from Maungdaw District court, the 8 defendants–Shomshu Alam, Zahid Alam, Shomshu Alam, Romali, Mohamed Rafiq, Mustafa Kamal , Kamla Uddin and Robiullah— were interrogated 14 times. Afterwards, they were charged  as above. Moreover, the police station of Maungdaw District issued warrant order for more 46 Rohingya defendants. According to statement by some Rohingya elders, “this kind of bringing false allegations against Rohingya by Burmese government is to escape international investigation for the Ducheeratan Mass