The Stateless Rohingya Blog

Many ethnic Rohingya Muslims have been killed or forced to flee homes due to attacks by Buddhists over the year [AFP] Officials report at least 42 refugees killed and dozens more wounded by raging fire at crowded camp in north Thailand. Aljazeera:   March 23, 2013 At least 42 Myanmar refugees have died in a raging fire at a camp in Thailand, officials have said. Naramol Palawat, governor of Mae Hong Son, said hundreds of temporary thatch huts at the Ban Mae Surin refugee camp were reduced to ashes. She said the blaze was believed to have been started by a cooking accident. Dozens of other people were injured in the fire with women, children and the elderly believed to make up the majority of the victims. "The latest death toll we can confirm through military walkie-talkies is 42," Palawat said, adding the toll was likely to rise further as rescue workers search the area. A local district official said hot weather, combined with strong winds ca...

Young men who have found refuge in Malaysia after fleeing violence in Myanmar are covertly getting brides from home. Many ethnic Rohingya who make the journey over to Malaysia are young men [Reuters] Al Jazeera: March 17, 2013 Cox's Bazaar, Bangladesh  - Shamsul Alam, has dabbled as a tailor's assistant and construction worker since fleeing to Malaysia from his native Rakhine State in Myanmar. He recalls bitterly his gruelling 12-14 hour work days on construction sites before grabbing a quick meal and dashing off to the highlands in the hopes of evading the authorities. But when he speaks about his intentions to marry, the 30-some year old Rohingya becomes much more poetic: "If a man wants to live, he must have a woman…People need companions to live on this earth." However, his dream to marry has been difficult. As young Rohingya men like Alam have settled into life in Malaysia, to which a stea...

Al Jazeera December 9, 2012 This is the story of a people fleeing the land where they were born - the Muslim Rohingya of Myanmar. Earlier this year a Buddhist woman was raped and murdered in western Myanmar. The authorities charged three Muslim men. A week later, 10 Muslims were murdered in a revenge attack. What happened next was hidden from the outside world.