The Stateless Rohingya Blog

Burma's Parliament Speaker Shwe Mann addressing both houses on Thursday, 27 February 2014. (Photo: DVB) By  Shwe Aung DVB News February 28, 2014   Burma’s Parliamentary Speaker Shwe Mann urged relevant ministries to draft laws protecting national race and religion during Thursday’s assembly. The recommendation follows a message from President Thein Sein recommending legislative action on a petition he received in July 2013 from the Organisation for Protection of National Race and Religion (OPNRR), headed by Ashin Tilawka Biwuntha (also known as Tiloka Bhivamsa), member of the government appointed National Head Monks Committee. Upon Thein Sein’s receipt of the petition, which was forwarded to the Speaker, 1.3 million people had signed in favour of creating legislation to protect national race and religion. Since that time, the OPNRR said that they have gathered nearly three million additional supporters. In his message to the Speaker, Thein Sein decla...

Soldiers are deployed around a burnt Islamic school in Meikhtila (Reuters)  By Shwe Aung  DVB News September 14, 2013  Some 3,000 mostly Muslim residents from Mekhtila remain homeless nearly six months after their homes were burnt to the ground in a deadly bout of religious violence, as a dispute over resettlement plans continues to escalate. The government wants the residents, who are mostly farmers, to move into a series of apartment blocks away from their original homes. But the displaced Muslims say they will not be able to care for their livestock living in apartments and want their old land plots back. U Win, an influential figure in the town, blamed the residents for being too stubborn to accept the new housing. “Our country’s leaders, with utmost good-will, are looking to move them into new apartment buildings from previously living in small huts, but as some of them don’t like the idea and are refusing to sign a resettlement agreement, author...