The Stateless Rohingya Blog

As the persecution and human rights violations  against ethnic minorities in Burma continue, the U.S., ASEAN, and other stakeholders need to examine their engagement with the Burmese  military  regime with this problem foremost in their minds. Rohingya Muslims are one of the most oppressed ethnic minorities in the world. Since 1982, the Burmese government has systematically persecuted its  800,000 Rohingyas  by stripping them of citizenship, denying them free travel, restricting their  access  to land, and forcing them work for the military. The Bangladeshi government says that  300,000 Rohingyas  live in Bangladesh today after mass exodus from Burma. The majority remains unrecognized and live in refugee-like conditions. The Bangladeshi government is reluctant to receive more. On August 7, the U.S. State Department expressed its deep concern with the Bangladeshi government’s intent to shut down organizations providing aid to Rohingyas ...

Five detained local NGO staff members of an international aid organization were freed on Thursday in Rakhine State in Burma, while others still remain in jail. Two NGO workers with AZG, a Netherlands-based NGO, Kyaw Hla Aung, in blue longyi, and Win Naing, in red longyi, were released from a prison in Sittwe Prison on Thursday, August 16, 2012. Burmese Minister Khin Yi said that 10 workers with international NGOs were arrested in  connection  with Rakhine-Rohingya violence. Photo:  Mizzima Local authorities in Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine State, released Doctors Without Borders employees Kyaw Hla Aung and Win Naing. They have been charged with inciting unrest. Authorities are believed to hold up to 10 other NGO aid workers detained during the community unrest. “I was charged with Article 505 [of Burma’s Penal Code] for inciting unrest, while Win Naing was charged with instigating conflict by showing people photos of  violence  in Taungoke Township,” Kyaw H...

Burma’s government-appointed human rights commission has rejected appeals by domestic and international groups, saying there is no need for an investigation into the communal  violence  between Buddhists and Muslim Rohingya that erupted in June in Rakhine State.  The Organization of Islamic Cooperation said this week it will take up the Burmese government’s handling of the unrest with the U.N. Security Council, and called for a credible investigation into the unrest.  The UN human rights reporter for Burma said last week that the country’s Parliament would be the best body to conduct an investigation into the unrest.   He also called on Burma’s National Human Rights Commission to form a truth commission for a comprehensive and transparent investigation.   The human rights commission chairman, Win Mra, said on Thursday that a separate government-appointed group of investigators are charged with looking into the events that set off the community violence. ...

Maungdaw, Arakan State:   A high ranking military officer from Military Operation Commands (MOCs) number 15 , called a public meeting with all Rohingyas from every villages tracts today at about 10:00am in Maungdaw, according to an elder from Maungdaw. “The officer with other Maungdaw concerned authority and officials in Maungdaw district  administration office hall where all the officers discuss how to control Maungdaw and to keep the two communities and the group met with Rakhine community at 9:00am.” “The officers and Rakhines discussion was unknown to Rohingya community.” The official met with Rohingyas at 10:00am where the military officers said you created the conflict between Rakhine and you on June 8 in Maungdaw. We imposed curfew in the areas where we had seen that you are living peacefully, so we removed one hour from  start  and one hour from end. If you are living peacefully in the future, we will remove the curfew from the town, according to a Roh...

Maungdaw, Arakan State:  Army killed one Rohingya and more injured in Lambagona village while army open fired the village tonight at about 10; 00pm, said a villager from Lambagona village. “The army stationed at Tharaekonbon village tract and Rakhines from Tharaekonbon (New settler) attacked Lambagona village to loot and harass the villagers at about 10:00pm where the villagers scream out for help and nearby villagers rushed to the spot to save the villagers of Lambagone.” “When the sound of villagers rounding the village, the army open fired to the village where one villager –Abdul Salam son of Amir Husson – was shot dead on the spot and more villagers wounded for fired.” The army officer of army station at Tharaekonbon stopped the Natala (New settler) villagers who wanted to attack the Lambagona village again and other army personnel round up the village of Lambagona, said a villager. “The Rohingyas are staying inside the village as the army ...

Teknaf, Bangladesh:   A  Rohingya dead body was found in Naf River of Bangladesh side on  August 15, according to Anwer  from Teknaf. Bangladesh rescuer carried the dead body Rohingya from Naf River “The dead body was flooding in the Naf River which  fishing  men had seen and inform to the concerned authority. The police from Teknaf came to the spot with rescuer and took the dead body from the Naf River.” “The dead body was seen that he died before three days.” “The police confirmed that the body was a Rohingya and it may be drown within heavy rain and windy before three days.” Bangladesh rescuer carried the dead body Rohingya from Naf River But, the local from Teknaf said, he was murdered and threw to the river by Mogh of Khinepyin village as the dead body flow from the Purma River.  There are clashed between Rohingya Muslim and  Mogh since June 8. The authority is also supporting the Mogh while Mogh attacked the Rohingya. So, it may ...

Exclusive: As members of Burma’s Muslim Rohingya minority are forced into camps after violent clashes, the government bans international observers – but Channel 4 News gains access. There is a part of Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine State in Burma, that people still refer to as Narzi. But if you travel there, as Channel 4 News did recently, you will not find much to look at. In fact this substantial section of town, until recently the bustling home of 10,000, no longer exists. Instead, you will find a post-apocalyptic world of rubble and burnt-out tree trunks. Personal effects are left scattered on the ground. It seems an incongruous scene in a country that claims to be remaking itself as modern, democratic state. Spend five minutes in Narzi, however, and you start to wonder whether Burma has really changed at all. Until a month ago, Sittwe was home, in almost even proportions, to two different ethnic groups – the Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims. There have long been te...