The Stateless Rohingya Blog

A Myanmar Rohingya child looks through holes in fence around a mosque in their slum in Sittwe May 19, 2012. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj By Katie Nguyen LONDON (AlertNet) - Ecuador, Honduras and Portugal are the latest countries to have become parties to one or both of the  global treaties  on statelessness, a problem affecting up to 12 million people worldwide, the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) said. Statelessness, which is most widespread in parts of Southeast Asia, Central Asia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East, exacerbates poverty, creates social tensions and can divide families.

Maungdaw, Arakan State: Burma border security force (Nasaka) personnel arrested three Rakhines who were beating Rohingya fishermen in Ywanyotaung village today, according to an official from Maungdaw. “The Nasaka personnel from outpost camp 12 under Nasaka area number 5, received information of a group of Rakhines are beating three Rohingya fishermen in Ywanyotaung village, which was sent to Nasaka by village administration officer.”

Maungdaw, Arakan State:  Rohingya females from Maungdaw south were stopping vehicles to give informations of their properties which was looted by security forces and Rakhines (New settler) today, according to a school teacher from Maungdaw south. “The Rohingya females – more than three hundreds- were geathers on the Roadside of Maungdaw – Alay Than Kyaw highway where they stopped every vehicles which ply on the road and sending their appeal massage to the people and official about looting their property.”

Supporters of Burmese President Thein Sein hold posters as they await his arrival at Rangoon International Airport on Monday. (Photo: The Irrawaddy) More than a thousand people welcomed Burmese President Thein Sein upon his return from the United States on Monday morning in a rare gesture of popular support for a leading politician in the military-dominated nation. “We love our president,” bellowed the crowd outside Rangoon International Airport. Huge posters with the former general’s image bearing the slogan “We support you! Congratulations, Mr. President” were held by supporters

Maungdaw, Arakan State:   A passengers bus carrying  more than 35  Rohingyas- men, women and childrens- was attacked  by Rakhines and army today at about 2;30pm, according to an elder from Maungdaw. “The passengers bus was coming from Inn Din village of Maungdaw south to Maungdaw  Township and the owner of bus is U Khin Zaw alias Shanuwas  son of master Abul Jamil  alias U Ba Maung.”

SITTWE, Myanmar // There are no Muslim faithful in most of this crumbling town's main mosques anymore, no Muslim students at its university. They're gone from the market, missing from the port, too terrified to walk on just about any street in the centre of the town. Three-and-a-half months after some of the bloodiest clashes in a generation between Myanmar's ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and stateless Muslims known as Rohingya left the western town of Sittwe in flames, nobody is quite sure when, or even if, the Rohingya will be allowed to resume the lives they once lived here.

Akyab, Arakan State: A truck with a Rakhine dead body was seized by patrol army personnel nearby Akyab University main campus adjacent to Molake Ward on September 29, in the morning, a trader from Akyab said on condition of anonymity. “On suspicion, the patrol army personnel stop the truck while it was going to nearby Muslim village, searched the truck and found a dead body of a Rakhine. The army brought the truck to their camp with the people where they were detained. The dead body was handed over to the relatives or not, it is unknown.”