The Stateless Rohingya Blog

The UNHCR says Rohingya refugees from Burma are among hundreds of migrants recently arrested by police in Thailand. (Credit: AFP) The UN's refugee agency says it has received permission from Thailand to visit hundreds of people living in a refugee camp in the country's south. Hundreds of illegal migrants have been rounded up and arrested this past week in remote farmland and forest along the Thai-Malaysia border.

                 Rohingya Village of Taungbro on the Naf River across from Bangladesh Maungdaw, Arakan State: Bangladeshi Buddhist families – one Marmagyi family and 29 Bangladeshi Rakhine families – were settled in Karayni Natala village in Maungdaw south on January 13, according to an officer from Maungdaw. “The Bangladeshi Buddhist families entered to Burma with the help of District administration officer – Aung Myint Soe – on January 10 and stayed at central monastery till setting their settlement in Maungdaw south.” The Rakhine community from Arakan State organized the Bangladeshi Buddhist to enter Burma with a proposal of settlement as they are not able to stay in Bangladesh, according to a Rakhine – staying in Bangladesh- who denied to mention his name.  “Actually the Bangladesh Buddhist families are living in Chittagong Hill Tract who have to work hard in the hill cultivation to survive their lives. When they were orga...

                                               Photo:RFA/Min Thein Aung Iran’s consignment of humanitarian aid for ethnic Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar has been delivered to the refugees in the country. The shipment includes foodstuff, tents, blankets and other basic commodities, and was distributed among the Rohingya Muslims following the arrival of Iran’s parliamentary delegation in the city of Sittwe in the Western state of Rakhine. 

Thousands make perilous boat journey to escape ongoing sectarian violence in western Myanmar. Rohingya Muslim refugees from Myanmar have arrived in neighbouring Thailand, bringing the total in recent weeks to around a thousand. They’re making the long journey by boat to escape the harsh conditions in western Myanmar, after fighting broke out last year between Muslims and Buddhists.

US Ambassador to Burma Derek Mitchell, left, speaks to Aung Zaw, the editor of The Irrawaddy. (Photo: The Irrawaddy) Earlier this month, America’s top diplomat in Burma, US Ambassador Derek Mitchell, sat down with The Irrawaddy’s editor Aung Zaw to discuss his country’s stance on the current situation in Burma. In the interview, Mitchell touched on a range of issues, from US-Burma militiary ties and the Kachin conflict to China’s role in the region and Burma’s relations with North Korea. Below are some highlights from their conversation. Question: Some critics say it’s premature to develop US-Burma military relations. How would you respond?

Qutub Shah RB News January 16, 2013 (Edited by Mayu Thit Sar) Maungdaw: January 14, at midnight, in Kyauk Pando (Shita Furikka) village of Southern Maungdaw Township, the villager Eliyas s/o Habiullah was arrested from his house by the chief of Kyauk Pando Nasaka (Border Security Force) Camp. He was severely tortured soon after he got arrested although he didn’t know what went wrong with him. He was in the lock-up of Nasaka since then. It was his luck that he was able to convince the in-charge of the lock-up to release him after promising for a ransom.

Maungdaw, Arakan State:  Burma’s border security force (Nasaka in Burmese) arrested 18- Rohingya villager and looted goods from market on December 13-14, at night, according to a local leader who denied to be named. “On that day, at around 8:00pm, a group of Nasaka from Naga Kura camp under the Nasaka area No. 5 went to the market nearby Kyetyoepyin (Kyariprang) village of Maundaw north while a group of shopkeepers were listening to a radio and listening songs in a shop. After entering the shop, the Nasaka indiscriminately beat them up severely and the shopkeepers became very angry, as retaliation, the shopkeepers also beat up the Nasaka personnel harshly.”