The Stateless Rohingya Blog

By Zin Linn OpEdNews February 21, 2014   Burma or Myanmar has a bad record concerning topic of human rights to date. Human Rights Watch criticizes Burma's lately formed National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) which has not take part in competent role to scrutinize human rights violations in conflict zones. In February 2012, the commission's chairman, U Win Mra, said that the commission would not look into allegations of abuses in the country's ethnic armed conflict areas due to the government's efforts to negotiate ceasefires. HRW has also made a recommendation to the parliament which needed to pass legislation that would bring Myanmar's NHRC in line with the Paris Principles on national human rights institutions in order to establish it as an independent and effective institution. However, people do not satisfy with the NHRC's activities since it has made little progress for citizen's rights protection. Recently, the Network for Human Rig...

By  Harun Yahya Arab News When after years of house arrest, Aung San Suu Kyi aptly described by many as the architect of democracy and human rights was allowed to enter politics, citizens of the world must have had heaved a sigh of relief. Her entry into the political arena was not only seen as a good omen for democracy in Myanmar but also raised expectations of many that it would put an end to the plight of the defenseless Rohingya Muslims in the province of Rakhine. Ironically, on both fronts the situation is not very reassuring. Despite Suu Kyi’s willingness to take part in the 2015 general elections, the sword of Law 59f is hanging over her political career, which bars anyone with family members who owe allegiance to a foreign power from participating in polls. Analysts believe it was a shrewd clause deliberately inserted into the constitution by the military junta to cope with such a situation. On the other hand, relentless oppression against Rohingyas, the m...

By Financial Express February 21, 2014 The USA on Thursday assured its full support for implementing the first ever national strategy over the issue of Rohingya refugees and undocumented Myanmar citizens in Bangladesh. The assurance came at a meeting between Anne C Richard, US assistant secretary of Bureau of Population, Refugee and Migration (PRM), and Shahidul Haque, the Foreign Secretary Richard appreciated Dhaka’s efforts to address Myanmar refugee issue. Later, Shahidul Haque met with Rose Gottemoeller, acting under secretary for arms control and international security at the US Department of State and discussed wide range of global issues of mutual interests including security issues, according to a foreign ministry release.

More then 100 Rakhine Extremists were surrounded to attack 3 Malaysians in Sittwe Town, Arakan State Photo Soe Thu Moe FB Bernama February 21, 2014 PUTRAJAYA: Three Malaysians on a Malaysian Consultative Council for Islamic Organisations (MAPIM) humanitarian mission who came under siege by local residents in Rakhine, Myanmar yesterday, are now put under police protection. Zulhanis Zainol, 36, Mohamed Fithri Ahmad, 42, and Muhaimin Samad, 28, who were on a humanitarian mission in aid of the Rohingya community were believed to be surrounded by a group of extremist Buddhists in Sitwee, Rakhine. It is learnt that Mohamed Fithri and Muhaimin were local television employees filming a documentary. Deputy Foreign Minister Datuk Hamzah Zainudin said the three men were brought out of Sitwee to be ferried to Yangon at 1.30pm (local time) yesterday. "I understand a group of local residents had surrounded them. Fortunately police came on time to save them and put the...

By DVB And REUTERS February 20, 2014 The human rights situation in Burma has improved, UN envoy Tomás Ojea Quintana said at Yangon Airport on Wednesday, speaking at a press conference that concluded a six-day visit to the country and also marked the end of his six-year mandate as the UN’s Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in the country. However, the Argentine diplomat criticised the Burmese government’s handling of the Rohingya crisis in Arakan State and said he has serious concerns over the impartiality of a government investigation into an alleged massacre of 48 Muslims in the village of Duchira Dan in Muangdaw Township between 9 and 13 January. Quintana noted that Burma had made strides in releasing prisoners of conscience, opening space for freedom of expression, the development of political freedom, and “important progress” in bringing an end to conflict with ethnic armed groups. But he called for a “change of mindset” within all levels of government to ...

 Rohingya refugees in Thailand are either deported or sent to other countries offering them asylum [Reuters] By Oman Tribune February 20, 2014  The news that Thailand has sent back 1,350 Rohingya Muslim refugees to Myanmar is shocking. They were among the 2,000 who braved the choppy seas to escape persecution to what they thought was the safety of Thailand. Their hopes have now been belied. This is happening at a time when all right-thinking people everywhere, fighting for the rights of those deprived of freedom and a life of self-respect and dignity, are calling for ways to end the suffering of the Rohingyas. The United Nations has described them as being among the world’s most persecuted people. There is no doubt that the Rohingyas have suffered a lot. Though living in Myanmar for more than a century, they have not been given citizenship. In every respect, they have been treated as second class citizens. In the mid-1990s, thousands of them fled persecution ...

(FB Photo: UNIC, Yangon) By   Tomás Ojea Quintana 19 February 2014 Yangon International Airport, Myanmar  I have just concluded my mission to Myanmar, which lasted for six days – my ninth visit to the country, which is also my final visit since I have now served the maximum of six years on this mandate. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the Government of Myanmar for its invitation and organisation of this visit, and the cooperation it has shown me during the past six years.  Summary of meetings:  In Naypyitaw, I met with the Minster of Foreign Affairs; the Minister of Home Affairs; the Ministers of the President’s Office; the Minister of Information; the Minister of Education; the Minister of Health; the Minister of Environmental Conservation and Forestry; the Attorney General; the Chief Justice and other members of the Supreme Court; parliamentarians and members of parliamentary committees, including the Bills Committee and ...