Rohingya Ethnic Cleansing - Updates & Discussions

[bluesky]

Bangladesh, Myanmar understand ‘importance’ of Rohingya repatriation
Senior Correspondent, bdnews24.com

Published: 2017-07-04 01:32:14.0 BdST Updated: 2017-07-04 01:32:14.0 BdST

• 
  Myanmar’s National Security Adviser U Thaung Tun has agreed with Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali on the “importance” of starting the bilateral discussion on repatriation of Myanmar residents from Bangladesh, the foreign ministry said.

Tun is currently visiting Dhaka. During a meeting at the foreign ministry on Monday, Ali recalled how the two countries engaged in the past to repatriate Myanmar refugees back to Rakhine.

Rohingya refugee who fled sectarian violence and took shelter in Bangladesh for decades remained a thorny issue in relations between the two countries. Myanmar denied their nationality, and they do not use the word Rohingya that identify the ethnic minority group.

However, they repatriated few hundred in the early 90s when Ali, a former diplomat, was an official at the foreign ministry.

During the meeting, the National Security Adviser expressed desire of the Myanmar government to “further” develop bilateral relations with Bangladesh.

He expressed the interest of Myanmar to address the differences between the two neighbours through discussion.

He put emphasis on the need for enhancing cooperation between the two countries in the security sector and expressed happiness on recently held meetings among defence and border forces, the foreign ministry said.

He said that economic development could help reduce tension among the two communities in Rakhine and contribute to the resolution of the problem.

The Foreign Minister reiterated Bangladesh’s desire for developing a relationship of “trust and mutual benefit” with the neighbour and stressed on the need for engaging “in frank discussion."

He asserted that Bangladesh maintains “zero tolerance to any action targeting the neighbours by non-state actors and never allows her territory to be used for any activity inimical to the interest of Myanmar”.

He also highlighted some aspects of sub-regional cooperation in South Asia and viewed that Bangladesh and Myanmar could derive immense benefit from such cooperation regionally and under BIMSTEC.

He reiterated Bangladesh’s willingness to deepen cooperation in different sectors and expected a positive response from Myanmar to Bangladesh’s proposals on energy and transport connectivity.

Both of them appreciated the provision of humanitarian support like Cyclone shelters and Ambulances that Bangladesh has offered for the people of Rakhine State from out of pledged assistance by the Bangladesh Prime Minister.

They found merit in Solar-Home System for households in remote/off-grid areas. Bangladesh offered to install some SHSs in Rakhine.

The National Security Adviser is scheduled to meet the Minister for Home Affairs Md. Asaduzzaman and pay a courtesy call on the Prime Minister before leaving Dhaka on July 4.

Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque and Bangladesh Ambassador to Myanmar Sufiur Rahman were present at the meeting.

 

[Banglar Bir]

Burma says it will not let outside world investigate Rohingya 'genocide' claims
Officials say an ongoing domestic investigation is 'sufficient' to look into the allegations
Chloe Farand

Burma leader Aung San Suu Kyi previously said accepting the UN resolution would "create greater hostility between the different communities" Getty Images
Burma will refuse entry to members of the UN trying to investigate the alleged killing, violence and abuse against the Rohingya people, an official said.

The government of Aung San Suu Kyi has already said it would refuse to cooperate with a UN mission following a resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council in March.

Kyaw Zeya, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said: "If they are going to send someone with regards to the fact-finding mission, then there's no reason for us to let them come."
Aung San Suu Kyi pushes back against criticism of handling of Rohingya abuses
Mr Zeya added that visas to enter Burma would not be issued to any staff working on the mission.

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The Burmese government has repeatedly denied claims that the Rohingya Muslim ethnic group is facing genocide in the country's remote Rakhine State. It previously brushed away evidence of human rights violations as fake news and "propaganda".

It also deemed "exaggerated" a UN report published in February which found babies and children were reportedly slaughtered with knives amid "area clearance operations".

The report concluded counter military operations by security forces were subjecting the Rohingya population to brutal beatings, disappearances, mass gang rape and killings.

Ms Suu Kyi, who came to power last year as apart of a transition from military rule, has been criticised for failing to stand up to the more than one million stateless Rohingya Muslims.

People in Burma, which is a Buddhist-majority country, have long seen the Rohingyas as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Some 75,000 Rohingyas fled the northwestern state of Rakhine to Bangladesh last year following security operations carried out by the Burmese army.

In March, the EU called for a mission to look into the allegations of abuse in the north of the country.

Indira Jaising, an advocate from the Supreme Court of India, was appointed to lead the mission in May.

But Burma insists that a domestic investigation, which is headed by former lieutenant general and Vice President Myint Swe, is sufficient to look into the allegations in Rakhine.

"Why do they try to use unwarranted pressure when the domestic mechanisms have not been exhausted?" said Kyaw Zeya.

"It will not contribute to our efforts to solve the issues in a holistic manner," he said.
Last month, Ms Suu Kyi clashed with the EU over the necessity to carry through the UN resolution and send an international fact-finding mission to Burma.

Speaking in Brussels, Ms Suu Kyi said distrust between the two communities went as far back as the 18th century and that what the country needed was time.

"We have not ignored allegations of rape or murder or anything. We have asked that these are placed before a court and trialled," she said.

She added her government was disassociating itself from the UN resolution "because we don't think the resolution is in keeping with what is actually happening on the ground."

During a trip to Sweden earlier this month she said the UN resolution "would have created greater hostility between the different communities."
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...investigation-rohingya-genocide-a7816481.html

Kamzar6
Aung San Suu Ky is a huge hypocrite. She needs to return her Nobel peace prize right now, as she has been ignoring the genocide going on under her nose, and now preventing international agencies from investigating the violence and human rights abuses going on in Myanmar, by so called peace loving Buddhists. The Buddhist thug in saffron robes, called Wirathu has unleashed murderous mobs that go around killing, raping, and harming innocent Muslims including little children, and again, the woman who the world supported and defended, during her years of house arrest, has refused to help the minority, who are pleading for their lives. What evil lies within her, that makes her turn away from the massacre going on, and refuse to let those who helped HER, into the country?

 

[SarthakGanguly]

Burma says it will not let outside world investigate Rohingya 'genocide' claims
Officials say an ongoing domestic investigation is 'sufficient' to look into the allegations
Chloe Farand

Burma leader Aung San Suu Kyi previously said accepting the UN resolution would "create greater hostility between the different communities" Getty Images
Burma will refuse entry to members of the UN trying to investigate the alleged killing, violence and abuse against the Rohingya people, an official said.

The government of Aung San Suu Kyi has already said it would refuse to cooperate with a UN mission following a resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council in March.

Kyaw Zeya, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said: "If they are going to send someone with regards to the fact-finding mission, then there's no reason for us to let them come."
Aung San Suu Kyi pushes back against criticism of handling of Rohingya abuses
Mr Zeya added that visas to enter Burma would not be issued to any staff working on the mission.

READ MORE

• Morning Joe hosts Mika Brzezinski & Joe Scarborough respond to Trump
• May criticises Tory council which shut down Grenfell fire meeting
• British spies could be forced to disclose secret activities
• Nasa spokesperson forced to deny it has Martian child sex slaves

The Burmese government has repeatedly denied claims that the Rohingya Muslim ethnic group is facing genocide in the country's remote Rakhine State. It previously brushed away evidence of human rights violations as fake news and "propaganda".

It also deemed "exaggerated" a UN report published in February which found babies and children were reportedly slaughtered with knives amid "area clearance operations".

The report concluded counter military operations by security forces were subjecting the Rohingya population to brutal beatings, disappearances, mass gang rape and killings.

Ms Suu Kyi, who came to power last year as apart of a transition from military rule, has been criticised for failing to stand up to the more than one million stateless Rohingya Muslims.

People in Burma, which is a Buddhist-majority country, have long seen the Rohingyas as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Some 75,000 Rohingyas fled the northwestern state of Rakhine to Bangladesh last year following security operations carried out by the Burmese army.

In March, the EU called for a mission to look into the allegations of abuse in the north of the country.

Indira Jaising, an advocate from the Supreme Court of India, was appointed to lead the mission in May.

But Burma insists that a domestic investigation, which is headed by former lieutenant general and Vice President Myint Swe, is sufficient to look into the allegations in Rakhine.

"Why do they try to use unwarranted pressure when the domestic mechanisms have not been exhausted?" said Kyaw Zeya.

"It will not contribute to our efforts to solve the issues in a holistic manner," he said.
Last month, Ms Suu Kyi clashed with the EU over the necessity to carry through the UN resolution and send an international fact-finding mission to Burma.

Speaking in Brussels, Ms Suu Kyi said distrust between the two communities went as far back as the 18th century and that what the country needed was time.

"We have not ignored allegations of rape or murder or anything. We have asked that these are placed before a court and trialled," she said.

She added her government was disassociating itself from the UN resolution "because we don't think the resolution is in keeping with what is actually happening on the ground."

During a trip to Sweden earlier this month she said the UN resolution "would have created greater hostility between the different communities."
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...investigation-rohingya-genocide-a7816481.html

Kamzar6
Aung San Suu Ky is a huge hypocrite. She needs to return her Nobel peace prize right now, as she has been ignoring the genocide going on under her nose, and now preventing international agencies from investigating the violence and human rights abuses going on in Myanmar, by so called peace loving Buddhists. The Buddhist thug in saffron robes, called Wirathu has unleashed murderous mobs that go around killing, raping, and harming innocent Muslims including little children, and again, the woman who the world supported and defended, during her years of house arrest, has refused to help the minority, who are pleading for their lives. What evil lies within her, that makes her turn away from the massacre going on, and refuse to let those who helped HER, into the country?

I have a lot of respect for Suu Kyi.

 

[Flynn Swagmire]

I have a lot of respect for Suu Kyi.

Osama Bin Laden too?

 

[Banglar Bir]

EU urges Myanmar to protect free speech after arrests of journalists
SAM Staff, July 4, 2017

The European Union on Monday urged Myanmar to protect journalists from “intimidation, arrest or prosecution” after several cases of reporters running into trouble with the law, including three detained by the army last week.

The three reporters were accused of breaching the colonial-era Unlawful Associations Act after covering the burning of drugs by the rebel Ta’ang National Liberation Army to mark International Day Against Drug Abuse.

Journalists and rights groups say that over a year since democracy champion Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy came to power, the gains made in press freedom since the end of decades of strict military rule risk being reversed.

The European Union said the right to freedom of opinion and expression is a human right guaranteed to all.

“It constitutes one of the essential foundations of a democratic society,” it said in a statement.

“We therefore call on the government of Myanmar to provide the necessary legal protection for journalists to work in a free and enabling environment without fear of intimidation, arrest or prosecution.”

The three reporters arrested last week—Democratic Voice of Burma reporters Aye Nai and Pyae Phone Naing, and Lawi Weng of the Irrawaddy magazine—are in prison in the northeastern town of Hsipaw. The first hearing in their case is on July 11.

Suu Kyi’s spokesman, Zaw Htay, has said that everyone “should be treated according to the law.”

Also Read: Ethnic Media Conference demands end to laws that oppress media freedom

Suu Kyi herself has not commented on the three or on other cases of reporters running afoul of the law.

Suu Kyi’s defenders say the Nobel Peace Prize winner—who spent years under house arrest for opposing army rule—is hamstrung by a military-drafted constitution that keeps the generals in politics and free from civilian oversight.

The military said the three reporters had communicated with a group

“currently opposing the country’s rule of law using arms.”

The European Union said that in recent months the arrest and prosecution of journalists had reached “a worrying number.”

Most of the cases against journalists are for suspected violations of a broadly worded telecommunications law decried by human rights monitors as a violation of free speech.

In one such case, Kyaw Min Swe, an editor at the Voice daily, was arrested last month over an article mocking the military. His trial is underway.

Reporters protesting against what they see as the threat to press freedom say that military intelligence agents have taken their pictures, a reminder of the days of harsh military rule when no opposition was tolerated.
http://southasianmonitor.com/2017/07/04/eu-urges-myanmar-protect-free-speech-arrests-journalists/

 

[SarthakGanguly]

Osama Bin Laden too?

Obviously not.

Different religions, different civilizations, different idols (people we look up to).

 

[Banglar Bir]

02:19 AM, July 05, 2017 / LAST MODIFIED: 04:09 AM, July 05, 2017
'We'll solve the problem bilaterally'
PM on Rohingya issue

National Security Adviser of Myanmar U Thaung Tun calls on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her office in the capital yesterday. BSS reports, the PM during the meeting reiterated her call to Myanmar authorities to take back its nationals from Bangladesh and hoped that the two countries would be able resolve the issue through bilateral discussions. Photo: PID

Unb, Dhaka

Renewing her call to Myanmar to take back Rohingyas from Bangladesh, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said the problem would be solved through discussions.

“We'll solve the problem bilaterally,” she said when Myanmar's National Security Adviser U Thaung Tun met her at her office.

The PM said Bangladesh had some problems in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) which were resolved through bilateral discussions.

Some 30,000 registered Myanmar Rohingyas are now living in Bangladesh. But the actual number is 400,000 and their woes may worsen during monsoon, Hasina said, adding Bangladesh was ready to extend cooperation.

PM's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters after the meeting.

He said the premier drew attention of the Myanmar national security adviser to the smuggling of drug, especially yaba tablets, into Bangladesh from Myanmar.

U Thaung Tun assured Hasina of all kinds of cooperation in this regard.

He said his country was focusing to restore internal peace alongside expediting development.

About the Rohingya refugee problem, he said: “We need to address the root cause.”

He told the premier that Myanmar wanted peace and development in both the countries as it was keen to maintain good relations with its neighbours.

About the military-to-military contacts, he said the two neighbours were sharing information on security matters.

Regarding sale of gas from Myanmar to Bangladesh, U Thaung Tun said the matter could be discussed.

PM's Principal Secretary Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury and PMO Secretary Suriya Begum were present, among others, at the meeting.
http://www.thedailystar.net/backpage/well-solve-the-problem-bilaterally-1428565

 

[Flynn Swagmire]

Obviously not.

Different religions, different civilizations, different idols (people we look up to).

WOW, such deep words...

 

[Banglar Bir]

মায়ানমারে রোহিঙ্গাদের মানবেতর জীবনযাপন, ত্রান দিতেও বাধা

 

[Banglar Bir]

KJ Vids added a new video: A Short History of Rohingya Muslims.
2 hrs ·
A historical timeline of the persecution of Rohingya Muslims.

https://www.facebook.com/

 

[Banglar Bir]

UNHCR chief urges freedom of movement in Rakhine
SAM Staff, July 8, 2017

Filippo Grandi
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi called for freedom of movement and access to services for displaced persons in Rakhine State at the end of his first visit to Myanmar that took place amid an uptick of violence in the region.

“These are complex issues, but they are not intractable,” said Grandi, according to a UN release, adding that efforts to increase citizenship verification and tackle poverty were also part of the solution.

The recommendations of the ex-UN Secretary General Kofi Annan-led Advisory Commission of Rakhine State, which include closing internally displaced people (IDP) camps and the return of refugees from Bangladesh, provide an important roadmap for the way forward, the UN representative said.

During his five-day trip, Grandi traveled to Yangon, Rakhine State’s Sittwe and Maungdaw Township, and capital Naypyitaw where he met State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the social welfare minister, the labor minister, and the border affairs minister, according to the release.

They discussed humanitarian access to camps in Kachin and Rakhine states where some 100,000 and 120,000 remain displaced, respectively.

The high commissioner commended the return of mainly ethnic Karen refugees from Thailand but said that repatriation must be “voluntary and sustainable.”

Earlier this week, Grandi’s delegation met with border police Brig-Gen Thura San Lwin in Maungdaw and visited villages that suffered from arson during Myanmar Army security clearance operations, as well as with residents of the Dapaing IDP camp.

One of the camp’s residents U Saw Lwin told The Irrawaddy on Monday that IDPs discussed with UN officials their lack of freedom of movement, education and healthcare after nearly five years in the camp. He said they still hoped to be compensated for assets destroyed during inter-communal riots in 2012.

On July 1, the State Counselor’s Office Information Committee released a statement from national security adviser U Thaung Tun that highlighted a recent increase in violence in the area, some of which stemmed from incidents between the Myanmar Army and suspected militants.

It stated that from October 2016 to June 2017, 38 civilians were killed in Maungdaw district and 22 villagers were abducted or went missing. Many of the victims were village administrative officials who had collaborated with the government, according to the statement.

Grandi has worked in refugee and political affairs in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. This is his first visit to Myanmar since he was appointed high commissioner in January 2016 and his trip will continue to Thailand and Bangladesh.
http://southasianmonitor.com/2017/07/08/unhcr-chief-urges-freedom-movement-rakhine/

Where can the Rohingya go?
Md Shidur Rahman
Published at 06:46 PM July 04, 2017

An obvious solution to a never-ending problemREUTERS
Resettlement is the only way to solve the Rohingya crisis
Bangladesh, being a country of a large population, a higher unemployment rate, small land area, and emerging economy, is struggling to accommodate the continuous Rohingya refugee influx.

The UN estimates that, since October last year, around 74,000 new Rohingya escaped to Bangladesh due to the murder and persecution at Northern Rakhine State in Myanmar. Furthermore, the Bangladesh authorities estimate that around half a million unregistered and 30,000 registered refugees are staying in Bangladesh.

In spite of neither being a party to the 1951 UNHCR Refugee Convention nor to the 1967 protocol, Bangladesh has been hosting this considerable number of Rohingya refugee population since the 1970s. This response from Bangladesh shows generosity towards the vulnerable and oppressed Rohingya; yet the Bangladeshi authorities are often seen to forcefully return the Rohingya.

However, it seems too difficult for Bangladesh to shoulder the responsibility for this extra number of refugees and asylum-seekers. This is an additional pressure on her economy, population and land. Hence, attempting for third-country resettlement could be an effective solution for Bangladesh to overcome the Rohingya crisis.

It’s been done before
Resettlement has become a vital tool for international protection and a durable solution for some of the most vulnerable people in the world.

In October 1956, thousands of Hungarian refugees (180,000) fled to its neighbouring country Austria when the uprising in Hungry was suppressed by the Soviet Union.

Another successful refugee resettlement program helped more than 100,000 Bhutanese refugees find homes in third countries. In the early 1990s, King Jigme Singye Wangchuk forced hundreds of thousands of Bhutanese (of Nepalese origin) to leave their homeland.

The vast majority moved to eastern Nepal. In spite of not being party to the UN Refugee Convention, Nepal hosted these refugees from Bhutan. In terms of repatriation of these refugees, 15 rounds of bilateral talks had taken place between the governments of Bhutan and Nepal, but no refugees were repatriated.

The Syrian refugee resettlement program is a recent example of a successful third-country refugee resettlement. Since the conflict started in 2011, millions of Syrians have been internally displaced.

The neighbouring countries generously have hosted the Syrian refugees, and many refugee camps are established with the help of UNHCR. However, some of these countries complain purely because of the pressure it puts on them.

As successful third-country resettlements are apparent, the Bangladeshi government needs to urge UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, to help in resettling the Rohingya refugees to third countries

In order to relocate the Syrian refugees from these host countries, and Syria itself, the Syria Core Group (SCG) was formed in 2013. The SCG aimed to obtain sustainable multi-year pledges from the resettlement states. Over 224,000 spaces, so far, have been pledged for resettlement and other pathways.

The above three examples of resettlement show that the third-country resettlement refers to the internationalisation of refugee resettlement in which enhanced cooperation and coordination between states and UNHCR are required.

Bangladesh’s burden
However, not all countries equally welcome refugees or show a willingness to embrace them.

In Europe, Germany has received the most asylum applications so far — more than 315,000 by the end of October 2015. In contrast, the UK, by 2020, has pledged to take in 20,000 refugees who are currently living in camps in Syria, Turkey, and Jordan.

As successful third-country resettlements are apparent, the Bangladeshi government needs to urge UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, to help in resettling the Rohingya refugees to third countries.

The UNHCR plays a catalytic role in bringing resettlement states together. The government also needs to involve the IOM, civil society groups, NGOs, and private sponsors of resettlement countries so that the resettlement is seen in the limelight.

The government’s third-country resettlement initiative will lessen the hardship of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, and Bangladesh itself also will get a relief from the extra burden to some extent.

Md Shidur Rahman is a doctorate researcher at School of Social Sciences, Education and Social Work, Queen’s University Belfast, UK.
http://www.dhakatribune.com/opinion/op-ed/2017/07/04/can-rohingya-go/

 

[asad71]

All have had no effect on the murderous Burmese. The Rohingyas must fight. And BD must provide them a safe corridor for that. GOB must be pressurized by the people to act humane; or get a regime change.

 

[wiseone2]

All have had no effect on the murderous Burmese. The Rohingyas must fight. And BD must provide them a safe corridor for that. GOB must be pressurized by the people to act humane; or get a regime change.

As long as China backs Myanmar junta nothing will change

 

[asad71]

As long as China backs Myanmar junta nothing will change

1.Nope, that's not correct. PRC is no more too much enamored of the Burmese, a historically treacherous people who have now fallen into the lap of America. Meanwhile, SHW has been chastised. She has realized at last that Hindu India can never be well wishers of Muslims.
2. Yes, a war is brewing.

 

[wiseone2]

1.Nope, that's not correct. PRC is no more too much enamored of the Burmese, a historically treacherous people who have now fallen into the lap of America. Meanwhile, SHW has been chastised. She has realized at last that Hindu India can never be well wishers of Muslims.
2. Yes, a war is brewing.

I smell a false flagger

Introduce un security council resolution against Myanmar and see who vetoes it

India is not selling combat aircraft to Myanmar