Buddhist, Muslim refugees clash in Indonesia, 8 dead

[Reashot Xigwin]

Rohingya refugees to stand trial in RI
Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan | Archipelago | Sat, April 06 2013, 8:42 PM

The North Sumatra Police have named 18 Rohingya refugees suspects for a fight, which left eight Myanmar fishermen dead and 21 others with injuries, at the Belawan Immigration Detention Center in North Sumatra, a police official said.

“They are accused of conducting collective assault and torturing. They face a maximum sentence of 12 years if proven guilty,” local police spokesman Sr. Comr. Heru Prakoso said Saturday.

According to police investigations Rohingnya refugees were angered when a female refugee was sexually harassed by the fishermen.

“We found no other motive. Thus, speculation that the brawl was because of religious differences wasn’t true,” he said referring to reports that the incident followed a heated debate between a Muslim cleric and the Buddhist fishermen regarding conflict in Myanmar.

The refugees came to Indonesia in search of asylum, while the fishermen were detained over alleged illegal fishing activities. (nai/dic)

Rohingya refugees to stand trial in RI | The Jakarta Post

 

[K-Xeroid]

@PteX Better have some search , over 6 million rohingyas are already Pakistani citizens . . But they still call theirselves Burmese Muslims. Burma will remain the actual origin where they belongs to.

 

[Kaniska]

Loki, i sometimes doubt you are an actual Bangladeshi.
If i judged your country by the other Bangladeshis i've met on the forum i'd say the country was doomed to be a failed state but you seem quite civilized and rational, unlike so many of your brethern.

Dear friend....donot go by the posters of PDF from BD...Beleive me....Bangladesh is not like another anarchic Islamic nation...And add to the fact most of the people are like Loki...It is just like this is Pakistan forom where to vent their frustration about India and in particular to a religion of India, there are some specific people come to this foroum...But honestly BD is a very modern and progressive nation...DOnot bracket it with any other South Asian failed states..

 

[asad71]

At present BD's defense and foreign relations are handled by New Delhi. Therefore, our hands are tied. Once a patriotic govt comes, we are going to train and arm the Rohingyas so that they can expel the Burmese invaders from their land.

 

[PteX]

At present BD's defense and foreign relations are handled by New Delhi. Therefore, our hands are tied. Once a patriotic govt comes, we are going to train and arm the Rohingyas so that they can expel the Burmese invaders from their land.

Always the minority being invaded by the majority with you people.

Dear friend....donot go by the posters of PDF from BD...Beleive me....Bangladesh is not like another anarchic Islamic nation...And add to the fact most of the people are like Loki...It is just like this is Pakistan forom where to vent their frustration about India and in particular to a religion of India, there are some specific people come to this foroum...But honestly BD is a very modern and progressive nation...DOnot bracket it with any other South Asian failed states..

I will have to take your word on that, friend. From what i've seen and read in the news, they seem to be no different than any other Islamic country.

 

[ExtraOdinary]

At present BD's defense and foreign relations are handled by New Delhi. Therefore, our hands are tied. Once a patriotic govt comes, we are going to train and arm the Rohingyas so that they can expel the Burmese invaders from their land.

God forbid if you do that, it will be the end of rohingyas. better allow them to settle in BD

 

[Reashot Xigwin]

Rohingya refugees will face trial in Indonesia
Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan | Headlines | Mon, April 08 2013, 9:38 AM


The North Sumatra Police on Saturday named 18 Rohingya refugees as suspects in a torture case that left eight Myanmar illegal immigrants dead.

The eight Myanmar fishermen were killed in the early hours of Friday in a violent incident involving hundreds of Rohingya refugees at the Immigration Detention Center (Rudenim) in Belawan, just outside Medan.

The eight fishermen were Aung Thu Win, 24, Aung Than, 44, Min-Min, 24, Win Tun, 32, Nawe, 23, Aye, 23, Myo, 20, and Sam Iwin, 45. Three Myanmar fishermen managed to escape and 21 refugees sustained injuries.

Witnesses said that the brawl among center the residents started on Friday at about 1 a.m. when the Buddhist fishermen allegedly sexually harassed a female Rohingya refugee.

Muhammad Alam, 23, one of the Rohingya refugees, said that prior to the brawl, a number of fishermen followed a female Rohingya to the bathroom. The fishermen suddenly started to sexually harass the woman.

Several Rohingya who witnessed the incident reported the case to the others, inciting the anger of all the Rohingya detained at the Rudenim.

The refugees spontaneously attacked the illegal fishermen.

North Sumatra Police chief spokesman Sr. Comr. Heru Prakoso told The Jakarta Post that the suspects would be charged with the Criminal Code’s Articles 351 on torture and 170 on violence against persons or goods. The articles carry a maximum punishment of nine and 12 years respectively.

“These two articles are appropriate [as the] suspects acted violently and caused the death of other people,” he said.

“We have enough evidence to support the use of the multiple articles.”

The catalyst behind the Muslim Rohingya refugees’ violent clash with the Buddhist Myanmar fishermen was of sexual harassment.

“So the motive was sexual harassment. There were no religious or ethnic factors in this case,” he said.

The authorities carried out autopsies on the bodies of the eight fishermen at Pringadi General Hospital in Medan.

The forensic team concurred that the deaths were caused by the impact of blunt and sharp objects to the deceased’s heads and bodies.

As of Saturday, the team was still matching their findings from the eight bodies to data supplied by the immigration office.

Spokesman from the North Sumatra regional office of the Law and Human Rights Ministry, Hasran Sapawi, said on Saturday that it was not yet clear whether the bodies would be repatriated to Myanmar or buried in Indonesia.

The immigration office has not yet received confirmation from the Myanmar Embassy in Jakarta regarding the handling of the deceased individuals.

The Rohingyas, who are not recognized as a minority group by the Myanmar government, have become the target of attacks launched by the Buddhist Rakhine ethnic group.

So far, there has been no permanent solution by the Myanmar government, forcing the Rohingyas to seek asylum in other countries.

The Rohingyas initially wanted to enter nearby Thailand and Malaysia by boat but were driven out to the open sea by the authorities and were intercepted when they entered Indonesian waters.

Bangladesh has also stopped Rohingya refugees from entering the country despite shared culture and history.