Myanmar president says Rohingyas not welcome

[TopCat]

Is Russia such a factor in our affairs? In that region we closely follow the lead of Turkey. I do not remember what was the situation that had compelled BNP govt to keep away? That was years back, and Morshed Khan was an easily purchasable commodity who had nearly recognized Taiwan!

Russia still a huge factor in world affairs. Our foreign office knows what they are doing. Its nothing political or internal politics. As Gigawatt pointed even China did not recognize Kosovo to appease Russians. Russians did request BD to go slow (did not negate) on recognizing Kosovo. They have their own game and let them play it.

Turkey is no superpower and not far ahead in world affairs than Bangladesh.

 

[Zabaniyah]

I did not even attempt to counter your useless ramblings.

Then you are being ignorant.

Protesting do make a difference, what world do you live in? It shows that the biggest Muslim nation in the world cares about other Muslims. If all Muslims all over the world could get out on the streets and protest in front of Burmese Embassy's where ever they are, that would surely give them a message. It also creates public awareness among clueless billions in the world that injustice is taking place here, it is a Human issue and not just a Muslim issue. Why is this so hard for you to understand? Making noise and raising hell about injustice is all about activism and creating public awareness using media attention.

Okay, do wake me up when the world's entire 1.5 billion Muslims do protest in front of all Myanmar's embassies. As if the Indonesians would accept large numbers of Rohingyas as refugees in their own country

And I do know them well enough that there are people with extremist views over there.

No one is pep-talking "Myanmar-Bangladesh relations" any more. The moment this crisis surfaced, I looked into this situation and I have changed my mind about the possibility of anything with Burma. It is only people like you and a few others who are still harping about taking Rohingya's in so we can have a railway to China. Leave these infantile ideas and come to reality.

In real life and media, the Bangladeshis are still pep-talking.

And since when did I say I'm interested in the railway link to China through Burma? They already conducted a feasibility analysis on the issue. Just by the terrain, the project is not feasible.

They have to be confronted, if they continue their killing and ethnic cleansing:

- diplomatically, using Muslim as well as world public opinion (Indonesian protesting is a good example)
- with insurgents if needed
- with military threat if needed

Killings of innocent human being, Muslims or otherwise, must be stopped.

You see, again you are spewing ignorance. I never said that the Burmese threats should be ignored.

And as if the 'Muslim Brotherhood' would do anything. Did they do anything when Israel was bombarding Lebanon back to the stone ages? No.

They are just 'concerned'. They are weak and spineless. Nothing more than armchair warriors.

It is Bangladesh that needs to actually do something about this threatening rhetoric coming from Myanmar. Not just being merely dependent on others.

Do not confuse collaboration with dependency.

And that requires a strong and realistic collaboration on Bangladesh's part with realistic goals. If they fail, it would ultimately be Bangladesh's loss.

Even Myanmar has a larger current active military than BD. Both neighbours have nukes and ballistic missiles, Bangladesh has none of it. Idiotic strategy.

Myanmar doesn't have nukes or ballistic missiles.

Agree with the rest of your contents.

 

[alaungphaya]

Myanmar doesn't have nukes or ballistic missiles.

Untrue, unfortunately. For about 6 years now Myanmar gov. has been buying N Korean missiles. At the same time they have been sending hundreds of the best and brightest from the Defence Services Academy to Russian universities to learn missile and nuclear technology. Ofcourse, there is very little definitive data on this due to its clandestine nature but it's certain that we have a number of ballistic missiles and atleast an interest in nuclear weapons technology. The Tatmadaw has in the past also deployed limited levels of chemical weapons though that too is kept hush hush. If I were to make a bet, a chemical tipped missile in the range of Dhaka is within our capabilities.

 

[Zabaniyah]

Untrue, unfortunately. For about 6 years now Myanmar gov. has been buying N Korean missiles. At the same time they have been sending hundreds of the best and brightest from the Defence Services Academy to Russian universities to learn missile and nuclear technology. Ofcourse, there is very little definitive data on this due to its clandestine nature but it's certain that we have a number of ballistic missiles and atleast an interest in nuclear weapons technology. The Tatmadaw has in the past also deployed limited levels of chemical weapons though that too is kept hush hush. If I were to make a bet, a chemical tipped missile in the range of Dhaka is within our capabilities.

Well, there's a difference between a cruise missile and a ballistic missile.

It takes a long time and money to even develop a cruise missile in-house. I'm not even going to mention ballistic missiles! Less than six years time sounds more like a pipe dream.

It took India for instance decades to develop long range missiles. And even given that they have the technical capability and support from Russia.

On a another note, I won't exactly buy it without credible sources.

 

[alaungphaya]

Well, there's a difference between a cruise missile and a ballistic missile.

It takes a long time and money to even develop a cruise missile in-house. I'm not even going to mention ballistic missiles! Less than six years time sounds more like a pipe dream.

It took India for instance decades to develop long range missiles. And even given that they have the technical capability and support from Russia.

On a another note, I won't exactly buy it without credible sources.

A Scud is not at all sophisticated. The N Koreans have been building them for years. Here is an article by a reasonably decent expert Bertil Lintner.

Asia Times Online :: Southeast Asia news and business from Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam

Myanmar, North Korea in missile nexus
By Bertil Lintner

BANGKOK - Military-run Myanmar's growing weapons ambitions, including new revelations that the reclusive regime is producing long-range Scud-type missiles with North Korean assistance, threaten to destabilize the region and make the Southeast Asian country a new global weapons proliferation hotspot.

According to exclusive information received by Asia Times Online, one of two munitions factories located near the small town of Minhla on the west bank of the Ayeyarwady River, south of Minbu in Magway Division, is involved in the production of sophisticated Scud-type missiles. North Korean experts are reportedly assisting Myanmar's own military technicians in the top-secret project.

Known as ka pa sa, shorthand for the Burmese-language initials


of the the Directorate of Defense Industries, the country's weapons factories have for decades produced basic armaments for the military. But ka pa sa 2 and 10 near Minhla are now churning out more advanced weapons, including Scud-type missiles, than the country has to date. These are more difficult to detect from the air because they are located partly underground.

A Scud-armed Myanmar would place its capabilities a significant notch above its Southeast Asian neighbors, which do not possess such long-range missiles. The revelations could spark a regional arms race, prompting neighboring countries such as Thailand to develop or procure their own missile arsenal.

The existence of the two factories was outlined in an August 27, 2004 United States embassy cable from Yangon, which was made public by WikiLeaks late last year. One of the US Embassy's sources claimed that North Korean workers were assembling surface-to-air missiles at "a military site in Magway Division" where a "concrete-reinforced underground facility" was also under construction. The source told the embassy that "he had seen a large barge carrying a reinforced steel bar of a diameter that suggested a project larger than a factory".

Asia Times Online has discovered that the site referred to in the embassy cable is ka pa sa 10, situated near Konegyi village in Minhla township. Construction of the site began in 1993, but has only recently been completed. The site reportedly covers 6,000 acres (2,428 hectares) and, according to a source who used to work at the facility, the aim is to produce surface-to-air, surface-to-surface and air-to-air missiles.

The same source, who requested anonymity for personal security reasons, claimed that the North Koreans working at the site first entered Myanmar discreetly by road from China. They were met at the border and then brought to Minhla by officers from Myanmar's Defense Production Directorate, known as ka ka htone, according to the source.

On the Myanmar side, between 600 and 900 army technicians and other military personnel are currently based at ka pa sa 10. Initially Russian and Chinese technicians also took part in the facility's construction, but they appear to have since left and been replaced with North Korean experts.

Ka pa sa 2 controls no less than 100,000 acres of land near Malun village, which is also based in Minhla township. According to the source, the somewhat older factory employs 900 engineers and other military personnel and produces 60mm, 81mm and 120mm mortars and 105mm artillery pieces.

The complex also includes a huge firing range where heavy weapons, including artillery and rockets, are tested. According to the source, Singapore, as a small island country which doesn't have enough space for such testing, paid for the construction of the firing range. Weapons are also brought from Singapore and tested at the site.

Name games
On October 4 last year, the English-language weekly Myanmar Times reported that Myanmar authorities had inaugurated on September 19 a "25.4-mile section, or approximately 40 kilometers, of railroad between Minhla in Bago Region and Minbu in Magwe Region". Construction of the new section, "which is part of the ongoing Kyangin-Pakokku Railroad Project along the western bank of the Ayeyarwady River", started in April 2007, according to the same news report.

The infrastructure project's opening was presided over by then prime minister, now President Thein Sein, underscoring the apparent importance of the short rail link. According to the Myanmar Times, Thein Sein also stated that the railroad would enable "the people to have easy access to various regions of the nation".

The problem with the report is that Minhla in Bago Region is located several miles to the east of the Ayeyarwady, and nearly 200 miles or, more than 300 kilometers, south of Minbu. Deliberate or otherwise, the reports confused the location of the two towns that share the same name. A 40-kilometer railroad between "upper" Minhla on the western bank - the only stretch of railroad on that side of the river - and Minbu could only serve one major purpose: to transport heavy goods relevant to producing Scud-type missiles or supplying a nuclear program to and from Minbu, a major port on the Irrawaddy River.

So far, however, there are no reports to suggest that Minhla's two ka pa sa facilities are involved in Myanmar's nascent and clandestine nuclear program. That research is reportedly carried out at Myaing to the north of Pakokku, which is also in Magway Division but far from the Minhla facilities. The progress of Myanmar's nuclear research is not known, but it is believed to be in its infancy and widely regarded as a pipedream that is unlikely to succeed in developing nuclear weapons.

Still, North Korean involvement in ka pa sa 2 may be cause for international concern - even for Myanmar's traditional military partner, China.

In the 1990s, China supplied Myanmar with between US$1 billion and $2 billion worth of military hardware. The list of imported armaments included 80 Type-69II medium-battle tanks, more than 100 Type-63 light tanks, 250 Type-85 armored personnel carriers, multiple launch rocket systems, howitzers, anti-aircraft guns, HN-5 surface-to-air missiles, mortars, assault rifles, recoilless guns, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, JLP-50 and JLG-43 air defense radars, heavy trucks, Chengdu F-7M Airguard jet fighters, FT-7 and FT-6 jet trainers, A-5C ground attack aircraft, SACY-8D transport aircraft, Hainan class patrol boats, Houxin-class guided missile fast attack craft, minesweepers and small gunboats. In 2000, China delivered 12 Karakoram-8 trainers/ground attack aircraft, which are produced in a joint venture with Pakistan.

Since then, however, it appears that Chinese deliveries of military equipment have waned significantly. However, in November 2007, immediately after the crackdown on a widespread protest movement led by Buddhist monks, China supplied Myanmar with howitzers and bomb-detection equipment.

According to a February 18, 2011, report by the US Congressional Research Service (CRS), China followed that up with a delivery of 450 military trucks in December 2007. In January 2008, China sent another 500 military trucks to Myanmar and in August that same year supplied an additional 3,500 military trucks with spare parts. In 2009, China delivered another five large military trucks and in March last year sent an additional 400 military use vehicles.

That bilateral cooperation was reaffirmed last September when Myanmar junta leader General Than Shwe traveled to China, ostensibly to update the authorities in Beijing on his country's upcoming elections, which were held in November. During the visit, Than Shwe also inspected Huawei Technologies, which CRS says has supplied Myanmar's military with communications equipment. At the end of last year, Myanmar's air force agreed to buy 50 K-8 jet trainers from China; CRS speculates that some of the assembly work for the order will be done in Myanmar.

While China remains a major player in the still ongoing expansion of Myanmar's military forces, it is no longer Myanmar's main military partner. The regime in Naypyidaw is increasingly turning to North Korea for assistance in clandestine military research and the production of more sophisticated weapons, which seems to be at the top of the junta's list of strategic priorities. As the newly exposed North Korean-staffed facilities indicate, Myanmar's generals are angling to diversify their sources of hardware and know-how.

Bertil Lintner is a former correspondent with the Far Eastern Economic Review and the author of several books on Myanmar. He is currently a writer with Asia Pacific Media Services.

(Copyright 2011 Asia Times Online (Holdings) Ltd. All rights reserved. Please contact us about sales, syndication and republishing.)

MissileThreat :: Scud B/C/D variants

'Scud B' missiles have been exported to: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Egypt, Georgia, Hungary, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, North Korea, Libya, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Syria, UAE, Ukraine, Vietnam, and Yemen. Unconfirmed reports between 1996 and 2008 have suggested that 'Scud B' missiles have been purchased by Armenia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, Myanmar, Pakistan, Peru, and the Sudan. These missiles may have been built in the former Soviet Union. It has been reported that as many as 7,000 'Scud' missiles may have been built in Russia and that 'Scud B' missiles and improved variants have been built in Egypt, Iran, Iraq, North Korea and Syria. Consequently, it is difficult to identify the source and quantity of missile supplies.

As for chemical weapons:

Burma and weapons of mass destruction - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[kalu_miah]

Then you are being ignorant.

Okay, do wake me up when the world's entire 1.5 billion Muslims do protest in front of all Myanmar's embassies. As if the Indonesians would accept large numbers of Rohingyas as refugees in their own country

And I do know them well enough that there are people with extremist views over there.

In real life and media, the Bangladeshis are still pep-talking.

And since when did I say I'm interested in the railway link to China through Burma? They already conducted a feasibility analysis on the issue. Just by the terrain, the project is not feasible.

You see, again you are spewing ignorance. I never said that the Burmese threats should be ignored.

And as if the 'Muslim Brotherhood' would do anything. Did they do anything when Israel was bombarding Lebanon back to the stone ages? No.

They are just 'concerned'. They are weak and spineless. Nothing more than armchair warriors.

It is Bangladesh that needs to actually do something about this threatening rhetoric coming from Myanmar. Not just being merely dependent on others.

Do not confuse collaboration with dependency.

And that requires a strong and realistic collaboration on Bangladesh's part with realistic goals. If they fail, it would ultimately be Bangladesh's loss.

Calling me ignorant and using words like "spewing ignorance" will not help you look any smarter. Instead of ad hominem personal insults, stick to the topic.

Your statements never get any better, and they are as confused as ever. I guess when people don't have it, they just don't have it. But carry on, looking at the number of posts you have, this pdf looks like your second life. But if you make nonsense statements, if I come across it, I will point it out every time I see it.

And if someone says that their religious background, in the context of Bangladesh, is not relevant, then we have to think what that statement means. No Muslim hides the fact that he/she is a Muslim. So it raises valid questions about people's sincerity as they try to hide their background for some ulterior motive or reason, taking advantage of the anonymity of internet forums and give false impressions about their country and people.

 

[CaPtAiN_pLaNeT]

Calling me ignorant and using words like "spewing ignorance" will not help you look any smarter. Instead of ad hominem personal insults, stick to the topic.

Your statements never get any better, and they are as confused as ever. I guess when people don't have it, they just don't have it. But carry on, looking at the number of posts you have, this pdf looks like your second life. But if you make nonsense statements, if I come across it, I will point it out every time I see it.

And if someone says that their religious background, in the context of Bangladesh, is not relevant, then we have to think what that statement means. No Muslim hides the fact that he/she is a Muslim. So it raises valid questions about people's sincerity as they try to hide their background for some ulterior motive or reason, taking advantage of the anonymity of internet forums and give false impressions about their country and people.

What he so far have been said about him that his family is related to top awami leaders, he voted for awami league and was a big fan of India. Earlier whenever any one used to say anything against India his statement was Bangladesh can not do anything against India as Bangladesh is outnumbered and outgunned and he even said that Bangladesh military policy maker do not take India into account during policy making. Recently he just changed his one sided India loving policy, he only knows why. It is curious that he is one of the members who always try to hide his identity.

 

[Zabaniyah]

Calling me ignorant and using words like "spewing ignorance" will not help you look any smarter. Instead of ad hominem personal insults, stick to the topic.

Really? You took that as an insult? Oh God

And I have sticked to the topic as per my discussion. And how is my religion even remotely related to the topic?

Again, you are displaying ignorance by not bothering to actually read what I have said. It's common logic.

What he so far have been said about him that his family is related to top awami leaders, he voted for awami league and was a big fan of India. Earlier whenever any one used to say anything against India his statement was Bangladesh can not do anything against India as Bangladesh is outnumbered and outgunned and he even said that Bangladesh military policy maker do not take India into account during policy making. Recently he just changed his one sided India loving policy, he only knows why. It is curious that he is one of the members who always try to hide his identity.

Erm...no...

But do continue to entertain us all

 

[CaPtAiN_pLaNeT]

Really? You took that as an insult? Oh God

And I have sticked to the topic as per my discussion. And how is my religion even remotely related to the topic?

Again, you are displaying ignorance by not bothering to actually read what I have said. It's common logic.



Erm...no...

But do continue to entertain us all

Family relation or connection whatever it was you said that and there is no denial about that. If anything is true try to accept that. No one will eat you.

 

[Zabaniyah]

Family relation or connection whatever it was you said that and there is no denial about that. If anything is true try to accept that. No one will eat you.

I don't technically have any family connection to the AL. Neither of my family side does politics. Most of them are professionals. Not politicians.

I simply said that I knew some of the present key AL leaders, and their families well. If you want to know more, you can PM me.

 

[CaPtAiN_pLaNeT]

the words from my heart - india best secular country even they take care bangladeshi migrants they don't harm them,equal rights to everyone,i travel all over india i can see real secular,

False Flagger Indian

I don't technically have any family connection to the AL. Neither of my family side does politics. Most of them are professionals. Not politicians.

I simply said that I knew some of the present key AL leaders, and their families well. If you want to know more, you can PM me.

I have no interest. I just told that as kalu miah was interested to know your background. But why so secrecy to say whether you are hindu or muslim or from other religious background???

By the neither you or me can PM now as the limit has been raised to 10000 from earlier 2000 . This is ridiculous.

 

[kalu_miah]

Really? You took that as an insult? Oh God

And I have sticked to the topic as per my discussion. And how is my religion even remotely related to the topic?

Again, you are displaying ignorance by not bothering to actually read what I have said. It's common logic.

Your confused ramblings do not deserve a reply. Rolling on the floor for no apparent reason is a very Indian trait, just an observation.

Your religion is relevant because you bad mouthed Indonesians and called them fanatics because they protested Rohingya killings, then in another post you made fun of 1.5 (actual figure is more slightly higher than 1.6 billion) billion Muslims and how irrelevant they are. Do we see a vague sense of disdain here for Muslims?

 

[idune]

Iran not indifferent to massacre of Myanmar Muslims: Top cmdr.


Tue Jul 17, 2012 1:37PM GMT
20

According to media reports, an ethnic cleansing is underway against the oppressed Muslims in Myanmar, and the Islamic Republic of Iran cannot remain indifferent to this horrendous injustice.”

Deputy Head of Iran's Armed Forces Joint Chiefs of Staff Brigadier General Seyyed Masoud Jazayeri
A senior Iranian military commander condemns massacre of ethnic Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, calling on Iran’s diplomatic and cultural organizations to explore all means to stop the violence.


“According to media reports, an ethnic cleansing is underway against the oppressed Muslims in Myanmar, and the Islamic Republic of Iran cannot remain indifferent to this horrendous injustice,” Deputy Head of Iran's Armed Forces Joint Chiefs of Staff Brigadier General Seyyed Masoud Jazayeri stated on Tuesday.

He urged Iran’s Foreign Ministry and the Islamic Culture and Relations Organization to inform other Muslim nations and other committed societies about the recent mass murder of Muslims in Myanmar.


On Monday, Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast expressed deep concern over the mass slaughter of Muslims in Myanmar.

“It is expected that the Myanmar government will prepare the ground for solidarity, national unity and [asserting the] rights of Muslims in the country and that it will avert violence and a human catastrophe in this regard,” Mehmanparast said.


He called for “swift and serious” measures by the Myanmar government, the international community and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to clarify all aspects of this incident and put an end to the violence.

According to recent reports, Muslims in Myanmar are in a tragic human plight. Since June, hundreds of the nearly-one-million-strong Rohingya Muslim minority have been killed and tens of thousands of others have been displaced in the west of the country due to a wave of communal violence.

According to a group of UK-based NGOs, from June 10 to 28, 650 Rohingya Muslims were killed, 1,200 went missing, and more than 80,000 others were displaced as a result of rioting, arson, rape, and a cycle of revenge attacks in the western Myanmar Rakhine state which borders Bangladesh.

The government of Myanmar refuses to recognize Rohingyas which it claims are not natives and classifies them as illegal migrants, although they have lived in Myanmar for generations.

PressTV - Iran not indifferent to massacre of Myanmar Muslims: Top cmdr.

 

[idune]

More countries are waking up against Myanmar ethnic cleansing. Iran has both resource and capability to make the difference here. Where is curry smell alaungphaya punk? In time he and Myanmar killers better be ready for lots of things down their throat.

 

[kalu_miah]

Muslim, Buddhist groups write to PM over killings in Myanmar | TwoCircles.net

Muslim, Buddhist groups write to PM over killings in Myanmar
Submitted by admin7 on 17 July 2012 - 4:52pm
India News Indian Muslim
By TCN News,

New Delhi: Some Muslim and Buddhist organizations on Tuesday wrote to Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh seeking his intervention to stop killings of Muslims in Myanmar. The central government was also urged to protect the rights of Burmese refugees who are living in pathetic conditions in New Delhi.

“There are continuous news reports of atrocities and killing of ethnic Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar which has caused a feeling of sadness amongst large sections of the Indian Muslim community. Many organizations have protested at various places across the country against this widespread killing by the Myanmar Military junta. Common peace loving citizens of India are also worried about news of large scale genocidal killings of the Rohingya Muslim community,” the groups said in the joint letter sent to PM and External Affairs Minister.

They urged the government to act as a peacemaker and ask Myanmar Govt. to stop the killings.

“This massacre is against the principles of justice, peace and humanity. Indian government as a responsible neighboring country & as a regional & growing international power, should act as a peacemaker and ask the Myanmar Govt. to stop this violence against its Minorities. This act will also enhance the prestige & image of our country in South Asia and in the International community. Thus it is our humble request that the Government of India, appeal to the Myanmar government to look into the grievous matter with the urgency that it deserves and protect the life, liberty and property of helpless Minorities,” read the letter signed by Shahnawaz Warsi, General Secretary, Muslim Students Organization of India (MSO), Kishore Jagtap, President, All India Buddhist Council and Feroze Mithiborwala, President, Bharat Bachao Andolan.

These Minorities should also be given their basic rights which they are entitled to being citizens of Myanmar, but as yet unfortunately they are not even recognized as citizens in the land of their birth & are stateless, they further said.

“We also request Government of India to protect the rights of Myanmari refugees who are living in pathetic conditions in New Delhi,” civil groups demanded.

Supporting Rohingya human rights draws ugly attacks

Supporting Rohingya human rights draws ugly attacks
Friday, 13 July 2012 16:52 Mark Farmaner

(Opinion) – Burma Campaign UK (BCUK) supports human rights for the Rohingya people. For Burma Campaign UK to make such a statement shouldn’t be surprising or controversial.

We are a human rights organization working on Burma. How could anyone disagree that the Rohingya people are entitled to full human rights and the normal rights and protections under international law?

But some people see that statement as such an outrage that Burma Campaign UK staff deserve to be raped and killed. We need to be “punished,” “taught a lesson” and “hung.” All these views and many more – many vicious and obscene – have been emailed to us or posted on YouTube and Facebook.

The level of abuse, hatred and anger directed against Burma Campaign UK and other organizations who say that Rohingya should have human rights, and which work with Rohingya to defend their human rights, has been astonishing.

There has even been a demonstration in Rangoon, outside the British Embassy, which, as well as attacking exiled media in almost exactly the same way the dictatorship used to, accused Burma Campaign UK of “propaganding” for the Rohingya. I doubt anyone in that protest could cite an example of us “propaganding,” whatever that means, but in the current hysteria some people seem willing to believe anything they hear as long as it is anti-Rohingya.

That they were allowed to protest at all was a good sign, but have those people also used their new freedoms to protest for the release of hundreds of political prisoners still in jail, or to protest against the Burmese Army raping women in Kachin State?

The hysteria has gone to such levels that some people from Burma are claiming, and, incredibly, others are believing, that Burma Campaign UK somehow stirred up the violence which broke out in Arakan State. They claim that we are responsible for the violence that has taken place

Burma Campaign UK has long faced criticism for supporting human rights for the Rohingya, and for a variety of sometimes bizarre reasons, as well as what may be genuine misunderstandings.

One lie being spread around on blogs, emails and sites like Facebook is that we are making money out of working for Rohingya. Burma Campaign UK has never received a grant for working on Rohingya issues. In any case, all of Burma Campaign UK’s income is spent on campaigning for human rights and democracy in Burma. We are a nonprofit organization.

Another lie in a similar vein is that Middle East countries fund us. Sometimes it is implied we are funded as part of a Middle East plot to take over Burma and turn it into a Muslim country. It is even claimed that there is evidence for this. When Rohingya activists attended an Organisation of Islamic Conference meeting and set up the Arakan Rohingya Union, pictures were posted on Arakan blogs of the delegation, with captions and an article saying I was in the picture, and this was proof that I and Burma Campaign UK were taking Middle East money.

The only problem was, I wasn’t in the picture. I didn’t even know the event was taking place. The person in the picture was Harn Yawnghwe from the Euro Burma Office. At the time we thought it funny that people making these attacks could not even tell the difference between a Shan Prince and myself, we never expected it to be taken so seriously, but this lie took hold. It was spread on email and more blogs, on Facebook, and people actually believed it. On my recent trip to Burma, even very senior democracy leaders in Rangoon talked about it.

One common lie is that we support the Rohingya having a state of their own. We have never said that, and although some Rohingya organizations talked about this decades ago, we have never even heard any Rohingya organization saying they want their own state. There seems to be some great misunderstanding that if the Rohingya are recognized as an ethnic group, somehow that will entitle them to land or their own state. This simply isn’t true, and Burma Campaign UK has never said we support that.

Another reason we are attacked over Rohingya issues is that we have a Muslim staff member. From the moment Wai Hnin Pwint Thon joined Burma Campaign UK, messages started to be left on our Facebook Page by people from Burma, attacking her because she is a Muslim.

It was not until years later when she was pictured at a demonstration protesting against the dictatorship’s abuses of the Rohingya that it became Rohingya linked abuse posted on our Page. But now Wai Hnin Pwint Thon is subject to ******** of abuse, much more than our non-Muslim staff and volunteers who were on the same demonstration as she was, and have been on other protests with Rohingya as well.

Lies posted and spread about Wai Hnin Pwint Thon include that she is secretly Rohingya (she isn’t), she has been accused of working with Rohingya Solidarity Organization (she doesn’t), of wanting to create a Caliphate in Burma (she doesn’t), of taking money from Rohingya (she hasn’t), and even that she has had several children with different Rohingya men (she hasn’t). She has faced not just lies but abuse, much of it sexual in nature.

Many people seem to think that any lie or story they hear about someone with any connection to supporting Rohingya human rights is justification for personal attacks, abuse and even threats. Given that this is the way their leaders behave, perhaps that is not surprising.

Around a year ago, I tried to engage Dr. Aye Chan in a conversation on why he and his followers spent much more time criticising Rohingya than they did the dictatorship. Aye Chan was incapable of having the discussion without repeatedly making personal attacks. The email conversation was forwarded to various email groups, and my in-box was flooded with abusive emails. When I asked Aye Chan to ask his supporters not to use personal abuse and threats, and to condemn those who do, he repeatedly refused to do so. When leaders not only fail to condemn abusive and personal attacks, but even make personal attacks themselves, their followers will copy their behaviour.

More recently we have been accused of being pro-Rohingya. I am still not exactly sure what that means. Certainly we are pro-human rights for the Rohingya, how could we or anyone else who believes in democracy and human rights not be?

But the implication is that we are pro-Rohingya, and therefore somehow anti-Rakhine. It is worrying how so many people now see the two as automatically going together. Burma Campaign UK supports the human rights of everyone in Burma, and that includes Rohingya and Rakhine. To talk about Rohingya having human rights does not make us anti-Rakhine. We have campaigned on many Rakhine related issues, including Shwe gas, Rakhine political prisoners, and were one of the few campaign groups actively campaigning for the 34 Rakhine and Karen prisoners in jail in India.

Burma Campaign UK has been criticised for not doing enough on Rakhine issues, and this is also cited as evidence of some kind of pro-Rohingya bias. But we have never refused any request when we have been asked to work on any Rakhine related issue by any Rakhine community or human rights group. We would do more on Arakan issues, but some members of the Arakan community in the UK will not work with us because we support human rights for the Rohingya. When we tried to meet with Arakan community leaders, it took months to arrange, and only one person turned up. In the past we made repeated offers of all kinds of training and support to the Arakan community in UK, and to groups in exile, and none have been taken up.

Burma Campaign UK was also fiercely criticized for circulating information from the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK about the recent violence. Circulating information on behalf of human rights groups is a major part of our work. Every year we circulate media releases, briefings and reports from dozens of organisations from Burma, and from international NGOs.

If any organization working on Arakan human rights had also provide a briefing with information not being reported, we would have circulated that as well. But they didn’t.

I have tried to have some conversations with some of the people criticizing myself and Burma Campaign UK for bias, asking them for examples. So far no one has been able to provide a single one. Yet the perception remains.

It seems impossible to dispel the belief by some that working for Rohingya human rights means bias against Rakhine. From our perspective, it seems that this is a deliberate tactic of extremists to polarize the debate and incite more hatred and intolerance.

Any public comment or photograph relating to the Rohingya seems to act as a lightning rod for more abuse and threats, and this article will probably result in the same.

But I hope some people may take the time to consider the truth. What possible reason or interest could Burma Campaign UK have in being biased?

Our agenda is solely human rights and democracy. We have been working relentlessly for this for more than 20 years. Why have people been so ready to believe lies and bad things about people who have worked so hard to support their cause? And why do people not simply ask what the truth is before passing on lies and gossip?

Even for those who disagree with Burma Campaign UK, is it right that we should receive threats and abuse just for having a different opinion than them? That is the approach and mind set of the dictatorship. It shouldn’t be the way things are done in a democracy. People do need to ask themselves why they are so ready to believe these lies.

The terrible events in Arakan State in the past month and the reaction of many people to those events, casts a long shadow over Burma. Violence and intolerance took hold. Is this the kind of Burma people want to see in the future?

Isn’t one of the main reasons for having a democracy that disagreements can be debated and settled politically, not through violence and threats?

Burma’s democracy movement is an anti-dictatorship movement, but it must also be a movement for human rights, for tolerance and for equality.

Mark Farmaner is director of Burma Campaign UK.
Last Updated ( Friday, 13 July 2012 17:25 )

http://www.google.com/hostednews/af...ocId=CNG.dea8d215195fbdb41c7ee097b71a4b60.441

In Malaysia, Rohingyas protest Myanmar violence

In Malaysia, Rohingyas protest Myanmar violence
Alisha Hassan | 19 June 2012

Malaysia’s Rohingyas protest violence in Myanmar.
KUALA LUMPUR: Chanting for an end to violence against the Rohingya community in Myanmar, some 1,000 people demonstrated in Kuala Lumpur in front of the Myanmar embassy. They called for an immediate cessation of violence in the Western Rakhine state in Myanmar.

Around 20 Rohingya have been killed in violent clashes in Myanmar as a result of ethnic violence in the area, and Malaysia’s Rohingya community wants to see the violence end.

“It is time that this kind of violence ends,” one protester told Bikyamasr.com. “We are fed up with the violence and want to see change in how our community is treated.”

The stateless community, of which estimates put the number in Malaysia to be around 25,000, has struggled to find a positive way of life as many fled violence in Myanmar in the early 1980s.

The Rohingyas said the flare up of violence in Myanmar has claimed the lives of more than 1,000 people in the past three decades and they want an end to the alleged atrocities.

They want a UN peacekeeping force as well as a medical team to be sent there immediately.

Many fear that thousands of Rohingyas may be heading towards a crisis situation without food, shelter and medication.

Many were anguished by what they described as international apathy towards the plight of the stateless Rohingyas.

Political analysts described the issue of stateless Rohingyas as a political minefield where Aung San Suu Kyi is now under pressure to address.

Some are hopeful about the change she can bring.

BM