Banglar Bir
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Rohingya!
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Banglar Bir
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Banglar Bir
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12:15 PM, September 11, 2017 / LAST MODIFIED: 03:43 PM, September 11, 2017
Rohingya persecution is akin to genocide: NHRC
Rohingya Muslim refugees rest after crossing the border from Myanmar, near the Bangladeshi town of Teknaf on September 10, 2017 Rohingya militants, whose August 25 raids in Myanmar's Rakhine State sparked an army crackdown that has seen nearly 300,000 of the Muslim minority flee to Bangladesh, on September 10 declared an immediate unilateral one-month ceasefire. Bedraggled and exhausted Rohingya refugees have arrived in huge numbers in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar area for over two weeks, while tens of thousands more are believed to be on the move inside Rakhine, many in desperate conditions after more than a fortnight without shelter, food and water. Photo: Munir Uz Zaman/ AFP
Star Online Report
Blasting the atrocities on Rohingya people, National Human Rights Commission Chairman Kazi Reazul Hoque said Myanmar’s persecution was tantamount to genocide.
“This genocide needs to be tried at international court if needed,” he said during a press briefing at the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Cox’s Bazar.
“The killing, arson, torture and rape of Rohingya people by the Myanmar military and border guards is an unprecedented incident in the history of the world,” he added.
He made the statements after visiting Rohingya refugees at registered and unregistered camps in Ukhia and Teknaf upazilas of Cox’s Bazar.
The exodus of Rohingyas was nearing 300,000 as last reported by UN, who has appealed for an aid of USD 77 million for emergency support for the refugees.
Bangladesh has repeatedly urged Myanmar to take back the Rohingyas. The international community has lauded Bangladesh’s efforts in sheltering the refugees.
“The Rakhine state of Myanmar is a place of abundant natural resources and thus superpowers have their eyes on it," Reazul said
This superpower wants to take control of it and that is why they are trying to eliminate the Rohingya people, Reazul added.
Myanmar border guards and military are still continuing the barbaric torture and attack on the Rohingya people and the international community needs to take quick action and build pressure on the Myanmar government, Kazi Reazul Hoque said.
United Nations, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and Association of Southeast Asian Nations have to take up roles in addressing this problem, he added.
“Neighbours India and China also have to address this crisis,” Reazul said.
National Human Rights Commission member Nurun Nahar Osmani and Additional Deputy Commissioner Anwarul Naser were also among others present during the briefing.
http://www.thedailystar.net/country...desh-national-human-rights-commission-1460524
Rohingya persecution is akin to genocide: NHRC
Rohingya Muslim refugees rest after crossing the border from Myanmar, near the Bangladeshi town of Teknaf on September 10, 2017 Rohingya militants, whose August 25 raids in Myanmar's Rakhine State sparked an army crackdown that has seen nearly 300,000 of the Muslim minority flee to Bangladesh, on September 10 declared an immediate unilateral one-month ceasefire. Bedraggled and exhausted Rohingya refugees have arrived in huge numbers in Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar area for over two weeks, while tens of thousands more are believed to be on the move inside Rakhine, many in desperate conditions after more than a fortnight without shelter, food and water. Photo: Munir Uz Zaman/ AFP
Star Online Report
Blasting the atrocities on Rohingya people, National Human Rights Commission Chairman Kazi Reazul Hoque said Myanmar’s persecution was tantamount to genocide.
“This genocide needs to be tried at international court if needed,” he said during a press briefing at the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Cox’s Bazar.
“The killing, arson, torture and rape of Rohingya people by the Myanmar military and border guards is an unprecedented incident in the history of the world,” he added.
He made the statements after visiting Rohingya refugees at registered and unregistered camps in Ukhia and Teknaf upazilas of Cox’s Bazar.
The exodus of Rohingyas was nearing 300,000 as last reported by UN, who has appealed for an aid of USD 77 million for emergency support for the refugees.
Bangladesh has repeatedly urged Myanmar to take back the Rohingyas. The international community has lauded Bangladesh’s efforts in sheltering the refugees.
“The Rakhine state of Myanmar is a place of abundant natural resources and thus superpowers have their eyes on it," Reazul said
This superpower wants to take control of it and that is why they are trying to eliminate the Rohingya people, Reazul added.
Myanmar border guards and military are still continuing the barbaric torture and attack on the Rohingya people and the international community needs to take quick action and build pressure on the Myanmar government, Kazi Reazul Hoque said.
United Nations, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and Association of Southeast Asian Nations have to take up roles in addressing this problem, he added.
“Neighbours India and China also have to address this crisis,” Reazul said.
National Human Rights Commission member Nurun Nahar Osmani and Additional Deputy Commissioner Anwarul Naser were also among others present during the briefing.
http://www.thedailystar.net/country...desh-national-human-rights-commission-1460524
TopCat
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Banglar Bir
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03:55 PM, September 11, 2017 / LAST MODIFIED: 04:08 PM, September 11, 2017
UN should press Myanmar to ensure Rohingya aid: HRW
Newly arrived Rohingya refugees scuffle for relief supplies at Kutupalong refugee camp in the Bangladeshi locality of Ukhia on September 9, 2017. Photo: AFP
Star Online Report
The United Nations should press the Myanmar government to urgently allow aid to reach the ethnic Rohingya Muslims at risk in the Rakhine State of Myanmar, Human Rights Watch said today.
UN, other multilateral organisations and influential countries should also ensure that adequate assistance reaches the more than 270,000 Rohingya and other refugees who have recently fled to Bangladesh, it said in a press release.
“The humanitarian catastrophe that Burma’s security forces have created in Rakhine State has been multiplied by the authorities’ unwillingness to provide access to humanitarian agencies,” said Philippe Bolopion, deputy director for global advocacy at Human Rights Watch.
“The United Nations, Asean, and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation need to ramp up the pressure on Burma and provide more assistance to Bangladesh to promptly help Rohingya and other displaced people.”
Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh told Human Rights Watch that Burmese government security forces had carried out armed attacks on villagers, inflicting bullet and shrapnel injuries, and burned down their homes.
The killings, shelling, and arson in Rohingya villages have all the hallmarks of a campaign of “ethnic cleansing,” Human Rights Watch said.
International aid activities in much of Rakhine State have been suspended, leaving approximately 250,000 people without food, medical care, and other vital humanitarian assistance.
Refugees told Human Rights Watch that while many people from Maungdaw Township could escape to Bangladesh, tens of thousands of displaced Rohingya are still hiding in the areas surrounding Rathedaung and Buthidaung Townships.
http://www.thedailystar.net/world/s...-should-press-ensure-rohingya-aid-hrw-1460548
UN should press Myanmar to ensure Rohingya aid: HRW
Newly arrived Rohingya refugees scuffle for relief supplies at Kutupalong refugee camp in the Bangladeshi locality of Ukhia on September 9, 2017. Photo: AFP
Star Online Report
The United Nations should press the Myanmar government to urgently allow aid to reach the ethnic Rohingya Muslims at risk in the Rakhine State of Myanmar, Human Rights Watch said today.
UN, other multilateral organisations and influential countries should also ensure that adequate assistance reaches the more than 270,000 Rohingya and other refugees who have recently fled to Bangladesh, it said in a press release.
“The humanitarian catastrophe that Burma’s security forces have created in Rakhine State has been multiplied by the authorities’ unwillingness to provide access to humanitarian agencies,” said Philippe Bolopion, deputy director for global advocacy at Human Rights Watch.
“The United Nations, Asean, and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation need to ramp up the pressure on Burma and provide more assistance to Bangladesh to promptly help Rohingya and other displaced people.”
Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh told Human Rights Watch that Burmese government security forces had carried out armed attacks on villagers, inflicting bullet and shrapnel injuries, and burned down their homes.
The killings, shelling, and arson in Rohingya villages have all the hallmarks of a campaign of “ethnic cleansing,” Human Rights Watch said.
International aid activities in much of Rakhine State have been suspended, leaving approximately 250,000 people without food, medical care, and other vital humanitarian assistance.
Refugees told Human Rights Watch that while many people from Maungdaw Township could escape to Bangladesh, tens of thousands of displaced Rohingya are still hiding in the areas surrounding Rathedaung and Buthidaung Townships.
http://www.thedailystar.net/world/s...-should-press-ensure-rohingya-aid-hrw-1460548
U.N. brands Myanmar violence a ‘textbook’ example of ethnic cleansing
SAM Staff, September 12, 2017
A Rohingya refugee man pulls a child as they walk to the shore after crossing the Bangladesh-Myanmar border by boat through the Bay of Bengal in Shah Porir Dwip, Bangladesh, September 10, 2017. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui
The United Nations’ top human rights official on Monday slammed Myanmar for conducting a “cruel military operation” against Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state, branding it “a textbook example of ethnic cleansing”.
Zeid Ra‘ad al-Hussein’s comments to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva came as the official tally of Rohingya who have fled Myanmar and crossed into southern Bangladesh in just over two weeks soared through 300,000.
The surge of refugees – many sick or wounded – has strained the resources of aid agencies already helping hundreds of thousands from previous spasms of bloodletting in Myanmar.
“We have received multiple reports and satellite imagery of security forces and local militia burning Rohingya villages, and consistent accounts of extrajudicial killings, including shooting fleeing civilians,” Zeid said.
“I call on the government to end its current cruel military operation, with accountability for all violations that have occurred, and to reverse the pattern of severe and widespread discrimination against the Rohingya population,” he added.
“The situation seems a textbook example of ethnic cleansing.”
Attacks by Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) militants on police posts and an army base in the northwestern state of Rakhine on Aug. 25 provoked a military counter-offensive.
Myanmar says its security forces are carrying out clearance operations to defend against ARSA, which the government has declared a terrorist organization.
Myanmar on Sunday rebuffed a ceasefire declared by ARSA to enable the delivery of aid to thousands of displaced and hungry people in the north of Rakhine state, declaring simply that it did not negotiate with terrorists.
“Complete Denial of Reality”
Human rights monitors and fleeing Rohingya accuse the army and Rakhine Buddhist vigilantes of mounting a campaign of arson aimed at driving out the Rohingya.
The government of Myanmar, a majority Buddhist country where the roughly one million Muslim Rohingya are marginalized, has repeatedly rejected charges of “ethnic cleansing”.
Officials have blamed insurgents and Rohingya themselves for burning villages to draw global attention to their cause.
Zeid said Myanmar should “stop pretending” that Rohingya were torching their own houses and its “complete denial of reality” was damaging the government’s international standing.
Western critics have accused Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi of failing to speak out for the Rohingya, who are despised by many in the country as illegal migrants from Bangladesh.
Some have called for the Nobel Peace Prize Suu Kyi won in 1991 as a champion of democracy to be revoked.
Urgent Aid Needed
Monday’s estimate of new arrivals in the Cox’s Bazar region of Bangladesh since Aug. 25 was 313,000, an increase of 19,000 in just 24 hours.
“Large numbers of people are still arriving every day in densely packed sites, looking for space, and there are clear signs that more will cross before the situation stabilises,” the International Organization for Migration said in a statement.
“New arrivals in all locations are in urgent need of life-saving assistance, including food, water and sanitation, health and protection.”
Thousands of Rohingya refugees are still stranded on the Myanmar side of the River Naf, which separates the two countries, with the biggest gathering south of the town of Maungdaw, monitors and sources in the area told Reuters.
About 500 houses south of the town were set on fire on Monday, a villager in the Maungdaw region, Aung Lin, told Reuters by telephone.
“We were all running way because the army was firing on our village,” he said. “A lot of people carrying bags are now in the rice fields.”
Reuters journalists in Cox’s Bazar could see huge blazes and plumes of smokes on the other side.
Those still waiting to cross into Bangladesh – many hungry and exhausted after a days-long march through the mountains and bushes in monsoon rain – have been stopped because of a crackdown on Bangladeshi boatmen charging 10,000 taka ($122) or more per person, sources said.
Arshad Zamman, 60, said his family had only 80,000 Burmese kyat ($60) and so he had taken a boat to Cox’s Bazar on his own and would return to pick up his wife and two sons when he had enough for their journey.
“I will try to find money here. I will beg and hopefully some people will help me,” he said.
Communal Tension
Elsewhere in Myanmar, communal tension appeared to be rising after more than two weeks of violence in Rakhine state.
A mob of about 70 people armed with sticks and swords threatened to attack a mosque in the central town of Taung Dwin Gyi on Sunday evening, shouting, “This is our country, this is our land”, according to the mosque’s imam, Mufti Sunlaiman.
“We shut down the lights in the mosque and sneaked out,” the mufti, who was in the mosque at the time, told Reuters by phone.
The government said in a statement the mob dispersed after police with riot shields fired rubber bullets.
Rumors have spread on social media that Muslims, who make up represent about 4.3 percent of a population of 51.4 million, would stage attacks on Sept. 11 to avenge violence against the Rohingya.
Tensions between Buddhists and Muslims have simmered since scores were killed and tens of thousands displaced in communal clashes accompanying the onset of Myanmar’s democratic transition in 2012 and 2013.
http://southasianmonitor.com/2017/0...r-violence-textbook-example-ethnic-cleansing/
SAM Staff, September 12, 2017
A Rohingya refugee man pulls a child as they walk to the shore after crossing the Bangladesh-Myanmar border by boat through the Bay of Bengal in Shah Porir Dwip, Bangladesh, September 10, 2017. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui
The United Nations’ top human rights official on Monday slammed Myanmar for conducting a “cruel military operation” against Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state, branding it “a textbook example of ethnic cleansing”.
Zeid Ra‘ad al-Hussein’s comments to the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva came as the official tally of Rohingya who have fled Myanmar and crossed into southern Bangladesh in just over two weeks soared through 300,000.
The surge of refugees – many sick or wounded – has strained the resources of aid agencies already helping hundreds of thousands from previous spasms of bloodletting in Myanmar.
“We have received multiple reports and satellite imagery of security forces and local militia burning Rohingya villages, and consistent accounts of extrajudicial killings, including shooting fleeing civilians,” Zeid said.
“I call on the government to end its current cruel military operation, with accountability for all violations that have occurred, and to reverse the pattern of severe and widespread discrimination against the Rohingya population,” he added.
“The situation seems a textbook example of ethnic cleansing.”
Attacks by Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) militants on police posts and an army base in the northwestern state of Rakhine on Aug. 25 provoked a military counter-offensive.
Myanmar says its security forces are carrying out clearance operations to defend against ARSA, which the government has declared a terrorist organization.
Myanmar on Sunday rebuffed a ceasefire declared by ARSA to enable the delivery of aid to thousands of displaced and hungry people in the north of Rakhine state, declaring simply that it did not negotiate with terrorists.
“Complete Denial of Reality”
Human rights monitors and fleeing Rohingya accuse the army and Rakhine Buddhist vigilantes of mounting a campaign of arson aimed at driving out the Rohingya.
The government of Myanmar, a majority Buddhist country where the roughly one million Muslim Rohingya are marginalized, has repeatedly rejected charges of “ethnic cleansing”.
Officials have blamed insurgents and Rohingya themselves for burning villages to draw global attention to their cause.
Zeid said Myanmar should “stop pretending” that Rohingya were torching their own houses and its “complete denial of reality” was damaging the government’s international standing.
Western critics have accused Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi of failing to speak out for the Rohingya, who are despised by many in the country as illegal migrants from Bangladesh.
Some have called for the Nobel Peace Prize Suu Kyi won in 1991 as a champion of democracy to be revoked.
Urgent Aid Needed
Monday’s estimate of new arrivals in the Cox’s Bazar region of Bangladesh since Aug. 25 was 313,000, an increase of 19,000 in just 24 hours.
“Large numbers of people are still arriving every day in densely packed sites, looking for space, and there are clear signs that more will cross before the situation stabilises,” the International Organization for Migration said in a statement.
“New arrivals in all locations are in urgent need of life-saving assistance, including food, water and sanitation, health and protection.”
Thousands of Rohingya refugees are still stranded on the Myanmar side of the River Naf, which separates the two countries, with the biggest gathering south of the town of Maungdaw, monitors and sources in the area told Reuters.
About 500 houses south of the town were set on fire on Monday, a villager in the Maungdaw region, Aung Lin, told Reuters by telephone.
“We were all running way because the army was firing on our village,” he said. “A lot of people carrying bags are now in the rice fields.”
Reuters journalists in Cox’s Bazar could see huge blazes and plumes of smokes on the other side.
Those still waiting to cross into Bangladesh – many hungry and exhausted after a days-long march through the mountains and bushes in monsoon rain – have been stopped because of a crackdown on Bangladeshi boatmen charging 10,000 taka ($122) or more per person, sources said.
Arshad Zamman, 60, said his family had only 80,000 Burmese kyat ($60) and so he had taken a boat to Cox’s Bazar on his own and would return to pick up his wife and two sons when he had enough for their journey.
“I will try to find money here. I will beg and hopefully some people will help me,” he said.
Communal Tension
Elsewhere in Myanmar, communal tension appeared to be rising after more than two weeks of violence in Rakhine state.
A mob of about 70 people armed with sticks and swords threatened to attack a mosque in the central town of Taung Dwin Gyi on Sunday evening, shouting, “This is our country, this is our land”, according to the mosque’s imam, Mufti Sunlaiman.
“We shut down the lights in the mosque and sneaked out,” the mufti, who was in the mosque at the time, told Reuters by phone.
The government said in a statement the mob dispersed after police with riot shields fired rubber bullets.
Rumors have spread on social media that Muslims, who make up represent about 4.3 percent of a population of 51.4 million, would stage attacks on Sept. 11 to avenge violence against the Rohingya.
Tensions between Buddhists and Muslims have simmered since scores were killed and tens of thousands displaced in communal clashes accompanying the onset of Myanmar’s democratic transition in 2012 and 2013.
http://southasianmonitor.com/2017/0...r-violence-textbook-example-ethnic-cleansing/
Banglar Bir
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Farahnaz Ispahani,
Contributor Global fellow,
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
The U.N. Needs A Peacekeeping Force, Not Just Words, To Protect Myanmar’s Rohingya
Finding a mechanism to prevent future tragedies like the Rwandan genocide and the unfolding disaster in Myanmar will be the real test for our civilization.
ANADOLU AGENCY/GETTY Rohingya refugees flee to Bangladesh.
As reports of atrocities against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar’s western Rakhine state pour in, one thing is clear: The international community needs to respond more robustly.
The United Nations refugee agency has reported that more than a quarter of the Rohingya in Myanmar — 270,000 people — have fledtheir homes so far. The horrors we’re seeing in Rakhine are similar to those we witnessed in the 1990s during the slaughter of the Tutsi minority in Rwanda and the ethnic cleansing of Bosnia’s Muslims and Croats.
Rendered stateless because Myanmar refuses to recognize them as citizens, the Rohingya are being forced to flee as their villages are burned. Reports of rape, murder and arson have increased as refugees arrive by land or sea in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.
The horrors we’re seeing in Rakhine are similar to those we witnessed during the Rwandan genocide and ethnic cleansing in the Balkans.
But the situation demands a stronger response than merely condemning the actions of the Myanmar government. The atrocities in Bosnia did not end without NATO’s involvement, and the genocide in Rwanda did not cease until the U.N. sent in a peacekeeping force.
Much of the world’s response to the Rohingya crisis has centered on well-deserved criticism of Nobel laureate and Myanmar’s de-facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. Public figures have penned newspaper editorials calling to revoke Suu Kyi’s Nobel Prize. Two Nobel laureates, Malala Yousafzai and Desmond Tutu, have criticized Suu Kyi’s role in the humanitarian crisis. Tutu came out of retirement to voice his criticism of a woman he described as “a dearly beloved sister” he has long admired but whose behavior he strongly condemns in the “unfolding horror” of this “ethnic cleansing.”
Tutu admonished Suu Kyi, saying it was “incongruous for a symbol of righteousness to lead” a country that allowed such atrocities. “If the political price of your ascension to the highest office in Myanmar is your silence, the price is surely too steep,” he said.
This situation demands a stronger response than merely condemning the actions of the Myanmar government.
Suu Kyi’s attempts to spin the violence against the Rohingya is ingenuous, at best. Reports of attempted genocide and mass exodus of the Rohingya, which began to surface in 2009, are based on eyewitness accounts and are documented on video. Refugees arriving in Bangladesh have recounted matching stories of children being beheaded and men and women being burned to death.
The Rohingya are unwanted in Bangladesh and other neighboring countries as well. With little economic or social standing and virtually no rights even in their homeland, these people have no voice. They are friendless under the might of military guns.
Although the history of the Rohingya can be traced back to the eighth century, Myanmar law does not recognize the ethnic minority as one of its national races. The government’s attitude, as well as silence from the international community, reflects the mistreatment and marginalization of ethnic and religious minorities that have, unfortunately, resurfaced as a global phenomenon today.
It’s shocking. I’ve never encountered a situation like this.Linnea Arvidsson, U.N. investigator
The result of events like the tragedy in Myanmar is communal majoritarianism. As Linnea Arvidsson, a U.N. investigator who met refugees in Bangladesh, put it: “It’s shocking. I’ve never encountered a situation like this, where you do 204 interviews and every single person you speak with has a traumatic story, whether their house was burnt, they’ve been raped or a relative was killed or taken away.”
The U.N. Security Council must heed the advice of Secretary-General António Guterres to step up its response. “The international community has a responsibility to undertake concerted efforts to prevent further escalation of the crisis,” Guterres warned. This might involve sending international forces to protect the Rohingya from Myanmar’s security forces and allied mobs intent on eliminating another minority.
But after the immediate issue has been attended to and international forces have intervened to save the Rohingya from being eliminated or permanently excluded from their homeland, there will remain a need to work on the larger issue of communalism. Majorities must not be allowed to attack minorities to create religiously or ethnically pure societies. Finding a mechanism to prevent future Rwandas and Rakhines will be the real test for our civilization.
EARLIER ON WORLDPOST:
PHOTO GALLERY
Muslims Hide In Myanmar
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/myanmar-rohingya-united-nations_us_59b695c3e4b0dfaafcf95e79?m7d
Contributor Global fellow,
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
The U.N. Needs A Peacekeeping Force, Not Just Words, To Protect Myanmar’s Rohingya
Finding a mechanism to prevent future tragedies like the Rwandan genocide and the unfolding disaster in Myanmar will be the real test for our civilization.
ANADOLU AGENCY/GETTY Rohingya refugees flee to Bangladesh.
As reports of atrocities against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar’s western Rakhine state pour in, one thing is clear: The international community needs to respond more robustly.
The United Nations refugee agency has reported that more than a quarter of the Rohingya in Myanmar — 270,000 people — have fledtheir homes so far. The horrors we’re seeing in Rakhine are similar to those we witnessed in the 1990s during the slaughter of the Tutsi minority in Rwanda and the ethnic cleansing of Bosnia’s Muslims and Croats.
Rendered stateless because Myanmar refuses to recognize them as citizens, the Rohingya are being forced to flee as their villages are burned. Reports of rape, murder and arson have increased as refugees arrive by land or sea in Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.
The horrors we’re seeing in Rakhine are similar to those we witnessed during the Rwandan genocide and ethnic cleansing in the Balkans.
But the situation demands a stronger response than merely condemning the actions of the Myanmar government. The atrocities in Bosnia did not end without NATO’s involvement, and the genocide in Rwanda did not cease until the U.N. sent in a peacekeeping force.
Much of the world’s response to the Rohingya crisis has centered on well-deserved criticism of Nobel laureate and Myanmar’s de-facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. Public figures have penned newspaper editorials calling to revoke Suu Kyi’s Nobel Prize. Two Nobel laureates, Malala Yousafzai and Desmond Tutu, have criticized Suu Kyi’s role in the humanitarian crisis. Tutu came out of retirement to voice his criticism of a woman he described as “a dearly beloved sister” he has long admired but whose behavior he strongly condemns in the “unfolding horror” of this “ethnic cleansing.”
Tutu admonished Suu Kyi, saying it was “incongruous for a symbol of righteousness to lead” a country that allowed such atrocities. “If the political price of your ascension to the highest office in Myanmar is your silence, the price is surely too steep,” he said.
This situation demands a stronger response than merely condemning the actions of the Myanmar government.
Suu Kyi’s attempts to spin the violence against the Rohingya is ingenuous, at best. Reports of attempted genocide and mass exodus of the Rohingya, which began to surface in 2009, are based on eyewitness accounts and are documented on video. Refugees arriving in Bangladesh have recounted matching stories of children being beheaded and men and women being burned to death.
The Rohingya are unwanted in Bangladesh and other neighboring countries as well. With little economic or social standing and virtually no rights even in their homeland, these people have no voice. They are friendless under the might of military guns.
Although the history of the Rohingya can be traced back to the eighth century, Myanmar law does not recognize the ethnic minority as one of its national races. The government’s attitude, as well as silence from the international community, reflects the mistreatment and marginalization of ethnic and religious minorities that have, unfortunately, resurfaced as a global phenomenon today.
It’s shocking. I’ve never encountered a situation like this.Linnea Arvidsson, U.N. investigator
The result of events like the tragedy in Myanmar is communal majoritarianism. As Linnea Arvidsson, a U.N. investigator who met refugees in Bangladesh, put it: “It’s shocking. I’ve never encountered a situation like this, where you do 204 interviews and every single person you speak with has a traumatic story, whether their house was burnt, they’ve been raped or a relative was killed or taken away.”
The U.N. Security Council must heed the advice of Secretary-General António Guterres to step up its response. “The international community has a responsibility to undertake concerted efforts to prevent further escalation of the crisis,” Guterres warned. This might involve sending international forces to protect the Rohingya from Myanmar’s security forces and allied mobs intent on eliminating another minority.
But after the immediate issue has been attended to and international forces have intervened to save the Rohingya from being eliminated or permanently excluded from their homeland, there will remain a need to work on the larger issue of communalism. Majorities must not be allowed to attack minorities to create religiously or ethnically pure societies. Finding a mechanism to prevent future Rwandas and Rakhines will be the real test for our civilization.
EARLIER ON WORLDPOST:
PHOTO GALLERY
Muslims Hide In Myanmar
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/myanmar-rohingya-united-nations_us_59b695c3e4b0dfaafcf95e79?m7d
Last edited:
Banglar Bir
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1:17 PM, September 12, 2017 / LAST MODIFIED: 02:49 AM, September 13, 2017
STOP ATROCITIES
Prime minister calls upon Naypyidaw while meeting Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar, says Myanmar has to take back its nationals
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her younger sister Sheikh Rehana comfort a Rohingya child at the Kutupalong refugee camp in Ukhia upazila of Cox's Bazar yesterday. The PM visited the camp to see the condition of the Myanmar nationals who fled the recent violence in Rakhine State. Photo: PMO
Agencies
Denouncing the atrocities unleashed by the military in Rakhine State as “acts against humanity and violation of human rights”, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said Myanmar must take back its citizens now sheltered in Bangladesh.
"Myanmar has to take back its nationals and give them a safe place to live in their homeland. The international community should put pressure on Myanmar as it is committing such atrocities against Rohingya people ... this has to be stopped," she added.
Bangladesh wants to maintain peace and good relations with its neighbouring countries, but it cannot accept the “unjust acts” the Myanmar government is committing, she said, urging Naypyidaw to end the persecution of Rohingya minorities.
The prime minister made the remarks while visiting a registered Rohingya camp and distributing relief among the refugees at Kutupalong Bazar in Ukhia, Cox's Bazar.
"Still, the fire is burning there ... people can't find their family members ... the bodies of infants and women are floating on the Naf River -- these go completely against humanity and are violation of human rights. What sin and crimes have these innocent children, women and people committed? We can't tolerate such activities."
Hasina said Bangladesh protests the inhumane attitude towards the Rohingya people in Myanmar. “They are its [Myanmar's] citizens ... it will have to ensure security of these people so that they can stay safe in their country.”
Also condemning the terror attacks on Myanmar's police posts and a military base on August 25, the prime minister said her government will never allow any insurgent to use Bangladesh soil against its neighbours, reports UNB.
"I'll ask the Myanmar government to find out the real culprits, and as a neighbouring country, we'll help them in this regard," she said.
Blasting the Myanmar insurgents, the PM said it is their misdeeds that led to the current crisis.
"Let the [insurgent] elements see how an abnormal situation has been created ... how their near and dear ones are becoming victims of torture and how the children and women are suffering," she asked and called for steps to stop recurrence of such incidents.
She, however, said her government cannot accept intimidation of women and children in the name of a clampdown on terrorists.
The prime minister called for creating a “safe zone”, if necessary, inside Myanmar under the UN supervision to protect the innocents. "The full implementation of recommendations of the Kofi Annan Commission may help in this regard," she said.
An exhausted Rohingya refugee woman escaping the atrocities at home touches the soil after landing from a boat at Shah Porir Dwip in Teknaf upazila of Cox's Bazar on Monday. Photo: Reuters
Earlier, on her arrival at the Kutupalong refugee camp, the prime minister saw for herself the condition of the Myanmar nationals staying there.
She talked to the refugees who escaped torture, shooting and torching of villages in Myanmar over the last two weeks. They burst into tears before her while narrating their sufferings.
About 3,70,000 Rohingyas crossed into Bangladesh as attacks by an insurgent group in the north of Rakhine last month provoked a military counter-offensive that refugees say is aimed at pushing the minorities out.
The UN human rights chief on Monday castigated the "cruel military operation" against Rohingyas, branding it "a textbook example of ethnic cleansing".
LOOK AFTER THEM
The prime minister also distributed relief among the Myanmar nationals and assured them of her government's continued humanitarian assistance. She said the government will keep providing them with food and medical treatment and there will be no problem in this regard.
"We must stand by the Myanmar refugees and extend all kinds of support ... as long as they don't return to their country, we will be with them," she said.
"Bangladesh is a country of 16 crore people and we've ensured their basic needs. We have also the capability of providing all kinds of help, including food and healthcare services, to the Myanmarese refugees."
The PM renewed her call upon the international community to mount pressure on Myanmar authorities to stop torture on the ethnic minority population and take back the Myanmar refugees from Bangladesh, reports BSS.
"They [Rakhine refugees] are human beings and they will live as human beings ... Why will they sustain such miseries?" she said.
Hasina drew Myanmar's attention to the fact that the massive exodus of its own population was tarnishing its image, saying this is not a matter of honour for any country.
Bangladesh was faced with protracted insurgency problems in its southeastern hills, she said, mentioning that its 64,000 refugees from India returned after the landmark 1996 peace agreement. "We hope Myanmar will take steps ensuring the return of its nationals," she said.
"My personal message is very clear, that they should consider this situation with the eyes of humanity," the premier told the BBC.
"Because these people, innocent people, the children, women, they are suffering. So these people, they belong to Myanmar. Hundreds of years they are staying there. How they [Myanmar] can deny that they are not their citizens?"
During the visit, the prime minister requested locals to look after the refugees.
"The people in this area, especially the youths, may not recall the Liberation War but we the elderly people still remember it. So we expect you to look after them," she said, apparently in reference to the massive refugee outflow from Bangladesh in 1971.
The prime minister mentioned that many international organisations extended their helping hands to the refugees while "we have constituted relief committees who are providing relief materials to the refugees".
Besides, the PM said, the ruling Awami League, local administration, army and law enforcement agencies were providing humanitarian services to the refugees.
Hasina said the government was collecting name, address and identity of the Myanmar refugees. "We understand their problems and it's our responsibility to look after them," she said.
Prime minister's younger sister Sheikh Rehana, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, Housing and Public Works Minister Engineer Mosharraf Hossain, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, Disaster Management and Relief Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, Chief Whip ASM Firoz and Army Chief General Abu Belal Muhammad Shafiul Huq were present.
ENSURE COORDINATION
The prime minister directed the officials of civil administration, army, navy, coastguards and other agencies to ensure coordination while dealing with the Myanmar refugees.
She asked the cabinet secretary to work on it in consultation with the Prime Minister's Office so that the entire relief operation and refugee management could be handled in a planned way.
The prime minister issued the directives while exchanging views with public representatives, civil and military officials and local leaders of Cox's Bazar at the district circuit house.
She also asked the army to strengthen its patrol and monitoring in the region alongside BGB, Rab, police and coastguards so that no one can engage in any terrorist acts.
About the ongoing registration process of the Myanmar nationals, Hasina instructed the authorities concerned to prepare ID cards for the refugees.
http://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/stop-atrocities-1461100
STOP ATROCITIES
Prime minister calls upon Naypyidaw while meeting Rohingya refugees in Cox's Bazar, says Myanmar has to take back its nationals
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her younger sister Sheikh Rehana comfort a Rohingya child at the Kutupalong refugee camp in Ukhia upazila of Cox's Bazar yesterday. The PM visited the camp to see the condition of the Myanmar nationals who fled the recent violence in Rakhine State. Photo: PMO
Agencies
Denouncing the atrocities unleashed by the military in Rakhine State as “acts against humanity and violation of human rights”, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said Myanmar must take back its citizens now sheltered in Bangladesh.
"Myanmar has to take back its nationals and give them a safe place to live in their homeland. The international community should put pressure on Myanmar as it is committing such atrocities against Rohingya people ... this has to be stopped," she added.
Bangladesh wants to maintain peace and good relations with its neighbouring countries, but it cannot accept the “unjust acts” the Myanmar government is committing, she said, urging Naypyidaw to end the persecution of Rohingya minorities.
The prime minister made the remarks while visiting a registered Rohingya camp and distributing relief among the refugees at Kutupalong Bazar in Ukhia, Cox's Bazar.
"Still, the fire is burning there ... people can't find their family members ... the bodies of infants and women are floating on the Naf River -- these go completely against humanity and are violation of human rights. What sin and crimes have these innocent children, women and people committed? We can't tolerate such activities."
Hasina said Bangladesh protests the inhumane attitude towards the Rohingya people in Myanmar. “They are its [Myanmar's] citizens ... it will have to ensure security of these people so that they can stay safe in their country.”
Also condemning the terror attacks on Myanmar's police posts and a military base on August 25, the prime minister said her government will never allow any insurgent to use Bangladesh soil against its neighbours, reports UNB.
"I'll ask the Myanmar government to find out the real culprits, and as a neighbouring country, we'll help them in this regard," she said.
Blasting the Myanmar insurgents, the PM said it is their misdeeds that led to the current crisis.
"Let the [insurgent] elements see how an abnormal situation has been created ... how their near and dear ones are becoming victims of torture and how the children and women are suffering," she asked and called for steps to stop recurrence of such incidents.
She, however, said her government cannot accept intimidation of women and children in the name of a clampdown on terrorists.
The prime minister called for creating a “safe zone”, if necessary, inside Myanmar under the UN supervision to protect the innocents. "The full implementation of recommendations of the Kofi Annan Commission may help in this regard," she said.
An exhausted Rohingya refugee woman escaping the atrocities at home touches the soil after landing from a boat at Shah Porir Dwip in Teknaf upazila of Cox's Bazar on Monday. Photo: Reuters
Earlier, on her arrival at the Kutupalong refugee camp, the prime minister saw for herself the condition of the Myanmar nationals staying there.
She talked to the refugees who escaped torture, shooting and torching of villages in Myanmar over the last two weeks. They burst into tears before her while narrating their sufferings.
About 3,70,000 Rohingyas crossed into Bangladesh as attacks by an insurgent group in the north of Rakhine last month provoked a military counter-offensive that refugees say is aimed at pushing the minorities out.
The UN human rights chief on Monday castigated the "cruel military operation" against Rohingyas, branding it "a textbook example of ethnic cleansing".
LOOK AFTER THEM
The prime minister also distributed relief among the Myanmar nationals and assured them of her government's continued humanitarian assistance. She said the government will keep providing them with food and medical treatment and there will be no problem in this regard.
"We must stand by the Myanmar refugees and extend all kinds of support ... as long as they don't return to their country, we will be with them," she said.
"Bangladesh is a country of 16 crore people and we've ensured their basic needs. We have also the capability of providing all kinds of help, including food and healthcare services, to the Myanmarese refugees."
The PM renewed her call upon the international community to mount pressure on Myanmar authorities to stop torture on the ethnic minority population and take back the Myanmar refugees from Bangladesh, reports BSS.
"They [Rakhine refugees] are human beings and they will live as human beings ... Why will they sustain such miseries?" she said.
Hasina drew Myanmar's attention to the fact that the massive exodus of its own population was tarnishing its image, saying this is not a matter of honour for any country.
Bangladesh was faced with protracted insurgency problems in its southeastern hills, she said, mentioning that its 64,000 refugees from India returned after the landmark 1996 peace agreement. "We hope Myanmar will take steps ensuring the return of its nationals," she said.
"My personal message is very clear, that they should consider this situation with the eyes of humanity," the premier told the BBC.
"Because these people, innocent people, the children, women, they are suffering. So these people, they belong to Myanmar. Hundreds of years they are staying there. How they [Myanmar] can deny that they are not their citizens?"
During the visit, the prime minister requested locals to look after the refugees.
"The people in this area, especially the youths, may not recall the Liberation War but we the elderly people still remember it. So we expect you to look after them," she said, apparently in reference to the massive refugee outflow from Bangladesh in 1971.
The prime minister mentioned that many international organisations extended their helping hands to the refugees while "we have constituted relief committees who are providing relief materials to the refugees".
Besides, the PM said, the ruling Awami League, local administration, army and law enforcement agencies were providing humanitarian services to the refugees.
Hasina said the government was collecting name, address and identity of the Myanmar refugees. "We understand their problems and it's our responsibility to look after them," she said.
Prime minister's younger sister Sheikh Rehana, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, Housing and Public Works Minister Engineer Mosharraf Hossain, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, Disaster Management and Relief Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, Chief Whip ASM Firoz and Army Chief General Abu Belal Muhammad Shafiul Huq were present.
ENSURE COORDINATION
The prime minister directed the officials of civil administration, army, navy, coastguards and other agencies to ensure coordination while dealing with the Myanmar refugees.
She asked the cabinet secretary to work on it in consultation with the Prime Minister's Office so that the entire relief operation and refugee management could be handled in a planned way.
The prime minister issued the directives while exchanging views with public representatives, civil and military officials and local leaders of Cox's Bazar at the district circuit house.
She also asked the army to strengthen its patrol and monitoring in the region alongside BGB, Rab, police and coastguards so that no one can engage in any terrorist acts.
About the ongoing registration process of the Myanmar nationals, Hasina instructed the authorities concerned to prepare ID cards for the refugees.
http://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/stop-atrocities-1461100
Banglar Bir
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The lost children of Rakhine
Manik Miazee Afrose Jahan Chaity
Published at 02:31 AM September 13, 2017
Last updated at 02:44 AM September 13, 2017
Umme KulsumManik Miazee/Dhaka Tribune
A huge number of Rohingya children are now roaming aimlessly without any parents or guardian in various areas in Cox’s Bazar
A huge number of children from Myanmar’s Rakhine State, who have fled to Bangladesh with hundreds of thousands of other Rohingya, are now roaming aimlessly without any parents or guardian in Cox’s Bazar.
On Tuesday, most of these children were seen at Teknaf and Ukhiya, among other places, where Rohingya refugees live either in the camps or under the open sky.
Umme Kulsum is a one of the children who came into Bangladesh in the face of the fresh spell of violence in Rakhine that started on August 25.
Our correspondent found her at Teknaf bus stand in the afternoon along with several hundred Rohingya refugees waiting there for transportation to a refugee camp.
She was standing beside the town’s main road alone when the correspondent approached her. One of the refugees translated her local dialect and told the Dhaka Tribune that her name was Umme Kulsum.
He guessed that she could be four or five years old, as she could not say. The child also has no idea where her family was, he said.
Refugee Mohammad Rafiq, 27, said one of his neighbour’s children, six-year-old Sumaiya, came with him after Myanmar security forces killed her family and set their home on fire with the bodies inside on August 27.
The army also killed many and burned scores of house at his village Hisasurat near Maungdaw city, in the north of Rakhine, he said. “Sumaiya joined us when I was fleeing with my wife and five kids.”
When asked whether Sumaiya will stay with them, Rafiq said: “I don’t know where she will go. I’m waiting for a bus or a truck here to go to the refugee camp with my family. Maybe I’ll take her with us.”
About the lost and unidentified Rohingya children, National Human Rights Commission Chairman Kazi Rezaul Hoque on Tuesday told the Dhaka Tribune: “These children are now our responsibility as they are now in our shelter.
“Around 80% of the refugees are women, children and older people. We need to figure out how we can support them.”
Senior Manager (communication and advocacy) of Action contre La Faim (ACF) Bangladesh Suchismita Roy said they have identified some of lost Rohingya Children.
“Many of them lost their families while trying to flee to Bangladesh. We are giving them a friendly space and have our psycho-social counselling unit to help them overcome the trauma.”
She said: “We are also thinking about coordinating with other organisations and raise a fund for these children.”
http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/nation/2017/09/13/lost-children-rakhine/
Manik Miazee Afrose Jahan Chaity
Published at 02:31 AM September 13, 2017
Last updated at 02:44 AM September 13, 2017
Umme KulsumManik Miazee/Dhaka Tribune
A huge number of Rohingya children are now roaming aimlessly without any parents or guardian in various areas in Cox’s Bazar
A huge number of children from Myanmar’s Rakhine State, who have fled to Bangladesh with hundreds of thousands of other Rohingya, are now roaming aimlessly without any parents or guardian in Cox’s Bazar.
On Tuesday, most of these children were seen at Teknaf and Ukhiya, among other places, where Rohingya refugees live either in the camps or under the open sky.
Umme Kulsum is a one of the children who came into Bangladesh in the face of the fresh spell of violence in Rakhine that started on August 25.
Our correspondent found her at Teknaf bus stand in the afternoon along with several hundred Rohingya refugees waiting there for transportation to a refugee camp.
She was standing beside the town’s main road alone when the correspondent approached her. One of the refugees translated her local dialect and told the Dhaka Tribune that her name was Umme Kulsum.
He guessed that she could be four or five years old, as she could not say. The child also has no idea where her family was, he said.
Refugee Mohammad Rafiq, 27, said one of his neighbour’s children, six-year-old Sumaiya, came with him after Myanmar security forces killed her family and set their home on fire with the bodies inside on August 27.
The army also killed many and burned scores of house at his village Hisasurat near Maungdaw city, in the north of Rakhine, he said. “Sumaiya joined us when I was fleeing with my wife and five kids.”
When asked whether Sumaiya will stay with them, Rafiq said: “I don’t know where she will go. I’m waiting for a bus or a truck here to go to the refugee camp with my family. Maybe I’ll take her with us.”
About the lost and unidentified Rohingya children, National Human Rights Commission Chairman Kazi Rezaul Hoque on Tuesday told the Dhaka Tribune: “These children are now our responsibility as they are now in our shelter.
“Around 80% of the refugees are women, children and older people. We need to figure out how we can support them.”
Senior Manager (communication and advocacy) of Action contre La Faim (ACF) Bangladesh Suchismita Roy said they have identified some of lost Rohingya Children.
“Many of them lost their families while trying to flee to Bangladesh. We are giving them a friendly space and have our psycho-social counselling unit to help them overcome the trauma.”
She said: “We are also thinking about coordinating with other organisations and raise a fund for these children.”
http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/nation/2017/09/13/lost-children-rakhine/
Banglar Bir
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Rohingya crisis fans communal tensions across Myanmar
Reuters
Published at 03:42 PM September 11, 2017
Rohingya refugees at TeknafSyed Zakir Hossain
Myanmar says its security forces are carrying out clearance operations to defend against ARSA
Communal tensions appeared to be rising across Myanmar on Monday after two weeks of violence in Rakhine state that have triggered an exodus of about 3,00,000 Rohingya Muslims, prompting the government to tighten security at Buddhist pagodas.
A mob of about 70 people armed with sticks and swords threatened to attack a mosque in the central town of Taung Dwin Gyi on Sunday evening, shouting “this is our country, this is our land”, according to the mosque’s imam, Mufti Sunlaiman.
“We shut down the lights in the mosque and sneaked out,” the mufti, who was in the mosque at the time, told Reuters by phone.
The government said in a statement that the mob was dispersed after police with riot shields fired rubber bullets.
Rumors have spread on social media that Muslims, who represent about 4.3% of the Buddhist-majority country’s population of 51.4 million, would stage attacks on September 11 to avenge violence against the Rohingya in northern Rakhine.
Attacks by Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) militants on police posts and an army base on August 25 provoked a military counter-offensive and a mass migration of villagers into the Cox’s Bazar region of southern Bangladesh.
Myanmar says its security forces are carrying out clearance operations to defend against ARSA, which the government has declared a terrorist organisation.
Human rights monitors and fleeing Rohingya say the army and Rakhine Buddhist vigilantes have mounted a campaign of arson aimed at driving out the Rohingya, whose population is estimated at around 1.1 million.
The government said on Saturday that it would take legal action against anyone spreading rumours that could lead to religious conflict.
Security has been stepped up on Mandalay Hill, a peak overlooking the city of Mandalay studded with pagodas that is popular with Buddhist pilgrims, the Myanmar Times reported.
In social media groups, Muslims have voiced fear that other mosques will come under attack and proposed tighter security, according to posts seen by Reuters. Muslim elders have urged people to show restraint, the posts showed.
Tensions between Buddhists and Muslims have simmered since scores were killed and tens of thousands displaced in communal clashes accompanying the onset of the country’s democratic transition in 2012 and 2013.
But after ARSA attacks on police posts last October, tensions have risen. In Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city, Buddhist nationalists raided two madrasas in April and forced authorities to close them down on the grounds they did not have a permit to operate as a place of worship.
In May, several nationalists led by the Patriotic Monks Union raided flats in a Yangon district with a large Muslim population, igniting scuffles that were only broken up when police fired shots into the air.
Rohingya trapped on Myanmar side
Myanmar on Sunday rebuffed a ceasefire declared by ARSA to enable the delivery of aid to thousands of displaced people in northern Rakhine, declaring simply that it did not negotiate with terrorists.
Thousands of Rohingya in the north-western state have been left without shelter or food, and many are still trying to cross mountains, dense bush and rice fields to reach Bangladesh.
The estimate of new arrivals in Cox’s Bazar on Sunday was 2,94,000 and UN officials working there said there were discussions under way to revise up the prediction made last week that it would reach 3,00,000.
Thousands of Rohingya refugees are still stranded on the Myanmar side of the River Naf, which separates the two countries, with the biggest gathering south of the Rakhine state town of Maungdaw, monitors and sources in the area told Reuters.
A Maungdaw resident told Reuters by phone that about 500 houses south of the town were set on fire early on Monday.
The people – many hungry and exhausted after a days-long march through the mountains and bushes in the monsoon rain – have been unable to cross because of a crackdown on Bangladeshi boatmen charging Tk10,000 ($122) or more, sources said.
The significant number of people in the area raises fears of a further influx into Bangladesh, where humanitarian agencies and local communities are already struggling.
The Myanmar government has announced it will build camps for internally displaced people and provide humanitarian assistance. Details of the plans have not been spelled out and it is not clear that people would be willing to live in the camps rather than cross to Bangladesh.
http://www.dhakatribune.com/world/s...crisis-fans-communal-tensions-across-myanmar/
Reuters
Published at 03:42 PM September 11, 2017
Rohingya refugees at TeknafSyed Zakir Hossain
Myanmar says its security forces are carrying out clearance operations to defend against ARSA
Communal tensions appeared to be rising across Myanmar on Monday after two weeks of violence in Rakhine state that have triggered an exodus of about 3,00,000 Rohingya Muslims, prompting the government to tighten security at Buddhist pagodas.
A mob of about 70 people armed with sticks and swords threatened to attack a mosque in the central town of Taung Dwin Gyi on Sunday evening, shouting “this is our country, this is our land”, according to the mosque’s imam, Mufti Sunlaiman.
“We shut down the lights in the mosque and sneaked out,” the mufti, who was in the mosque at the time, told Reuters by phone.
The government said in a statement that the mob was dispersed after police with riot shields fired rubber bullets.
Rumors have spread on social media that Muslims, who represent about 4.3% of the Buddhist-majority country’s population of 51.4 million, would stage attacks on September 11 to avenge violence against the Rohingya in northern Rakhine.
Attacks by Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) militants on police posts and an army base on August 25 provoked a military counter-offensive and a mass migration of villagers into the Cox’s Bazar region of southern Bangladesh.
Myanmar says its security forces are carrying out clearance operations to defend against ARSA, which the government has declared a terrorist organisation.
Human rights monitors and fleeing Rohingya say the army and Rakhine Buddhist vigilantes have mounted a campaign of arson aimed at driving out the Rohingya, whose population is estimated at around 1.1 million.
The government said on Saturday that it would take legal action against anyone spreading rumours that could lead to religious conflict.
Security has been stepped up on Mandalay Hill, a peak overlooking the city of Mandalay studded with pagodas that is popular with Buddhist pilgrims, the Myanmar Times reported.
In social media groups, Muslims have voiced fear that other mosques will come under attack and proposed tighter security, according to posts seen by Reuters. Muslim elders have urged people to show restraint, the posts showed.
Tensions between Buddhists and Muslims have simmered since scores were killed and tens of thousands displaced in communal clashes accompanying the onset of the country’s democratic transition in 2012 and 2013.
But after ARSA attacks on police posts last October, tensions have risen. In Yangon, Myanmar’s largest city, Buddhist nationalists raided two madrasas in April and forced authorities to close them down on the grounds they did not have a permit to operate as a place of worship.
In May, several nationalists led by the Patriotic Monks Union raided flats in a Yangon district with a large Muslim population, igniting scuffles that were only broken up when police fired shots into the air.
Rohingya trapped on Myanmar side
Myanmar on Sunday rebuffed a ceasefire declared by ARSA to enable the delivery of aid to thousands of displaced people in northern Rakhine, declaring simply that it did not negotiate with terrorists.
Thousands of Rohingya in the north-western state have been left without shelter or food, and many are still trying to cross mountains, dense bush and rice fields to reach Bangladesh.
The estimate of new arrivals in Cox’s Bazar on Sunday was 2,94,000 and UN officials working there said there were discussions under way to revise up the prediction made last week that it would reach 3,00,000.
Thousands of Rohingya refugees are still stranded on the Myanmar side of the River Naf, which separates the two countries, with the biggest gathering south of the Rakhine state town of Maungdaw, monitors and sources in the area told Reuters.
A Maungdaw resident told Reuters by phone that about 500 houses south of the town were set on fire early on Monday.
The people – many hungry and exhausted after a days-long march through the mountains and bushes in the monsoon rain – have been unable to cross because of a crackdown on Bangladeshi boatmen charging Tk10,000 ($122) or more, sources said.
The significant number of people in the area raises fears of a further influx into Bangladesh, where humanitarian agencies and local communities are already struggling.
The Myanmar government has announced it will build camps for internally displaced people and provide humanitarian assistance. Details of the plans have not been spelled out and it is not clear that people would be willing to live in the camps rather than cross to Bangladesh.
http://www.dhakatribune.com/world/s...crisis-fans-communal-tensions-across-myanmar/
Indus Pakistan
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Pakistan needs to sell JF-Thunders to Mynamar to help it to defend itself from Rohingya Mukto threat. Pakistan must ally with China to help Myanmar.
https://defence.pk/pdf/threads/china-backs-myanmar-in-rohingya-crisis.517542/#post-9859544
https://defence.pk/pdf/threads/china-backs-myanmar-in-rohingya-crisis.517542/#post-9859544
war&peace
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Your views DO NOT represent us. People of Pakistan stand by our Rohingya brothers.
Banglar Bir
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Indus Pakistan
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I represent myself. You represent yourself. I support China. You do what you want. And i know Pakistan will follow China and toast those Mukhto Rohingyas.
"International divisions emerged on Tuesday ahead of a UN Security Council meeting on a worsening refugee crisis in Myanmar, with China voicing support for a military crackdown that has been criticised by the US, slammed as “ethnic cleansing” and forced 370,000 Rohingya to flee the violence.
Beijing's intervention appears aimed at heading off any attempt to censure Myanmar at the council when it convenes on Wednesday."
war&peace
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How heartless a person can be to celebrate genocide of innocent people?I am represent myself. You represent yourself. I support China. You do what you want. And i know Pakistan will follow China and toast those Mukhto Rohingyas.
Really disgusting. Go to any street in Pakistan and ask anyone and you will know what people of Pakistan want ( oh but you're sitting somewhere safe in UK so you can't go there)
You're disappointing me sir. There is something called humanity.
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