US terms violence against Rohingyas as ‘ethnic cleansing’

[Banglar Bir]

07:36 PM, November 22, 2017 / LAST MODIFIED: 07:57 PM, November 22, 2017
US terms violence against Rohingyas as ‘ethnic cleansing’

Rohingya refugees walk on the shore as they arrive on a makeshift boat after crossing the Bangladesh-Myanmar border near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, November 9, 2017. Picture taken November 9, 2017. Photo: REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar
AP, Washington
The United States declared the ongoing violence against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar to be “ethnic cleansing” on Wednesday, putting more pressure on the country’s military to halt a brutal crackdown that has sent more than 600,000 refugees flooding over the border to Bangladesh.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson blamed Myanmar’s security forces and “local vigilantes” for what he called “intolerable suffering” by the Rohingya. Although the military has blamed Rohingya insurgents for setting off the crisis, Tillerson said that “no provocation can justify the horrendous atrocities that have ensued.”

“After a careful and thorough analysis of available facts, it is clear that the situation in northern Rakhine state constitutes ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya,” Tillerson said in a statement.

Those who perpetrated the atrocities “must be held accountable,” Tillerson said. He added that the US wanted a full investigation and would seek justice “through US law, including possible targeted sanctions.”

The declaration followed a lengthy review process by the Trump administration to determine whether the violence met the threshold to be considered ethnic cleansing. The United Nations came to that conclusion in September, but the US had held off, with Tillerson saying he needed more information even as he expressed deep concern about the crisis.

Rohingya from Myanmar’s Rakhine state have been fleeing to neighboring Bangladesh, seeking refuge from what Myanmar’s military has called “clearance operations.” The crisis started in August, when Rohingya insurgents attacked Myanmar security forces, leading to a brutal crackdown in which soldiers and Buddhist mobs have killed men, raped woman and burned homes and property to force the Rohingya to leave.

Last week, Tillerson traveled to Myanmar — also known as Burma — in the highest level visit by a US official since President Donald Trump took office. US officials dangled the possibility of an “ethnic cleansing” designation ahead of Tillerson’s trip, potentially giving him more leverage as he met with Burmese officials. In the capital of Naypitaw, Tillerson met with the country’s civilian leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, well as the Myanmar’s powerful military chief, Min Aung Hlaing, who is in charge of operations in Rakhine state, home to Myanmar’s Rohingya population.

Although the “ethnic cleansing” label doesn’t carry specific legal requirements for the US, it is likely to intensify calls for the Trump administration and Congress to move toward new sanctions on Myanmar. Sanctions on the Southeast Asian nation were eased under former President Barack Obama as the country made steps toward transitioning to democracy.

Pressure from Congress to take punitive steps against Myanmar has been mounting. Earlier this month, the House passed a non-binding resolution condemning “murderous ethnic cleansing and atrocities against civilians.” It called on Trump to impose sanctions on those responsible for human rights abuses, including members of Myanmar’s military and security services.

Tillerson, during his visit to Myanmar, said the US would consider targeted sanctions against individuals deemed responsible for the violence, but that he wasn’t advocating “broad-based economic sanctions” against the entire nation.

US officials have been concerned that pushing Myanmar’s leaders too hard on the Rohingya violence could undermine the country’s civilian government, led for the last 18 months by Suu Kyi. That could slow or reverse the country’s delicate transition away from decades of harsh military rule, and also risks pushing Myanmar away from the US and closer to China.

The State Department has also examined whether the violence in Rakhine meets the definitions for “crimes against humanity” or “genocide,” but have thus far made no such determinations.

According to the United Nations Office on Genocide Prevention, “ethnic cleansing” isn’t recognized as an independent crime under international law, unlike crimes against humanity and genocide. It surfaced in the context of the 1990s conflict in the former Yugoslavia, when a UN commission defined it as “rendering an area ethnically homogeneous by using force or intimidation to remove persons of given groups from the area.”

Human rights groups accuse the military of a scorched-earth campaign against the Rohinyga, who numbered roughly 1 million in Myanmar before the latest exodus. The Buddhist majority in Myanmar believes they migrated illegally from Bangladesh, but many Rohingya families have lived for generations in Myanmar. In 1982, they were stripped of their citizenship.

Already, the United States has curtailed its ties to Myanmar’s military over the violence. Earlier this year the US restored restrictions on granting visas to members of Myanmar’s military, and the State Department has deemed units and officers involved in operations in Rakhine state illegible for US assistance.
http://www.thedailystar.net/rohingy...m_medium=newsurl&utm_term=all&utm_content=all

 

[UKBengali]

The screws are slowly being tightened on the Barman animals.

Let them forever be China's slave now to survive.

 

[Trango Towers]

Muslims are dying so no one will do anything but talk

 

[mb444]

BD must position itself and make western powers understand the true scale of what has been going on.

As I said before national integrity or democracy in Burmese monkey land should not be the remotest priority for Bangladesh.

 

[Nilgiri]

Tillerson, during his visit to Myanmar, said the US would consider targeted sanctions against individuals deemed responsible for the violence, but that he wasn’t advocating “broad-based economic sanctions” against the entire nation.

Well done @Aung Zaya Keep winning.

 

[Aung Zaya]

Well done @Aung Zaya Keep winning.

they need to exhange some votes from OIC in NK and Iran case. so they tried to please them with some words.

View attachment 438655

 

[Banglar Bir]

Tillerson: Myanmar clearly 'ethnic cleansing' the Rohingya
By Ben Westcott and Laura Koran, CNN
Updated 2132 GMT (0532 HKT) November 22, 2017

Source: CNN
Report: Myanmar military raping Rohingya women 04:12
(CNN)US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has shifted his stance on the Myanmar government's actions against the Rohingya Muslim minority in the country, labeling its actions "ethnic cleansing" in a statement Wednesday.
Tillerson had earlier refused to use the term when describing the Myanmar military's actions in the country's western Rakhine State, saying instead he was "very concerned" about the reports.
"What we know occurred in Rakhine state ... has a number of characteristics of crimes against humanity," he said on November 15, after an official visit to Myanmar.
"Whether it meets all the criteria of ethnic cleansing we continue to determine ourselves."

General view of the Thankhali refugee camp in the Bangladeshi district of Ukhia on November 15.
But on Wednesday, the US's top diplomat was unequivocal in his statement denouncing the actions of Myanmar's military, while still offering cautious support for civilian leaders who share power with the military under Myanmar's government structure.

"No provocation can justify the horrendous atrocities that have ensued," Tillerson said after acknowledging the deadly attack on security forces by a Rohingya militia that triggered the current crisis.

"These abuses by some among the Burmese military, security forces, and local vigilantes have caused tremendous suffering. ... After a careful and thorough analysis of available facts, it is clear that the situation in northern Rakhine state constitutes ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya."

Who are the Rohingya and why are they fleeing? 01:35

The United States has so far walked a fine line since the crisis erupted in August. Administration officials have sought to temper the violence while avoiding any criticism that could jeopardize the fragile power-sharing agreement between civilian leaders and the military, which the United States welcomed and supports.

Even as State Department officials announced their decision to call the violence "ethnic cleansing," they were careful not to attribute the violence directly to Myanmar's democratically elected leadership. They also pointed out that the designation carries no specific legal consequences, though the administration is considering what other steps it could take.

"The term 'ethnic cleansing' is not defined in the context of either international law or domestic law," a senior State Department official cautioned. "However, it is a descriptive term, and it carries with it this sense of urgency."

The United States is considering additional steps it can take with other nations or unilaterally, a second senior official said, including possible targeted sanctions. More sweeping sanctions, the officials said, would not be productive.

While the Trump administration is not specifically calling out Myanmar's government for the acts of ethnic cleansing, the official said they hope it "will increase pressure on the parties to reach an accommodation about repatriation of people who are displaced, and also pressure on the military in Burma and the civilian government to work quickly to respond to events on the ground."

Tillerson's statement comes less than a week before Pope Francis is due to touch down in Myanmar for a week-long visit of the region, including a trip to Bangladesh. He called again for an official investigation into the crisis, saying those who were responsible must be held accountable.

Authorities in Buddhist-majority Myanmar have a long history of violence and oppression against the predominantly Muslim Rohingya people who live in the country's west, but in recent months the crisis has intensified.

Since August 25, an estimated 615,000 Rohingya have fled across the border into neighboring Bangladesh, bringing with them stories of mass murder, rape and extensive destruction of homes and property.

In an exclusive CNN report released in November, refugees described the horrors they'd witnessed trying to reach the relative safety of the Bangladesh camps.
"They killed and killed and piled the bodies up high. It was like cut bamboo," said Mumtaz, a Rohingya woman from the village of Tula Toli in western Myanmar, who woke up to find herself on a mound of charred bodies.

"In the pile there was someone's neck, someone's head, someone's leg. I was able to come out, I don't know how."

Myanmar has repeatedly denied claims it is deliberately attacking Rohingya civilians, saying it is fighting against a terrorist insurgency in the province. The country's military recently exonerated itself of any wrongdoing following an investigation.

However, Tillerson is not the first world leader to call out Myanmar for engaging in ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya.

British Prime Minister Theresa May's spokesman said on November 13 the actions of the military in Rakhine State "looks like ethnic cleansing," adding it was a "major humanitarian crisis."

Two months earlier, just a few weeks after the violence erupted, UN Human Rights Chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said Myanmar's military operation was a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing."

On Wednesday, it was announced the Pope would meet with the head of Myanmar's military as part of his visit, as well as separately with a small group of Rohingya refugees.
CNN's Michelle Kosinski contributed to this report
http://edition.cnn.com/2017/11/22/politics/tillerson-myanmar-ethnic-cleansing/index.html

 

[Banglar Bir]

US ‘ethnic cleansing’ charge unhelpful, says Myanmar
Rezaul, November 25, 2017

Myanmar State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson hold a joint press conference in Naypyitaw on Nov. 15.
The US decision to label the Myanmar Army’s counter-insurgency operation in northern Rakhine as “ethnic cleansing” is “unhelpful” for Myanmar’s efforts to bring about durable peace in the state, President’s Office spokesperson U Zaw Htay said.
After avoiding the term during his visit to Myanmar last week, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Wednesday (Nov 22) described the Myanmar Army’s actions against Rohingya Muslims as “ethnic cleansing”.

The crisis developed after an Aug. 25 attack by militants against government security forces sparked a military clearance operation, which prompted over 600,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee into Bangladesh amid allegations of human rights abuses.

“The situation in northern Rakhine State constitutes ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya,” Tillerson said in a statement.

“That statement is unhelpful for Myanmar [which is] trying to find long-term solutions. We found that the statement failed to mention the killings of Hindus and innocent civilians by ARSA, and its conclusions were reached without any proven facts,” U Zaw Htay told The Irrawaddy.

Washington will also pursue accountability through U.S. law, including possible targeted sanctions against those responsible for the alleged abuses, which have driven hundreds of thousands of Rohingya into Bangladesh, according to the statement.
https://southasianmonitor.com/2017/11/25/us-ethnic-cleansing-charge-unhelpful-says-myanmar/

 

[Banglar Bir]

06:50 PM, November 24, 2017 / LAST MODIFIED: 07:29 PM, November 24, 2017
UNHCR against immediate Rohingya repatriation

Rohingya refugee Almor Yhan cries while she rests with relatives hours after crossing the Bangladesh-Myanmar border at Shah Porir Dwip near Cox's Bazar. Photo: Reuters
Star Online Report
Conditions in Myanmar’s Rakhine State are not in place to enable safe and sustainable returns of Rohingya refugees, UNHCR said today.
“At present, conditions in Myanmar’s Rakhine State are not in place to enable safe and sustainable returns,” said UNHCR spokesperson Adrian Edwards at a press briefing in Geneva.

A press release issued in this regard said, UNHCR has not yet seen the details of the agreement.

“Refugees have the right to return. And a framework that enables them to exercise this right in line with international standards, will be welcome,” the press release added.

Some 622,000 people have fled Myanmar's northern Rakhine State since 25 August, triggered by a wave of violence underpinned by denial of citizenship and decades of deep discrimination.

It is critical that returns do not take place precipitously or prematurely, without the informed consent of refugees or the basic elements of lasting solutions in place, said the UNCHR spokesperson.

“People must have the option of returning home, and not be confined to specific areas. Progress towards addressing the root causes of flight, including their lack of citizenship, as recommended by the Rakhine Advisory Commission, will also be crucial,” added the official.
http://www.thedailystar.net/rohingy...rohingya-repatriation-from-bangladesh-1495975

 

[Banglar Bir]

12:00 AM, November 26, 2017 / LAST MODIFIED: 04:06 AM, November 26, 2017
‘Rape alarm’ for Rohingya women

Mostafa Yousuf
In Keruntali Rohingya camp of Teknaf, where stories of sexual harassment and rapes at night are ubiquitous, anything that comes in handy for women to stave off unwanted advances is a huge blessing.
That is why Kamalida, 18, thinks that her small hand-held device, which gives off the high-pitched ambulance wail at the press of a button, is of great support for refugee women.

“To be able to leave the tent knowing that I would be able to let others know when I am attacked, is a relief. It reduces the fear to some extent,” she said.

She added that most people in the camp know what the siren is about and are likely to come out and look for its source when it goes off.

She came to Teknaf with her elderly father in late August when the Myanmar armed forces' crackdown on Rohingya villages in Maungdaw began.

Since her father is paralysed and bed-ridden, she is the one who has to run errands.

Over 5,549 unaccompanied or separated Rohingya children have come to Bangladesh, according to the Unicef, UNHCR and Save the Children data. These children are particularly at risk of being trafficked and abused.

The small device, called a “rape alarm” by Rohingya women, can be useful for those children, Mohammed Anik, project coordinator of Moonlight Development Society, told The Daily Star.

The NGO has distributed 175 such devices among women aged between 12 and 25.

“The girls are really vulnerable. We have been trying to come up with something that is cheap and could at least be of help for the time being. Then we designed the battery-run device which is also a torch,” Anik added.

Marufa Munni, manager of a medical camp run by the organisation, said, “We trained the people in the camps on how they should respond when they hear the siren. We need more such devices in other Rohingya settlements as well.”

Seventeen-year-old Chomira said she has often been stalked in the camp. “I am often scared. But the alarm gives me some courage.”
http://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/rape-alarm-rohingya-women-1496506

 

[TheBlackCoat]

International community needs to take serious note of these acts of genocide and ethnic cleansing by Myanmar. A complete UN enforced economic embargo on the lines of the one imposed on North Korea would be a good start.

 

[dy1022]

Nature of Rohingya crisis not up to Washington to define
By Ai Jun Source:Global Times Published: 2017/11/23 22:53:39

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson claimed in a written statement Wednesday that "the situation in northern Rakhine state constitutes ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya." Ethnic cleansing, according to the definition of a UN commission of experts, means "a purposeful policy designed by one ethnic or religious group to remove by violent and terror-inspiring means the civilian population of another ethnic or religious group from certain geographic areas." Leveling such an accusation causes a worldwide sensation. The question is whether the US can define the nature of the crisis.

The root cause of the Rohingya crisis lies in the historical conflicts between Buddhist and Muslim communities in Rakhine state. After deadly attacks by so-called Rohingya Arsa militants in October last year, Myanmar launched a military crackdown in the region. The operation was aimed at terrorists.

Nay Pyi Taw has been coping with the turmoil. As long as the government continues to govern, only it can be counted on for the final and thorough resolution of the current crisis, not the US.

The ASEAN Chairman's Statement of the 31st ASEAN Summit offered no description of the alleged persecution the local people are suffering. All it said about the crisis was a number of ASEAN leaders encourage Myanmar to "take immediate steps to end the violence in Rakhine … (and) address the refugee problem through verification process" and support the Myanmar government in its efforts to promote harmony and reconciliation between the various communities.

This is a signal that ASEAN does not welcome interference in Myanmar's domestic affairs by outside forces. The last thing it wants is to witness Myanmar fall apart. That's why ASEAN accepted Nay Pyi Taw's entry into the bloc in 1997 despite pressure from the West not to do so.

US sanctions toward Myanmar from 1988 to 2016 were not aimed at Myanmar, but to enlarge Washington's own strategic influence in the area by giving support to pro-US forces. However, the approach severely deteriorated the living conditions of the ordinary people of Myanmar.

When Rwandan suffered from genocide over a decade ago, the US was among the first countries to receive the information. But then US secretary of state Warren Christopher decided not to use the word "genocide," because once it was designated as such, the US was obligated to abide by the UN Convention to adopt a rescue operation.

Yet when the Darfur region of western Sudan was plagued by war, the US hide behind NGOs and attempted to link the genocide there to the Beijing Olympic Games.

Rohingya Muslims need a solution, not a definition. For Myanmar's residents, what they desire is stability, not more chaos and disturbance.

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1076931.shtml

 

[Banglar Bir]

01:35 PM, November 27, 2017 / LAST MODIFIED: 01:49 PM, November 27, 2017
UK reaffirms support for Bangladesh, Rohingyas
It says global funding to dry up in 100 days

Rohingya Muslim refugees gathers inside the Kutupalong refugee camp in Cox's Bazar on November 26, 2017. Photo: AFP
UNB, Dhaka
United Kingdom's International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt today pledged that the UK will continue to stand by Rohingya people and Bangladesh.
UK has announced 12 million pounds aid support which will help around 750,000 women and girls globally over the next three years and Mordaunt pledged to help increase protection for Rohingya women and girls against sexual violence and exploitation

This brings the UK's total support to 59 million pound since 25 August 2017, according to the British High Commission in Dhaka.

During her recent visit to Cox's Bazar, Mordaunt announced further UK aid for the Rohingya crisis, as she warns, global funding will start drying up in 100 days.

Mordaunt praised the Bangladesh government and local communities for their continued generosity in helping the Rohingya people.

She also urged other countries to follow the UK's lead by promising longer-term support to avert disaster.

"The persistent persecution of the Rohingya people must stop. It's horrifying that hundreds of thousands of innocent men, women and children have had their homes burnt to the ground, and parents have been forced to helplessly watch as their children die from hunger," she said.

Mordaunt said this looks like ethnic cleansing and the Myanmar military must end this inhumane violence and guarantee unrestricted humanitarian access so aid can reach those in need in Myanmar. "Any return of families to their homes must be safe, voluntary and dignified."

She said global funding to support the Rohingya people will only meet urgent needs for the next 100 days.

"We cannot turn our backs on those trapped in crisis. Other countries must follow our lead and do even more to help children overcome the trauma of war, reunite them with their families and give a future to the next generation," she said.

Mordaunt pledged to help increase protection for Rohingya women and girls against sexual violence and exploitation and announced a separate package of UK aid support (pound 12 million for multiple countries) that is expected to help around 750,000 women and girls globally over the next three years.

She met some of the 624,000 innocent men, women and children on November 25 who have been tragically driven from their homes in Myanmar and forced to make the treacherous journey to Bangladesh, relying on aid to survive and heard harrowing stories of brutal abuse.

She also met UK experts delivering life-saving treatment including medical, counseling and psychosocial support to female survivors.

"The countless stories of sexual violence I have heard from Rohingya women and girls are truly shocking and the high rates of this crime across the world are a global scandal," said Mordaunt.

She said the UK is absolutely determined to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls and we are increasing protection for Rohingya women and girls against sexual violence and exploitation.

"We're stepping up our leadership - working closely with women leaders and grassroots charities - to help more survivors in some of the world's poorest countries overcome the traumas of violence," she said.

On Sunday, British Secretary Mordaunt met State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam and praised the role of Bangladesh government in dealing the Rohingya crisis and appreciated the generous approach of Bangladeshi people towards the Rohingya people.

Shahriar appreciated the active role of the UK government in mounting pressure on Myanmar Government on Rohingya issue.

Referring to her visit to the Rohingya makeshift camps in Cox's Bazar, Mordaunt mentioned that she is moved by the scale of influx and assured that the aids from the UK will certainly increase in the coming days.

The State Minister expressed hope that the UK will continue to mount pressure on Myanmar until the successful return of displaced Rohingya people to their homeland in safety, security and dignity
http://www.thedailystar.net/rohingya-crisis/uk-reaffirms-support-bangladesh-rohingyas-1497124