Burmese Language
Burma ‘blacklisting’ Rohingya children
Despite recent tentative steps towards democratic reform in Burma, the government has continued with a discriminatory policy against the Rohingya ethnic group in the country’s western Arakan state that includes banning Rohingya children born out of wedlock from obtaining travel permits, attending school and, in the future, marrying.
The racial profiling of children immediately after birth contradicts the praise heaped on the pseudo-civilian government by world leaders in recent months, says The Arakan Project, which is this week submitting a report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC).
The UN body is currently reviewing the situation of children’s rights in Burma, and The Arakan Project claims the blacklisting of Rohingya babies stands in stark contrast to pledges of reform by the Thein Sein administration.
Chris Lewa, director of The Arakan Project, says the new government continues to ignore the existence of the Rohingya in its state party reports to the CRC, and has refused to implement the body’s recommendations first made in 2004.
“Rohingya children bear the full brunt of the state’s policies of exclusion, restrictions and arbitrary treatment,” she said. “These systematic policies gravely impair their physical and mental development as children and will affect the long-term future of their community.”
Successive Burmese governments claim the Rohingya, a Muslim minority group, are of Bengali origin, and thus have consistently denied them citizenship – The Arakan Project says their status in Burma “relies entirely on the political will of the government”, which is predominantly Buddhist and whose current representative at the UN, Ye Myint Aung, said during his prior tenure as Consul-General to Hong Kong that Rohingya were “ugly as ogres”.
Rohingya support groups say however that there is evidence that Islam existed in Burma prior to the now-dominant Theravada Buddhism, and that the Rohingya’s roots in Arakan state go back centuries.
For decades the government has meted out hefty treatment against the group, forcing hundreds of thousands to flee the country. Up to 400,000 Rohingya are living as refugees in neighbouring Bangladesh, with hundreds attempting perilous journeys by boat each year to Thailand and Malaysia. Various NGOs have described them as one of the world’s most persecuted minority groups.
Those that remain in Burma suffer persecution at the hands of government officials as well as from local Arakan communities, where anti-Muslim sentiment, reinforced by the government, is strong and where many inhabitants consider them illegal immigrants.
“If children are not in their family list they cannot stay in the village,” a nine-year-old boy told researchers working on the CRC submission. “Like my brother – my parents could not include my younger brother’s name in their family list. That is why they had to leave the village.
“Some parents still live in the village without registering their children but they have to hide them. Or they have to register them with other parents. Like me. I am registered as the son of my grandmother.”
Another boy, 12, told the group that he was a “prisoner in [his] own village” and could not leave the confines of his village without travel documents. An 11-year-old said he was often made to skip school when local authorities forced him to help repair nearby roads, with no pay.
The Burmese government justifies this treatment of the Rohingya on national security grounds, claiming that the policy is aimed at managing “illegal migration”. A ban on Rohingya parents producing more than two children stems from alleged “control on population growth”, The Arakan Project says, and unauthorised marriages can result in a 10-year prison term.
The group estimates that more than 40,000 Rohingya children have been left unregistered, with parents fearing punishment if they come forward with children born out of wedlock. Those not registered face severe difficulties accessing education and healthcare.
The government has mooted a programme of registering blacklisted children and adding them to population censuses, but progress has been slow. In addition, “Despite [UN refugee agency’s] advocacy efforts to address their lack of status with the government, little progress has been achieved to date,” says the report.
Lewa urged the government to “build on its reform credentials and mark a break from past regimes by taking immediate steps to end all discriminatory policies and practices against the Rohingya”. The group warns that racial profiling by the government “has demoralised the Rohingya community, resulting in increased refugee outflows since September 2011”.
Tags: bangladesh, burma, muslim, myanmar, Racial pro, refugees, rohingya
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Please explain us who are the Arakan Project Teams and who elect them? There is no Rohingya in Myanmar before and now.
They are all Bangladesh citizens and trying to become as Myanmar citizen. Dear UN, please consult with Myanmar Government and Local Athority for reconizing on the group of Arakan Project. Because they are all playing a trick and they themselves are Bangladesh citizens but they are using as Arakan Project for fake. And dear writer and DVB, there is never ever such a Rohingya in Myanmar… Please don’t post again as under Myanmar… Your DVB will get dis-respect from all real Myanmar citizens… Hope you understand…!
Rohingya are Bengali immigrants and it is true. There are many historians who confirm that the Rohingya are not an ethnic in Burma. Not only Burmese historians but many non-Burmese historians reaffirm that the Rohingya are not an ethnic group.
This article is biased and simply promoting racial hatred and hate crime between the Rohingya and other genuine ethnic groups in Burma.
If Rohingya think, they are an ethnic group in Burma, they are welcome to challenge it at the United Nations. The best is to resolve this issue at the UN and this controversy will then be resolved once and forever.
Those support the illegal immigrants, Rohingya entering Burma will then be very disgraceful for their wrongdoing.
May the people called Rohingyas be given all human rights!
I don’t think it’s now time to jump on the word ” Discrimination” related to Rohingya issue as this issue is still shuttled and darned between Myanmar and Bangladesh. Even Suu Kyi could not come yet into the understanding of Rohingya and their journey whether they should be settle in Myanmar or Bangladesh. The problem is the main point of Rohingya settlement history is completely lost even among themselves. Everyone sympathize with them as human being as well as suspicious to co-inhabit with them.
I hope Burma should not blacklist them but register them as ” Rohingya” so that they are Rohingya people. Nobody deserves to be blacklisted before they are apprehend as dangerous.
Rohingya issue is still ” A guy who is rowing his yacht in the middle of the sea”
This is a reality and this aritical is refering How Thein sein Goverment is ignoring minority citizen right and discrmination policy toward Rohingya ethinic and also international communities are still give less attention of injustic. Freedom mean entire national not only majority issue but also have to care all people who are involved in political system or whole country without divide and rule policy. Thank DVB
MMR Gov say they use that kind of policy to protect illegal migrants from Bangladesh. actually Bangladeshi Muslims don’t enter into Myanmar where Muslims r systematically discriminated (in bangla Muslims hv their rights) but some Buddhists frm bangla do enter illegally to Myanmar n they r given Myanmar national ID cards by their local brothers who r working with gov without any delay (local Muslims r not allowed to work with gov n they can do whtever they want) so that Buddist population become big n strong. (i hv eye witnessed some of Bangladeshi Buddhists who r doing business in Sittwe but no information is available that Bangladeshi muslims enter into Myanmar.)
What type of jungle law of Military Regime implementing in Burma??
Where Ne Win had learned this kind of ethnic cleansing methods.Why this kind of ugly methods are still materializing by the so called half boiled Thien Sein Regime ??
How some people dared to praise Thein Sein regime as CIVILIZED GOVERNMENT .
Are these kinds of criminal regime can be called CIVILIZED GOVT.??????????????SHAME !!!!!!!!
What a shame Burmese people. Is Buddhisism suppose to guide this kind of treatment to other human beings. I don’t think so. Well Buddha himself is an (golden-skin) indian. Be nice to other human being. For political power, governments in Burma always play anti-islamic, anti-chinese sentiment since 1950s. Shamefully, so called peaceful burmese people have rooted this sentiment put by propagands. Be careful, you might reborn as a rohingya child in your next life.
My great-grand father was a Mogh/Rakhine and adopted by Rohingya. I accepted myself as Burmese untill i was grown up along Kaladan River. But i was always called ‘kala’ in the school, mart, jetty and every where. Beside the authority blends us as illegal Bangali infiltrators.
Since then, i came to know about the slang word ‘kala’ and my race in oder to reveal who I am and i belong to whom. I escalated about Rohingya and about ‘kala’.
Now i am pround with my identity with Rohingya and being the race of the God-kala.
hey Aung Aung/Htun do know you about Rohingya? the Rohingya were from Arkan its was Islamic country 200 century go there Arkan and look histrionically Islamic prove, Rohingya is inheritances of Arkan the Rohingya shouldn’t be blacklisted as you know that its human mandatory they should get the citizen of Rohingya . unfortunenitely they rejected by military regime. as historical can prove. the Rakhine were illegal immigrated form Bangladesh during the British war the Burmese authority issued id of Burma which were owner of Rohingya. you should shame on your self before saying about Rohingya. they rohingya downtroden by the rakhinist and burmese authority . the systeemically extremist all the way from humanity ground. as we are we shouldn’t make any one in blacklist of humanities ground. i am proud to be as burmese
I’m a ordinary Burmese. I was born to become Burmese. Let me say straight, not only Burmese Government but all Burmese people believed that Rohingya are not Burmese. This is very important demographic affair and THIS IS GEOPOLITIC OF BURMA. Burma need to measure by any mean in order to maintain the country of Burma. No country in the world will tolarate this kind of invasion.
Dear DVB, pls mind that you are making Burmese people disrespect by posting this kind of articles.
I appear with true name and email here. Arakan Project-AP is representing the causes of Rohingya and well known and recognized by world bodies.
When Rohingya is blended as Bengali and racially persecuted, there are many researchers came to discover to reveal the truth. When Rakhine/Mogh people don’t recognized and still behave hostility against Rohingya, intl organizations like AP have tostand on behalf of Rohingya.
We Rohingyans alike people around the world fully support AP. So, there is no way for backwarded and ultra racist pirate Mogh people to stop them.
I always welcome racist behaviours of Mogh becuase Becuase that is only i get to prove it to the world. I find it’s the place of where you people are if not you would not be loyal to your caste of Mogh.
Hi, buddy they are also human being give peace a chance rather than pointing finger each other. Every one earth should have second chance in a life time.Be considered Thank you’
OK! There is no such a name called Rohingya in the history of Arakan. British has recorded Muslims in Arakan as Chittagonians. So, in everyone’s opinion, this is the rightest term Biritish used for Muslims in Arakan. So, British’s records are most correct. If so, what term did the British use for Buddhists in Arakan? Rakhine? Obviously not! If yes, is there any evidence for the fact that British refered the Buddishs in Arakan as Rakhines? British are right and honest because they refered Muslims in Arakan as Chittagonians. The same British are wrong and dis-honest because they refered Buddists in Arakan as Maghs. Why double standards?
Screw both religions, Islam and Buddhism, and both names, Rakhine and Rohingya here. Let us put some logical arguments. Everyone will agree if we say that there were the periods called Dhannyawadi and Vesali in the history of Arakan. No one will deny this. OK, then. Can anybody tell us that the kings or rulers in these two historical periods, which dated back to more than 2000 years, belonged to which stocks of human race, Indo-Aryan (i.e. Indian-look-alike people) or Mongoloid (Mongolian look-alike people)? What are the meanings of terms Dhannyawadi and Vesali (Vaishali)? From which language these terms were derived from? In which stock of human race did Siddartha Gautama Buddha and most of earliest follwers, because of whom Buddhistism had spreaded throughout the region, belong to?
We know there was a people called Rakkhasha (in Pali meaning Cannibals) who used to eat even human beings who are stragers to them. The word has varied through historical periods from Rakkhasha to Rakkha to Rakkuain now to Rakhine. According some other people, Rakhine was derived from Pali word Rakkhita (meaning people who look after and take care of their race). Yet, it doesn’t matter to us. According to the historians, the place was called Rakkhapura (again in Pali). Has the whole region of Arakan including Chittagong area been called so? Have the cannibals used to live throughout the whole region? How did these Rakkhasha people look alike, mongoloid, aryan, caucasians, negroid? Why was a Pali word “Rakkhasha” used to address cannibals? Who named these cannibals as Rakkhasha by using a Pali word? Wasn’t there be a paralell people to Rakkasha, who named them so using Pali word? Or have they named them “Rakkhasha” (cannibals) by theirselves using a Pali word? Was Pali the language of cannibals? Wasn’t Pali an Indian literature and language? Isn’t it originated to India?
Indo-Arayan people have been living in Arakan since B.C. 3323 according to the book with the title “Za Lok Kay Pho Lay?” (written by San Kyaw Tuan, (Maha Wizza), a Rakhine from Rathedaung, foreworded by Dr. Aye Kyaw and contributed by scholars like Dr. Aye Chan, Khin Maung Saw) page No. 81]. Who were these Indo-Aryans? Were not they forefathers of the people called Rohingya today?
Burmese Junta and some extremist Rakhines don’t want to recognize the name “Rohingya ” not because they want their real identity so as to give them “Nationality” but because once they become successful in branding them as Bengalis, it will become easier for them to drive them out of Arakan land. Ultimately, Junta’s dream of making Arakan into purely Burmanized Bhuddhist region will come true. Junta wants neither the people called Rakhines nor the people called Rohingyas. Thus, Juta has been setting up modal villages by bringing Bamars from central Burma. Rakhines are well aware of that. Some of the Rakhines simultaneuosly want to fight Junta on one side and Rohingyas on another side in order to have an independent land. It is a very wrong tactic. History has proven that. Hitler lost in the war because he fought Soviet Union on one side and English and French on another side.
Furthermore, we think everybody knows Mexico and Argentina, people there are of spainish origin and speak spainish language. Why don’t people call them Spainish instead of Mexican and Argentinian? Americans speak English language and most them are of English. Why don’t people call them English in stead of Americans? The word “Rohingya” is a slight variation of the word “Ruahonga” (in Rakhine meaning “from old village”) because the place where Rohingyas used to live was called Ruahong. Rohingyas have the habit of calling someone by the place name where they live. For example, if somebody is from Man-Aung, he will be called as Man-Aunggya, if from RatheThaung, then RatheThaungya and if from ButhiTaung, then Buthi-Thaungya etc. The word Rohingya has formed exactly the way Rakhine has formed from Rakkhasha.
In history, Rohingya didn’t feel to call them as Rohingya because the situation and the time had not forced them to call so. It doesn’t mean that this people didn’t exist before. So, if someone says there is no word as Rohingya in the history of Arakan, then there is no…
I have just put a logical argument here. Last but not the least, we, most of the people of Myanmar, are mentally sick. That’s reason why we are too xenophobic of people of other race. We simply can’t tolerate any race besides Mongoloid. We need to grow up a lot.
Anyone who is interested to reply to us is warmly welcome as long as he or she doesn’t go abusive. We, hereby, unconditionally apologize to anyone who is conciously or unconciously offended by the argument here. Our intention is not to create divides but unity. And we believe that as long as two or more groups of people are not equal in everything, there will be no peace and unity. We need peace and unity in order to make our nation into a developed nation. No one can benefit from fights! So, enough of fights!!