The Burmese army and police force have played a leading role in targeting Rohingya Muslims in northern Arakan state through mass arrests, arbitrary violence, rape and systematic discrimination since a state of emergency was declared on 10 June, according to a group of UK-based NGOs speaking to the British parliament on Wednesday.
As many as 650 Rohingyas have been killed, 1,200 are missing and more than 80,000 have been displaced since sectarian violence erupted, said Tun Khin, the President of the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK), contradicting official reports that place the death toll at 80.
“We really need UN observers in Arakan State,” said Tun Khin.
Speaking to the All Party Parliamentary Group for Democracy in Burma together with Benedict Rogers from Christian Solidarity Worldwide and Chris Lewa from the Arakan Project , Tun Khin accused regime hardliners “who do not want to see reforms in Burma” of coordinating the violence.
“In recent months, there have been an increasing number of anti-Rohingya activities, including seminars in Rangoon and in Arakan State organised by the Rakhine Nationalities Development Party (RNDP), and anti-Rohingya demonstrations,” he said.
Communal riots flared earlier this month after the rape and murder of an ethnic Arakanese girl, allegedly by three Rohingya Muslims, prompted a revenge attack on ten Muslim pilgrims in the state capital Sittwe. Some reports suggest that leaflets advertising graphic pictures of both incidents had been circulated in different parts of Arakan state.
Chris Lewa told DVB that since the violence subsided, the police and border frontier forces (NaSaKa) have been rounding up hundreds of young Rohingya men. Earlier this week, there were reports that more than 100 men fleeing ongoing unrest were detained by police in southern Arakan state’s Thandwe district. Described as “illegal Bengali immigrants” by police, their current whereabouts are unknown.
“The NaSaKa said at a meeting with village leaders that they will arrest people for interrogation and will severely punish those involved in the violence,” said Lewa in an email interview. “They are interrogating the arrested youths together with military intelligence.“
“We are not sure yet about what happens to those found guilty but some of those found not guilty have not been released but instead sent back to NaSaKa camps, where their families have been contacted to pay a huge bribe to release them,” said Lewa
She added that at least twenty rapes of Rohingya women by Burmese soldiers have been reported in Ba Gone Nah, Du Chee Yan Tar, Pa Din and Zaw Ma Tet villages south of Maungdaw in recent weeks.
However, certifying the validity of reports coming from Arakan state has been notoriously difficult and statistics presented by different groups vary significantly.
“It is difficult to collect the number of refugees exactly as some of them have returned home while others are still coming in,” Chief Law Officer U Hla Thein of Rakhine State told Eleven Media Group.
Hundreds of Rohingya refugees fleeing the violence and attempting to enter Bangladesh have been turned away by authorities, despite growing international clamour for them to be let through. A group of refugees told Radio Free Asia that a Burmese helicopter opened fire on three boats attempting to make the crossing earlier this month, killing all fifty people on board.
The Bangladeshi government insists that they do not have the capacity to accept any more of the stateless minority group, described by the UN as one of the most persecuted in the world. Some 200,000 Rohingyas already live in exile in Bangladesh, but the government only recognises 32,000.
President Thein Sein is set to visit Bangladesh next month to discuss the ongoing humanitarian crisis. He has come under pressure from both human rights groups and anti-Rohingya nationalists to clarify his position on the minority group.
“During his trip, the president needs to firmly state that the Rohingya are not a Burmese ethnic group, and I hope he will say that he will tackle the problem with a strong policy,” Dr Aye Maung, an MP and chairman of the RNDP told The Irrawaddy.
The hot-button issue has become a crucial test for Burma’s nascent reform process, prompting fears that it could unravel the progress made. Last week democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi admitted that she does “not know” whether the Rohingya qualify for Burmese citizenship as international pressure continues to grow for her to speak out on their behalf.
“We urge the British government to put effective pressure on the Burmese regime to stop the killings and violence against the Muslim Rohingyas in Arakan and to restore peace and security in the region,” said Tun Khin.
“We urge the Burmese government to restore our citizenship and ethnic rights, to stop anti-Muslim activities and racism inBurma. There should be laws on racism if the regime wants to see durable peace inBurma.”
I knew that it was a matter of time before the news brought by the NGOs who had to leave Arakan would reach us.
Now, it is up to DVB moderator to see my comment as hostile and not post it. I won’t be surprised.
We have our right to protect ourselves and protect our land. We have our right like other countries to deport illegal immigrants who are threatening Us. As long as these Illegal immigrants are on our land it will never have peace. Now Our local people are less population than theirs. If you all want to help these people bring them into your country.Don’t push them to us.
If UK is so sympathetic about his old servant Rohingya, UK should allow one of its land (how about Australia, New Zealand or Canada) to resettle. Come on! Show how much you care about these Rohingya!!
Yes, Rohingyas were made political preys made by Junta. There were no sectarian violences but it was masterminded plan by the Junta
tun khin
Don’t you think we all need justic also .Media are unfairly treat to us RANKHINE.UN or the whole world come to see the place what really happen whatever ,whenever they want .You mr tun khin ,you really want fairness why don’t you go back and live and fight for it for justic .Why don’t you do it.You are doing for your own benefit ,The truth will come out anyway
.I don’t care dvb or irrawaddy I don’t respect anymore them.
DVB acts as if they are truly democratic (so that thye will kee getting the funnding) and yet wouldn’t post any of my comments that would include any statement that makes Bamar people think with their brain, not emotions based on xenophobia, for a change whne it comes to Rohingya issues. I beam pretty sure that this post wont get posted. If it does, well what happened to my other post in this thread and few posts in another thread?
This is one sided story and only quoted Tun Khin saying. This kind of story should not be mentioned in anymedia. worng informatin Such as (650 Rohingyas have been killed, 1,200 are missing)who can approved this numeber. This is very dangerous for current stabality of our country.
Don’t be bias base on fake myo chit site.
If you are real Buddhist, stay on the site of justice. Real Buddhist never never lies himself.
If people like Htun Khin is not in abroad, the information of Rohingyas victims never never come out.
The following papers should be read:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/7626321/The-Development-of-a-Muslim-Enclave-in-ArakanRakhineState-BurmaMyanmar
http://www.narinjara.com/pdf/Response_to_the_Press_Release.pdf
Facts and figures do not lie. Censuses are very important for a country. I have facts and figures of censuses done by British in Burma. It is absolutely astounding that how ethnic and populations changed during colonial period.
Burma was occupied by British in three campaigns, 1824-26, 1852 and 1885. Arakan was captured in very first campaign. Among other structural, social and economic changes wrought by occupation, there was also radical change in the makeup of the Muslim population which greatly increased as a result of immigration from India. Throughout its existence, Burma has absorbed immigrants from India, but before British occupation, the number were relatively few and those who came disappeared quickly into the local population. The large scale Indian immigration, encouraged by the British, began to arrive in the district of Arakan and Tenaserrim immediately following first Anglo-Burmese war. When Arakan was annexed in 1826 it did not have more than 100,000 of a population. In 1901 the numbers had risen to 762,102, and in 1921 to 908,591. A 1937 census shows 2,686 Kamans in Arakan. For Rohingya, to be the descendents of settlers many centuries ago, they must have reproduced faster than Amoeba to achieve the number of 300,000 in 1961.
There are significant differences between mainland Muslim group and Mujahid, Rhohingya and extremists. Mainland Muslim group is part of citizens of Burma; they must unite with us in condemning any violence perpetrated by any religious group. Another important step is to separate religion and politics. For the Muslim, religion traditionally was not only universal but also central in the sense that it constituted the essential basis and focus of identity and loyalty. A Muslim Iraqi would feel far closer bond with a non-Iraqi Muslim than non-Muslim Iraqi.It is not nation or country which as in the west forms the historic basic of identity, but the religeo-political community, and the imported western idea of ethnic and…
Continued from earlier comment:
territorial nationhood remains, like secularism, alien and incompletely assimilated. The point was made with remarkable force and clarity by a grand vizier of Ottoman Empire who, in reply to exponent of the new style patriotism, replied: “The Fatherland of Muslim is the place where the Holy Law of Islam prevails.” And that was in 1917. For Burmese Muslim, they should love Non-Muslim Burmese more than non-Burmese Muslim. It is about time all the ethnic and religious groups to unite and rebuild the country of Myanmar or Burma.
if don’t accept the death figures quoted by mr.tin khin then why are u not allowing international medias to find out the facts free and fair inquiry must be done due to lace of free media still arresting and abusing are going on.
Arakan used to be independent country. Burmese invaded and made it Burma. Now they made friends with Buddhist people and claiming that Muslims are outsiders. People need to be honest, sincere, truthful and educated. Please don’t be selfish.
I have read most comment in here. either u think they r illegal immigrant but it this time we all sympathy on those pepople who house were burn, were arrested unfairly, homeless pep, some innocent pep n children either buddish or rohingya. but if it happen same with us how would we feel. how will fell feed our family. but my opinion is we should help to those pep by finically or some other way for them to fullfill their stomach n their family. please everyone do sympathy to those pep who r in hunger , homeless and their family or children r killed.
One thing I really want to know is why don’t government let people go and see what a Muslim camps are like. Why not they let the media talk to any of them? in Myanmar no media mentioned or showed any piece of image of Muslim house burning or condition in their camp or where they stay with no register camp. Their area is out of bound saying that security can not be guaranteed (what happen to all local law enforcement and military personal)Muslim people must be truly very dangerous. By the statistic declared by government official In Sittway many more Muslim homes are burned and many more people were homeless but we never see their photo. We only see or hear them as terrorist. Everything was done by them and they lost more home them others. That also after marshal law was enforced. And I heard many Kaman homes are destroyed where no other so called rohinjas or bangalies live and no Rakhine homes were destroyed in this area. Kamans are government recorgnized ethnic group but Muslim. And now all are saying that this is not religious matter.
World need to know the truth. But when the story is told one-sided truth will never come out.
I wonder if I could know the strategy of DVB concerning Rohingyas since what DVB doing is not for country, not for democracy and not for Burmese nationalities and ethnic minorities.
Thi is a sad defining time for Burma now and for the next decade.
Out the hyperbole and sometimes virulent mis-information as well as emotional and sometimes even dangerous generalizations by people involved on both sides, the true picture is coming out as is the natural law. And it is predictably ugly.
We are now seeing global (read western government representing multinational companies) communities pampering Thein Sein, the figurehead anointed by both Than Shwe and Aung San Suu Kyi which would include presumably even a recognition of sorts by the American government, self-appointed champion of the “Human Rights”. Well, of sorts.
And blatant neglect of the plight of people with no voice or consequences in Burma which should be a lesson for all the people living in Burma as their turn is surely next.
Systematic violent suppression with larger and larger forces of public funded seasoned Strom troops seen in Arakan as well as Kachin and Karen Lands as well as resource rich parts of Burma bodes ill for global community of all but particularly for the public of Burma who are naively/ chauvinistically/ short-sightedly supporting the very killers who will turn to them next.
And they say the world has progressed. Oh! wisdom!!!
Human decency! Where are thou?