Rohingya Refugee issues raised at UNHCR Annual Consultations Conference in Geneva
RB News
June 14, 2013
Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK President Tun Khin raised the issues of Rohingya IDPs inside Burma as well as about the Rohingya refugees living abroad particularly in Bangladesh, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Malaysia at the UNHCR annual consultations Conference which was held in UN International Conference Center Geneva on last Tuesday and Wednesday.
During the consultation, Tun Khin asked the conference to address the root cause of the problem and to find the long term solution for the ethnic Rohingyas living in Burma and for those taking refuge in various foreign countries.
BROUK President said “It is important that UN, ASEAN Countries, Bangladesh and EU countries have to come together to find out why Rohingyas are fleeing from their own homeland. More than 35,000 Rohingyas including women and children have already fled Burma on risky journey by boats. President Thein Sein government have created impossible situations for the Rohingyas to live in Burma and UNHCR needs to play a key role in this critical time to discuss with ASEAN, EU, US, UK and Bangladesh to solve the Rohingya issue permanently. It is urgently needed to stop the continuous exodus of Rohingyas from Burma”
On the same day a side event was taken place at International Conference Center Geneva which was organized by Equal Rights Trust. Tun Khin joined the panel with Chris Lewa, Director of Arakan Project and Melanie Teff from the Refugees International. The panel was moderated by Amal De Chickera from Equal Rights Trust. The discussion focused on different characteristics of Rohingya situation and the role of UNHCR in relation to the stateless persons, refugees and internally displaced persons.
Chis Lewa highlighted the current situations of the Northern Arakan State in details and boatpeople issue. Melanie Teff raised concern on the situations of Rohingya IDPs in Sittwe, Pauktaw and other parts of Arakan. Tun Khin spoke about the incompatibility of the Burmese Citizenship Law 1982 with the International Human Rights Law. He also mentioned about Rohingya existence in Burma since early 7th Century A.D and how Rohingya ethnic and citizenship rights were stripped of by the successive Burmese governments.
Tun Khin urged UN for immediate intervention in Arakan to stop crimes against humanities and to send international Observers. He has further highlighted the importance of forming a UN Commission of Inquiry to these crimes and by bringing the perpetrators to justice, it will help to protect the lives, and properties of the Rohingyas in future. Human dignity and honor of the most vulnerable and persecuted Rohingyas will be also reassured by the international mandate. The commission of enquiry will encourage Burmese government to guarantee the Rule of Law in Arakan. It could also serve as a platform in assisting the government to rehabilitate the Muslim Rohingyas from IDP camps back to their original homes. Bringing accountability to the violence will end the segregation of the communities and villages and entire Arakan population could live in their homes with mutual respect and peaceful coexistence. He also urged to include the proposal of UN Commission of Inquiry to be discussed in the current UN Human Right Council session.
