Statement on World Refugee Day by BRAJ
STATEMENT ON WORLD REFUGEE DAY
Date: 20 June 2013
Today is the day of World Refugee and it was established by the United Nations to honor the courage, strength determination of men, women and children who are forced to flee their homes under threat of persecution, conflict and violence. It also concerned the Rohingya Refugees around the world who are forcefully made stateless and displaced eventually in their homeland by the successive military regime and democratically elected government of President U Thein Sein.
The Rohingya are a Muslim minority group who live in the Northern Arakan State and most of them work as casual labourers, farmers and fishermen. The Burmese Junta has always viewed them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, even though they had historically settled in Burma for centuries. The Burmese 1982 discriminatory citizenship law was enacted rendering them stateless. Since 1995, the authorities started issuing Rohingyas with a Temporary Registration Card (TRC), but these cards do not grant any right to citizenship. As a result of their lack of legal status, the Rohingyas thus have been subjected to many forms of discrimination and violations of their human rights. They are entitled to the restriction on their freedom of movement within their own village and must ask for travel permission and pay a fee to visit other villages. Their inability to conduct business or find outside their residing areas deprive them of economic means opportunities. It also effects their access to education and health care.
Rohingyas are forced to work as labor on numerous military projects and prawn bearing dams. Land used for agriculture by the Rohingyas is confiscated by the Burmese government for the expansion of military camps and given to the Buddhist new settlers brought in the area by the government. Establishment of Buddhist settlers model villages in the Rohingya areas exacerbated tension between the two sister communities. The Rohingya must apply to the NASAKA for permission in order to marry. This process can take up to two years or more and involve large bribes and the couple to be wed has to pledge that they will not have more than two children. And the Rohingyas are constantly subject to arbitrary taxations and various forms of extortions, systematic persecution, killing, arbitrary arrest and torture, raping Rohingya women and gross human rights violations on innocent Rohingyas. These, along with mistreatment and injustice by the Burmese government have caused Rohingya community to attempt to leave and migrate to the neighboring countries in fear for their life security and safety.
Moreover, the recent systematic and preplanned violence in the name of Rohingya Ethnic Cleansing that was caused by a rape and murder case of Ma Thida Htwe on 28 May 2012, a Rakhine Buddhist women in Kyauk Nimaw village, Rambri Township. The incident was allegedly committed by three local residents Htat Htat (a Rakhine), Rafik and Rashid (reportedly Rohingya) and police arrested them and later reported that Htat Htat was killed in the police custody. The remaining two are brought to the court and sentenced to death. These three men committed a crime found guilty in the court and punished them in accordance with law, this is publicly acceptable because this kind of crimes are frequently taking place around the world and the respective court pronounce verdicts how to punish them according to the law. But taking this opportunity three hundreds Arakanese Rakhine community surrounded a bus carrying 10 Muslim religious travelers at a government checkpoint in Taungup, Arakan State. Ten Muslims are forced off the bus and beaten to death mercilessly while nearby police and army soldiers look on but did not intervene to stop the violence, unfortunately, until now the government sponsored inquiry commission found no one guilty and establish any evidence of killing of these ten Muslims men in front of security forces.
The predominantly Rohingya area of Maung Daw Township, a group of people planned to say a prayer on 8 June Friday Jummah for those killed in Taungup, the local sister community collaborating with local security forces initiated riot killing unknown numbers of Rohingya people, burning homes, looting Rohingya property, raping Rohingya women. Thw violance spread to township in Arakan and the state security forces not only failed to stop violence but also participated in the violence against muslims in Arakan and Mettila. The Rakhine political parties, local monks associations and Rakhine civic groups made public statements and issued pamphlets that urged the ethnic cleansing of Rohingya from Arakan State. The participation of state security forces in the violence began a vigorous crackdown on Rohingya caused more lost of lives and dignity eventually displaced 140000 Rohingyas in their homeland Arakan. They conducted forcible mass arrests of Rohingya men and boys throughout the state.
Consequently, the perilous journey on boat, the route taken by the Rohingya is dangerous and risky: each journey is a gamble of life and death. Boats are generally in bad conditions, inexperience crews, most them have never sailed before and there are no guarantees that they would be reaching the shore. As a result unknowing number of Rohingyas are dying in the sea and though some managed to reach to the destined countries they are spending their horrible lives in the detention and facing life threat under the future of uncertainty and hopelessness in search of life security and safety.
Appeal and Recommendation to the concerned Authorities:
- UN, US, European Union and ASEAN must clear its position on the ongoing violence on Muslims around the country, exodus of Rohingya refugees in seeking protection and safe place in the region and review their diplomatic ties with Myanmar.
- We are deeply concerned that the root cause of violence on Muslims of Myanmar and also concerned over the detention, torture and abuse of Rohingya refugees which is a clear violation of international principle of humanitarian law and human rights.
- We condemn continued gross human rights violations taking place inside Myanmar and in particular the policies and practices which promotes discrimination, violence against Muslim community in Myanmar.
- We earnestly urge all exiled Rohingya leaders to find a durable solution for your own community and their rights to be recognized as the citizen and gain due human rights.
- Rohingya around the world must ensure that disunity, dispute and conflict among us do not help solve our problems we are facing but it clearly notify and sent a supportive message to our transgressors to commit more human rights violations and get rid of Rohingya from Arakan soil.
- Unity, respect, trust and recognize each other’s stance will explore a better way to come to the round table discussion and establish some effective measures to implement, it may save Rohingya rights and lives.
Burmese Rohingya Association in Japan (BRAJ)
