Press Release: We call international intervention to stop continued violence against Muslims of Arakan

We call international intervention to stop continued violence against Muslims of Arakan

Press Release 

October 2, 2013

We, Burmese Rohingya Association in Japan (BRAJ), would like to draw international community attention to the violence perpetrated by Rakhine extremist and we thoroughly condemn the recent attack on Muslim minority in Thandwe. The Muslim community have been living in Arakan state western Myanmar for centuries but the sister community Rakhine, the successive regimes and the democratically elected government of President U Thein Sein denied their existence. A government sponsored very systematic and pre-planned crack down instigation designated to kill and drive out all Muslims inhabiting in Arakan since June 2012. The Muslims are targeted to eliminate from Arakan soil by various allegations such as “they are invaders or intruders into the sovereignty of Myanmar and illegal migrants” from the neighboring country Bangladesh while they are natives of it. And the current administration of central and local government has paralyzed the Muslims community by allowing spread of Muslim hate speech and leaf-lets nationwide.

Consequently, inter-communal violence has been breaking out between Buddhist and Muslims residents around Myanmar. A fresh systematic attack against Muslims of Thandwe Township in Arakan State is taking place since Saturday. According to the reliable information 3 Muslim villages in the town, southern Arakan State, Muslim houses in Thapyu Kyain and Pauk Taw village burnt down and a Mosque was destroyed, the available source reported that more than 35 people are mercilessly killed and many more injured. Some armless and innocent women and children were killed by the Rakhine extremist groups.

The President U Thein Sein makes his first official visit to the strife-torn region in Arakan, the authorities had been preparing for the visit and the Rakhine extremist took opportunity to kill minority Muslims and burn their homes. A curfew or state of emergency had been imposed in Thandwe Township barring residents from leaving their homes between 6pm to 6 am because of the tense situation in the town, however, only the Muslims are barred from leaving between the imposed hours while the Rakhine community are permitted to loot, kill and burn Muslim homes silently collaborating with local security forces.

The Muslim population of Thandwe comprises mostly Kaman and Rohingya Muslims, more than 100,000 people live in Thandwe, a coastal town in southern Arakan State and in the town and surrounding villages half of the population is estimated to be Muslims. Thapyu Kyain a Muslim village had first been attacked by an unidentified group of Rakhine extremist rioters, who tried to torched some Muslim houses, later the attack spread to other Muslims villages, the security forces are not interfered to stop the violence.

We, Burmese Rohingya Association in Japan, would like to appeal to the Government of Japan, ASEAN and western international community including United Nations that:

• Establish an UN Inquiry Commission to find out the authentic situation of Arakan violence.
• Press the Naypyidaw Government of President U Thein Sein to bring the perpetrators of crime against humanity to justice.
• Stop praising and awarding the President of Myanmar who is the most responsible for the crime against humanity, genocide and ethnics cleansing of against Muslim community.
• Initiate a dialog in the international level forum sponsored by UN to discuss and undertake the decision of the existence of Muslim including Rohingyas in Arakan since centuries ago which would emphasis real historical facts and guarantee their rights to live in Arakan.