Rohingya Activists And Supporters Discussed With Japanese Foreign Ministry Officials Ahead Of Suu Kyi’s State Visit

RB News 

October 28, 2016

Tokyo, Japan -- Myanmar’s State Counselor and Foreign Minister Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is visiting Japan at the grand invitation of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the 1st of November. She will have several official and unofficial meetings with the Japanese government officials and business leaders. She will pay a homage visit to the Japanese Emperor and Empress as well during her visit. Ahead of her visit to Japan, Rohingya activists, together with Rohingya supporters in Japan had a meeting with high ranking Japanese Foreign Ministry officials at the Diet Building No. 1 on the 26th of October to raise the Rohingya issue by the Japanese Prime Minister and Foreign Minister in their official bilateral meeting next week.

The urgent meeting was organized by former Cabinet Minister and Social Democratic Party leader Mrs Mizuho Fukushima who has been supporting Rohingya cause since 1999. 

At the emergency meeting, Prof. Muranushi Michimi and Tanabe Hisao discussed about the Rohingyas’ long standing problem. Rohingya activists Zaw Min Htut and Abul Kalam discussed about the current Myanmar military and police force atrocities on Rohingya in Maungdaw since the 9th of October incident. The Rohingya presented several documents of extra-judicial killing, rape, torching houses, mosques, looting, mass arrest, mass graves and showed the video clips as well. 

The former Minister stressed the Japanese Prime Minister or Foreign Minister must raise the issue with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi at their bilateral meeting as the Rohingya situation has become worse than before under her NLD government. The foreign ministry officials’ Principal Director Mr Kensuke Nagase, Deputy Director Mr Yoko Takushima and South East Asia division Deputy Director Ms Tomohiro Kanata expressed their sympathies on the lost of innocent Rohingya lives and properties and promised to raise the issue with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

Before ending the meeting the Rohingya activists appeal to Japanese government to urge Daw Aung San Suu Kyi immediately to stop ongoing atrocities where hundreds of Rohingya lives and properties have been lost by presenting an appeal letter.

The appeal letter to the Japanese government is here.

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The Honorable Fumio Kishida

The Foreign Minister

Ministry Of Foreign Affairs 

The Government Of Japan. 

Date:- 26th October 2016

Your Excellency, 

I would like Your Excellency to raise the grave situation of the Rohingya people in the Northern Arakan State with State Counselor and Foreign Minister Of Myanmar Daw Aung San Suu Kyi during her State visit to Japan next week. 

Some unidentified assailants launched early morning attacks on three security forces posts in Maungdaw and Rathedaung townships on 9th October, according to information released by the Myanmar Government. We, Rohingya people strongly condemn violence at all cost and oppose any violence on anyone whilst pursuing a peaceful solution for the plight of Rohingya. Rohingya community is not capable of targeting the security forces, given the extremely restrictive environment they live in Rakhine State. 

Since 9th October, under the pretext of looking for attackers, the Myanmar military and police forces have been indiscriminately killing the Rohingya, torching and plundering their homes and villages. Two mass graves were found and over 100 innocent Rohingya were extra­- judicially killed that included old men, women and children .One of my second Cousins was shot dead by military on 12th October. At least 15 Rohingya villages were set ablaze destroying many houses including my family house and Mosques. The Myanmar military forces together with the local Rakhines are looting Rohingya houses and shops. At the same time several local people are reporting that their women are sexually assaulted by the military forces. Several hundreds innocent Rohingya have been arrested and torturing to death. 

The grave situation has caused many Rohingya to flee their villages. Several Thousands of Rohingya have been internally displaced causing great humanitarian disaster. Due to curfew order and blockade imposed only on Rohingya, there is an acute shortage of Food, Medicine and other essentials. The situation is exponentially worsening. The Government security forces deny access to aid agencies that provide essentials Health care and Food to people at grave risk and denying access to INGOs as well as free media. 

The fear on the ground is that the violence may now escalate to at least the level of 2012, when hundreds were killed, several villages had been burnt down , over 1,40,000 were displaced to IDP Camps and many more Rohingya were driven out of the country altogether. This new upsurge of violence may ultimately prove to be the final trigger to outright genocide that the UN and many NGO observers as well as genocide scholars have been dreading. 

The only thing that can stop the spiraling levels of violence from escalating into a full blown latter-day Rwanda scenario would be the intervention of Japanese Government together the government of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to pacify Rakhine and impose the rule of law effectively. But as of yet, the Myanmar Government is making no efforts to protect Rohingya civilians and Daw Aung San Suu Kyi does not seem to be moved by the gravity of the situation while military is taking the law in their hands. 

Your Excellency, 

You are in a uniquely privileged position to help build the international pressure needed to move Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her government to suppress the recent upsurge in violence before the situation get completely out of control. I solemnly urge you to take charge of this issue and help prevent yet another international humanitarian catastrophe. 

I humbly appeal to your Excellency to save Rohingya from total annihilation. Rohingya are peace-loving people believing peaceful co-existence with equal rights and dignity. I earnestly request your Excellency to stress the followings directly with State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in your bilateral meeting. Rohingya men, women and children are looking at you for their salvation 

1. Immediately stop extra-judicial killing of innocent Rohingya in Maungdaw. 

2. Stop burning down Rohingya villages, Mosques and religious houses. 

3. Stop looting Rohingya houses of valuable jewelry, gold and money. 

4. Stop raping Rohingya women. 

5. Stop arbitrarily arrest of innocent Rohingya and torturing them in the custody. 

6. Stop vandalizing religious houses, desecrating Holy Quran and terrorizing Rohingya villagers. 

7. Give free access to INGOs, WFP, and other humanitarian agencies to provide Food, Medicine and other essentials to Rohingyas. 

8. Call Myanmar Government for proper and thorough investigations of summary executions, torture in the custody and rape of the Rohingya women immediately. 

Yours Sincerely, 

Zaw Min Htut

Rohingya Human Rights Activist in Japan