Statement: Rohingya Consultative Body Formed

(Photo: Refugees International)

Statement 

Date: August 3, 2017

Rohingya Consultative Body Formed

A diverse group of Rohingya activists and community leaders held a conference in an undisclosed location. The intention was to work together with a coordinated response to the challenging Rohingya matters at home and internationally.

The participants reaffirmed Rohingyas’ desire as people of Arakan (Rakhine) to live in peace and harmony with basic respect and equal rights as other ethnic groups of Myanmar.

The participants agreed that the indigenous Rohingya people of Arakan should continue to adhere to non-violence in striving for full citizenship and basic rights in Myanmar. 

In this regard, a Rohingya consultative body was formed on an ad-hoc basis comprised of candidates from around the world. Under this body, several working groups were formed. 

The conference adopted the following resolutions: The Consultative Body calls upon Burmese Government to:

1. Stop all human rights violations and abuses against Rohingyas in Myanmar immediately.

2. Allow unrestricted humanitarian aid to reach Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and other victims in the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Arakan. 

3. Allow the United Nations Fact Finding Mission to investigate human rights violations and abuses in Arakan. 

4. Take immediate action to return Rohingya refugees and IDPs to their original hearths and homes with safety and security. 

5. Reinstate the rights of Rohingya people to participate in Myanmar’s political and democratic process in line with other people of Myanmar. 

6. Restore the ethnic and citizenship rights of Rohingya people in Myanmar. 

The Consultative Body also calls upon the International community such as UN, EU, US, UK, OIC, ASEAN & INGOs to:

1. Adopt more efficient mechanisms to ensure access to protection, documentation and humanitarian measures to meet the needs of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and other countries. 

2. Do everything possible to immediately intervene to address the avoidable malnutrition faced by more than 80,000 Rohingya children in Arakan, as recently exposed by the World Food Programme. 

The Consultative Body also urges State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to visit Arakan State immediately to find out the real situation of Rohingya. 

For more information, please contact: 

Tun Khin +44 7888714866

Nay San Lwin +49 69 26022349