Arakan (Rakhine) State - reports etc.
Websites/Multiple Documents
| Title: | | MIMU - RAKHINE emergency page |
| Description/subject: | | Tools for humanitarian assistance..."For up-to-date relevant information including maps, contact list, initial assessment form and 3W data...3W maps/reports for 2012 can be found HERE.
268 organizations were contacted to provide inputs for this round of the 3W (Who is doing what, where) exercise. Amongst them, 87 agencies provided updates – (1) Embassy/Donor (3) Red Cross societies, (12) UN Agencies, (25) LNGOs and (46) INGOs. The 3W products reflect implementing agencies' projects in 329 townships, 4,089 village tract and 11,479 villages throughout the country...".....If this site does not have the latest situation reports, go to the Alternate URL - the OCHA myanmar page at http://reliefweb.int/country/mmr |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Myanmar Information Management Unit (MIMU) |
| Format/size: | | html, pdf |
| Alternate URLs: | | http://reliefweb.int/country/mmr |
| Date of entry/update: | | 04 July 2012 |
|
| Title: | | ReliefWeb Myanmar page |
| Description/subject: | | Timely reports on the humanitarian situation in Myanmar - from UN, Government and media sources. |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 31 July 2012 |
|
| Title: | | UN Country Team in Myanmar |
| Description/subject: | | Reports from October 2007 |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | UN Country Team in Myanmar |
| Format/size: | | html, pdf |
| Date of entry/update: | | 30 April 2013 |
|
Individual Documents
| Title: | | UN OCHA Flash Update 4, Cyclone Mahasen, Bangladesh and Myanmar |
| Date of publication: | | 14 May 2013 |
| Description/subject: | | "A red Storm Alert remains in effect for Tropical Cyclone Mahasen which is currently moving across the Indian Ocean towards Bangladesh and Myanmar. The cyclone does appear to have weakened and it is has been downgraded to a category-1 cyclone. It is expected to reach land now early on Friday morning (17 May). In its current path the cyclone is expected to hit north of Chittagong, Bangladesh but could, depending on its final trajectory, bring life threatening conditions for 8.2 million people in northeast India, Bangladesh and Myanmar. The highest impact, tidal surge and rainfall predictions are for the Chittagong and Cox's Bazaar areas of Bangladesh...n Myanmar, relocation and evacuation efforts according to the Government's plan are underway. As part of stage-1, the plan is to move 38,000 IDPs yesterday and today (14 May). It is unclear how many people have been relocated. Teams from humanitarian agencies have been monitoring the relocation efforts. Some IDPs are reluctant to relocate and some communities have refused to use military vehicles or to shelter in military barracks. Discussions between Government and communities in Sittwe are ongoing to negotiate alternative sites. The Government agrees that relocations are to be done in consultation with the IDPs. Muslim leaders have issued a statement encouraging people to cooperate with authorities. Humanitarian agencies are keen to understand what the triggers are for starting stage-2 of the evacuation plan which involves moving 100,000 IDPs..." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 14 May 2013 |
|
| Title: | | Myanmar / Rakhine Commission: “Positive starting point but Government must address impunity” – UN expert |
| Date of publication: | | 01 May 2013 |
| Description/subject: | | GENEVA (1 May 2013) – "The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar, Tomás Ojea Quintana, today welcomed some forward thinking recommendations from the Rakhine Investigation Commission report. However, he expressed concerns over the lack of recommendations to address impunity and ensure investigations into credible allegations of widespread and systematic human rights violations targeting the Muslim community in Rakhine State..." |
| Author/creator: | | Tomás Ojea Quintana |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | UN Information Centre, Yangon |
| Format/size: | | pdf (69K) |
| Alternate URLs: | | http://unic.un.org/imucms/Dish.aspx?loc=80&pg=110 |
| Date of entry/update: | | 02 May 2013 |
|
| Title: | | Myanmar must look beyond 'flawed' report to stop cycle of Buddhist-Muslim violence |
| Date of publication: | | 30 April 2013 |
| Description/subject: | | "Recommendations in a government-backed report investigating last year's devastating violence in Myanmar fail to effectively tackle discrimination against Rohingya Muslims and could trigger more human rights abuses, Amnesty International said.
The government-appointed Rakhine Commission this week issued a briefing on its investigation into violence between Buddhist and Muslim communities in Rakhine state, western Myanmar, which first erupted in June 2012. The clashes have resulted in a considerable loss of life and left thousands displaced.
The Commission, which did not include any Rohingya on its panel, called on the government to “double” the presence of security forces in Rakhine state, including the Border Security Force (NaSaKa)..." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Amnesty International |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 30 April 2013 |
|
| Title: | | Report of the Rakhine State Conflicts Investigation Commission (Executive Summary - English) |
| Date of publication: | | 30 April 2013 |
| Description/subject: | | "British bring in large numbers of Bengali from neighbouring country" - Nay Pyi Taw, 29 April—The Rakhine State Conflicts Investigation Commission released its report. The executive summary of the report is as follows:- |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | "The New Light of Myanmar" 30 April 2013 |
| Format/size: | | pdf (539K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 29 April 2013 |
|
| Title: | | Arakan Report Angers Rohingya Leaders |
| Date of publication: | | 29 April 2013 |
| Description/subject: | | "RANGOON — Rohingya leaders have reacted angrily to the findings of the official investigation into a wave of brutal violence that hit Arakan State in 2012, slamming the report findings as selective and slanted.
Speaking after members of a commission formed last year to investigate the violence presented a summary of their report today in Rangoon, Myo Thant, a Rohingya representative of the Democracy and Human Rights Party, told The Irrawaddy that the report did not present a completely accurate picture of the Arakan situation.
“This report has some good suggestions, but in ways it is biased and incomplete,” he said.
Commission members, including former political prisoners Ko Ko Gyi and Maung Thura, better known as Zarganar, launched the summary of the commission’s findings today at the Myanmar Peace Center..." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | "The Irrawaddy" |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 02 May 2013 |
|
| Title: | | Sectarian tensions in Myanmar limit aid worker access |
| Date of publication: | | 16 April 2013 |
| Description/subject: | | "Ongoing tensions between Buddhist and Muslim communities in Myanmar's western Rakhine State have created a threatening environment for aid workers, hindering assistance to more than 127,000 displaced persons.
'Access to IDPs [internally displaced persons] is being seriously hampered by ongoing intimidation [of aid workers] by some members of the local community,' noted the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Yangon.
Humanitarian organizations, including medical NGO Médecins Sans Frontières, report aid staff have faced accusations by the local Rakhine community - who are mostly Buddhist - that their assistance favours the Muslim Rohingya minority.
The majority of the displaced are Rohingya, but there are also hundreds of Buddhists among them, according to government estimates..." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | IRIN |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Alternate URLs: | | http://www.irinnews.org/AdvancedSearchResults.aspx?KW=myanmar (Search results on IRIN for Myanmar) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 16 April 2013 |
|
| Title: | | Burma’s Treatment of the Rohingya and International Law |
| Date of publication: | | 08 April 2013 |
| Description/subject: | | "This briefing paper finds that Burma’s
treatment of the Rohingya violates at least
eight international laws, treaty obligations and
international human rights guidelines. Burma’s 1982 Citizenship Law violates the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the
Convention on the Rights of the Child, and
international norms prohibiting discrimination
of racial and religious minorities, such as
the UN General Assembly Resolution on the
International Convention on the Elimination of all
forms of Racial Discrimination. Burma’s treatment of the Rohingya violates UN
definitions of the rule of law.
The investigation committee set up by the
government of Burma violates international
human rights guidelines.
Burma and the international community are
failing in their duty of Responsibility to Protect" |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Burma Campaign UK |
| Format/size: | | pdf (288K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 08 April 2013 |
|
| Title: | | Inter-Agency Preparedness/Contingency Plan - Rakhine State, Myanmar |
| Date of publication: | | 31 March 2013 |
| Description/subject: | | "This document has been elaborated by humanitarian partners to address existing humanitarian concerns in
view of protracted displacement and the likelihood
of the worsening of the humanitarian situation in Rakhine
State anticipating the upcoming rains and the possibility for further violence across the State and possibly
beyond. It is composed of three sections: a) Introduction, b) Preparedness Plan for the rains (to be
implemented between March and June 2013) and c) Contingency Planning for natural and human-made
disasters. Chapter a) and b) are included in this document, while chapter c) is under elaboration.
Inter-communal conflict in Rakhine State started in
early June 2012 and resurged in October 2012. This
has
resulted in the displacement of people, loss of lives and livelihoods and restricted movement for many.
Conditions in most camps are still far below international emergency standards eight months after the
crisis
started: shelter, water and sanitation, health and
other services are insufficient. Access to livelihood and basic
services has been further complicated by prolonged
displacement of people or their living in isolated
villages.
Rakhine State is prone to impacts of cyclones and s
uffered of severe floods and the situation of IDPs
camps is
going to further worsen during the rainy season which will start in May unless immediate action is taken.
Meeting the immediate shelter needs of 69,000 people before the rainy season is a top priority
as they are
located in flood-prone camps and/or living in tents
and makeshift shelters which will not withstand the rains.
The situation is particularly concerning in
13 camps in
Sittwe (40,000 people), Pauktaw (20,000 people),
Myebon (3,900)
people
which
will be inundated
as they are in former paddy fields or close to the
shore and at
risk of storm surge. Another
5,000 IDPs are not in appropriate shelters
to withstand the rains. Flooding will
result in a rapid deterioration of shelter, water a
nd sanitation and health conditions. Overflowing of
latrines
and lack of drainage will increase risks of water-borne diseases, morbidity and mortality.
The following actions, which can only be taken by the Government are needed..." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | UN Country Team in Myanmar |
| Format/size: | | pdf (2.87MB) |
| Alternate URLs: | | http://reliefweb.int/report/myanmar/inter-agency-preparednesscontingency-plan-rakhine-state-myanmar... |
| Date of entry/update: | | 30 April 2013 |
|
| Title: | | BURMA: Islamic community leader unfairly tried and imprisoned over communal violence |
| Date of publication: | | 01 February 2013 |
| Description/subject: | | "The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received detailed information concerning the case of a prominent retired medical doctor and Islamic community leader in the west of Burma imprisoned for allegedly sending news abroad about the first wave of violence in his town during mid-2012. Border security personnel detained Dr Tun Aung in June and accused him not only of sending news but failing to notify them of events that would lead to violence, even though he had reportedly put his own life at risk to stop the violence from occurring. A court in November sentenced Dr Tun Aung to 11 years in jail in a patently unfair trial. He is currently imprisoned and suffering from serious health conditions that require specialist treatment but have so far gone unattended..." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 05 February 2013 |
|
| Title: | | WASH woes for Myanmar’s Rakhine IDPs |
| Date of publication: | | 18 January 2013 |
| Description/subject: | | "YANGON, 18 January 2013 (IRIN) - Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) will be a key issue for thousands of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Myanmar’s western Rakhine State as the weather gets warmer, say aid workers.
“As the hot season approaches, intervention measures are needed to solve the problem of drinking water shortages and reduce the risks of water-borne disease,” said Tun Thaung, project supervisor of Myanmar Health Assistant Association (MHAA), speaking from Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine State.
According to the UN, some 115,000 people are still displaced in Rakhine following inter-communal violence in June and October 2012, in which thousands of homes and buildings were burned or destroyed and dozens of people killed. About 85 percent of the IDPs are in and around Sittwe..." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | IRIN |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 19 January 2013 |
|
| Title: | | Racism to Rohingya in Burma |
| Date of publication: | | 27 December 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | The present document is a critique of a 2005 paper by Dr Aye Chan, "The Development of a Muslim Enclave in
Arakan (Rakhine) State of Burma (Myanmar)" - see Alternate URL |
| Author/creator: | | Dr. Abid Bahar |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | "Arakan" - Arakan Rohingya Organisation (ARNO) |
| Format/size: | | pdf (313K) |
| Alternate URLs: | | http://www.soas.ac.uk/sbbr/editions/file64388.pdf (Dr. Aye Chan's paper) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 03 January 2013 |
|
| Title: | | Al Jazeera Investigates - The Hidden Genocide (video) |
| Date of publication: | | 09 December 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | "Earlier this year a Buddhist woman was raped and murdered in western Myanmar. The authorities charged three Muslim men.
A week later, 10 Muslims were murdered in a revenge attack. What happened next was hidden from the outside world.
Bloodshed pitted Buddhists against minority Rohingya Muslims. Many Rohingya fled their homes, which were burned down in what they said was a deliberate attempt by the predominantly Buddhist government to drive them out of the country.
"They were shooting and we were also fighting. The fields were filled with bodies and soaked with blood," says Mohammed Islam, who fled with his family to Bangladesh.
There are 400,000 Rohingya languishing in Bangladesh. For more than three decades, waves of refugees have fled Myanmar. But the government of Bangladesh considers the Rohingya to be illegal immigrants, as does the government of Myanmar. They have no legal rights and nowhere to go.
This is a story of a people fleeing the land where they were born, of a people deprived of citizenship in their homeland. It is the story of the Rohingya of western Myanmar, whose very existence as a people is denied.
Professor William Schabas, the former president of the International Association of Genocide Scholars, says: "When you see measures preventing births, trying to deny the identity of the people, hoping to see that they really are eventually, that they no longer exist; denying their history, denying the legitimacy of their right to live where they live, these are all warning signs that mean it's not frivolous to envisage the use of the term genocide." |
| Author/creator: | | Paul Rees |
| Language: | | Voice-over and sub-titles, English |
| Source/publisher: | | Al Jazeera via Youtube |
| Format/size: | | Adobe Flash (50 minutes) |
| Alternate URLs: | | http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/aljazeerainvestigates/2012/12/2012125122215836351.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54RzqiXLvnw&feature=youtube_gdata_player |
| Date of entry/update: | | 10 December 2012 |
|
| Title: | | Cyclone Giri: Two Years On - Voices from the Arakan State of Western Burma (Myanmar) |
| Date of publication: | | December 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | "...This independent assessment and report has been written to raise awareness of the on-going
impact cyclone Giri has had on Arakan state and its citizens. Victims and witnesses have had
the opportunity to speak out and reach a wider audience and we wish to spread their voices and
the situation to the international community, but also to the rest of Burma who seem to have
forgotten about their people in the west who are still dealing with the impact of cyclone Giri
two years on. The damage and the role of the local population in the relief and recovery effort
has been recorded so that these stories are not forgotten. More details are needed, and this
report should be the beginning of internal and external enquiries into the on-going state of the
situation there..." |
| Language: | | English; Burmese press release |
| Source/publisher: | | Arakan Human Rights and Development Organisation (AHRDO) |
| Format/size: | | pdf (893K; -main text; Burmese press release, 121K; English summary, 247K) |
| Alternate URLs: | | http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs14/Report%20Summary%20of%20CYCLONE_GIRI-TWO_YEARS_ON-summary-en.pdf
http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs14/Cyclone_Giri-2_Years_On-PR-bu.pdf |
| Date of entry/update: | | 21 December 2012 |
|
| Title: | | BURMA – COMPLEX EMERGENCY |
| Date of publication: | | 30 November 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | KEY DEVELOPMENTS: "A resurgence of violence between ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya, as well as non-Rohingya, Muslims that began on October 21 in Rakhine State had resulted in nearly 90 deaths, the displacement of approximately 36,000 people, and the destruction of 5,300 houses or religious buildings, primarily as a result of arson, as of November 15. The violence had diminished by early November, with the Government of Burma (GoB) deploying security forces to affected areas and enforcing curfews, but sporadic clashes continue. In a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon dated November 16, Burma’s President Thein Sein condemned the violence in Rakhine State and noted that the GoB was prepared to address contentious political issues concerning Rohingya, including resettlement of displaced populations, granting of citizenship, birth registration, work permits, and permits for moving within the country. On November 21, President Sein announced that the GoB would pursue a multifaceted plan aimed at addressing tensions between Muslim and Buddhist communities in Rakhine State, according to international media sources. Components of the plan include reducing prejudices, promoting education, creating jobs, and introducing a birth control program in accordance with international standards. In a speech delivered during a November 19 visit to Burma, President Barack Obama called for the end of sectarian violence in Rakhine State and for national reconciliation. President Obama also announced $170 million in new U.S. Government assistance for Burma to be provided over a two-year period and encompassing a range of programs, including governance, development, humanitarian, and reconciliation interventions. USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA), USAID’s Office of Food for Peace (USAID/FFP), and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (State/PRM) continue to address the humanitarian needs of Rakhine’s conflict-affected populations, particularly those displaced by violence, through ongoing programs funded in FY 2012 and new programs initiated in FY 2013..." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | USAID - FACT SHEET #1, FISCAL YEAR (FY) 2013 |
| Format/size: | | pdf (250K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 09 December 2012 |
|
| Title: | | Resentment Runs Deep in Arakan State |
| Date of publication: | | 22 November 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | "...There is a deep ignorance within both communities regarding the other that the policy of absolute segregation applied by the authorities since June is doing nothing to remedy. Both Muslims and Buddhists consistently told The Irrawaddy that they lived peacefully and amiably before the violence first broke out in June.
But now there is no daily interaction between these estranged communities, and both are abuzz with rumors depicting the other people as little more than blood-thirsty monsters. It seems that each day of segregation will only make it more difficult for Buddhists and Muslims to live together ever again." |
| Author/creator: | | Carlos Sardiña Galache |
| Source/publisher: | | "The Irrawaddy" |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 14 January 2013 |
|
| Title: | | Revised Rakhine Response Plan (Myanmar) July 2012–June 2013 (Revision: 16 November 2012) |
| Date of publication: | | 21 November 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | "The inter-community conflict in Rakhine State, which started in early June 2012 and resurged in October 2012, has resulted in displacement and loss of lives and livelihoods. As of early November, the number of people displaced in Rakhine State has surpassed 115,000, of whom about 75,000 individuals have remained displaced since June and over 36,000 people were displaced following a resurgence of violence in late October 2012. Others continue living in tents close to their places of origin while their houses are being rebuilt, or with host families. Life-saving assistance for this caseload is urgently needed.Notwithstanding these 115,000 people, there are also many others who out of fear are unable to move and have had restricted access to livelihood, food, and medical services, which has in the past attracted them to the IDPs camps with potential for further displacement. Government sources indicate that 167 people were killed (78 in June and 89 in October); 223 injured (87 in June and 136 in October); and 10,100 private, public and religious buildings were burned or destroyed (4,800 in June and 5,300 in October).Curfews have been imposed since June in seven locations and in two additional ones in October. Additional military personnel have been dispatched to the area to control the situation..." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) with humanitarian partners |
| Format/size: | | pdf (1MB-OBL version; 2.26MB-original) |
| Alternate URLs: | | http://unic.un.org/imucms/userfiles/yangon/file/Revised%20Rakhine%20Response%20Plan%20%28amended%29... |
| Date of entry/update: | | 21 November 2012 |
|
| Title: | | Rohingya Leaders Angry About Suu Kyi’s Comments |
| Date of publication: | | 21 November 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | 'Rohingya leaders are condemning recent comments by opposition leader Daw Aung Suu Kyi during her trip to India.
“There's a lot of illegal crossing of the border still going on that they have got to put a stop this," Suu Kyi said in interview with the Indian NDTV television network.
Nurul Islam, president of Arakan Rohingya National Organization (ARNO), said the comments Suu Kyi made about Rohingyas in Arakan State is unacceptable.
“Her silence or so-called neutrality cannot be justified because such standpoint encourages Rakhine extremists and the elements in the governments to carry on their campaigns of systematic racism, racial extermination and campaigns of genocide against the Rohingyas and Kamans.”
The ARNO President said Suu Kyi's comments belie the truth, either by choice or ignorance, when she stated that there is still illegal immigration of people from Bangladesh into Arakan State. On the contrary, expulsion of Muslim Rohingyas from Arakan into Bangladesh and other countries is a regular phenomenon. If Suu Kyi needed to be convinced she could have visited thousands of Rohingya refugees from Burma within the vicinity of Delhi. There are also thousands of Rakhines and Mramas from Bangladesh who have entered and settled down in Arakan under a state administered program, said Nurul Islam...' |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | "Kaladan News" via BNI |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 21 November 2012 |
|
| Title: | | Myanmar Facing Unfolding Crisis , |
| Date of publication: | | 17 November 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | "... The violence in Rakhine State represents a major test for the government as it seeks to maintain law and order without rekindling memories of the recent authoritarian past. It also represents a challenge for Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy to demonstrate a greater commitment, publicly and privately, to the fundamental rights of all those who live in Myanmar.
Above all, both government and opposition need to show moral leadership to calm the tensions and work for durable solutions to a problem that could threaten Myanmar’s reform process and the stability of the country." |
| Author/creator: | | Louise Arbour |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | International Crisis Group (ICG) |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 23 November 2012 |
|
| Title: | | MYANMAR: STORM CLOUDS ON THE HORIZON (English; Burmese Executive Summary) |
| Date of publication: | | 12 November 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | Executive Summary: "Myanmar’s leaders continue to demonstrate that they have the political will and the vision to move the country decisively away from its authoritarian past, but the road to democracy is proving hard. President Thein Sein has declared the changes irreversible and worked to build a durable partnership with the opposition. While the process remains incomplete, political prisoners have been released, blacklists trimmed, freedom of assembly laws implemented, and media censorship abolished. But widespread ethnic violence in Rakhine State, targeting principally the Rohingya Muslim minority, has cast a dark cloud over the reform process and any further rupturing of intercommunal relations could threaten national stability. Elsewhere, social tensions are rising as more freedom allows local conflicts to resurface. A ceasefire in Kachin State remains elusive. Political leaders have conflicting views about how power should be shared under the constitution as well as after the 2015 election. Moral leadership is required now to calm tensions and new compromises will be needed if divisive confrontation is to be avoided...The ongoing intercommunal strife in Rakhine State is of grave concern, and there is the potential for similar violence elsewhere, as nationalism and ethno-nationalism rise and old prejudices resurface. The difficulty in reaching a ceasefire in Kachin State underlines the complexity of forging a sustainable peace with ethnic armed groups. There are also rising grassroots tensions over land grabbing and abuses by local authorities, and environmental and social concerns over foreign-backed infrastructure and mining projects...A key factor in determining the success of Myanmar’s transition will be macro-political stability. In 2015, Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) will compete for seats across the country for the first time since the abortive 1990 elections. Assuming these polls are free and fair, they will herald a radical shift in the balance of power away from the old dispensation. But an NLD landslide may not be in the best interests of the party or the country, as it would risk marginalising three important constituencies: the old political elite, the ethnic political parties and the non-NLD democratic forces. If the post-2015 legislatures fail to represent the true political and ethnic diversity of the country, tensions are likely to increase and fuel instability. The main challenge the NLD faces is not to win the election, but to promote inclusiveness and reconciliation. It has a number of options to achieve this. It could support a more proportional election system that would create more representative legislatures, by removing the current “winner- takes-all” distortion. Alternatively, it could form an alliance with other parties, particularly ethnic parties, agreeing not to compete against them in certain constituencies. Finally, it could support an interim “national unity” candidate for the post-2015 presidency. This would reassure the old guard, easing the transition to an NLD-dominated political system..." |
| Language: | | English, Burmese/ ျမန္မာဘာသာ (exec. Sum) |
| Source/publisher: | | International Crisis Group (Asia Report N°238) |
| Format/size: | | pdf (454K-OBL version; 2.73MB-original); Exec Sum in Burmese (166K) |
| Alternate URLs: | | http://www.crisisgroup.org/~/media/Files/asia/south-east-asia/burma-myanmar/Burmese/238-myanmar-sto... - Executive Summary in Burmese
http://www.crisisgroup.org/~/media/Files/asia/south-east-asia/burma-myanmar/238-myanmar-storm-cloud... |
| Date of entry/update: | | 12 November 2012 |
|
| Title: | | Nowhere to go for the Rohingya |
| Date of publication: | | 09 November 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | "...For the Rohingya, straddling post-colonial borders, losing one nationality was a predictable misfortune. Losing two was a matter of calculated, official carelessness - in the most literal sense.
The rocky road began back in the 1960's, during General Ne Win's "Burmanisation" campaign. Eager to clear up racial business left over from Burma's British days, when Indian and Chinese traders swanned across the border, Ne Win's Revolutionary Council embarked on a campaign of nationalization. Confiscating their businesses ensured the ethnically-foreign enterprising classes got the message. Approximately 300,000 Indians and 100,000 Chinese fled, hobbling vital rice and timber export industries and ensuring vital goods like medicine and petrol were in short supply.
To ensure these "foreigners" didn't return, and to give Burmanisation official meaning, the government passed an Emergency Immigration Act in 1974. This required all citizens to carry identity cards (registration cards), which neatly gave the military government the practical means of saying who was and was not entitled to Burmese nationality. The Rohingya weren't, they got "Foreign Registration Cards".
At this stage, citizenship-stripping proved more ominous than critical to Rohingya. They lived in a remote part of a rebellious province, largely outside the realm of official Burma. For two decades after independence, Arakan/Rakhine separatists had fought with the Rangoon government and armed Rohingya Jihadi occasionally lent a hand. But during the late 1970s and early 1980s, Ne Win, his generals and their Burma Socialist Programme Party extended central control over some of Burma's recalcitrant provinces, including Arakan. Non-citizens found their rights to travel and marry curtailed, and then citizenship started to matter very much indeed..." |
| Author/creator: | | Phil Radford |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | "Asia Times Online" |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 10 November 2012 |
|
| Title: | | Rohingya miss boat on development |
| Date of publication: | | 09 November 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | "The ethnic conflict that ravaged much of Rakhine State in western Myanmar last month was an opportunity for more than settling old and new scores between Muslim Rohingya and Buddhist Rakhines and co-religionist new arrivals from elsewhere in the country.
Those involved were also clearing land in a densely populated area that is set to be among the country's prime bits of real estate as energy-related projects start transforming the impoverished state.
More than 100 people (some reports indicate many times that number) were killed last month, untold others were wounded, and an estimated 28,000 fled or were driven from their homes in clashes between the stateless Rohingya and Buddhist citizens in a recurrence of violence last June. They are the latest incidents involving evicted ethnic groups around the country weeks before US President Obama visits Myanmar later this month.
"The government has taken the opportunity to create more violence allowing a destabilized and vulnerable state which they can then take the natural resources from. This is believed to be the main reason to why so many villages [in Rakhine State] were razed to the ground," the representative of one non-government organization (NGO) told Asia Times Online, citing the source as a Rakhine resident..." |
| Author/creator: | | Syed Tashfin Chowdhury and Chris Stewart |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | "Asia Times Online" |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 09 November 2012 |
|
| Title: | | Myanmar: Displacement in Rakhine State. Situation Report No. 12 (6 November 2012) |
| Date of publication: | | 06 November 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | I. HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES:
• The Government reports that the total estimated number of IDPs in Rakhine reached over 110,000 people, including some 36,400 people displaced in October.
• As of 4 November, inter-agency rapid needs assessment was conducted in most IDP locations in Minbya, Mrauk-U, Myebon, Pauktaw, Kyauktaw and Rathedaung townships. At the same time, emergency relief supplies were distributed, including food and plastic sheets to some 27,200 people.
• Preliminarily findings of the assessments indicate that urgent needs are food, health, shelter, water sanitation and hygiene (WASH). |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) |
| Format/size: | | pdf (286K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 07 November 2012 |
|
| Title: | | In Sittwe, relief camps struggle to cope with new influx |
| Date of publication: | | 05 November 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | "The Rakhine State government is unable to accept more Rohingya refugees seeking shelter in Sittwe, an official said last week, as aid workers warned of a deepening humanitarian crisis with critical shortages of food, water and medicine.
More than 100,000 people have been displaced since June in two major outbreaks of violence in Rakhine State, where renewed clashes last month between Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims uprooted about 30,000 people.
Dozens were killed on both sides and thousands of homes were torched.
Rakhine State Attorney-General U Hla Thein said the Sittwe camps could only take care of those displaced during violence in June..." |
| Author/creator: | | Soe Than Lynn |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | "The Myanmar Times" |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 12 November 2012 |
|
| Title: | | Ethnic violence imperils Myanmar reform |
| Date of publication: | | 03 November 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | "Renewed violence in Myanmar's western Rakhine State threatens to spread across the country as rising sentiment against ethnic Rohingyas becomes more generally anti-Muslim. Surging Buddhist versus Muslim violence underscores the urgent need for reforms related to ethnic minorities and the rule of law, issues that were neglected or exploited for political gain during the era of direct military rule..." |
| Author/creator: | | Brian McCartan |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | "Asia Times Online" |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 11 November 2012 |
|
| Title: | | Myanmar: Displacement in Rakhine State. Situation Report No. 11 (2 November 2012 |
| Date of publication: | | 02 November 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | I. HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES:
* The total IDPs caseload in Rakhine reached close to 110,000 people. The Rakhine State Government’s
estimates of 31 October indicates that over 35,000 people were displaced in the recent wave of violence, and
about 75,000 IDPs are in Sittwe and Kyauktaw since June.
* The October violence also caused 89 fatalities and 136 injuries. Over 5,300 houses and religious buildings
were burned or destroyed.
* The Government requested the international community’s assistance for all those affected.
* Inter-agency assessment/distribution teams visited Minbya, Mrauk-U and Myebon. IDPs need urgent food,
shelter and health care assistance. Some 48.5 MT of food and 240 non-food items have been distributed to
about 3,000 people in Minbya and in Mrauk-U townships. Other items are being dispatched but stocks are
low. The Government and the private sector are also distributing food, health and non-food items to affected
people. |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) |
| Format/size: | | pdf (301K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 07 November 2012 |
|
| Title: | | Humanitarian Bulletin - Myanmar Issue: November 2012 |
| Date of publication: | | November 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | Dire humanitarian needs P.1...
Access constraints P.2...
Funding requirements P.3...
Sector needs and responses P.4.....
HIGHLIGHTS
The Government reports that the total estimated number of IDPs in Rakhine reached 115,000 people, including over 36,000 newly displaced in late October.
Up to 75,000 people are estimated to have been displaced by insecurity in Kachin and northern Shan States which started in June 2011.
The Government indicates that at least 17 people were killed and 114 injured due to an earthquake in upper Myanmar. |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) with humanitarian partners |
| Format/size: | | pdf (442K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 05 December 2012 |
|
| Title: | | Myanmar urged to end violence and protect vulnerable communities in Rakhine State – UN experts |
| Date of publication: | | 31 October 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | "...“If the country is to be successful in the process of democratic transition, it must be bold in addressing the human rights challenges that exist,” said the Special Rapporteur on Myanmar, Tomás Ojea Quintana. “In the case of Rakhine State, this involves addressing the long-standing endemic discrimination against the Rohingya community that exists within sections of local and national Government as well as society at large.”...“The Government has an obligation to protect all of those affected by recent violence, including the Muslim Rohingya community which is particularly vulnerable, to guarantee their safety and respond urgently to their needs, including shelter, food and medical care,” said the UN Independent Expert on minority issues, Rita Izsák. “It must act rapidly to ensure that this situation does not deteriorate leading to further loss of life and displacement of communities..."...the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons, Chaloka Beyani, said that “the Government must take urgent steps to halt further displacement and destruction of homes.” “All displaced groups, including the Rohingya community, must be assisted to return and rebuild their homes with assurances of their human rights and security in the short, medium and long-term,” Mr. Beyani said. “All humanitarian agencies must have full access to the
affected populations.” The human rights experts underscored that this situation must not become an opportunity to permanently remove an unwelcome community, and expressed their deep concern about the assertion of the Government and others that the Rohingya are illegal immigrants and stateless persons..." |
| Author/creator: | | Tomás Ojea Quintana |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | United Nations |
| Format/size: | | pdf (282K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 01 November 2012 |
|
| Title: | | The Rohingya: stateless and unwanted |
| Date of publication: | | 31 October 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | Links to several articles and videos |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Al Jazeera |
| Format/size: | | html, Adobe Flash |
| Date of entry/update: | | 17 November 2012 |
|
| Title: | | ROHINGYA IN BANGLADESH: MAINTAINING THE STATUS QUO; SQUANDERING A RARE OPPORTUNITY |
| Date of publication: | | 30 October 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | "For decades, Burmese Rohingya fleeing persecution have sought refuge in Bangladesh. June’s
inter-communal violence in Burma’s Rakhine State, as well as subsequent state-sponsored
persecution and targeted attacks against Muslim populations, have cast an international spotlight on this neglected population, and offered an opportunity to resolve the status of both stateless Rohingya inside Burma and those Rohingya who are refugees in neighboring countries. This could be an opportunity for Bangladesh to engage fully on this issue and develop its long-awaited refugee policy. Instead, the nation is rallying against the Rohingya by refusing entry to refugees and restricting humanitarian assistance. This response, besides representing a breach of international law, will weaken Bangladesh’s ability to secure international support as discussions of the Rohingya’s plight intensify. The governments of Bangladesh and Burma should be engaging in bilateral – and perhaps multilateral – discussions about how to protect the rights of the Rohingya community..." |
| Author/creator: | | Melanie Teff and Sarnata Reynolds |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Refugees International |
| Format/size: | | pdf (90K), html |
| Alternate URLs: | | http://www.refugeesinternational.org/policy/field-report/rohingya-bangladesh-maintaining-status-quo...
http://www.refugeesinternational.org/where-we-work/asia/burma |
| Date of entry/update: | | 02 November 2012 |
|
| Title: | | ROHINGYA IN BURMA: SPOTLIGHT ON CURRENT CRISIS OFFERS OPPORTUNITY FOR PROGRESS |
| Date of publication: | | 30 October 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | CONCLUSION:
"Long one of the most persecuted peoples in the world, the stateless Rohingya community has endured even greater
suffering since the June inter-communal violence and subsequent displacement of tens of thousands of people. Violence is already recurring, with further deaths and over 1,000 more houses destroyed by fire in October. This crisis could even de-rail the Burmese government’s overall reform process if the underlying structural discrimination against Rohingya, including their lack of citizenship, is not addressed. In the short-term, there is a humanitarian imperative to urgently improve the conditions in the displacement camps and to allow humanitarian access to all communities in need of
assistance. The rule of law in Rakhine State must be restored, the segregation of communities in Sittwe must come to an end, and the Rohingya should be recognized as citizens of Burma. For the long-term, Burma’s government must
commit to the robust economic, social, and political development of Rakhine State. But that will not be enough. While a functioning economy, political representation, and land ownership will go a long way toward reconciliation, hostilities will not end until Burma’s government commits to promoting and protecting the human rights of both communities." |
| Author/creator: | | Melanie Teff and Sarnata Reynolds, with Chris Lewa of the Arakan Project |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Refugees International |
| Format/size: | | pdf (242K), html |
| Alternate URLs: | | http://www.refugeesinternational.org/policy/field-report/rohingya-burma-spotlight-current-crisis-of...
http://www.refugeesinternational.org/where-we-work/asia/burma |
| Date of entry/update: | | 02 November 2012 |
|
| Title: | | RAKHINE UNREST SINCE 21 OCTOBER 2012 |
| Date of publication: | | 29 October 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | Photos and maps of incidents, estimates of numbers of IDPs...Destruction in Myebon... Anti-Rohingya demonstation in Myebon... IDP location in Myebon... Villages affeted in Mrauk-U and Minbya...People who lost their houses in several villages of Minbya township...IDP locations in Kyaukpyu and Ramree...IDP accommodation in GAD office...Destruction in Ramree...Destruction in Ramree...Destruction in Kyaukpyu...IDP camps - Giri response tents being used...Pauktaw affected areas...Rathedaung affected areas. |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | OFFICE OF THE RESIDENT AND HUMANITARIAN COORDINATOR IN MYANMAR |
| Format/size: | | pdf (2.3MB-OBL version; 4.5MB-original) |
| Alternate URLs: | | http://themimu.info/docs/Situation_in_Rakhine_MS_briefing_29_October_2012.pdf |
| Date of entry/update: | | 07 November 2012 |
|
| Title: | | Myanmar: Displacement in Rakhine State. Situation Report No. 10 (28 October 2012) |
| Date of publication: | | 28 October 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | I. HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES:
• Although the figures are most likely to increase, as of the evening of 28 October the Government’s partial estimate indicates that over 28,000 people have been displaced and that at least 76 persons have been killed in the recent violence that started on 21 October. More than 4,600 houses and several religious buildings have been destroyed in the unrest.
• A high-level delegation led by the Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator and the heads of UNCHR, WFP and OCHA accompanied the Ministers of Border Affairs to affected areas of Rakhine State.
• The Government requested the international community assistance for all those affected. |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) |
| Format/size: | | pdf (271K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 01 November 2012 |
|
| Title: | | Burma: New Violence in Arakan State - Satellite Imagery Shows Widespread Destruction of Rohingya Homes, Property |
| Date of publication: | | 27 October 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | "The government of Burma should take immediate steps to stop sectarian violence against the Rohingya Muslim population in Arakan State, in western Burma, and ensure protection and aid to both Rohingyas and Arakanese in the state, Human Rights Watch said today. New satellite imagery obtained by Human Rights Watch shows extensive destruction of homes and other property in a predominantly Rohingya Muslim area of the coastal town of Kyauk Pyu – one of several areas of new violence and displacement.
Human Rights Watch identified 811 destroyed structures on the eastern coastal edge of Kyauk Pyu following arson attacks reportedly conducted on October 24, 2012, less than 24 hours before the satellite images were captured. The area of destruction measures 35 acres and includes 633 buildings and 178 houseboats and floating barges adjacent on the water, all of which were razed. There are no indications of fire damage to the immediate west and east of this zone of destruction. Media accounts and local officials said that many Rohingya in the town fled by sea toward Sittwe, the capital of Arakan State, 200 kilometers to the north. Violence renewed between Arakan Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims on October 21 and continued all week in at least five townships: Minbya, Mrak-U, Myebon, Rathedaung, and Kyauk Pyu. This was the first time violence had reached Kyauk Pyu and most of these other parts of the state since the sectarian violence and related abuses by state security forces against the Rohingya began in early June. The Rohingya have suffered the brunt of the violence..." |
| Source/publisher: | | Human Rights Watch |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 02 November 2012 |
|
| Title: | | Statement by Tomás Ojea Quintana SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON THE SITUATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN MYANMAR |
| Date of publication: | | 25 October 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | "...We should all acknowledge and commend the Government of Myanmar for what has been achieved thus far, which I have previously stated has improved the country’s human rights situation. Yet, recent developments highlight that Myanmar continues to grapple with ongoing human rights concerns that could pose risks to the reform process..." |
| Author/creator: | | Tomás Ojea Quintana |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | United Nations General Assembly (67th session) |
| Format/size: | | pdf (100K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 01 November 2012 |
|
| Title: | | UN Expert: Human rights should lie at the heart of Myanmar’s reform process |
| Date of publication: | | 25 October 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | "The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar, Tomás Ojea Quintana, today highlighted the importance of keeping human rights on the agenda for Myanmar. This, he stressed, is particularly relevant in light of the ongoing violence in Rakhine State. The Special Rapporteur expressed concern that more lives have been lost in the violence and emphasised that the underlying causes of the tension and conflict between the Buddhist and Muslim communities in Rakhine State must be addressed as a priority...NEW YORK (25 October 2012) – The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar, Tomás Ojea Quintana, today highlighted the importance of keeping human rights on the agenda for Myanmar. This, he stressed, is particularly relevant in light of the ongoing violence in Rakhine State. The Special Rapporteur expressed concern that more lives have been lost in the violence and emphasised that the underlying causes of the tension and conflict between the Buddhist and Muslim communities in Rakhine State must be addressed as a priority..." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | United Nations |
| Format/size: | | pdf (169K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 01 November 2012 |
|
| Title: | | AN ASSESSMENT OF THE QUESTION OF ROHINGYA’S NATIONALITY - LEGAL NEXUS BETWEEN ROHINGYA AND THE STATE |
| Date of publication: | | 23 October 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | "It is difficult for general Burmese to understand the legal status of Rohingya. Majority does not know the Geo-Political and historical background of Arakan. To general Burmese, a Burmese is a Buddhist. If a pure Burmese happens to be a Muslim he is regarded as a Kalah or a foreigner. Here, Rohingyas are Muslims, their complexions are different from general Burmese, so they are generally seen as foreigners or descendants of foreigners that mean Rohingyas are regarded as non-natives.
However, Bokyoke Aung San, father of the nation and the leaders of post-independence period studied the affairs of all minorities in the nation and generously accepted Rohingyas as an indigenous race of Burma at the same par with Kachin, Kayah, Karen, Chin, Mon and Rakhine. He (Bokyoke) sought the cooperation of Rohingyas. He assured them of their genuine nationality in Myanmar during his meeting with Muslim elders at Akyab in May 1946. U Aung Zan Wai and Mr. Sultan Mahmood (Ex-Health Minister) were said to have been assigned to go up to Maungdaw to organize Rohingyas there for AFPFL.
In early British census Rohingya, Kaman, Myedu and Chittagonians or Bengalis were all censured under the column of Muslims. Sometimes Arakanese (Rakhine) Muslims were categorized as Sheikhs and sometimes they were put under the column of Indian Muslims. Arakanese Muslims protested not to mix them with foreign Muslims. So in 1921 census only some Rakhine speaking Muslims were shown under separate column as Arakan Mohammedan. Then again in 1931 census Myedu and Kaman only were separately listed, whence some Rohingyas still remained under general Muslim headline. Yet Rohingyas are not foreigners in independent Burma. Grounds for this claim are:..." |
| Author/creator: | | U Kyaw Min |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | " "Arakan" - Arakan Rohingya Organisation (ARNO) |
| Format/size: | | pdf (568K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 23 October 2012 |
|
| Title: | | Give Citizenship to the Rohingya Community- |
| Date of publication: | | 08 October 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | "...Global Movement of Moderates Chairman Tan Sri Razali Ismail has called on the Myanmar government to consider giving citizenship to the Rohingya community. Razali, who was formerly the United Nations’ special envoy to Myanmar, talks to the New Straits Times on the role of Malaysia and the international community in forming solutions to the plight of the Rohingya.
Q :. You took part in the recent Perdana Global Peace Foundation Conference on the Plight of the Rohingyas, in which they came up with 16 resolutions to be handed to various parties including to the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak), the Myanmar government, and the United Nations. What is the progress on the resolutions?...A FORMER Amnesty International Thailand researcher said violence against the Rohingya in Myanmar was because of systemic discrimination, which was manifested in law, policy and practices of the Myanmar government...DID THE GOVT. INCITE THE RACIAL VIOLENCE TARGETING THE ROHINGYA ?... Reply To The Demands to the Government from the People’s Gathering in Yathetdaung, Arakan (Part-1)[separate link]...The social and economic conditions of refugees should be improved... |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | "Arakan" - Arakan Rohingya Organisation (ARNO) |
| Format/size: | | pdf (452K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 09 October 2012 |
|
| Title: | | Myanmar: Displacement in Rakhine State. Situation Report No. 9 (5 October 2012 |
| Date of publication: | | 05 October 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | I. HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES:
• The Government of Myanmar estimates that approximately 75,000 IDPs are accommodated in 40 camps and temporary locations in Sittwe and Kyauktaw Townships as of 2 October. However, most are in nine camps outside of Sittwe.
• A two-day workshop on Rakhine organized by the Ministry of Border Affairs and UN agencies concluded with recommendations/ways forward to address ongoing concerns as well as to achieve sustainable development for Rakhine State. |
| Source/publisher: | | UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) |
| Format/size: | | pdf (129K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 26 October 2012 |
|
| Title: | | Plight of the Rohingya - Solution? (Special News Pictorial of "Arakan Magazine") - revised |
| Date of publication: | | 30 September 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | Text of the resolution adopted by the PERDANA GLOBAL PEACE FOUNDATION INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON
“PLIGHT OF THE ROHINGYA: SOLUTIONS?” held on 17 September 2012 in Kuala Lumpur. Also,extracts and summaries of some of the presentations and many photos... "The Conference is divided into 3 sessions which will be moderated by Y. Bhg. Tan Sri Razali Ismail, UN Secretary-
General’s Special Envoy for Myanmar (2000-2005), Y. Bhg. Tan Sri Dr. Mohd. Rais Karim, acting Secretary-General
PERKIM/former Vice Chancellor UPSI) and Y. Bhg. Tan Sri Ahmad Fuzi Abdul Razak (former Secretary-General Ministry
of Foreign Affairs Malaysia) for each session respectively.
The speakers are experts and renowned personalities including Mr. Nurul Islam (President of ARNO), Dr. Maung Zarni
(Civil Society and Human Security Unit, LSE), Mr. Jacob Zenn (International Affairs Analyst, Washington DC), Mr.
Benjamin Zawacki (former Researcher of Amnesty International), Mr. Matthew Smith (Human Rights Watch), Mr.
Saiful Huq Omi (Research Consultant, Equal Rights Trust, Bangladesh), Dr. Sriprapha Petcharmesree (Human Rights &
Peace Studies, Mahidol University Thailand and Dr. Abdullah Ahsan, International Movement for Just World (JUST)
Malaysia.
The Conference is attended by participants comprising representatives from the diplomatic corps, international
organisations, parliamentarians, human rights groups, academia, civil society movements, non-governmental
organisations, members of the media, as well as leaders of Rohingya organisations who are based in countries outside
Myanmar.
“It is indeed a collective and united call to action as part from calling upon the Myanmar authorities to acknowledge
and resolve the crisis, UN and international agencies could very well play their part in ensuring their “responsibility to
protect”, said Norian Mai, Chairman of Perdana Global Peace Foundation in his closing remarks" |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | "Arakan" - Arakan Rohingya Organisation (ARNO) |
| Format/size: | | pdf (2.4MB) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 02 October 2012 |
|
| Title: | | Nowhere To Go (video) |
| Date of publication: | | 28 September 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | "Reviled in Myanmar and unwanted in Bangladesh, where does one of the world's most persecuted minorities really belong?...
The Rohingya are a stateless people described by the UN as one of the world's most persecuted minorities.
They are reviled in Myanmar, the country many Rohingya call home, and unwelcome in neighbouring Bangladesh, where tens of thousands live in refugee camps.
And now they could be facing their worst crisis yet.
Violent ethnic clashes in Myanmar's Rakhine state have led to calls for their expulsion from the country. Boatloads of Rohingya refugees have been denied entry into Bangladesh. Those already there live on the fringes of society, undocumented and at risk of exploitation.
In late May, news broke of the brutal rape and murder of a Buddhist woman in Myanmar's Rakhine state. It was, by all accounts, a horrific crime.
What made it worse for some was that the alleged perpetrators were men from the Muslim Rohingya minority.
Five days later a crowd attacked a bus and killed nine Muslims in what appeared to be a retaliatory attack. The clashes erupted suddenly, and ferociously.
Rakhine state has since become the scene of more violence. Entire villages have been burnt down and people driven from their homes. Both sides accuse each other of atrocities and the Myanmar government has declared a state of emergency in the region.
Tens of thousands of Rohingya people now live in refugee camps, with their movements being restricted.
In Myanmar they are not recognised as citizens and their access to opportunities are severely curtailed.
In the aftermath of the Rakhine riots, human rights observers fear they might become the target of more discrimination.
Myanmar does not want them. But neither does neighbouring Bangladesh, the country with the second-largest concentration of the Rohingya.
So where do the Rohingya really belong? 101 East looks at who should take responsibility for the community." |
| Language: | | English (including subtitles), Arakanese, Rohingya, Burmese |
| Source/publisher: | | AL Jazeera (101 East) |
| Format/size: | | Adobe Flash (25 minutes) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 17 November 2012 |
|
| Title: | | Sectarian strife in western Myanmar |
| Date of publication: | | 28 September 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | [Edited version of Dr Farrelly's presentation at the ANU conference "'The Western Gate is Broken': Myanmar's Rohingya Problem" - link to the podcast in the Alternate URL]...."In early June 2012 we were confronted with the lacerations of violence pitting Buddhist Rakhine against Muslim Rohingya. While Myanmar’s old wounds fester – across the gamut of political, economic, social and cultural issues – new incisions have cut to the bone of a brittle body politic, still scarred by generations of hardship and horror. Big questions are raised by the fresh wounds in western Myanmar, where at least 90 people have been killed and around 90,000 displaced in recent spurts of sectarian violence. We want to know how bad the damage has been, whether the prognosis is bleak, and what remedies can be prescribed.
Introducing the violence that erupted only 3 months ago requires sensitivity to the competing interpretations of these events. Today, it is my task to briefly summarise the violence; providing a general framework for our discussions. I will, first, very briefly describe the recent violence in western Myanmar; second, highlight the broader social and demographic situation; third, explain the reception in the media and online; and fourth introduce a brief interpretation of the political and geopolitical ramifications..." |
| Author/creator: | | Nicholas Farrelly |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | "New Mandala" |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Alternate URLs: | | http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/__data/assets/mp3_file/0020/7391/20120927-Rohingya.mp3 (MP3 podcast of the conference (32MB)
http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandala/category/burma/ |
| Date of entry/update: | | 03 October 2012 |
|
| Title: | | "'The Western Gate is Broken': Myanmar's Rohingya Problem" (Conference podcast) |
| Date of publication: | | 27 September 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | Podcast of a conference held on the 27th September 2012
at Australian National University (ANU), Australia....
Introduction to the conference:
"In June 2012, inter-communal violence spread through Rakhine (Arakan) State on the western border of Myanmar (Burma). Allegedly sparked by the rape and murder of a young woman on May 27, reprisal attacks between persons described as ethnic Rakhines and Burmese on the one side and Rohingyas and Bengalis on the other escalated rapidly after the killing of ten Muslims on a bus. Thousands of people began fleeing towards Bangladesh-many not for the first time-whose government promptly closed the border. Following the imposition of a state of emergency, the conflict subsided. However, the many social, economic and political factors contributing to the conflict remain unaddressed, and all indications are that problems will persist...
Events in Rakhine State have variously been cast as the result of an ethnic or religious feud; a matter of national security, of national identity, or of simple criminality; and, the consequence of deliberate instigation from one party or another, or of population pressures and larger geopolitics. The violence is difficult to describe, analyse and address partly because no basic consensus exists about its essential features, let alone what might be done about it...
What is going on in Rakhine State and why? How are we to make sense of the conflict? Join scholars from the School of International, Political and Strategic Studies at the ANU as we sketch the parameters of the latest violence, tease apart some of its history, look at the role of Bangladesh, and also examine the work of international agencies in Myanmar's west.....
About the Panelists:
Dr Nicholas Farrelly is a research fellow at the School of International, Political and Strategic Studies, ANU, co-founder of the New Mandala website and an expert on conflict in northern Myanmar...
Dr Nick Cheesman is a lecturer in the Department of Political and Social Change, ANU, whose PhD thesis examined the politics of law and order in Myanmar...
Mr Obaidul Haque is a PhD Candidate at the Department of Political and Social Change, ANU and former lecturer in international relations at the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh who is researching conflict and peace building in the Chittagong Hill Tracts...
Mr Trevor Wilson is a visiting fellow at the Department of Political and Social Change, ANU, and a former Australian ambassador to Myanmar (2000-2003)...
Moderated by: Associate Professor Andrew Walker, Associate Dean (Education) and Senior Fellow, Department of Political & Social Change, ANU.....See the Alternate URL for a link to "Sectarian strife in Western Myanmar", an edited version of one of the presentations. |
| Author/creator: | | Dr Nicholas Farrelly, Dr Nick Cheesman, Mr Obaidul Haque and Mr Trevor Wilson |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | ANU College of Asia and the Pacific via "New Mandala" |
| Format/size: | | Quicktime - MP3 (32MB) |
| Alternate URLs: | | http://asiapacific.anu.edu.au/newmandala/2012/09/28/sectarian-strife-in-western-myanmar/ |
| Date of entry/update: | | 03 October 2012 |
|
| Title: | | Myanmar: Displacement in Rakhine State. Situation Report No. 8 (4 September 2012 |
| Date of publication: | | 04 September 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | I. HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES:
• The Rakhine State Government estimates that over 70,000 IDPs are accommodated in 50 camps and temporary locations in Sittwe, Kyauktaw and Maungdaw Townships as of 31 August.
• Following an inter-agency assessment to villages in Kyauktaw affected by inter-communal violence in early August, assistance in the form of food, NFIs and health care has been provided to over 3,800 people.....This report is produced by OCHA on behalf of the Humanitarian Coordinator. It covers the period from 16 August to 4 September. |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) |
| Format/size: | | pdf (117K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 05 September 2012 |
|
| Title: | | Popular ‘Buddhist’ racism and the generals’ militarism |
| Date of publication: | | 04 September 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | "As a Mandalay-born dissident with deep roots in Buddhism, I find it revolting that thousands of Buddhist monks, human rights dissidents and the public in my hometown of Mandalay staged an anti-Rohingya rally this past weekend.
They mimicked the regime’s discourse that promotes “national security” and “national sovereignty”, while espousing an anachronistic view of blood-based citizenship as opposed to the notions of multicultural citizenship.
Where has the vociferous human rights rhetoric gone when it comes to the persecuted Rohingyas?
We listened in vain for the metronomic chants of the saffron-robed monks who defied threats and flooded the streets of Rangoon and other towns proclaiming their “loving kindness” for all sentient beings in 2007. Now the very same monks chant mantras supporting exclusive citizenship. When a mob protests against an ethnic group then, it is no longer a citizens’ protest. It is a Nazi rally..." |
| Author/creator: | | Maung Zarni |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB) |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 07 November 2012 |
|
| Title: | | Humanitarian Bulletin - Myanmar, September 2012 |
| Date of publication: | | September 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | "Concurrent emergencies in Rakhine and Kachin. Approximately 150,000 persons remain displaced in Kachin and Rakhine States and many more have been affected in the two crises. These emergencies continue to place serious pressure on humanitarian partners to meet the needs of the most vulnerable, in an environment where resources are inadequate and access is challenging.
The number of IDPs in Kachin and northern Shan states increased to some 75,000 in September from approximately 70,000 in August, following the intensification of clashes in some areas and the forced return from China of some 5,900 people.
Since mid-July international humanitarian partners have not been permitted to reach some 54 percent of the IDPs (over 39,000 people). Between April and mid-July, access was officially granted to all but 14,000 IDPs in hard to reach areas. Humanitarian assistance provision is urgently required, especially for those who have been recently displaced. An additional concern is also the situation of some 8,000to 10,000 IDPs in or around Hpakan being stranded due to ongoing clashes with several civilian casualties being recorded. By mid-October, clashes moved out of urban areas and some of the civilians managed to return home. |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) |
| Format/size: | | pdf (177K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 26 October 2012 |
|
| Title: | | Forced labour during the Arakan crisis: An overview of forced labour practices in North Arakan, Burma (June to August 2012) |
| Date of publication: | | 31 August 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | "Additional Submission to the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) for consideration by the ILO Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations (CEACR) – ILO Convention 29
31 August 2012.....The systemic and discriminatory practice of forced labour against the Rohingya, has continued, or even intensified, across large areas of North Arakan/Rakhine State in Burma/Myanmar, since deadly communal violence broke out in June 2012...in areas not directly affected by the June 2012 violence, ie. North Maungdaw and Buthidaung Township, forced labour remains much the same as in previous years and has even intensified in some areas.
Large contingents of army troops have been deployed after a state of emergency was declared on 10 June. As a result, there was a substantial increase in demands for porters and guides in North Maungdaw and North Buthidaung to carry additional rations or to accompany soldiers on patrol in border areas. Villagers were forced to remain 4 to 5 days at a time in the hills along with army patrols. Large groups of forced labourers have also been summoned for road clearing and emergency camp repair damaged by monsoon rains and forced cultivation in army camps and paddy fields has been reported in many parts of Buthidaung..." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Arakan Project |
| Format/size: | | pdf (182K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 13 September 2012 |
|
| Title: | | Discrimination: A Buddhist perspective |
| Date of publication: | | 17 August 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | "...The Pali Canon has a very strong and unequivocal teaching that mental attachment is extremely
detrimental – a biased view which asserts that people achieve freedom from suffering in any way other
than their conduct is a distorted and perverted view. It is a mental attitude that leads to a very
detrimental rebirth, and to pain and unhappiness in this life. It can be stated then with some certainty
that in the Pali Canon there is a very strong teaching that any form of discourse that proposes a racist
opinion is a wrong view, it will lead to suffering and, indeed, is dukkha itself.
Those holding such opinions will not only suffer in the future but are themselves an expression of
mental turmoil while holding such views. They are immersed in dukkha not metta." |
| Author/creator: | | Dr. Paul Fuller |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Mizzima |
| Format/size: | | pdf (94K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 17 August 2012 |
|
| Title: | | Myanmar conflict threatens regional stability |
| Date of publication: | | 16 August 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | "AGARTALA and IMPHAL - As a rising number of Rohingya Muslims flee sectarian conflict in Myanmar and take sanctuary in India's northeastern states, the flow of refugees is putting a new strain on bilateral relations. New Delhi has called on Naypyidaw to stem the rising human tide, a diplomatic request that Indian officials say has so far gone unheeded.
Ongoing sporadic violence between Rohingya Muslims and Buddhist Rakhines in western Myanmar has left more than 80 dead and displaced tens of thousands. The Myanmar government's inability or unwillingness to stop the persecution of Rohingyas has provoked strong international reaction, raising calls for retribution in radical corners of the Islamic world, including a threat from the Pakistani Taliban to attack Myanmar's diplomatic missions abroad.
Fears are now rising that Myanmar-borne instability is spreading
to India's northeastern frontier regions, threatening to spiral into a wider regional security dilemma. At the same time that Muslim Rohingyas and Buddhist Rakhines clashed in Myanmar, fighting erupted between Muslims and Hindus in India's northeastern Assam State. As in Myanmar, where the Rohingyas are considered illegal Bangladeshi settlers, the Muslims targeted in Assam are accused of being ethnic Bengalis who have migrated illegally from Bangladesh..." |
| Author/creator: | | Subir Bhaumik |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | "Asia Times Online" |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 15 September 2012 |
|
| Title: | | Myanmar: Displacement in Rakhine State. Situation Report No. 7 (15 August 2012) |
| Date of publication: | | 15 August 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES:
* The Rakhine State Government estimates that over 68,500 IDPs are accommodated in 63 camps in Sittwe, Kyauktaw and Maungdaw Townships...
* A response plan prepared by the UN and NGO partners estimates that US$32.5 million are required to provide assistance to some 80,000 vulnerable people until December 2012...."Of the over 100,000 people affected at the beginning of the crisis, many have already returned home as the overall security situation is improving across the state. As of 11 August, the Rakhine State Government estimates that over 68,500 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are accommodated in 63 camps in Sittwe, Kyauktaw and Maungdaw Townships, of which nine camps in Sittwe are sheltering close to 60,000 IDPs..." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) |
| Format/size: | | pdf, html |
| Alternate URLs: | | http://reliefweb.int/report/myanmar/displacement-rakhine-state-situation-report-no-7 |
| Date of entry/update: | | 17 August 2012 |
|
| Title: | | THE ROHINGYA PROBLEM: WHY AND HOW TO MOVE FORWARD |
| Date of publication: | | 15 August 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | [Author’s Note: Keynote speech delivered at the International Conference on “Contemplating Burma’s Rohingya People’s Future in Reconciliation and (Democratic) Reform,” held on August 15, 2012 at the Thammasat University, Bangkok, Thailand].....A legal and historical analysis |
| Author/creator: | | Dr. Habib Siddiqui |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | " "Arakan" - Arakan Rohingya Organisation (ARNO) |
| Format/size: | | pdf (829K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 03 January 2013 |
|
| Title: | | The Rohingya: A humanitarian crisis (video and articles) |
| Date of publication: | | 15 August 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | "Does a solution to the persecution and discrimination of one of Myanmar's ethnic minorities lie within its own borders?...The UN calls Myanmar's Rohingya community one of the world's most persecuted minorities. It has made an appeal for more than $30m to get aid to displaced Rohingya in Myanmar's western Rakhine state.More than a million Rohingya are currently caught in a cycle of violence and poverty. They are without a country to call their own after being denied citizenship in Myanmar under a law that was passed 30 years ago.
Tens of thousands of them, mostly Muslims, are now living in makeshift camps in Myanmar after clashes with Buddhist locals.
Hundreds of thousands more are being denied access to aid in neighbouring Bangladesh, where an estimated 30,000 registered Rohingya refugees are living in UN camps..." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | AL Jazeera (Inside Story) |
| Format/size: | | Adobe Flash (25 mnutes), html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 19 November 2012 |
|
| Title: | | 'Mass graves' for Myanmar's Rohingya |
| Date of publication: | | 09 August 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | "Exclusive report from Rakhine state exposes an entire region divided by religious and racial discrimination...A recent journey to western Myanmar has revealed a provincial capital divided by hatred and thousands of its Muslim residents terrorised by what they say is a state-sponsored campaign to segregate the population along ethno-sectarian lines.
Decades-old tension between ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims in coastal Rakhine state exploded with new ferocity in June, leaving at least 78 people dead and tens of thousands homeless.
Exclusive reporting conducted last week in the highly restricted region suggests that the long-term fallout from recent violence could be even more damaging than the bloodshed.
The United Nations has estimated that 80,000 people are still displaced around the cities of Sittwe and Maungdaw, and international rights groups continue to denounce Myanmar for its role in the conflict.
As it stands, any thought of reconciliation between local Buddhists and Muslims appears a distant dream.
Many Rohingya have fled the polarised region, fearing revenge attacks and increasing discrimination. Their status has sparked international concern and disagreement.
Rights groups have condemned the violence. The Myanmar government has denied any wrongdoing, while neighbouring Bangladesh has rejected an influx of refugees and slashed access to aid.
For those Rohingya caught up in the dispute, the day-to-day situation is rapidly slipping from desperate to dire..." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Al Jazeera (Features) |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 19 November 2012 |
|
| Title: | | “The Government Could Have Stopped This” - Sectarian Violence and Ensuing Abuses in Burma’s Arakan State |
| Date of publication: | | 01 August 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | Summary:
"In June 2012, deadly sectarian violence erupted in western Burma’s Arakan State between
ethnic Arakan Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims (as well as non-Rohingya Muslims). The
violence broke out after reports circulated that on May 28 an Arakan woman was raped and
killed in the town of Ramri allegedly by three Muslim men. Details of the crime were
circulated locally in an incendiary pamphlet, and on June 3, a large group of Arakan
villagers in Toungop stopped a bus and brutally killed 10 Muslims on board. Human Rights
Watch confirmed that local police and soldiers stood by and watched the killings without
intervening.
On June 8, thousands of Rohingya rioted in Maungdaw town after Friday prayers, destroying
Arakan property and killing an unknown number of Arakan residents. Sectarian violence
then quickly swept through the Arakan State capital, Sittwe, and surrounding areas.
Mobs from both communities soon stormed unsuspecting villages and neighborhoods,
killing residents and destroying homes, shops, and houses of worship. With little to no
government security present to stop the violence, people armed themselves with swords,
spears, sticks, iron rods, knives, and other basic weapons, taking the law into their own
hands. Vast stretches of property from both communities were razed. The government
claimed that 78 people were killed—an undoubtedly conservative figure—while more than
100,000 people were displaced from their homes. The hostilities were fanned by
inflammatory anti-Muslim media accounts and local propaganda.
During the period after the rape and killing was reported and before the violence broke out,
tensions had risen dramatically in Arakan State. However, local residents from each
community told Human Rights Watch that the Burmese authorities provided no protection
and did not appear to have taken any special measures to preempt the violence.
On June 10, fearing the unrest would spread beyond the borders of Arakan State, Burmese
President Thein Sein announced a state of emergency, transferring civilian power to the
Burmese army in affected areas of the state. At this point, a wave of concerted violence by
various state security forces against Rohingya communities began. For example, Rohingya
in Narzi quarter—the largest Muslim area in Sittwe, home to 10,000 Muslims—described
“THE GOVERNMENT COULD HAVE STOPPED THIS” 2
how Arakan mobs burned down their homes on June 12 while the police and paramilitary
Lon Thein forces opened fire on them with live ammunition. In northern Arakan State, the
Nasaka border guard force, the army, police, and Lon Thein committed killings, mass
arrests, and looting against Rohingya.
In the aftermath, local Arakan leaders and members of the Arakan community in Sittwe
have called for the forced displacement of the Muslim community from the city, while local
Buddhist monks have initiated a campaign of exclusion, calling on the local Buddhist
population to neither befriend nor do business with Muslims..." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Human Rights Watch (HRW) |
| Format/size: | | pdf (630K-original; 575K-OBL version) |
| Alternate URLs: | | http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs13/The_Government_Could_Have_Stopped_this-HRW-red.pdf |
| Date of entry/update: | | 02 August 2012 |
|
| Title: | | The Plight of the Rohingya (video, text and images) |
| Date of publication: | | 01 August 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | "Amid Myanmar’s reforms, violence against minorities continues...In Myanmar's northwest, ethnic and religious tensions continue to fuel violence against Muslim Rohingyas, a minority group denied citizenship and legal rights by the government. A new report from Human Rights Watch says Burmese security forces are also complicit. Since the recent unrest began in June, about 80,000 have been displaced, and neighbouring Bangladesh is refusing the entry of Rohingya refugees fleeing the violence. Earlier this month Myanmar’s President Thein Sein, who has been lauded for leading recent political reforms, even suggested that the Muslim minority should be moved out of the country.
In this episode of The Stream, we speak to Wakar Uddin, Chairman of the Burmese Rohingya Association of North America and John Sifton (@johnsifton), Asia advocacy director for Human Rights Watch..." |
| Author/creator: | | Guests: Wakar Uddin (Burmese Rohingya Association of North America)' John Sifton (Human Rights Watch) |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Al Jazeera "The Stream" |
| Format/size: | | Adobe Flash (23 minutes on this topic), html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 19 November 2012 |
|
| Title: | | Rakhine Response Plan |
| Date of publication: | | 31 July 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | "Inter-community conflict in Rakhine State, which
started in early June 2012, has resulted in displacement,
loss of lives and livelihood. Of the over 100,000
people affected at the beginning of the crisis, many
have already returned home, and as of 29 July, official
Government statistics indicate that some 64,000
people remain displaced and are accommodated in
61 camps in Sittwe and Maungdaw townships. Population
movement continues, and figures are being
revised on a weekly basis. The Ministry of Information
also indicated that 78 people were killed and 87
injured as a result of the violence and that over 4,800
buildings were destroyed.
Since the beginning of the unrest, the Government
has been providing assistance such as food, shelter,
non-food-items (NFIs) and medical supplies to Internally
Displaced Persons (IDPs). In order to support the
Government response, UN and NGO staff have been
mobilized and relief supplies are being distributed.
An inter-agency multi-sectoral rapid needs assessment
was conducted between 20 June and 10 July in
121 locations in four townships (109 in Sittwe, four in
Rathedaung, seven in Maungdaw, one in Pauktaw),
covering 107,886 IDPs (18,697 households). The assessment
identified as major needs in food, shelter,
NFI, WASH and health sectors, together with access
to sanitation facilities and drinking water.
In an effort to enhance assistance and coordination,
humanitarian partners undertook an analysis of the
present situation and identified scenarios for the
coming six months, against which sectoral plans and
priorities were identified, taking into consideration
the results of the inter-agency rapid assessment as
well as the response priorities indicated by the Government
and affected communities.
The plan concentrates on the immediate relief requirements
until December 2012, and will be revised
in September 2012. Priorities of sectoral interventions
include:..." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Humanitarian agencies in Rakhine State via MIMU |
| Format/size: | | pdf (1.2MB-OBL version; 2.1MB-original) |
| Alternate URLs: | | http://themimu.info/docs/Rakhine%20Plan_final.pdf |
| Date of entry/update: | | 07 November 2012 |
|
| Title: | | Myanmar: Displacement in Rakhine State. Situation Report No. 6 (26 July 2012) |
| Date of publication: | | 26 July 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | I. HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES
• Some IDPs returned home and the Government indicates that, as of 24 July, some 61,000 people are displaced in 58 locations in Maungdaw and Sittwe...II. Situation Overview: "The general security situation across Rakhine State remains stable even though the level of tension is reportedly high in some areas. The curfew is still in force in six townships. The level of economic and livelihood activities has increased in Sittwe with shops, markets and banks in operation, although there are concerns as parts of the population is yet to resume their economic activities.
The Government has taken some measures to address concerns related to anti UN and NGO sentiments by some members of the public. While hostile slogans on posters, t-shirts and stickers still circulating in Sittwe, assistance is now welcome in some camps previously inaccessible.
The IDPs are slowly returning to their place of origin or sources of livelihood. As of 24 July, the Rakhine State Government estimated that there are over 61,000 IDPs accommodated in 58 camps in Maungdaw and Sittwe townships..." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) |
| Format/size: | | pdf (65K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 31 July 2012 |
|
| Title: | | Burma's Human Rights Blind Spot: A Compendium on Violence Against Rohingyas in June/July 2012 |
| Date of publication: | | 25 July 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | Compendium of 30 or so reports...
Introduction:
"By virtue of its geography (great river valleys, plains, plateaus and mountain chains) and history (migration and settlement along the rivers and in the uplands) Burma is a multicultural crossroads of Southeast and South Asia. Peoples, ways of life and religions from the Indian subcontinent, Himalayas, Indo-China and beyond, have intermingled in a land which became a nation under British colonization and has struggled with ethnic identities ever since. Although the vast majority of inhabitants are Buddhists, with the overwhelmingly Buddhist Burmans the largest ethnic group, nearly all other religions are represented in the population. Tolerance and cosmopolitanism were among Burma's strengths in times of peace.
Unfortunately, military rule and the promulgation of ethnic-majority nationalism have been in effect since General Ne Win's takeover in 1962, and even in the post-British democracy of U Nu, establishment of Buddhism as a state religion appeared to sideline Burma's people of other faiths. Ne Win's dictatorship favored the assimilation of Buddhist groups like the Rakhines, Mons and Shans into a Burman nationalism, discouraging those peoples' knowledge of their own languages, civilized history and cultures. Targeting Christians and Muslims, Ne Win's armed forces often burned churches and mosques, torturing and killing pastors and imams.
In western Burma's Arakan State (aka Rakhine State), military rule brought decreased rights for the Buddhist Rakhine people and absolute denial of citizenship for the Muslim Rohingya people. The mass exodus of Rohingyas fleeing repression to neighboring Bangladesh took place in 1978 and 1991, resulting in tens of thousands of refugees cordoned off in squalid camps in Bangladesh or permanently stranded overseas (Gulf States, Pakistan, Malaysia, India, Thailand.) As Rohingyas left the northern Arakan region, particularly Buthidaung and Maungdaw, out of fear of extreme repression, Burma's post-1988 junta settled Buddhist Rakhine and Burman villagers in the area -- a scenario guaranteed to make both groups resent each other. Rohingyas who remained were often preyed upon by border security forces and other military personnel, and were severely restricted in rights such as marriage and travel. Military rape and other violent victimization of Rohingyas was well-documented by respected international human rights organizations..." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Project Maje |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 25 July 2012 |
|
| Title: | | Myanmar: Displacement in Rakhine State. Situation Report No. 5 (19 July 2012) |
| Date of publication: | | 19 July 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | I. HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES:
• The Government indicates that over 70,000 people are currently displaced.
• An inter-agency multi-sectoral rapid needs assessment was conducted in 114 locations in four townships (102 in Sittwe, 4 in Rathedaung, 7 in Maungdaw, 1 in Pauktaw), covering 104,719 IDPs. Major needs are identified in food, shelter, NFI, WASH and health.....II. SITUATION OVERVIEW:
Although tensions continue to be high, the number of security incidents across Rakhine State is reportedly decreasing. Additional military and Myanmar Police Force personnel have been deployed in affected locations. The state of emergency and curfew from 6 pm to 6 am continue in six townships of the state. In the capital of the state, Sittwe, Government offices, banks, markets, several basic education schools and technical university reopened since early July.
Some organizations continue to issue statements against communities and against UN/NGOs, fueling tensions and hampering assessments and delivery of relief support to the victim of the violence in the State. In Maungdaw and Sittwe, T-shirts and stickers against UN/INGOs have appeared in several locations. The Government is taking steps to resolve the situation. On 11 July, UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres, visited Myanmar and met with the President and other senior Government officials. Mr. Guterres expressed the willingness of UNHCR and the humanitarian community in general to work with the Government to provide humanitarian assistance ‘to the victims of the incident, namely to those that were displaced by the incident, of both communities, the Rakhine community and the Moslem community without any discrimination and in the spirit of attending to the needs of the people, whoever they are, and wherever they are’. He stressed his hope that ‘our efforts might also give a humble contribution to hopefully what will be a true reconciliation between communities’ and ‘after these events, it will be slowly possible, to establish in (…) Rakhine State a situation where the rule of law will prevail in a human-rights minded way and the communities will be able to respect each other and look positively into the future’. On 8 July, Pyithu Hluttaw Speaker U Thura Shwe Mann visited Rakhine to provide relief aid to IDPs in Maungdaw, Rathedaung and Sittwe townships. On 11 July, the Myanmar Human Rights Commission issued a statement, highlighting the need for strengthening of rule of law, effective legal action against the perpetrators of the violence and building mutual trust among communities to restore normalcy to the situation. From 16 to 18 July, a high level Government delegation led by the Minister for Border Affairs with the participation of representatives from UN and NGOs visited Rakhine to assess the situation and discuss the way forward. The Minister indicated that a longer-term solution to the problem needs to be found, in respect of the rule of law. This includes a comprehensive town planning exercise that will take into consideration the situation of all those that have land property certificates, and that have been displaced, as well as the requirements for those who are in need of other forms of aid and support. |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) |
| Format/size: | | pdf (92K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 29 July 2012 |
|
| Title: | | U.N. rejects Burma’s offer to resettle Rohingya |
| Date of publication: | | 13 July 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | The U.N. has rejected an offer by the Burmese government to resettle Royingya Muslims, a stateless people who live in western Burma and who have been denied citizenship in the country. The Burmese president told the U.N. refugee representative on Thursday that non-citizen Rohingya Muslims in far western Burma should be placed in refugee camps or deported, following sectarian violence in the country in June which claimed up to 79 lives of both Muslims and Buddhists.
The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres on Thursday rejected the suggestion by Burmese President Thein Sein, saying it was not the U.N.’s job to resettle the Rohingya, who the U.N. calls one of the most persecuted people in the world.
“The resettlement programs organized by UNHCR are for refugees who are fleeing a country to another, in very specific circumstances. Obviously, it's not related to this situation,” Guterres told the media after a meeting with the president..." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Mizzima |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 13 July 2012 |
|
| Title: | | Myanmar’s Rohingya Dilemma |
| Date of publication: | | 09 July 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | "In the past, the people who called themselves “Rohingya” had to contend with successive
military governments’ indifference to recognizing — or regularizing - their status as persons
living on the territory of Myanmar. The latest incidence of anger against the Rohingyas,
however, did not have immigration woes at its source. An unfortunate crime of rape and
murder — committed by Muslim men against a Buddhist woman in a strongly nationalistic
state — escalated into communal violence fraught with racial and religious undertones. The
views, many of them inflammatory, on social media platforms indicate deep-seated prejudices
that threaten the unconsolidated stability in Myanmar under President Thein Sein’s
reform-minded administration. President Thein Sein made a statement on 10 June to calm
seething sentiments on the present conflict. Myanmar also received the visit of United Nations
(UN) Special Envoy Vijay Nambiar to the conflict areas. The measures have resulted
in lessening tensions somewhat, and won praise from the European Union and the United
States2. Responding to questions by media, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi highlighted the importance
of handling the situation with “delicacy and sensitivity” while also underscoring the
need for the rule of law as “essential [..] to put an end to all conflicts in the country”.
However, the Rohingya issue is still far from reaching a lasting solution...".....THE HISTORICAL CONTEXT AND EVOLUTION OF THE CONFLICT...THE ROHINGYA AND THE CITIZENSHIP LAWS...CHALLENGES AHEAD |
| Author/creator: | | Tin Maung Maung Than and Moe Thuzar |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Institute of Southeast Asian Studies ("Perspective") |
| Format/size: | | pdf (510K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 12 July 2012 |
|
| Title: | | Myanmar: Displacement in Rakhine State. Situation Report No. 4 (5 July 2012) |
| Date of publication: | | 05 July 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | "This report is produced by OCHA on behalf of the Humanitarian Coordinator. It covers the period from 28 June to 5 July. The next report will be issued on 12 July...
I. HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES:
• The Government indicates that some 55,000 people are currently displaced. Humanitarian partners estimate that some 100,000 persons have been affected.
• A high-level delegation, led by the Union Ministers of Defense, of Border Affairs, and of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, with the participation of representatives from UN agencies, NGOs and donors visited Rakhine state between 27 and 30 June.
• The Government highlighted that urgent needs include shelter, food, WASH and NFIs, with priority areas being Sittwe, Rathedaung and Maungdaw. Support in all other sectors is also required. The Inter-Agency assessment is ongoing. Results will provide a clearer indication of the needs. Preliminary observations confirm Government prioritization..." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) |
| Format/size: | | pdf (64K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 29 July 2012 |
|
| Title: | | Burning Homes, Sinking Lives - A situation report on violence against stateless Rohingya in Myanmar and their refoulement from Bangladesh |
| Date of publication: | | 02 July 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | "...this report documents the severity of the human rights abuses suffered by Rohingya within Myanmar – including mass violence, killings and attacks, the burning and destruction of property, arbitrary arrests, detention and disappearances, the deprivation of emergency healthcare and humanitarian aid. Such human rights abuses are being carried out with impunity by civilians and agents of the state alike. The organised and widespread nature of this state sponsored violence raises serious questions of crimes against humanity being committed by Myanmar.
This report also documents the refoulement of Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh and related human rights violations, including the push-back of boats carrying Rohingya into dangerous waters and the failure to provide refuge, shelter and humanitarian aid to those fleeing persecution. Historically, the Rohingya have faced acute discrimination and human rights abuse in Myanmar, and Rohingya refugees fleeing persecution to Bangladesh have faced severe hardships including the lack of humanitarian aid, shelter and security. This present crisis is a tragic reminder of the vulnerabilities of stateless people when their countries of habitual residence and the international community fail to protect them. Urgent action is required to end the violence, protect the victims and bring those responsible to justice. Of equal importance is the need for a long-term process of reinstating Myanmar nationality to Rohingya who were arbitrarily deprived of a nationality in 1982, resolving ethnic conflicts and protecting the human rights and freedoms of Rohingya within Myanmar and in other countries.
The Equal Rights Trust makes the following urgent and long-term recommendations to the governments of Myanmar and Bangladesh and to the UNHCR and international community..." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | The Equal Rights Trust |
| Format/size: | | pdf (1.4MB-OBL version; 2.26MB-original) |
| Alternate URLs: | | http://www.equalrightstrust.org/ertdocumentbank/The%20Equal%20Rights%20Trust%20-%20Burning%20Homes%... |
| Date of entry/update: | | 03 July 2012 |
|
| Title: | | Myanmar: Displacement in Rakhine State. Situation Report No. 3 (28 June 2012) |
| Date of publication: | | 28 June 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES:
"• The overall security situation is reported to be stable. Emergency rule and curfew remain in
place in six Townships across Rakhine State.
• According to official figures, 78 people are dead, 87 injured and 3,000 residential buildings are
damaged as of 24 June. Over 52,200 people remained newly displaced across Rakhine State.
Humanitarian partners estimate that around 90,000 people are affected, including the newly
displaced people.
• As of 25 June, WFP has provided 725 metric tons of food commodities (rice, pulses, oil and
salt) to over 92,000 affected people in five townships, Sittwe, Pauktaw, Maungdaw, Rahtedaung
and Buthidaung.
• A total of 14 representatives from six UN agencies, six INGOs and two donor agencies left for
Sittwe on 27 June to take part in a mission organized by the Government to observe the
situation in Rakhine State and to strengthen coordination with the State Government as a
primary focal point for the response.
• The traffic on the road between Buthidaung and Maungdaw is interrupted due to a landslide..." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) |
| Format/size: | | pdf (103K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 03 July 2012 |
|
| Title: | | UNREST IN BURMA’S ARAKAN STATE: A CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS (UPDATED) |
| Date of publication: | | 26 June 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | • The rape and murder of a 27-year-old Buddhist Rakhine woman and the murder of 10
Muslim pilgrims trigger deadly sectarian clashes between Buddhists and Muslims in
Arakan State starting on 8 June.
• According to the regime, as of 21 June, 62 people had died and over 2,000 buildings,
including seven mosques and nine Buddhist monasteries, had been destroyed as a
result of the unrest. However, various organizations say that the death toll might be
much higher as a result of escalating attacks and reprisals affecting Muslim Rohingya
and Buddhist Rakhine.
• Regime imposes a curfew and a ban on public gatherings of more than five people in
six of 17 townships in Arakan State. President Thein Sein declares an indefinite state
of emergency which allows the military to take over administrative control of Arakan
State.
• World Food Program estimates that 90,000 people have been displaced due to the
unrest. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees warns of a risk of a
severe humanitarian crisis due to ongoing violence and poor conditions in IDP camps.
• Bangladeshi authorities push back more than 2,000 Rohingya fleeing violence in
Arakan State. Bangladeshi FM Dipu Moni says Bangladesh is already “overburdened”
with Rohingya refugees and cannot take any more “under any circumstances.”
• Regime warns journalists that they could be charged under existing laws, including
the Emergency Provisions Act, if they publish inflammatory reports on the ongoing
violence in Arakan State.
• Daw Aung San Suu Kyi expresses concern over the handling of the situation by local
Rakhine authorities, in particular their failure to dampen anti-Muslim sentiment. Daw
Suu also calls on Buddhists to “have sympathy for minorities.”
• International reactions: UN warns that discrimination against ethnic and religious
minorities poses a threat to Burma’s democratic transition; US, UK are “deeply
concerned” over the ongoing violence; EU welcomes the regime’s “measured
response” to the crisis; OIC “condemns systematic acts of violence and intimidation
against the peaceful Rohingya population.”
• The authorities’ decades-long discriminatory policies and practices targeting
Rohingya have reinforced the racial and religious animosity between the two
communities in Arakan State. Rohingya have suffered restrictions on marriage,
freedom of movement, and religious practice. In addition, the regime has routinely
subjected Rohingya to forced labor, extortion, land confiscation, and other human
rights abuses. |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | ALTSEAN-Burma |
| Format/size: | | pdf (103K) |
| Alternate URLs: | | http://www.altsean.org/Docs/PDF%20Format/Thematic%20Briefers/Unrest%20in%20Burmas%20Arakan%20State%... (13 June) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 26 June 2012 |
|
| Title: | | Myanmar: Displacement in Rakhine State. Situation Report No. 2 (20 June 2012) |
| Date of publication: | | 20 June 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES"
"• According to official Government statistics dated 18 June, over 52,200 people have been
displaced and are accommodated in 66 camps/villages. Unofficial estimates indicated that
80,000 to 90,000 people have been affected.
• The Government has requested the RC/HC and humanitarian partners to support its response
efforts. Humanitarian assistance delivery is ongoing. It includes food, medical, water and
sanitation interventions. Food distribution that reached some 82,000 people as of 19 June.
• The situation in Rakhine State has somewhat eased, although sporadic incidents continue to be
reported..." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) |
| Format/size: | | pdf (255K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 03 July 2012 |
|
| Title: | | Myanmar: Displacement in Rakhine State. Situation Report No. 1 (15 June 2012) |
| Date of publication: | | 15 June 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES:
"• Instability in Rakhine State that started since 28 May has resulted in displacement of over
36,000 people who are now located in 43 camps/locations, loss of lives and damages to houses
and communal buildings. This is an initial estimate which will need to be revised as more
information becomes available and assessment are carried out.
• The violence prompted the Government to impose curfew in six locations and declare the state
of emergency on 10 June across the State.
• At the invitation of the Minister for Border Affairs, a UN delegation led by Special Advisor of the
UN Secretary-General and the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Myanmar visited
IDPs locations in Maungdaw.
• The Government called for humanitarian partners to support the Government’s efforts to
respond to the crisis. The UN and its humanitarian partners confirmed their readiness to provide
humanitarian assistance all the affected people across Rakhine." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) |
| Format/size: | | pdf (179K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 03 July 2012 |
|
| Title: | | An Open Letter from the Asian Human Rights Commission to the President of Myanmar (Burma) and the Prime Minister of Bangladesh |
| Date of publication: | | 14 June 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | "...the AHRC strongly urges you to communicate with one another so as to open the border immediately to allow for the movement of people seeking shelter from the violence, and to make appropriate arrangements for the temporary settlement of persons fleeing the parts of Myanmar affected by violence. Furthermore, in order to enable the provision of adequate food and health services to the affected populations, both of your governments are requested to cooperate with one another so as to provide complete, unimpeded, secure access to international agencies at the earliest possible opportunity, in order that these agencies can assess the situation and make arrangements for the necessary provision of emergency relief supplies..." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) |
| Format/size: | | pdf (80K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 14 June 2012 |
|
| Title: | | What is behind Myanmar's ethnic unrest? (video) |
| Date of publication: | | 13 June 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | As sectarian tensions run high in the country's west, we ask how it will impact the government's fragile reform plan. Myanmar is on a very uneven and fragile road towards democracy but around 25 people have been killed and 41 others wounded in five days of riots in the country's western region. The coastal state of Rakhine saw Buddhists once again fighting Muslims, including Rohingya migrants - most of whom are stateless. They are described by the United Nations as one of the world's most persecuted minorities.
The violence seems to have started after a Buddhist woman was raped and murdered last month.
The Rohingya were blamed and since then, more people have been killed on both sides of the religious divide.
In response, the government has imposed a state of emergency in the area and the UN is relocating its staff. But for a country that has been under military control for five decades, the latest clashes could threaten some of the democratic reforms that President Thein Sein has been introducing since taking office last year.
In April, opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi of the NLD party was elected to parliament in a landmark by-election. And the EU has agreed to suspend most sanctions against the country, as have the US and Australia.
But how the government handles the latest crisis will be a test of its fragile reform programme.
So what does the fighting mean for the future of Myanmar and what is behind this ethnic tension? Is it religious - Buddhist against Muslim? Or is it a case of the minority being persecuted for being stateless? Could attempts at reform be halted because of this unrest?
Inside Story, with presenter Stephen Cole, discusses with guests: Nurul Islam, the president of the Arakan Rohingya National Organisation; Nyo Myint, a spokesman and head of foreign affairs at the National League for Democracy; and Wakar Uddin, a Rohingya from Myanmar and director general of the Arakan Rohingya Union (ARU) - a group supported by the Organisation of Islamic Conference.
"What is currently happening in the Rakhine state is about putting grievances, hatred, and desire for revenge at the forefront based on racial and religious grounds and that's why anarchic actions are becoming widespread."
Thein Sein, Myanmar's president..."...FACTS ABOUT ETHNIC TENSION IN MYANMAR
The government has declared an emergency in Rakhine state after seven people were killed during riots
The alleged rape and murder of a Buddhist woman last month led to the initial attacks
The latest unrest is reaction to the killing of 10 Muslims by Buddhists
Government troops were deployed to Rakhine to help the police keep order
Many Muslims in Myanmar are ethnic Rohingya from Bangladesh
The minority Rohingya Muslims are denied citizenship in Myanmar
Many in Myanmar consider the Rohingya to be illegal immigrants
The Rohingya are not recognised by either Myanmar or Bangladesh
800,000 Rohingya live in Rakhine, with another 200,000 in Bangladesh
There are concerns that the unrest could derail Myanmar's recent democratic reforms
Myanmar's new civilian government was elected in 2010 |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | AL Jazeera (Inside Story) |
| Format/size: | | html, Adobe Flash (25 minutes) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 17 November 2012 |
|
| Title: | | Myanmar Conflict Alert: Preventing communal bloodshed and building better relations |
| Date of publication: | | 12 June 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | "The communal bloodshed in Myanmar’s Rakhine State represents both a consequence of, and threat to, Myanmar’s current political transition. While communal tensions and discrimination against Myanmar’s Muslim minority long predate the country’s recent opening up, the loosening of authoritarian constraints may well have enabled this current crisis to take on a virulent intensity. Equally, failure to both halt the crisis and address its underlying causes risks halting or even eroding Myanmar’s current reform initiatives.
Unless the government takes steps not just to end the violence but also lay the groundwork for protection of minority communities there is a risk of the violence spreading. How the government handles this case will be a major test of the police and courts in a country that has just begun to emerge from an authoritarian past. It will also test the government’s will and capacity to reverse a longstanding policy of discrimination toward the Muslim Rohingya..." |
| Source/publisher: | | International Crisis Group (ICG) |
| Format/size: | | html |
| Date of entry/update: | | 14 June 2012 |
|
| Title: | | Myanmar conflict alert: preventing communal bloodshed and building better relations (Burmese/ ျမန္မာဘာသာ ) |
| Date of publication: | | 12 June 2012 |
| Description/subject: | | "The communal bloodshed in Myanmar’s Rakhine State represents both a consequence of, and threat to, Myanmar’s current political transition. While communal tensions and discrimination against Myanmar’s Muslim minority long predate the country’s recent opening up, the loosening of authoritarian constraints may well have enabled this current crisis to take on a virulent intensity. Equally, failure to both halt the crisis and address its underlying causes risks halting or even eroding Myanmar’s current reform initiatives.
Unless the government takes steps not just to end the violence but also lay the groundwork for protection of minority communities there is a risk of the violence spreading. How the government handles this case will be a major test of the police and courts in a country that has just begun to emerge from an authoritarian past. It will also test the government’s will and capacity to reverse a longstanding policy of discrimination toward the Muslim Rohingya..." |
| Language: | | Burmese/ ျမန္မာဘာသာ |
| Source/publisher: | | International Crisis Group (ICG) |
| Format/size: | | pdf (59K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 29 July 2012 |
|
| Title: | | THE ROHINGYAS Bengali Muslims or Arakan Rohingyas? |
| Date of publication: | | 26 March 2009 |
| Description/subject: | | "In recent months, the Rohingyas have been making headlines again. Who are they?
It was reported1 recently that Myanmar Foreign Minister U Nyan Win had told his ASEAN2
counterparts in Hua Hin, Thailand, prior to the ASEAN Summit, that the SPDC is "willing to
accept the return of refugees from Myanmar if they are listed as Bengali Muslim minorities but
not if they are Rohingyas, because Rohingyas are not Myanmar citizens". What does this
signify? To the uninitiated, what difference does it make if they are Bengalis or Rohingyas? Are
they not from Burma? In Burmese politics, however, it makes a world of difference..." |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Euro-Burma Office (EBO Briefing Paper No. 2 |
| Format/size: | | pdf (48K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 02 April 2009 |
|
| Title: | | Myanmar's forgotten people |
| Date of publication: | | 22 April 2008 |
| Description/subject: | | The Rohingyas have a history
which dates back to the
beginning of the 7th century
when Arab Muslim traders
settled in Arakan (Rakhine).
They were recognised as an
indigenous ethnic group by
the U Nu government during
the parliamentary era in the
1950s but lost their political and
constitutional identity when
the military government of
General Ne Win promulgated
the Citizenship Act of Burma
in 1983. This effectively denied
the Rohingyas recognition of
their status as an ethnic minority
group. Harsh discrimination
against them soon followed. |
| Author/creator: | | Nyi Nyi Kyaw |
| Language: | | English, Burmese |
| Source/publisher: | | "Forced Migration Review" No. 30 |
| Format/size: | | pdf (English, 224K; Burmese, 123K) |
| Alternate URLs: | | http://www.fmreview.org/FMRpdfs/FMR30Burmese/41.pdf |
| Date of entry/update: | | 30 November 2008 |
|
| Title: | | The Rohingya Issue: A Thorny Obstacle between Burma (Myanmar) and Bangladesh |
| Date of publication: | | 2005 |
| Description/subject: | | "...Whether the exact beginnings of Muslim settlement in Arakan is still to be determined, it is
reasonable to understand that they have been residing there since the period of the Arakan
Kingdom (Mrauk-U dynasty). They were the origin of the Muslims in Arakan. Also it has been
questioned whether those Muslims are equivalent to the present Rohingyas, Yegar's discussion
is convincing: that those Muslims who had resided since the days of Mrauk-U dynasty and the
Muslims from Chittagong who immigrated into Arakan in 19th and 20th century were integrated
to some extent and comprised the present Rohingyas. The naming of Rohingya by themselves is
a relatively recent invention, but there is no reason to deny there existence as an ethnic group
whether their naming was old or new.
Taking these understandings into consideration, the Rohingya have a right to be recognized as a
national group in present Burma and to be treated equal to other ethnic nationals. Even if a
strong image of the ex-immigrants from Chittagong sticks on them, it is meaningless to avoid
those people as foreigners. There is no rational reason to put the year of 1823 as a criterion for
dividing the people in Burma between indigenous and non-indigenous. In order to change the
situation in the border of Burma and Bangladesh from an explosive area of another possible
exodus to a stable area where the border trade can be increased and be prospered, the first step
to be taken is to "qualify" those Rohingyas as a Burmese national ethnic group. Without taking
this measure, nothing will be improved and a thorny obstacle may remain for another
uncountable decades. Not only the Government of Bangladesh but also the international
community in all are expected to make efforts to persuade the military government of Burma to
accept the Rohingyas into their national community." (from the Conclusion) |
| Author/creator: | | Kei NEMOTO |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Institute for Developing Economies (IDE) in "Elusive Borders: Changing Sub-Regional Relations in Eastern South Asia" |
| Format/size: | | pdf (263K) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 04 January 2013 |
|
| Title: | | "Our Journey" - Voices from Arakan, Western Burma |
| Date of publication: | | May 1991 |
| Description/subject: | | Introduction, map and 32 interviews with Arakanese (Rakhine) and Rohingya refugees and activists. |
| Language: | | English |
| Source/publisher: | | Project Maje |
| Format/size: | | pdf (2.2MB) |
| Date of entry/update: | | 03 June 2003 |
|
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