Burma's Killing Fields: The Hidden War on Rohingya Muslims and Tribal Peoples [VIDEO SPECIAL]

                  
June 7, 2013

 International Business Times
Alfred Joyner

IBTimes UK uncovers the truth about what is going on behind the facade of a liberalising Myanmar

Religious violence in Burma between the Buddhist majority and other ethnic groups, such as the Rohinga Muslims, has existed for decades if not centuries. However over the last 12 months what's been classed by both Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch as a wave of ethnic cleansing has been sweeping across various townships in the Rakhine state on the country's west coast.

The United Nations estimates are that around 140,000 people have fled widespread oppression and brutal violence to makeshift refugee camps, with many dying unnecessarily. But while the international community has praised President Thein Sein for his steps towards improving democracy in Burma, they have turned a blind eye to the growing violence and persecution against the Muslim minority in the country.

In an exclusive documentary short, IBTimes UK investigates the hidden genocide currently occurring inside Burma.

Mark Farmaner, Director of Burma Campaign UK. (IBTimes UK)

Mark Farmaner is director of London-based human rights organisation Burma Campaign UK. He explains how the government has dealt with the country's multi-ethnic makeup since independence in 1948.

"Burma is a predominantly Buddhist country but it is not [an entirely] Buddhist country. It is made up of many different ethnic groups, many ethnic minorities and many different religions," he says.

"This is what goes to the root of why there has been a dictatorship and human rights abuses and incidents like what is taking place in Rakhine state and Kachin. The vision of the central government of Burma since independence has been that Burma is a Burmese Buddhist country and they try to impose and 'Burmanise' the rest of the ethnic minorities and religions in the country."

Martine Flokstra, Emergency Aid Worker at Médecins Sans Frontières. (IBTimes UK)

Martine Flokstra has been in Burma for the past few months as part of the work done by Médecins Sans Frontières, which has been providing aid and healthcare in the country for the last 22 years.

Speaking via Skype, she says: "The majority of people are still living in makeshift camps, meaning straw, wood, rice bags and plastic sheeting, on rice paddies and areas which are prone to be flooded".

"There are people starting to flee during the night to other camps because they were very afraid for the upcoming rain and storms."

Gianluca Mezzofiore, Foreign Correspondent for IBTimes UK. (IBTimes UK)

IBTimes UK exclusively revealed the sinister actions of 45-year-old Buddhist Monk Ashin Witharu who, fresh from serving a nine-year jail term for inciting anti-Muslim prejudice, has crept back into the spotlight after sending his sermons of hate around the world through social media.

Foreign correspondent Gianluca Mezzofiore explains that the videos form part of an apartheid-like campaign in the country.

"His videos have been uploaded on YouTube and followed by thousands of people. The videos encourage people to boycott Muslim businesses and communities," he says.

"In these videos he warned Buddhists against Muslims, accusing them of raping Buddhist women. He claims that they've taken over, they're too rich, and that through their mosques they're planning foreign influence on the country."

Tun Khin, President of Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK. (IBTimes UK)

Tun Khin is a Rohingya Muslim from Burma and president of London-based Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK. He condemns the inaction of western government to impose sanctions on Burma and says that it is critical more aid is provided.

"Well firstly, the international community have to take action immediately to provide humanitarian aid in all the areas of Rakhine. Other Rohingya are facing a restriction of movement. They can't buy food, they can't go to hospital. They have to provide humanitarian aid to protect the Rohingyas," he says.

"Secondly the international community has to support the UN Commission of Inquiry. Crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing is taking place in our country against the Rohingya's. There needs to be justice and accountability to bring those perpetrators to justice."

Zoya Phan, Burmese Political Activist. (IBTimes UK)

Zoya Phan knows the reality of extreme violence and fear. She's Burmese-born and from the Karen ethnic group. As a young girl, she and her family were forced to flee from vicious attacks on the village she called home.

She tells IBTimes UK that Britain and the rest of the international community need to be more forthright in their condemnation of Thein Sein's current regime of religious persecution, and hopes that one day a fair and equal multi-cultural society in Burma can be established.

"I can't believe that the British government and the rest of the EU countries turned a blind eye against this situation in Burma and prioritised trade and investment," she says.

"What we need to see in Burma in the future is where everyone can have freedom of expressions. Not just some people in central Burma but everyone, regardless of our race, our ethnicities, our gender, our religion. Everyone is equal and should be treated equally."

Rohingya Muslims, Most Persecuted Muslim Minority, Forced on Two-Child Policy by Myanmar Government

May 30, 2013

IBtimes

Athena Yenko

Rohingya Muslim families were forced to limit their children to only two as western Myanmar officials imposed a strict two-child policy exclusively to them, CNN reported.

Makeshift camps are made just out of bamboo and thatch.

Reuters

 The policy was applied to two towns within Myanmar's Rakhine State which had the largest population of the Rohingya Muslims. They were compelled to follow the limit on child birth because the government aimed to control the increase in Muslims' birthrate.
 The Rohingya Muslims were ill-treated with the Muslim minority caught between sectarian violence and endured long years of discrimination to whichever country they evacuated to.
 The imposition of the two-child policy was the most recent attempt against the Rohingya Muslims following the violence they had been subjected to from the Buddhist majority in Rakhine in 2012. It was reported that Buddhist Rakhine extremist burnt the whole Rohingya villages. The incident in 2012 forced the Rohingyas to live in makeshift camps floating along the coast of Myanmar.

 Although the two-child limit was part of a recommendation included in the official report on the communal violence, the restriction was being implemented in favour of the Rakhine's Buddhist who expressed strong disapproval against Rohingya's growing population.
According to the spokesman for the Rakhine Government, Win Myaing, "This (two-child policy) is the best way to control the explosion of the Muslim population in this region... If they (Rohingyas) want to live here, they have to follow the rules and orders of this state. If not, we can't live together in tranquility."
Mr. Myaing seemed to be blinded that the recommendation stipulated that government officials should "refrain from implementing non voluntary measures which may be seen as discriminatory or that would be inconsistent with human rights standards."
In fact, Mr. Myaing, insisted that the two-child restriction does not in any way violate human rights.
To which Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi disagreed. She said that she thinks that the restriction is against the law. Ms. Suu Kyi is the leader of the opposition group, National League for Democracy.
Although Ms Suu Kyi admitted that she was not aware that the restriction was being implemented or not, she explained that, "It's not good to have such discrimination; it is not in line with human rights."
Ms. Suu Kyi faced criticisms alleging that she has not expressed significant opinion on the matter yet.
Meanwhile, the advocacy group called Human Rights said that there were many restrictions already in effect in some areas of Rakhine inhabited by the Rohingyas since 2005. Rohingyas were subjected to difficult and expensive means when they want to gte marry or obtain birth certificates.
As for the two-child limit, Deputy Director of Human Rights Watch in Asia Phil Robertson said, "I think it's profoundly chilling. It's an indication of a larger persecution."
Mr. Robertson also said that he does not know of any other Asian country imposing such restriction on one ethnic group besides Myanmar.
He added that he thinks, "the Rakhine government spews mistruths, saying that these people are overpopulating."
Mr. Robertson called the attention of Thein Sein to shed light on the issue and confirm whether the government thus supports the two-child limit imposed upon the Rohingya Muslims.
Mr. Robertson emphasised that the limit is "discriminatory and abuse of human rights. It's a policy that's been hidden in the shadows. Now it's time for the Burmese government to respond.
Thein Sein's spokeman, Ye Htut, has yet to give the government's official statement.
To contact the editor, e-mail: editor@ibtimes.com

Cyclone Mahasen to Wipe Out Rohingya Muslims in Bangladesh, Myanmar

(Photo: Reuters / )

Makeshift camps are made just out of bamboo and thatch.

May 16, 2013 

Athena Yenko 

International Business Times

U.N. Agency warns that 8 million people are most likely to be affected as strong Tropical Cyclone Mahasen looms over the Bay of Bengal, CNN reports.  This estimated figure will likely to increase or decrease depending on the specific route that the cyclone will take when it hits landfall.


CNN international meteorologist Ivan Cabrera said that "the latest prediction suggests Mahasen will bring wind gusts of 85 to 90 kilometers per hour (53 to 56 mph) to the Bangladeshi coast. That puts it at the level of a tropical storm, weaker than 120 kilometer-per-hour gusts of hurricane. This will be a rain event for most in the area. If you are in a concrete building you will be fine outside of localized very heavy flooding."
 Inhabitants alongside coastal areas of Bangladesh Myanmar are advised to prepare for the cyclone forecasted to make landfall either on Thursday night or early morning Friday. The cyclone would possibly bring strong wind and heavy rain in the neighboring southeastern Bangladesh, near the city of Chittagong.
Different agencies expressed deep concern for the thousands of Rohingya Muslims inhabiting makeshift camps in the low-lying areas. Agencies are doing their best efforts to evacuate residents to higher ground area. They make sure that emergency positions are at hand as soon as needed.
 Valerie Amos, U.N.'s official for humanitarian affairs said that "Mahasen could be life threatening for millions of people in Bangladesh, Myanmar and India."
 Andreas Von Weissenberg of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent said that "There is a flurry of activity going on both in Bangladesh and in Myanmar ahead of the storm. It's really a race against time in many ways."
The Rohingya Muslims
 Myanmar is mainly a Buddhist country and only about 5 per cent of its 60 million people are Muslims. This 5 per cent Muslims had to endure anti-Muslim campaign by Buddhist monks.
 Rohingya is a stateless Muslim minority who endure long accounts of hardship all through the half century military rule in Myanmar.
 As Reuters puts it, Rohingya is a group of impoverished and long persecuted people who was caught in between sectarian violence.
 According to reports, there were 192 people killed in June and October of 2012 when aggression happens between Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya. The violence resulted when Rohingya was denied citizenship and proclaimed immigrants by the Myanmar government.
 In April 2013, Myanmar authorities were allegedly involved in a Buddhist campaign of "ethnic cleansing" against the Rohingya in Rakhine.
 With their experience of violence, Rohingya living at the makeshift camps built with bamboo and thatch - refused to relocate out of distrust to government agencies.
 The United nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that Rohingya "are reluctant to relocate and some communities have refused to use military vehicles or to shelter in military barracks."
 Reuters reports that Rohigya declares that they want to die there. Some would not even dare to get near the army barracks.
 Fatima Hadu, 65 years old, one of the Rohingya living in the makeshift camps, said that "If the storm comes, we want to die here."
 Another Rohingya man told interviewers that "We didn't receive food assistance here. If we go to a new place, we won't receive food assistance. Whether there's a storm or not, we will die here."
To contact the editor, e-mail: editor@ibtimes.com    

Myanmar 'Violates International Laws' over Rohingya Treatment

(Photo: Reuters)

April 8, 2013

International Business Times

Gianluca Mezzofiore

Burma Campaign UK criticises President Thein Sein for oppressive policies against minority Muslims

Myanmar's government has violated at least eight international laws with its treatment of the Rohingya Muslims, one of the world's most persecuted minorities, according to a British-based advocacy group. 

Burma Campaign UK slammed the progressive president Thein Sein for policies of oppression applied exclusively to the Rohingya. The minority group is considered stateless under Burma's citizenship law of 1982. 

Legal constraints render it "almost impossible" for the Rohingya to be recognised as citizens of the country. "This 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," says the report.

Many Burmese consider Rohingya as unwelcome migrants from Bengal. The state-run press refers to "locals" differentiates between "locals" ie Arakan Buddhists and "Bengalis" to indicate Rohingya. Rohingya are denied access to education and employment and face "unacceptable restrictions on movement, marriage, and reproduction", adds the report. 

Following outbreaks of sectarian violence and repeated calls by UN authorities, the government has established a 27-strong commission to investigate trouble in Rakhine state - home to many Rohingya - but Thein Sein has ruled out reforming the 1982 Law and Medecins Sans Frontiers has faced restricted access to camps where Rohingya are displaced. 

Many ministries in the government have disputed the right of Rohingya to be in Burma at all. That gives "official legitimacy to those committing acts of violence" and allows them to continue doing so with impunity, said Burma Campaign UK. 

"World leaders need to take off their rose-tinted glasses and start making policy based on international law and promoting human rights," said Mark Farmaner, director. 

"Burma's treatment of the Rohingya violates international law. The international community must hold President Thein Sein accountable for the policies and actions of his government." 

The group has called on the British government and the international community "to provide a combination of pressure and of assistance, both in terms of humanitarian assistance and in terms of expertise" to reform the citizenship laws. 

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Source:Here

Myanmar: Buddhist 'Mad' Monk Saydaw Wirathu Denies 969 Campaign Caused Meikhtila Riots

Muslim men clean debris in front of a mosque heavily damaged during recent violence in town of Gyo Bin Gauk (Reuters)

April 6, 2013

International Business Times

Gianluca Mezzofiore

Buddhist Monk Saydaw Wirathu, the self-styled "Burmese bin Laden", has rejected claims that his 969 nationalist campaign was behind violence in central Myanmar's city of Meikhtila against Muslims. 

In an interview with Irrawaddy website, Wirathu blamed "kalar" - a scornful term for Muslims - for the Meikhtila sectarian riots that left at least 20 people dead. "They were carrying knives, sticks and other weapons and attacked the Burmese," he said. "When the crowd heard that one monk was killed during the unrest, they went to the kalar quarter without weapons. Only one Burmese person out of ten carried a stick from the ruined houses, and no other weapons. [...]So, the planned attacks came from the Muslim quarters." 

Wirathu, who has led numerous vocal campaigns against Muslims in Burma and was arrested in 2003 for distributing anti-Muslim literature, denied that the 969 campaign was responsible for the unrest. "People blame 969, saying it is involved in the atrocities because they cannot find the real culprits. [But] the 969 leaflets were not found and no one distributed it in Meikthila," he argued. "The 969 campaign was made the culprit, but actually it is innocent as it only represents the special attributes of the Buddha."

The numerology of 969 is derived from the Buddhist tradition in which 9 stands for the special attributes of Buddha; 6 for the special attributes of his teaching or Dhamma and 9 for the special attributes of the Sangha or Buddhist order. 

In a controversial video that emerged on YouTube, Wirathu called for a national boycott of Muslim businesses in Myanmar. Buddhist monasteries have been distributing anti-Muslim leaflets for months, according to reports. Wirahtu himself was arrested in 2003 for distributing anti-Muslim leaflets and has often stirred controversy over his Islamophobic activities.

According to the Democratic Voice of Burma, Wirathu played an active role in stirring tensions in a Rangoon suburb in February, by spreading unfounded rumours that a local school was being developed into a mosque, 

An angry mob of about 300 Buddhists assaulted the school and Muslim-owned businesses and shops in Rangoon. The 969 symbol was found spray-painted on damaged cars and Muslim buildings in other Myanmar areas after the Meikhtala riots. 

The monk also criticised Aung San Suu Kyi and her National league for Democracy (NLD) for not doing enough to protect Buddhists in Myanmar. "I have been supporting Daw Aung San Suu Kyi through the years, but she was not a reliable leader during the Rakhine State [sectarian] unrest," he said, referring to last year's clashes between Rohingya Muslims and ethnic Rakhine Burmese. 

"Nearly every NLD township office is operated by Muslims," he continued. "So I said the symbol of the NLD peacock is becoming a symbol for Muslims.[...] They are not very reliable in supporting the public in the case of the Arakan State riots. They don't stand on the side of the public. 

"They don't issue a specific statement to say that Rohingya [Muslims] are not a recognized national minority [in Burma] and they should condemn the killing of Arakanese [Buddhists] by Bengalis [Muslims]," he continued.

A Muslim man calls for prayers in a mosque damaged during recent violence in town of Minhla (Reuters)

Source:Here

Fanatical Buddhist Monk Saydaw Wirathu Calling for Boycott of Myanmar Muslims [VIDEO]

March 26, 2013

International Business Times

Gianluca Mezzofiore

Buddhist Monk Saydaw Wirathu, the self-styled "Burmese bin Laden", has called for a national boycott of Muslim businesses in Myanmar in a controversial video that emerged on YouTube. 

Wirathu, who has led numerous vocal campaigns against Muslims in Burma and was arrested in 2003 for distributing anti-Muslim literature, urges Burmese people "to join the 969 Buddhist nationalist campaign" and "do business or interact with only our kind: same race and same faith". 

"Your purchases spent in 'their' (Muslim) shops will benefit the Enemy," says Wirathu. "So, do business with only shops with 969 signs on their facets". 

The numerology of 969 is derived from the Buddhist tradition in which 9 stands for the special attributes of Buddha; 6 for the special attributes of his teaching or Dhamma and 9 for the special attributes of the Sangha or Buddhist order. 

In the footage filmed from Mandalay's Ma-soe-yein teaching monastery, Wirathu accuses Muslims of entertaining ties with the military junta that ruled Myanmar for five decades. The apartheid-like speech stirred shocked reaction on Twitter, with users calling the monk a "neo-Nazi" inciting anti-Muslim pogroms in Burma. 

Wirathu played an active role in stirring tensions in a Rangoon suburb in February, by spreading unfounded rumours that a local school was being developed into a mosque, according to the Democratic voice of Burma. An angry mob of about 300 Buddhists assaulted the school and Muslim-owned businesses and shops in Rangoon. The monk said that his militancy "is vital to counter aggressive expansion by Muslims". He has also been implicated in religious clashes in Mandalay, where a dozen people died, in several local reports. 

Sectarian clashes erupted this week in the central Myanmar city of Meikhtila, where mobs of Buddhists, some led by monks, have attacked a Muslim neighbourhood leaving at least 20 people dead. 

"Buddhist monasteries have been distributing leaflets that were critical of Muslims on various things, and that has been going on for months" said Burma Campaign UK's director Mark Farmaner. He maintains there were individual reports, around 10, of monasteries around Rangoon and in the Rakhine state distributing anti-Muslim leaflets. 

Muslims in Myanmar represent the 4 percent of a total population of 60 million, according to government census. However, according to the U.S. State Department's 2006 international religious freedom report, the country's non-Buddhist populations were underestimated in the census. Muslim leaders estimate that as much as 20 percent of the population may be Muslim.

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Buddhist Monk Saydaw Wirathu (Facebook)

Source:Here