Stand with Rohingya till find a solution: Dipu Moni

16 April 2013
KPN
Chittagong, Bangladesh: “We must send out a clear message to our Muslim brethren in Burma that we shall continue to stand by them and never give up till we find a lasting solution to their problems is found,” called at the Organization of Islamic Cooperation – OIC - contact group meeting at its headquarters in Jeddah on April 14 by Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni

“We must continue to act as a conduit to channel their legitimate concerns to the larger international audience.”
“We must recognize and use the strength of our moral weight to make sure that the most vulnerable people in Burma, especially the Rohingyas, do not remain excluded from the dividends of reform,” Dipu said.
Dhaka urged the Burmese authorities to ensure that the minorities – Rohingya- get back their nationality rights and live as Burmese citizens in safety and with dignity, according to a Foreign Ministry statement released on April 15.
“The issue of safe and sustainable return of Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh to Burma as well as the large number of Rohingya Muslims in an irregular situation also remains an outstanding concern for Bangladesh.”
The current official attempt in Burma to term Rohingyas “Bengali or Bangladeshi immigrants” in a general sweep does not have any historical or legal basis, the Foreign Minister said.
“The international community must encourage the Burmese government to promote dialogues between the Muslims and Buddhists in the Arakan state and other sectarian flashpoints, the Foreign Minister called.
The foreign minister stressed the need for neutralizing the radical elements within both the communities and for promoting dialogue among the moderates within their respective leaderships.
“OIC could possibly offer to play the role of a facilitator for holding inter-communal and inter-faith dialogues to reinforce mutual respect and understanding. The festering tension between the two communities has already started having bitter implications beyond the borders of Myanmar.”
“Within the OIC, we must rise to the occasion and get things done to end the systematic persecution and discrimination against the Rohingyas and other Muslim minorities in Burma.”
“OIC urged authorities in Burma to allow a ministerial OIC delegation to visit the country to discuss deadly violence against Muslims,” stated on April 14, at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia at a meeting of Burma contact group comprised of foreign ministers of the OIC and also urged the UN Human Rights Commission to dispatch a fact-finding mission to Burma.
 
OIC chief Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu
"Such violence is a clear indication of the government's negative approach in dealing with ethnic and religious tensions that erupted last summer," said OIC chief Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, describing the violence as "unacceptable".
While the Rohingya -- described by the UN as among the most-persecuted minorities on the planet -- have long been denied Burmese citizenship.
Last year the OIC condemned the violence against Muslims - Rohingya - in Burma as "genocide".
“Attacks on Burmese Muslims are highly planned and coordinated and security forces do not stop the incidents,” Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told at Saudi Arabia meeting of a Myanmar contact group comprised of foreign ministers of the OIC.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu
“Burmese’s government must show that perpetrators of such kind of incidents cannot go unpunished. Hatred between Muslims and Buddhists must be averted,” he said.
“More than 100 thousand people had to leave their homes and they still did not return to their home. Moreover they are denied of their rights.”
Davutoglu said Turkey was ready to extend any support to OIC.

3000 Bangladeshi Rakhines settle in Maungdaw south

January 4, 2013

Kaladanpress

Maungdaw, Arakan State: 3000 Bangladeshi Rakhines were settled in Natala villages in Maungdaw south since end of the December, said a village administration officer.
“The Maungdaw officials brought the Rakhines people who recently enter to Burma from Bangladesh, to the Natala villages along the Maungdaw- Alaythankyaw road.”
The Rakhine seen very poor who are not able to survive in Bangladesh hill track and taking advantage of the violence between Rakhine and Rohingya communities in June 2012, said a school teacher from Maungdaw south.

“The Bangladeshi Rakhines were settle in every Natala villages as it is the family member of this village where they will get full support from UNHCR, WFP and Other INGOs aids as they were registered in the Immigration office as citizen and living since long.”
“In Maungdaw, the Rohingya IDPs are not getting any support from INGOs or UNHCR or WFP, but Rakhine who entered Burma recently and getting all facility from all corners.”

Security forces surround a Rohingya village for 10 hours in Maungdaw

KPN
Maungdaw, Arakan State: A joint security forces – police, Hluntin and Burma border security force (Nasaka) – had surrounded a Rohingya village from midnight 1:00am till morning 11:00am today, according to a politician from Maungdaw.
“The security forces had surround the Nyaung Chang (Khadir Bill) village- situated near the three miles checked point – at about 1:00 am midnight and blocked every points where all the villagers are not able to escape the village. The security forces kept all Rohingya villagers who are living in the farms and not allow to go to the village.”
The Nasaka Director Col. Aung Naing Oo, the district police officer Kaun Hla San and the officer in charge of Hluntin arrived at nyaung Chang early morning  and checked all the Rohingya villagers who were kept by security forces at night and released all the villagers, said a villager from Nyaung Chang.
“The security forces entered the village and checked one by one the houses of Rohingya villager till 11:00am. But, the security forces didn’t arrest any Rohingya villagers from the village.”
The security forces are looking some 18 Rohingya villagers, but they didn’t found them in the village and the security forces asked the villagers – children and female- about any strangers in the village, according to an official.
“The authority searched the village as there are some people who are aliens.”
“The villagers – children and female- become afraid while the security forces searched the homes inside the village.”
An elder from Maungdaw said, there is a so-called arrest warrant issued by Maungdaw court which was not published to the public and whenever police want to extort money from Rohingya, the police mention the so-called arrest warrant. But, there was not happened like this, it is look a operation to us.
“We fear that Rohingya community might the face the similar situation sooner or later.”