| http://www.genocidewatch.org/myanmar.html |
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Sectarian tension in Myanmar threatens aid workers BANGKOK – 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. (read more) |
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Genocide Emergency: Violence against the Rohingya and other Muslims in Myanmar
 The Rohingya are a Muslim ethnic minority of one million people that has lived in Rakhine state for centuries. But they face systematic religious and ethnic discrimination because under Myanmar’s constitution, they are not classified as one of 135 legally recognized ethnic minority groups with Myanmar citizenship. Ethnic Burmese consider the Rohingya as “illegal immigrants” from Bangladesh. But Bangladesh does not recognize the Rohingya as its citizens. 
Without citizenship, the Rohingya have no civil rights in Myanmar.
The Rohingya are a dehumanized and persecuted minority in Myanmar. Many attempt to flee to Bangladesh or Malaysia in rickety boats, but are not accorded the rights of refugees in those countries. Some of these boat people drown. Among the crimes against humanity the Myanmar military regime is committing against the Rohingya are: denial of citizenship, imprisonment in displaced persons camps, murder, denial of the right to travel, denial of education rights for children, and denial of food and medicines. During 2012, violence increased against Rohingya and other Muslims in the Rakhine State. According to the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, the Rohingyas have become one of the most oppressed ethnic groups in the world. The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights issued a report on discrimination against the Rohingya. Miss Thidar Htwe, a Buddhist woman from Rakhine, was murdered on 28 May 2012. Government officials arrested and charged three Muslim men with the attack. The Economist reported that six days later a mob of Buddhist vigilantes stopped a bus carrying Muslim pilgrims, killing ten and raping one. Violence by Buddhists against Muslims grew. Scores of Rohingya were slaughtered. Attacks against Muslims have now spread to other areas of Myanmar. Attacks by government forces followed shortly thereafter. Mass media have incited discrimination against the Rohingya and Muslims, using derogatory terms and twisted stories when reporting on incidences. Violence against Muslims is not just targeted against the Rohingya; Muslims living in other states have also been targets of ethnic, racial, and religiously motivated violence. The Burmese government has committed atrocities against Muslims, including mass killings and rapes, burning of Muslim villages, arrests, forced labor, and torture. Many Muslims attempt to escape to Bangladesh for sanctuary. However, in Bangladesh the Myanmar refugees face discrimination, exploitation, and deportation. In Myanmar, the Rohingya are a stateless people. On 28 March 2013, The New York Times reported that President Thein Sein publicly declared that he would begin using force to stop religious conflict and rioting in Myanmar. This was the president’s first public comment on the issue since 40 Muslims were killed during rioting in central Myanmar the week before. About 12,000 were forced out of their homes and into refugee shelters as a direct result of that rioting, which included burning of Muslim houses and mosques. This was the worst instance of violence against Muslims in the past year. The release from house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyi and lifting of restrictions on trade have given much of the world press a false sense that the Myanmar regime is liberalizing. In fact, the model it is following is China’s, with firm control by the military unshaken. On 29 March 2013, the UN’s Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Myanmar, Tomás Ojea Quintana, issued a statement from Geneva in which he not only expressed the UN’s concerns about the violence between Muslims and Buddhists in Myanmar, but urged the government to take “bold steps” to rectify the ongoing violence. Quintana noted the violence has been occurring since June and the government has not been doing enough to stop it. State-supported violence against Muslims not only continues a long pattern of discrimination, but is also a warning sign that genocidal violence against Muslims, Shin, Karen, and other minorities remains rampant in Myanmar. Genocide Watch is issuing an updated Genocide Emergency Alert for the Rakhine State of Myanmar. Genocide Watch recommends that the following actions be taken:
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Genocide Emergency: Kachin State Fighting in Myanmar’s Kachin state pits the Kachin Independence Army and its majority Christian population against the Burmese Buddhist government. Ethnic Shan in Kachin State have also been displaced. Kachin State The government says it only attacks in self-defense. However, it appears that the government is trying to capture KIA headquarters in Laiza. The line of command for attacks is ambiguous since the creation of the new democratic government, and it is unclear whether many of the attacks are directed by the central government or are occurring on the basis of local government action. Government attacks on Kachin villages have intensified since December 2012. Human Rights Watch estimates that since the attacks have begun, over 75,000 Kachins have been forced to flee their homes looking for refuge. Attacks include raids and burnings of villages and rapes and murders. Many Kachin have fled to China, only to be deported. On January 19, 2013, President Thein Sein declared a ceasefire, which was immediately broken by his own army. The two groups – KIA and the government – met for peace talks in February 2013, but tensions remain and there has been no stop to the violence. Tens of thousands of Shan Buddhists have also been displaced from Kachin state since June 2011. About 300,000 of Kachin State’s 1.2 million residents are Shan. Kachin Christians also face discrimination. It is estimated that over 100,000 Kachins have been displaced as a direct result of the fighting. Relief groups from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and the World Food Program (WFP) entered remote areas of the Kachin state to provide aid – in the form of supplies and relief workers – in late February. The UN had talks with the government to ensure that aid workers would be safe. Genocide Watch has issued an updated Genocide Emergency Alert for the Kachin State of Myanmar. Genocide Watch recommends that the following actions be taken immediately:
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Toll Rises as Sectarian Violence in Myanmar Spreads to Nearby Villages BANGKOK — Rioting and arson attacks spread on Friday to villages outside a city in central Myanmar where clashes between Buddhists and Muslims have left at least 20 people dead, according to residents, a member of Parliament and local journalists. A picture of chaos and anarchy emerged from the city of Meiktila, where mobs of Buddhists, some of them led by monks, have ransacked and burned Muslim neighborhoods since Wednesday. ( read more) |
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Burma’s President Thein Sein in first European visit Burma’s President Thein Sein is embarking on his first European tour, where he is expected to engage in high-level European Union talks. The president will fly to non-EU state Norway and then visit Finland, Austria, Belgium and Italy, say officials. He is expected to firm up bilateral ties and discuss Burma’s reform process and rights-related issues, reports say. Last year, Thein Sein visited the US, the first Burmese leader to do so in 46 years. The five countries the Burmese president is visiting are not Europe’s largest, but every step on the world stage involving this once most isolated of countries is carefully watched for signs of how well its democratic transformation is progressing, reports BBC South East Asia correspondent Jonathan Head. (read more) |
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Burma: New Violence in Arakan State
By Human Rights Watch 26 October 2012 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 [2] 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. (read more) |
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Report: Burmese Army Continues Rights Violations in Karen
Voice of America 28 August 2012 As Burma’s government and ethnic Karen rebel groups continue peace talks to end one of the |
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Genocide Emergency: Western Myanmar, Rakhine State: The Rohingya The Rohingya are a Muslim ethnic minority living in northern Rakhine state in Western Myanmar. They face religious and ethnic discrimination by Myanmar’s military regime, which refuses to recognize the Rohingya as Myanmar citizens. The Rohingya people are not considered one of 135 legally recognized ethnic minority groups in Myanmar. Myanmar considers them illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, but they have lived in Myanmar for centuries, and Bangladesh will not accept them as its citizens. The first Rohingya people arrived in Myanmar as early as the seventh century, but the Myanmar military regime maintains, to this day, that the Rohingya immigrated to Myanmar from India while under British colonial rule. This disregard for earlier settlers prohibits the Rohingya from being legally recognized as a minority group in Myanmar. The Rohingya have permanently settled in Western Myanmar and make up 1/3 of the population of the Rakhine State. There are close to 750,000 Rohingyas in Rakhine State. Because of the Myanmar military regime’s denial of legal recognition, the Rohingya are denied fundamental human rights and freedom, and the military regime consistently perpetrates human rights violations against this vulnerable population.
The Rohingya are a dehumanized and persecuted minority in Myanmar. Many attempt to flee to Bangladesh or Malaysia in rickety boats, but are not accorded the rights of refugees in those countries. Some boat people drown. Among the crimes against humanity the Myanmar military regime is committing against the Rohingya are: denial of citizenship, imprisonment in displaced persons camps, widespread murder of civilians, denial of the right to travel, denial of education rights for children, and denial of food and medicines. Genocide Watch is issuing a Genocide Emergency Alert for the Rohingya of Myanmar. Genocide Watch recommends that:
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Country Profile: Myanmar (Burma) The state of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, is a melting pot of political tensions. Myanmar has been subject to several occupations by foreign militaries. In response, a surge of nationalism prompted the different ethnic minorities to fight together against the imperialist nations of Britain and Japan. Following the pull out of foreign militaries, ethnic minorities were promised their opportunity to secede from the nation of Burma if they chose to do so. However, the assassination of Aung San left the nation without a capable leader. Burma became a police state in 1962 under the socialist leader, General Ne Win. The constitutional agreement to allow the ethnic minorities to secede was nullified. Since then, numerous secessionist movements have fought the Burmese Army, representing the Karen, Shan, Kachin, and other peoples. These movements have been viciously suppressed, with many crimes against humanity and even genocidal massacres committed by the Burmese Army. Because of its ongoing wars against minorities, especially the Karen, Shan, and Kachin, Genocide Watch has kept Myanmar at Stage 7 (Current genocidal massacres.) |
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Conflict adds ‘genocide’ to the lexicon of Burmese politics
By Agatha Gort
26 May 2012
AS WESTERN powers make encouraging sounds towards Burma’s recent political reforms, on the country’s far-flung northern border with China a dark conflict is still raging. The ethnic Kachin people – a largely Christian minority who picked up guns in 1961 to fight the Burmese army – say they have been left out of the reform process, which has seen ceasefires and a renewed attempt at reconciliation between the central government and the country’s myriad ethnic groups which have been in conflict with Rangoon. In recent weeks, the outnumbered and outgunned Kachin have begun to use the word “genocide” to describe the campaign against them, as they fight to defend their defacto capital of Laiza. (Read more)
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22 September 2009 “The Resistance of the Monks,” by Human Rights Watch 10 September 2009 “New Report Links Total and Chevron to Human Rights Abuses, Corruption in Burma,” by EarthRights International (ERI)
31 August 2009 “Myanmar Army Routs Ethnic Chinese Rebels in the North,” by Thomas Fuller, The New York Times 30 August 2009 “Burmese refugees flee to China town,” by Chris Hogg, BBC News 29 August 2009 “Fleeing Battle, Myanmar Refugees Head to China,” by Thomas Fuller, The New York Times 26 August 2009 “‘Thousands flee Burma violence’,” by BBC News
24 August 2009 “Strategies of Dissent Evolving in Burma,” by The Washington Post
20 August 2009 “Towards the Elections,” by International Crisis Group
15 August 2009 “US senator in Myanmar to meet leader,” by Sheryl Gay Stolberg and Liz Robbins, The New York Times 15 August 2009 “Burma to free Suu Kyi US ‘guest’,” by BBC News 12 August 2009 “Burmese activist receives new term of house arrest,” by Seth Mydans, The New York Times 11 August 2009 “Burmese activist found guilty; House arrest to continue,” by The New York Times 11 August 2009 “Verdict expected for Burmese activist,” by Seth Mydans, The New York Times 9 August 2009 “In Burma, Carefully Sowing Resistance,” by The Washington Post
3 August 2009 “Announcement: EarthRights International’s Ka Hsaw Wa awarded Ramon Magsaysay Award for Emergent Leadership” by EarthRights International 1 August 2009 “Myanmar dissident’s verdict delayed” by Seth Mydans, The New York Times 31 July 2009 “Verdict expected Friday in Myanmar trial” by Seth Mydans, The New York Times 28 July 2009 “Trial of Myanmar rights leader nears end” by Seth Mydans, The New York Times 25 July 2009 “Myanmar dissident’s trial nears end” by Seth Mydans, The New York Times 23 July 2009 “US offers Burma possible benefits” by Glenn Kessley, The Washington Post 22 July 2009 “Clinton cites concerns of arms aid to Myanmar” by Mark Landler, The New York Times 11 July 2009 “Myanmar Dissident’s Trial Resumes” by Mark McDonald, The New York Times 4 July 2009 “Myanmar Junta Rebuffs Effort by UN Leader to Meet with Jailed Dissident” by Neil McFarquhar 26 June 2009 “Opposition Welcomes UN Envoy’s Arrival in Myanmar” by The Associated Press 31 May 2009 “Dissent in Myanmar is Improving” by Reuters 28 May 2009 “End Burma’s System of Impunity” by Paulo Sergio Pinheiro 27 May 2009 “Myanmar Dissident Testifies at Trial” by Seth Mydans, The New York Times 26 May 2009 “Perilous Plight: Burma’s Rohingya Take to the Seas” by Human Rights Watch 25 May 2009 “Burma: End Abuses Against Rohingya” by Human Rights Watch 22 May 2009 “Myanmar Again Closes Trial of Democracy Activist” by Seth Mydans and Mark McDonald, The New York Times
20 May 2009 “Is it time to take Than Shwe to International Criminal Court?” by Arkar Moe, The Irrawaddy
21 May 2009 “Harvard Report Calls for UN Investigation into Burma Rights Abuses” by Danieal Schaerf 20 May 2009 “World’s leading jurists call for investigation into crimes against humanity and war crimes in Burma” by International Human Rights Clinic at Harvard Law School
20 May 2009 “Burma Presses Case Against Pro-Democracy Leader” by Seth Mydans, The New York Times 19 May 2009 “Pro-Democracy Leader Goes on Trial in Myanmar” by Seth Mydans and Mark McDonald, The New York Times 18 May 2009 “Myanmar’s Democracy Leader Goes on Trial” by The Associated Press 16 May 2009 “After Years of Isolation a Dissident Still Torments her Tormentors” by Seth Mydans 15 May 2009 “Myanmar Junta Charges Democracy Leader” by Thomas Fuller and Seth Mydans, The New York Times 14 May 2009 “Burmese Nobel Laureat to Face Trial Under Junta” by Thomas Fuller and Seth Mydans
26 March 2009 “Senior U.S. Diplomat Makes a Trip to Myanmar” by Mark McDonald, The New York Times 20 November 2008 ““I have no more left in my hands:” Human rights conditions in southern Ye Township and northern Tavoy District,” by HURFOM (Human Rights Foundation of Monland – Burma) 26 September 2008 “One Year After Violent Crackdown, Repression Continues” by Human Rights Watch 23 September 2008 “Seeking Justice for Burma: A Case for Revoking the Credentials of the SPDC” by Michael A. Newton,Vanderbilt University Law School 23 August 2008 “The Plight of the Shan People of Burma” by Antonio Graceffo 10 August 2008 “Burma Shan Video: Porter and Human Shield” by Antonio Graceffo 8 August 2008 “Myanmar arrests “8-8-88” anniversary marchers” by Aung Hla Tun, Reuters 7 August 2008 “No Rights Reform 20 Years After Massacre” by Human Rights Watch 6 August 2008 “An auspicious, bloodstained day” by Ko Bo Kyi, International Herald Tribune 1 August 2008 “Twenty years on, more than 2,000 political prisoners” by Amnesty International 19 July 2008 “Seeds of further uprising amid the fear and intimidation” by Clancy Chassay, The Guardian 18 July 2008 “Burmese opposition ready to escalate pro-democracy fight” by Clancy Chassay, The Guardian 6 July 2008 “Suu Kyi vote win ‘no longer legal’: Myanmar state media” by Agence France-Presse 24 June 2008 “Built to Order: Myanmar’s New Capital Isolates and Insulates Junta” by The New York Times 23 June 2008 “Myanmar’s monks regroup after killer storm” by The Associated Press 20 June 2008 “Nursing the Shan” by Antonio Graceffo 20 June 2008 “12 Protesters Detained in Myanmar” by The Associated Press 18 June 2008 “The Other Karen Tribe” by Antonio Graceffo 15 June 2008 “The Power of the Powerless” by Seth Mydans, The New York Times 11 June 2008 “Myanmar’s Junta Frees 15 Detainees” by The Associated Press 11 June 2008 “Burmese state mouthpiece defends Suu Kyi detention” by The Guardian 10 June 2008 “Burmese junta frees 15 opposition activists” by Peter Walker, The Guardian 8 June 2008 “Myanmar denies evictions from cyclone relief camps” by Reuters 7 June 2008 “Myanmar Junta Begins Evicting Cyclone Victims From Shelters” by The New York Times 5 June 2008 “Crimes against humanity in eastern Myanmar” by Amnesty International 5 June 2008 “Cyclone survivors at increased risk because of Myanmar government’s actions” by Amnesty International 3 June 2008 “Myanmar Rulers Still Impeding Access” by Seth Mydans, The New York Times 2 June 2008 “A Day in Loi Tailang: The Shan People Live a Beautiful Culture which is being Driven to Extinction” by Antonio Graceffo, Shan Herald Agency for News (S.H.A.N.) 2 June 2008 “Gates Accuses Myanmar of ‘Criminal Neglect’” by Eric Schmitt, The New York Times 31 May 2008 “Monks Succeed in Cyclone Relief as Junta Falters” by The New York Times 30 May 2008 “Myanmar Starts Mass Evictions” by Reuters 29 May 2008 “The case is clear: Burmese leader should face genocide trial” by Joel Brinkley, McClatchy-Tribune News Service 28 May 2008 “When It Comes to Politics, Burmese Say, Government Is All Too Helpful” by The New York Times 27 May 2008 “Myanmar extends opposition leader’s detention” by The Associated Press 27 May 2008 “Myanmar Detention Overshadowed” by Seth Mydans, The New York Times 26 May 2008 “UN official sees Burma progress” by BBC News 23 May 2008 “U.N. Leader Sees Myanmar Cyclone Devastation” by Seth Mydans, The New York Times 22 May 2008 “Myanmar junta stance on foreign aid a crime– monks” by Reuters 22 May 2008 “U.N. Chief Making Appeal to Myanmar” by Seth Mydans, The New York Times 18 May 2008 “International Pressure on Myanmar Junta Is Building” by The New York Times 17 May 2008 “Burma ‘guilty of inhuman action’” by BBC News 16 May 2008 “Rain deepens Myanmar misery; casualty tolls jump” by Aung Hla Tun, Reuters 10 May 2008 “The Suffering Continues in Burma” by Antonio Graceffo, Burma Digest 10 May 2008 “Deadly cyclone overshadows Myanmar’s vote on constitution” by The Associated Press 10 May 2008 “China Should Push to Get Aid in” by Human Rights Watch 8 May 2008 “Roadmap to Autocracy: Burma’s Referendum is a Sham” by Human Rights Watch 8 May 2008 “Burma’s referendum of the absurd” by Human Rights Watch 8 May 2008 “A Reclusive Government, Forced to Ask for Help” by Seth Mydans, The New York Times 7 May 2008 “A Challenge Getting Relief to Myanmar’s Remote Areas” by Thomas Fuller, The New York Times 7 May 2008 “When Will the People of Burma Catch a Break?” by EarthRights International 7 May 2008 “Aid for Myanmar Mobilizes, Mixed With Criticism” by Seth Mydans and Helene Cooper, The New York Times 2 May 2008 “Sanctions on 3 Companies” by Steven Lee Myers, The New York Times 1 May 2008 “Vote to Nowhere: The May 2008 Constitutional Referendum in Burma” by Human Rights Watch April 2008 “The Human Cost of Energy: Chevron’s Continuing Role in Financing Oppression and Profiting From Human Rights Abuses in Military-Rule Burma (Myanmar)” by EarthRights International 29 April 2008 “Rights group accuses Chevron of complicity in Myanmar abuses” by Agence-France Presse 29 April 2008 “Killings alleged at Chevron’s Burma pipeline” by David R. Baker, The San Francisco Chronicle 29 April 2008 “Watchdog Group Says Chevron Complicit In Myanmar” by Reuters 15 April 2008 “UN rapporteur warns Burma on vote” by BBC News 14 April 2008 “More Refugees From Burma Expected in U.S.” by The New York Sun 11 April 2008 “Rights Groups Call for Probe into Migrant Deaths” by Sal Slip, The Irrawaddy 19 March 2008 “UN Burma Envoy Disappointed Over Lack of Results on Recent Trip” by Margaret Besheer, Voice of America 10 February 2008 “Myanmar Junta Calls For Vote” by Thomas Fuller, The New York Times 6 February 2008 “U.S. Imposes More Sanctions to Press Myanmar Rulers” by Reuters, The New York Times 31 January 2008 “After the Crackdown” by International Crisis Group 27 January 2008 “Rights Group Accuses Myanmar of Holding More Dissidents” by Seth Mydans, The New York Times 3 January 2008 “Myanmar Cracks Down in Ethnic Minorities” by Denis D. Gray, The Associated Press 19 December 2007 “Senate Passes Myanmar Sanctions Bill” by The Associated Press, The Washington Post 17 December 2007 “House Honors Suu Kyi” by The Associated Press, The Washington Post
15 December 2007 “Spies, Suspicion and Empty Monasteries” by Chris McGreal, The Guardian
8 December 2007 “U.N. Report Finds 31 Killed in Myanmar Crackdown” by Warren Hoge, The New York Times
20 November 2007 “Surprise Pressure From Myanmar’s Neighbors” by Wayne Arnold, The New York Times
12 November 2007 “U.N. Examining Myanmar Crackdown” by Thomas Fuller, The New York Times 9 November 2007 “Myanmar Leader Meets with Party” by Thomas Fuller, The New York Times. 9 November 2007 “Myanmar Standoff Appears to Soften” by Thomas Fuller, The New York Times. 3 November 2007 “Burma Expels U.N. Envoy Who Backed Pro-Democracy Protests” by Colum Lynch, The Washington Post.
30 October 2007. “Khun Sa, Drug Lord, Dies at 73” by Thomas Fuller, The New York Times 29 October 2007 “Myanmar Magic: Tell a Joke, and You Disappear” by Choe Sang-Hun, The New York Times. 20 October 2007 “The Main Issue in Burma is Democracy, Not Economics” by The Nation 15 October 2007 “First Lady Raising Her Profile Without Changing Her Image” by Sheryl Gay Stolberg. 8 January 2007 “Ban Ki-moon Calls on Myanmar to Release all Political Prisoners” the UN News Centre. 30 November 2006 “Burma: Army Forces Thousands to Flee” Human Rights Watch. 24 November 2006 “Myanmar Wages Offensive Against Karen” by The Associated Press, The New York Times. 17 November 2006 “Myanmar Is Left in Dark, an Energy-Rich Orphan” by Jane Perlez, The New York Times. 17 November 2006 “Misery Spirals in Burma as Junta Targets Minorities” by Anthony Faiola, The Washington Post. 10 October 2006 “Bold Gestures on Myanmar Only Underscore Stagnation and Other Troubles” by Seth Mydans, The New York 28 May 2006 “Myanmar Extends Dissident’s House Arrest” by The Associated Press, The New York Times. 27 May 2006 “Myanmar: Suu Kyi’s Detention Extended,” by Reuters, The New York Times 21 May 2006 “Myanmar Dissident Healthy, U.N. Agent Says After Meeting” by Reuters, The New York Times. 23 April 2006 “Burma’s Dear Leader” by Joshua Kurlantzick, The Washington Post. 31 March 2006 “Teachers Witness Genocide of Karen Refugees; Mother and Daughters Hear Tales of Junta’s Crackdown” by Alison Chiesa, The Herald 12 March 2006 “POLITICIDE AND GENOCIDE WATCH: BURMA (MYANMAR)” by K. Kelly and J. Margolis for Genocide Watch. 14 October 2005 “Human Rights Watch backs call for UN Security Council action on Myanmar, Agence France-Presse. 27 August 2005 “Burmese Power Struggle May Be Heating Up, or Not” by Seth Mydans, The New York Times. 13 August 2003 “A Burmese Activist Has the Attention of The White House and, He Hopes, the World” by David Montgomery, The 21 July 2003 “Don’t Let Burma Slide” by Morton Abramowitz, The Washington Post 20 July 2003 “Dissenters Said to be Well” by Seth Mydans, The New York Times. 17 July 2003 “Hill Passes Measure to Punish Burma With Trade Sanctions” by Glenn Kessler, The Washington Post 5 June 2003 “Suu Kyi Injured, Diplomats Confirm” by Ellen Nakashima and Alan Sipress, The Washington Post
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S. M. Zafar urges govt to take the case of Rohingya Muslims to ICJ
Liaqat Toor
Islamabad—Ambassadors of Muslim countries stationed in Islamabad have expressed their solidarity with victims of Myanmar.
Muslim envoys including Ambassador of Tunis Mourad Bourehla, Ambassador Sherali of Tajikistan and High Commissioner of Nigeria Dauda Danladi participated in the Round Table Conference on ‘Massacre of Muslims in Myanmar’, organized by Nazriya Pakistan Council at Aiwan-i-Quaid, F-9 Park on Friday.
The ambassadors who could not attend the conference due to their pressing engagements including Algerian Ambassador Ahmed Benflis and Palestinian Ambassador Walid. A.M Abu Ali in their messages to the conference supported and endorsed the views of the speakers and the resolution passed on the occasion. Terming the wanton killings of Muslims in Myanmar as a violation of UN Charter, they sought an end to such acts of savagery.
The Ambassadors of Myanmar and UN representative in Pakistan were also invited to the conference, but due to obvious reasons they did not attend it.
Saturday, June 15, 2013 – Islamabad—Eminent jurist and former Federal Law Minister Mr. S. M. Zafar has described incidents of massacre in Myanmar as crimes against humanity.
Addressing a round table conference on ‘Massacre of Muslims in Myanmar’, organised by Nazriya Pakistan Council at Aiwan-i-Quaid here Friday, he said, the Rohinga Muslims of Myanmar are being subjected to worst brutalities by the extremist Buddhists while the Myanmar Government has failed to protect the life and property of the Muslims. S. M. Zafar said violent incidents taking place in Myanmar are clear violations of UN charter. It’s a case of ethnic cleansing and genocide which are condemnable in the strongest possible terms. He said, the United Nations or any credible international agency should deputed to conduct investigation of the situation in Myanmar so that facts are before the international community. He urged the United Nations and other international organisations including OIC to play their due role for an end to the brutal killings of the Muslims of Myanmar. He also urged the civilised world to take notice of the tragic situation in Myanmar and stress the need for the Muslims countries to take initiatives seeking an end to the massacre of Rohinga Muslims. He said, the world media, especially the media of Muslim countries should inform the world about the situation in Myanmar.
Addressing the round table conference, prominent journalist Ghulam Akbar said, the situation in Myanmar is a challenge for the whole world and the Muslim countries in particular as it is a question of human rights. He said, crimes against humanity are being committed in Myanmar against the Muslims and such crimes cannot go unnoticed. He said, Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) in his last sermon had clearly declared that all Muslims of the world were a single Ummah and they were asked to care for each other. The Muslims are bound to react to the situation and Myanmar and help the oppressed Muslims.
Prominent intellectual Ambassador S. M. Kureshi lamented, that the world especially the Muslim countries were not doing much to help the Rohinga Muslims in Myanmar who are being subjected to world type of atrocities. He said, it is tragic that the extremist Buddhist monks have been leading the mobs who indulged in the killings of the Muslims in Myanmar and destroyed mosques. He appealed to the international community and OIC to take action in the right direction. Lt. Gen. (Retd) Abdul Qayyum expressed his views regarding the massacre of Muslims in Myanmar in the historic background. He said, it was time for the world especially the Muslim countries to act and start atrocities being committed in Myanmar against the Muslims. He recalled that Father of the Nation, Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah in his policy statement had said that Pakistan would always side with the oppressed people of the world irrespective of religion or ethnicity. Pakistan, he said, is duty bound to raise its voice in support of the oppressed Muslims of Myanmar.
Prominent intellectual Mian Javed said, the situation in Myanmar in worst than what was in Rwanda and Bosnia. He urged the international community to take notice of sad situation in Myanmar where the Muslims have been deprived of citizenship and human rights.
He also urged the OIC and Asean should also take notice of the situation in Myanmar. He said, Pakistan on its part should raise voice against the genocide of Muslims in Myanmar.
Executive Secretary of NPC Kanwar Dilshad in his speech held the British Raj responsible for the injustice the Burmese Muslims were subjected to before that country was given independence.
A large number of people present at the round table conference organized by the NPC to highlight the massacre of Rohinga Muslims of Myanmar.
RTC adopts 6-point Resolution
Zahid Malik demands Referendum on a separate State for Muslims in Myanmar
Ashraf Ansari
Islamabad—Mr. Zahid Malik, Editor-in-Chief, Pakistan Observer, has said that in view of the horrible acts of most shameful savagery perpetuated by Buddhist monks on hapless Rohinga Muslims in Myanmar, time has come that they may demand a separate homeland.
Addressing the Round Table Conference on “Massacre of Muslims in Myanmar” hosted by the Nazriya Pakistan Council, Islamabad at Aiwan-i-Quaid, Fatima Jinnah Park, Islamabad, Mr. Malik, who is also the Chairman of the NPC, called for an immediate end to the brutalities being committed on Muslims in Myanmar.
He conveyed shock over, what he called, the “implicit complicity” of the Myanmar’s authorities in the ethnic cleansing of Muslims in that country and expressed sorrow over the “mysterious silence” of the much-publicized noble laureate, Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi who is aspiring to be the next President of Myanmar. However, he said all that was understandable but he questioned where was the UN? Where were the international human rights organizations including those of Pakistan? Why the world media was not taking note of the genocide of the Muslims and why were they not showing footage of the charred bodies of the innocent Muslims including women and children?
Mr. Malik also criticized the Muslim countries and their sole representative body, OIC, for their total failure to come to the rescue of the Rohinga Muslims. However, he praised the 50 million dollars donation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for the rehabilitation of uprooted and broken Muslims. He also appealed to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and the Government of Pakistan which has always championed the causes of the suffering Muslims in the past, to play its traditional role and rush humanitarian aid to the Rakhine State and a Federal Minister may be deputed to personally go there and deliver relief goods and also raise Pakistan’s concern at the international forum.
Later, a 6-point Resolution with the strong backing of the audience was adopted which demanded:
1. That the Secretary General of the United Nations, H.E. Mr. Ban Ki Moon or his Special Envoy should immediately visit the blood-soaked areas of Myanmar to have firsthand knowledge of the plight of Muslims so that the UN may come out with a way-out.
2. That the President Obama-led West and the European Union should come out with their condemnation of the killing of Muslims and should also please rush some urgent humanitarian aid.
3. That the world media should despatch their teams to the Rakhine State as they had been rightly despatching such teams to Iraq, Afghanistan etc.
4 That the Secretary General of the OIC should personally visit the scene of savage acts of genocide and play a role in providing some relief to the affectees of the ethnic cleansing.
5 That the Government of Pakistan should take note of the situation and as per its tradition rush humanitarian aid to the affected Muslims. It may be appropriate that a Federal Minister leads a group of people to deliver relief goods and console the ill-fated Muslims.
6. Government of Pakistan may take the issue of Rohinga Muslims of Myanmar to the International Court of justice as it is a matter of crimes against humanity.
