Arakan January Issue 2009

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The Rohingya and Rakhineare indigenous to Arakan andtherefore to present dayBurma. Before 1785 AD, Ara-kan existed as an independ-ent nation for many centurieswhere Buddhist Rakhine andMuslim Rohingya coexistedpeacefully. We will work to re-establish the traditional rela-tionship of peaceful-coexistence that existed in the

past between the RohingyaArakanese and the RakhineArakanese peoples,and topromote a shared senseOf being Arakanese among allpeoples of Arakan.The unity of the Rohingyapeople worldwide is indispen-sable, and the unity betweenRohingya and Rakhine is vitalto shape our own destiny inthe Union of Burma to ensureour future and that of our chil-dren.We express our grave con-

cern over the current 'policiesof exclusion' of the Burmaopposition groups or democ-

racy movements and EthnicNationalities Council(ENC)towards Rohingya. We affirmthat the political process inBurma shall be genuinelyinclusive on democratic princi-ple. We are committed to pur-

The Arakan Rohingya Nation-alOrganization (ARNO) heldits 4th Congress with party

leaders, community represen-tatives, academicians andreligious leaders from amongRohingya people on Decem-ber 13 in the border area ofArakan State, Union of

Burma, and ARNO also calleda conference to explain itscongress statement to allRohingya community on De-cember 16. It is the first timewomen participation in Rohin-gya conference.ARNO, declared its 4thRNC Declaration on theconference.The 4th Congress of the Ara-kan Rohingya National Or-ganization (ARNO) was heldon 13th December 2008 inthe border area of ArakanState, Union of Burma, withparty leaders, communityrepresentatives, academicsand religious leaders of theRohingya people. A new Cen-tral Committee (CC) of ARNOhas been formed with NurulIslam, AFK Jilani and HabiburRahman respectively asPresident, Vice-President Iand Vice-President II. TheCongress issued the followingdeclaration:We reiterate that ARNO is the

representative organizationof the Rohingya peopleemerged in November 1998,

out of the merger of thenexisting all Rohingya politicalorganizations, to achieve theRohingya people's 'right toself-determination'.We condemn the ruling mili-

tary State Peace and Devel-opment Council (SPDC) forits violation of human rights

and perpetration of crimesagainst humanity, particularlyin the ethnic areas, which aresystematic, flagrant andwidespread in Arakanagainst the Rohingya people.

4th Rohingya National Congress of ARNO

Volume 1, Issue 1

January 2009

ArakanInside this issue:

4th Rohingya NationalCongress of ARNO

1

Editorial 2

Thailand Urged to StopPushing Refugees Out

to Sea

3

ARNO Press Releaseon Boatpeople

4

Indigenous Rohingyasof Arakan 5

Burma's Muslim Rohin-

gya Minority6

Rohingya delegationreturn Brussels lobby-ing visit

7

News and Analysis of the Arakan Rohingya National Organisation, Arakan ( Burma)

Monthly

January , 2009

Released Burmeseprisoners languish in

Bangladesh prison

7

Nasaka into lucrative

business in Maungdaw7

Rights group calls onThailand to change

policy for boatpeople

8


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The international communityis well aware that the 3.5million peace-loving Muslimsof Arakan known asRohingya have long beensubjected to large-scale per-secution, genocide, ethnic-cleansing, diabolical tyrannyand extermination particularly

by the successive Burmeseautocratic regimes, the worstbeing the present StatePeace and DevelopmentCouncil (SPDC) military re-gime. They are also madelargest target of other wide-spread human right viola-tions, including rape, sum-mery execution, torture,slave labour, restriction onmovement and marriage,forcible dispossession andseizure of their land, denialof their citizenship, compel-

ling them to become state-less or refugees. As a resultabout 1.5 million of Rohin-gyas have been expelled orhave to leave their ancestralhomeland for their lives.In the face of the rapidly de-teriorating situation of theRohingya threatening theirvery existence and dauntingchallenges thrown uponthem by the military junta, allRohingya organisations have

strongly felt that the total unityof the Rohingya people is in-dispensable. Thus the threeRohingya organisations -- Ara-kan Rohingya Islamic Front(ARIF) led by Nurul Islam, Ro-hingya Solidarity Organisation(RSO) led by Dr. MohammedYunus and Rohingya Solidarity

Organisation (RSO) led byProfessor Mohammed Zakaria-- having common outlook to-wards all national, political andideological matters, haveunited together and mergedinto a single organisationnamely Arakan Rohingya Na-tional Organisation (ARNO) on11th December, 1998 to servethe cause of their people.Alas! Some of the members ofthe Standing Committee of theARNO deserted and formedseparately by using their for-

mer name, which encourageothers to form their own partiesto serve their own interestrather than to serve the suffer-ing Rohingya community.When the well-wishers tried tounite them they dodged for lastwhole year. By forming oneparty they afraid their all privi-leges would be deprived.Strangely they are alsopreaching for unity. But thedoor is always open for them.

They can join ARNO at anytime as ARNO is the motherOrganisation.A new Central Committee (CC)of ARNO has been elected bythe 4th Congress of ARNO on13th December 2008. We hopethe new (CC) of the ARNO,with the cooperation of the

entire Rohingya people, wouldcontinue the struggle toachieve the cherish goal ofvictory.Since Burmas independence,the spirit of the Union of Burmaor the principle of unity in di-versity has been underminedresulting in fratricidal civil warof long 60 years continuing tilltoday. We believe that Burmasdiverse ethnic issues and prob-lems can only be solvedthrough a meaningful dialogueamong the military junta, the

democratic opposition forcesled by Daw Aung San Suu Kyiand representatives of the dif-ferent ethnic groups, includingthat of the Rohingya people.Over and above, peace canonly be established in Burmawhen the country is trans-formed into a welfare state,based on federalism whereequality, justice, humanity,fundamental human rights andfreedom will perpetually pre-

EDITORIAL

Volume 1, Issue 1 January 2009

vailed the right of self-determination of all ethnicpeoples is guaranteed. In thisconnection, we reiterate thatself-determination of the Ro-hingya people is a sine quanon for a permanent solutionof their long-standing prob-lem. Though a resourceful

country Burmas remainsamong the least developedand backward countries in theregion. Educational instaura-tions, universities and col-leges remain closed off andon, without certainty. Burmaseducation system is failingboth students and teachersand the country has futilechances of producing skilledwork force, The spread ofAIDS and communicable dis-ease are out of control andalarmingly affecting the Bur-

mese people. Without thetimely removal of the auto-cratic military regime, the fu-ture of Burmese people will bedoomed forever. In this con-nection, we reiterate to strug-gle together with the Burmeseopposition and democraticforces to put this dastardlymilitary rule to an end onceand for all.

pursuing a peaceful politi-cal settlement of our prob-lem.We are not part of anystruggle outside Burmaand are committed as acommunity within Arakanto rebuild the State. Ourvision for the future is adiverse, tolerant, multi-

ethnic, multi-religious Ara-kan society.We are determined to pre-serve, develop and trans-mit to future Rohingya gen-erations their ancestralhistory, their ethnic identity.We are determined to im-prove the condition of theRohingya people livingabroad, specially thoseliving in refugee campsand those tolerated as

guests or illegal workers their legal status, humansecurity, living conditions,

access to health and edu-cational facilities, jobs andtraining opportunities.

We support the rights of Ro-hingya women and girls toeducation, health and eco-

nomic empowerment. For thefuture generations' heritagewe pledge to protect environ-

ment and preserve agreen haven for our chil-dren and the world.We welcome support fromany group worldwide aslong as they respect ourgoal, specially our visionof tolerance and respectfor all religious and humanrights for all in Arakan.

We appeal to internationalcommunity, UNO, OIC,ASEAN and neighbouringcountries, and NGOs for apermanent solution of theRohingya problem.Rohingya National Con-gressArakan, Burma.Dated:13thDecember2008

4th Rohingya National Congress of ARNOFrom front page


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Thailand Urged to Stop Pushing Refugees Out to SeaRrefugee rights organizationhas called on the Thai gov-ernment to stop strandingRohingya boat people from

western Burmas ArakanState at sea after apprehend-ing them for illegally enteringThailand.In a press releaseissued on Monday, Washing-ton, DC-based RefugeesInternational said the Thaigovernment should instructits Army to desist from itsnew and troubling policy ofpushing refugees and mi-grants intercepted on boatsback out to sea.According to the group, pressreports indicated that therewere at least four confirmeddeaths and as many as 300people missing after a boatthat had been towed out to

sea by the Thai authoritiescapsized.One report said that on De-cember 18, the Thai Navy set412 people adrift on a singleboat in international waters

north of the island of KohSurin, off the coast of Thai-land.After 13 days at sea, the In-

dian Coast Guard rescued107 survivors of the ordealnear the Andaman Islands.Thai officials disputed theclaim. Thai immigration of-fice will never send illegalimmigrants back to theircountries by putting themback in the boat then let themgo, said Police LieutenantGeneral Chatchawal Suk-somjit, commander of theThailand Immigration Office.Chris Lewa, an expert onRohingya issues who inter-viewed some of the survivors,said that they told her theywere forced to get onto theboat at gunpoint and were

given just four bags of riceand two tanks of water.Its an outrageous situation.Thailand must stop puttingthem back in the middle ofthe sea, she added.

One survivor from ButhidaungTownship, Arakan State, toldLewa that he had left his vil-lage with eight people. Four ofmy friends are now dead. Ourdream was to go to Malaysia,he said.A rising tide of Rohingya refu-gees has been fleeing Burmatowards countries like Indone-

sia, Malaysia and Indias Anda-man and Nicobar Islands.Their numbers usually in-crease after November, whenthe seas are at their calmest.Last week, more than a hun-dred people who travelled byboat were arrested by Indone-sian authorities in Aceh.

The Rohingya are a statelessMuslim minority who faceharsh treatment by the Bur-mese authorities. They are

prohibited from travelling out-side Arakan State and are fur-ther marginalized by other dis-criminatory regime laws.Last September, more than100 Rohingyas were given six-

month prison sentences afterthey were arrested while trav-eling to Rangoon in search ofwork.Many seek to escape the eco-nomic hardship of their re-stricted lives and turn to bro-kers to help them find work

outside Arakan State. Hun-dreds put to sea in leaky ves-sels and head for Malaysia,but many end up on Thailandbeaches or drown in thestormy waters of the AndamanSea.According to official Thai fig-ures, the number of Rohin-

gyas arrested for illegally en-tering Thailand has increasedsteadily in recent years, from1,225 in 2005-6 to 4,886 in2007-8. There were 659 Ro-hingyas seized in eight sepa-rate incidents from November26 to December 25 last year.Source: Irrawaddy, Jan15,09

Sheikh Hasina, the leader ofAwami League party whichwon landslide in this weekselections in Bangladesh,saidopposition leader Aung SanSuu Kyi of the neighboringMyanmar, who has been un-der house arrest since May2003, should be released. She

told a questioner at her firstpress conference after heralliances grand victory atBangladesh-China FriendshipInternational Conference Cen-ter that her party is always infavour of democracy.When a foreign journalistasked her to explain her stand

on detained Myanmar leaderSuu Kyi, Sheikh Hasina said,We want immediate releaseof Suu Kyi.Burma is a closeneighbuoring country of Bang-ladesh and as such we wantgood neighborly relations withYangon, Sheikh Hasina said.Friendship with all and malice

to none is our cardinal for-eign policy she said addingthat she wants a peacefuland democratic South Asianregion

Jan 1st, 2009. Daily Star,

Bangladesh.

Hasina wants release of Aung San Suu Kyi

Buthidaung JailThe inmates of the Buthidaung jail (In Arakan State) are 1114. About one hundred are Rakhaines and non-Rohingyas.One thou-sand are Rohingyas sentenced for marriage without permission.Some are sentenced for immrigation cases, a few are sentencedfor drug and logs smuggling. There are 58 Rohingya women almost all are sentenced for marriage. Reported by an inmate re-leased recently that jail is build for only 200 inmates.

Arakan Monthly group.

LAWI WENGA


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ARAKAN ROHINGYA NATIONAL ORGANISATIONARAKAN, BURMA

Press Release16th January 2009

PROTECT THE PERSECUTED ROHINGYA BOATPEOPLE

The Arakan Rohingya National Organization (ARNO) supports the Press Release dated January 15, 2009 of the RefugeesInternational urging the Thai officials to treat the Rohingya and other boatpeople humanely and to ensure that refugeesseeking asylum are properly screened and are not forced back to their country of origin if it will put them at risk.The Rohingya are the worst victims of human rights violations in Burma. They are rendered stateless and have no rights

within Burma while living in abject poverty. Crimes against humanity have been perpetrated against them, including de-nial of citizenship rights, severe restriction on freedom of movement, marriage and religion, forced labour, rape, landconfiscation, arbitrary arrests, torture, extrajudicial killings and extortion on daily basis. This impossible situation hasconstrained them to leave their hearths and homes in search of safe shelter and better life.We express our serious concern over the harsh treatment of the boatpeople by the Thai security forces. Towing andforcing these helpless, hapless and highly vulnerable people back to the sea tying their hands without any foods in en-gineless boats to expose them to the risk of capsizing and sinking is a merciless action made in utter disregard of inter-national law and other international standards and practices. Report says one of such boats has capsized resulting inthe death and missing of more than 300 people. It is not a solution at all.Therefore, we urge upon the Government of Thailand and all those concerned to treat these boatpeople humanly, andnot send the Rohingya asylum seekers back to Burma, where their lives will be in danger. Instead they may be grantedadequate protection and assistance on humanitarian ground. We also urge upon the Thai Government with the interna-tional community to try for a permanent solution of the longstanding Rohingya problem.

For further information contact:

Phone: +44 07947854652,email: [email protected] www.rohingya.org

Burma's Muslim Rohingya MinorityFrom page 6

Forced labour is widespread. The regime is carrying out an attack on our language, identity and culture, said one Rakhine. TheNational United Party of Arakan (NUPA) has an alliance with the Arakan Rohingya National Organisation (ARNO). One NUPAleader told me: When a people have been living this long through history, why should they be deprived of their citizenshiprights?The regime is trying to take away our identity, a Rohingya leader told me. We will not be there in the very near future. The disin-tegration of our society will take place. Our prime concern is that we must not be eliminated. With that context, it is perh aps notsurprising that some Rohingyas have been radicalised, feeling they have few allies in the world. Militant Islamist groups havepreyed on their vulnerability. There are even suggestions that some Rohingyas have been linked to al-Qaeda. All the more rea-

son, it seems, why it is essential to speak up for them, and encourage Burmas democracy movement to be more inclusive. Notonly is there a strong moral case to speak out against their persecution, but a powerful strategic incentive to do so as well. As onemoderate Buddhist Rakhine told me: We have to reach out to moderate Rohingyas, and work with them, because if we dont,they will have nowhere else to go but radical Islamism. Burma is troubled enough as it is, without that prospect to add to i tswoes.Benedict Rogers is the author of A Land Without Evil: Stopping the Genocide of Burma's Karen People (Monarch, 2004),and has visited Burma and its borderlands more than 20 times. He also serves as Deputy Chairman of the UK Conserva-tive Party's Human Rights Commission.October 6th 2008

In Northern Arakan State, including the townships of Maungdaw, Buthidaung and Rathedaung, widowers have to wait for a mini-mum of three years to re-marry, a widower from Buthidaung said on condition of anonymity.A widower named Hussain (not his real name), who hails from Buthidaung Township told Kaladan Press Network that his wife

had died of cancer three months ago. She had left three children and they did not have a grandmother also, who could look afterthem. Hussain is a farmer, who spends most of his time cultivating land and is therefore unable to look after his children. H e goesto work after handing over the children to a neighbor, for the day.After collecting all the necessary documents, the widower submitted an application to the Nasaka, Burma's border security force,to seek permission for remarriage. However, the concerned Nasaka officer asked him to wait for at least three years to seek per-mission. After speaking to the Nasaka officer, the widower said he had been facing difficulties with his children and asked them togrant permission. The Nasaka, however, did not relent.In order to get permission for remarriage, there are more formalities. Initially, the applicant had to get forms from the concernedoffice where he had to pay kyat 5,000. After collecting the forms, these would be filled up by the clerk of the Village Peace andDevelopment Council (VPDC), where the applicant had to pay kyat 3,000. Then the application would be sent to the VPDC officefor a recommendation letter from the VPDC Chairman, where again the applicant had to pay kyat 5,000, a bridegroom's father,who declined to be named, said.Afterwards, the application would be sent to the Sarapa (Military Intelligence) of Nasaka for a recommendation letter, where the

See Next page

Widowers in northern Arakan to wait for three years for remarriage
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.rohingya.org/http://www.rohingya.org/http://www.rohingya.org/mailto:[email protected]


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Till 957 CE Arakan had beenruled by Hindu dynasties. Boththe people and governmentswere Indian similar to Ban-galees, Arakan, in fact, is acontinuation of the Chittagongplain. The true Chronicle re-cords that in the 957CE, a Mon-golian invasion swept over Ara-kan. According to Wilhelm

Klein, all of a sudden, Arakanchanged.The invading tribesmade the country face to east,away from India. The Tibeto-Burman who had entered thecountry stayed in Arakan-withthe racial mixture which charac-terizes today Rakhings.Those who are now known asRohingyas are the local indige-nous people living in Arakansince the dawn of the historythat later embraced cultural andreligious reformation to upgradetheir ancient tradition. Islamwas introduced in Arakan byArabs traders and Sufi mysticswithin 50 years of the advent ofIslam in 610 CE.Dr.Pamela Gutman wrotethat,the Rakhing,appears tohave been an advance-guard ofBurmans who began to crossthe Rakhing Yoma in the ninthcentury.She also wrote that theRakhing were the last signifi-cant group of people to comeinto Arakan. A Phayre, GE Har-vey, D.G.E.Hall, M.Collis and

other historians who wrote Bur-mese history, wrote that thepeople of Wassali were Indians.M.Collis wrote that `.it(Arakan) was an Indian land,dynasty following dynasty. Thenin AD957, the whole area wasoverrun by a Mongolian incur-sion from the north. The Mon-golian mixed with the Indianand erected the Arakaneserace. According to San ShweBu, a Rakhing historian, Ara-kanese history proper than(after 957 CE) began and it

lasted 8 centuries until1784 CE.According to D.G.E. Hall till10th century the people of Ara-

kan were Indian and similarto Bangalees.Rohingya is theonly race of Arakan similarto Bangalees.It is not logicalto deny the fact that Rohin-gya has a `historic right; theright of the first occupation ofArakan.The Wassali state was eat-ablished by Mahawira Min of

the west of Naf River in 600-612 CE at Pruma of presentMaungdaw township. Purmawas a sea port in accordanceto the records of the touristsin 2nd century CE. FromPurma, the Wassali statewas established by conquer-ing small states adjacent toit. King Mahawira and hissubjects were Indians similarto todays Rohingyas.In the `Kyaukza stone in-scription serial No.963/20-23-804 Burmese era 1442 C.E.there is indication of MuslimKing,s reign of Arakan in14th century who werefriends of Burmese kings andused to visit them. The Kingsof Arakan had Muslim title. Ifthey were not Muslim kingsmentioned in the inscription,the Muslim king of Arakanmight be Rohingya Muslimkings,from Mayu River valley,the eastern of the Naf River.Rohingyas claim their exis-tence there of over thou-

sands years. If not thou-sands years, their existencemight be from the time of1202 C.E. when the Muslimsconquered Bengal, that is800 years.In 1406 Arakan was occu-pied by Burma.The king ofArakan, Narameikhla fled toMuslim Bengal. He was re-stored to the throne of Ara-kan in 1430 by Bengal Sultanwho sent a large Muslimarmy to drive out the Bur-mese invaders. The Muslim

army of Wali Khan and SandiKhan all stayed and settleddown in Arakan. The Mrauku

dynasty was established afterdriving out Burmese invadersin 1430. It was the most glori-ous era in the history of Ara-kan.For one hundred years (1430-1530) Arakan was under thepolitical influence of Bengal asa vassal state. For nearly onecentury (1582-1666) the Chit-

tagong division was underArakanese rule. The courtlanguage of Arakan had beenPersian till 1845, 22 yearsfurther beyond British occupa-tion. The coins found in Ara-kan belong to those of Mrauk-U are Muslims. The Mrauku,rulers inscribed their coins andstate emblems with `Kalema;Muslim profession of faith, andMuslim name of the kings inArabic script. In the court ofthe Araknese kings Muslimministers and Qadis (Judges)were appointed.There is a coin of Razagri/Salim Shah I (1593-1612) inthe collection of ChittagongUniversity museum. Dr.A.Karim remarks that the coin ofSalim Shah is very interestingand it throws clight on Arakanrelations with Bengal. He alsowrote that `Nowadays manyscholars have deciphered thecoins, and have read the Mus-lim names of the kings prop-erly. There is no doubt that

the names are clear Arabicwords,e.g.Husain,Ilyas,Kalima, Mohamed, Nuri, Salim, Sikandar,etc.Not only that, Europeanwriters like Fray SetasteinManrique have also writtenthe Muslim names of Ara-kanese kings. Manrique washimself in the Arakanese courtfor a pretty long time, he waspresent in the capital on theoccasion of the coronation ofthe king Thiri Thudamma(Salim Shah II). So Marrique,s

evidence cannot be ques-tioned. What is more impor-tant is that Marrique used the


Muslim name(Salim Shah)only. Not only one king butmany all reigning for morethan two hundred years usedthe Muslim names and in-scribed the same in the coins.Burmese junta,s policy of eth-nic cleansing and genocideagainst the Rohingyas of Ara-kan forcing nearly half of theirtotal population to leave theirmotherland. The junta,s grossviolation of human rights ren-dered the Rohingyas to thestatus of modern-day slaves.The ruling junta is engaged inerasing and obliterating theMuslims entity in Arakan bydemolishing ancient Islamicmonuments, mosques, grave-yards and building severalpagodas and monasteries inMuslim areas, establishing

hostile settlers in the name of`Model Villages changingnames bearingMuslim signifi-cance, distorting the history ofArakan and denying the in-digenous status of Rohingya.Professor Abdul Karim, formervice-chancellor of the Chit-tagong University wrote eventheir basic human rights,i.eright to live with dignity andhonour have been takenaway.The Rohingya facedinhuman torture so much sothat they had to leave their

hearth and home leaving alltheir properties. But how couldsuch a huge number of peoplesuddenly enter into Arakan,sothat the government of Burmacould claim that they are notnational of Burma.The principle case of the con-tinuing of Rohingya refugeecrisis is the military govern-ment of Burma,s discrimina-tory attitude towards this par-ticular ethnic and religiousminority. The ruling junta hasturned Burma into one of the

worse places for the Muslimsto live in.

Indigenous Rohingyas of ArakanAFK Jilani

From page 4candidate would have to pay kyat 15,000. Followed by this, the application including two photographs would be sent to the Doctorof Nasaka for medical checking and again for a recommendation where the candidate had to pay kyat 10,000. After that the ap-plication with all other documents would be sent to the Immigration of Nasaka, where two witnesses including the father andmother are called. They are asked whether the bride and the bridegroom agree to be with each other.Subsequently, the application is sent to the local Nasaka headquarters for checking, where the candidate has to pay kyat15,000. The new bridegroom has to wait for at least three months to get permission. If the candidate is a widower, the time spanof three years is compulsory.If the new bridegroom pays a bribe of kyat 200,000 to 300,000 to the concerned authority, he is likelyto get permission within 15 days, a close aide of Nasaka said.Later all the documents have to be sent to the local Nasaka camp, where the candidate again has to pay kyat 5,000.Source: Kaladan News, Jan 1, 2009


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Burma's Muslim Rohingya Minority Dwell at the "Brink of Extermination"

Benedict RogersIt is not often you meet some-one who tells you that he is froma people at the brink of exter-mination. But the testimoniesfrom refugees in a remote cor-ner of southern Bangladesh, onthe border with Burma, justifythat assessment. For the Rohin-gya people, a Muslim minority innorthern Arakan State, western

Burma, are a stateless peoplewhose very identity is denied.All the people of Burma aresuffering at the hands of one ofthe worlds most brutal, andillegitimate, military regimes.From time to time Burmas crisishits the headlines, as it did withprotests led by Buddhist monkslast September, and CycloneNargis in May this year. In be-tween such events, however,Burma fades from the worldsattention.If Burma as a whole is under-reported, the people on its west-ern borders are almost unknownto the world. Journalists, activ-ists and aid agencies who visitthe region tend to head for theThailand-Burma border, whereaccess to refugees, displacedpeople and democracy groupsis greatest.Few visit Burmas borders withIndia, where a famine is unfold-ing, or with China, wherewomen are trafficked into prosti-tution, and fewer still make it to

the Bangladesh border where aslow, forgotten genocide is tak-ing place.The Rohingya people are ethni-cally and culturally closely re-lated to the Bengali people inthe area surrounding Chit-tagong, but have lived in Burmafor generations. While their pre-cise history may be debated,there is no doubt that they arenot newcomers to the country.Yet unlike all the other ethnicgroups in Burma, which al-though severely persecuted by

the regime are at least recog-nised as citizens, the Rohingyasare regarded as temporaryresidents and denied full citi-zenship status. They are re-quired to obtain permission be-fore marrying, and a permit cantake several years to secure.Movement is severely restricted

Rohingyas must obtain per-mission to travel even from onevillage to another, impedingaccess to medical care andeducation. As non-citizens,Rohingyas cannot be employed

as teachers, nurses, civilservants or in any public ser-vice, and in Rohingya areasteachers, mostly from theBuddhist Rakhine ethnicgroup, sometimes fail to turnup for an entire year, disrupt-ing educational opportunitiesfor the Rohingyas. Rape andforced labour are wide-

spread, and Rohingyas aresingled out by the authoritiesfor extortion. Soldiers de-mand money from them, andwhen they cannot pay theyare arrested and tortured.

On a visit to the Bangladesh-Burma border, I heard nu-merous accounts of theseviolations from Rohingyarefugees. And they were

confirmed by three defectorswho had escaped fromBurmas military. The defec-tors, who had served in theBurma Armys border secu-rity force known as the NaSa Ka, said that the Rohin-gya were specifically tar-geted for extortion. One said:Throughout my life in the NaSa Ka, I was used to thissystem of arresting Muslims,asking for money, torturingthem, every day. We onlyarrested Muslims, not Rakhi-

nes.The Rohingyas face religiouspersecution as well. It is al-most impossible to obtainpermission to renovate, re-pair, rebuild or extendmosques or other religiousbuildings. In the past threeyears, 12 mosques in north-ern Arakan have been de-molished, and a large num-ber were closed in 2006.Since 1962, I was told, not asingle new mosque has beenbuilt. Religious leaders have

been jailed for illegally reno-vating mosques.A senior UN official, who hasserved in Darfur, Somalia andother humanitarian crisissituations and, in the words ofa foreign diplomat, knowsmisery when he sees it, re-cently described the situationin northern Arakan State,

western Burma, as as bad asanything he has seen in termsthe denial of basic humanfreedoms.For these reasons, it is esti-mated that at least 200,000

Rohingyas have fled to Bang-ladesh. In 1978 and 1991,there were significant influxesof refugees fleeing across theborder, and even today Rohin-

gyas trickle out one by one, inthe hope of finding security inBangladesh. However, evenin Bangladesh, they are vul-nerable. Only 27,000 are rec-ognised by the Office of theUnited Nations High Commis-sioner for Refugees (UNHCR),and live in two official camps.Thousands more are unrecog-nised, and live either in Bang-ladeshi towns and villages orin temporary makeshiftcamps where conditions aredire. In the makeshift camps

they receive no access tohealth care or education, andno rations. Even in the officialcamps, there is no formal edu-cation beyond the age of 12.One 18 year-old is teaching inone of the schools, but has noopportunity for further studyhimself. I am compelled toteach, but I would prefer tolearn first, he told me. If Istay like this, with no furthereducation, my future life willbe ruined.A few years ago, the UNHCR

forcibly repatriated at least230,000 Rohingyas back toBurma, but many have re-turned, unable to survive intheir homeland. One refugeesaid: As long as human rightsabuses continue in Burma, wecannot go back. We are

caught between a crocodileand a snake. Where can wego? Another expressed theirdilemma, and statelessness,equally starkly: The Bangla-desh authorities say we arefrom Burma. The Burmeseregime says we are Bengali.Where should we go?As part of its campaignagainst the Rohingyas, the

junta regularly stirs up anti-Muslim sentiment among theBuddhist Rakhine and Bur-mans, with some success.The regime uses the Rakhineagainst us as part of a divide-and-rule policy, said one Ro-hingya. And so in addition tofacing persecution from theregime, the Rohingyas facediscrimination from Burmasdemocracy movement too.Many Rakhine and Burmansin the democracy movementrefuse to recognise the Rohin-gyas as an ethnic group, andthey have been denied mem-bership of the opposition Eth-

nic Nationalities Council.There is a dispute even overthe term Rohingya, andmany Rakhine prefer to callthem Arakanese Muslims,Burmese Muslims orBengalis of Burma.Some Rakhine, however,have recognised the need towork with the Rohingyasagainst their common enemy,the regime. After all, the Ra-khine are also victims of the

junta. In schools, teachers useBurmese and the Rakhine

language is banned. Forcedlabour is widespread. Theregime is carrying out an at-tack on our language, identityand culture, said one Ra-khine. The National UnitedParty of Arakan (NUPA) hasan alliance with the ArakanRohingya National Organisa-tion (ARNO). One NUPAleader told me: When a peo-ple have been living this long

See Page 4


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A delegation of four Rohingyaactivists from Burma have re-turned from a two-day advocacyand awareness-raising visit toBrussels, in which they high-lighted the political and humani-tarian crisis in Burma as awhole, and the plight of the Ro-hingya people of Arakan State,western Burma in particular.The

delegation from the BurmeseRohingya Organisation UK(BROUK) was facilitated andhosted by Christian SolidarityWorldwide (CSW) and includedBROUK's President, Maung TunKhin,(aka) Zeyarbul Gaffar andthree other members. CSW'sAdvocacy Officer for South Asia,Benedict Rogers, who visitedthe Rohingyas on the Bangla-desh-Burma border in August,accompanied the delegation.In meetings with officials in the

European Commission andCouncil, as well as staff in theEuropean Parliament, thedelegation called on the Euro-pean Union (EU) to supportUN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's proposed visit toBurma next month, and tourge the UN to introduce spe-cific benchmarks for progress

in Burma, accompanied bydeadlines. The first suchbenchmark, the delegationsaid, should be the release allpolitical prisoners prior to BanKi-moon's visit. The delega-tion also urged the EU to en-courage Ban Ki-moon to raisethe plight of the Rohingyaduring his visit, and to putpressure on Burma's militaryregime to lift restrictions onmarriage, movement andeducation for the Rohingyas.

Maung Tun Khin said: "We hadextremely valuable discussionswith EU officials and EuropeanParliament staff, in which wewere able to raise awarenessabout the suffering of all thepeople of Burma, and particu-larly to spotlight the plight ofthe Rohingyas who receive solittle international attention.

Among the issues we raised,we urged the EU to encourageon the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN)and Islamic nations to putpressure on the regime inBurma. We were also able todiscuss the humanitarian situa-tion in Arakan State and thesuffering of refugees in Burma.The message we deliveredwas that all the people ofBurma are suffering, and it istime for increased international


action. The EU has a vital roleto play and we were privilegedto have this opportunity to dis-cuss the crisis in Burma withEU officials."CSW's Advocacy Officer Bene-dict Rogers said: "We weredelighted to be able to facilitatethis opportunity for the Rohin-gya people. We had valuable

discussions and opportunitiesto provide information aboutthe brutal suppression of theRohingyas, among the mostpersecuted groups in Burma, topeople who were not previ-ously aware. We also high-lighted the wider suffering of allthe people of Burma."

Source: CSW & BROUK, No-vember 5, 2008

ROHINGYA DELEGATION RETURNS FROM BRUSSELS LOBBYING VISIT

Released Burmese prisoners languish in Bangladesh prisonBurmese prisoners accountingfor 105 people, though re-

leased (popularly known asRP) have been languishing inBangladesh prison since 2006because the Burmese militarygovernment refuses to recog-

nize them as Burmese citizens.According to a prison report,105 released Burmese prison-

ers were brought to Cox's Ba-zaar prison located nearBurma's western border, from

several prisons around Bangla-desh in 2006 to be handed over

to Burma.However, the released Bur-

mese prisoners could not besent to Burma from Bangla-desh as the Burmese authori-ties refused to accept them.An immigration official Abu

Kalan from Cox's Bazaar saidthat Burmese authorities toldthem whenever they request

their transfer to Burma thatthey could not check whetherthe prisoners in Bangla-

desh are Burmese nationals ornot.

According to prison sources,the Bangladesh government is

not willing to keep the releasedBurmese prisoners in Bangla-deshi prison anymore as theauthorities have to spend addi-tional funds for them.

At the same time, accommoda-tion for Burmese prisoners isalso another problem for Bang-

ladesh because there are manyprisoners staying in prisonthough there is not enough

adequate accommodation inthe prison.

In Cox's Bazaar prison, thereare nearly 400 Burmese citi-

zens and most of them aredetained by Bangladesh au-thorities for illegally enteringBangladesh territory.It is learnt that there are 1500

Burmese nationals in Bangla-desh prison and the numbershave increased in recent

years.

Source: Narinjara News,

Jan 1, 2009

The Commander of NasakaBurma's border security forceof area No.5 in MaungdawTownship provided loans tovillagers of his area on January7, for cultivation of summerpaddy.

The commander disbursedKyat 100,000 to the villagersthrough the village Peace and

Development Council (VPDC)Chairman of Loune Don villagetract in Maungdaw Township.

But, villagers had to pay thecommander at least 150Taungs (one Taung =14 kg) ofpaddy after harvesting in sum-mer.Villagers do not willing to takethe money for paddy as the

price is very low compare tothose of open market price, butthe concerned authority forces

to take the money.One Taung of paddy costs Kyat700. But, in the open market,

one Taung of paddy is beingsold at Kyat 2,300. As a result,the Commander makes aprofit of kyat 1, 600 on oneTaung. The Commander willnet Kyat 140,000 from 150Taungs of paddy.

The Commander also gaveloans to other villages whichare under Nasaka area No. 5.

At present, in Maungdawnorth, a kilogram of rice isbeing sold at Kyat 450 while it

was Kyat 400, 15 days ago. A50 kg rice bag is being sold atKyat 18,000 in Maungdawwhile it was only Kyat 16,000,two weeks ago.A village elder said, "The con-cerned authority always thinks

that how to get money fromvillages which are under hiscontrol."

Source: Kaladan News, Jan15, 2009.

Nasaka into lucrative business in Maungdaw

To our esteemed readers and well-wishersWe wish happy New Year to our readers. We are overjoyed to publish again the ARAKAN. Due to unavoid-able circumstances we are unable to publish the ARAKAN for a long period, for which we are regretted.

We request our valuable readers to help the continuation of ARAKAN in every possible way.

Please contact as:[email protected]. rohingya.org


8/8

Rights group calls on Thailand to change policy for boatpeople

A rights group, Refugees Inter-national (RI) from Washington,D.C called on the Governmentof Thailand to change their pol-icy towards boat people, whohave been recently entering

their territory, through a pressrelease yesterday.The boat people are primarily

stateless Burmese Rohingyaescaping severe oppressionand harsh poverty at home, butalso include some Bangladeshimigrants. Both group boardboats of varying seaworthinesswith the aim of finding securityand economic opportunity inThailand and Malaysia, thestatement said."The Government of Thailandshould instruct its Army to desistfrom its new and troubling policyof pushing refugees and mi-grants intercepted on boats

back out to sea which endan-gers their lives, and exposesthem to the risk of capsizing orsinking," the statement said.The Thai government is detain-ing them on a remote island andthen forcing them back out to

sea, statement added."The actions of the Thai govern-ment contravene accepted stan-dards of international law thatdiscourage putting civilians atgreater risk after being in thecustody of government offi-cials. The Thai authorities

should, at a minimum, revert tothe practice of deporting un-documented migrants. Thaiofficials should also ensurethat refugees seeking asylumare properly screened and are

not forced back to their countryof origin if it will put them atrisk," the statement more

added."The Thai government is takinghighly vulnerable people andrisking their lives for politicalgain. It should be engaging theBurmese government on im-proving conditions at home forthe Rohingya if it wants tostem the flow. The Rohingyawill continue to make the jour-ney because they have nohope for a better life inBurma. Pushing them backout to sea is not an effectivedeterrent it just jeopardizes

lives," said Advocate SeanGarcia."The Rohingya are statelessand have no rights insideBurma. The Burmese govern-ment targets them for forcedlabour and extortion, and re-

stricts their movement. TheBurmese government's policyof actively displacing the Ro-hingya from their homelandmeans that any refugee who isforced back is subjected toarrest and abuse. Until theRohingya are recognized by

Burma as citizens, neighboringcountries like Thailand mustprotect and assist this vulner-able population," he added."It was a sick and bizarre situa-tion, and there appeared to bechildren in the groups as well.They were forcibly exposed tothe hot sun although treesprovided shade a few meters

away. Some of the touristswent over to look at what wasgoing on," said Mrs. Skibelig,who had her Christmas holidayin Similan Islands, Thailand,together with 20 other familymembers, is one of the eyewit-nesses about the policy ofThailand regarding boatpeople."When we first arrived on thebeach we thought the Thaimilitary was going through amilitary drill. Later we under-stood that something very,very serious was going on,"

Mrs Skibelid explained to theNorwegian newspaperDagbladet.noThe refugee (boatpeople) hadbeen arrested and forcibly kepton the beach since 10 a.m.and were still lying there whenthe Norwegian travelers left inthe afternoon, at around 4 pm.They also witnessed theguards hitting and kicking therefugees, she added.Nearly 200 people (174 Rohin-gyas and 19 Bangladeshi)reached Indonesia's Sumatraisland on a wooden boat onJanuary 7, and after drifting fora few days were found by localfishermen and transferred tothe coastguard where medicaltreatment and food were pro-vided by the Indonesia govern-ment, according to local NavyCommander Yanuar Handwi-yono.On January 4, 2009, a motor-boat carrying about 97 peoplereturned to Shapuri Dip ofBangladesh, at about 12:30

pm, after Burmese naval forcesfrom Rangoon Division pushedthem back. The Burmese au-thorities provided the travelerswith some ration and fuel, ac-cording to a person who re-turned from the Rangooncoast.Towards the end of last year,the British "The Guardian"

newspaper mentioned, "Morethan 300 people believed to beillegal migrants and mostlyBangladeshis were feared tohave drowned. The accidenttook place off the Andamanand Nicobar Islands in the Bayof Bengal on December 28, asthe victims jumped into the seaand tried to swim ashore.""The men were mostly Bangla-deshis and some Burmesenationals, aged between 18and 60, who drifted through theBay of Bengal, and we are

trying to rescue the boatpeoplewith navy ship and helicopter,"said authorities in Port Blair."To arrest people when theyenter Thai waters then releasethem in international waters,without motors or sails, wouldclearly be a violation of interna-tional human rights,'' said ChrisLewa, a Bangkok-based socialworker who is seeking bettertreatment for the Rohingyaboat people.Refugees International is aWashington, DC-based organi-zation that advocates to endrefugee crises. In November2008, Refugees Internationalstaff conducted a mission toBangladesh and Malaysia toassess the humanitarian condi-tions for Burmese Rohingyarefugees, including boat mi-grants. There are approxi-mately 1 million Rohingya livingoutside Burma.Source: Kaladan News, Jan 13,

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Arakan January Issue 2009

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Transcript of Arakan January Issue 2009