Saturday, September 29, 2012

Demi Karamah Insaniah, ABIM Lancar Kempen Citizenship For Rohingya

ABIM Desak Kerajaan Myanmar Iktiraf Etnik Rohingya Sebagai Warganegara




14 September 2012:- Sehingga hari ini, kerja-kerja pembersihan etnik Rohingya di Myanmar telah mencatatkan kehancuran jiwa dan prasarana yang besar. Sejumlah 43 kampung penduduk telah diserang dengan 5,915 rumah dibakar, ribuan orang mati dibakar, dibunuh tidak terkecuali mereka yang mati kelaparan, 300 orang cedera parah, 34 masjid dibakar, 4 universiti dan 24 sekolah rosak, 300 penduduk telah ditangkap, 90 ribu orang menjadi pelarian, 500 ribu menderita kelaparan, dan 20 ribu orang mendiami pinggiran sungai dan hutan untuk menyelamatkan diri.



Antara modus operandi pembersihan etnik yang dilakukan keatas etnik Rohingya ini adalah:-



Penafian kerakyatan, sijil kelahiran dan sijil perkahwinan mereka.

Penyembelihan beramai-ramai sepertimana pada tahun 1942 dengan kematian lebih daripada 100, 000 akibat dibunuh.

Perampasan tanah-tanah milik mereka bagi meneruskan projek pembinaan saluran paip gas dan minyak yang merentasi Wilayah Arakan.

Sekatan makanan sehingga menyebabkan mereka hidup dalam keadaan kebuluran.

Menghalau serta merta seramai lebih 300, 000 di kalangan mereka ke Bangladesh pada tahun 1978. Malangnya Kerajaan

Bangladesh enggan untuk menyediakan makanan dan keperluan lain menyebabkan ramai yang mati akibat kebuluran dan penyakit.

Menjadi mangsa perhambaan moden sebagi buruh paksa tanpa dibayar gaji di tapak pembinaan jalan raya, kereta api dan bangunan berek tentera.



Pada tahun 1991 sahaja, seramai 268,000 dari etnik ini melarikan diri kerana Myanmar tidak lagi selamat untuk didiami akibat pembersihan entik berkala oleh tentera Myanmar. Selain daripada itu, etnik Rohingya juga berterusan berhadapan dengan penangkapan arbitrari oleh pihak berkuasa. Penangkapan yang berleluasa ini langsung tidak mempunyai asas dan merupakan satu lagi bentuk penyiksaan yang membuktikan bahawa satu proses penghapusan etnik sememangnya sedang berlaku di Arakan.



ABIM LANCAR KEMPEN ‘CITIZENSHIP FOR ROHINGYA’



Ekoran dari pembersihan etnik yang tidak berperikemanusiaan ke atas etnik Rohingya berabad lamanya, ABIM komited membela nasib etnik Muslim Rohingya dengan melancarkan kempen ‘Citizenship For Rohingya’. ABIM mendesak agar:-







Kerajaan Myanmar bertindak lebih adil dengan mengiktiraf kerakyatan etnik Rohingya dengan jaminan hak asasi yang terpelihara selaras dengan Artikel 15 Deklarasi Hak Asasi Kemanusiaan PBB.

Membebaskan Dr. Tun Aung serta anak perempuan dan menantunya daripada penjara dan menggugurkan segala pertuduhan tanpa bukti yang dikenakan ke atas mereka.

ABIM juga menyeru untuk semua rakyat Malaysia terlibat dalam kempen ‘Citizenship For Rohingya’ supaya keadilan dapat ditegakkan demi kemaslahatan etnik Rohingya yang juga dikenali sebagai ‘Palestine’ di Asia dan manusia perahu.









“MEMARTABATKAN KARAMAH INSANIAH, MEMIMPIN KEBANGKITAN UMMAH”





FADHLINA SIDDIQ



Naib Presiden, ANGKATAN BELIA ISLAM MALAYSIA (ABIM)





Program Qurban 2011/1432H di Masjid Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur




Masjid Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur di bawah Cawangan Pengimarahan (Unit Ibadah & Dakwah) telah mengadakan Program Qurban pada 10 Zulhijjah 1432H bersamaan 6 November lalu. Bertemakan Legasi Pengorbanan Merambak Ketaqwaan, dengan kerjasama NAZA World dan komuniti setempat, program ini telah dilaksanakan secara bergotong-royong dan menarik lebih kurang seramai 150 orang untuk turut sama menyertainya. Sebanyak 18 ekor lembu berjaya diqurbankan manakala dua ekor lagi di sembelih di Kampung Orang Asli Ulu Temu pada hari raya ketiga.

Program ini turut dihadiri oleh Pengerusi Eksekutif Bersama Kumpulan Syarikat Naza, Datuk Wira SM Faisal SM Nasimuddin, yang telah sudi menyumbangkan 9 ekor lembu kesemuanya. Beliau yang hadir untuk bersama solat Sunat I’dul Adha di Masjid Wilayah sejak pagi telah sudi bersama membantu ketika sesi penyembelihan dilaksanakan. Turut bersama ialah Imam Besar Masjid Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Tuan Haji Zakariah bin Isa sehingga ke akhir program. Program ini juga telah mendapat liputan yang baik dari pihak media terutamanya TV3 dan TV9.

Selain dari komuniti setempat dan Persatuan Penjaja Selera Duta, anggota bomba dari Balai Bomba Sri Hartamas dan anggota polis dari Ibu Pejabat Polis Kuala Lumpur juga turut sama membantu menjayakan program ini. Selepas penyembelihan, 6 ekor lembu telah diagihkan terus kepada Persatuan Rohingya, Darul Quran Kuala Kubu, Bahagian Saudara Baru JAWI, Pertubuhan Orang Buta dan Surau AnNur. Rata-rata mereka menyatakan kesyukuran dan berterima kasih atas pemberian tersebut dan berharap dengan pemberian ini dapat menggembirakan rakan-rakan mereka yang memerlukan agihan qurban tersebut.

Seekor lembu telah dimasak secara bergotong-royong sepenuhnya sejak pagi tersebut untuk jamuan tengahari. Selesai pengagihan, kesemua yang hadir dijamu dengan jamuan makan tengahari dan program berakhir kira-kira 1.30 petang. Imam Besar telah menyatakan rasa terima kasih kepada pihak NAZA World yang sudi bekerjasama dan juga telah menyumbangkan beberapa ekor lembu. Juga terima kasih kepada komuniti yang terlibat menjayakan program ini sehingga akhir.

Di samping itu program ini dilihat telah berjaya menarik lebih ramai komuniti untuk hadir tanpa disangka-sangka berbanding sebelumnya. Ia juga berjaya membuka satu ruang permulaan kerjasama yang baik antara Masjid Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur dengan NAZA World pada program-program yang seterusnya. Harapan Imam Besar, moga program ini mampu menautkan lagi rasa mahabah di antara kakitangan Masjid Wilayah dengan komuniti setempat dan agensi-agensi yang terlibat.





Antara lembu yang disembelih oleh mereka yang berpengalaman





Sesi melapah yang pantas dan tidak memakan masa yang lama







Imam Besar Masjid Wilayah, Ustaz Zakariah Isa yang turut membantu melapah





Kesibukan komuniti yang membantu memotong daging tanpa mengira penat





Pengarah program, Ustaz Ashraf sedang berbincang dengan penyelaras wakil NAZA, Ustaz Suhaimi





anak-kanak yang hadir turut mendapat sumbangan duit raya dari Datuk Wira SM Faisal.





Bahagian memasak sibuk menyediakan hidangan tengahari



.Tarikh : November 16, 2011 - 1:46pm

Editor : musa.mohamad

Islam and HIV/AIDS International Conference (IHIC) 2012




ISLAM AND HIV/AIDS INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE 2012

THE ROYALE BINTANG HOTEL, KUALA LUMPUR

19 - 21 NOVEMBER 2012



Theme : Caring Is Loving



As an eminent Islamic Religious Affair in Malaysia, Islamic Development Department of Malaysia (JAKIM) seeks to provide a platform to gather the knowledge from the experts and researcher with the objective of enhancing the programmes towards prevention and contamination of HIV/AIDS issue among the Muslim community in Malaysia and globally. It is in the spirit of creating, sharing and working together for the betterment of the Muslim Ummah or the society at large that JAKIM initiates the establishment in Islamic Countries. This is particularly important given the global challenges on HIV/AIDS that fundamentally affect the socio-economy development and sustainability of the Muslim world at large and the OIC countries in particular.



In essence, this conference will serve as a platform to bring scholars, scientiest, researcher to develop, share and apply, via innovative research initiatives and smart partnerships and co-operation, and ideas among member countries for the betterment of the Muslim ummah. Through the pleno session, a proper guideline and resolution hopefully can be generate for the adaptation in Malaysia and all Muslim countries.



The conference will hold annual conventions and outreach activities involving scholars, academicians, NGOs and industry players consistent with its vision and mission. To start with, the Inaugural Islamic and HIV/AIDS International Conference will be held in Kuala Lumpur on 19th to 21st of November 2012.



** Programme Tentative

** Registration Form







ENQUIRIES



Enquiries about Islamic and HIV/AIDS International Seminar 2012 may be sent to:



Secretariat

Islamic and HIV/AIDS International Conference 2012

Bahagian Pembangunan Keluarga, Sosial dan Komuniti

Islamic Development Department of Malaysia (JAKIM)

Ground Floor,

Blok D7, Parcel D

Pusat Pentadbiran Kerajaan Persekutuan

62050, Putrajaya

MALAYSIA

Ph: + 603-88864060 II Fax: + 603-88891997



Mr. Zakuan Sawai :

Ph :03-88864060

Email: zakuan@islam.gov.my



Ms. Nor Asniah binti Mohd Noh :

Ph :03-88864359

Email :norasniah@islam.gov.my



www.islam.gov.my/ihis2012



ORGANISERS:



Islamic Development Department of Malaysia (JAKIM)

www.islam.gov.my



Ministry of Health Malaysia

www.moh.gov.my



Yayasan Ihtimam Malaysia

www.ihtimam.org.my



Malaysian AIDS Council

www.mac.org.my

Asahi Kosei (M) Sdn. Bhd must not respect Human Rights and Worker Rights


Asahi Kosei (M) Sdn. Bhd must respect Human Rights and Worker Rights


Reinstate Thiha Soe and Aung San Without Loss of Benefits

We, the undersigned 81 organizations, groups and networks are shocked at how Asahi Kosei (M) Sdn Bhd has unjustly treated its workers, in particular the 31 Burmese Migrant Workers, working at the factory at Lot 3377, Jalan Perusahaan Utama, Taman Industri Selesa Jaya, 43300 Balakong, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.

On or about 31/1/2011, 31 Burmese migrant workers complained about non-compliance by the employer with their agreement. The workers alleged that the employer was paying them far less than what was promised. They also expressed disappointment in the wrongful deductions from their wages, which included deduction for hostel charges when the agreement was that the employer shall provide free accommodation. They also raised their disagreement with the deduction of RM50-00 for every day that a worker does not come to work, when the daily rate of pay is only RM20. They also wanted paid medical leave, which really is already a legal right in Malaysia.

In response, the workers informed us that on 7/2/2011 a gang of persons came and threatened them at their hostel. The police allegedly came with these persons. Before they left, these persons took all cooking utensils and materials, television, cooking gas, refrigerator, table fan and rice cooker) used by the workers. They switched off the electric main switch, and left the workers in the dark with no electricity. These persons reasonably can be assumed to be workers/agents of the employer.







Two workers, without their consent, were allegedly taken to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) with the impression that the employer will be sending them back to Burma (Myanmar). Fortunately, the said 2 workers managed to escape and run away.







On 8/2/2011, the workers lodged a complaint with the Malaysian Human Rights Commission (SUHAKAM) and also were preparing the formal paperwork required to lodge a complaint with the Labour Department.







On 9/2/2011, the employer had a meeting with the said 31 workers, whereby they proposed:-



a) an increase the salary to RM23 per day (whereby previously it was RM20),



b) that there will be no more allowances (previously RM2/day was paid as shift allowance and RM30 as monthly allowance)



c) that if worker is absent for 2 days in one month, they will deduct RM-50 (previously for ever day absent, the employer deducted RM50)



d) Hostel Charges shall be reduced to RM30 per month (previously it was RM50 per month)







The employer then gave the workers an ultimatum that they sign the new contract now, or be terminated and sent back to Burma immediately. The workers were not given any opportunity or time to consider the proposal, or to discuss the matter further.







Finally, all workers save 2, cowed under pressure and signed the new contract. The 2 workers who did not sign are Thiha Soe (PP No: A 458011) and Aung San (PP No: A432863), whereby Aung San was the worker who signed the complaint for and on behalf of all the workers when the complaint was lodged at the Human Rights Commission on 8/2/2011.







Thiha Soe and Aung San were then handed over by the employer to the recruitment agent, possibly to send them back to Burma. Both workers have been separated and taken to different undisclosed location. Both workers do not want to be sent back to Burma, and want to continue working at Asahi Kosei(M) Sdn Bhd factory in Balakong.







Asahi Kosei(M) Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Asahi Kosei Japan Co. Ltd., which makes Die-Cast Aluminium Parts for HDD(Computer Parts), VTR, And Automotive parts for, amongst others, Hitachi Ltd Automotive Systems, Hitachi Seisakusho, Denso(Toyota), Kawasaki Heavy Industry, Hitachi(Thai), Modenas , Seiko Instrument, Hitachi Global Storage, Matsushita Kotobuki, Matsushita Electronics, Toshiba, Maxtor, Seiko Epson, Kanematsu Device, Sony, Hitachi, Matsushita, JVC, Mitsubishi Electric, Philips, Sharp, Sanyo, Toshiba, Thomson, Yaskawa and Hitachi Mexico. It is sad that some companies with declared code of conducts and standards are seen to be associated with companies that violate worker and human rights.







We the undersigned 81 organizations, groups and networks

a) Call for Asahi Kosei(M) Sdn Bhd to immediately reinstate Thiha Soe and Aung San without any loss of benefits, and if they have already been sent back to Burma to cause that they be brought back to Malaysia to work;

b) Call for Asahi Kosei(M) Sdn Bhd to apologize to its workers for the wrongs it did, and to pay fair compensation/damages for their actions/omissions that violated rights of their workers;

c) Call for Malaysian government and/or the relevant Ministries/Department to take necessary action against Asahi Kosei(M) Sdn Bhd and the said recruiting agent concerned to ensure that justice is done for the workers;

d) Call on the Malaysian government to legislate and make actions of preventing workers access to justice an offence with a substantial penalty, that will deter employers resorting to termination and/or deportation as a threat and/or means to avoid legitimate claims by their workers;

e) Call on Local Councils and State authorities, who do issue permits and allow factories to operate within their jurisdiction, to ensure that such factories do not violate human rights and worker rights. Asahi Kosei (M) Sdn Bhd operates in the state of Selangor;

e) Call on the Malaysian government to ensure that no migrant worker is sent back to their country of origin before first verifying that all outstanding and/or potential claims and disputes between worker and employer (and/or agent or other relevant party) in Malaysia have been fully and finally settled.

f) Call on Hitachi, Sony, Philips and other companies who do have a Code of Conduct and/or who proclaim that they hold human rights and worker rights as important, who have been listed as customers of Asahi Kosei (M) Sdn Bhd and/or Asahi Kosei Japan Co. Ltd to seriously re-evaluate their relationship with such companies that clearly do not respect human rights and worker rights.

g) Call on consumers and/or investors to take into consideration human rights, including worker rights of companies and their supply chain when they do invest and/or purchase their consumer products.

Charles Hector



Pranom Somwong



Ko Tun Tun







For and on behalf of the following 81 organizations



Abra Tinguian Ilocano Society - Hong Kong (ATIS-HK)

Abra Migrant Workers Welfare Association (AMWWA)

ALIRAN, Malaysia

All Burma Students League

APFS Labor Union, Japan

Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants (APMM), Hong Kong

Association of Concerned Filipinos in Hong Kong (ACFIL-HK)

Association of Indonesian Migrant Workers, Hong Kong

Asia Pacific Students and Youth Association (ASA)

BAYAN Hong Kong

BAYAN USA

Campagne Vêtements Propres, Belgium

Centre d'appui aux Philippines - Centre for Philippine Concerns, Canada

Cordillera Alliance in Hong Kong (CORALL-HK)

Building and Wood Workers International (BWI)

Burma Campaign Malaysia

Burma Partnership

Centre Communautaire des Femmes Sud-Asiatique, Montréal, Canada

Centre d'appui aux Philippines - Centre for Philippine Concerns, Canada

Cuyapo Association Hong Kong

Democratic Party for New Society (DPNS), Burma

Empower, Thailand

FICAP-Aichi

Filipino Friends in Hong Kong

Filipino Migrants Association (FMA)

Filipino Migrant Center (FMC) in USA

Filipino Migrant Workers' Union - Hong Kong (FMWU)

Filipino Women Migrant Workers Association (FILWOM)

Filipino Women's Organization in Quebec, Canada

Free Burma Coalition, Philippines

Friends of Bethune House (FBH), Hong Kong

GABRIELA Hong Kong

GABRIELA-Japan

GABRIELA-Nagoya

Globalization Monitor (GM), Hong Kong

GoodElectronics Network

Health Equity Initiatives, Malaysia

HMISC (Hsinchu Catholic Diocee Migrants and Immigrants Service Center), Taiwan

IMA Research Foundation, Bangladesh

International Metalworkers' Federation (IMF)

Johor Texitle And Garments Workers Union

KAFIN-Nagoya

KAFTI (Japan)

Kilusang Mayo Uno, Philippines

Legal Support for Children and Women (LSCW), Cambodia

LIKHA Filipino Migrant Cultural Organization

MADPET - Malaysians against Death Penalty and Torture

May 1st Coalition, USA

Migrante B.C. (Canada)

Migrant Care, Indonesia

MIGRANTE Europe, Netherlands

Migrante International

MIGRANTE-Japan

Migrante - Middle East

MIGRANTE-Nagoya

MIGRANTE Sectoral Party - Hong Kong

Mission Volunteers (MOVERS)

National Human Rights Society (HAKAM), Malaysia

National Union of Transport Equipment and Allied Industries Workers(NUTEAIW)

Network of Action for Migrants in Malaysia (NAMM)

Pangasinan Organization for Welfare, Empowerment and Rights (POWER)

Persatuan Kesedaran Komuniti Selangor (Empower)

Persatuan Masyarakat Selangor & Wilayah Persekutuan (PERMAS)

PHASE TWO (People for Health and Safety in Electronics), Scotland

Philippine Society in Japan

Pinatud a Saleng ti Umili (PSU)

Project Maje ,Portland, Oregon USA

Pusat Komas

Quê Me: Action for Democracy in Vietnam, France

Rohingya information Center-malysia (RIC)
Thai Committee for Refugees (TCR)

Think Centre, Singapore

Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2), Singapore

United Filipinos in Hong Kong (UNIFIL-MIGRANTE-HK)

United Indonesians Against Overcharging, Hong Kong

Vietnam Committee on Human Rights, France

WARBE Development Foundation, Bangladesh

Workers Assistance Center, Philippines

Workers Hub For Change (WH4C)

World Forum for Democratization in Asia

Yaung Chi Oo Workers Association (YCOWA), Thailand





AP A refugee carries a child in Baw Du Pha refugee camp in Sittwe, Rakhine State, western Myanmar, on August 1, 2012.




Up to 75,000 Muslim Rohingyas are housed in temporary camps under poor conditions, four months after violence broke out between Buddhist and Muslim communities in western Myanmar’s Rakhine state, Refugees International said Saturday.



“There are somewhere between 65,000 to 75,000 Rohingyas living in camps in Sittwe,” said Sarnata Reynolds, programme manager for statelessness at the advocacy group for refugee rights.



Although the camps in the state capital, located 500 kilometres north-west of Yangon, are receiving humanitarian aid from the United Nations and Medicines Sans Frontiers, sanitary and health conditions were bleak, it said.



“We went to a school that has 1,800 living in it in one big room with two latrines and no showers,” Ms. Reynolds said. “There is acute malnutrition and some cases of tuberculosis.” A Refugees International team was permitted last week to visit eight camps for Rohingya refugees in Sittwe.



The refugees have been living in the camps since mid-June when communal fighting in Sittwe forced the vast majority of the Muslim Rohingya population to flee.



Out of the 12 Rohingya neighbourhoods previously in Sittwe, one remained. Its estimated 8,000 residents have been barricaded into the neighbourhood.



“This community was able to defend themselves during the violence, but now they are restricted to their neighbourhood,” Ms. Reynolds said. “If they leave, they face attack or arrest.” An informal system of traders is providing the community with food, she said.



Refugees International called on the Myanmar government to take steps towards bringing the Rohingya displaced by the violence back to Sittwe and in the long term to provide citizenship for the Muslim minority group.



The Rohingya, who number about 800,000 in the three northernmost Rakine townships, have been legally discriminated against in Myanmar for decades.



Their statelessness dates to the 1982 Citizen Law, which identified 135 ethnic minority groups in Myanmar. It excluded the Rohingya and stipulated that people of Indian and Chinese descent who could not prove their ancestry predated the 1824-1948 colonial period were not entitled to citizenship.



The plight of the Rohingya came to world attention with the June clashes, which left at least 89 dead and about 90,000 displaced.



About 3,000 Buddhist Rakhine were also displaced by the violence and they also continue to live in temporary camps, Ms. Reynolds said.



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Rakhines round up Rohingyas’ village to attack in Akyab

Rakhines round up Rohingyas’ village to attack in Akyab


Akyab, Arakan Stae: Hundreds of Rakhine mobs with lethal weapons went to the Rohingya villages – Hoshai Para, Mowlake (Moulobi Para) and Aung Mingala (Handi Hola, Amla Para) of Akyab- the only ward, which is existed in Akyab town and tried to attack the villagers by surrounding today at about 1:00pm , according to a villager from the locality.


Being informed, the army went to the spot, and foiled the Rakhine mobs from attacking the Rohingya village. Most of the Rakhines are holding long swords, knives, and catapults while the Rohingya villagers are armed less. Villagers don’t know what the role of army is in coming hours. The villagers fear that the real attack will be occurred at night. The tense situation is existent. The attempt is taking place after the meeting of Rathedaung Town on September 25 to 26, the villager more added.







It is learnt that a Rakhine boy, named Aung Naing Oo (13), from urban, an ice-cream seller was missing and the Rakhine mobs alleged that the boy was arrested by Rohingyas and is keeping in the Rohingya village. The Rakhine mobs asked the Rohingya villagers to hand over the boy to them; otherwise, they will attack the Rohingya villagers. It is created by Rakhines mobs to attack the Rohingyas village like the incident happened on June 3, at Akyab. However, the missing boy was found by the concerned authority and informed to the mobs. As a result, the allegation was proved that it was false and fabricated. After that the army foiled the Rakhine mobs from attacking the Rohingya villagers, said an elder from the village.

“Why the Central government and State government let them to do such kinds of attacks in Akyab, Taung Gup, and Maungdaw and other Townships in Arakan State. They did not take any action against the culprits, Rakhine mobs, so they are encouraged to commit more crimes against the Rohingya community. It is a method of systematic ethnic cleansing and genocide against the Rohingya community, which had never been used in any country in the world in 21st century.”

Without, international protection, the Rohingya community will not survive in Arakan state as the Rakhines are able to attack to Rohingyas at any time they want. They have no obstacles because police, army, Nasaka and concerned authorities are their yes-men. On recently held meeting, at Rathedaung Township among the Rakhine leaders’ from17-townships, made a secret resolution for Rohingya community. The secret resolution is totally uprooted Rohingya community from Arakan soil , a youth from Rathedaung said.

Some exiled media also made news only asking from RNDP members and Rakhine community. So the information will not be balanced and fair. Media means to find out the real or exact information, said a Rohingya elder who always listen the Radio news program.

Dipu for holistic solution to Rohingya problem

Dipu for holistic solution to Rohingya problem


Foreign Minister Dr Dipu Moni has urged the OIC member states and the General Secretariat to contribute to addressing of the root causes of Rohingya problem.







She also called for the rehabilitation of internally displaced Rohingya population and reconciliation between the Muslims and non-Muslim communities in the North Rakhine State of Myanmar.



The minister was addressing the first meeting of the OIC Contact Group on Rohingya Muslim Minority held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on Wednesday on the sidelines of the 67th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, according to a message received here on Thursday.





Dipu Moni said Bangladesh has been extremely sensitive and supportive to the humanitarian plight of the Myanmar Muslims in North Rakhine State.





Under strict compliance of the principle of non-refoulement, she said, Bangladesh has been hosting hundreds of thousand of Rohingya refugees on Bangladesh soil in cooperation with UNHCR.





The Foreign Minister stated that it is important to address the issues of citizenship rights of Rohinghyas, and their continued trafficking and emigration.





“While citizenship rights are at the core of the problem, a large number of them have left the North Rakhine State for secured livelihood opportunities in Bangladesh, Asean and Gulf countries, she said.





She emphasized that these two issues deserve comprehensive solutions for the sake of peace and stability of the Rakhine state.





The Foreign Minister commended the OIC Secretary General for dispatching a high-level delegation to Myanmar earlier this month under the directives of the recently held 4th Extraordinary Islamic Summit Conference.





She expressed satisfaction over the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) between the Myanmar government and the OIC General Secretariat to implement humanitarian programme for the benefit of all communities living in the Rakhine state.





She hoped that such institutional avenues for engagement and cooperation with Myanmar government will lead to long-term partnership, whereby OIC member-states can make investments for sustainable socioeconomic development and livelihood opportunities for both the communities in the Rakhine state in the interest of peace, harmony and prosperity.





The OIC Contact Group on Rohingya Muslim Minority was established by the decision of the 4th Extraordinary Islamic Summit Conference held in Makkah on August 14-15 this year.





Members of this Contact Group are Bangladesh, Kazakhstan, Senegal, Djibouti, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Brunei, Malaysia, Indonesia, Turkey and Afghanistan.





The report of this Contact Group will be presented to the Annual Coordination Meeting of Foreign Ministers of OIC countries to be held at the UN Headquarters in New York on 28 September 2012 on the fringe of the 67th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.





The Foreign Minister also held a bilateral meeting with Pakistan Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar at the United Nations Headquarters on Wednesday.





The two Foreign Ministers reviewed bilateral relations and exchanged views on issues of common interest at the UN and other multilateral fora.

Thursday, September 27, 2012

UAE Foreign Minister discuss with Myanmar FM on Rohingya Issue

UAE Foreign Minister Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan has held meetings with Singaporean Foreign Minister K. Shanmugam, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Muliana Natalegawa Panamanian Minister of Foreign Affairs Roberto Henriquez and Myanmarese Foreign Minister Wunna Muang Lwin on the sidelines of the 67th United Nations General Assembly session in New York.




The meetings discussed relations of cooperation and ways of enhancing them in various fields in addition to exchanging views on a number of political and security issues of common interest, particularly relating to the Middle East, including the Syrian crisis.





The Myanmar FM briefed Shaikh Abdullah on the latest security situation in his country especially on the violence against Muslims in Rohingya stressing that his government is addressing the problem on various dimensions.





Indonesia’s Marty Muliana Natalegawa, during his meeting with Shaikh Abdullah, sought the UAE investments’ programmes in his country, stressing the importance of developing economic and trade relations between the two countries.

The first OIC Contact Group Meeting on the Rohingya agreed on the need to provide development projects in the Arakan region of Myanmar and not just humanitarian aid. The meeting stressed on supporting the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar in gaining their legitimate rights as citizens and stressed on their human rights.




In his speech to the meeting, which took place on 26 September 2012 on the sidelines of the 67th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said that the meeting is in implementation of resolutions of the 4th Extraordinary Summit held in Makkah last August (Ramadan). The Summit had also decided to send a fact-finding mission to Myanmar, which was dispatched early September, and the Contact Group Meeting reviewed the report submitted by the mission on the physical and legal conditions of Rohingya Muslims. During its visit, the mission signed a memorandum of cooperation between the OIC and the Government of Myanmar to establish a Humanitarian Affairs Office.



Dr. Wakaruddin, the Director of the Arakan Rohingya Union, which was established by the OIC in May 2011 to unite Rohingya refugees around the world, gave the contact group meeting an update on the humanitarian and security situation, especially in terms of abuse and persecution of Muslims, in Arakan.



The Secretary General said to the meeting that he wishes to visit Myanmar as soon as the position of the Government of Myanmar and their willingness to remedy the fundamental rights issues of the Rohingya Muslims are made clear through accepting signing a joint statement or communiqué to be issued in conjunction with his visit.



The Contact Group meeting called for the convening of a special session of the Human Rights Council and adoption of a resolution by the UN General Assembly at its 67th Session on the situation in Myanmar. It invited the OIC Secretary General to visit Myanmar to communicate the strong expectation of the Member States with a view to ending violence and restoration of the rights of the Rohingya Muslims. The Meeting also called upon the Government of Myanmar to launch a rehabilitation and reconciliation process in the region; to endeavor to reintegrate the two communities that are currently segregated due to the events; to resettle the internally displaced persons to new homes and to take measures for the long-term economic development of the region.



Washington (Financial Times) -- The United States will start lifting a ban on imports of goods from Myanmar, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday, providing a huge potential boost to the once-isolated southeast Asian nation.




Clinton said that the gradual lifting of the ban, which has been in place for most of the last two decades, was a response to the continued implementation of political and economic reforms by the government of Myanmar President Thein Sein, who she met in New York on Wednesday.



"We will begin the process of easing restrictions on imports of Burmese goods into the United States," she told Thein Sein. "We hope this will provide more opportunities for your people to sell their goods into our market."



The announcement is the latest and one of the most important steps in the growing rapprochement between the United States and Myanmar after Thein Sein's government made its first moves towards reform two years ago.



The United States has already lifted many restrictions on its companies investing in Myanmar and has also held discussions about establishing ties with the military.



"The people of Myanmar are very pleased about the news of easing of economic sanctions by the United States and we are grateful for the action by the United States," said Thein Sein. "We still need to continue our path on democratic reforms, but with the recognition and the support from the champion of democracy like the United States, it has been an encouragement for us to continue our chosen path."



He added that he wished U.S. President Barack Obama well in his election campaign.



We will begin the process of easing restrictions on imports of Burmese goods into the United States



U.S. Secretary of State Hillary ClintonThe process of lifting sanctions on imports is likely to be slow and gradual. A senior U.S. official said that the administration would discuss the next steps with Congress and would likely phase in the lifting of restrictions on a sector-by-sector basis.



One person familiar with the discussions within the Obama administration said certain items, such as jade and other precious stones, would likely remain the subject of sanctions.



Thein Sein is to address the U.N. General Assembly on Thursday. Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Prize winner and now opposition leader, is also in the U.S. at the moment and has received a rapturous welcome.



However, the Obama administration timed the announcement of lifting the import ban in order to allow Thein Sein to take much of the credit.



Maungdaw, Arakan State: Some of Maungdaw police officers along with some of local Rakhine leaders have listed recently more 190 Rohingyas after discussion to be arrested in Maungdaw Township, said a local elder who denied to be named.


“The police will arrest villagers from Maungdaw town and the villagers of Maundaw south, especially from Naska area No.7 and 8.”

The police officers are identifies as –Maungdaw police station officer U Tin Hla ( OC), U Kyaw Kent ( Surveillance), U Thine Lin Soe ( police officer), U Than Tin ( police officer), U Hla Sein ( police officer), Aye Tun Sein ( police officer), U Too Too ( police officer),U Hla Win ( Sergeant), U Hla Myint,( Sergeant), U Maung Chay and U Khin Maung Win, a local leader from Maungdaw Town.



“On August 14, the said police officers accompanied by some local Rakhine leaders prepared a list of more 190 Rohingys to be arrested and submitted to the district Judge to get approval, but the Judge rejected it. As a result, the police and the local Rakhine leaders went again to the District Administration officer U Aung Myint Soe and submitted the list and got approval.”



After getting the permission of warrant list of 190 Rohingyas to arrest, the said police officers daily went to the— Shwe Zaar village, Maungdaw 3-.mile Gate village – Somonia village, Maungdaw Wards and Maungdaw south villages to arrest the people who are listed in the list, a youth from Shwe Zaar village said.



‘As a result, villagers in rural areas and in Maungdaw Town are not able to live in their homes for fear of arrest by police and Nasaka. The riot has been nearly four months passed; but the situation is not still calmed. Why do the concerned higher authorities ignore the problem created by the local authority?”



In addition, on September 23, at about 10: am, a local youth named Alison (17), son of Fokir Ahmed, hailed from Maung Nama village went to Maungdaw town for marketing by his bicycle, He was halted by Natala villagers of Aung Min Gala when he was crossing the Natala village, which was established in 1995 and seized Kyat 200,000 and his bicycle. He was also severely tortured by Than Tun, a group leader of the Natala villagers. Why do the Natala villagers dare to do against the local Rohingya villagers? Nearby, there is a Nasaka camp, that gives them full support to commit any crime against the Rohingya villagers, said a local elder from Maung Nama village.



But, the Thein Sein’s government declared that there is no riot and the situation is under the controlled of security forces. In fact, there is no peace, the security forces only arrest Rohingya villagers, torture extort money and send to jail without any interrogation. The local authorities and some of the local Rakhine Leaders’ intention is very bad towards Rohingya community, said a school master from the Town

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

A home for the Rohingyas


HAVING had the opportunity, as part of the UN multi-agency assistance programme, to extensively interact with the Rohingyas in Myanmar and in the refugee camps, I have come to know the Rohingyas as a highly resilient, intelligent, skilful and hard-working people. They have survived for many years on meagre resources, extreme limitations and in the face of danger and exploitation.

The Rohingyas are descendants of those from the undivided Indian subcontinent who settled in what's now the Arakan region of Myanmar. It was only several hundred years later when the borders of Burma and later Bangladesh were drawn, that the Rohingyas found themselves on one side or the other. However, those who had settled for generations in what then became the Rakhine state remained there until the Rakhine Buddhist community began to see them as "outsiders".

Soon the differences between them escalated, and with the involvement of the Myanmar military junta led to the systematic persecution and violence against the Rohingyas with thousands of them fleeing to nearby countries.

The Rohingyas in Myanmar, under a law passed almost 30 years ago, are termed as "residents" and do not qualify as citizens since they are not Myanmar by ethnic ancestral birth. As such, they cannot own land or enjoy the right to any health or education benefits or engage in economic activities.

Several thousand Rohingyas who fled Myanmar, live in ghettos and refugee camps in Bangladesh (approximately 300,000) and in areas along the Thai-Myanmar border (about 100,000), while they are also refugees in Pakistan, India, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia. As refugees, their plight in many of these countries is as dire.

For the past four decades, the Rohingya issue has been discussed, without any concrete outcomes, while their predicament has worsened to the point of being one of the worst humanitarian calamities of our time.

Many well-meaning solutions have been put forward, ranging from persuading, or even compelling, the Myanmar government to accept the Rohingyas as citizens, to their resettlement in third countries.

There are even calls for Aung San Suu Kyi to demand the right of citizenship for the Rohingyas. Suu Kyi has made it clear that every genuine refugee must have the right to return and be treated in accordance with international law. But, more than that, she has said that everyone concerned must continue to work actively with Myanmar for a solution.

Lt's be clear. No refugee return in history has succeeded on the basis of compelling a country, against its wishes, to accept the refugees back. Even if the present Myanmar government is willing, there is no guarantee that the Rakhine Buddhist community will accept the Rohingyas to live on equal terms with them.

As the Myanmar government has shown its willingness to consider those who can be granted citizenship status and rights, it would be prudent for the international community to pursue that option, ensuring that Rohingyas in Myanmar and those who return and be accepted as citizens, are afforded the same privileges as other citizens.

The Rohingyas whom the Myanmar authorities will not accept for whatever reason, will have no choice but to be assisted for third country resettlement.

It is imperative that the international community, in particular the UN and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) address this humanitarian crisis with urgency and find a workable solution to this progressive extinction of the Rohingyas.

Ship leaves for Myanmar with Malaysian aid for Rohingya refugees

                                            Muhyiddin launching the humanitarian mission

PORT KLANG: A ship carrying 500 tonnes of necessities for Rohingya refugees has left for Myanmar.
The Sinar Bima commercial vessel was flagged off by Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin at Northport Tuesday.

Muhyiddin launching the humanitarian mission

"We hope that through this effort, the world will realise that Malaysia is a caring country," he told reporters before sending off the ship.

The humanitarian aid by Kelab Putera 1Malaysia was previously scheduled to leave here earlier this month but was denied clearance by the authorities in Myanmar.

Nasaka (Burma’s border security force) personnel, military and police are continuing arrest and harass the Rohingya Muslims in Maungdaw

Nasaka (Burma’s border security force) personnel, military and police are continuing arrest and harass the Rohingya Muslims in Maungdaw, said a local elder on condition of anonymity.

“Many Rohingyas were arrested over the allegation that they were involved in the recent communal violence which was happened in June 8.”

They arrested have been identified as Jaffar (50), son of Ullah Meah, Kamal Hussain (35), son Shormuluk, Sona Meah (40), son of Noor Ahmed. They all belong to Shwe Zarr village tract of Maungdaw. Besides, Kala Ahmed, hailed from Sikder Para (village tract) of Maungdaw town was also arrested. They were arrested by Nasaka and police on September 17 to 22, according to sources.

Among them, two were released after taking huge money by the Nasaka personnel of Shwe Zarr out-posts No. 14, under Maungdaw town, and Jaffar has been detained in the camp since September 17, as he was not able to fulfill Nasaka’s demand. As a result, he was severely tortured in the camp, sources added.

But, Kala Ahmed has been detained so far in the police camp of Maungdaw.

The situation of north Arakan is not developed and the persecutions against Rohingya are going on though the international communities are giving pressure to Burmese government. Meanwhile, all the Rohingya villagers are kept in the villages and are not allowed to go out from their villages. How will they survive without doing any works to support their family members? There are many laborers and poor family members, if they do not do works, from where they will get money. Now, they are starving. Why do the international communities do not take stern action against the government? , said a local elder preferring not to be named.

It seems that the Burmese government does not take any care to the international community. The concerned authorities are implementing their policies against the Rohingya community as they like, said a local leader from Maungdaw on condition of anonymity.

Rohingyas ‘have the right’ to apply for Burmese citizenship: minister



Rohingyas ‘have the right’ to apply for Burmese citizenship: minister   Rohingyas born in Burma are eligible to apply for citizenship if at least two generations of their families have lived in the country,

Immigration Minister Khin Ye told the Radio Free Asia Burmese Service on Wednesday.
He said that those who met these requirements “have the right” to apply for citizenship in Burma, where many of them have lived in Rakhine State along the Bangladesh border for generations.

“Foreigners, like the Bengalis, have the right to apply for citizenship if they want to,” Khin Ye said, citing an amendment to the country’s constitution in 1982 during the rule of the former military regime.

“The requirements are that their grandparents and parents must have lived here and died here, that the applicant was born here and can speak the Burmese language, and that he or she wants to live here, among other things,” he said.

He maintained that the Rohingya, which he referred to as Bengalis from neighboring Bangladesh, were first brought to Burma as laborers during British occupation from 1824 until the nation gained its independence in 1948.

Khin Ye also explained why the government does not treat the Rohingya as an ethnic group in Burma, the RFA said.

During the colonial era, Khin Ye said the Burmese “had no right to protect and manage our country,” meaning that the Rohingyas were never invited to stay by the country’s citizens.

“So unless they are blood-related with our people, there is no way they [can be automatically considered] our citizens,” he said.

Khin Ye said that some of the Rohingyas “have become citizens according to the law,” but said that most Burmese frequently assume that they have obtained their documentation through corrupt immigration officials.

The minority is not officially recognized as one of the more than 100 ethnic groups of Burma. The country’s last two official censuses in 1973 and 1983 also did not list them amongst the population.

But he said he agreed with the international community that more must be done to address the root causes of the ethnic violence that shattered Rakhine State in June.

“When I met with international organizations and with the US ambassador yesterday, we never disagreed on the Rohingya issue,” he said

US needs to partner with India ,BURMA

Robert Hormats, the US Under-Secretary of State for Economic, Business, and Agricultural Affairs, speaks during an interview in New York in March. (PHOTO: Reuters)

WASHINGTON—As Burmese President Thein Sein left his country on what is being billed as a “historic” visit to the United States, a top Obama administration official on Monday said the US needs to partner with India to unlock the vast potential emerging out of the region.

“The development of trade and transit links between Southeast and East Asia has been hindered for decades by poor regional infrastructure connectivity, the isolation of the Burmese government, and political mistrust between India and its neighbors,” the Under-Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy and Environment, Robert Hormats, said in his address to the India Investment Forum in New York.

“However, Burma’s recent political and economic reforms along with continuing efforts by India and Bangladesh to improve bilateral relations have generated new opportunities to promote US and Indian business interests and regional economic development. Given the vast potential, we should look to partner in this emerging region,” Hormats said.

It is understood that India and the US have regularly been consulting each other on their respective Burma policies.

Meanwhile, Burma’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi continues with her US visit by spending the day in Louisville, Kentucky. In her remarks followed by a question and answer session in the University of Louisville, Suu Kyi urged Americans to keep an eye on Burma, to find out what’s going on, and to view things with what she called “cautious optimism.”

“You must be very careful with what you accept as genuine progress and genuine moves to a true democratization,” she said according, to a university statement.

“A genuine democracy depends on the people feeling that they are part of the process of government, and to get there, we still have a lot to do,” Suu Kyi said. Reiterating her call for the lifting of sanctions, Suu Kyi said it is time people start carrying on this process of democratization.

“Sanctions have been a great help to us … but I know that there are still human rights violations in Burma. There are human rights violations in countries all over the world … In the end, it’s we who live in the country who must make sure that these violations come to an end,” she said.

In New York, the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) said that its secretary-general, Prof. Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, would address the Contact Group of OIC on Rohingya Muslims of Burma being held on Sept. 26 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting.

“The President of the Mission, Ambassador Ufuk Gokcen, the Permanent Representative of the OIC in New York, will also present a briefing on the work of the mission as well as on its findings,” a media release said.

The mission signed a memorandum of cooperation with the Department of Border Affairs in Burma on Sept. 11 for the implementation of a humanitarian program that benefits all communities living in Arakan State.

Meanwhile, in an open letter to US Senators and Congressmen, outspoken academic Dr. Habib Siddiqui urged the US Congress not to lift its ban on trade and commerce with Burma until a fundamental change takes place positively impacting the lives of those Rohingya and other minorities, guaranteeing their citizenship as equals and rights and privileges restored and secured.

In Washington, rights activist activists held a demonstration in front of the Burmese embassy to protest against the alleged human rights violations of the Rohingya Muslim minority group.

“Rohingyas have been persecuted for decades in Burma. They have been killed, raped, falsely imprisoned and forced to leave their homes. There are over 100,000 people who are homeless and helpless,” Amnesty International alleged in a statement. “The Rohingya minority are being persecuted in their own country, and we are demanding that some action be taken to stop this ethnic cleansing. The United Nations has said that the Rohingya minority in Burma is considered one of the most persecuted in the world.”

Don,t you feel rohihgya are human being


CAIRO – Burma’s opposition leader and democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi opened a two-week visit to the United States on Tuesday, September 18, with the persecution of Bengali-ethnic Muslims, known as Rohingya, overshadowing her tour.

“I am one of the internal refugees of your country living in a muddy and miserable camp of Sittwe,” a displaced Rohingya Muslim says in an open letter cited by Eurasia Review.

“The World knows the reason of being refugees in Arakan State.

Thousands of Rohingya Muslims were forced to flee their homes after ethnic violence rocked the western state of Rakhine in July after the killing of ten Muslims in an attack by Buddhist vigilantes on their bus.

The attack came following the rape and killing of a Buddhist woman, for which three Rohingyas were sentenced to death.

Human rights groups have accused Burmese police and troops of disproportionate use of force and arrests of Rohingyas in the wake of the riots.

Human Rights Watch has accused Burmese security forces of targeting Rohingya Muslims with killing, rape and arrest following the unrest.

“I attached you some statements of Rohingya raped victims,” the displaced Muslim writes in his letter.

“I was informed 500 rape cases. I have hundreds of photo and video evidences which are against human rights. If you want I can send all those evidences to you.”

Suu Kyi, who won the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize for championing democracy in opposition to a ruthless military junta that held her under house arrest for years, arrived in the US on a two-week visit on Tuesday.

The democracy icon will be feted by the US Congress, human rights groups and Washington think tanks.

She will also visit the large emigre community from her country in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and make a series of public speeches from New York to California.

But her visit is expected to be overshadowed by the ongoing persecution of Rohingya Muslims in Burma (Myanmar).

Sui Kyi has been under fire over being silent on the persecution on the sizable Muslim minority.

When asked during her recent visit to Europe, where she was feted as heroine of democracy, whether Muslim Rohingyas are citizens of Myanmar, Suu Kyi said she did not know.

"When you talk about the Rohingya, we are not quite sure whom you are talking about," she said.

"There's some who say those people who claim to be Rohingyas are not the ones who are actually native to Burma but have just come over recently from Bangladesh."

Muslim Rights

The displaced Muslim lamented the democracy icon’s silence on the suffering of the Rohingyas.
“When you said “I don’t know Rohingya” I was so shocked,” the open letter says.

“How could a Noble Prize Winner deny a reality?” the writer asks. “Could you please let us know that based on what documents did you dare to deny Rohingya?”

“If you think that Rohingya history is not reliable, and then you could better form a commission of World historians who could easily decide authenticity of Rohingya history, you shouldn’t deny its existence.”

The letter says many Rohingya Muslims have learnt from Sui Kyi’s struggle for democracy in Burma.
“You encouraged us not to be fear but why do you have fear now,” the writer says.

“Isn’t it for losing power by getting vote in the next election? Or could you please tell us the reason for denial of reality?”

The writer says that the Burmese democracy icon wrote very beautifully about human rights.
“Don’t you feel that Rohingya are also human being like you?”

Described by the UN as one of the world's most persecuted minorities, Rohingya Muslims are facing a catalogue of discrimination in their homeland.

They have been denied citizenship rights since an amendment to the citizenship laws in 1982 and are treated as illegal immigrants in their own home.The Burmese government as well as the Buddhist majority refuse to recognize the term "Rohingya", referring to them as "Bengalis".

Monday, September 17, 2012

Conference Plight of the Rohingya Solution?







ARU Director General to World Community of Nations: Work in Concert to Find a Permanent Solution to Rohingya Issues

KUALA LUMPUR: The international community, including Malaysia, must put pressure on the Myanmar government to cease the abuse of the Rohingya ethnic minority and recognise them as citizens of Myanmar.
Prof. Dr. Wakar Uddin, Directpor General of Arakan Rohingya Union anda
Chairman of the Burmese Rohingya Association of North America

Arakan Rohingya Union director-general Professor Dr Wakar Uddin cautioned that the Myanmar government was arrogant and would not respond to scattered messages from a few organisations.

"Countries need to come together and put concerted pressure on the Myanmar government to stop their systematic and persistent genocide of the Rohingya people in the Rakhine state of Myanmar.

"We need a multi-track approach. Not only must the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) speak up, but the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) and the United Nations (UN) should come in to condemn the violence towards the Rohingya Muslims," Wakar urged at the one-day international conference "Plight of the Rohingya: Solutions?" at the Islamic Arts Museum here yesterday.

He urged for a concerted international intervention effort to improve the plight of the Rohingya people and that it should be continued and sustained until the problem is solved.

"Being redundant can be good. It does not hurt the international community to repeat the same message again and again to the Myanmar government as this will drive the message home."

Panelists at the conference pointed out that the discrimination against the Rohingya people was a direct result of the Myanmar government's decision to strip them of their citizenship under the 1982 citizenship law and all agreed that the law be repealed.

"Once the Rohingya have citizenship, we have the basis to fight for the other violations of their human rights."
He said that the international media and monitoring teams also needed to be in the region to report the situation in Rakhine.

Wakar also proposed the international community ensure that Rakhine's current police force, which had allegedly participated in the abuse of Rohingya, is disbanded and replaced with a force that includes the Rohingya to keep the violence towards the community in check.

The Rohingya people have been described as "among the world's least wanted" and "one of the world's most persecuted minorities."