Burmese MP Kyaw Min’s sister in law sent to prison

Nov 24, 2005 (DVB) -

Burmese authorities at Arakan State capital Sittwe (Akyab) arrested and imprisoned Habsa, the sister-in-law of Kyaw Min, the detained elected representative (MP) of nearby Buthidaung Township.

Habsa, the sister of Kyaw Min’s wife Teeza, is a native of Buthidaung and she was married to a man from Sittwe and had been living there for nearly a year when she was arrested at the beginning of November for ‘overstepping the boundary’ and sentenced to six months in prison.

She is currently being detained at Sittwe Prison and she was imprisoned thus because she is the sister-in-law of Kyaw Min, insisted those who are close to their family members.

Kyaw Min (a.k.a.) Mohammad Shamsul Anwarul Hoque, an independent Muslim MP and a member of Committee for Representing People’s Parliament (CRPP), was arrested on 17 March and subsequently given a 47-year jail term. He is currently languishing in the notorious Rangoon Insein Jail.

Moreover, his wife Teeza, their two daughters and a son were each given 17 years for allegedly breaking the national identity and immigration laws.

Rohingya issue snowballing?

We need to take it up with Myanmar govtAn on-the-spot investigation by our roving correspondent in Cox's Bazar has led to some startling revelations. In terms of a statistical understanding of the Rohingya presence in our country we were living in a make-believe world -- that seems to be the eye-opening moral of the story scooped by our reporter.

We were under the impression that all but nearly 20,000 Rohingya refugees have already been repatriated to Myanmar. As many as 2,50,877 refugees had trekked into Bangladesh 13 years ago fleeing persecution on the other side of the border.

The repatriation exercise was hailed as an international success because of the sheer magnitude of the humanitarian task involved. The UNHCR and Bangladesh government could congratulate each other on the positive outcome of negotiations with the Myanmar government. So far so good.

Now, with the foot-dragging on the issue of further repatriation involving 19,841 Rohingya refugees, their number perhaps exceeding the benchmark due to new births, we have an upshot which seems like almost a replay of the humanitarian concerns that had visited us a decade or so ago. By unofficial accounts, there has been a sizeable illegal immigration from the Myanmar side of the Rohingyas into our territory. So, the number of refugees sheltering in Bangladesh is said to be much higher than the 20,000 mark. We would like to have an official statement putting the whole issue in perspective.

Needless to say, there is a strong ground to carry out a census of the Rohingyas in our country and bring it up before the UNHCR on the one hand for humanitarian assistance and engage the attention of the Myanmar government on the other so that the exodus is stopped.

Have we forgotten the Rohingyas?

Hussain M Fazlul BariFor the last few decades, the ill-fated Rahingyas have gone through oppression, torture and frequent massacres in their historical homeland of Arakan. Since 1948, expelling the Rohingyas from their ancestral land and depriving them of properties have become almost a recurring phenomenon.

Bangladesh is the most affected neighbourMillions of uprooted Rohingyas have taken shelter in many countries of the world since ethnic cleansing of 1942 in Arakan. The crisis took a serious turn in 1992 when 250877 refugees had trekked into Bangladesh fleeing persecution on the other side of border-Myanmar. Bangladesh has almost been successful in handling the issue by sending back 236490 refugees to their homeland. Bangladesh itself is encumbered with its vast population and beset with multifarious problems, yet the way it has dealt the crisis is hailed internationally. The UN (UNHCR in particular) has also played commendable role in this regard. Arithmetically the number of the refugees is now supposed to be around 2000; but in reality the figure exceeds 20000. Apart from new born babies in Rohingya camps, the influx of refugees has been continuous for years. The Bangladesh government provides inadequate facilities in the refugee camps where the vulnerable Rohingyas are passing their days in a shabby and inhuman condition.

Again, many trespassers have been mixed with the local populace. It is almost impossible to identify the illegal immigrants as both are identical in appearance and complexion. Most of them are reluctant to return Myanmar as well. These settlers, being ill-paid labourers, are frequently engaged in criminal activities and environmental degradation in the hilly areas of Cox'sbazar, Chittagong, Bandarban etc. There is no official census available regarding their number and status.

Historical backgroundArakan, a continuation of the Chittagong plain, was neither purely a Burmese nor an Indian territory until 18th century AD culturally, socially, economically and politically, the people of Arakan (also known as Rosang) were independent for centuries. It had remained district due to its topographical peculiarity. Arakan was virtually ruled by Muslim rulers under Sultanate system from 1430 to 1531. The Muslims (Rohingyas) and the Buddists (Maghs or Rakhines) constituted the population of this area. In addition to these majority groups, these are other minority people lived here. In fact, Rohingyas and Maghs had been peacefully co-existing in Arakan like twin brothers in perfect amity until Burmese occupation in 1784. During Burmese rule, two sister communities were put at loggerheads and this heinous policy has been continued with more intensity today.

Myanmar (preciously Burma till 1989) has been ruled by a despots or military junta since 1952. The successive ruling councils are bent on eradicating Rohingyas by terming them illegal settlers. The Buddist settlers have also gradually marginalized and allowed the Rohingyas out of their homestead under clear state-patronage. Actually, Myanmar under military dictatorship continues to be centre of instability and, political and ethnic persecution. The rule of law, human rights, democracy -- these phrases are still far cry in autocratic rule.

The doctrine of self determination The doctrine of self determination is one of the major concepts in political theory and jurisprudence. If played an important role in the process of decolonisation and emergence of many sovereign states in Asia, Africa and Latin America. The issue of self determination and the right to secede versus the territorial integrity attracts huge discussion among scholars and politicians. Nevertheless, this concept has acquired new significance under the UN charter. Subsequently the UN General Assembly attempted to provide greater content to provisions of the charter on self determination through its resolutions and declarations, viz --

(a) Declaration on the Granting of Independence to the colonial countries and peoples (1960);(b) Declaration on Principles of International Law Concerning Friendly Relations and co-operations among states (1970);(c) Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, 1993
Neither General Assembly Resolutions nor Declarations provide legal framework for the right to self determination as they fall within the ambit of soft international law. Two International Covenants on Economic, social and cultural rights and on civil and political rights (1966), being directly binding on state-parties, contain the right to self determination in identical language in common article 1. Upon close examination of article 1 of both the covenants, self determination is classified as internal and external self determination.

Para 1 of Article 1 refers to the internal aspect of self determination when it states that 'all peoples have the right to self determination.' Here the reference is not only to the people of dependent countries, but also to the peoples of sovereign states as well. Therefore, internal aspect of self determination is universally applicable to all people. Article 1 conveys two ideas. Firstly, the choice of domestic political institutions must be ascertained by the peoples themselves through free and fair election. Secondly, it necessitates other related rights enshrined in the covenants such as freedom of speech and expression, the right to peaceful assembly, association, right to vote and to be elected and more importantly right to take part in the conduct of public affairs through representatives. Wherever these rights are recognised and respected, the people enjoy the right of internal self determination: and whenever it is tramped down, it is infringed.

Article 1(3) commits all state parties to respect and promote the right to self determination. A close study of the provision reveals that the emphasis is clearly on the trust and other non-self-governing territories.

While the internal self determination is closely linked to the realisation of basic human rights, the external aspect played a key role in ending colonialism.

Is self determination relevant for Rohingyas?With the passage of time, wave of change all over the world, human thirst for knowledge, honour and dignity, a man can no longer tolerate the oppression and injustice of another man. No government is allowed to treat its people in any damn way it likes. Non interference in the domestic affairs of a country is no more available in contemporary international law when it concerns the human rights. The UN charter places human rights in a pivotal position. Several international treaties and declarations in unequivocal terms affirm that gross violations, as seen in Myanmar, of human rights is an issue of international concern. The barbaric and inhuman acts of the junta with an indigenous minority Muslim community is not only insult to UN charter, it is a dangerous signal to the peace & security of the region.

As indicated earlier, Arakan is a territory geographically separate to Myanmar. Its people particularly the Rohingyas are ethnically and culturally distract from others. Besides, it has been arbitrarily placed in a situation of subordination. Furthermore, they are not listed among 135 ethnic nationalities of the country. Since they been persistently subjected to persecution, genocide and expulsion from their homeland, their right to self determination accrues from many standpoints. As the UN practice has not been to endorse the right to secede outside decolonization at least internal aspect of self determination is quite relevant for Rohingyas.
Concluding remarks Regarding Rohingya issue the most important of all is a permanent solution to their long-standing problem. It inter alia involves inviolable human rights commitment about rights and freedoms of the Rohingyas that should be incorporated in the constitution of Myanmar.

In this regard, a true representative government is welcome in the process of roadmap to Democracy in Myanmar. Bangladesh, as the affected neighbour, may come forward for viable political solution of the crisis. Actually the conclusion is declared by the then UN Secretary General Boutros B Ghali at the time of Rohingya influx to Bangladesh in 1992.'UN should endeavour to achieve a political solution to the crisis not merely for the time being but for future as well."

EU envoys slate condition in Rohingya camps

Thursday November 10 2005 11:14:38 AM BDT

CHITTAGONG, Nov 9:

Ambassadors of the European Commission, France and the Netherlands Wednesday said the human rights of more than 20,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh "are not being respected" by the government, reports UNB.The diplomats made the comments to reporters in Chittagong airport a day after visiting the two refugee camps in the coastal district of Cox''s Bazar, bordering Myanmar.

"The human rights of the refugees are not respected," Dutch ambassador Kees Beemstrboer said while the three diplomats were talking to UNB and a national daily at Shah Amanat Airport.Head of EC delegation Dr Stefan Frowein and French Ambassador Jacques-Andre Costilhes along with Kees Beemsterboer Tuesday visited the refugee camps to have a first hand experience about the ''plight'' of the stranded refugees from Myanmar. The Dhaka office of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) organised the visit.The ambassadors visited Kutupalang camp in Ukhia upazila and Nayapara camp in Teknaf upazila. They also visited the make-shift camp near border town of Teknaf where several Rohingyas had taken refuge.

They saw different facilities inside and talked to the inmates.Among others, UNHCR Country Representative Christopher Lee, Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Shoyebur Rahman and EC Development Advisor Graham Tyrie accompanied the ambassadors.Talking to accompanying journalists at the Airport prior to their departure for Dhaka, they said the overall situation in the camps was appalling and the refugees are deprived of the basic needs.Most of the several lakhs of minority Muslim Rohingya refugees, who fled to Bangladesh in the early 1990s alleging persecution in their border villages in Myanmar, were repatriated to their homes under bilateral agreements and UNHCR supervision.

The remaining 20,000 either refuged to go back or have not been cleared by Mayanmar authorities for repatriation.The diplomats criticised Bangladesh government for failing to provide secondary education for the Rohingya children in the camps. They also expressed their concern for the ''absence'' of fire extinguishers in the camps."International standard is not met in the camps," EC envoy said, adding, "condition of the shelters in the camps is unacceptable."
UNB/ The Bangladesh Observer

Re: Your news concerning illegal activities of Rohingyas in Bangladesh:Habib Siddiqui, USA

Thursday October 27 2005 14:52:15 PM BDT
Habib Siddiqui, USA
Re: Your news concerning illegal activities of Rohingyas in Bangladesh: http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/7598_1527268,000500020001.htm

Dear Editor,

The reported link between the Rohingya Muslims, now living as refugees in Bangladesh with extremists of JMB is untrue. Rohingyas, like most Bangladeshi and Indian Muslims, follow a very liberal branch of Islam and are Hanafi Muslims. The JMB, on the other hand, follows an extreme ideology, with some commonality with Osama Ben Laden's group. From the eyewitness reports that I have been able to gather from the refugee Rohingya community, the fact is they were handing over books and gifts in an Iftar party, when pro-Myanmar anti-Rohingya Arakanese/Burmese Maghs called police saying that the Rohingyas were distributing arms in the Iftar party. So, without any verification, the police raided the refugee camp and arrested some refugees.

They are victims of the very refugee problem and not of any crime, let alone the arms distribution in an Iftar party. The reason that many Rohingyas again have returned to Bangladesh, in spite of the Dhaka-Yangon pact addressing the repatriation of the Rohingy refugees, is that to this very day their basic human rights are routinely denied in Myanmar. There is no security for them there.

They are denied their citizenship to Myanmar, and are being accused of being illegal settlers from Bangladesh, while their ancestry to the land dates back to the 7th century CE. They are denied basic opportunities of livelihood there. Even for a simple marriage, they have to wait almost a year to get the necessary permission and that too after lots of bribes are paid to government officers.

Many of their leaders (and their family members) are now serving long prison times on citizenship and other ludicrous charges. In this regard, the matter of U Kyaw Min is an exemplary one. He is now serving 47 years prison time in the notorious Insein prison. The Amnesty International has a long list of such detainees

(see: http://www.aappb.org/prisoners2.html Kyaw Min's name is # 311 on that list). What is needed from the International community is to put pressure on the military junta to secure and guarantee basic human rights of these Rohingyas, failing which a plebiscite in the model of East Timor needs to be conducted under the UN auspices to determine whether Rohingyas should opt for an independent state or live within Myanmar as equal citizens.

Regards, Dr. Habib Siddiqui

(an anti-war and human rights activist) Philadelphia, USA

*************************

Bangladesh cracks down on Rohingyas

Published: Monday, 24 October, 2005, 11:41 AM Doha Time
By Mizan RahmanDHAKA:

Bangladesh has ordered a crackdown on Rohingya Muslim refugees from neighbouring Myanmar as most of them were found to be involved in Islamic militancy.The Ministry of home affairs has directed the law-enforcing agencies to arrest Rohingyas living outside the refugee camps in southeastern Bandarban and Cox's Bazaar districts as many of them were found involved in militancy.The Myanmar ethnic Muslim minority known as Rohingyas, who fled to Bangladesh to avoid military persecution, were kept under strict vigilance as many of them were found linked with the local Islamic militants.The ministry, however, asked the agencies to deal with Rohingyas very cautiously as a number of international human rights bodies were found apparently sympathetic about Rohingyas who had taken shelter in Bangladesh legally or illegally at different places of the two districts bordering Myanmar.

The government sounded the alert after the arrest of 25 Rohingyas in Chittagong and their subsequent statements admitting their link with the Bangladeshi militants involved in the August 17 countrywide series of blasts.The ministry had a meeting and made the decision of nabbing the Rohingyas involved in militancy. The meeting observed with grave concern that Rohingyas were being employed by a number of Islamist militant groups in the name of religion, officials, who attended the meeting, said in Dhaka yesterday.Apart from male Rohingyas, female Rohingyas were also being employed and trained to carry out militant activities, sources present at the meeting said.

The ministry sources said a large number of Rohingyas are now living in Bandarban and Cox's Bazaar without the permission of the government.Over 250,000 ethnic Muslim minorities of Myanmar took shelter in Bangladesh during 1991-1992. Most of the refugees have been repatriated to Myanmar, but there are still more than 20,000 refugees living in camps of Cox's Bazar and Teknaf.The official sources said many of those who were repatriated to Myanmar with the help of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees again entered Bangladesh and were staying here illegally.

Bangladesh police tightening noose on Rohingya refugees

By Farid Ahmed, Dhaka

Bangladesh has directed the law-enforcing agencies to arrest Myanmarese Rohingyas living outside refugee camps, saying many of them are involved in militant activities.The Rohingyas, Myanmar's ethnic Muslim minority, fled to Bangladesh 1991-1992 to avoid persecution by the military regime. Following reports that many of the refugees were involved with local Islamic militant outfits, the Bangladesh government had mounted a strict vigilance on them, a senior official of the home ministry told IANS.The ministry, however, asked the agencies to deal with the refugees very cautiously as a number of international human rights bodies were apparently sympathetic toward Rohingyas, who had taken shelter in Bangladesh legally or illegally at different places in the two districts bordering Myanmar.The government sounded the alert after the arrest of 25 Rohingyas in Chittagong and their subsequent statements admitting their link with the local militants involved in the Aug 17 countrywide series of blasts and the Oct 3 bomb attacks on courts.

The ministry, at a meeting in the past week, decided to take action against Rohingyas involved in militancy, the official said. The meeting observed with grave concern that many of the refugees were involved with a number of Islamic militant groups in the name of religion. According to sources, some female refugees were also being recruited into militant groups and they were being trained to carry out militant activities.Over 250,000 ethnic Muslim minorities of Myanmar took shelter in Bangladesh during 1991-1992 to evade military persecution in Myanmar's Arakan state.

Most of the refugees have been repatriated to Myanmar with the help of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, but there are still more than 20,000 refugees living in camps of Cox's Bazar and Teknaf. Official sources said many of those who were repatriated to Myanmar had re-entered Bangladesh, where they were staying illegally.

http://www.newkerala.com/news.php?action=fullnews&id=40015

Repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar stalled

Repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar stalled

Published: Thursday, 27 October, 2005, 09:58 AM

Doha Time
By Mizan RahmanDHAKA:

Repatriation of around 21,000 Rohingya Muslim refugees in two camps in southeastern Cox’s Bazar district has almost stalled with only 92 of them sent back to Myanmar in the last one year.“The Rohingya repatriation process has almost been stopped and a political decision is required to accelerate the process,” said Jim Worrall, head of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) sub-office in Cox’s Bazar.

The process has slowed down because these people are not ready to go back home. Further negotiations between the governments of Myanmar and Bangladesh are needed to accelerate the process, he observed.Against this backdrop, the UNHCR is going to build some semi-permanent structures like community centres and toilets for the refugees. These would also help the locals, he mentioned.The refugees are now living in two major camps - Kutupalong in Ukhia and Nayapara in Teknaf.Officials of the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management said that Rohingya repatriation is going on. “Already 95% Rohingyas have been repatriated and 20,700 are still living in two camps,” said one official.Locals, however, said another 20,000 Rohingyas are living in roadside slums in Teknaf.

The slum dwellers said about 1,800 Rohingya families, who entered Bangladesh at different times after the massive influx in 1992, are living in the slums.According to the UNHCR Cox’s Bazar office, the number of unregistered Rohingas living in roadside slums would be around 6,000. “They are not registered because Bangladesh government does not recognise them as refugees,” Worrall said.“The UNHCR cannot look after them until and unless they are recongnised as refugees,” he said.Official entry of refugees in the camps stopped in 1992.Worrall pointed out that the UNHCR cannot force anyone to go back home. “Repatriation happens voluntarily.”The UN body is taking care of the refugees for the last 14 years. In reply to a question, he said the process would continue “as long as there are refugees”.Food for the refugees is provided by World Food Programme (WFP) and the UNHCR is for protecting the rights of the refugees.On the situation in the camps, Worrall said, it is not bad as various UN bodies are carrying out their respective responsibilities. “Although nobody is starving in the camps, this is not an ideal situation for a person to live.”Many refugees in and outside the camps said reports of torture and repression in their homeland prevent them from going back.Registered refugees are not returning home due to lack of peace in their areas while unregistered Rohingyas are fearing imprisonment if they go back without government support, sources mentioned.

The condition of unregistered Rohingyas is miserable and many of them died from starvation. About 30 Rohingyas died from starvation just in one month, some locals said without giving details.These distressed people somehow survive on small earnings as day labour. Many of them suffer from various diseases due to lack of medical facilities. Their children are malnourished due to lack of food.Rahimul Haq, an unregistered Rohingya, said Bangladesh government made a list of them but they are yet to get any relief or assistance.“We are forced to live a miserable life because if we go back home without government support, Myanmar forces would catch us and send us to jail for long. As we are absent from our areas for long, they would not recognise us as citizens of Myanmar,” he added.“In Myanmar, we could not sleep at night fearing torture by government forces,” said Imam Hossain, an elderly refugee at Kutupalong camp. He has been at the camp for 14 years.The Myanmar government confiscated their land and property, he said.Besides physical torture, Myanmar forces also resort to mental torture on Muslims. The Muslims cannot move freely and they face lot of difficulties in arranging marriages of their sons and daughters, Imam alleged.According to locals in Cox’s Bazar and Teknaf, Rohingyas still continued to come to the areas. Many of them got married to locals and merged into them. Their number is around four lakh.A section of Rohingyas work here, earn a lot and send money to their families and relatives back home.

Devaluation of Myanmar currency is an advantage for them, locals said.“If a Rohingya earns 100 taka here, it means 1,500 in Myanmar currency. This is another reason for their reluctance to go back home,” one local mentioned.

Junta Restrictions Cause Food Shortages Among Rohingyas

Junta Restrictions Cause Food Shortages Among Rohingyas

By Clive Parker

September 23, 2005

Claims by an ethnic Rohingya organization that restrictions from the Rangoon government are causing food shortages in Arakan State were confirmed by the head of the World Food Programme in Burma today.

Bhim Udas, the head of WFP’s operations in Burma, said his organization had had to wait more than three months for a permit to transport food aid to Maungdaw, Buthidaung and Rathedaung, three predominantly Rohingya townships in Arakan State.


WFP has been operating in Arakan State for the past 11 years, providing food for an estimated 300,000 people. Despite this, the Burmese authorities have given no explanation for the recent delay in granting access, Udas said. Rangoon’s Department of Relief and Social Welfare was unavailable for comment.

The Arakan Rohingya National Organization said today the situation in these three townships is grave, claiming a 5-year-old girl died this month from starvation and that others are on the brink. “The Rohingya villagers are in [a] famine-like situation,” a statement said.

A late monsoon this year has delayed the rice harvest, Udas said, while food aid has been disappearing across the border into Bangladesh recently, exacerbating food shortages.

Udas explained the junta is practicing what it calls a “limited supply” of food aid to the Rohingya population as it is fearful supplies will continue to move across Arakan’s border with Bangladesh in the future.

However, Udas told The Irrawaddy that WFP had not witnessed any signs of starvation in northern Arakan State during the latest food shortages.

Having this month finally received the necessary permit to transport rice and food aid from Rangoon to Sittwe, the capital of Arakan State, the WFP says that two weeks ago it was able to offer some supplies to vulnerable groups including young children.

“There is progress,” Udas said. “When our food starts moving from Sittwe to Northern Rakhine [Arakan] State [and then] to the three townships in which we are working— Maungdaw, Buthidaung and some parts of Rathedaung—and at least in those three areas… I can say that the food situation will improve and the prices will go down.”

More than 200,000 tonnes of food has already reached Sittwe, Udas added.

ARNO has accused the Burmese military of controlling the rice market in Rohingya areas and forcing the price up to nearly four times that in the capital of Sittwe. It also cites examples of Burmese military personnel arresting those trying to transport rice or offer it to hungry Rohingyas.

This latest example of restrictions on WFP efforts to offer food aid in Burma follows a call by the head of the organization, James Morris, during a trip last month to Rangoon, for the junta to change its ways.

Following the visit, Morris issued a statement in Bangkok saying: “Current agricultural and marketing policies, and restrictions on the movement of people, make it very difficult for many of those at risk to merely subsist.”
Muslim Rohingyas are unable to move freely and are denied Burmese citizenship by the junta, making it difficult for them to secure sources of food from outside their villages.