Thousands of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar still lack health care two weeks after the government ordered the international medical charity MSF to leave Rakhine State
.
Reports are now emerging of deaths in the camps housing those displaced by the long-running sectarian violence in the state.

MSF's operations were suspended late last month when it was accused of prioritising the treatment of the Rohingya community over local Buddhists.

The organisation has since been allowed to resume its work in Myanmar, but not in Rakhine State.
Former US Congressman Tom Andrews has been in the country for a month.

He leads the Washington-based NGO, United to End Genocide, and he's been visiting the camps where displaced Rohingya are struggling to survive.


Rohingya camps facing dire conditions after medical pullout (Credit: ABC)

Myanmar's national government has reportedly drafted a plan that will give members of the persecuted Rohingya Muslim ethnic minority a choice: accept ethnic reclassification as ‘Bengalis and the prospect of citizenship, or be detained.

Many Rohingya lost documents in the widespread violence, or have previously refused to register as "Bengalis" because they say the term implies they are illegal immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh.

Most of Myanmar's 1.1 million Rohingya already live in apartheid-like conditions in western Rakhine after deadly clashes with ethnic Rakhine Buddhists in 2012.

Abu Tahay, is a Rohingya Politician with the Chairman of Union Nationals Development Party in Myanmar.

He is visiting Jakarta and explained to Vitri Angreni why they reject the plan.

Here is a transcript of the interview: 

Ethnicity identification is up to the community. It is the right of the Rohingya people to identify them selves as Rohingya. The governments can not impose restrictions on them to rename their identity to Bengalis.  Rohingya will not accept the government imposing this.  Rohingyas are different from Benggali, Chittagongnians and Chakma. Rohingya people belong to Myanmar, Rohinyga people belong to the Arakan state. They are an indigenous race before the British came their present was recorded in the Arakani State during the British time in a 1826 report and in the 1872, 1911 and 1941 reports. Rohingya are an indigenous race of Myanmar. And after independence, Rohingya was recognized as ethnic group until 1965.

Q.  So you don’t think the government’s solution is the right one—So what do you think the solution is?

"The solution and the sustainable solution is to restore the Rohingya ethnicity also to restore Rohingyas full citizenship rights. This is the only solution that is sustainable and will also establish peaceful coexistence among the diverse people of Myanmar."   

Q. What do you want countries like Indonesia -- and other Asian nations to do to help resolve the conflict in Myanmar?

"Only 1.2 million Rohingya’s are living in Myanmar out of 4 million. The majority have fled abroad so this can make instability in the region not only in Myanmar. That’s why the Rohingya issue is not a local internal affair, this is an international issue.  So South East Asia nations who are in a position to persuade our government to resolve this issue quickly must do so.” 

Q. Do you think countries like Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia-- have done enough-- have they been hostile to Rohingya refugees? 

"This is not good enough; we need some assistant to make sure that they have the legal status of being a refugee in different countries.  Also they need to be provided access to the education and if possible let them work. This will benefit the region as well as the Rohingya refugee community."  Myanmar's national government has reportedly drafted a plan that will give members of the persecuted Rohingya Muslim ethnic minority a choice: accept ethnic reclassification as ‘Bengalis and the prospect of citizenship, or be detained.

Many Rohingya lost documents in the widespread violence, or have previously refused to register as "Bengalis" because they say the term implies they are illegal immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh.

Most of Myanmar's 1.1 million Rohingya already live in apartheid-like conditions in western Rakhine after deadly clashes with ethnic Rakhine Buddhists in 2012.

Abu Tahay, is a Rohingya Politician with the Chairman of Union Nationals Development Party in Myanmar.

He is visiting Jakarta and explained to Vitri Angreni why they reject the plan.

Here is a transcript of the interview: 

Ethnicity identification is up to the community. It is the right of the Rohingya people to identify them selves as Rohingya. The governments can not impose restrictions on them to rename their identity to Bengalis.  Rohingya will not accept the government imposing this.  Rohingyas are different from Benggali, Chittagongnians and Chakma. Rohingya people belong to Myanmar, Rohinyga people belong to the Arakan state. They are an indigenous race before the British came their present was recorded in the Arakani State during the British time in a 1826 report and in the 1872, 1911 and 1941 reports. Rohingya are an indigenous race of Myanmar. And after independence, Rohingya was recognized as ethnic group until 1965.

Q.  So you don’t think the government’s solution is the right one—So what do you think the solution is?

"The solution and the sustainable solution is to restore the Rohingya ethnicity also to restore Rohingyas full citizenship rights. This is the only solution that is sustainable and will also establish peaceful coexistence among the diverse people of Myanmar."   

Q. What do you want countries like Indonesia -- and other Asian nations to do to help resolve the conflict in Myanmar?

"Only 1.2 million Rohingya’s are living in Myanmar out of 4 million. The majority have fled abroad so this can make instability in the region not only in Myanmar. That’s why the Rohingya issue is not a local internal affair, this is an international issue.  So South East Asia nations who are in a position to persuade our government to resolve this issue quickly must do so.” 

Q. Do you think countries like Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia-- have done enough-- have they been hostile to Rohingya refugees? 

"This is not good enough; we need some assistant to make sure that they have the legal status of being a refugee in different countries.  Also they need to be provided access to the education and if possible let them work. This will benefit the region as well as the Rohingya refugee community."  Myanmar's national government has reportedly drafted a plan that will give members of the persecuted Rohingya Muslim ethnic minority a choice: accept ethnic reclassification as ‘Bengalis and the prospect of citizenship, or be detained.

Many Rohingya lost documents in the widespread violence, or have previously refused to register as "Bengalis" because they say the term implies they are illegal immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh.

Most of Myanmar's 1.1 million Rohingya already live in apartheid-like conditions in western Rakhine after deadly clashes with ethnic Rakhine Buddhists in 2012.

Abu Tahay, is a Rohingya Politician with the Chairman of Union Nationals Development Party in Myanmar.

He is visiting Jakarta and explained to Vitri Angreni why they reject the plan.

Here is a transcript of the interview: 

Ethnicity identification is up to the community. It is the right of the Rohingya people to identify them selves as Rohingya. The governments can not impose restrictions on them to rename their identity to Bengalis.  Rohingya will not accept the government imposing this.  Rohingyas are different from Benggali, Chittagongnians and Chakma. Rohingya people belong to Myanmar, Rohinyga people belong to the Arakan state. They are an indigenous race before the British came their present was recorded in the Arakani State during the British time in a 1826 report and in the 1872, 1911 and 1941 reports. Rohingya are an indigenous race of Myanmar. And after independence, Rohingya was recognized as ethnic group until 1965.

Q.  So you don’t think the government’s solution is the right one—So what do you think the solution is?

"The solution and the sustainable solution is to restore the Rohingya ethnicity also to restore Rohingyas full citizenship rights. This is the only solution that is sustainable and will also establish peaceful coexistence among the diverse people of Myanmar."   

Q. What do you want countries like Indonesia -- and other Asian nations to do to help resolve the conflict in Myanmar?

"Only 1.2 million Rohingya’s are living in Myanmar out of 4 million. The majority have fled abroad so this can make instability in the region not only in Myanmar. That’s why the Rohingya issue is not a local internal affair, this is an international issue.  So South East Asia nations who are in a position to persuade our government to resolve this issue quickly must do so.” 

Q. Do you think countries like Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia-- have done enough-- have they been hostile to Rohingya refugees? 

"This is not good enough; we need some assistant to make sure that they have the legal status of being a refugee in different countries.  Also they need to be provided access to the education and if possible let them work. This will benefit the region as well as the Rohingya refugee community."  

#Rohingya are not 'Bengalis':Thar Aye

The Muslims for Peace Foundation is planning to ask the UN Refugee Agency to help Rohingyas falling prey to human traffickers.

Nakhon Si Thammarat residents in Hua Sai district have donated their money to help Rohingyas. The proceeds collected at a Muslim mosque will be given to a human rights center.

95 Rohingya refugees were intercepted on January 11th in Hua Sai district. They were reportedly crammed in trucks when they were found. Two drivers were charged with human trafficking.

The Foundation will be submitting a letter to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees asking for international assistance.

Hua Sai Police Chief Police Colonel Prawit Chantabut said the investigation would be concluded quickly before they are sent to the care of the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security.

UNHCR Urged To Help Rohingyas In South Of Thailand

Thai Police Discover Mass Graves In Jungle

Myanmar migrants on a boat stranded for a week in the Andaman Sea with no food or water say 10 people have died, while some are resorting to drinking urine.
The fishing boat, carrying about 350 people of the Muslim Rohingya minority, has been refused entry to Thailand.
Those on board told the BBC the crew abandoned them and disabled the engine.
They said the bodies of those who had died were thrown overboard.
Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand have been turning away migrant boats.

'10 Deaths' On Stranded Myanmar Migrant Boat

A story of a person from Buthidaung about his life in Buthidaung prison. As he said in his word "I am a very small and uneducated person. I am not a representative of any Rohingya organization. I am Siraj, a person from Buthidaung - Burma.

A Rohingya Prisoner’s Account

There's still no employment or education opportunities for Rohingya Muslims outside their camps in Rakhine State.

Thousands of Rohingya Muslims who were forced into camps five years ago are finally receiving humanitarian aid.

Riots in 2012 between the Rohingya and radical Buddhists left scores dead and led to a state of emergency.

Now, Rohingya Muslims have to stay in camps which keep them safe.

TRT World’s Alican Ayanlar reports from one of the camps in Rakhine State.

Thousands Of Rohingya Muslims Receive  Aid

Kofi Annan delivered this video statement on the occasion of the presentation of the Interim Report of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State.

Statement By Kofi Annan, Chairman Of The Advisory Commission On Rakhine State

Statement by Ms. Yanghee LEE, Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar at the 35th session of the Human Rights Council

Ms. Yanghee LEE, Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar

There are new allegations that the Thai navy is involved in the human trafficking of Rohingya Muslims trying to flee religious violence in western Myanmar. The ABC has tracked down Rohingya Muslims in Malaysia who claim they were intercepted, brutally beaten and then sold to traffickers by the Thai military.


Claim Thai military trafficking Rohingya refugees

The Rohingya Post - The People's Post is a Rohingya media outlet founded and run by Rohingya citizen journalists.


The motivation behind the launching of www.thestateless.com came in 2012 when Burmese government and Rakhine extremist groups setup ethnic cleansing programme against the stateless people of Arakan, Rohingya. It was extremely important time to forward and share the truth behind the scenes of the ethnic cleansing programme to the global audience and well-wishers of the stateless Rohingya.

Rohingya are a native ethnic Muslim minority from Arakan, a western state of Burma, living many centuries. Before Rohingya were forced to become the stateless in own soil, they have encountered many operations of dehumanization from various Burmese governments starting in 1963 up to now. Rohingya have lost their history, nationality, dignity, home, land, property and face various human rights abuses such as restrictions on religion, marriage, education, travel, arbitrary taxation, arrest, rape, etc..

2012 becomes the greatest disaster for Rohingya as Rakhine extremists and government forces launched the grass-root killings of Rohingya throughout Arakan making hundred thousands displaced, killed and missing, while the international community has been silently neglecting the suffering state of Rohingya.

M Rafique

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