Questions of North east India
Namrata Goswami - IDSA report-Assam in Turmoil
Assam and Aftermath
DHD (N) and UPDS Agree to Ceasefire
‘Peace Talks’ in Assam’s Post Election Scenario
Terrorism and Electoral Politics in Assam
The Culture of Bandhs and the Absence of Local Governance in the Northea
Talks with the ULFA Beyond Rhetoric to Substance
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/un-seeks-inquiry-on-rakhine-violence-in-burma/981097/
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay has called for an independent investigation after claims of abuses by security forces in Burma''s Rakhine state.
Pillay said that forces sent to quash violence in the northern state were reported to be targeting Muslims.
The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said that about 80,000 people have been displaced following inter-communal violence.
The agency said most of those displaced are living in camps and more tents are being airlifted in to help them.
The latest violence in Rakhine began in May when a Buddhist ethnic Rakhine woman was raped and murdered by three Muslims.On 3 June, an unidentified mob killed 10 Muslims.
Pillay''s office said that since then at least 78 people have been killed in ensuing violence but unofficial estimates are higher.
"We have been receiving a stream of reports from independent sources alleging discriminatory and arbitrary responses by security forces, and even their instigation of and involvement in clashes,” Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said.
“Reports indicate that the initial swift response of the authorities to the communal violence may have turned into a crackdown targeting Muslims, in particular members of the Rohingya community,” Pillay added.
She welcomed a government decision to allow a UN envoy access to Rakhine state next week, but said it was 'no substitute for a fully-fledged independent investigation'.
http://www.rfa.org/english/news/burma/rohingya-07292012180317.html
UN Seeks Probe Into Rakhine Crisis
2012-07-29
A UN expert is to make a trip to Burma's volatile Rakhine state to investigate recent violence.
UN rights envoy Tomas Ojea Quintana (C) speaks to reporters after talks with Aung San Suu Kyi (C-behind) in Rangoon, Aug. 24, 2011.
A key United Nations human rights expert arrived in Rangoon Sunday to assess the recent violence in Burma's Rakhine state as the global body called for a "prompt, independent investigation" into alleged rights violations following clashes between the Buddhist and Muslim communities there.
U.N. Special Rapporteur Tomas Ojea Quintana, an independent expert designated by the U.N. Human Rights Council to monitor and report on the human rights situation in Burma, is on a six-day visit at the invitation of the Burmese government.
His arrival followed concerns expressed at the weekend by U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay over reports that she said indicated that the initial government response to the violence may have turned into a crackdown targeting Muslims, particularly the Rohingya minority.
The U.N. considers the Rohingya one of the world’s most persecuted minorities.
Pillay welcomed the government of President Thein Sein's decision to allow Quintana's access to Rakhine state during his mission to Burma, saying it was "important that those affected from all communities in Rakhine are able to speak freely" to him.
"But while he will be able to make an initial assessment during his one-day visit [to Rakhine state], this is no substitute for a fully-fledged independent investigation," she said in a statement in Geneva
The latest crisis in Rakhine state was triggered on May 28, when an ethnic Rakhine woman was raped and murdered followed by the killing of 10 Muslims by an unidentified mob on June 3. Official figures showed more than 70,000 people were displaced in the ensuing violence and that at least 78 died but unofficial estimates have been higher.
“We have been receiving a stream of reports from independent sources alleging discriminatory and arbitrary responses by security forces, and even their instigation of and involvement in clashes,” Pillay said.
'Systemic discrimination'
The High Commissioner said the crisis highlighted "the long-standing and systemic discrimination" against the Rohingya, who are not recognised by the state and remain stateless.
“The Government has a responsibility to prevent and punish violent acts, irrespective of which ethnic or religious group is responsible, without discrimination and in accordance with the rule of law,” Pillay said.
She expressed dismay at what she called derogatory language used against the Rohingya by state media, some independent media, and by some users of social networking websites.
She noted earlier government commitments to conduct an investigation, and a recent fact-finding mission to Rakhine state by the Myanmar Human Rights Commission—Burma's independent national human rights body, consisting of 15 retired bureaucrats and academics.
Pillay called on all Burmese leaders to speak out against discrimination, the exclusion of minorities and racist attitudes, and in support of equal rights for all in the country, and stressed that the United Nations was making an effort to protect and assist all communities in Rakhine State.
“Prejudice and violence against members of ethnic and religious minorities run the risk of dividing the country in its commendable national reconciliation efforts, undermine national solidarity, and upset prospects of peace-building," she said.
Earlier this month, President Thein Sein caused a stir when he requested the U.N.’s refugee agency UNHCR to place Rohingyas in refugee camps or send them out of the country, saying the ethnic minority is made up of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and that Burma “cannot accept them.”
His request was immediately refused by the U.N. agency.
Islamic body
The 57-nation Organization of Islamic Conference said it was "shocked by the unfortunate remarks" of Thien Sein "disowning Rohingya Muslims as citizens of Myanmar."
OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said that Burma, as a U.N. member, "must adhere to the international human rights instruments including the relevant conventions and declarations, in treatment of their citizens."
Bangladesh, where an estimated 300,000 Rohingyas live, has turned back boatloads of the oppressed group arriving on its shores since the outbreak of the unrest.
Quintana is expected to meet President Thein Sein on Friday following his trip to Rakhine state.
"We do not know what they will discuss. But of course the Rakhine state situation will be the main issue," a Burmese government official told Agence France-Presse, asking to remain anonymous.
Quintana, in a separate statement issued in Geneva, hoped that "significant progress" on reforms in Burma under Thein Sein's government "will culminate in the creation of a peaceful and vibrant democracy that respects human rights and upholds the rule of law.”
“At the same time, Myanmar [Burma] is confronted with ongoing human rights challenges, including in relation to the recent violence in Rakhine state, as well as continuing armed conflict, particularly in Kachin state," he said.
Fighting between government troops and the ethnic Kachin Independence Army (KIA) has forced tens of thousands from their homes in northern Kachin state.
"My visit to the country will help me to assess these developments and challenges for the purpose of my upcoming report to the General Assembly,” Quintana said
He is also scheduled to meet with government officials, members of parliament, the National Human Rights Commission, and civil society in the capital Naypyitaw and Rangoon.
Reported by Parameswaran Ponnudurai.
Call to put Rohingya in Refugee Campps
Rohingyas pushed back into sea
Another refugee said her boat was turned back twice, and although it managed to land on its third attempt, three children on the vessel, including two of hers, died while waiting out at sea.
"My five-year-old boy died of starvation and heat on the boat," she said. "They burned all of our homes and killed my sisters and brothers. That's why I came here," she said referring to the violence in Rakhine state which has left about 60 dead with tens of thousands displaced, according to official estimates.
At least 2,000 Rohingyas have tried to enter Bangladesh following the violence between Muslims and Buddhists in Rakhine state in Burma since early June, but most were either turned back or detained.
In a June 18 incident cited by witnesses who spoke to RFA, the Bangladesh authorities turned back 139 mostly young Rohingya men.
"This is the first time I have ever done anything like this," said a Bangladesh security officer, identifying himself as Major Salif, who oversaw a feeding program for the 130 Rohingyas before they were put back on their boats and sent away.
"According to my understanding, this [turning back the refugees] will go on for sometime, but God willing it will take its natural course and settle down soon," Salif, the commanding officer at the Shapuri Dip Jetty in Teknaf, told RFA.
Strained
Bangladesh says its resources are already too strained and has refused to accept the Rohingyas despite appeals from the United Nations to grant them refugee status.
Bangladeshi officials estimate that a total of 300,000 Rohingya people live in the country, with only about a tenth of them in two official refugee camps in the southern district of Cox's Bazaar.
Burma considers the Rohingya to be illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and denies them citizenship while Bangladesh says Rohingya have been living in Burma for centuries and should be recognized there as citizens.
Reported by an RFA correspondent in Bangladesh.
U.N. Special Rapporteur Tomas Ojea Quintana, an independent expert designated by the U.N. Human Rights Council to monitor and report on the human rights situation in Burma, is on a six-day visit at the invitation of the Burmese government.
His arrival followed concerns expressed at the weekend by U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay over reports that she said indicated that the initial government response to the violence may have turned into a crackdown targeting Muslims, particularly the Rohingya minority.
The U.N. considers the Rohingya one of the world’s most persecuted minorities.
Pillay welcomed the government of President Thein Sein's decision to allow Quintana's access to Rakhine state during his mission to Burma, saying it was "important that those affected from all communities in Rakhine are able to speak freely" to him.
"But while he will be able to make an initial assessment during his one-day visit [to Rakhine state], this is no substitute for a fully-fledged independent investigation," she said in a statement in Geneva
The latest crisis in Rakhine state was triggered on May 28, when an ethnic Rakhine woman was raped and murdered followed by the killing of 10 Muslims by an unidentified mob on June 3. Official figures showed more than 70,000 people were displaced in the ensuing violence and that at least 78 died but unofficial estimates have been higher.
“We have been receiving a stream of reports from independent sources alleging discriminatory and arbitrary responses by security forces, and even their instigation of and involvement in clashes,” Pillay said.
'Systemic discrimination'
The High Commissioner said the crisis highlighted "the long-standing and systemic discrimination" against the Rohingya, who are not recognised by the state and remain stateless.
“The Government has a responsibility to prevent and punish violent acts, irrespective of which ethnic or religious group is responsible, without discrimination and in accordance with the rule of law,” Pillay said.
She expressed dismay at what she called derogatory language used against the Rohingya by state media, some independent media, and by some users of social networking websites.
She noted earlier government commitments to conduct an investigation, and a recent fact-finding mission to Rakhine state by the Myanmar Human Rights Commission—Burma's independent national human rights body, consisting of 15 retired bureaucrats and academics.
Pillay called on all Burmese leaders to speak out against discrimination, the exclusion of minorities and racist attitudes, and in support of equal rights for all in the country, and stressed that the United Nations was making an effort to protect and assist all communities in Rakhine State.
“Prejudice and violence against members of ethnic and religious minorities run the risk of dividing the country in its commendable national reconciliation efforts, undermine national solidarity, and upset prospects of peace-building," she said.
Earlier this month, President Thein Sein caused a stir when he requested the U.N.’s refugee agency UNHCR to place Rohingyas in refugee camps or send them out of the country, saying the ethnic minority is made up of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and that Burma “cannot accept them.”
His request was immediately refused by the U.N. agency.
Islamic body
The 57-nation Organization of Islamic Conference said it was "shocked by the unfortunate remarks" of Thien Sein "disowning Rohingya Muslims as citizens of Myanmar."
OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said that Burma, as a U.N. member, "must adhere to the international human rights instruments including the relevant conventions and declarations, in treatment of their citizens."
Bangladesh, where an estimated 300,000 Rohingyas live, has turned back boatloads of the oppressed group arriving on its shores since the outbreak of the unrest.
Quintana is expected to meet President Thein Sein on Friday following his trip to Rakhine state.
"We do not know what they will discuss. But of course the Rakhine state situation will be the main issue," a Burmese government official told Agence France-Presse, asking to remain anonymous.
Quintana, in a separate statement issued in Geneva, hoped that "significant progress" on reforms in Burma under Thein Sein's government "will culminate in the creation of a peaceful and vibrant democracy that respects human rights and upholds the rule of law.”
“At the same time, Myanmar [Burma] is confronted with ongoing human rights challenges, including in relation to the recent violence in Rakhine state, as well as continuing armed conflict, particularly in Kachin state," he said.
Fighting between government troops and the ethnic Kachin Independence Army (KIA) has forced tens of thousands from their homes in northern Kachin state.
"My visit to the country will help me to assess these developments and challenges for the purpose of my upcoming report to the General Assembly,” Quintana said
He is also scheduled to meet with government officials, members of parliament, the National Human Rights Commission, and civil society in the capital Naypyitaw and Rangoon.
Reported by Parameswaran Ponnudurai.
Call to put Rohingya in Refugee Campps
Rohingyas pushed back into sea
Rohingyas Pushed Back to Sea
2012-06-20
On June 18, about 130 Rohingyas, mostly young men, were sent back to sea from Bangladesh on nine open boats. They had been fed and given water by an army major, who said he was just following orders.
Helicopters Fire on Rohingya Refugees
2012-06-20
Rohingya Muslim refugees from Burma who managed to sneak into neighboring Bangladesh speak of their ordeal at sea.
One of the Rohingyas who was pushed back to sea by Bangladesh authorities, June 18, 2012.
UPDATED at 9:40 a.m. EST on 2012-06-23
CORRECTION – RFA has corrected information in this article to show that the Rohingya refugees were attacked by a helicopter shortly after leaving Burma and not after being turned away by authorities in Bangladesh as previously reported.
Helicopters opened fire on boats carrying Rohingya Muslims heading to Bangladesh and fleeing sectarian violence in west Burma, according to refugees who survived the sea ordeal.
The refugees said they witnessed children drowning and starving to death during their perilous journey.
The shooting took place shortly after six boats of refugees set out from Burma across the river Naf to Teknaf town in the southernmost part of mainland Bangladesh, the witnesses told RFA.
"We floated in the sea for four days and my younger brother starved to death," said a 10-year-old girl on condition of anonymity, speaking through an interpreter.
CORRECTION – RFA has corrected information in this article to show that the Rohingya refugees were attacked by a helicopter shortly after leaving Burma and not after being turned away by authorities in Bangladesh as previously reported.
Helicopters opened fire on boats carrying Rohingya Muslims heading to Bangladesh and fleeing sectarian violence in west Burma, according to refugees who survived the sea ordeal.
The refugees said they witnessed children drowning and starving to death during their perilous journey.
The shooting took place shortly after six boats of refugees set out from Burma across the river Naf to Teknaf town in the southernmost part of mainland Bangladesh, the witnesses told RFA.
"We floated in the sea for four days and my younger brother starved to death," said a 10-year-old girl on condition of anonymity, speaking through an interpreter.
"We had six boats. Then a helicopter came and opened fire, and three boats were lost, all of those people [in them] were killed." She did not specify the exact date of the incident, which occurred earlier this month, or whether the helicopters were from Burma or Bangladesh.
The young girl, who is from Sittwe, the capital of violence-hit Rakhine state in Burma, is among a group of refugees sheltered and hidden from the authorities by a Bangladeshi woman.
The woman said she was moved by the plight of the Rohingyas, a stateless people described by the U.N. as one of the world's most persecuted minorities.
Helicopter fire
A young father, also from Sittwe, said he was among those who left in the group of six boats, three of which he said came under helicopter fire.
"Because we couldn't endure the torture, we took six boats and left our homeland," he said, also on condition of anonymity, citing burning of homes and mosques and killings and other sectarian violence triggered in the first week of June in which he said two of his children and up to 25 of his relatives died.
"Three [boats] were together and three became separated from the group," he said. "These three that fell behind were set on fire by the helicopters."
"At first, we couldn’t be sure that the boats were being fired on because of the sound of our engine but then we saw the boats catch fire."
The refugee said three children died on his boat. "We threw them into the sea because they were dead."
Another 10-year-old girl said she was the only child who managed to swim ashore after their boat was turned back. The vessel, carrying her grandmother and many other children, including a nursing infant, was very small, not seaworthy, and possibly took on water.
Third attempt
The young girl, who is from Sittwe, the capital of violence-hit Rakhine state in Burma, is among a group of refugees sheltered and hidden from the authorities by a Bangladeshi woman.
The woman said she was moved by the plight of the Rohingyas, a stateless people described by the U.N. as one of the world's most persecuted minorities.
Helicopter fire
A young father, also from Sittwe, said he was among those who left in the group of six boats, three of which he said came under helicopter fire.
"Because we couldn't endure the torture, we took six boats and left our homeland," he said, also on condition of anonymity, citing burning of homes and mosques and killings and other sectarian violence triggered in the first week of June in which he said two of his children and up to 25 of his relatives died.
"Three [boats] were together and three became separated from the group," he said. "These three that fell behind were set on fire by the helicopters."
"At first, we couldn’t be sure that the boats were being fired on because of the sound of our engine but then we saw the boats catch fire."
The refugee said three children died on his boat. "We threw them into the sea because they were dead."
Another 10-year-old girl said she was the only child who managed to swim ashore after their boat was turned back. The vessel, carrying her grandmother and many other children, including a nursing infant, was very small, not seaworthy, and possibly took on water.
Third attempt
Another refugee said her boat was turned back twice, and although it managed to land on its third attempt, three children on the vessel, including two of hers, died while waiting out at sea.
"My five-year-old boy died of starvation and heat on the boat," she said. "They burned all of our homes and killed my sisters and brothers. That's why I came here," she said referring to the violence in Rakhine state which has left about 60 dead with tens of thousands displaced, according to official estimates.
At least 2,000 Rohingyas have tried to enter Bangladesh following the violence between Muslims and Buddhists in Rakhine state in Burma since early June, but most were either turned back or detained.
In a June 18 incident cited by witnesses who spoke to RFA, the Bangladesh authorities turned back 139 mostly young Rohingya men.
"This is the first time I have ever done anything like this," said a Bangladesh security officer, identifying himself as Major Salif, who oversaw a feeding program for the 130 Rohingyas before they were put back on their boats and sent away.
"According to my understanding, this [turning back the refugees] will go on for sometime, but God willing it will take its natural course and settle down soon," Salif, the commanding officer at the Shapuri Dip Jetty in Teknaf, told RFA.
Strained
Bangladesh says its resources are already too strained and has refused to accept the Rohingyas despite appeals from the United Nations to grant them refugee status.
Bangladeshi officials estimate that a total of 300,000 Rohingya people live in the country, with only about a tenth of them in two official refugee camps in the southern district of Cox's Bazaar.
Burma considers the Rohingya to be illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and denies them citizenship while Bangladesh says Rohingya have been living in Burma for centuries and should be recognized there as citizens.
Reported by an RFA correspondent in Bangladesh.
