any of the Muslims displaced by inter-communal violence in Myanmar are still prevented from moving freely and often denied access to local hospitals, a senior United Nations humanitarian official said on Tuesday, calling for an end to such discriminatory practices.
More than 100,000 people remain displaced by the ongoing conflict in Kachin and northern Shan States, while some 120,000 Muslims, mainly Rohingya, and 5,000 ethnic Buddhists remain displaced following the inter-communal violence of 2012 in Rakhine state, said John Ging, Director of Operations for the UN Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), as he briefed the media in New York about his recent visit to the southeast Asian country.
Despite an impressive democratic transformation, which is unlocking significant economic growth and development, not everyone in Myanmar is benefiting in this transition, he said. (Courtesy of newkerala.com)
Thursday, March 3, 2016
IDPs must not be forgotten in wake of elections: UN
United Nations representatives are continuing to pressure Myanmar on the international stage over its treatment of Muslim minorities and internally displaced people.
A high-ranking UN official who recently toured IDP camps in Rakhine, Kachin and Shan states yesterday spoke of his “heartbreaking” experiences.
John Ging, director of operations for the Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), stressed that the welfare of these groups cannot be forgotten in the aftermath of the election as the country continues to transform economically and politically.
In Rakhine State, Mr Ging met with some of the 120,000 Muslim Rohingya – who are officially called Bengalis by the government – and 5000 ethnic Rakhine who remain displaced after communal violence in 2012, which saw more than 150 killed and several villages razed. (Courtesy of Myanmar Times)
A high-ranking UN official who recently toured IDP camps in Rakhine, Kachin and Shan states yesterday spoke of his “heartbreaking” experiences.
John Ging, director of operations for the Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), stressed that the welfare of these groups cannot be forgotten in the aftermath of the election as the country continues to transform economically and politically.
In Rakhine State, Mr Ging met with some of the 120,000 Muslim Rohingya – who are officially called Bengalis by the government – and 5000 ethnic Rakhine who remain displaced after communal violence in 2012, which saw more than 150 killed and several villages razed. (Courtesy of Myanmar Times)
Boat crackdown forces smuggling shift
The ready pipeline of refugees seeking to flee displaced persons camps continues to fuel the multi-million-dollar smuggling industry. But deterred by stories of abuse and the increasing likelihood of not being able to complete the often-deadly journey, Muslim Rohingya who previously have fled by sea in droves are no longer as willing to crowd onto the converted fishing boats and risk being stranded as smugglers desert the vessels.
But that doesn’t mean they aren’t still desperate to leave.
“Now, some are trying to find another way out, like by flights,” said Aamir, 24, a Rohingya living in Baw Du Pha 1 camp in Sittwe. (All names of Rakhine State IDPs have been changed to protect identitites.) “This way is safer than by boat. Even though it’s possible to be arrested on the way, that means a prison sentence, not death.”
Though his odds may be better with a flight, the cost difference is prohibitively high. A place on a smuggler’s boat costs just K50,000, he said. Many were able to drum up the sum by selling United Nations food rations. By contrast, the cost of forged documents and an air ticket, just to Yangon, is 20 times higher, at more than K1 million per person, he said. (Courtesy of Myanmar Times)
But that doesn’t mean they aren’t still desperate to leave.
“Now, some are trying to find another way out, like by flights,” said Aamir, 24, a Rohingya living in Baw Du Pha 1 camp in Sittwe. (All names of Rakhine State IDPs have been changed to protect identitites.) “This way is safer than by boat. Even though it’s possible to be arrested on the way, that means a prison sentence, not death.”
Though his odds may be better with a flight, the cost difference is prohibitively high. A place on a smuggler’s boat costs just K50,000, he said. Many were able to drum up the sum by selling United Nations food rations. By contrast, the cost of forged documents and an air ticket, just to Yangon, is 20 times higher, at more than K1 million per person, he said. (Courtesy of Myanmar Times)
Despite successful elections, Myanmar's Rohingyas languish in dreadful conditions: UN
Myanmar's persecuted Rohingya continue to languish in "dreadful conditions" with children dying because they are refused healthcare, the UN has warned, adding that the Muslim minority risked being forgotten in the afterglow of recent elections.
The comments were made by a senior UN official following a visit to western Rakhine state, where the Rohingya have been targeted by violent attacks and state-sanctioned discrimination in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, earning a reputation as one of the world's most persecuted peoples.
More than 100,000 Rohingya are languishing in camps in Myanmar's west after communal unrest in Rahkine state left villages torched and scores dead in 2012. (Courtesy of Firstpost)
The comments were made by a senior UN official following a visit to western Rakhine state, where the Rohingya have been targeted by violent attacks and state-sanctioned discrimination in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, earning a reputation as one of the world's most persecuted peoples.
More than 100,000 Rohingya are languishing in camps in Myanmar's west after communal unrest in Rahkine state left villages torched and scores dead in 2012. (Courtesy of Firstpost)
Rohingya Muslims: The world’s most persecuted minority
Rohingya Muslims are considered to be the most persecuted minority in the world. This fact is recognized by the United Nations and by almost all human rights organizations. Several prominent international human rights activists have noted that Rohingya Muslims have been subjected to massive ethnic cleansing in Myanmar (formerly Burma), a predominantly Buddhist country in Southeast Asia.
The military government in Myanmar has deprived these hapless people of their citizenship after considering them to be illegal residents who migrated from Bangladesh irrespective of the fact that they are an ethnic community who have been living in the northwestern Rakhine state since the 8th century CE. (Courtesy of Saudi Gazette)
The military government in Myanmar has deprived these hapless people of their citizenship after considering them to be illegal residents who migrated from Bangladesh irrespective of the fact that they are an ethnic community who have been living in the northwestern Rakhine state since the 8th century CE. (Courtesy of Saudi Gazette)
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
NLD to impose Shan and Rakhine chief ministers
The National League for Democracy will appoint the chief ministers to all regions and states, even in Rakhine and Shan states where it did not have a parliamentary majority, said Win Htein of the NLD's executive committee.
He twice told a press conference that regional and state chief ministers would all be appointed by the NLD.
The NLD has secured a majority of seats in 12 out of the 14 regions and states but there is much criticism over plans to appoint the chief ministers of Shan and Rakhine states. The NLD won only eight seats in the Rakhine parliament and one seat representing the Chin minority. Meanwhile, it took 21 seats in Shan State with two more representing Inthar or Padaung nationals.
Sai Nyunt Lwin, general secretary of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy, said: “We can assume that the give-and-take plan did not materialise. I don’t know why exactly. We shall not be included in choosing the chief minister. Apart from Rakhine and Shan states, the NLD would certainly fill the chief minister posts in 12 regions and states. Rakhine and Shan states are a separate matter.” (Courtesy of Eleven Myanmar)
He twice told a press conference that regional and state chief ministers would all be appointed by the NLD.
The NLD has secured a majority of seats in 12 out of the 14 regions and states but there is much criticism over plans to appoint the chief ministers of Shan and Rakhine states. The NLD won only eight seats in the Rakhine parliament and one seat representing the Chin minority. Meanwhile, it took 21 seats in Shan State with two more representing Inthar or Padaung nationals.
Sai Nyunt Lwin, general secretary of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy, said: “We can assume that the give-and-take plan did not materialise. I don’t know why exactly. We shall not be included in choosing the chief minister. Apart from Rakhine and Shan states, the NLD would certainly fill the chief minister posts in 12 regions and states. Rakhine and Shan states are a separate matter.” (Courtesy of Eleven Myanmar)
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Aung Naing Oo, The Patient Peace Advocate
“The armed conflict has been a waste of money, a waste of time and a waste of energy,” U Aung Naing Oo said of the various wars waged in Myanmar since it gained independence nearly 70 years ago. “It is not economically productive, so if we want to catch up with other countries in the region, we need to end the war as soon as possible,” he said.
For the past four years, U Aung Naing Oo has been contributing to the effort to end the fighting through his work at the Myanmar Peace Center, where he is the director of the peace dialogue program. The MPC was established by President U Thein Sein in 2012 to facilitate dialogue between the government and ethnic armed groups.
It has achieved some success, but not the legacy of an inclusive national peace accord that U Thein Sein had hoped to clinch before his term ends on March 31. In October, eight armed ethnic groups signed a nationwide ceasefire agreement with the government. Some of the country’s largest and most powerful armed ethnic groups refused to sign and fighting continues, notably in Kachin and northern Shan states. (Courtesy of Frontier Myanmar)
For the past four years, U Aung Naing Oo has been contributing to the effort to end the fighting through his work at the Myanmar Peace Center, where he is the director of the peace dialogue program. The MPC was established by President U Thein Sein in 2012 to facilitate dialogue between the government and ethnic armed groups.
It has achieved some success, but not the legacy of an inclusive national peace accord that U Thein Sein had hoped to clinch before his term ends on March 31. In October, eight armed ethnic groups signed a nationwide ceasefire agreement with the government. Some of the country’s largest and most powerful armed ethnic groups refused to sign and fighting continues, notably in Kachin and northern Shan states. (Courtesy of Frontier Myanmar)
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