ARAKAN ROHINGYA NATIONAL ORGANISATION

ARAKAN, BURMA

Press Release

(19^th June 2010)

Today is the 65^th birthday of Burma democracy icon, noble peace laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. She is spending her birthday in detention away from her relatives and friends. She has spent almost 15 years in detention since 1989.

Upon the initiative of the Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the department of Muslim Minorities and Communities invited leaders of the Rohingya, a Muslim minority in Burma, to setup a platform for unification in coordination with Euro-Burma office based on the OIC 37th Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) resolution No. 4/37- MM.  The Secretary General welcomed the outcome of the meeting, which set a structure for a new organization that will bring all stake holders and representatives of Rohingya refugee groups together from around the world. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on 9 June 2010 which unified the Leaders’ stand for their causes and legal demands in Arakan Rohingya region.

Nasima, 22, is from the Rohingya ethnic group, a Muslim minority that lives in western Burma. Rights groups say it is one of the most persecuted communities in the world - they were made stateless in 1982, and deemed to be illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Several hundred thousand have since crossed into Bangladesh, where people speak a similar language. This year Dhaka has been accused of arresting hundreds of Rohingya and forcing them over the border - claims the government denies. It says it is too poor to help them. The BBC's Mark Dummett spoke to Nasima in the Kutupalong makeshift camp, which is now home to more than 30,000 Rohingyas.

Nasima's baby died as she fled Burma back to Bangladesh

"In Burma my people face persecution, so that's why we come to Bangladesh," Nasima said.

"In my family's case, we came under pressure from the government because we had some property.

"One day, the army accused my father of sheltering someone who had just returned from Bangladesh. Anyone who comes back to Burma is sent to jail, so it is illegal to look after them. But that accusation was false.

"They took my father to a military camp and beat him up. After seven days they sent us his blood-stained clothes and said they would kill him.

"So we sold all our cattle and chickens at the market. We sent that money to the camp and they then released him.

"Later, my brother was attacked by some Buddhist people. He was badly injured and after lots of suffering he eventually died.

"As I grew up, my father decided that I wasn't safe in Burma. The government doesn't let us marry so he told me to leave for Bangladesh.

"We had a relative who was handicapped and a beggar, and she agreed to look after me.

"We took a boat over the river and it was very dangerous. On the other side we were stopped by the Bangladesh Rifles [BDR].

ARAKAN ROHINGYA NATIONAL ORGANISATION

ARAKAN, BURMA

Press Release

(16 March 2010)

As a state policy, the Burmese military regime has long been committing grave human rights violations and abuses across the country and are widespread, systematic and consistent, particularly against the ethnic peoples, which amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes under the terms of Rome Statue of the International Criminal Court.

 Introduction
Stateless Rohingya in Bangladesh are currently victim to unprecedented levels of violence and attempts at forced repatriation. Recent weeks have seen people arrive in their thousands at Kutupalong makeshift camp, as they flee what appears to be a violent crackdown on Rohingya presence in the country.

At its clinic in Kutupalong, Cox's Bazaar, the medical organisation M?©decins Sans Fronti?®res (MSF) has treated victims of beatings and harassment by the authorities and members of the community; people who have been driven from their shelters throughout the district and in some cases forced back into the river which forms the border to neighbouring Myanmar.

Since October, the camp has grown by 6,000 people, with 2,000 of these arriving in January alone. Without official recognition, they are prevented from supporting themselves, and are not permitted to receive official relief. As the numbers swell, nearly 29,000 people find themselves camped on a patch of ground with no infrastructure to support them, posing a serious threat to health. Action is needed now to stop this humanitarian crisis.

MSF has delivered healthcare to the Rohingya and their host communities in Bangladesh since 1992.