Our attention has been drawn to the announcement of Arakan Liberation Party (ALP) No. 10/06 dated 25 November 2006. In fact, although, ALP neither represents the people of Arakan nor its extremism would bring anything to the people of Arakan, we, however, would like to reconfirm our ‘clear stance’, in response to its point of view, on the reconstruction of future Arakan as follows:
(1) Rohingya have been living in Arakan, therefore in Burma, for many centuries. The name “Rohingya” for the people of Arakan have well been recorded in the pages of the history. We are not surprised that ‘Rohingya’ are not included among the so-called 135 kinds of national races that the military SPDC, which even refuse the daughter of General Aung San to be the citizen of Burma, recognized as Burmese nationals.
(2) Rohingyas are indigenous to Arakan, and therefore to Burma, under international law and pacts on human rights and other international practices. They are an integral part of the Arakan Society. Their deep attachment to Arakan is based on a long and clear historical process that ensures their natural rights to their “Traditional Homeland” and is to be inherited by their generation after generation as a community patrimony.
(3) Arakan is composite society and all her peoples need to live in unity with mutual respect for diversity and differences on grounds of religion, culture and ethnicity. We urge upon all to shun from inflammatory writings, speeches and activities.
(4) The Rohingya have been subjected to institutionalized persecution at the hands of the Burmese military. They are the worst victims of systematic human rights violations and abuses by the regime and non-state actors, which are crimes against humanity that amount to genocide.
(5) The untold sufferings of the Rohingya under military dictatorship and communalists cannot disqualify them to be indigenous to Arakan/Burma. Therefore, they do not require to be recognized by ALP. So far, the Rohingya never solicit recognition from ALP. Such a ‘big brother policy’ is against the universal concept of human rights.
(6) In future Federal Union of Burma there will be no room for Burmese military concept of citizenship like “Guest/Associate Citizens” which is a violation of international customary law. Of course, there will be categories of “Citizen” and “Foreigner”.
(7) The future Arakan State Parliament, under Burmese Federation, will be an all-inclusive parliament with all peoples of Arakan as opposed to hegemonic control by one race or a group of people.
Information Department
Arakan Rohingya National Organisation
Arakan, Burma.
Email: arno@brosiscom.net, info_arno@yahoo.com
Tel: +44 7947 854 652
Dated: 4th December 2006