ARAKAN ROHINGYA NATIONAL ORGANISATION

ARAKAN, BURMA

Press Release

(1^st March 2009)

 We condemn the SPDC and its Foreign Minister Nyan Win for calling the Rohingya boatpeople ‘Bengalis’ at the ASEAN Summit in Thailand. This is a crafty tactic to hoodwink the ASEAN leaders and the international community to continue denying the ethic rights of the Rohingya.

(28th February 2009) We express our serious concern that Association of Southeast Asian Nations agreed on February 27, 2009 in Hua Htin, Thailand to send hundreds of Rohingya boatpeople back to Burma. We have not expected such a verdict from the 10-member regional...

ARAKAN ROHINGYA NATIONAL ORGANISATION

ARAKAN, BURMA

13^th February 2009

It is unfortunate that SPDC‘s onslaughts against the Rohingya people have always been reinforced by Rakhine communal leaders and academicians. Some of such fanatics had stated in their recent radio and media interviews, “Rohingyas are not among the ethnic groups in Burma…How they could claim that they came from Burma when in fact they come from Bangladesh…” Among them are Dr. Aye Kyaw, Dr. Aye Chan, U Aye Tha Aung, Secretary General of the Committee Representing People’s Parliament (CRPP), who is also Secretary General of the Arakan League for Democracy (ALD) and U Khaing Lunn, Acting President of the ALD, who are popularly known as xenophobes for their extreme hatred towards Rohingya and for harping on the SPDC’s tune of Rohingya extermination.

8th February 2009

Arakan Rohingya National Organisation (ARNO) welcomes the Indonesian Foreign Minister Mr. Hassan Wirajuda’s call on the ASEAN countries to work together to address the problem of the boatpeople.

We express our gratitude to the brotherly people and Government of Indonesia for rescuing hundreds of Rohingya and other boatpeople and providing them with temporary refuge, medical treatment and humanitarian assistance.

on the Situation of Burmese Refugees in Thailand

6th February 2009

Arakan Rohingya National Organisation welcomes the European Parliament resolution of 5th February 2009 on the situation of Burmese refugees in Thailand. We also fully support the Media Release from Mr. Glenys Kinnock MEP, who led the European Parliament call for Thailand not to send Rohingya refugees back to Burma to face repression and torture.

In a Parliamentary resolution voted on 5th February, EU MPs also urged Thailand to ensure the refugees were treated according to humanitarian standards. They call on the Thai government to investigate a thorough and impartial enquiry into allegations of mistreatment of the Rohingya by the Thai military and to give the UN High Commissioner for Refugees immediate access to determine their needs. In addition the MPs condemned the Burmese regime for their continuous persecution of the ethnic group. They demanded the junta to restore the Burmese citizenship of the Rohingya, lift the restrictions on their right to education, right to get married, freedom of movement and to cease human rights violations across the country.

5th February 2009  Arakan Rohingya National Organisation welcomes the Early Day Motion on Rohingya Refugees in British Parliament The Motion (EDM670) dated 3/2/09 states:  “That the House is appalled that  Thailand’s navy has left around...