September 28, 2018

ARNO welcomes the UN Human Rights Council’s landmark resolution on the situation of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar. The Council calls for the establishment of a new impartial and independent mechanism (IIM) to collect, preserve and analyse evidence of the most serious international crimes and violations of international law committed in Myanmar since 2011. In parallel, the extension of the mandate of the Fact-Finding Mission is key to ensuring continuity of action until the IIM is established. 

September 10, 2018

The ARNO supports the efforts of Solicitor Daniel Robert Taylor in pursuing efforts to prosecute Aung San Suu Kyi for various crimes under international criminal law. The Solicitor filed a summons in March 2018 seeking to charge Aung San Suu Kyi with crimes against humanity for forcible deportation of the Rohingya of Myanmar. However, the Attorney General of Australia refused to consent to the prosecution. On October 3rd a hearing will be held regarding this matter.

The Arakan Rohingya National Organization (ARNO) welcomes the Report of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar. The report acknowledges the continued and “systematic oppression” of the Rohingya people, the complicity of Myanmar Security forces and other actors in the continued violence that precipitated and directly caused the events of August 2017, in addition recognizes genocidal intent exists to warrant an investigation and prosecution of military officials within Myanmar.

The ARNO welcomes the recommendations made by the Mission which emphasizes the need for pursuing justice for genocide and crimes against humanity in addition calling upon state parties to engage Myanmar to change these practices which are a direct violation of international law.

Joint Statement
28/08.2018

We, the undersigned Rohingya Organisations worldwide welcome the report released yesterday (27 August 2017) by the UN Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar (FFM) calling on the international community to take action against Myanmar for its genocide against the Rohingya people.

The FFM, consisting of three human rights experts, which was established by the UN Human Rights Council in 2017, called on Myanmar’s top military generals, including Commander-in-Chief Senior-General Min Aung Hlaing, to be investigated and prosecuted for genocide in the north of Rakhine State, as well as for crimes against humanity and war crimes in Rakhine, Kachin and Shan States. It also points out that the civilian authorities, including State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi are implicit in the genocide against Rohingya for contributing to the commission of atrocity crimes through their acts and omissions.

Joint Press release dated 23nd May 2018

Crackdown on Yaba Trade

We, the undersigned Rohingya organisations worldwide welcome the recent declaration of the Bangladesh Government’s intention to launch a strong crackdown against yaba trade starting from this Ramadan.

We appeal to the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh to launch a war against drugs by taking a strong and decisive stance against the flow of yaba pills from the Myanmar.

We, the undersigned Rohingya organisations worldwide express our serious concern over an agreement, signed on 23rd November 2017, between Myanmar and Bangladesh on the return of some 670,000 Rohingya refugees who have recently taken refuge in Bangladesh after fleeing Myanmar genocide.

But the question is how the terrified and traumatized refugees would be repatriated to Arakan/Rakhine State where they experienced, witnessed and fled the genocidal brutality of Myanmar troops, Rakhine extremists and other vigilantes. There is no change of attitude of the Myanmar government and its Military towards Rohingya; still they identify Rohingya as recent “Bengali interlopers” from Bangladesh; and Rohingyas continue entering into Bangladesh due to continuing violence and brutality against them in Arakan.

Press release 12 January 2018

Crimes against humanity and genocide have been committed against Rohingya population in Myanmar, with full impunity and knowledge of the government, with intent to destroy this ethnic community from their ancestral homeland of Arakan/Rakhine State.

Wholesale destruction of life, property and villages; widespread killing of women, men and children; rape, extermination, enslavement, enforced disappearance, expulsion and other inhuman acts are committed against the Rohingya civilians forcing some 670,000 survivors to take refuge in neighbouring Bangladesh since 26 August 2017. We appreciate that Bangladesh has shown to the world unparalleled humanitarian gesture by stepping up and taking on huge burden.

05 November 2017

At long last, for the first time on 2nd November the State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi had visited crisis-hit Northern Arakan/Rakhine State amidst international pressure and criticism apparently to whitewash the gravest situation of the defenceless Rohingya that the UN has called a “textbook case of ethnic cleansing” and “the world fasted growing refugee crisis and a major humanitarian emergency” while experts in international law have called it “genocide”.

Press release 15 October 2017

We strongly condemn the remarks of Myanmar Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing to American Ambassador Scot Marciel.

On 11 October the General said, “Rohingya are Bengali. The Bengalis were not taken into the country by Myanmar but by the colonialists. British colonialists were responsible for the problem. Their native place is really Bengal. They might have fled to the other country (Bangladesh) with the same language, race and culture as theirs, assuming they would be safer there. They are not the natives and the records prove that they were not even called Rohingya but just Bengalis during the colonial period.”

Press release 5 October 2017

During recent weeks more than half a million Rohingya refugees have taken refuge in Bangladesh due to genocide by Suu Kyi-army regime in Myanmar.

The governments of Bangladesh and Myanmar agreed, on 2nd October, to work on a repatriation plan. State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi said that verified refugees will be accepted. But the question is how the terrified and traumatized refugees would be repatriated to Arakan/Rakhine State where they experienced, witnessed and fled the genocidal brutality of Myanmar troops, Rakhine terrorists and other vigilantes. Despite assurance by the Myanmar government the violence and brutality continue. There were arson attacks on Quarter No.5 of Maungdaw town even today.