By Eliane Coates

Synopsis

The exodus of many Rohingya over the past year has brought increased international awareness to their plight, as well as Southeast Asia’s inability to deal effectively with forced migration. A regional approach is needed to find a durable solution to the influx of Rohingya boat people.

Commentary

SINCE THE communal clashes began in Arakan State in June 2012, the scale of Rohingya fleeing by boat to neighbouring Southeast Asian countries has increased significantly. According to a reliable source from the human rights organisation The Arakan Project, it is estimated 19,500 registered and unregistered Rohingya, including some Bangladeshis, have fled by boat from Bangladesh and North Arakan State, with an estimated 100 people having drowned during the process.

The charge that the Rohingya are illegal immigrants to Myanmar is false, say Jose Ramos-Horta and Muhammed Yunus, respectively the 1996 and 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winners.
“There is evidence that the Rohingya have been in present-day Myanmar since the 8th century,” they said, writing for the Huffington Post. “It is incontrovertible that Muslim communities have existed in [Rakhine] State since the 15th century, added to by descendants of Bengalis migrating to Arakan [Rakhine] during colonial times.”

Ron Corben, AAP
Australia will boost aid by $2.5 million to Myanmar’s (Burma’s) displaced ethnic communities, but has ruled out an “open door” policy to ethnic Muslim Rohingya seeking asylum in Australia after fleeing sectarian violence.

Foreign Minister Bob Carr, after meeting Thai counterpart Surapong Tovichakchaikul, said Australia ruled out allowing the Rohingya to be part of its resettlement policy after advice by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Commentary by Fayas
Repeatedly, ruthless stories on Rohingya people in Arakan under the racist Burma’s security forces are taking since long. There are many tragedies that remain untold. As human beings, regardless of the one’s religion, a human being deserves his/her honor and dignity of being human at the place where he/she is present.
Today, every Rohingya has his/her own tragedy concerning their relatives or friends in the unruly Arakan where killing and torturing of Rohingyas, torching of their properties and raping their women and girls. Burmese security forces and some Rakhine extremists have been committing grave crimes against Rohingya minority in every means.

Maungdaw, Arakan State: Two Rohingya women had defended Burmese border security force (Nasaka) and Natala (new settlers) who entered their homes at night, while looting their ornaments on February 14, according to a villager elder from Ngakhura village.

“The Nasaka personnel from Ngakhura outpost under the Nasaka area number 5 with together Natala villagers went to Ngasaku (Naisapru) village at night, entered Rohingyas’ homes to loot valuables while male Rohingyas were out of village for fear of arrest.”

Thirty-two Burmese nationals have been rescued from a sinking ship by the Sri Lankan navy after the wooden vessel began to sink en route to Australia.

The navy said the 31 men and a boy were found 463km (250 nautical miles) off eastern Sri Lanka on Saturday and were being treated for acute dehydration.

The survivors have claimed that there were 98 others on board the vessel with them when they set sail two months ago.

They allegedly died during the journey and their bodies were thrown overboard.

GEORGE TOWN, Feb 19 – The police today hauled up 11 more Rohingya refugees at the Teluk Bahang National Park here, bringing the total to 113 since they entered the state illegally two days ago.

They were among 140 Rohingya refugees, who allegedly landed at the Teluk Kampi Beach at Teluk Bahang National Park and the Pantai Acheh Forest Reserve, Balik Pulau, under the cover of darkness.

Criticizing the Burmese government and Buddhist extremists in Burma for the pathetic conditions of camps for Internally Displaced Persons belonging to the Rohingya and Kachin ethnic communities, the UN Special Rapporteur to Burma Mr. Tomas Ojea Quintana, addressing a press conference on Saturday, compared the refugee camps to prisons, Burmese media reported. The camps are located in the Rakhine state of Burma which house over a 100000 Rohingya IDPs, who were displaced in last year’s ethnic violence, and in the Kachin state in North Burma, where Kachin rebels have been fighting for regional autonomy. Peace talks between the Kachin rebels and Burma have been on since early this February. The current Burmese government ruled by President Thein Sein, a former military commander, is considered by some analysts to be a moderate, pro-reform and pro-US regime.

Quoting UN official Mr. Quintana from the press conference on Saturday, the Burmese news site The Irrawaddy reported “while the process of reform is continuing in the right direction, there are significant human rights shortcomings that remain unaddressed.”

By Emily Rauhala
Thirty-two asylum seekers rescued by the Sri Lankan navy say they went without food for 21 days and were forced to throw dozens of dead overboard after their wooden vessel failed at sea. The survivors, who identified themselves as Muslims from near the Burma-Bangladesh border, told local officials that they set out to seek refuge in Indonesia or Australia, but instead spent two months languishing on the water. By the time they were plucked from the sea, they’d thrown 98 bodies to the waves.