Press Release
URGENT APPEAL FOR
PROTECTION AND SAFETY IN RAKHINE STATE
We, the undersigned
Rohingya organizations and communities worldwide are deeply concerned with the
recent developments following clashes in northern Rakhine State, Myanmar on
August 25, 2017. We appeal the international community to exercise “the Responsibility
to Protect” as the Rohingya civilian population plunges into another episode of
widespread “crimes against humanity” under the hands of Myanmar Armed Forces.
Less than a year
after “clearance operations” in the volatile region where U.N. and several human
rights organizations have documented strong evidence which they described as
“crimes against humanity”, and “ethnic cleansing” of Rohingya, Myanmar military
has ramped up the security forces again and is using disproportionate force
against the Rohingya civilians following the clashes in Maungdaw, Buthidaung,
and Rathedaung townships.
The reports that
have emerged from the ground since August 25, point to the severe human rights
violations being committed. The use of excessive force against the entire
Rohingya community, reportedly including machine-gunned helicopters, has
resulted in mass civilian casualties surpassing the triple-figure mark in only
two days’ time. Thousands of Rohingya from at least 25 villages are displaced
as their villages were set on fire with rocket-launchers. Many villagers in
isolated locations are attempting to take shelter in the jungle, others have
risked crossing the Myanmar-Bangladesh border most are stranded on the
Myanmar-side of the Naf River as Bangladesh tightens its border security and
continues to push back the fleeing Rohingya. The civilians are inundated with
an acute humanitarian crisis and medical emergency. In addition to the existing
medical conditions and injuries sustained from indiscriminate firing from the armed
forces Rohingya are subjected to the commandeering of their homes, destruction
of property and livestock.
The timing of the
release of Kofi Annan’s Rakhine State Advisory Commission final report and the
alleged clashes at about 20 police posts, is no coincidence. It is a calculated
attempt to undermine the recommendations of the commission, which proposes
granting of Rohingya citizenship, freedom of movement, healthcare and
education, access to humanitarian aid, media civilians.
In her official
statement on August 25, the state-counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi herself
mentioned that her “government has been aware of the risk of attacks to
coincide with the release of the Commission’s final report.” Commander-in-chief
Min Aung Hlaing showed dissatisfaction of the recommendations and called them
“factually flaws and deficient”.
There are very clear
lines to be drawn connecting all the events that have been taking place in the
recent weeks: the mobilization of a highly advanced army battalion and other
security forces in the northern region of Rakhine State; the high-level meeting
between Min Aung Hlaing and Rakhine nationalist party ANP lawmakers; the visit
of now-rebranded Ma Ba Tha’s firebrand monk Wirathu to Rakhine State; the
failure to pass the proposal in parliament for an increase of security measures
and creation of fully trained and armed “people’s militia” against the Rohingya
civilians.
There were repeated
acts of provocations against Rohingya civilians particularly in Rathedaung
township, where several Rohingya villages were under complete blockade with
repetitive raids, harassments, physical tortures and arbitrary arrests of
village leaders, until it reached the boiling point on August 23 and 24 when
almost all Rohingya men from Auk Nan Yar (Razar Bil), Rathedaung were taken
away by the armed forces leaving vulnerable women, children and elderly in
agonizing humanitarian and emotional crises.
Based on the above
facts, it is clear that Myanmar Armed Forces have the hidden agenda of
manufacturing clashes to justify mass killing, rape, arrest and the
scorched-earth policy that applied during “clearance operations”. Daw Aung San
Suu Kyi’s departments, ministry of information and ministry of state-counsellor
office, pave the path for the armed forces to commit “crimes against humanity”
by labelling the whole Rohingya community as “terrorists” or “terrorist
sympathizers”, although the community is amongst the most peaceful in Myanmar
despite being suffered more than four decades of state-sponsored discrimination,
persecution and extermination pogroms.
We, therefore, urge
the United Nations, the European Union, the United States of America, the
United Kingdom, the members of ASEAN, the neighboring countries – Bangladesh,
Indian and China, and the international community to promptly act upon “the
Responsibility to Protect” and push Myanmar on the following:
To abide by rule of
law and refrain from human rights violations
To prevent use of
disproportionate force on the Rohingya civilians
To provide full
safety and protection to the Rohingya civilians
To allow access to
food, humanitarian and media in the affected area in Rakhine State
To safely return the
civilians to their respective villages
To stop equipping
and training of Civilian populations in the region
To stop labelling of
peaceful-loving persecuted Rohingya population as “terrorists”
To stop spread of
inflammatory and propaganda against the Rohingya community on the
state-controlled and privately-own media outlet in Myanmar
To urge Aung San Suu
Kyi’s government to promptly implement the recommendations made by Kofi Annan’s
Rakhine State Advisory Commission.
Signatories:
The European
Rohingya Council (ERC)
Arakan Rohingya
National Organization (ARNO)
The Rohingya
Community in North America
The Rohingya Community
Ireland and UK
The Rohingya
Community Germany, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands
The Rohingya
Community in Diaspora
The Rohingya
Community in Myanmar
For media contact:
Dr. Anita
Schug, +491575 0685496
Dr. Hla Kyaw,
+31652358202