Arakan

News and Analysis of the Arakan Rohingya National Organisation, Arakan ( Burma)
Monthly

Volume 1, Issue 1 January , 2009

January 2009
Inside this issue: 4th Rohingya National Congress of ARNO
4th Rohingya National 1 The Arakan Rohingya Nation- representative organization The Rohingya and Rakhine
Congress of ARNO alOrganization (ARNO) held of the Rohingya people are indigenous to Arakan and
its 4th Congress with party emerged in November 1998, therefore to present day
Editorial 2 Burma. Before 1785 AD, Ara-
kan existed as an independ-
Thailand Urged to Stop 3 ent nation for many centuries
Pushing Refugees Out where Buddhist Rakhine and
to Sea Muslim Rohingya coexisted
peacefully. We will work to re-
ARNO Press Release 4 establish the traditional rela-
on Boatpeople tionship of peaceful-
coexistence that existed in the
Indigenous Rohingyas 5 past between the Rohingya
of Arakan Arakanese and the Rakhine
Arakanese peoples,and to
Burma's Muslim Rohin- 6 promote a shared sense
gya Minority Of being Arakanese among all
Rohingya delegation peoples of Arakan.
7 The unity of the Rohingya
return Brussels lobby-
people worldwide is indispen-
ing visit
sable, and the unity between
Released Burmese leaders, community represen- out of the merger of then Rohingya and Rakhine is vital
7 tatives, academicians and existing all Rohingya political to shape our own destiny in
prisoners languish in
Bangladesh prison religious leaders from among organizations, to achieve the the Union of Burma to ensure
Rohingya people on Decem- Rohingya people's 'right to our future and that of our chil-
Nasaka into lucrative 7 ber 13 in the border area of self-determination'. dren.
business in Maungdaw Arakan State, Union of We condemn the ruling mili- We express our grave con-
Burma, and ARNO also called tary State Peace and Devel- cern over the current 'policies
Rights group calls on a conference to explain its opment Council (SPDC) for of exclusion' of the Burma
8 congress statement to all its violation of human rights opposition groups or democ-
Thailand to change
policy for boatpeople Rohingya community on De-
cember 16. It is the first time
women participation in Rohin-
gya conference.
ARNO, declared its 4th
RNC Declaration on the
conference.
The 4th Congress of the Ara-
kan Rohingya National Or-
ganization (ARNO) was held
on 13th December 2008 in
the border area of Arakan
State, Union of Burma, with
party leaders, community
representatives, academics
and religious leaders of the
Rohingya people. A new Cen-
tral Committee (CC) of ARNO
has been formed with Nurul
Islam, AFK Jilani and Habibur and perpetration of crimes racy movements and Ethnic
Rahman respectively as against humanity, particularly Nationalities Council(ENC)
President, Vice-President I in the ethnic areas, which are towards Rohingya. We affirm
and Vice-President II. The systematic, flagrant and that the political process in
Congress issued the following widespread in Arakan Burma shall be genuinely
declaration: against the Rohingya people. inclusive on democratic princi-
We reiterate that ARNO is the ple. We are committed to pur-
 Page 2
The international community
is well aware that the 3.5
million peace-loving Muslims
of Arakan known as
“Rohingya” have long been
subjected to large-scale per-
secution, genocide, ethnic-
cleansing, diabolical tyranny
and extermination particularly
by the successive Burmese
autocratic regimes, the worst
being the present State
Peace and Development
Council (SPDC) military re-
gime. They are also made
largest target of other wide-
spread human right viola-
tions, including rape, sum-
mery execution, torture,
slave labour, restriction on
movement and marriage,
forcible dispossession and
seizure of their land, denial
of their citizenship, compel-
ling them to become state-
less or refugees. As a result
about 1.5 million of Rohin-
gyas have been expelled or
have to leave their ancestral
homeland for their lives.
In the face of the rapidly de-
teriorating situation of the
Rohingya threatening their
very existence and daunting
challenges thrown upon
them by the military junta, all
Rohingya organisations have
From front page
pursuing a peaceful politi-
cal settlement of our prob-
lem.
We are not part of any
struggle outside Burma
and are committed as a
community within Arakan
to rebuild the State. Our
vision for the future is a
diverse, tolerant, multi-
ethnic, multi-religious Ara-
kan society.
We are determined to pre-
serve, develop and trans-
mit to future Rohingya gen-
erations their ancestral
history, their ethnic identity.
We are determined to im-
prove the condition of the
Rohingya people living
abroad, specially those
living in refugee camps
and those tolerated as
EDITORIAL
strongly felt that the total unity
of the Rohingya people is in-
dispensable. Thus the three
Rohingya organisations -- Ara-
kan Rohingya Islamic Front
(ARIF) led by Nurul Islam, Ro-
hingya Solidarity Organisation
(RSO) led by Dr. Mohammed
Yunus and Rohingya Solidarity
Organisation (RSO) led by
Professor Mohammed Zakaria
-- having common outlook to-
wards all national, political and
ideological matters, have
united together and merged
into a single organisation
namely Arakan Rohingya Na-
tional Organisation (ARNO) on
11th December, 1998 to serve
the cause of their people.
Alas! Some of the members of
the Standing Committee of the
ARNO deserted and formed
separately by using their for-
mer name, which encourage
others to form their own parties
to serve their own interest
rather than to serve the suffer-
ing Rohingya community.
When the well-wishers tried to
unite them they dodged for last
whole year. By forming one
party they afraid their all privi-
leges would be deprived.
Strangely they are also
preaching for unity. But the
door is always open for them.
4th Rohingya National Congress of ARNO
guests or illegal workers –
their legal status, human
security, living conditions,
access to health and edu-
cational facilities, jobs and
training opportunities.
Volume 1, Issue 1
They can join ARNO at any
time as ARNO is the mother
Organisation.
A new Central Committee (CC)
of ARNO has been elected by
the 4th Congress of ARNO on
13th December 2008. We hope
the new (CC) of the ARNO,
with the cooperation of the
entire Rohingya people, would
continue the struggle to
achieve the cherish goal of
victory.
Since Burma‟s independence,
the spirit of the Union of Burma
or the principle of “unity in di-
versity” has been undermined
resulting in fratricidal civil war
of long 60 years continuing till
today. We believe that Burma‟s
diverse ethnic issues and prob-
lems can only be solved
through a meaningful dialogue
among the military junta, the
democratic opposition forces
led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
and representatives of the dif-
ferent ethnic groups, including
that of the Rohingya people.
Over and above, peace can
only be established in Burma
when the country is trans-
formed into a welfare state,
based on federalism where
equality, justice, humanity,
fundamental human rights and
freedom will perpetually pre-
We support the rights of Ro-
hingya women and girls to
education, health and eco-
nomic empowerment. For the
future generations' heritage
we pledge to protect environ-
January 2009
Arakan
vailed the right of self-
determination of all ethnic
peoples is guaranteed. In this
connection, we reiterate that
self-determination of the Ro-
hingya people is a sine qua
non for a permanent solution
of their long-standing prob-
lem. Though a resourceful
country Burma‟s remains
among the least developed
and backward countries in the
region. Educational instaura-
tions, universities and col-
leges remain closed off and
on, without certainty. Burma‟s
education system is failing
both students and teachers
and the country has futile
chances of producing skilled
work force, The spread of
AIDS and communicable dis-
ease are out of control and
alarmingly affecting the Bur-
mese people. Without the
timely removal of the auto-
cratic military regime, the fu-
ture of Burmese people will be
doomed forever. In this con-
nection, we reiterate to strug-
gle together with the Burmese
opposition and democratic
forces to put this dastardly
military rule to an end once
and for all.
ment and preserve a
green haven for our chil-
dren and the world.
We welcome support from
any group worldwide as
long as they respect our
goal, specially our vision
of tolerance and respect
for all religious and human
rights for all in Arakan.
We appeal to international
community, UNO, OIC,
ASEAN and neighbouring
countries, and NGOs for a
permanent solution of the
Rohingya problem.
Rohingya National Con-
gress
Arakan, Burma.
Dated:13thDecember
2008
Arakan
Thailand Urged to Stop Pushing Refugees Out to Sea
Rrefugee rights organization
has called on the Thai gov-
ernment to stop stranding
Rohingya boat people from
western Burma‟s Arakan
State at sea after apprehend-
ing them for illegally entering
Thailand.In a press release
issued on Monday, Washing-
ton, DC-based Refugees
International said the Thai
government “should instruct
its Army to desist from its
new and troubling policy of
pushing refugees and mi-
grants intercepted on boats
back out to sea.”
According to the group, press
reports indicated that there
were at least four confirmed
deaths and as many as 300
people missing after a boat
that had been towed out to
sea by the Thai authorities
capsized.
One report said that on De-
cember 18, the Thai Navy set
412 people adrift on a single
boat in international waters
Hasina wants release of Aung San Suu Kyi
Sheikh Hasina, the leader of
Awami League party which
won landslide in this week‟s
elections in Bangladesh,said
opposition leader Aung San
Suu Kyi of the neighboring
Myanmar, who has been un-
der house arrest since May
2003, should be released. She
The inmates of the Buthidaung jail (In Arakan State) are 1114. About one hundred are Rakhaines and non-Rohingyas.One thou-
sand are Rohingyas sentenced for marriage without permission.Some are sentenced for immrigation cases, a few are sentenced
for drug and logs smuggling. There are 58 Rohingya women almost all are sentenced for marriage. Reported by an inmate re-
leased recently that jail is build for only 200 inmates.
Arakan Monthly group.
north of the island of Koh
Surin, off the coast of Thai-
land.
After 13 days at sea, the In-
dian Coast Guard rescued
107 survivors of the ordeal
near the Andaman Islands.
Thai officials disputed the
claim. “Thai immigration of-
fice will never send illegal
immigrants back to their
countries by putting them
back in the boat then let them
go,” said Police Lieutenant
General Chatchawal Suk-
somjit, commander of the
Thailand Immigration Office.
Chris Lewa, an expert on
Rohingya issues who inter-
viewed some of the survivors,
said that they told her they
were forced to get onto the
boat at gunpoint and were
given just four bags of rice
and two tanks of water.
“It‟s an outrageous situation.
Thailand must stop putting
them back in the middle of
the sea,” she added.
told a questioner at her first
press conference after her
alliance‟s grand victory at
Bangladesh-China Friendship
International Conference Cen-
ter that her party is always in
favour of democracy.
When a foreign journalist
asked her to explain her stand
Buthidaung Jail
Volume 1, Issue 1
One survivor from Buthidaung
Township, Arakan State, told
Lewa that he had left his vil-
lage with eight people. “Four of
my friends are now dead. Our
dream was to go to Malaysia,”
he said.
A rising tide of Rohingya refu-
gees has been fleeing Burma
towards countries like Indone-
sia, Malaysia and India‟s Anda-
man and Nicobar Islands.
Their numbers usually in-
crease after November, when
the seas are at their calmest.
Last week, more than a hun-
dred people who travelled by
boat were arrested by Indone-
sian authorities in Aceh.
The Rohingya are a stateless
Muslim minority who face
harsh treatment by the Bur-
mese authorities. They are
prohibited from travelling out-
side Arakan State and are fur-
ther marginalized by other dis-
criminatory regime laws.
Last September, more than
100 Rohingyas were given six-
on detained Myanmar leader
Suu Kyi, Sheikh Hasina said,
“We want immediate release
of Suu Kyi”.“Burma is a close
neighbuoring country of Bang-
ladesh and as such we want
good neighborly relations with
Yangon”, Sheikh Hasina said.
“Friendship with all and malice
January 2009
Page 3
LAWI WENGA
month prison sentences after
they were arrested while trav-
eling to Rangoon in search of
work.
Many seek to escape the eco-
nomic hardship of their re-
stricted lives and turn to bro-
kers to help them find work
outside Arakan State. Hun-
dreds put to sea in leaky ves-
sels and head for Malaysia,
but many end up on Thailand
beaches or drown in the
stormy waters of the Andaman
Sea.
According to official Thai fig-
ures, the number of Rohin-
gyas arrested for illegally en-
tering Thailand has increased
steadily in recent years, from
1,225 in 2005-6 to 4,886 in
2007-8. There were 659 Ro-
hingyas seized in eight sepa-
rate incidents from November
26 to December 25 last year.
Source: Irrawaddy, Jan
15,09
to none” is our cardinal for-
eign policy she said adding
that she wants a peaceful
and democratic South Asian
region
Jan 1st, 2009. Daily Star,
Bangladesh.
 Page 4 Arakan

ARAKAN ROHINGYA NATIONAL ORGANISATION

ARAKAN, BURMA
Press Release
16th January 2009
PROTECT THE PERSECUTED ROHINGYA BOATPEOPLE
The Arakan Rohingya National Organization (ARNO) supports the Press Release dated January 15, 2009 of the Refugees
International urging the Thai officials to treat the Rohingya and other boatpeople humanely and “to ensure that refugees
seeking asylum are properly screened and are not forced back to their country of origin if it will put them at risk.”
The Rohingya are the worst victims of human rights violations in Burma. They are rendered stateless and have no rights
within Burma while living in abject poverty. Crimes against humanity have been perpetrated against them, including de-
nial of citizenship rights, severe restriction on freedom of movement, marriage and religion, forced labour, rape, land
confiscation, arbitrary arrests, torture, extrajudicial killings and extortion on daily basis. This impossible situation has
constrained them to leave their hearths and homes in search of safe shelter and better life.
We express our serious concern over the harsh treatment of the boatpeople by the Thai security forces. Towing and
forcing these helpless, hapless and highly vulnerable people back to the sea tying their hands without any foods in en-
gineless boats to expose them to the risk of capsizing and sinking is a merciless action made in utter disregard of inter-
national law and other international standards and practices. Report says one of such boats has capsized resulting in
the death and missing of more than 300 people. It is not a solution at all.
Therefore, we urge upon the Government of Thailand and all those concerned to treat these boatpeople humanly, and
not send the Rohingya asylum seekers back to Burma, where their lives will be in danger. Instead they may be granted
adequate protection and assistance on humanitarian ground. We also urge upon the Thai Government with the interna-
tional community to try for a permanent solution of the longstanding Rohingya problem.

For further information contact:

Phone: +44 07947854652,
email: info@rohingya.org
visit www.rohingya.org

From page 6 Burma's Muslim Rohingya Minority

Forced labour is widespread. “The regime is carrying out an attack on our language, identity and culture,” said one Rakhine. The
National United Party of Arakan (NUPA) has an alliance with the Arakan Rohingya National Organisation (ARNO). One NUPA
leader told me: “When a people have been living this long through history, why should they be deprived of their citizenship
rights?”
“The regime is trying to take away our identity,” a Rohingya leader told me. “We will not be there in the very near future. The disin-
tegration of our society will take place. Our prime concern is that we must not be eliminated.” With that context, it is perhaps not
surprising that some Rohingyas have been radicalised, feeling they have few allies in the world. Militant Islamist groups have
preyed on their vulnerability. There are even suggestions that some Rohingyas have been linked to al-Qaeda. All the more rea-
son, it seems, why it is essential to speak up for them, and encourage Burma‟s democracy movement to be more inclusive. Not
only is there a strong moral case to speak out against their persecution, but a powerful strategic incentive to do so as well. As one
moderate Buddhist Rakhine told me: “We have to reach out to moderate Rohingyas, and work with them, because if we don‟t,
they will have nowhere else to go but radical Islamism.” Burma is troubled enough as it is, without that prospect to add to its
woes.
Benedict Rogers is the author of A Land Without Evil: Stopping the Genocide of Burma's Karen People (Monarch, 2004),
and has visited Burma and its borderlands more than 20 times. He also serves as Deputy Chairman of the UK Conserva-
tive Party's Human Rights Commission.
October 6th 2008

Widowers in northern Arakan to wait for three years for remarriage

In Northern Arakan State, including the townships of Maungdaw, Buthidaung and Rathedaung, widowers have to wait for a mini-
mum of three years to re-marry, a widower from Buthidaung said on condition of anonymity.
A widower named Hussain (not his real name), who hails from Buthidaung Township told Kaladan Press Network that his wife
had died of cancer three months ago. She had left three children and they did not have a grandmother also, who could look after
them. Hussain is a farmer, who spends most of his time cultivating land and is therefore unable to look after his children. He goes
to work after handing over the children to a neighbor, for the day.
After collecting all the necessary documents, the widower submitted an application to the Nasaka, Burma's border security force,
to seek permission for remarriage. However, the concerned Nasaka officer asked him to wait for at least three years to seek per-
mission. After speaking to the Nasaka officer, the widower said he had been facing difficulties with his children and asked them to
grant permission. The Nasaka, however, did not relent.
In order to get permission for remarriage, there are more formalities. Initially, the applicant had to get forms from the concerned
office where he had to pay kyat 5,000. After collecting the forms, these would be filled up by the clerk of the Village Peace and
Development Council (VPDC), where the applicant had to pay kyat 3,000. Then the application would be sent to the VPDC office
for a recommendation letter from the VPDC Chairman, where again the applicant had to pay kyat 5,000, a bridegroom's father,
who declined to be named, said.
Afterwards, the application would be sent to the Sarapa (Military Intelligence) of Nasaka for a recommendation letter, where the
See Next page

Volume 1, Issue 1 January 2009

Arakan Page 5

Indigenous Rohingyas of Arakan

Till 957 CE Arakan had been
ruled by Hindu dynasties. Both
the people and governments
were Indian similar to Ban-
galees, Arakan, in fact, is a
continuation of the Chittagong
plain. The “true Chronicle” re-
cords that in the 957CE, a Mon-
golian invasion swept over Ara-
kan. According to Wilhelm
Klein, all of a sudden, Arakan
changed.The invading tribes
made the country face to east,
away from India. The Tibeto-
Burman who had entered the
country stayed in Arakan-with
the racial mixture which charac-
terizes today Rakhings.
Those who are now known as
Rohingyas are the local indige-
nous people living in Arakan
since the dawn of the history
that later embraced cultural and
religious reformation to upgrade
their ancient tradition. Islam
was introduced in Arakan by
Arabs traders and Sufi mystics
within 50 years of the advent of
Islam in 610 CE.
Dr.Pamela Gutman wrote
that,the Rakhing,appears to
have been an advance-guard of
Burmans who began to cross
the Rakhing Yoma in the ninth
century.She also wrote that the
Rakhing were the last signifi-
cant group of people to come
into Arakan. A Phayre, GE Har-
vey, D.G.E.Hall, M.Collis and
other historians who wrote Bur-
mese history, wrote that the
people of Wassali were Indians.
M.Collis wrote that `….it
(Arakan) was an Indian land,
dynasty following dynasty. Then
in AD957, the whole area was
overrun by a Mongolian incur-
sion from the north. The Mon-
golian mixed with the Indian
and erected the Arakanese
race. According to San Shwe
Bu, a Rakhing historian, Ara-
kanese history proper than
(after 957 CE) began and it
lasted 8 centuries until1784 CE.
According to D.G.E. Hall till
10th century the people of Ara-
kan were Indian and similar
to Bangalees.Rohingya is the
only race of Arakan similar
to Bangalees.It is not logical
to deny the fact that Rohin-
gya has a `historic right; the
right of the first occupation of
Arakan.
The Wassali state was eat-
ablished by Mahawira Min of
the west of Naf River in 600-
612 CE at Pruma of present
Maungdaw township. Purma
was a sea port in accordance
to the records of the tourists
in 2nd century CE. From
Purma, the Wassali state
was established by conquer-
ing small states adjacent to
it. King Mahawira and his
subjects were Indians similar
to today‟s Rohingyas.
In the `Kyaukza‟ stone in-
scription serial No.963/20-23-
804 Burmese era 1442 C.E.
there is indication of Muslim
King,s reign of Arakan in
14th century who were
friends of Burmese kings and
used to visit them. The Kings
of Arakan had Muslim title. If
they were not Muslim kings
mentioned in the inscription,
the Muslim king of Arakan
might be Rohingya Muslim
kings,from Mayu River valley,
the eastern of the Naf River.
Rohingyas claim their exis-
tence there of over thou-
sands years. If not thou-
sands years, their existence
might be from the time of
1202 C.E. when the Muslims
conquered Bengal, that is
800 years.
In 1406 Arakan was occu-
pied by Burma.The king of
Arakan, Narameikhla fled to
Muslim Bengal. He was re-
stored to the throne of Ara-
kan in 1430 by Bengal Sultan
who sent a large Muslim
army to drive out the Bur-
mese invaders. The Muslim
army of Wali Khan and Sandi
Khan all stayed and settled
down in Arakan. The Mrauku
dynasty was established after
driving out Burmese invaders
in 1430. It was the most glori-
ous era in the history of Ara-
kan.
For one hundred years (1430-
1530) Arakan was under the
political influence of Bengal as
a vassal state. For nearly one
century (1582-1666) the Chit-
tagong division was under
Arakanese rule. The court
language of Arakan had been
Persian till 1845, 22 years
further beyond British occupa-
tion. The coins found in Ara-
kan belong to those of Mrauk-
U are Muslims. The Mrauku,
rulers inscribed their coins and
state emblems with `Kalema;
Muslim profession of faith, and
Muslim name of the kings in
Arabic script. In the court of
the Araknese kings Muslim
ministers and Qadis (Judges)
were appointed.
There is a coin of Razagri/
Salim Shah I (1593-1612) in
the collection of Chittagong
University museum. Dr.A.
Karim remarks that the coin of
Salim Shah is very interesting
and it throws clight on Arakan
relations with Bengal. He also
wrote that `Nowadays many
scholars have deciphered the
coins, and have read the Mus-
lim names of the kings prop-
erly. There is no doubt that
the names are clear Arabic
words,
e.g.Husain,Ilyas,Kalima, Moha
med, Nuri, Salim, Sikandar,
etc.Not only that, European
writers like Fray Setastein
Manrique have also written
the Muslim names of Ara-
kanese kings. Manrique was
himself in the Arakanese court
for a pretty long time, he was
present in the capital on the
occasion of the coronation of
the king Thiri Thudamma
(Salim Shah II). So Marrique,s
evidence cannot be ques-
tioned. What is more impor-
tant is that Marrique used the
AFK Jilani
Muslim name(Salim Shah)
only. Not only one king but
many all reigning for more
than two hundred years used
the Muslim names and in-
scribed the same in the coins.
Burmese junta,s policy of eth-
nic cleansing and genocide
against the Rohingyas of Ara-
kan forcing nearly half of their
total population to leave their
motherland. The junta,s gross
violation of human rights ren-
dered the Rohingyas to the
status of modern-day slaves.
The ruling junta is engaged in
erasing and obliterating the
Muslims entity in Arakan by
demolishing ancient Islamic
monuments, mosques, grave-
yards and building several
pagodas and monasteries in
Muslim areas, establishing
hostile settlers in the name of
`Model Villages‟ changing
names bearingMuslim signifi-
cance, distorting the history of
Arakan and denying the in-
digenous status of Rohingya.
Professor Abdul Karim, former
vice-chancellor of the Chit-
tagong University wrote “even
their basic human rights,i.e
right to live with dignity and
honour have been taken
away.The Rohingya faced
inhuman torture so much so
that they had to leave their
hearth and home leaving all
their properties. But how could
such a huge number of people
suddenly enter into Arakan,so
that the government of Burma
could claim that they are not
national of Burma.
The principle case of the con-
tinuing of Rohingya refugee
crisis is the military govern-
ment of Burma,s discrimina-
tory attitude towards this par-
ticular ethnic and religious
minority. The ruling junta has
turned Burma into one of the
worse places for the Muslims
to live in.

From page 4
candidate would have to pay kyat 15,000. Followed by this, the application including two photographs would be sent to the Doctor
of Nasaka for medical checking and again for a recommendation where the candidate had to pay kyat 10,000. After that the ap-
plication with all other documents would be sent to the Immigration of Nasaka, where two witnesses including the father and
mother are called. They are asked whether the bride and the bridegroom agree to be with each other.
Subsequently, the application is sent to the local Nasaka headquarters for checking, where the candidate has to pay kyat
15,000. The new bridegroom has to wait for at least three months to get permission. If the candidate is a widower, the time span
of three years is compulsory.If the new bridegroom pays a bribe of kyat 200,000 to 300,000 to the concerned authority, he is likely
to get permission within 15 days, a close aide of Nasaka said.
Later all the documents have to be sent to the local Nasaka camp, where the candidate again has to pay kyat 5,000.
Source: Kaladan News, Jan 1, 2009

Volume 1, Issue 1 January 2009

 Page 6
Burma's Muslim Rohingya Minority Dwell at the "Brink of Extermination"
It is not often you meet some-
one who tells you that he is from
“a people at the brink of exter-
mination.” But the testimonies
from refugees in a remote cor-
ner of southern Bangladesh, on
the border with Burma, justify
that assessment. For the Rohin-
gya people, a Muslim minority in
northern Arakan State, western
Burma, are a stateless people
whose very identity is denied.
All the people of Burma are
suffering at the hands of one of
the world‟s most brutal, and
illegitimate, military regimes.
From time to time Burma‟s crisis
hits the headlines, as it did with
protests led by Buddhist monks
last September, and Cyclone
Nargis in May this year. In be-
tween such events, however,
Burma fades from the world‟s
attention.
If Burma as a whole is under-
reported, the people on its west-
ern borders are almost unknown
to the world. Journalists, activ-
ists and aid agencies who visit
the region tend to head for the
Thailand-Burma border, where
access to refugees, displaced
people and democracy groups
is greatest.
Few visit Burma‟s borders with
India, where a famine is unfold-
ing, or with China, where
women are trafficked into prosti-
tution, and fewer still make it to
the Bangladesh border where a
slow, forgotten genocide is tak-
ing place.
The Rohingya people are ethni-
cally and culturally closely re-
lated to the Bengali people in
the area surrounding Chit-
tagong, but have lived in Burma
for generations. While their pre-
cise history may be debated,
there is no doubt that they are
not newcomers to the country.
Yet unlike all the other ethnic
groups in Burma, which al-
though severely persecuted by
the regime are at least recog-
nised as citizens, the Rohingyas
are regarded as “temporary
residents” and denied full citi-
zenship status. They are re-
quired to obtain permission be-
fore marrying, and a permit can
take several years to secure.
Movement is severely restricted
– Rohingyas must obtain per-
mission to travel even from one
village to another, impeding
access to medical care and
education. As „non-citizens‟,
Rohingyas cannot be employed
as teachers, nurses, civil
servants or in any public ser-
vice, and in Rohingya areas
teachers, mostly from the
Buddhist Rakhine ethnic
group, sometimes fail to turn
up for an entire year, disrupt-
ing educational opportunities
for the Rohingyas. Rape and
forced labour are wide-
spread, and Rohingyas are
singled out by the authorities
for extortion. Soldiers de-
mand money from them, and
when they cannot pay they
are arrested and tortured.
On a visit to the Bangladesh-
Burma border, I heard nu-
merous accounts of these
violations from Rohingya
refugees. And they were
confirmed by three defectors
who had escaped from
Burma‟s military. The defec-
tors, who had served in the
Burma Army‟s border secu-
rity force known as the „Na
Sa Ka‟, said that the Rohin-
gya were specifically tar-
geted for extortion. One said:
“Throughout my life in the Na
Sa Ka, I was used to this
system of arresting Muslims,
asking for money, torturing
them, every day. We only
arrested Muslims, not Rakhi-
nes.”
The Rohingyas face religious
persecution as well. It is al-
most impossible to obtain
permission to renovate, re-
pair, rebuild or extend
mosques or other religious
buildings. In the past three
years, 12 mosques in north-
ern Arakan have been de-
molished, and a large num-
ber were closed in 2006.
Since 1962, I was told, not a
single new mosque has been
built. Religious leaders have
Volume 1, Issue 1
been jailed for illegally reno-
vating mosques.
A senior UN official, who has
served in Darfur, Somalia and
other humanitarian crisis
situations and, in the words of
a foreign diplomat, “knows
misery when he sees it”, re-
cently described the situation
in northern Arakan State,
western Burma, as “as bad as
anything he has seen in terms
the denial of basic human
freedoms”.
For these reasons, it is esti-
mated that at least 200,000
Rohingyas have fled to Bang-
ladesh. In 1978 and 1991,
there were significant influxes
of refugees fleeing across the
border, and even today Rohin-
gyas trickle out one by one, in
the hope of finding security in
Bangladesh. However, even
in Bangladesh, they are vul-
nerable. Only 27,000 are rec-
ognised by the Office of the
United Nations High Commis-
sioner for Refugees (UNHCR),
and live in two official camps.
Thousands more are unrecog-
nised, and live either in Bang-
ladeshi towns and villages or
in temporary „makeshift‟
camps where conditions are
dire. In the makeshift camps
they receive no access to
health care or education, and
no rations. Even in the official
camps, there is no formal edu-
cation beyond the age of 12.
One 18 year-old is teaching in
one of the schools, but has no
opportunity for further study
himself. “I am compelled to
teach, but I would prefer to
learn first,” he told me. “If I
stay like this, with no further
education, my future life will
be ruined.”
A few years ago, the UNHCR
January 2009
Arakan
Benedict Rogers
forcibly repatriated at least
230,000 Rohingyas back to
Burma, but many have re-
turned, unable to survive in
their homeland. One refugee
said: “As long as human rights
abuses continue in Burma, we
cannot go back. We are
caught between a crocodile
and a snake. Where can we
go?” Another expressed their
dilemma, and statelessness,
equally starkly: “The Bangla-
desh authorities say we are
from Burma. The Burmese
regime says we are Bengali.
Where should we go?”
As part of its campaign
against the Rohingyas, the
junta regularly stirs up anti-
Muslim sentiment among the
Buddhist Rakhine and Bur-
mans, with some success.
“The regime uses the Rakhine
against us as part of a divide-
and-rule policy,” said one Ro-
hingya. And so in addition to
facing persecution from the
regime, the Rohingyas face
discrimination from Burma‟s
democracy movement too.
Many Rakhine and Burmans
in the democracy movement
refuse to recognise the Rohin-
gyas as an ethnic group, and
they have been denied mem-
bership of the opposition Eth-
nic Nationalities Council.
There is a dispute even over
the term „Rohingya‟, and
many Rakhine prefer to call
them “Arakanese Muslims”,
“Burmese Muslims” or
“Bengalis of Burma”.
Some Rakhine, however,
have recognised the need to
work with the Rohingyas
against their common enemy,
the regime. After all, the Ra-
khine are also victims of the
junta. In schools, teachers use
Burmese and the Rakhine
language is banned. Forced
labour is widespread. “The
regime is carrying out an at-
tack on our language, identity
and culture,” said one Ra-
khine. The National United
Party of Arakan (NUPA) has
an alliance with the Arakan
Rohingya National Organisa-
tion (ARNO). One NUPA
leader told me: “When a peo-
ple have been living this long
See Page 4
Arakan Page 7

ROHINGYA DELEGATION RETURNS FROM BRUSSELS LOBBYING VISIT

A delegation of four Rohingya
activists from Burma have re-
turned from a two-day advocacy
and awareness-raising visit to
Brussels, in which they high-
lighted the political and humani-
tarian crisis in Burma as a
whole, and the plight of the Ro-
hingya people of Arakan State,
western Burma in particular.The
delegation from the Burmese
Rohingya Organisation UK
(BROUK) was facilitated and
hosted by Christian Solidarity
Worldwide (CSW) and included
BROUK's President, Maung Tun
Khin,(aka) Zeyarbul Gaffar and
three other members. CSW's
Advocacy Officer for South Asia,
Benedict Rogers, who visited
the Rohingyas on the Bangla-
desh-Burma border in August,
accompanied the delegation.
In meetings with officials in the
European Commission and
Council, as well as staff in the
European Parliament, the
delegation called on the Euro-
pean Union (EU) to support
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki
-moon's proposed visit to
Burma next month, and to
urge the UN to introduce spe-
cific benchmarks for progress
in Burma, accompanied by
deadlines. The first such
benchmark, the delegation
said, should be the release all
political prisoners prior to Ban
Ki-moon's visit. The delega-
tion also urged the EU to en-
courage Ban Ki-moon to raise
the plight of the Rohingya
during his visit, and to put
pressure on Burma's military
regime to lift restrictions on
marriage, movement and
education for the Rohingyas.
Maung Tun Khin said: "We had
extremely valuable discussions
with EU officials and European
Parliament staff, in which we
were able to raise awareness
about the suffering of all the
people of Burma, and particu-
larly to spotlight the plight of
the Rohingyas who receive so
little international attention.
Among the issues we raised,
we urged the EU to encourage
on the Association of South-
East Asian Nations (ASEAN)
and Islamic nations to put
pressure on the regime in
Burma. We were also able to
discuss the humanitarian situa-
tion in Arakan State and the
suffering of refugees in Burma.
The message we delivered
was that all the people of
Burma are suffering, and it is
time for increased international
action. The EU has a vital role
to play and we were privileged
to have this opportunity to dis-
cuss the crisis in Burma with
EU officials."
CSW's Advocacy Officer Bene-
dict Rogers said: "We were
delighted to be able to facilitate
this opportunity for the Rohin-
gya people. We had valuable
discussions and opportunities
to provide information about
the brutal suppression of the
Rohingyas, among the most
persecuted groups in Burma, to
people who were not previ-
ously aware. We also high-
lighted the wider suffering of all
the people of Burma."
Source: CSW & BROUK, No-
vember 5, 2008

Released Burmese prisoners languish in Bangladesh prison

Burmese prisoners accounting
for 105 people, though re-
leased (popularly known as
RP) have been languishing in
Bangladesh prison since 2006
because the Burmese military
government refuses to recog-
nize them as Burmese citizens.
According to a prison report,
105 released Burmese prison-
ers were brought to Cox's Ba-
zaar prison located near
Burma's western border, from
several prisons around Bangla-
desh in 2006 to be handed over
to Burma.
However, the released Bur-
mese prisoners could not be
sent to Burma from Bangla-
desh as the Burmese authori-
ties refused to accept them.
An immigration official Abu
Kalan from Cox's Bazaar said
that Burmese authorities told
them whenever they request
their transfer to Burma that
they could not check whether
the prisoners in Bangla-
desh are Burmese nationals or
not.
According to prison sources,
the Bangladesh government is
not willing to keep the released
Burmese prisoners in Bangla-
deshi prison anymore as the
authorities have to spend addi-
tional funds for them.
At the same time, accommoda-
tion for Burmese prisoners is
also another problem for Bang-
ladesh because there are many
prisoners staying in prison
though there is not enough
adequate accommodation in
the prison.
In Cox's Bazaar prison, there
are nearly 400 Burmese citi-
zens and most of them are
detained by Bangladesh au-
thorities for illegally entering
Bangladesh territory.
It is learnt that there are 1500
Burmese nationals in Bangla-
desh prison and the numbers
have increased in recent
years.
Source: Narinjara News,
Jan 1, 2009

Nasaka into lucrative business in Maungdaw

The Commander of Nasaka
Burma's border security force
of area No.5 in Maungdaw
Township provided loans to
villagers of his area on January
7, for cultivation of summer
paddy.
The commander disbursed
Kyat 100,000 to the villagers
through the village Peace and
Development Council (VPDC)
Chairman of Loune Don village
tract in Maungdaw Township.
But, villagers had to pay the
commander at least 150
Taungs (one Taung =14 kg) of
paddy after harvesting in sum-
mer.
Villagers do not willing to take
the money for paddy as the
price is very low compare to
those of open market price, but
the concerned authority forces
to take the money.
One Taung of paddy costs Kyat
700. But, in the open market,
one Taung of paddy is being
sold at Kyat 2,300. As a result,
the Commander makes a
profit of kyat 1, 600 on one
Taung. The Commander will
net Kyat 140,000 from 150
Taungs of paddy.
The Commander also gave
loans to other villages which
are under Nasaka area No. 5.
At present, in Maungdaw
north, a kilogram of rice is
being sold at Kyat 450 while it
was Kyat 400, 15 days ago. A
50 kg rice bag is being sold at
Kyat 18,000 in Maungdaw
while it was only Kyat 16,000,
two weeks ago.
A village elder said, "The con-
cerned authority always thinks
that how to get money from
villages which are under his
control."
Source: Kaladan News, Jan
15, 2009.

To our esteemed readers and well-wishers

We wish happy New Year to our readers. We are overjoyed to publish again the “ARAKAN”. Due to unavoid-
able circumstances we are unable to publish the “ARAKAN” for a long period, for which we are regretted.
We request our valuable readers to help the continuation of “ARAKAN” in every possible way.
Please contact as:-
info_arno@yahoo.com
www. rohingya.org

Volume 1, Issue 1 January 2009

Rights group calls on Thailand to change policy for boatpeople
A rights group, Refugees Inter-
national (RI) from Washington,
D.C called on the Government
of Thailand to change their pol-
icy towards boat people, who
have been recently entering
their territory, through a press
release yesterday.
The boat people are primarily
stateless Burmese Rohingya
escaping severe oppression
and harsh poverty at home, but
also include some Bangladeshi
migrants. Both group board
boats of varying seaworthiness
with the aim of finding security
and economic opportunity in
Thailand and Malaysia, the
statement said.
"The Government of Thailand
should instruct its Army to desist
from its new and troubling policy
of pushing refugees and mi-
grants intercepted on boats
back out to sea which endan-
gers their lives, and exposes
them to the risk of capsizing or
sinking," the statement said.
The Thai government is detain-
ing them on a remote island and
then forcing them back out to
sea, statement added.
"The actions of the Thai govern-
ment contravene accepted stan-
dards of international law that
discourage putting civilians at
greater risk after being in the
custody of government offi-
cials. The Thai authorities
should, at a minimum, revert to
the practice of deporting un-
documented migrants. Thai
officials should also ensure
that refugees seeking asylum
are properly screened and are
not forced back to their country
of origin if it will put them at
risk," the statement more
added.
"The Thai government is taking
highly vulnerable people and
risking their lives for political
gain. It should be engaging the
Burmese government on im-
proving conditions at home for
the Rohingya if it wants to
stem the flow. The Rohingya
will continue to make the jour-
ney because they have no
hope for a better life in
Burma. Pushing them back
out to sea is not an effective
deterrent – it just jeopardizes
lives," said Advocate Sean
Garcia.
"The Rohingya are stateless
and have no rights inside
Burma. The Burmese govern-
ment targets them for forced
labour and extortion, and re-
stricts their movement. The
Burmese government's policy
of actively displacing the Ro-
hingya from their homeland
means that any refugee who is
forced back is subjected to
arrest and abuse. Until the
Rohingya are recognized by
Burma as citizens, neighboring
countries like Thailand must
protect and assist this vulner-
able population," he added.
"It was a sick and bizarre situa-
tion, and there appeared to be
children in the groups as well.
They were forcibly exposed to
the hot sun although trees
provided shade a few meters
away. Some of the tourists
went over to look at what was
going on," said Mrs. Skibelig,
who had her Christmas holiday
in Similan Islands, Thailand,
together with 20 other family
members, is one of the eyewit-
nesses about the policy of
Thailand regarding boatpeople.
"When we first arrived on the
beach we thought the Thai
military was going through a
military drill. Later we under-
stood that something very,
very serious was going on,"
Mrs Skibelid explained to the
Norwegian newspaper
Dagbladet.no
The refugee (boatpeople) had
been arrested and forcibly kept
on the beach since 10 a.m.
and were still lying there when
the Norwegian travelers left in
the afternoon, at around 4 pm.
They also witnessed the
guards hitting and kicking the
refugees, she added.
Nearly 200 people (174 Rohin-
gyas and 19 Bangladeshi)
reached Indonesia's Sumatra
island on a wooden boat on
January 7, and after drifting for
a few days were found by local
fishermen and transferred to
the coastguard where medical
treatment and food were pro-
vided by the Indonesia govern-
ment, according to local Navy
Commander Yanuar Handwi-
yono.
On January 4, 2009, a motor-
boat carrying about 97 people
returned to Shapuri Dip of
Bangladesh, at about 12:30
pm, after Burmese naval forces
from Rangoon Division pushed
them back. The Burmese au-
thorities provided the travelers
with some ration and fuel, ac-
cording to a person who re-
turned from the Rangoon
coast.
Towards the end of last year,
the British "The Guardian"
newspaper mentioned, "More
than 300 people believed to be
illegal migrants and mostly
Bangladeshis were feared to
have drowned. The accident
took place off the Andaman
and Nicobar Islands in the Bay
of Bengal on December 28, as
the victims jumped into the sea
and tried to swim ashore."
"The men were mostly Bangla-
deshis and some Burmese
nationals, aged between 18
and 60, who drifted through the
Bay of Bengal, and we are
trying to rescue the boatpeople
with navy ship and helicopter,"
said authorities in Port Blair.
"To arrest people when they
enter Thai waters then release
them in international waters,
without motors or sails, would
clearly be a violation of interna-
tional human rights,'' said Chris
Lewa, a Bangkok-based social
worker who is seeking better
treatment for the Rohingya
boat people.
Refugees International is a
Washington, DC-based organi-
zation that advocates to end
refugee crises. In November
2008, Refugees International
staff conducted a mission to
Bangladesh and Malaysia to
assess the humanitarian condi-
tions for Burmese Rohingya
refugees, including boat mi-
grants. There are approxi-
mately 1 million Rohingya living
outside Burma.
Source: Kaladan News, Jan 13,
09