Give voice to the Rohingya

Bangkok Post 

Editorial . 

Bangkok Post editorial column
25 Sep 2020

The Rohingya saga has been prominent in some international headlines of late. In addition to the mass exodus, with nearly 300 Rohingya drifting to the shores of Indonesia's Aceh province after spending months at sea, another major cause for concern is the deprivation of voting rights of those Rohingya remaining in western Rakhine state as well as the one million refugees living in neighbouring Bangladesh.

Donors reiterate support for Rohingya

FINANCIAL EXPRESS
September 25, 2020  
                                  
                          Envoys of US, EU, UK, Canada visit Cox's Bazar

File Photo used for representational purpose 

Representatives of the international community in Bangladesh conducted a two-day visit to Cox's Bazar and visited the Rohingya refugee camps. They reiterated their commitment to support Rohingya refugees in a joint statement on Thursday

The representatives include the ambassadors of the United States (US) and the European Union (EU), the British High Commissioner, the Head of Humanitarian Aid of the Canadian High Commission, the World Bank (WB) Country Director, and the United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator.

Bangladesh should host ICC’s proceedings in Cox’s Bazar

The Daily Star
Farhaan Uddin Ahmed
September 25, 2020 

File photo of Rohingya refugees praying at a gathering organised to mark the second anniversary of their exodus from Myanmar, at the Kutupalong camp in Cox’s Bazar, August 25, 2019. Photo: Reuters/Rafiqur Rahman

On August 4, 2020, the legal representatives of three specific groups of Rohingya victims submitted a joint request to the Pre-Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC), requesting it to direct the Registry of the Court to prepare an assessment of potential venues for holding the Court's proceedings in a state other than the host state (i.e. the Netherlands) so that proceedings can be held in a location which is physically closer to the victims of the alleged atrocities, who are currently residing in various refugee camps in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. In brief, the victims requested the Court to direct the Registry to explore whether the proceedings could be held in a location physically closer to Cox's Bazar, where the victims are currently residing.

Rohingya resettlement on ‘floating island’ risks repatriation: Experts

AA

Md. Kamruzzaman 

DHAKA, Bangladesh 

14.09.2020 

Ethnic minority hails Dhaka for building settlements on island but wants to return to their homeland in Myanmar with rights 

The Bangladesh government’s plan to resettle Rohingya refugees on a remote island might delay or even harm the repatriation of Rohingya to their homeland west of Myanmar, according to experts.

But the plan has met with resistance from members of the ethnic minority who fled persecution in Myanmar. They say the relocation will prolong talks aimed at their long-sought return to ancestral homeland with rights and in safety and dignity.

UNSC members urge Myanmar to ensure Rohingya participation in Elections

DD NEWS
Rajesh Jha/Dhaka
12-09-2020

Eight members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) have urged Myanmar to ensure that Rohingya participate in the general elections scheduled to be held on November 8.

In a joint statement issued on Friday, Belgium, the Dominican Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Tunisia, UK and the US asked Myanmar to ensure that individuals of all communities, including Rohingya, are able to participate safely, fully, and equally in credible and inclusive elections.

8 UNSC members appeal to Myanmar: Appeal for Rohingya participation in general elections

WION
Sep 13, 2020,

8 member nations of the UNSC have urged Myanmar to ensure that the Rohingyas can participate in the general elections. Watch report.

Link:https://www.wionews.com/videos/8-unsc-members-appeal-to-myanmar-appeal-for-rohingya-participation-in-general-elections-327125

UN calls for Rohingya to take part in Myanmar election

EASTERNEYES
September 12, 2020

FILE PHOTO: Rohingya refugees gather to mark the second anniversary of the exodus at the Kutupalong camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, August 25, 2019. REUTERS/Rafiqur Rahman/File Photo

EIGHT Security Council members of the UN called for the Muslim Rohingya minority, victims in 2017 of what the UN calls a “genocide,” to participate in Myanmar’s upcoming elections.

The statement, published after a closed-door video conference, is signed by Belgium, the Dominican Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Tunisia, Britain and the US.

UN calls for Rohingya to take part in Myanmar election

FMT
AFP
September 12, 2020

Rohingya refugees react after being rescued in Teknaf near Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh in April. (AP pic)

WASHINGTON: Eight Security Council members called Friday for the Muslim Rohingya minority, victims in 2017 of what the UN calls a “genocide”, to participate in Myanmar’s upcoming elections.

The statement, published after a closed-door video conference, is signed by Belgium, the Dominican Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Tunisia, Britain and the US.

Rohingyas lack confidence in Myanmar govt, FM tells ASEAN

Prothum Alo------  

 Prothom Alo English Desk

Published: 12 September 2020, 

Weary Rohingya trudging from Myanmar's Rakhine state to Ukhia, Bangladesh.Prothom Alo file photo

Bangladesh has once again conveyed to the international community that the displaced Rohingyas are not returning to their homeland primarily because they do not trust their government on the issues of safety and security, reports UNB.

In order to reduce trust deficit and confidence building, Bangladesh suggested Myanmar to engage non-military civilian observers from their friendly countries like ASEAN, China, Russia, India or other friends of their choice. 

Foreign minister AK Abdul Momen conveyed it to the foreign ministers of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) on Saturday adding such initiative may reduce trust deficit for a sustainable return.

Two Burmese soldiers confess to war crimes against the Rohingya

The Economic
Sep 12th 2020 edition

They shot the smoking guns

They are being questioned by the International Criminal Court


PRIVATE MYO WIN TUN looked steadily into the camera as he recounted two weeks in August 2017 when he and his battalion laid waste to several villages in Rakhine, a state in the far west of Myanmar. They were there, he said, as part of the Burmese army’s “clearance operations” targeting the Rohingya, a persecuted Muslim ethnic minority, which sparked the exodus of more than 740,000 Rohingyas to neighbouring Bangladesh. Mr Myo Win Tun confessed to participating in the massacre of 30 Rohingyas, whom he helped to bury in a mass grave, and to raping one woman. In another video, Private Zaw Naing Tun said that his battalion “wiped out about 20 Muslim villages”, and that he stood sentry while his superiors raped women. Based on their accounts, Fortify Rights, a human-rights NGO which obtained the footage, believes these two men may be directly responsible for killing 180 Rohingyas.

Myanmar soldiers admit role in Rohingya genocide directed by senior officers, rights group claims

South China Morning Post
Associated Press
8 Sep, 2020

• The comments appear to be the first public confession by soldiers of involvement in massacres, rape and other crimes against Rohingya Muslims

• More than 700,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar to Bangladesh since August 2017 to escape what Myanmar’s military called a clearance campaign

A Rohingya refugee carries her child in a refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh. Photo: Reuters

Two soldiers who deserted from Myanmar’s army have testified on video that they were instructed by commanding officers to “shoot all that you see and that you hear” in villages where minority Rohingya lived, a human rights group said on Tuesday.

The comments appear to be the first public confession by soldiers of involvement in army-directed massacres, rape and other crimes against Rohingya Muslims in the Buddhist-majority country.More than 700,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar to neighbouring Bangladesh since August 2017 to escape what Myanmar’s military called a clearance campaign following an attack by a Rohingya insurgent group in Rakhine state. Myanmar’s government has denied accusations that security forces committed mass rapes and killings and burned thousands of homes.

On the Rohingya genocide

THE NATION
Shakoh Zulqurnain
September 09, 2020

The persecution of Rohingyas in Myanmar is an issue which has attracted little attention at the international level. The low visibility of this issue reveals not only the double standards of the international community, but also brings into question the effectiveness of human rights laws. More than a million Rohingya refugees commemorated the third anniversary of the genocide on August 25 in crowded camps in Bangladesh. Rohingya Muslims are one of the most persecuted communities in the world and have been observing this day as the ‘Rohingya Genocide Remembrance Day’ since it was the same day in 2017 that the Myanmar army began a vicious crackdown on Rohingya civilians—forcing thousands to seek refuge in neighbouring countries. However, the story of the Rohingyas’ persecution dates back to many decades.

OPINION - Arakan resistance assist Rohingya in their common quest for int'l accountability

AA

Maung Zarni 

09.09.2020 

 

Arakan Army/ULA emerging as an unseemly ally and collaborator of Rohingya victims seeking justice and a peaceful homeland 

It is really welcome news for the Rohingya campaigning for justice and accountability that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has reportedly brought to The Hague two Myanmar army deserters who could provide first-person accounts as perpetrators in the genocidal killings of Rohingya families, including women and babies.

'Kill All You See': In a First, Myanmar Soldiers Tell of Rohingya Slaughter

The New York Times
By Hannah Beech, Saw Nang and Marlise Simons

Sept. 8, 2020

Video testimony from two soldiers supports widespread accusations that Myanmar's milatray tried to eradicate the ethnic minority in genocidal campaign.

The remains of a Rohingya school in Rakhine State in western Myanmar last year.Credit...Adam Dean for The New York Times

The two soldiers confess their crimes in a monotone, a few blinks of the eye their only betrayal of emotion: executions, mass burials, village obliterations and rape.

The August 2017 order from his commanding officer was clear, Pvt. Myo Win Tun said in video testimony. “Shoot all you see and all you hear.”

Nearly 300 Rohingya come ashore in Aceh after months at sea

Aljazeera
7th September 2020

The group included women and children and are thought to have spent months at sea as traffickers demanded payment.

Nearly 300 Rohingya have come ashore in Aceh, on the northern tip of Indonesia's Sumatra island, authorities said, in one of the biggest such landings by the persecuted Myanmar minority in years.

The group, including more than a dozen children, were spotted at sea by locals who helped them land near Lhokseumawe early on Monday, according to Munir Cut Ali, head of Ujong Blang village.

Rohingya rights: New armed group ARA emerges in Rakhine

Dhaka Tribune
Trainee
Publish : 06 Sep 2020,

Arakan Rohingya Army aims to ‘protect the rights of persecuted Rohingyas’

A new armed group, named Arakan Rohingya Army (ARA), has emerged in Myanmar to “protect the rights of persecuted Rohingyas”.

ARA declared its presence by issuing a statement on September 1, an informed source told UNB on Sunday.

For the Last Three Years, More Than a Million Rohingya Muslims Have Been Stuck in Bangladesh

Vice 
by Faisal Mahmud

Refugees say that they are trapped on a bare hillside in a foreign country with no hope 

Rohingya refugees stand in the waters of a canal at a refugee camp near Ukhia, Bangladesh. August 25 marked three years since around a million Rohingyas escaped from Myanmar. Photo courtesy of Munir Uz zaman / AFP

It’s been three years, but the memory still haunts Yasmin in her dreams.

The 22-year-old Rohingya woman now resides in the sprawling Kutupalong refugee camp in Southern Bangladesh. Making her way there in 2017 was an arduous journey; she had slogged through the monsoon-drenched jungles and paddy fields of Western Myanmar in the dark for four days. She was fleeing a pogrom.

Bangladesh's Rohingya refugees lobby ICC to sit in Asia during war crimes investigation

ABC Net
By Angelique Lu

01.09.2020

Muhammed Nowkhim is one of hundreds of Rohingya refugees hoping to testify before the ICC.(Supplied. Muhammed Nowkhim.)

Two Australian lawyers acting on behalf of hundreds of Rohingya refugees are pushing to have the International Criminal Court (ICC) sit in Asia for the first time.

The ICC is investigating allegations of genocide and crimes against humanity allegedly committed by Myanmar Government and military officials in 2017.

Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya — a stateless, mostly Muslim minority group — fled to neighbouring Bangladesh during the unrest.

Three years on, Rohingya trapped in camps as they await justice

Aljazeera
25 Aug 2020

About a million refugees live in Bangladesh refugee camps since they fled Myanmar military operation on August 25, 2017.

Some one million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh are marking three years since escaping from Myanmar with a day-long "silent protest" protest, which the coronavirus pandemic is forcing them to hold inside their flimsy bamboo shacks.

Three Years of Campaign Against Ethnic Muslim Rohingyas ...

VOA
August 29, 2020

This month marks three years since Myanmar’s military launched an escalated campaign against the mostly ethnic Muslim Rohingyas in Rakhine state, with systematic rape, beatings, killings and burning of villages. 

Link :https://www.voazimbabwe.com/a/us-mynmar-rohinya-three-years-campaign/5562463.html