Prayer ceremony for release of political prisoners in Burma

(Narinjara) -Cox’sbazar: Arakanese living in exile in Bangladesh held a prayer ceremony in the border town of Cox’s Bazaar for the immediate release of political prisoners in Burma, including democracy icon Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

Ko Naing Naing, one of the organisers of the programme, said the prayer was held for the immediate and unconditional release from custody of all political prisoners including Daw Suu. The prayer ceremony was held in keeping with Buddhist religious rights.

The prayer ceremony was held at a monastery in the town at 2 pm. It concluded at 4 pm.

“During the prayer, monks recited a Moera Sutta, a serial of Buddha’s discourses constituting the Sutta Pitaka for the release of political prisoners. We also prayed for those into the Burmese democracy movement to free the country from the stranglehold of military rule,” Ko Naing said.

After the prayer ceremony, those who attended lighted candles in front of the image of Buddha.

At least 30 people attended the ceremony. Among the participants, were members of the Burmese International Monks Organization (Bangladesh branch), Free Burma Federation and All Arakan Students’ and Youths’ Congress.

READ MORE---> Prayer ceremony for release of political prisoners in Burma...

BDR pushes back illegal Burmese nationals

Teknaf, Bangladesh (KPN): More than 71 Burmese nationals were pushed back to Burma by the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) from different transit points of the Burma-Bangladesh border area since last week, a source from BDR of Teknaf said.

On July 22, over 28 Rohingya people, (19 children, 8 women and two men), who were living with the local people at Kosubana village under Naikongchari Upazila, were arrested in an operation by the police at night, according to a local from Naikongchari.

The police handed over the Rohingya people to the 17 BDR Battalion so that they could be sent back to Burma. The BDR pushed them back through the transit point of Gumdum from Bangladesh, the local said.

According to BDR sources, since last week they have pushed back a total of 71 Rohingya ethnic people to Burma including women and children.

The BDR pushed back 8 Rohingya people of Burma from Sabrang by the 42 Rifles Battalion, 28 persons from Gundum by 17 BDR Battalion and 35 persons from Chakdala border point of Naikongchari of Bandarban hill district by the 15 BDR Battalion.

The Rohingya ethnic, who had entered illegally into Bangladesh, were harassed by the Burmese military junta and were trying to escape from persecution. However, the Bangladeshi authorities also ordered the border security force to arrest Burmese nationals and push them back to Burma. “Where will they go to save their lives?” a local elder from Naikongchari Upazila asked.

READ MORE---> BDR pushes back illegal Burmese nationals...

Bangladesh Minister pressurizes Burmese envoy on Rohingya issue

Dhaka, Bangladesh (KPN): Bangladesh’s Food and Disaster Management Minister, Dr. Mohammed Abdur Razzak has raised the Rohingya refugee issue with Burmese Ambassador, Phae Thann Oo, seeking an immediate solution through regular diplomatic meetings, a senior government official said yesterday.

Rohingya boatpeople died in Andaman Sea on a drifting boat (photo)

Dr. Mohammed Abdur Razzak pointed out the urgency during a discussion with Burmese Ambassador, Phae Thann Oo, at his office, the official said.

“Regular meetings at diplomatic levels between both the friendly countries should be held to solve the problems related to these issues, which will strengthen the existing friendly relations,” the Minister told the envoy.

“Bangladesh gave shelter to the Rohingyas on humanitarian grounds and created scope for them to earn their living as per the ability of the country, though many of them got mixed up with the locals,” the minister added.

The Burmese Ambassador agreed on the Rohingya refugee issue with Dr Razzak and said they would soon send in a delegation to the Cox’s Bazaar camp housing the refugees.

“The problem regarding Rohingya refugees is no longer a problem only for Bangladesh, it is a regional issue. And it would be a bigger problem for the region in future,” said Prof Imtiaz Ahmed, at another discussion meeting on 'The Rohingyas: From stateless to refugee', which was organized by the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) at its office in the city, with its Director General Maj Gen. Sheikh Md Monirul Islam as chairperson yesterday.

There are still at least 0.2 million undocumented Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, besides those living in the camps, though they were supposed to have returned to Myanmar in 1978 and 1992, under an agreement between the two countries, said Prof Dr Imtiaz Ahmed, of the Department of International Relations of Dhaka University, while presenting keynote speech at a panel discussion.

He said, “It has been a problem for the country year after year and remains the same and there has been no change in the situation. Thailand, India and Indonesia have already got involved in the issue and we had hoped there would be some change this time. There has to be international pressure to resolve the problem.”

Prof Anwar Hossain said, “Multi-dimensional effort is necessary to address the problem regarding Rohingya refugees. Firstly, the problem is humanitarian, then demographical and it is also concerned with the security of the country. The only way out is to address the problem multilaterally with the involvement of regional countries.

Former Defence Attaché of Bangladesh to Myanmar Brig Gen (retd) Salim Akhtar said, “Bangladesh provides support to the Rohingya refugees in terms of their skill development and education and the government should also track down the undocumented refugees, because they may get involved in international gunrunning and militancy and the country also suggests bringing the Rohingya leaders to the negotiating table to understand the realities of the situation and finding out a key solution.”

Ambassadors of Indonesia, India and Thailand were also present at the discussion and felt the necessity of a combined regional effort to solve the problem.

“Camps are expensive to run. Camps are also discriminatory for the Bangladeshi people living around the area where the Rohingya camps are located,” Arjun Jain, acting representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Dhaka said.

"The issue has become a forgotten matter in the global context and the international community should pay more attention to it," said Arjun Jain.

“We had come here to escape the persecution of the ruling Burmese junta, a long time ago and now we have more than 1.5 million people all over the world. We don’t want to stay in any other country if we get all the facilities as the other ethnic groups of Burma. We need the support of the international community to get this opportunity,” said Aman, a Rohingya politician from Bangladesh.

Rohingya boatpeople reached Indonesia shore with drifting boat (photo)

“There is no security in Arakan, Burma, so we came to Bangladesh. We were not safe here too, so we tried to find a safe place by the sea route, where our community lost thousands of lives in the Andaman Sea last winter,” he added.

23 July 2009

READ MORE---> Bangladesh Minister pressurizes Burmese envoy on Rohingya issue...

Bangladesh to file case against illegal entry

Teknaf, Bangladesh (Kaladan): Bangladeshi authorities have decided to file a case against Rohingya entering Bangladesh illegally, according to sources.

On July 19, six Burmese nationals were arrested from Shapuri Dip by Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) for intrusion. They were handed over to the police station in Teknaf in the evening, according to a BDR source.

The arrested are: Ali Akbar (38), Mohamed Hamid (28), Yar Mohammad (22), Mohamed Salim (27), Mohamed Yasin (25), and Dulal Hussain, hailing from Zalia Para of Akyab, Arakan State Burma.

A case has been filed against the six arrested in the Teknaf police station, the acting officer-in-charge Jamal Ahamed Chowdhury said.

The Township Officer of Teknaf, Md Tofayel Islam also said “Earlier we pushed back many Rohingyas to Burma several times. As it did not work, we have now decided to file cases against them.”

But, a social worker from a NGO in Teknaf said the influx will not stop till there is restoration of law and order and human rights in Burma.

"The Rohingya influx will not stop unless there is a qualitative change in Arakan state, in western Myanmar where the Rohingya people live,” Bangladesh's Foreign Minister Dipu Moni said.

READ MORE---> Bangladesh to file case against illegal entry...

Burmese trying to enroll in Bangladeshi voters list arrested

Dhaka (Narinjara): Eighteen Burmese Muslims were arrested on Wednesday by the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) on the border when they were trying to enter Bangladesh to enroll in the country’s voters list, said an official report.

Bangladeshi election authorities are now updating the country’s electoral rolls. So some Burmese nationals are trying to sneak into Bangladesh to enroll their names in the voters list. Should they succeed in registering their names in the voters list, they will become Bangladeshi citizens, the report said.

The Burmese nationals were arrested from different areas of Nakhongshari Township, opposite MaungdawTownship in Burma during a joint operation by the Bangladeshi security forces, official sources said.

“Acting on secret information, they entered Bangladesh territory to enroll themselves in the updated voters list. We caught them on the border,” said an official.

The BDR also arrested 11 Burmese nationals from different villages in Nakhongsari Township on Sunday and Monday while they were intruding into Bangladesh.

Despite Bangladeshi border authorities arresting many Burmese Muslims and pushing them back to Burma the exodus of Muslims from the neighbouring country continues unabated.

Most from the Muslim community in Arakan are entering Bangladesh to flee the economic crisis in the State. The people as a whole in Arakan are mired in financial crisis making it difficult for them to eke out a living, reports from Arakan say.

READ MORE---> Burmese trying to enroll in Bangladeshi voters list arrested...

Bangladeshi police attack Rohingya camp

(DVB)–Hundreds of makeshift homes belonging to Rohingya refugees in a camp near to the Bangladesh-Burma border were destroyed by “aggressive and abusive” Bangladeshi police, according to a medical aid group.

The incident was witnessed by staff working for Medicins Sans Frontiers (MSF), which provides medical aid to the estimated 300,000 Rohingya of Burmese descent who have sought refuge on the Bangladesh side of the border.

According to MSF, around 30 Bangladeshi police and officials arrived at the Kutupalong camp near to Cox’s Bazaar on 14 July and destroyed 259 homes.

“Other residents of the makeshift camp were told that they have 48 hours to clear their homes or they will be burnt down,” the statement said.

The Kutupalong camp is adjacent to a camp run by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Officials taking part in the incident reportedly claimed it was being done to create a buffer zone between the two camps.

“The systematic use of intimidation, violence and forcible displacement against residents of the makeshift camp is absolutely unacceptable,” said MSF’s head of mission in Bangladesh, Paul Critchley.

“This vulnerable population has fled persecution and discrimination in Myanmar [Burma], only to be left unrecognized and unassisted in Bangladesh.”

In June, Thailand and Bangladesh pledged to help aid the repatriation of Rohingya back to Burma, where they have long suffered persecution at the hands of a government who don’t officially recognize them.

Their plight hit the headlines in January this year when around 1000 Rohingya refugees landed ashore in Thailand, only to towed back out to sea by Thai authorities. Around 550 were thought to have died.

The Burmese government has been reluctant to grant repatriation to Rohingya who had fled the country’s western Arakan state, claiming they would have to prove they came from Burma in the first place.

This would be almost impossible, however, given that Rohingya in Burma are denied legal status.

Reporting by Francis Wade

READ MORE---> Bangladeshi police attack Rohingya camp...

Rohingya boat-person dies in Ranong jail

Bangkok, Thailand (Kaladan): A Rohingya, who was among the boat-people died in Ranong jail on June 30 from diarrhea. He was one of the 78 boat-people arrested by Thai authorities while on their way to Malaysia, according to a Rohingya boatpeople watch group.

Rohingya in Ranong Jail

Abdu Salam (21), son of Abu Sofian, hailing from Maung Gri Taung (Sarb Bazar) in Buthidaung Township under Arakan State, died of diarrhea in Ranong jail, the group said.

He was suffering from diarrhea since June 25, and died on June 30, at about 7:30 pm in the immigration office while on the way to a hospital for treatment. Subsequently, his body was sent to the nearby hospital for autopsy. The body was handed over to a nearby mosque for burial by the police, the group further added.

Abdu Salam was buried at the Muslim cemetery on July 2, at around 10 am after his father Abu Sofian’s arrived. His father lives in Maesot in Thailand. The body was put in an ice box till his father’s arrival.

Rohingya Boat people are taking to the police station of Ranong

The 69 Rohingya and 9 Bangladeshis - 66 men and 12 male teenagers - were intercepted on January 27, 2009 by the Thai Navy following an arduous journey across the Andaman Sea amidst claims of abuse by the Burmese Navy en route. A provincial court ordered each of the 66 men to pay a 1,000 Thai baht (about US$29) fine for illegal entry into the kingdom. Those unable to pay had no choice but to serve a five-day prison term on January 28, according to the website of The Nation newspaper.

The 12 teenagers, who were exempt from persecution, are being held at an immigration detention centre, but are expected to be deported with the men.

Rohingya boat people inculding children under custody of Ranong police

Thailand's Supreme Commander Gen. Songkitti Jaggabatara met Burma's Vice Chairman of the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) and Army Chief Deputy Senior General Muang Aye and discussed about the Rohingya problem, where Gen. Muang Aye accepted Thailand's request to help in the Rohingya issue even though the Rohingya ethnic group is not on the official list of 135 ethnic minorities in Burma, the website said.

The Burmese Foreign Minister told his Thai counterpart at the Asean summit in Thailand that his country might be willing to take back Rohingyas - but only if they were categorized as Bengalis who reside in Burma, not Burmese citizens.

The Rohingya who are in Thailand and Indonesia, refused to go back to Burma without their rights, demanding to be treated equally with other Burmese ethnic groups. Many therefore are languishing as refugees in other countries.

Later, however, the Bangladeshi people were sent back to their country at the initiative of the Bangladesh government.

At present, the 69 Rohingya boat-people are languishing in Ranong jail.

READ MORE---> Rohingya boat-person dies in Ranong jail...

Extensive farm lands confiscated in Maungdaw

Maungdaw, Arakan State (Kaladan): The concerned authorities, namely Nasaka or Burma’s border security force, confiscated more than 1,000 acres of farmland in Maungdaw Township on June 15, a local from Kyikanpyin village said.

The confiscated lands belong to Kyikanpyin village tract, he added.

The authorities did not mention the reason for the confiscation. During the monsoon season, the authorities offered to take lease of the farm lands from the Nasaka, in a bid to cultivate the lands during the season, a farmer from the village said.

However, none of the farmers agreed to lease their lands and the area was existing as a grass field.

On the other hand, the concerned authorities with the Land Survey Committee members measured the lands and erected posts with red flags and marked the boundary area in Shweza village tract, claiming it was for the new settlers, who would come from Burma proper. But, still the owners of the lands would be able to cultivate on those field, a village authority member said.

In Buthidaung Township, the authorities ordered the evacuation of 12 Rohingya villages of Wariyoung (Say Ohkya) village tract, last month for relocation of Natala villagers in that area, a school teacher from Buthidaung said.

Most of the villagers are farmers, after confiscation of their lands, the Rohingya become landless and jobless. Arakan State will turn into a place, where the Rohingya community will starve, because without their land, the Rohingya farmers will be compelled to cross the Burma-Bangladesh border. It is a very dangerous policy, which is followed by the junta authorities to wipe out the Rohingya community from Arakan soil, according to a politician from Arakan.

READ MORE---> Extensive farm lands confiscated in Maungdaw...

Rohingya youth murdered near Burma-Bangladesh border

Teknaf, Bangladesh (Kaladan): A Rohingya youth, who recently returned from Saudi Arabia, was murdered and his body found near a brick field of Lada yesterday, according to a source of the Teknaf Police.

Shahzan (33) son of Abdul Majed , returned from Holy Makkah of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on June 20 and was residing in the border area since he could not enter Burma for fear of arrest by the authorities, according to a refugee from Nayapara.

Shahzan met Kamal Shah, a registered refugee from Nayapara, who has a laundry shop in Lada Market near the unregistered Lada Camp and Bangladesh Riffles (BDR) camp. They became friends as Kamal was helping Shahzan to stay in the area, Kala Meah from Lada Market said.

Shahzan visited the Nayapara refugee camp frequently with Kamal Shah and stayed in his shed numbered 1020 and room number 6. With an introduction from Kamal Shah, Shahzan met Ali Ahmed, a local near the Nayapara camp and Kamal from Lada refugee camp. Shahzan kept his money with Ali Ahmed, according to a refugee, who did not want to disclose his identity.

On June 27, Shahzan drank alcohol and was wandering in the camp, when the security personnel arrested him and sent him to the Camp in Charge, where he was asked why and how he entered the camp. The Camp in Change handed him over to the Teknaf police station, but he was released on June 28 with the help of Ali Ahmed and Kamal Shah and stayed in Lada market in a teashop, said Anwar, who works in the Lada Market.

Ali Ahmed returned the money to Shahzan after he was released from the police station, Anwar added.

Yesterday, Shahzan’s body was found near a brick field and sent to Cox’s Bazaar for autopsy. Teknaf police have arrested Kamal Shah, Ali Ahmed and Kamal. However, the three persons are still in Teknaf police station and nobody knows who murdered Shahzan. The police are investigating the case, an aide of the police said.

Rohingya people, who work in Saudi Arabia, are mostly the victims of robbery, fraud and loot, when they return. They either lose their money or their lives as they cannot enter Burma, for fear of being arrested, a Rohingya elder, who stays in the refugee camp, said.

“Some go to Burma secretly to see their family, some come safely and some lose their money and their property while others are arrested,” he added.

READ MORE---> Rohingya youth murdered near Burma-Bangladesh border...

Push-Back of Muslims to Burma Continues

Cox’sbazar (Narinjara): While the Bangladesh government is keen to repatriate Muslim refugees to Burma from Bangladesh, the number of Muslims entering the country illegally from Burma is reportedly continuing by the day.

Because of the continued increase, Bangladesh border forces have had to continually push back many Muslims from Burma repeatedly after arresting them on the border.

According to a local source, over 1,000 Muslims from Burma were pushed back to their homes in Arakan by Bangladesh authorities in the last two months.

Even though there is a high risk that they'll be caught and returned, Rohingya people from Burma continue to enter Bangladesh by crossing the Naff River.

Yesterday, Bangladesh Rifles at Teknaf pushed back 28 Burmese Muslims to Burma after arresting them.

According to a local source, the group included seven men, 11 women, and ten children.

They were held by Bangladesh border security at Shah Parir Dwip in Teknaf Town after they attempted to enter Bangladesh without authorization by crossing the Naff River.

Deputy Commander of 42 Rifles Battalion Major Shahinur Rahman also confirmed the incident.

Maung Tha Aye, who is a social activist on the border, said that the plan for repatriation would be good if it were possible, but it is not currently possible at present because there are many human rights violations being committed in Arakan State by the Burmese military authorities. The Bangladesh government needs to address the root causes of the migration into Bangladesh in order to solve the problem, he added.

READ MORE---> Push-Back of Muslims to Burma Continues...

BDR Deploys Additional Troops After Flag Meeting

Cox’sbazar (narinjara): Additional Bangladesh Rifles troops have been deployed by Bangladesh authorities in southernBangladesh near the Burmese border to deal with undocumented Muslim migrants crossing the borderfrom Burma, according to a report from a Bangladesh official.

The plan was carried out by BDR after a commander-level flag meeting with Burma that was held in Cox's Bazar on 22 June, 2009.

In the meeting, the delegations from both countries agreed to stop the Muslim influx from Burma into Bangladesh.

However, Burmese border security forces, Nasaka, have yet to take any action honoring their agreement to stop Muslims fleeing Burma.

BDR has also deployed 100 BDR personnel brought from BDR sector headquarters in Chittagong, the second largest city in Bangladesh.

The BDR official said that the additional deployment was to help deal with Muslims crossing over fromBurma, reported sources within BDR.

The BDR source said, "The Bangladesh Rifles has strengthened its patrol along the frontier under Naikhongchhari Township in Bandarban District in southern Chittagong Hill Tracts to check the increasing trend of Muslim migration and cross-border smuggling [from Burma]."

BDR Regiment No. 15 has set up two more camps at Baishari and Baidherkhil of Ghundhum Union Council under the sub-district on Wednesday to ensure strict vigilance to stop the continued trespass of Burmese Muslim into Bangladesh and cross-border smuggling, he added.

BDR has taken steps after observing the continued cross-border smuggling, infiltration of Muslims from Burma, and the building of a barbed-wire border fence by Nasaka in contravention of international frontier norms, said a Bangladesh official from the border.

However, he also added that the border situation between Burma and Bangladesh is now considered normal.

READ MORE---> BDR Deploys Additional Troops After Flag Meeting...

Over 50 Rohingya pushed back to Burma

Teknaf, Bangladesh (KPN): More than 50 Rohingya were pushed back to Burma this week by Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), according to a BDR source from Teknaf.

On Friday, 40 Rohingya ethnic minorities from Burma travelling in two boats were arrested by BDR on Sharpurdip in the morning. They were detained till noon and the men were beaten up. On receiving information, local people from the village went to the spot and requested the BDR personnel to release the Rohingya and send them back to their home land, said Sanmeah from Sharpurdip.

On Sunday, 12 Rohingya were arrested at the Whykong check post while they were proceeding to Chittagong or Cox’s Bazaar for treatment and other purposes. They were unable to process legal papers in Burma given their financial situation and came following an understanding with the Burmese border security forces (Nasaka). The BDR personnel pushed back them in the evening to Burma.

On Thursday, five Rohingya were arrested by the police in Lama in the Bandarban Hill district when they crossed the border. But, there is no information about them being pushed back, said an elder from Lama.

In Burma, the Rohingya community is discriminated against by the ruling junta. The Rohingya try to escape harassment by the authorities. They give money to cross the border from the Nasaka outpost where they pay 7000 kyats per head. This is how they illegally enter Bangladesh. The BDR arrest Rohingya while crossing the border, riding buses on the highway enroute to Teknaf-Cox’s Bazaar, and at the check post. Then the BDR personnel push them back to Burma, said a student who comes to Bangladesh for treatment.

If any Rohingya wishes to cross the border legally, he or she must get a border pass which costs 35,000 kyats, pay 7000 kyats for boat fare and 200 Taka in Teknaf for stamping papers in the entry point. So, the Rohingya are unable to process the border pass, said a trader from Maungdaw who always comes to Bangladesh for business purposes.

READ MORE---> Over 50 Rohingya pushed back to Burma...

21 Arakanese Protesters Released from Bangladesh Custody

Dhaka (Narinjara): 21 Arakanese protesters were released from Bangladesh police custody yesterday after ten hours in the police lockup, said Ko Aung Naing, one of the detained protesters.

"Police released us at 8:30 pm and we arrived at home safely around midnight yesterday," he said.

The group was arrested by Bangladesh police in front of the Indian embassy in Dhaka while they were staging a protest against the Indian government for the illegal detention of 34 Arakanese and Karen freedom fighters.

"We were staging a demonstration in front of the Indian embassy in Dhaka at 11 am, shouting slogans against the Indian government. At that time, the Bangladesh police came to the spot and arrested us. Afterward the police detained us at Gulsan police station," Aung Naing said.

The protesters arrested were primarily UNHCR recognized refugees, including children and monks, so it is believe the police released them without charges to avoid any potential international criticism.

According to a police source, they were arrested after the Indian embassy lodged a complaint with police and requested their arrest. (JEG's: can they do that? police follows "requests" for arrest? Is it legal to protest in B'desh? obviously diplomatic cooperation was enforced here)

June 22 was a global day of action for the 34 Arakanese and Karen freedom fighters, and many Burmese in exile staged protests to demand their release in at least 20 countries, including Thailand, India, Bangladesh, and Britain.

In February 1998, members of the Arakan Army and Karen liberation army led by Major Khaing Raza went to an Indian island in the Andaman Archipelago to set up a new naval base in accordance with an agreement with the Indian army to watch Chinese military activities in the Andaman Sea.

When they arrived at the island, Indian soldiers killed Bo Raza and five other senior leaders in the group in cold blood. The 34 freedom fighters were arrested and have been in custody since then. They are currently being detained in a prison in Kolkata.

READ MORE---> 21 Arakanese Protesters Released from Bangladesh Custody...

21 Protesters Arrested in Dhaka

(Narinjara) -21 Arakanese protesters were arrested by Bangladesh police today in Dhaka while they were staging a demonstration for the 34 Arakanese and Karen freedom fighters who have been detained by the Indian government since 1998.

Ko Kan Myint, who led the protest, said, "We are now at Gulshan police station in Dhaka and the police authorities are asking us about the protest. Some of our leaders are explaining to the police officer about the protest. I don't know what will be happening in the near future."

Today is a global action day for the 34 Arakanese and Karen freedom fighters, and many Burmese in exile are staging protests in at least 20 countries, including Thailand, India, Bangladesh, Japan, and Britain, to demand their release.

The 21 protesters, including monks and women, staged a protest against the Indian government outside of the Indian embassy in Dhaka at 9:30 am, by gathering and shouting slogans.

Within a short time a police team came to the area and picked them up in vehicles, later bringing them to the Gulshan police station.

"Our 34 freedom fighters were arrested in 1998 but their trial has not finished yet. We all Burmese people are unable to tolerate such manner of the Indian government. So we staged a demonstration against the Indian government at its embassy in Dhaka. We also demanded the Indian government release them as soon as possible," the protest leader added.

In February 1998, members of the Arakan Army and Karen liberation army led by Major Khaing Raza went to an Indian Island in the Andaman Archipelago to set up a new navy base in accordance with an agreement with the Indian army to watch Chinese military activities in the Andaman Sea.

When they arrived at the island, Indian soldiers killed Bo Raza and five other senior leaders in the group in cold blood.

The 34 freedom fighters were arrested and have been in custody since then. They are currently being detained in a prison in Kolkata.

READ MORE---> 21 Protesters Arrested in Dhaka...

Arakanese Urban Refugees Protest UNHCR in Bangladesh

By Takaloo, Cox’s bazar (Narinjara): Arakanese urban refugees taking shelter in Bangladesh staged a protest on Sunday outside the UNHCR office in southern Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar, for alleged discrimination and neglect against the refugees.

"We are now in great trouble because the UNHCR has stopped not only our subsistence allowances but also assistance for medical treatment and children's education," said Phoe Hla, an urban refugee.

He added that the urban refugees were being discriminated against particularly in relation to resettlement in third countries, but were also facing neglect of aid by the UNHCR.

More than 200 Arakanese democracy activists who fled persecution by the Burmese military regime are recognized as refugees by the UNHCR in Bangladesh, according to the community. The UNHCR office in Dhaka was unavailable for comment on the issue.

"I am not able to send my only child to school because the UNHCR has halved the monthly educational assistance of 1200 taka for her," said Ma Fru Chay, a widow refugee with one daughter. 1200 taka equals approximately 17.65 US dollars.

She added that she has had great difficulty maintaining food and shelter due to the reduction in UNHCR assistance.

Most refugee parents have been unable to send their children to school since the UNHCR stopped their monthly subsistence allowances. The allowances were cut after they implemented a self-reliance business project that involved an average lump sum payment of 15,000 taka, or 220 USD, for each head of the family, say the refugees.

They said that the self-reliance projects failed shortly after implementation due to local competition and discrimination against Burmese.

"The UNHCR never listens to what the refugees have to say. It operates according to its plans and targets without practical assessment of the refugees' situations," said Khaing Pray Thein, another refugee.

He added that, "There is a great communication gap between the UNHCR and refugees. The UNHCR never tries to protect the vulnerability of refugees who are struggling for their livelihoods in remote rural areas. It usually delays its response or action on cases regarding health and protection, even though they receive adequate notice from the refugees."

According to the refugees, one UNHCR recognized urban refugee named Min Wa died in custody in Chittagong jail last year, after the UNHCR failed to step in and protect him according to their role.

Most of the refugees would prefer to be resettled in a third country so they can rebuild their lives, because they can not return to their homes and find it increasingly difficult to lead their daily lives in Bangladesh.

"The UNHCR should open resettlement for us. It should consider how we have to risk for our livelihoods here. We are badly suffering in every aspect of our lives. We have nothing except the hope of resettling in a country, where our rights are regarded and secured, for rebuilding our future," said one refugee.

They added that some western countries have shown their sympathy in offering resettlement for the urban refugees, but the UNHCR has rejected their offers on the grounds of preventing the exodus of more Arakanese refugees from Burma.

"More than 50 Arakanese had fled persecution after the Burmese junta cracked down on the Saffron Revolution protests in September 2007, and they have sought asylum here, but most have been rejected by the UNHCR on the claim that they do not meet the refugee status determination criteria," said U Khaemida, a Buddhist monk who has recently been registered as an urban refugee.

He said that newly recognized refugees and asylum-seekers are suffering difficulty due to the lack of UNHCR assistance.

"Short-cut solutions of the UNHCR have worsened the plight of urban refugees," he said.

READ MORE---> Arakanese Urban Refugees Protest UNHCR in Bangladesh...

Surprise check on monks’ office in Bangladesh

by Nyein Chan

Dhaka (Mizzima) – Police in Cox’s Bazaar, Bangladesh raided the International Monks’ Organization office here today.

DSP Inspector Arlanky along with two policemen arrived in the office at about 4 p.m. and interrogated the monks in the office for about an hour.

Sayadaw (abbot) U Kay Meinda told Mizzima that they answered the questions the police officer asked. They said that they formed the monks’ organization in 2007. The monks who took part in the Saffron Revolution joined the Ne Pyi Ththis organization based in the US which has branches in other countries. It is working for the restoration of democracy in Burma through non-violent means.

“Our organization stages protest demonstrations frequently on the Burma issue. We staged a demonstration yesterday on Daw Aung Suu Kyi’s 64th birthday. I think the police were investigating because of this,” Sayadaw added.

The police asked if the computer being used in the office is registered with the Bangladesh government. They also wanted to know how and where the office procures establishment costs, Pyi Thein, the person in-charge of the office, told Mizzima.

After the brutal and violent crackdown against the monk-led peaceful demonstration in 2007, the monks who took part in it fled to neigbouring countries after which they formed the International Monks’ Organization.

READ MORE---> Surprise check on monks’ office in Bangladesh...

Bangladeshie's diplomatic ties with Burmese junta

More diplomatic support for
the Than Shwe's
less humane government

I wonder if Bangladesh and India governments realise how low they are selling themselves with Human Rights, people whatever race or difficulties they face deserve to be treated with dignity... putting pressure on the victims is too far from a solution, the demands for the solution should be placed on the Than Shwe dictatorship.

My thanks to Kaladan Press for this report.

Bangladesh Authorities Destroyed Unregistered Refugee Camp at Kutupalong 18 Jun09

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Htoo Company Smuggles Teak to Bangladesh

Maungdaw (Narinjara): Htoo Company, owned by Burmese tycoon U Te Za, has been illegally exporting teak from western Burma to Bangladesh since the company got permission to harvest teak in western Burma, said a source close to the company.

The source said Htoo Company has, since last year, produced a huge amount of teak from the Mayu Range alongside the motor road connecting Buthidaung and Maungdaw Townships in western Burma.

The teak has been stockpiled by the company at Nwa Ron Daung Village in Maungdaw Township, which is located alongside a creek that flows into the Naff River. The Naff River forms the boundary between Burma and Bangladesh.

As the military junta has plans to cultivate rubber plants in the area, particularly in the Mayu Range, the government gave permission to the Htoo Company to clear-cut teak in the area.

A local elder said, "Most of the teak in the area was cultivated over 50 years ago, some before Burma gained independence. It was once the biggest forest in Arakan State."

Even though the company had permission to take teak from the area, there is no market for teak exports except in Bangladesh. The company has been smuggling teak to Bangladesh with the help of two local companies.

A businessman said, "Two business companies from Maungdaw got sub-contracts from the Htoo Company to produce teak from the area. One company is owned by Aung Myint Thein and the other is Myint Brother Ltd."

The two companies have been exporting teak to Bangladesh illegally through the Nwa Ron Daung Jetty, with teak being taken across the Naff River to Bangladesh every night in motor boats.

Maungdaw district authorities and Nasaka officials have remained silent on the issue and have failed to take action, despite the significant amount of teak that is being smuggled to Bangladesh, because the company is owned by Te Za, son-in-law of junta supremo Senior General Than Shwe.

According to a witness, large amounts of teak are being piled up alongside the Maungdaw-Buthidaung motor road after being cut from the area.

A government clerk in Maungdaw told Narinjara over the phone that he estimates that there was nearly 10,000 acres of forest where only the teak trees grew. Now the forest has been clear-cut and most of the teak has been taken by the company.

According to a local source, some timber companies in Bangladesh are working with the Htoo Company to smuggle the teak to Bangladesh through the Bondaw trade zone in Teknaf Township.

READ MORE---> Htoo Company Smuggles Teak to Bangladesh...

Human trafficking in Burma ‘a major problem’

(DVB)–Human trafficking within Burma remains “significant”, whilst trafficking of young women into forced labour and commercial sexual exploitation is a “major problem”, according to a US state department report.

The Trafficking in Persons report cited statistics released by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) that estimate that at least 12.3 million people worldwide are in forced labour, bonded labour or commercial sexual exploitation.

Many Burmese women and children are being trafficked to Thailand, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, South Korea, China and Malaysia, the latter two often for forced marriage.

Within Burma, however, the problem was “significant”. Trafficking of girls for the purpose of prostitution “persisted as a major problem, particularly in urban areas”, and was seen to drive Burma’s reputation as “a destination country for child sex tourism”.

The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton described the phenomenon as “modern slavery” that “weakens legitimate economies, fuels violence, threatens public health and safety, shatters families, and shreds the social fabric that is necessary for progress.”

The report also highlighted the ongoing phenomenon of forced recruitment of children into armed ethnic groups and the Burmese army, the latter largely as a result of increasing cases of desertion of adult soldiers.

The recruitment of child soldiers is often seen as a means of maintaining the Burmese army’s troop levels, with children often bearing the brunt of its frequent recruitment drives.

“The military junta’s gross economic mismanagement, human rights abuses, and its continued widespread use of forced labor are among the top causal factors for Burma’s significant trafficking problem,” the report said.

Complainants of forced labour are ostensibly protected under the ‘supplementary understanding’ agreement the ILO has with the Burmese government, although in 15 of the 152 cases reported to the ILO since 1997, the organization has received information alleging harassment or reprisals by government authorities.

Earlier this month the ILO called a revision of a clause in the Burmese constitution that justified use of forced labour “in duties assigned by the Union in accord with the law in the interest of the public”.

In 2002 Human Rights Watch named the Burmese government as the world’s leading recruiter of child soldiers.

The US report did note however that the regime had made “significant efforts” with regards to tackling commercial sexual exploitation, although overall the government “is not making significant efforts to comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking”.

Reporting by Francis Wade

READ MORE---> Human trafficking in Burma ‘a major problem’...

Myanmar imposes condition to repatriate Rohingyas from Bangladesh Read more: http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/southasia/news/article_1482936.ph

Dhaka (M&C)- Yangon on Thursday said it would consider the repatriation of Rohingya refugees from Bangladeshi camps if Dhaka provided proof that the migrants were Myanmar nationals.

'We will think of rehabilitating them if Bangladesh provides strong evidence that they are citizens of Myanmar,' Phae Thann Oo, the Myanmar ambassador in Dhaka said concerning the Rohinjyas, a Muslim minority from Myanmar's Rakhaine state.

Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Dipu Moni who also attended the discussion said that repatriation of Rohingya refugees was a 'three- decade-old crisis' and an attempt was made to solve the problem through diplomatic channels in late 1970s.

An agreement between Bangladesh and Myanmar was signed to this effect on July 9, 1978 after the first influx of Myanmar nationals into Bangladesh, she said.

During her visit to Myanmar in May, Dipu Moni requested Yangon to resume repatriation of the Rohingyas from Bangladeshi camps.

The junta government has suggested neighbouring Bangladesh send a list to help resume the process stalled for more than five years.

The minister said after the second influx in 1991-92 of some 300,000 Rohingyas into Bangladesh, the government repatriated 236,600 of them with the help of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees.

She added that there has been no progress over the last few years in the repatriation of some 22,000 refugees living in two camps near the city of Teknaf and the city of Cox's Bazar in the country's south-east.

In addition to this, a large number of Myanmar refugees are living outside the camps illegally, she said, stating that estimates of their number range from 200,000 to 400,000.

'In the spirit of good neighbourly relations, Myanmar should take the refugees back after creating a congenial atmosphere so that once the refugees are repatriated, they will be encouraged to stay on in their country,' the minister said.

READ MORE---> Myanmar imposes condition to repatriate Rohingyas from Bangladesh Read more: http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/southasia/news/article_1482936.ph...