January 14-20, 2015

Violence flares in Maungdaw, demands for transparency

Private media

Myanmar Times – “Violence flares in Maungdaw.” 17 January, 2014

• Reports have emerged of a new wave of violence against the Rohingya Muslim community.
• The government has put forward a statement that insists that they do not believe a significant outbreak of violence had occurred. 
• According to the Burmese Rohingya Association, a UK group, police entered the home of a Rohingya family and proceeded to extort bribes. The police then, allegedly, sexually assaulted and murdered the mother. However, some reports only include the demand for payments, and no murder. 
• The situation escalated, and the residents fought back. Eventually police and military personnel arrived on the scene and began firing into the crowd. Seven Rohingya were killed.
• In the days after the incident, ethnic Rakhine, allegedly, looted and burned the home of Rohingya in the village.
• The Arakan Project, an advocacy group, claims that bodies of Rohingya women and children were found dismembered just outside the village. 
• However, presidential spokesperson, Ye Htut, claims that the Ministry of Home Affairs reported that no violence broke out.
• The US embassy in Yangon issued a statement saying it was very concerned with the new violence in Maungdaw, especially the use of force by security personnel. 
• The conflicting reports highlight the “lack of access for media to verify reports coming from the state”. 

The Irrawaddy – “Buddhist mob, police raid Rohingya village, many left dead: rights group.” 17 January, 2014

• Arakanese Buddhist villagers and government security forces attacked a Rohingya Muslim village in Maungdaw Township in Arakan State. Upwards of a dozen people have died, including women and children.
• The Arakan Project, a Thailand-based Rohingya rights group says that police came to the village, entered the homes of Rohingya and confiscated phones and such. As the police entered houses, angry Rohingya gathered and eventually attacked the police. Many then fled for in fear of arrest.
• Police then returned the next morning with soldiers and some Arakan Buddhist villagers, they allegedly proceeded to loot the village and attack the women and children. Perhaps a dozen were killed. 
• The organization stated that reports are emerging of cases of rape along with the murders. The numbers of those deceased range from 10 to 60 for the time being.
• Ye Htut denied the reports of the Rohingya killings. 
• Arakan State spokesperson, Win Myaing, claims that about 80 Muslim villagers “attacked” policemen and an officer had then gone missing. 
• About 50 Rohingya villagers have been arrested in relation to the unrest.
• All that is known for sure is that many people are missing. 

“Calls for transparency after reports of violence in Arakan state.” 20 January, 2014

• Since the Burma government has denied reports of any murders of Rohingya Muslims last week, more and more are demanding a full investigation into what took place in Arakan State.
• The NGO, the Arakan Project, received numerous reports that upwards of dozens of Rohingya Muslims were killed by security forces and Arakan Buddhists. However, the official media and the Ministry of Information have strongly denied the reports.
• Rohingya villagers have still not been allowed back into the village to confirm whether missing loved ones are dead or alive.
• One member of the Parliament for Buthidaung Township in Arakan State, said he received five photos of dead people. He is working to confirm their authenticity.
• Another individual, a member of the Union National Development Party, said he has a list of 24 people killed. He is asking that the authorities investigate their findings in a transparent way.
• UN Special Rapporteur, Tomas Quintana is urging the government to clarify what has happened. He states: “If deaths and injuries have occurred, the Myanmar Government must, under international law, conduct a prompt, effective and impartial investigation and hold the perpetrators of any human rights violations to account.
• Quintana said that he has received reports of Rohingya Muslims being killed and injured as well as a security official being killed.
• He continues by stating: “Given the previous concerns I have raised about torture and ill-treatment of persons in detention in Maungdaw, I urge the authorities to provide access to independent monitoring groups to assess the treatment of those being detained.”

Rohingya

Myanmar Times “Indonesian court jails another over embassy bomb plot.” 14 January, 2014

• Indonesian court has sentenced Islamic extremist to six years in jail for conspiring to attack the Myanmar embassy in Jakarta.
• Rokhadi was found guilty of conspiring to bomb the embassy, as well as owning explosive that would have been used to complete the plot.
• He kept nine pipe bombs in his house for three days before passing them on to another member of the group, Achmad Taufiq, who was sentenced to seven and a half years in jail.
• Rokhadi also attended a bomb-assembling class with other members of the group. 
• The motivation behind the bomb plot was to avenge the killing of Rohingya Muslims in Burma.

“Rohingya not up for discussion at ASEAN talks.” 18 January, 2014.

• “The Myanmar government has stated that it is unwilling to discuss the ongoing plight of the Rohingya people at Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meetings as it takes over Chairmanship of the regional group.”
• Ye Htut emphasized that the government does not recognize the term “Rohingya”. He insists that this issue is internal in its nature, therefore implying that it does not concern the others involved at the ASEAN meetings.
• Classifying this issue as strictly internal is difficult due to the many migrant Rohingya who have either fled the country or have been trafficked through to Thailand or other third countries.

The Irrawaddy “Monks conference backs bill to restrict interfaith marriage, Rohingya voting.” 16 January, 2014.

• Thousands of Buddhist monks gathered at a conference in order to gather more signatures in support of a proposed law to ban interfaith marriages between Buddhist women and men of other faiths. The signature will then be submitted to Parliament. 
• The monks also stated they would support legislation that would restrict the rights of Rohingya Muslims to form political parties or vote.
• More than 10, 000 monks attended the conference.
• The law would require women to get permission from their parents and the local government before marrying a man of any other faith. Any non-Buddhist man wishing to marry a Buddhist woman would have to convert to Buddhism.
• The National Democratic Front (NDF) is helping them draft the law.
• Some say about 4 million signatures have been collected. 

Political Prisoners

Myanmar Times “Despite amnesty, political prisoners remain.” 17 January, 2014.

• Activists and farmers involved in land disputes remain in prison, even though the government has claimed it has released all political prisoners.
• Many farmers have been jailed for plowing land that had been confiscated from them. 
• Activists who were working for the farmers, as well as famers themselves were jailed as a result of these “plough battles”, and they still remain in jail.
• Ko Aung Myo Kaw from the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), said that the “group considers activists and farmers jailed in relation to land disputes political prisoners”.
• Ko Thein Aung Myint of the Movement for Democracy Current Force said that his organization is working to help jailed farmers. 

Army’s use of rape as a weapon of war

The Irrawaddy “Burma army still uses rape as a weapon of war: women’s group.” 15 January, 2014

• “A women’s group says that Burma’s military is still using rape as a weapon of war, with more than 100 women and girls raped by the army since a 2010 election brought about a nominally civilian government that has pursued rapprochement with the West.”
• Thailand-based Women’s League of Burma said that 47 of the documented cases were gang rapes, and 28 of the women were either killed or had died from their injuries. Several victims were as young as eight.
• Burma’s government has denied the use of rape as a weapon of war.
• The US State Department is urging Burma to investigate all the allegations.
• Women’s groups maintain that the attacks were “more than random isolated acts by rogue soldiers”. 
• They insist these attacks are widespread and systematic in nature, indicating that rape is still used as an instrument of war.

Ceasefire delayed 

“Latest nationwide ceasefire talks delayed once again.” 15 January, 2014

• Meeting between negotiators from Burma’s armed ethnic groups and the government has been postponed for a second time. 
• Ethnic groups said they needed more time to co-ordinate and the talks would take place this month.
• However, both sides agreed to move the meeting till February in order to take more time to review the draft.