Sunday, February 3, 2013

Asean must address Rohingya issue on humanitarian grounds, Surin insists


The Nation
February 4, 2013
The Rohingya immigrant issue is an internal affair of Myanmar, which Asean members should address on humanitarian grounds, former Association of Southeast Asian Nations secretary-general Surin Pitsuwan said yesterday. 
At the root of the problem is the fact that Myanmar's constitution and internal laws do not recognise the Rohingya as citizens, he said. Other groups in Myanmar don't accept the Rohingya, who are based mainly in Rakhine and number about 800,000 in all, he said, adding: "This has to be dealt with gradually, as Myanmar authorities are worried about intervention from the outside world."
"The United Nations has been working on the Rohingya issue, but has to be careful in dealing with it, and Asean needs to address it, especially on humanitarian grounds," he said.
Surin was speaking at a school in Nakhon Si Thammarat run and sponsored by the Pitsuwan family. HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn made a private visit to the Ban Tal pondok school. Surin said the princess had sponsored 14 such schools in the South, including those located in the upper part of the region, where subjects were taught in Thai.
Meanwhile, another 145 Rohingya aboard a Malaysia-bound boat entered Thai waters off the Trang coast yesterday, before they were provided with fresh water and supplies and had their vessel towed out of Thai waters. Two of them are women and there were two children on board.
Marine Police said no arrests were made, because of insufficient shelter that would be needed to house them afterwards. The food supplies provided by the Red Cross included canned fish, omelettes and medical assistance were not provided despite many of them being exhausted and starving, after their fresh water and supplies run out two days ago.
Reporters complained about not being allowed to follow a police boat to cover the provision of supplies. Marine Police claimed that their presence would cause panic among the Rohingya.

Director General of ARU, Dr. Wakar Uddin, meets with Deputy Prime Minister of Pakistan, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi

Director General of Arakan Rohingya Union, Dr. Wakar Uddin, and Deputy Prime Minister of Pakistan, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi
RB News
February 3, 2013

The Director General of Arakan Rohingya Union, Prof. Dr. Wakar Uddin, met with Deputy Prime Minister of Pakistan, Honorable Chaudhary Pervaiz Elahi, and discussed a wide range of political, human right, and humanitarian issues facing Rohingya ethnic minority in Arakan state in Burma/Myanmar. 
Dr. Uddin provided detailed accounts of the recent violence by Buddhist Rakhine against Rohingya ethnic minority in several areas in Arakan, and current status on these issues. Dr. Uddin explained the humanitarian crisis faced by over 120,000 Rohingya IDPs (internally displaced persons) in various camps in Arakan, ranging from health issues, food/water crisis, lack of protection for women in camps, and various problems faced by Rohingya families in many villages. 
“There is ample aid and support for the victims from international communities; however, the aid groups can not get access to all areas for various number of reasons” Dr. Uddin said. “We appeal to Myanmar Government to give the international community free access to all the affected areas, and security for the international teams must be provided by Myanmar Government” Dr. Uddin added. 
Answering questions from the Deputy Prime Minister about the root cause of the problem, Dr. Uddin explained multiple causes ranging from historical perspective, emerging Rakhine racist ideology, to longstanding and contemporary government policies against Rohingya ethnic minority in Arakan. Dr. Uddin also provided details of the mission of Arakan Rohingya Union, and the advances it has made since its formation under the auspices of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in 2011. 
The Deputy Prime Minister told the Director General that his team in Pakistan is well aware of ARU’s diplomatic activities at OIC, United Nations, and in various countries in Europe, Asia, United States, and Canada. The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized the importance of diplomacy and encouraged the Director General to continue ARU’s diplomatic efforts to find a peaceful resolution for Rohingya people in Arakan. The Deputy Prime Minister assured Dr. Uddin that the people of Pakistan will continue to stand by the Rohingyas in their quest for reclaiming their rights in their homeland.