Rohingya

Introduction of Rohingya:

The Arakan State in Burma, bordering Bangladesh, is inhabited by two ethnic sister com-munities, the Rakhine Buddhist and the Rohingya Muslim. The Rakhine Buddhists are the majority group while the Rohingya Muslims are minority group. The Rohingyas numbering approximately 2 million are enduring continued persecution and the ethnic cleansing policy of military regime in Burma. Also about 1.5 million Rohingyas have been living in exile in many countries all over the world.

The Rohingyas in Burma continue to suffer from several forms of restrictions and human rights violations. The Rohingyas freedom of movement is severely restricted and right to education is harshly deprived. They are also subjected to various forms of extortion and arbitrary taxation; land confiscation, forced eviction and house destruction and restrictions on marriage.

Arakan was neither a part of Burma nor Bangladesh, it was a separated region until by the invasion of Burmese king Bowdawpaya in 1784. The last dynasty of Arakan ruled from 15th to 18th century and was highly influenced by Muslim culture. The basis of Muslim religious faith, the kalima was inscribed on all of the coins. Rohingya Muslims are natives of that region of Burma mentioned in 1799 fifth volume of Asiatic Researches. The colonial British census records in 1825 A.D show one Muslim for every two Buddhists in Arakan. All of Burma's constitution and citizenship acts provide indigenous status to all people who were permanently residing in Arakan or in the Union of Bur-ma before 1825. 

The above mentioned Muslims prior 1825 were counted as one of the lawfully indigenous races of Burma. But, today the military regime is accusing all Rohingyas to be Bangladeshi illegal immigrants effectively denying them Burmese citizenship.

According to the Burmese Constitutions of 1947 and 1974 and the 1948 Citizenship Acts, Rohingyas are Burmese citizens. Rohingyas enjoyed public employment and obtained Burmese Passport. The Rohingyas got the rights to elect and to be elected in all levels of administrative institutions including parliament. School textbooks identified the Rohingya as one of the nation’s 143 ethnic groups and from 1961 to 1965, the Burmese Broadcasting Service even had a Rohingya-language program.

The general election for the Constituent Assembly was held in Arakan in 1947. From the holding of the elections until the 1962 military takeover, three parliamentary general elections were held for both houses of Parliament in 1951, 1956, and 1960 respectively. In the 1951 general elections Rohingyas won 5 seats, four in the Lower House, and one in the Upper House. The Rohingyas had no political Party of their own. They stood either as independents or as supporters of AFPFL. In 1956 and in the 1960 general elections Rohingya retained all their five seats of north Arakan. A number of Rohingya were democratically elected to Burma’s parliament and many held high-level government positions.

In the 1990 general elections the Rohingyas were able to vote and were allowed to stand as candidates, a right normally denied to non-citizens. The National Democratic Party for Human Rights (NDPHR), a Rohingya political Party, won four seats, capturing all the constituencies in Buthidaung and Maungdaw. Subsequently, the NDPHR, like many other political parties that won seats in the 1990 elections, was deregistered by the military regime in March 1992. From the latest general election of 2010, four Rohingya MPs are elected and representing in parliaments.

Denial of Citizenship:

The Rohingyas of Burma are vulnerable as they have no legal status in their homeland and considered non-citizens. The plight of the Rohingyas demonstrates how people without citizenship rights in their own country can be forced out and become refugees. The Burma Citizenship Law of 1982 has reduced the Rohingyas to the status of State-less people. Although the 1982 Citizenship law is also discriminatory towards the vast majority of the Indian and Chinese populations of Burma, as the promulgation of this law took place soon after the exodus of Rohingyas refugees into Bangladesh in 1978.

Once the refugees had been repatriated, this law was specifically designed effectively to deny Rohingyas the right to a nationality. The 1982 Citizenship law has had the effect of rendering the vast majority of Rohingyas ineligible to be Burma citizens. The law also makes no provision in relation to stateless persons. (i.e. Rohingyas).

The current 1982 Burma citizen-ship law unlike , the preceding 1948 Act, which conferred equal right on all citizens, creates three classes of citizen; full citizens, associate citizens and naturalized citizens (the Rohingya don'tare qualify into any of these three). The Rohingyas are not issued any new national identity cards which are is-sued to other citizens. The withholding of citizenship has become a mechanism for discrimination and persecution on the basis of ethnicity. ID cards are essential in all national activities. ID cards must be carried at all times and a card number has to be given when buying, or selling anything, staying overnight with friends or relatives outside your own council area, applying for any civil service and professional post and other daily activities.

Most of the National Registration cards (NRCs) issued to the Rohingyas during the parliamentary governments or before SLORC/SPDC regime have been confiscated by the authorities. The authorities had issued Temporary Registration Cards (TRCs) to some Rohingyas in Maungdaw and Buthidaung, locally known as “white cards” against their protest. This was nothing but a design to degrade their national status and put them in a state of uncertainty.

Restriction of Movement:

Rohingyas in Arakan State must routinely apply for permission to leave their village, even if it is just to go another nearby village. This has had serious repercussions on their livelihood and food security, as they are often unable to seek employment outside their village or trade goods and produce unless they have official permission and obtain a pass which they must pay for. Most Rohingyas cannot afford to pay on a regular basis for these permits. As two-third of the Rohingyas are poor day laborers, the restrictions on their movement also greatly affects their ability to find work in other villages or towns.

These restrictions prevent people from seeking work in other villages, trading, fishing or even attending a funeral of a relative or visiting a doctor. When Rohingyas want to travel to a village in the same township they must obtain a local travel pass at the VPDC. If they need to go further, for example to another township, they need to apply for a different kind of travel permit at the Immigration department at the Nasaka camp. It is almost impossible for Rohingyas of Maungdaw and Buthidaung to visit Sittwe, the capital city of Rakhine State (Arakan). If Rohingya from Sittwe manage to travel to north Rakhine State, it is extremely difficult for them to return to their homes in Sittwe. Rohingyas' inability to travel freely greatly inhibits their ability to earn a living, obtain proper health care, and to seek higher education.

The restrictions on the movement of Rohingyas are imposed on all Rohingyas because they are Rohingyas, not on members of other ethnic nationalities in Rakhine State. They have a severe negative impact on the lives of thousands of Rohingyas who have not committed any offence. Especially serious is the fact that these restrictions constitute, in addition, violations of other basic human rights for the Rohingyas including the right to work, and the right to an adequate standard of living.

Forced Labor:

North Arakan has turned into a militarized zone resulting in the increase of forced labor and other violations of human rights. The SPDC officials are extracting statements from the people that there is no forced Labor .The armed forces routinely confiscate property, cash, food and use coercive and abusive recruitment methods to procure porters. 

The Rohingyas have to build, withou wages, military establishments, roads, bridges, embankments, pagodas and ponds. The villagers have had to plough the farm land and grow various vegetables, to construct buildings of the camps, to carry woods from the forest to bake bricks, to clean up the camp compounds every day, and to repair the damaged roads and the streets nearby the camps. Since January 2nd, 2005, the villagers have also to pay sentry guards for Na Ka Pa along the rivers and seashores from 5pm to 6am every day. 

Forced labor demands from the authorities' place a large burden on the Rohingya population as it leaves them with not enough time to do their own work. Most of the times it is the poorest who must undertake forced labor, as people who can afford are able to pay a bribe to the authorities.

Land Confiscation, Forced Eviction and House Destruction:

The confiscation of land from the Rohingya population in Northern Rakhine state is related to the establishment of "model villages", the construction or expansion of Na Sa Ka, military and police camps and establishing plantations for security forces and also for new settlers. Recently the process of forced eviction had been intensified by the authorities. 

 A model village is usually built to house about 100 families. Each family receives four acres of land, a pair of oxen and house. These model villages have been built on land that was confiscated from the Rohingya population. Houses and health centers in the model villages are built by forced labour by the Rohingya. The majority of people in model villages do not cultivate the land allocated to them and instead rent it out to Rohingya farmers, in some cases the same people from whom the land was originally confiscated.

This deprives them of opportunities to sustain their livelihood as these are rice fields, shrimp farms grazing grounds for their cattle. The Rohingya population of nearby villages are often forced to build the houses and other facilities without pay. They have to provide the building materials as well.

The building and the extension of military camps mainly for the Na Sa Ka have also led to land confiscation. Moreover the Na Sa Ka has confiscated land for commercial purposes, mainly to establish shrimp farms but also rice fields for themselves. The Rohingya never receive compensation and are also forced to work on the same fields that were confiscated from them.  Recently the Rohingya population have been issued with expulsion orders and forced to dismantle their homes. They started with 40 houses and arrested the heads of eighteen families, some women, who protested and refused and sent them to jail. After the dismantling the families were not given any other place to go. These have forced the Rohingyas to become increasingly landless, internally displaced, to eventually starve them out to cross the border into Bangladesh.

Arbitrary Taxation and Extortion:

Rohingyas in northern Rakhine State are subjected to extortion and arbitrary taxation at the hands of the authorities. These vary from tax on collecting fire-wood and bamboo to fees for the registration of deaths and births in the family lists, on livestock and fruit-bearing trees, and even on football matches.

The authorities impose very high rates of taxation on the food grains and on various agricultural products of Rohingya including staple food, rice. In addition, shrimp tax, vegetable tax, animal or bird tax (for cows, buffalos, goats, and fowl), roof tax, house-building or repair taxes, etc, are collected by force. Every Rohingya who breeds either cattle or domestic livestock has to pay certain amount for each and every item they possess. Every new born or death of the above has to be reported paying a fee.

The Rohingyas have to pay taxes for everything, for cutting bam-boos or woods in the jungles, fishing in the rivers and breeding animals at homesteads from December 2002. The Rohingya villagers have to pay yearly a new tree tax of Kyat 2500 per betal-nut tree and kyat 5000 per coconut tree. Na Sa Ka authorities have appointed agents for every essential item and warned the Rohingya not to sell their products directly except through such agents. They are paid prices fixed by the Na Sa Ka, which is usually one-third of the market price. The sale of the cattle must also be registered and paid for. There have been several reports of Rohingyas being arrested and accused of breaking various regulations such as having been to Bangladesh or failing to pay their taxes.

Registration of Births and Deaths in Families:

All Rohingya households are obliged to report any changes to the family list to the authorities for the registration of births and deaths in families. Rohingyas are forced to pay fees to the VPDC or the Na Sa Ka. A Rohingya family has to pay kyats 1500 when a new child is born and Kyat 1000 when a member dies, to register it in their family list. Since mid 2002, Rohingya pregnant women have had to register themselves in person at the nearest Na Sa Ka camp, which may be some hours walk away from their village. Women were asked to show their faces and their abdomens.

Restrictions on Marriage of Rohingyas:

The authorities in Northern Rakhine State have forcefully introduced a regulation that the Rohingyas are required to ask for permission to get married. This restriction is only enforced on Muslims in this area and not any of the other ethnic minority groups living in the region. In fact, there are no written rules or procedures for the marriages of Rohingyas. All are verbal orders but they are to be followed with-out question. Non-compliance results in heavy punishment.

In recent years, imposition of restrictions on marriage of Rohingya couples has further intensified. The marriageable age is at 18 for girls and 20-25 for boys. Marriages need to be solemnized with the consent and sometimes, in the presence of the army officers. It is near impossible for the couples and their guardians to observe all the formalities which include medical tests, recommendations from various administrative departments and army commanders including Na Sa Ka border security forces and other law enforcing agencies and police.  

Since 2002, the authorities had begun to demand large amounts in taxes from Rohingyas who request for permission to get married. The authorities also appear to have limited the number of permissions given each year. People have had to wait for two to three years to get permission, even after paying large sums of money, and they had to go to the Na Sa Ka camp several times for it. In general, Rohingya couples must pay a substantial amount of money to the Na Sa Ka varying from 50,000 to 300,000 Kyats. Usually the bride and groom must each pay the same amount of money. After payment, permission is not always given. This restriction especially affects poor people, who are unable to obtain such large amounts of money. In some villages there have been no marriages at all during the last year because of this restriction.

There are also consistent reports of young couples fleeing to Bangladesh because this is the only way for them to get married. Once in Bangladesh it is very difficult for them to return, as their names have often been removed from their family list by the authorities.

Deprivation of Right to Education:

Since the new Burma Citizenship law in 1982, the Rohingya students are denied the right to education. It is problematic to pursue higher studies while professional courses are barred to them. Rohingya students who stood in selection tests and got formal admission in various institutions located in Rangoon and Burma proper are unable to pursue their studies as they are disallowed to travel. During recent years about 1500 students have to stop their further studies.

In October 2004, over 165 Rohingya University Students could not sit their supplementary examination as they were denied travel documents to go to Sittwe by the authorities.

Arbitrary arrest, torture and Extra-Judicial Killing:

While Arakan remained totally shut from outsiders, the Burmese authorities has been carrying out a relentless torture and killing campaign in Arakan particularly against the youths without putting anyone on trial. Over 100 innocent Rohingyas were killed in 2009 in different parts of Arakan. Hundreds of Rohingyas are put behind bars and are subjected to inhuman torture. They are also used as human shields and are forced at gun point to act as watchmen against any possible rebel attack. The inhuman forced labour treating the Rohingyas as human cattle is on the increase. They are subjected to severe beatings and random killings while pottering or engaged in other works.

The Rohingya elected representative in 1990 General Elections of the NO.1. Constituency of Buthidaung Township Arakan State, U Kyaw Min (a) Mr. Mohamed Shomshul Anwarul Hoque, 55, was arrested by the authorities for unknown reason. He is an executive committee member of National Democratic Party for Human Rights (NDPHR), which is only Rohingya political party with the winner seats in 1990 General Elections. He is also a member of Committee for Representatives Peoples Parliament (CRPP). He was picked up from his Rangoon home by the Burmese military agent on 17th March 2005. Special Police agent went to his house around midnight and told him to follow them for some questions and then he was carried away by police car. His family members are not able to trace his whereabouts.

Abuse of Rohingya Women and Elders:

Rohingya women have become victims of rape, molestation and dishonour, increasingly at the hands of security forces. They are not allowed to wear hijab; their age of marriage is limited and are subjected to forcible contraception. Many Rohingya women were forcibly married by security forces and then left them away. Rohingya women are compelled to stay in camps set up by the security forces for so-called training where they are subjected to rape and dishonour. There were many instances that women were raped in their houses before the very eyes of the children or parents.

Rohingya religious figures and elders are increasingly harassed, tortured and sometimes their beards are shaven off and are forced to issue religious decree to allow non-Islamic practices. Mosque buildings are totally banned since 2000 in Arakan State while several existing Mosque and madarasa were dismantle by Na Sa Ka.

The Forgotten Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh:

The Rohingyas have faced continuing persecution by the military government in Burma and have escaped to Bangladesh in large numbers, with the biggest influx in 1991-1992 when about 270,000 of them crossed the border. Although many of these refugees have since then been forcefully repatriated to Burma under the supervision of UNHCR, there are still about 22,000 refugees living in two registered refugee camps in southern Bangladesh.

 The refugees are completely dependent on UN and aid agencies for food.  In addition, an estimated 200,000 Rohingyas are living illegally in Bangladesh without access to protection or humanitarian assistance. Since economic opportunities in Bangladesh are limited, the Rohingya outside of camps are not living in Bangladesh for economic security, rather they are fleeing a history of persecution and human rights abuses by the Burmese government. At first the Government of Bangladesh was welcoming towards the Rohingyas and made efforts to accommodate them. In recent years, however, it has pushed for all refugees to be sent back to Burma and has rejected any possibility of local reintegration for them.

Recently, the Government of Bangladesh, in order to improve economic relations with Burmese military regime, has declared that the remaining Rohingya refugees in the camps should be repatriated by any means. Meanwhile the military Government of Burma has not cleared most of the refugees in the two camps for return and accuses them of having contact with insurgents. The Burmese military regime has created a complicated system of bureaucratic conditions and procedures which make it very difficult for refugees to be cleared and repatriated. Even though the Government of Bangladesh wants the refugees to leave, there is a very slow rate of repatriation.

The refugees who eventually make it to Burma find conditions there as bad as before, with restrictions on movement, forced labour, violence and intimidation. They often have no choice but to re-enter Bangladesh.

Ongoing Ethnic Cleansing:

Karyn Becker defines ethnic

cleansing on Model United Nations Far West as "the elimination of an unwanted group from a society, as by genocide or forced migration". Historically, Rohingya faced ethnic cleansing before and after Independence of Burma in 1942 and 1948, and on a number of state-sponsored occasions under former dictator, general Ne Win

and now from the semi-quasi civilian government.

When it comes to Rohingya, Burmese society is influenced with malevolent propagandas against Rohingya as "Bengali", "Illegal Immigrant", "Influx virus", "lower class" and even "terrorist". The Rohingya have a history of being in Arakan state for hundreds of years, have been suffering untold discriminations and persecutions for more than 50 years, and are considered by the United Nations as one of the most persecuted people in the world.

The hostility has intensified after an alleged raping of a Buddhist girl by three Rohingya boys which has lead to killing of 10 Muslims by 100 Buddhist mobs and spread all over Arakan state on 8th June 2012 causing numerous villages to be burnt down, countless mosques and historical monuments destroyed and demolished, various properties looted, thousands of innocent Rohingya killed, uncounted number of defenseless girls raped, and youths and educated Rohingya kidnapped.

Many prominent Burmese democratic activists from inside and outside of Burma who fought against the military junta have been calling the military to "wipe out" or "cleanse" Rohingya from Arakan and spreading anti-Rohingya sentiments through Burmese media which is playing a great role in hiding the real truth and propagating the biased news. Nonetheless, many monks including Association of Sittwe and Mrauk Oo called not to sell and communicate with Rohingya, blocked humanitarian aids reaching to homeless and starved Rohingya, and called to send all Rohingya "back to their native land".

At the same time, Burmese president, Thein Sein who was a general in previous junta rule announced on July 13 2012 the Rohingya as non-citizens of Burma and told visiting UNHCR chief, Antonio Guterres to be ready for the deportation of all Rohingya to a third country. He has given the ultimate power to military, police, border security forces and former Buddhist militant group in Arakan who have signed ceasefire agreement to deal strictly with Rohingya.

On the other side of Burma, Bangladesh government has closed the border and pushed back a lot of Rohingya boat people who were escaping the ethnic cleansing. And also it told foreign aid groups such as MSF, ACF Britain's Muslim Aid UK to suspend their services and leave the country.

It has become a silent field of ethnic cleansing in Burma where foreign media, investigation teams and aid groups are banned, Anti-Rohingya sentiment is ever increasing among Burmese people while military and ultra-nationalists are showing their importance in the newly formed democratic government by committing ethnic cleansing as well as democracy champion, Aung San Suu Kyi watching the show by keeping silent and saying "I don't know" when asked about whether she considered Rohingya as citizens, forgetting the human rights abuses Rohingya have been suffering.

Rohingya were recognized as one of the ethnicities of Burma and had enjoyed the full citizenship rights until the dictator Ne Win over took power in 1962 and implemented a discriminatory citizenship law in 1982 which has striped the Rohingya from being citizens of Burma and made them vulnerable from persecutions and ethnic cleansing.