A Plea from Rohingya ex-MP to Suu Kyi


Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
The State Counsellor
The Government of the Union of Myanmar
 
THROUGH MYANMAR EMBASSY IN WASHNGTON, D.C., USA
 
Subject: ​Plea for Protection of Rohingyas' Lives In Arakan ( Rakhine State ), Myanmar

Your Excellency,

On behalf of the Rohingyas from the Rakhine State of Myanmar, now living in overseas, we would like to draw your kind attention to the grave humanitarian crisis in our native land, which is happening now. We have been receiving dozens of telephone calls daily from Rohingyas about the abuses and current situation of northern Arakan state. We have witnesses and enough evidences such as photographs, video and audio clips on recent extrajudicial killings of unarmed innocent Rohingya population, gang rape of Rohingya women and burning down of Rohingya houses by the Myanmar security forces in Maungdaw township, Arakan State. These issues were also verified by the Reuters, international NGOs and human rights groups, including Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and Human Rights Watch (HRW). The overall condition of our people living inside Arakan state has significantly worsened since October 9, 2016. The Satellite images of HRW on burning down of Rohingya villages are concrete evidences. All witnesses and evidences we obtained are indicating state-sponsored crimes and they are unacceptable and illegal according to international law.

Myanmar security forces have been indiscriminately killing Rohingyas, torching and plundering their homes and villages in the northern Rakhine state. They have also blocked off the delivery of humanitarian aid (essential health care and food) to Maungdaw township. According to the World Food Program (WFP), more than 50,000 people remain without food aid over there. Reuters has also been able to confirm that Myanmar soldiers raped and sexually assaulted dozens of women in U Shey Kya village and other villages. On October 27, a 10-year old Rohingya girl was raped by Myanmar’s Border Guard Police in Mie Taik village tract in Taung Pyo Lat Wel sub-towship in Maungdaw district. We are extremely shocked to see your government pursue such crimes against humanity, which were the norms during the military regimes. According to the United Nations Responsibility to Protect (R2P) Principles pillar I, Myanmar Government, as a signatory, is fully responsible to protect Rohingyas on their homeland. But we found Myanmar Government failed to do so several times. Therefore, we would like to urge your excellency to use your high office and influence to:

• Stop the persecution and extrajudicial killings of the Rohingya people in Myanmar and calling for concrete steps to end all forms of human rights violations and protecting the lives of Rohingya minority;

• Restore human rights including citizenship rights for Rohingya  people;

• Immediately relocate the internally displaced Rohingya people from the IDP camps back to their places of origin (before 2012 violences), returning of their confiscated assets, compensating the IDP detainees towards rebuilding their burnt/destroyed homes and places of worship;

• Repeal the 1982 Citizenship Law so that Rohingya people can be treated as equal as other ethnic people in Myanmar;

• Stop military offensives against Rohingya people and all ethnic groups of Myanmar;

• Prevent all kinds of religious persecution including hate speeches by Buddhist extremists;

• Investigate all claims of sexual assault, torture, and rape by Myanmar security forces and to hold all responsible parties accountable.
 
Sincerely yours,

World Rohingya Organization (WRO), USA
Arakan Institute for Peace and Development (AiPAD), USA
Rohingya American Society (RAS), USA
Rohingya Culture Center (RCC), USA
Rohingya Association of Canada (RAC), Canada
Burmese Rohingya Community in Georgia (BRCG), USA
 
On behalf of above-mentioned organizations -
 
 
U Shwe Maung
Former Pyithu Hluttaw Representative (Member of Parliament)
(Buthitaung Constituency, Arakan State, Myanmar)
President of AiPAD, USA

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