Urgent Press Statement: Stop Continuous Genocide on Rohingya - Deal with Myanmar's Cruel Government

This time many women were raped, tortured and killed.

Mr. Zafar Ahmad Bin Abdul Ghani is the President of MERHROM, the Myanmar Ethnic Rohingya Human Rights Organization

(KUALA LAMPUR) - Myanmar Ethnic Rohingya Human Rights Organization Malaysia (MERHROM) strongly condemns the Myanmar government for the new attack on the ethnic Rohingya in Kela Daung Village, Maungdaw Township. The information received by MERHROM reveals that the attack started on 13 January 2014. Within 2 days more than 250 Rohingya women, men and children has been killed by the Myanmar security forces namely Loonthing and police together with ethnic Rakhine. Within 2 days of the attack more than 300 women and more than 100 men were arrested. Until now we do not know what is happening to all of them.

This time many women were raped, tortured and killed. In one incident an ethnic Rakhine raped a Rohingya woman and cut her breast. She died on the same day. In another incident an ethnic Rakhine cut the stomach of a pregnant Rohingya woman and take out her baby. He killed both mother and her baby. In other incident Loonthing shot a PREGNANT Rohingya woman in the paddy field while she rN FOR her live. Due to the shooting she was miscarriage. The Loonthing further stab both mother and her baby until die. While these incidents happen, the police and Loonthing are only watching and not doing anything to stop or to save the Rohingya woman from being killed.

During the 2 days attack, countless numbers of Rohingyas run from their houses and village to save their lives. The security forces are shooting the Rohingya who run including children. Most of them run to the next village to seek shelter. Unfortunately the Myanmar government has order that no one should give shelter to Rohingya. If they break the order there will be severe punishment. Currently countless numbers of Rohingya flee their village and there is no shelter, food, drinks, medicine and clothes for them for the past 4 days. Most of Rohingya have to run to the jungle as no one dares to give shelter to them. We cannot imagine what they went through at this moment.

The attack on Rohingya started when a group of ethnic Rakhine killed 8 Rohingya men near Kela Daung Village. On 13 January, 10 Rohingya men from Buthidaung go to Maungdaw through the jungle to sell their product for their survival. In the journey they found a group of 30 Rakhines with arms. The Rakhines tied all of Rohingya and killed 8 of them with their arms. The group of Rakhines took the 2 Rohingya men to the house of the head of village in Kela Daung village. Some Rohingyas saw the 2 Rohingya were tied with a group of Rakhines with their arms. They informed the Rohingya villagers and they go to the head of village’s house. The head of village immediately called the lonthin and police who came with their trucks. The Loonthing, police and the Rakhine attack the armless Rohingya villagers. The Rohingya were shot, slash, stab and beaten. Many Rohingya men and women were injured, killed and arrested.

We are very worried on the conditions of ethnic Rohingya in Kela Daung Village as for the past 2days we lost contact with them. The situation is worsening as the Loonthing, police and Rakhine are killing any Rohingya they found including women and children. To date the number of death of Rohingya has increased but no one can estimate as the security forces conducted mass killing on ethnic Rohingya. At night the security forces came with their trucks to take the death body of Rohingya but we do not know where the death bodies are taken to. Some Rohingya said the death bodies were taken to the forest maybe for the burial. The military government will do anything to hide the numbers of toll death of Rohingya and to cover their attack on ethnic Rohingya.

Since the attack on Rohingya, no outsiders are allowed to enter to the Kela Daung Village. The UNHCR has requested to go to the village but was rejected at first. The Myanmar government allows the UNCHR to go in after the security forces clean up the mess.

Every night Loonthing and police checks the Rohingya houses to check the family list. During the checking the police and Loonthing raped Rohingya women, they steal Rohingya money and properties. They also destroyed the houses. The Rakhines also join the police and Loonthing to kill Rohingya, destroy Rohingya houses and steal their belongings. Ironically checking of family list is not the work of Loonthing and police. Only the immigration can conduct the checking of family list. The security forces only using it as a reason to harm and killed the ethnic Rohingya.

The attack now has spread to other villages including Sera Fara, Foidafara Baguna, Norula Fara and Godusara, We cannot imagine how many more Rohingya will be killed. The security forces also burnt down the Rohingya refugee camp in Pauktaw. We do not know how their condition is at the moment as we lost contact with them. In Devain Village, Sittwe the Rakhines started attack on Rohingya. We do not know the current situation over there. In Dalla City, Rangoon, the Muslims were not allowed to go for prayers in the Mosque by the military government. Any Muslim who disobeys the order they will be shot. The person who shot the Muslim going for prayers in the Mosque will be awarded.

After the attack and the killing on Rohingyas, the military government made an announcement that the reason for the attack on Rohingya is because they claim that the Rohingya has kidnapped a lonthin together with his arm. This is the false claim by the military government to cover their genocide action against the ethnic Rohingya. The military government cannot justify its wrongful action by making false claim. The real truth is the Myanmar government wants to eliminate Rohingya from its origin Arakan State and across Myanmar. The world knows that the Rohingyas are armless, helpless, powerless and stateless. Our movements are restricted by the security forces at any time. How could we kidnap the security forces?

The Rohingya has been under the oppression by the military government for more than 60 years. The Rohingya has been the victims of GENOCIDE for more than 6 decades but there is no change despite all the condemnation by the Mandated Bodies and International Communities at large. We are regret that the United Nations and World Leaders fail to stop the GENOCIDE on Rohingyas. The United Nations has announced that the Rohingya is the most PROSECUTED ethnic in the world but they fail to stop the PROSECUTIONS.

The world is playing game on our lives just because of money, business and investment with the cruel military government. Everyone is condemning what is happening but none of the mandated bodies can take real action to stop the continuous GENOCIDE on Rohingyas. Millions of Rohingyas has to flee their homeland and leaving behind their loves one. The situation has no change until now but become worse with more killing and destroying properties. The Rohingyas who fled the country become the victims of Human Trafficking. Countless numbers of Rohingyas died in the hand of traffickers. Thousands of Rohingyas died on the ocean every year in the attempt to save their lives. The internal problem created by the Myanmar government has become the regional and international problem to other states. The world has created so many International Conventions as a guide for human life but none of these perfect Conventions can save Rohingyas from the CRIME AGAINST HUMANITY – GENOCIDE.

The military government always claims the conflict is between the ethnic Rakhine and Rohingya and the government is trying to solve the problem. But the real truth is the military government wants to eliminate all Rohingya and Muslims from Myanmar. The real truth is the military government is in close relationship with Rakhines and Buddhist monks to killed Rohingyas at large. The Rakhines and Buddhist monks have become the agents for the military government to eliminate Rohingyas and Muslims across Myanmar. That is why the government allows the Rakhine holding arms with them.

See: BURMA: Wirathu to Discuss Interfaith Marriage Restrictions at Monks' Conference

The proof is one month before this attack, U Wirathu the Buddhist monk went into Arakan State for few weeks to see all the Buddhist monks from all 17 divisions and conducted religious lectures. U Wirathu is not only a Buddhist monk but he is also a leader of 969 group that was establish to harm and killed the ethnic Rohingyas and other Muslims from Arakan States and across Myanmar. About a month after he return to Rangoon, the attack on Rohingya has started in Kela Daung Village.

On 14 January 2014 60,000 Buddhist monks has a meeting in Mandalay. They urge the government to check the background of all Members of Parliament whether they are real citizen. The government must check their ethnic group. They also urge the government to stop the Benggali who hold the white card from voting in the coming election. The problem is most of the Rohingyas in the Arakan State were forced to accept the white card and change their identity from Rohingya to Benggali in order to save their lives. If they Rohingya refuse to accept the white card, the security forces will kill us.

The International Communities and the United Nations has condemned the Myanmar government many times but to no change. The world has seen the Rohingya openly become the victims of GENOCIDE for more than 60 years but they fail to stop it. There are lots of evidence that Rohingya are the victims of GENOCIDE in Myanmar but none of the MANDATED BODIES can stop it.

In the end of last year 14 foreign Ambassadors from Ranggon visited Arakan State. They made the announcement of bad conditions of Rohingya in Arakan State. They also sent a strong letter to Myanmar government to protect the Rohingya’s rights and grant citizenship to Rohingya. Unfortunately to date there is no feedback.

This year 2014, Myanmar is the Chairman of ASEAN. It is very shameful to Myanmar government and ASEAN as they conducted such a mass killing of its ethnic Rohingya not even a month after holding the position.

Now is the time to take real action. We urge the United Nations, World Leaders, OIC, ASEAN and International Communities to react to the injustice and cruel treatment towards the Rohingya by the Myanmar government. The world must stop dealing with Myanmar until they stop the GENOCIDE on Rohingyas. We cannot wait until the Last Rohingya on this earth.

Thank you.

Yours sincerely,

Mr. Zafar Ahmad Bin Abdul Ghani
President
Myanmar Ethnic Rohingya Human Rights Organization
Malaysia (MERHROM)
Tel No: +6016-6827287
Blog: www.merhrom.wordpress.com