Democratic Voice of Burma |
- President orders local investigation into Maungdaw clash
- 300 Burmese in limbo after Malaysia migrant crackdown
- Rakhine Investigation Commission denies Rohingya massacre
- Fire razes Muslim houses in Duchira Dan
| President orders local investigation into Maungdaw clash Posted: 29 Jan 2014 12:16 AM PST Burmese President Thein Sein has ordered an independent investigation into allegedly fatal incidents which occurred in the village of Duchira Dan [also written Du Char Yar Tan] in Maungdaw Township, northern Arakan State, on 13 January. Speaking at a diplomatic briefing in Rangoon on Tuesday evening, Burma's Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin said the presidential order for an independent investigation team into the alleged killings would include separate probes and field trips by: the Central Committee for Peace Stability and Development of Rakhine [Arakan] State; the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission; and the Rakhine Conflict Investigation Commission. The appointment of Burma-based teams to the Maungdaw inquiry would appear to scupper calls by the UN and US Ambassador Derek Mitchell for an investigation including international members to be conducted into the disappearance of the Arakanese policeman and the alleged massacre of Rohingyas in a retaliatory attack by police and an Arakanese Buddhist mob in Maungdaw two weeks ago. Wunna Maung Lwin confirmed, however, that the government would arrange a trip to the area for the diplomats and that a team led by the EU Ambassador would travel to Maungdaw in the near future, state-run The New light of Myanmar reported on Wednesday. Speaking to DVB on Wednesday, US Embassy spokesperson Sarah Hutchison said that Ambassador Mitchell reiterated calls to the Burmese government to launch an "immediate, impartial and independent investigation into the violence, in conjunction with a representative from the international community. "We [the US] continue to encourage the Government of Burma to work toward a durable solution in Rakhine State that addresses the underlying grievances that have afflicted that state for decades. The United States stands ready to assist in these efforts," Hutchinson added. Britain's Foreign Office Minister Hugo Swire said on Tuesday that he has urged the Burmese government to conduct a "transparent investigation into recent reports of people being killed, mainly Rohingya women and children. "Urgent action must be taken to enforce the rule of law and ensure justice," he said. "The continuing violence is a tragedy which must be stopped and which otherwise risks jeopardising the wider reform process." Iyad Ameen Madani, the secretary-general of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), has expressed concern over what he called "the looting, raping and killing of Rohingya Muslims." The Burmese government has vehemently denied that any massacre of Rohingyas took place and has slammed the UN and foreign media for "false reporting" of the alleged incidents. |
| 300 Burmese in limbo after Malaysia migrant crackdown Posted: 28 Jan 2014 10:48 PM PST More than 300 Burmese migrant workers are in detention following a fresh crackdown by Malaysian authorities against illegal migrants, according to a source close to the Burmese Embassy in Kuala Lumpur. Thiha, who works with the embassy on repatriation of Burmese migrants, said that more than 300 are Burmese nationals among the thousands detained in a sweep that began on 21 January. Embassy officials have visited the migrants in detention but have not yet decided how to assist them as Malaysian authorities have not yet declared a course of action. "The Malaysia government has yet to make an announcement about how they will deal with the migrants – we could repatriate the Burmese workers if they can afford plane tickets," said Thiha, "but we have to wait for word from the Malaysian government." Procedures allow Burmese nationals to apply for a "special pass" from the Immigration Bureau to leave Malaysia, if they have verified their identity and citizenship with the Burmese Embassy. Many Burmese nationals who overstayed their visa terms are now trying to return home; however Malaysian authorities only allow repatriation of 40 Burmese migrants per a week. Thiha told DVB that the revered Abbott of Sitagu has pledged to sponsor airline tickets for some of the migrants to return to Rangoon later this month. San Win of Kepong Free Funeral Service Society, a charity that provides services to Burmese migrants in Malaysia, said authorities have lessened operations per request of the Malaysian Chinese Association, one of the major political parties in the country. "The arrests have stopped for now, but there have been announcements in the newspapers they will start again on 4 February," said San Win. There are an estimated 300,000 Burmese migrants in Malaysia, though around 100,000 are thought to have no legal status in the country. |
| Rakhine Investigation Commission denies Rohingya massacre Posted: 28 Jan 2014 10:36 PM PST The Rakhine Investigation Commission said on Tuesday that evidence proves that a policeman was killed in Maungdaw Township in western Burma, but denied the mass killing of Muslim Rohingyas. The United Nations and human rights groups have said that at least 40 Rohingyas were killed in incidents in mid-January in a restricted area of conflict-ridden northern Arakan State. Government spokesman Ye Htut has denied there had been any mass killing, in line with statements over the past week. But information provided by Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) further eroded the position of the government, which has now reacted to international pressure to conduct an investigation. Kyaw Yin Haling, the secretary of the Rakhine Investigation team set up by the government, said the only victim killed was a police sergeant, Aung Kyaw Thein. Related Stories“The only clear evidence we have is that a police sergeant was killed. That was the only clear evidence we have managed to get,” Kyaw Yin Haling told reporters at a news conference in Rangoon. The Minister of Home Affairs said pieces of evidence were found in three difference places. “During the investigation, police found pieces of the uniform of the police sergeant, pieces of equipment, his boot and his M-22 magazine near the Mosque, Arabic School and the village,” said Minister of Home Affairs Lt-Gen Koko, . Incidents in Maungdaw Township and other parts of Arakan state are difficult to verify independently as those places are off-limits to journalists, and the government strictly controls access by international aid groups. On Friday, the United States embassy urged senior Burmese officials “to speak out publicly on the importance of respect and tolerance and to avoid speculating on the details of what took place”. It also called on the government to conduct an impartial investigation with the United Nations. Follow DVB’s coverage of this story: http://www.dvb.no/news/fire-razes-muslims-houses-in-duchira-dan-burma-myanmar/36478
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| Fire razes Muslim houses in Duchira Dan Posted: 28 Jan 2014 09:52 PM PST A fire razed a number of Muslim Rohingya houses in the west side of Duchira Dan village in Muangdaw Township on Tuesday night, though no casualties have been reported. Duchira Dan [also written Du Char Yar Tan] is the same village in restive northern Arakan State where it is alleged that a policeman was abducted on 13 January by a mob of Rohingya Muslims. The UN says it has credible evidence that, subsequently, a retaliatory attack against Rohingya villagers in the east side of the village left dozens dead. The Burmese government were quick to lay the blame for Tuesday's blaze on the Rohingyas themselves, stating that the Bengalis [Rohingyas] "burnt their own houses and fled". The Ministry of Information said on Wednesday that five "Bengalis" were seen fleeing the scene of the fire which reportedly broke out at a Rohingya house at 8:45pm. "Due to [the] density of houses in the area built with thatches and bamboo, four large houses and 12 small ones – 16 in total – were destroyed in the fire," the Ministry said. But according to Chris Lewa of the Arakan Project, an NGO that supports Rohingya issues, it is still "unclear" how the fire started. Lewa told DVB on Wednesday that a local source reported to her organisation that "some Rakhines [Arakanese Buddhists] from outside the area" had been seen in Duchira Dan on Tuesday night. She said that 18 to 22 Rohingya homes were razed in the blaze and that looting allegedly took place. Maungdaw Police Station has opened an investigation into the incident, state media reported. |
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