Rohingya not recorded as Myanmar citizens in census

Myanmarian minister says the next census does not mean that Rohingya will be recognized as citizens of Myanmar.

Feb 12-2014

World Bulletin / News Desk

The Myanmar census, which is scheduled to begin on March 30, will include the Rohingya but that does not mean that they will be recognized as an ethnic group or as citizens of Myanmar, the Union Minister for Immigration and Population U Khin Yi said. 

In Maungdaw Village, Residents Fret Over Missing Family Members

A woman from the Rohingya Muslim village of Du Chee Yar Tan, in Maungdaw Township, shows reporters a damaged house. (Photo: Sanay Lin / The Irrawaddy)

Feb 11-2014

DU CHEE YAR TAN, Maungdaw Township — Zuu Lar Har is living in deep distress as she has been waiting more than three weeks for her 18-year-old daughter Zuu Kai to turn up.

The 60-year-old Muslim resident of Du Chee Yar Tan village in Maungdaw Township, Arakan State, said she feared for the life of Zuu Kai after she disappeared during the tumultuous events of Jan. 13, when, according to accounts of local villagers, an Arakanese Buddhist mob violently raided the village.

Rape Is a Weapon in Burma’s Kachin State, but the Women of Kachin Are Fighting Back

By breaking their silence, and documenting the outrages committed, local communities in Kachin are defending themselves against sexual violence from the Burmese military and police

Diana Markosian / Reportage by Getty Images

Galau Dau Yang, 35, stands outside her home in the northern Shan State village of Kut Khaing. Galau Dau Yang, who is ethnically Kachin, was gang-raped by police. Like in most conflict zones, human rights organizations report that rape is being used as a weapon by the military and police in Kachin State and neighboring Shan State, where many of the refugees have fled

Feb 11-2014

She had just finished describing how she had been raped by two men, dressed as policemen, when more police showed up. These police weren’t wearing uniforms, but everyone in the village in Burma’s northern Shan state knew who they were. And that’s when I stopped asking the questions and started being questioned myself.

Germany voices Rohingya concerns

YANGON - German President Joachim Gauck on Tuesday raised concerns over clashes between Myanmar's majority Buddhist and minority Muslim communities, especially the Rohingyas.

German President Joachim Gauck delivers a speech at Yangon University in Yangon on Tuesday. Mr Gauck is in Myanmar for a three-day visit where he is scheduled to meet Myanmar President Thein Sein and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. (AFP 

Feb 11-2014

There has been a surge in sectarian violence since 2012 when fighting broke out in Rakhine State, home to about 800,000 Rohingya Muslims who were made stateless by a law passed in 1982.

Rohingya Genocide in Burma: Covert Report w/Andrew Day

February 11-2014

Today’s guest is Andrew Day, an activist championing the plight of the Rohingya peoples of Burma, who are suffering genocidal policies, including straight up massacres and ethnic cleansing, by Burmese authorities. Day describes the tension between Buddhists and Muslims in Burma, such that the tiniest, most insignificant triggers like brushing in the street have sparked backlashes. Village purges and driving the Rohingya into the sea with spears are common events for these Burmese peoples. This heart-breaking story is mostly ignored by the MSM. Please help us break the silence barrier by listening to Andrew Day’s interview on The Covert Report. It will shock you.

Burma’s Ethnic Minorities Decry Census, Jostle for Advantage

February 11-2014

RANGOON — Members of Burma’s largest ethnic minority groups and smaller ethnic subgroups are voicing concerns over a census due to be conducted late next month, with the survey’s system of classification criticized as inaccurate by some, and unnecessarily divisive by others.

Cautious praise for Myanmar from German President Gauck

February 10-2014
German President Joachim Gauck says Myanmar's reform course must include more reconciliation for its ethnic minorities. In his presence, officials signed plans for 500 million euros in debt relief for Myanmar.

Former general-turned-president Thein Sein was told by visiting German President Joachim Gauck on Monday that Myanmar can count on Germany if the Asian nation continues on its route toward democracy.

Gauck later told Myanmar's longtime opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi that he knew of "many other nations that were slower in reaching democratic norms than this country."