Report on

Rohingyas in 

Bangladesh and 

Arakan

June 2001

 

Report Prepared for

Burmese Rohingya Association in Japan, BRAJ By

Mr. Zaw Min in consultation with Mr. Aung Tin.

 

 

Abstract

Mr. Aung Tin, a member of the Burmese Rohingya Association in Japan (BRAJ) has paid a visit to Bangladesh from 22^nd April to 28^th June 2001 to assess the situation facing the Rohingyas at home and in the neighboring host country Bangladesh. During his stay in Bangladesh, he had carried out the assignment given by the BRAJ to report a comprehensive details of the Rohingyas situation residing in homeland Arakan and in refuge in Bangladesh. Mr. Aung Tin carried out his assignment in co-operation with one well-informed Rohingya staying in exile in Bangladesh namely Mr. Zaw Min.

Situation in Arakan

Upon arrival in Bangladesh, there have been reports of tense situation in Arakan where the Burmese authorities have been reported to be carrying yet another drive against the ethnic Rohingyas.

Wasting no time in the Chittagong, the port city of Bangladesh, the team went to the border area to find out the development.  According to visitors arriving from the border Township of Maungdaw in Arakan State of Burma, the Burmese authorities ordered the villagers of southern Maungdaw to dismantle a total of 36 mosques, primary Islamic centers and religious schools without giving any elaboration. The Muslim villagers openly refused to carry out the order on the ground that destruction of mosques and similar like is prohibited in their religion only with the exception of rebuilding it at a new location or on the present site. At this, the authorities brought some inmates from the jail and carried out the destruction of mosques and religious institutions from May 14, 2001. In their drive of destruction that was carried in four villages namely Nurullapara, Kila’daung, Narban-nya and Kadirbil villages, which are within the proximity of the MaungdawTownship having three to four kilometres from the town, a total of 33 mosques, prayer houses, education centers, etc.  have been completely dismantled raising fear and frustration among the Muslim inhabitants over the junta’s naked policy against the Muslims. Besides, 12 mosques attached with religious schools  in Ghodosara Village Tract, Mosques with attached  religious schools in Baggona Village Tract,  mosques in Chairapara (Pa-Yaungbangyi), Mosque in Kilaidaung (Cheradan),  mosque in Ludine (Dodan) Para were destroyed by the Na.Sa.Ka authority from 13th to 20th May 2001.

There is also a report of closure of some religious institutions in Buthidaung Township. A century old madarasa religious school at Sindibyin village, about 6 kilometres in the south east from the Township that was in dilapidated state was dismantled in May and the authorities have been taking arrangement to construct some military family quarters there. There is also report of junta’s move for demolition of a few religious buildings in villages under Buthidaung Township. No corroborative information has, however, been received in this regard.

Meanwhile, the military regime has introduced another humiliating measure for the Rohingya Muslim women. As per new instructions given verbally to the village peace and development council in Muslim majority area of north Arakan since late May 2001, Rohingya women must report to the authorities at the 4-month stage of pregnancy and will have to take photograph of stomach (development of womb) every three subsequent month before the presence of the authorities and only then the parents will be allowed registration of birth of the new-born. On the other hand, the authorities have technically banned the adoption of new-born baby from other villages, as they would not allow the registration in the family list of the adopter.  Meanwhile, it is gathered that the Burmese regime has recently instructed the Arakan’s border administration (popularly known as Na Sa Ka) to arrange public gatherings in villages of respective border township where the village headmen will have to give speeches on forced labour in their area.  Accordingly, the authorities have held a series of gatherings in northern Maungdaw Towship and the villagers were ordered to attend it without fail.  One of the meetings held at Fakirabazar on 2^nd June 2001 was attended by Township military officers, personnel from different intelligence agencies, local elite, etc. Village elders were asked to sign on blank papers giving backdate to 1994-97. The entire function was filmed by photojournalists from the local administration as well as from the Ministry of Information of the junta and the speech recorded. In the prepared speech from the authorities, the local village elders had to tell the gathering that there has not been any conscription of forced labour in their area and what people participated in construction site was voluntary labour given in view of development of the area. It is heard that the authorities have been preparing documents to submit it to the ILO as refutation.

The team also uncovered the population control policy for the Muslims of the area. The Muslim couple who would enter into wedlock is to give undertaking that they would bear only two issues in their marriage life and that they would take permanent birth control process after the delivery of 2^nd issue.

Meanwhile, there is a rumour in circulation that the authorities have been planning to raise the minimum age limit of couple to 25 years eligible for marriage. Since last 3 years, no marriage of Muslim could take place without written permission from the authorities, which costs Kyat. 15-20,000 and a time period of one to two months. Both the would-be bride and bridegroom are to appear before the authorities physically and interviewed.

Meanwhile, on 26^th May 2001 the team met one Rohingya woman (27 year and name withheld for her personal safety) hailing from Bawlibazar village of Maungdaw north. She came to Chittagong for medical treatment. According to her, she went to Akyab, the capital city of Arakan State for treatment sometime in 1996 and since then she has been experiencing long menopause and related problem. Upon check up in Chittagong, the doctors suspect that she had been given long term birth control injection. It appears that the authorities have been taking steps for forced contraception even without the knowledge of the concerned person.

 

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Observation

It all indicates that the authorities have been seriously pursuing to contain the growth of Muslim population to the level of zero or minus percentage in the Muslim majority area so that the place would turn to a non-Muslim in the long term.

To achieve their target, they have openly subjected the Rohingya Muslim population to the status of ‘stateless within the state’ effectively denying them even a minimum freedom of rights to religion as reported above.  Routine slave labour, complete restriction on movement, artificial food scarcity, denial to minimum education, frequent eviction, resettlement of Buddhist nationals in Muslim area after confiscating Muslim land, so on and so forth forced the Muslims not to continue living in hostile environment any more and resulting in out-flow of people to a safer place outside the country.  What is more unfortunate is that the presence of the UNHCR and other international agencies in Arakan could not deter the policy of the Burmese regime against the Rohingya Muslims.

It is not unexpected from the view of Rohingya to see the ruling junta as usurper because of foregoing situation they have been confronting day in and day out. Rohingya’s love for their motherland will remain in their heart but their love for the ruling regime cannot naturally grow.

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Situation in Bangladesh

The presence of Rohingya Muslim in Bangladesh is on the rise.  When there was large-scale influx of Rohingya from across the neighbouring Arakan State of Burma in 1991-92, the local population in Bangladesh welcomed them in the beginning. And the government of Bangladesh also officially gave entry to the incoming people realising the fact that these people were fleeing their homeland for fear of genocide and inhuman treatment. With the co-operation from the UNHCR and some donor countries, the government put some quarter million refugees from Arakan in camps along the border side. It also advocated the legitimacy of their flight and sought co-operation from international community to put to end the plight of the Rohingya. Later the government of Bangladesh engaged in horse-trading with the Burmese junta and managed to repatriate bulk of the sheltered refugees through either voluntary or coercion. At one stage, the UNHCR termed the repatriation process of Bangladesh as ‘forcible’ repatriation. Many closely watching the refugee affairs in Bangladesh commonly say, that the camp officials had created such an atmosphere including seizure of ration books that it accelerated the repatriation of Rohingya refugees.  Whatever the case may be, today there are only 21,117 recognised Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh camps out of whom only 7, 535 have been cleared for repatriation by the Burmese officials but are not willing to return as the situation in Arakan has been alarmingly turning worse. And they have been well policed by the authorities.

On a visit to the camp in the first week of June 2001, one of the camp authorities, who preferred anonymity, told the team that the sanitary condition in the camp has been so unhealthy that it would be unwise to enter the refugee camp located at the Mousooni under the Cox’ Bazar district.  How crude and uncivilised these Rohingya refugees may be, they appeared to have been suffering no less from the Bangladesh authorities.  Today, none of the refugees could go out of the camp without the prior approval of camp officials, which is rarely given and that too on payment of bribe. A refugee whom we managed to interview told that the supply of ration has been drastically cut down because of donor fatigue and what s more surprising is that the camp officials normally retain part of the allocated quota. This has caused food shortage in their daily requirement forcing many to find out extra-income. For this, the refugees have to pay to the Warder and police as and when they go out of the camp. Corruption is there. In another word, the officials of Bangladesh have regular source of profit from the presence of Rohingya refugees.

Another heart-breaking condition the team saw is that Bangladesh experiences heavy rain fall during June-July every year and the UNHCR and Bangladesh Relief Ministry have not been providing any plastic sheets to the refugees for the last 3-4 years. As a result, most of the refugees could not protect themselves from rainwater and their hardship multiplied. The team was told that the UNHCR and the Relief Ministry of Bangladesh are not ready to provide such materials to the refugees because it could improve the living condition of the refugees in camps.

Meanwhile, there has been intermittent outflow of Rohingya Muslims and in1996 when the government of Bangladesh was actively promoting the repatriation, there began entry of large scale Rohingya Muslims citing forced labour and other maltreatment.  Although the new arrivals were not accepted as asylum seekers and denied access to the UNHCR, these people never returned home and since have been residing in different areas of the border. These unofficial refugees have been passing an uncertain life. An estimate puts that not less than 50,000 Rohingya Muslims under this category have been passing their time in Bangladesh.

In order to find out the condition of the unofficial refugees in Bangladesh, the team visited some villages including Baharchara, shore villages and foothill of Naiktaung. There, hundreds of such unofficial refugees have been found to be living in worse condition dwelling in makeshift huts scattered here and there. They are reported to have been subjected to frequent harassment by the law enforcing agencies that usually take money from the unofficial refugees.

The media in Bangladesh once highlighted the positive aspect of the Rohingya when the government of Bangladesh was not in agreement with the Burmese junta. Later, following an understanding with Burma that led to mass repatriation of sheltered refugees, the media played negative role and the Rohingya refugees faced mudslinging. The trend still continues.  Reports of paying considerable amount of money to the news-reporters and even the law enforcing agencies of Bangladesh by the agents of junta in the border belt to portray the negative picture of Rohingya have been gathered.

It has credibility to some extent. The effect of negative writing in the media is eroding the sympathy of the local population and to the well expectation of the junta.

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Observation

In view of what has been stated above, the problem of Rohingya in Bangladesh is no less grave.  Nevertheless, the Rohingyas have no choice and they have to take shelter in Bangladesh whenever situation in Arakan forced them to do so.

In spite of Bangladesh’s demonstration to maintain a cordial relation, she has, however, been disturbed by the Burmese military on a number of occasions along the border. Many Bangladesh nationals have been detained, their boats hijacked, some killed in minefield and so on. Although the government officially lodged protest against the violation of border treaty, the Burmese does not review the policy and give a reciprocal response.  The Rohingya Muslims are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh is the standpoint of Burmese junta. Whether or not they believe it, they are practicing it so much so that there would be insignificant number of Rohingya in Arakan. So far Bangladesh has failed to convince the junta that the Rohingyas are nationals of Burma. But the Burmese maintain that they are residents of Arakan.

Unless a concrete step is taken with the active role of Bangladesh, the outflow of Rohingya would continue. Perhaps the world community would become less involved if such phenomenon repeats of and on.

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Recommendations:

(a)  The Burmese junta should be requested to stop forthwith the exercise of religious sacrilege in Arakan;

(b)  The Japanese government, which is traditionally close to Burma, should come forward to advise the ruling regime to abide by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the ILO Convention and UN resolutions, particularly the call to revoke the term ‘Statelessness’ of the ethnic Rohingya;

(c)  International community should press the Burmese regime to annul or review the 1982 Citizenship Act so that the Rohingya would avail equal rights and freedom with other ethnic nationals like Shan, Kachin, Burman, etc.;

(d)  The Rohingya should be given preference in granting asylum in third countries until there is a viable solution to their issue with the Burmese on a long term basis;

(e)  The UNHCR operating both in Arakan and Bangladesh should be more vocal and protect the persecuted Rohingya for whom it has been assigned;

(f)     The government of Japan, being partners of progress, should play important role for promotion of peace and stability in the region comprising Bangladesh and Burma;

(g)    The media in different parts of the world should play their role to portray the true picture of Rohingya and the state of affairs in Burma; and condemn or boycott those news media that has been publishing concocted /invented news articles particularly in Bangladesh. The Japanese media should directly advise the Bangladesh news groups not to publish misleading news on Rohingya.

(h)   The international community, the Governments of the world and World Bodies, including United Nations Organisations (UND), Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC), Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), South Asia Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC), ASEAN, Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs), other humanitarian and human rights Organisations should create enough pressure to pursue the Military junta to change its exterminating attitude toward the Rohingyas and to provide all the rights and freedoms that the Burmese government intentionally and brutally had taken away.