HRW Report Presentation on Arrakan Crisis

(This post is direct Email from Phil Robertson, Deputy Director, Asia Division, HRW)

Phil Robertson, HRW Asia.

New Human Rights Watch Report: The Government Could Have Stopped This: Sectarian Violence and Abuses in Burma’s Arakan State

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

10:30 a.m. to 12 noon

Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand (FCCT), Bangkok

Presented by Phil Robertson, Deputy Director, Asia Division, Human Rights Watch.

In June 2012, deadly sectarian violence erupted in western Burma’s Arakan State between Arakan Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims. Rohingya and Arakan mobs attacked unsuspecting villages, killed an undetermined number of people, and destroyed homes, shops, and houses of worship. Over 100,000 people were displaced.

Killing of Yakhine Buddhists in Malaysia

(Direct translation of the News Article from the Narinjara News on 25 July 2012.)

Murder victim Soe Naing's ARRC Card.

Taliban was quite late in issuing threats against Burma since their terrorist-brothers the Al-Qaeda had already issued death threats against Burma just after the Buddhist mob killing of ten Bengali-Muslims on June 3 in Taunggup as a retaliation for the brutal rape and murder of young Buddhist Yakhin girl by three Bengali-Muslim men in Arrakan.

Even the OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation) Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu has sent a warning letter to Burmese President Thein Sein to be careful in his treatment of illegal Bengali-Muslims after U Thein Sein bluntly told the visiting UNHCR High Commissioner Antonio Guterres on July 11 that Burma does not and will not recognize the Bengalis as an indigenous group of Burma.

Taliban Threatens Burma over Rohingyas

(This post is direct from the IOL News on 26 July 2012.)

A Taliban protester at Burmese embassy in Bangkok.

The Pakistani Taliban on Thursday threatened to attack Myanmar to avenge crimes against the Muslim Rohingya, unless Pakistan halts all relations with the government and shuts its embassy in Islamabad.

In a rare statement focused on the plight of Muslims abroad, the umbrella Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) group sought to present itself as a defender of Muslim men and women in Myanmar, saying “we will take revenge of your blood”.

Spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan demanded that the Pakistani government halt all relations with Myanmar and close down its embassy in Islamabad.

“Otherwise we will not only attack Burmese interests anywhere but will also attack the Pakistani fellows of Burma one by one,” he said in a statement.

Population Explosion in Bangladesh!

(SCRIBD: Bangladeshis- Unwanted guests in its neighboring countries by Aung Kyaw.)

Extremely crowded trains in Bangladesh.

Bangladeshi population, now at whopping 160 millions for a very small and slowly-sinking country, doubles every 30-40 years.

Bangladeshi illegal immigrants to its neighboring countries cause great alarm in India and Burma. The illegal immigrants’ issues have rocked Indian Parliament many times and caused strong protests from students, civil societies and many intellectuals.

The illegal immigrants pose great danger to the Arakanese people in western Burma, and the large influx of immigrants without any check could endanger Arakanese or cause minority in their own land. Some humanitarian activists are supporting these illegal immigrants without taking account of venerable people whose populations are very small.

There were 67,906 tribal people out of the total population of 91,765 in 1876 in Tripura State in India (Naih). The tribal population of Tripura was reduced to minority people by these illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Stock Exchange & Massive Cloud Network from Daiwa

(This post is direct from the Reuters UK on 23 July 2012.)

Low-Tech Main Board of Myanmar Stock Exchange (2012).

(Reuters) - Daiwa Securities Group aims to spearhead a $380 million investment in Myanmar to build an information technology backbone for the government in partnership with major Japanese tech companies.

The ambitious plan underscores the drive by Japan to stake out a competitive position in Myanmar, a resource-rich and infrastructure-poor country of 60 million that began opening its economy just a year ago after nearly 50 years of army rule.

Daiwa, which has long-standing links in Myanmar and has already been chosen to help set up a local stock exchange, has been selected by the central bank to draw up plans for the computer network and is seeking Japanese government aid to offset the cost, a Daiwa executive said.

Riots between Bengali-Muslim Illegals & Natives in Assam

(This post is direct from the International Business Times on 23 July 2012.)

Rioting Bengali-Muslim Illegals in Assam.

In civil unrest that echoes the violence witnessed in Myanmar, at least 19 people have been killed and hundreds wounded in the eastern Indian state of Assam over the weekend in clashes between indigenous Assamese Bodo tribes and Muslim immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh.

The disturbances have also led to an estimated 50,000 people fleeing their homes from the state’s western Kokrajhar district to take refuge in relief camps.

The violence reportedly erupted on Friday night when four youths of the Bodo tribe were killed by persons unknown -- in retaliation, armed Bodos attacked Muslims, which led to a spiraling of bloodshed between the two groups who have long been in conflict. In the carnage, cars were overturned and burned, and houses and schools were set ablaze.

Naval Arms Race between Burma and Bangladesh?

(This post details the rapidly accelerating Naval Arms Race between Burma and Bangladesh the neighbouring twos of the poorest nations on earth after their bitter maritime territorial disputes over the off-shore exploration and extraction of natural gas right on their disputed maritime border line.)

New F-22B Frigate of Bangladeshi Navy (2012).

Population-exploding and slowly-sinking Bangladesh, one of the most poorest nations on this planet and the recipient of US$ 2 billion worth of international aid last year alone to feed its half-starving populace of 160 millions, has recently purchased two brand new Jiangwei II (053 H3) guided-missiles frigates from China at the cost of US$ 200 million each frigate.

The 324 ft (108 M) long frigate displaces 2,400 tons and carries 200 km range C-803 ship-to-ship guided missiles and 8.6 km range surface-to-air missiles. The brand-new missile frigates are newest additions to the two type 53H2 used-frigates already purchased from China. Bangladesh Navy was known to have six missile-capable frigates in 2008.

New Warships of Burma Navy

(This post is direct translation of the article from Myanmar Military on 16 July 2012.)

5-series Fast Attack Crafts of Burma Navy (2012).

At present the most interesting warships for people who closely follow the developments of the Burma’s Navy are the 5-series Patrol Boats classified as the 5-series Fast Attack Crafts being built in Navy’s own dockyard.

According to the people from Navy circles there are already 20 warships of that class starting from 551 to now 570 operating in the Burmese Navy. Navy is building these 5-series Fast Attack Crafts also in the civilian-controlled Sin-ma-laik Dockyard in Rangoon.

Burmese Navy now has guided-missiles-armed large frigates and modern corvettes in addition to these Fast Attack Crafts to guard Burma’s territorial waters and her long coast line.

Stateless People of Bangladesh

(This post is direct from the International Observatory on Statelessness.)

Rohingya refugees begging to let into Bangladesh.

For many years, Bangladesh has hosted several stateless populations, including the Urdu-speaking minority (also known as the Biharis or “stranded Pakistanis”), Rohingya refugees (the returnees from Burma’s Arrakan), and individuals of Indian origin. In 2008, the High Court provided a remedy for many of the Biharis.

For 37 years, at least 200,000 and as many as 500,000 Urdu speakers have lived in urban camps throughout Bangladesh, where they have suffered discrimination, demographic stress, poor conditions, and lack of basic amenities.