Ref: 07/RYDF-ST/006
Date: June 20, 2007
Statement on the 7th World Refugee Day
Today, refugees all over the world are celebrating the World Refugee Day to acknowledge the extraordinary challenges facing refugees around the world, who despite their situation, to look to the future with hope .This day is marked in hundred of different types of festivities and tributes, whether it is as a school event or a high ceremony. June 20 is a day to think about the world refugees and extend to them our encouragement, support and respect.
The Rohingya Youth Development Forum (RYDF), Arakan-Burma express it full agreement with the message of the former UN Secretary General Mr. Kofi Annan that sated on June 14, 2006 that “Hardship takes many forms, and hard choices must be made. Aid agencies with limited resources are often forced into painful prioritization exercises. Which is more important for thousands of children in a refugee camp, a school or a health clinic? In addition to their efforts to build new lives, many refugees bear psychological and physical scars from past abuses that can endure for years, even in a completely new environment. Families who face persecution in their own country may have to live under the daily threat of being forcibly returned. Even in asylum, a refugee may be perceived as a threat, rather than a victim, and face intolerance or hostility”.
Date: June 20, 2007
Statement on the 7th World Refugee Day
Today, refugees all over the world are celebrating the World Refugee Day to acknowledge the extraordinary challenges facing refugees around the world, who despite their situation, to look to the future with hope .This day is marked in hundred of different types of festivities and tributes, whether it is as a school event or a high ceremony. June 20 is a day to think about the world refugees and extend to them our encouragement, support and respect.
The Rohingya Youth Development Forum (RYDF), Arakan-Burma express it full agreement with the message of the former UN Secretary General Mr. Kofi Annan that sated on June 14, 2006 that “Hardship takes many forms, and hard choices must be made. Aid agencies with limited resources are often forced into painful prioritization exercises. Which is more important for thousands of children in a refugee camp, a school or a health clinic? In addition to their efforts to build new lives, many refugees bear psychological and physical scars from past abuses that can endure for years, even in a completely new environment. Families who face persecution in their own country may have to live under the daily threat of being forcibly returned. Even in asylum, a refugee may be perceived as a threat, rather than a victim, and face intolerance or hostility”.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reports that millions of refugees and internally displaced persons are languishing in vulnerable condition in different parts of the world. Of them, report of Rohingya refugees in different countries and their long standing problems are remained unclear. Anyhow, situation of Rohingya refugees in different places are deteriorating. Now, they are the victims of multifarious human rights violations both in their home (Arakan State, Burma) and countries of exile.
Besides, their refugee status is in marginalization known as “Prima-facie” refugees or group status. They are not eligible for resettlement, but facilitated to return their country of origin.
In fact that their basic and fundamental rights to citizenship were denied by the Burmese military ruler and that rendered them into “de facto Statelessness”. They cannot return to their home (Burma) unless the ending of racism and the establishment of full human rights for all. They need durable solution rather then temporary settlement as the democracy and human rights are still far cry in Burma. The military rulers have also turned the country into a silent killing field.
The Rohingyas also do not have hopes to find a long lasting solution, not only in home (Burma) but also in countries of refuge like Bangladesh, Malaysia, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and etc. These people are unfortunate. They are in subhuman condition. They are also subjected to modern slavery in the 21st century.
The RYDF believes that the United Nations will take a pro-active initiative for the enforcement of its conventions and additional protocols in order to ensure the rights of stateless persons and refugees, particularly the Rohingyas of Burma who are now, de facto stateless. Of them over 1.5 million were forcefully expelled out from their homeland under the ethnic cleansing agenda of the regime.
It is also true that tens of thousands of Rohingya refugee children and youths are deprived of their rights to education and other facilities that enjoyed by the refugees of the world. Their futures are totally in uncertainty.
Therefore, on the occasion of 7th World Refugee Day, the Rohingya Youth Development Forum (RYDF) calls upon the UNHCR to:
· Immediately cease the imposed policies of temporary solution in order to find a durable solution for the Rohingyas under the resettlement program as they have already spent their lives as refugees more than decade;
· Initiate pro-active policies for the recognition of the Rohingyas as Persons of Concerns POC to the office and issue necessary documents for their protection under the UNHCR mandates and International Human Rights standards;
· Accede and implement the 1951 Convention and 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of refugees and implement the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness;
· Ensure the adequate protection and all of their refugee rights with full refugee status like other non-Rohingya refugees from Burma until they have a secured place;
· Strengthen the role of the UNHCR in monitoring and implementing refugee protection and allow them to have access to represent themselves at the forums of the international community;
· The RYDF also request to the neighboring countries of Burma and members ASEAN to review their policies towards military regime at the causes of Burmese peoples’ struggle for the restoration of democracy, human rights, peace, justice, equality and self-determination of all people of the country;
· RYDF also appeal to the state parties of Convention of the Rights of Child (CRC) to take necessary measures to support to the education of the Rohingya in order to alleviate illiteracy and poverty from the upcoming juvenile community and also to ensure their basic rights to citizenship in order to reduce their statelessness.
Central Executive Committee
Rohingya Youth Development Forum (RYDF)
Arakan -Burma
For further Contact:
Mohammad Sadek
General Secretary, RYDF
E-mail: sadek_brefugee@yahoo.com
