Burmese Democracy Dissidents Statged Demonstration in front of Burmese Embassy in Kuala Lumpur

Burmese Democracy dissidents demonstrated in Malaysia

By Mohammad Sadek
Kuala Lumpur, August 24, 2007: Today, Burmese democracy dissidents from different Burmese political organizations staged a peaceful demonstration in front of Burmese Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

A memorandum of the demonstration was endorsed by Democratic Federation of Burma (DFB), Malaysia Branch, National League for Democracy (NLD-LA) Malaysia Branch led by Dr. Naing Linn, National Democratic Party for Human Rights (NDPHR-exile) Malaysia Branch, Burma Youth Strive Organization (BYSO), All Burma Democratic Force (ABDF), Malaysia, Rohingya Organization let by Mr. Zafar, Burma Refugee Organization (BRO) let by Dr. Myat Noe Khaing, Burmese Muslim Organization (BMO), Christian Community Clinic Center (CCCC) and individual democracy dissidents and human rights activist and defenders.

There were more than 200 activists rushed to the front of Embassy and read two pages of memorandum by a woman activist, Dr. Myat Noe Khaing, the in-charge of Burma Refugee Organization (BRO) in Malaysia.

The memorandum stated that “we protesting the brutal behaviors on the democracy dissidents and human rights defenders in the country. Our step aims are to set free of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all other political prisoners including the re-arrested Min Ko Naing and other 88 generation student leaders, while struggling for the liberation of innocent civilians who have living in sub-human condition.”

It further stated that “88 Generation Student Movement led by Min Ko Naing is not terrorist activities. The struggle is very rightful and its stand is against unjust martial laws. But your (the regime’s) laws are not acceptable to the people of the country and thus people have to stay in various difficulties including food, shelter, health, education and etc. So, we are showing our strong solidarity with the movement of 88generation student leaders.”

Aung Kyaw Moe, the Vice-Chairman of Democratic Federation of Burma (DFB) Malaysia Branch said that “Our fight is against the fascist Burmese regime that does not see any welfare or benefit of the people of Burma and that do everything against its own people. It is well-known to the people of the world that the regime is acting against humanity. It is brutal and inhumane at all. So that we will continue our rightful struggle unless the unconditional release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all other political prisoners.”

Maung Thein, the Chairman of DFB, Malaysia Branch told to the media that “the regime cannot deny its hypocrisy and conspiracy against innocent civilians. Regime instigates religious riots, ethnic tensions, and rampant crises of economy, backwardness on education and political confusions in order to keep its dictatorial power in their hand. It is also denying the people’s elected government that won in 1990. If the regime is sincere for the country and people it must hand over the power to the legitimate government immediately and unconditionally.”

A repetitive of the National Democratic Party for Human Rights (NDPHR-exile), Malaysia Brach said, “Fascist Burmese regime is drafting new constitution without the will of people in its sham convention with some hand picked-up delegates from the military. It has also hike up the fuel price up to 500 percent that is an intentional pressure on its own people. While arrested the most prominent 88 generation student leaders Min Ko Naing, Ko Ko Gyi, Min Zeya, Ko Jimmy, Ko Pyone Cho, Arnt Bwe Kyaw and Ko Mya Aye and some others.”

Earlier this year, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed Ibrahim Gambari as a senior adviser to continue the work of promoting democracy in Burma. Last month, Gambari visited China as well as other Asian nations to discuss concerns about military-ruled Burma. But the regime is acting negatively toward the process.

Therefore, the dissidents call upon the State Peace & Development Council (SPDC), the Burmese regime that to (1) unconditionally free Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other political prisoners including U Tin Oo, U Kyaw Min and re-arrested 88 Generation Student Leaders Ko Min Ko Naing and others immediately (2) initiate a meaningful tripartite dialogue with NLD and ethnic nationalities for the democratic reform immediately in order to draft the constitution with the people’s elected representatives, democracy-icon Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and 88 generations student leaders (3) cease all sorts of human rights abuses and atrocities against ethnic minorities and religious groups like the Rohingyas, Karen, Karenni, Mon, Chin, Shan and etc. in order to ensure their human rights as equal regardless of race and religion (4) Ensure basic and fundamental rights of the people to education, economy, health and etc. in order to free the people from all kinds of meaningless difficulties (5) abolish fascist and brutal leading of the regime in order to ensure peace, justice, freedom for all and (6) reduce fuel prices as soon as possible in order to bring a sustainable economy for the people of Burma.

The demonstrator ended the event with a revolutionary song which encourages the activists to take part more actively and to continue struggle restlessly. ##

For further information, please don’t hesitate to contact me at: 0163094599, E-mail: sadek_brefugee@yahoo.com
==============================================================
Writer is democracy and human rights activist of Burma and freelancer on Arakan, Burma and its people, particularly the Rohingyas of Arakan State.
==============================================================

Rohingyas under Caning Charge in Malaysia

Tuesday August 07, 2007
Caning of refugees in Malaysia sparks protest

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia has caned dozens of refugees as illegal immigrants, a refugee group said, sparking criticisms by rights organisations that the government is torturing people it should protect.

Malaysia arrested up to 300 of Myanmar's Rohingya refugees at the weekend for alleged immigration offences, raising fears they too could face caning, a top leader of the refugees told Reuters.

"We no longer find Malaysia a safe haven," said Zafar Ahmad, president of the Myanmar Ethnic Rohingyas Human Rights Organisation Malaysia. "At least 80 Rohingyas have been caned previously."

Malaysia is home to 2.7 million foreign workers, including 700,000 working illegally. The government's practice of caning criminals is under intense scrutiny after a video of a prison-yard caning session was posted on the Internet.

In the video, a naked man is shown strapped to an upright wooden frame, his rear exposed to a uniformed official who lifts a metre-long rattan stick above his head before bringing it down on the prisoner's buttocks, tearing the flesh with each strike.

The video, in which the moaning and shaking prisoner is struck six times, has spread quickly across the Internet, capturing headlines on the Web sites of some European newspapers and forcing the Malaysian government onto the defensive.

"The government at this stage has no plans to abolish the cane as part of punishment," Deputy Internal Security Minister Fu Ah Kiow told Reuters last week. He denied that use of the cane against illegal immigrants was widespread.

Malaysia is home to an estimated 46,000 refugees, but just over 36,000 are registered with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

Of the total, about 12,700 are members of Myanmar's Rohingya Muslim minority, another 12,000 are members of other Myanmar minority ethnic groups.

The Rohingyas came in the 1990s from Myanmar, but the government there disputes their origin and refuses to let them return.


Malaysia views refugees as illegal immigrants since the country has yet to sign the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees, which has been ratified by more than 140 nations.

"Anyone without a travel document is subject to caning, as prescribed by the Immigration Act," the Immigration Department's enforcement chief, Ishak Mohamed, said.

Illegal immigrants face a mandatory jail sentence of up to five years and up to six strokes of the cane. Males above 50 and women are exempted from caning.

Lawyers and rights group advocates said Malaysia should ban caning, saying it was inhumane.

"Human Rights Watch condemns caning as a barbaric practice. It has no place in a civilised society," the group's Asia director, Brad Adams, told Reuters.

Photo Description: A man canes a dummy as part of a demonstration by the prisons department at a carnival in Kuantan last year. Photo / Reuters

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10456332&pnum=0

Burmese Democratic Forces in Malaysia submitted an open letter to the Chinese Government

By Mohammad Sadek

Kuala Lumpur, August 8, 2007: On the 8th of August 2007, the Burmese Democracy dissidents held a demonstration in front of Chinese Embassy, in condemnation of its supports to the Burmese military regime. The demonstration was organized by the Democratic Federation of Burma (DFB), Malaysia Branch while some other political, social, religious organizations including the National Democratic Party for Human Rights (exile) and member organizations of the All Burma Democratic Forces (ABDF); and pro-democracy dissidents took part in the event.

All of them express their dissatisfactions over the decisions of China to reject a resolution on Burma at the UN Security Council on 12 January 2007. The proposed non-punitive resolution was intended to encourage the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) (the ruling military government) to take necessary steps towards national reconciliation and democratization in Burma. Though the majority of the Security Council voted in favor of the resolution, China rejected it by exercising their veto powers.

They mentioned in their statement that it is a missing opportunity for China to respond to the situation in our country constructively, collectively and effectively within the United Nations frame-work, while China and everyone is witnessing the SPDC’s increased attack, arbitrary arrest and unfair imprisonment on peaceful democracy activists more brutal and more severe than before.

They also noted that “it is also surprise able matter that Burma is increasingly becoming a threat to the regional and international peace and security by various backgrounds including the highest rate of HIV/AIDS positive”.

Being an important and the most powerful country in Southeast Asia, China would join with the whole international community, including the United Nations, ASEAN, European Union and many other nations around the world to call on the SPDC to release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners; to stop all sorts of human rights abuses on civilians, particularly on the ethnic and religious minorities like Rohingya, Karen, Shan, Mon, Chin and etc., if China really want to see the prosperity, stability and political solution in Burma, statement further said.

The groups expressed their believe that “the close relationship of China with the SPDC and its leading roles in the international community, China is in the best position to help realizing of national reconciliation and democratization in Burma through a meaningful tripartite dialogue with NLD and ethnic nationalities, by urging the SPDC to take steps recommended by numerous resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly”.

Rohingya Youth Group Moving for Their Rights and seeking World's Sympathy

Statement on the 8th International Youth Day 2007

We, at the Rohingya Youth Development Forum (RYDF) warmly salutes the 8th international youth day in 2007 in order to express strong solidarity with youth based forums in all over the world.

In this day, youths in all over the world are celebrating the International Youth Day at its 8th Anniversary which was endorsed by the World Conference of Ministers Responsibility for Youth (Lisbon, 8-12 August 1998) that 12 August is declared as International Youth Day.

The theme of this year is chosen as:– Be Seen, Be Heard: Youth Participation for Development – focuses on the enormous contributions young women and men everywhere can and do make towards national uplift.

In fact, the youth forces are the most potential and active groups in the human society. They can play vital role to change the world into peaceful atmosphere from their different life including studentship. But, youth activities are mostly neglected and under estimated in various societies of undeveloped country like Burma.

It is also clear that the young people everywhere-- --are the key agents for social changes, economic development and technological innovation. They should live under conditions that encourage their imagination, ideals, energy and vision to flourish to the benefit of their societies.

“As part of a highly orchestrated and criminal government strategy to deny legitimate rights to the minorities, the State Peace & Development Council (SPDC) regime uses rape, humiliation, torture, arbitrary arrest, extra judicial killing, forced relocation, taxation, ethnic, religious and racial discrimination against the Rohingya people as weapons of war towards ethnic cleansing in Arakan State. Mention may be made that the situation is not unique to the Rohingya and other ethnic minority groups like the Kuki, Naga, Pa-o, and Paloung and etc. in other parts of the country.

It is also true that the Rohingya people were even denied and deprived of their basic and fundamental rights to their citizenship in Burma. As a result, there are approximately four million Rohingyas of Burma who are the victims of statelessness. They have no land to stay or to claim their citizenship in the world, while their participation in Burmese democracy movement is regrettably objected to by some fellow countrymen’.

At the same time, the Rohingya youths in exile are languishing in various ways. They are living in deteriorating health, economic and social conditions in countries adjoining Burma. They also face a danger of forced deportation, extra-judicial killing, arbitrary arrest, and extortion. Their children are deprived of education, health and sanitation. They at notable risk of their lives in all walk of their lives because they do not have legal identity. Most of them are unemployed and uneducated. They have to fight for their survival while they are not given appropriate assistances and protection by the concerned quarters.

The RYDF believes that the International Community will pay attention to the issue of the Rohingya youths both in home and exile to provide adequate assistances and protection in order to achieve Millennium Development Goals, including the overarching goal of cutting poverty and hunger in half by 2015. They remain at the forefront of the fight against HIV/AIDS. And they bring fresh, innovative thinking to longstanding development concerns.

On the occasion of this International Youth Day in 2007, we, at the Rohingya Youth Development Forum (RYDF) urges upon the international community to provide necessary supports to the Rohingya youths in order to empower and develop them as they are very much in need of cooperation to adjust with International Standard Society.

We also appeal to the United Nations Agencies and world bodies including European Union, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) the Government of United States and neighboring likes Governments of Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, and Saudi Arabia to play a ‘meaningful’ role to protect the refugees and stateless Rohingya and to extend your cooperation to make special quota for Rohingya students and youths in all kinds of institutions particularly in educational fields and to make special arrangement for their travel documents for the welfare of this unfortunate Rohingyas.

Central Executive Committee
Rohingya Youth Development Forum (RYDF)
Arakan-Burma

Date: August 12, 2007

For further contact:
Mr. Mohammad Sadek,
General Secretary, RYDF
Tel: +6 (0)163094599

E-mail: rydf2003@yahoo.com/ rohingyayouth@gmail.com

Rohingya people of Myanmar: 'Nobody should have to live like this'

Morshed Mahabub was born in the eastern Teknaf region, which borders Myanmar. Since October 2006, he has worked for MSF as a translator. He helps the team provide medical and humanitarian assistance to the Rohingya people, a Muslim minority from Myanmar. In recent years, many Rohingyas have fled from discrimination and abuses in their own country. After studying marketing at school and working as a marketing executive at a cement factory, he decided to join MSF.

"I know MSF from long ago, when I was in primary school. Every morning I could see all the MSF staff coming by bus from the town of Cox Bazaar. They were a big group, about 60 people. The bus used to stop right in front of my house. The people were going to the Nyapara refugee camp, one of only two camps still remaining today. At that time, in 1992, MSF had a large intervention for the Rohingyas as there had been an influx of 250,000 people crossing the border from Myanmar.

"MSF stopped that intervention three years ago, but re-opened a project last year to help the thousands of unregistered refugees living in the makeshift and squalid Tal camp. That is when I applied and came back to work for MSF as a translator. I wanted to do charity work for an international NGO that I knew and trusted.

"In my daily work, I help the international staff to talk to the patients. I translate documents, training material, and news on the 'Rohingya problem' that remains unsolved after so many years. Sometimes I regret that I didn't study medicine. I see so much need here. These people come here because of things that happen to them in Myanmar. They tell us stories about many abuses including land confiscation, forced labour and so on.

"The Rohingyas come here and although they are discriminated against, they manage to find work in the salt fields, in the harbour, or in fishing or farming. It is very hard work, but at least they survive. Rohingyas have been in Bangladesh for a long time. In the Chittagong region, many people have Rohingya origins. They came earlier, in the late 1970s. At that time, land was cheap and they made money. They gained a Bangladeshi passport. But now it's different for them. They are no longer welcome."

"The work that MSF is doing here is very important for these people. We are the only organisation providing medical care and humanitarian assistance. Without MSF, they would have very limited access to local health facilities. The Rohingyas living in Tal camp are not registered and are denied refugee status. They are considered illegal, economic migrants. They receive no assistance outside MSF and no protection. They live on a very provisional and inappropriate stretch of land. MSF is providing them with healthcare and trying to raise attention for their plight. Nobody should have to live like this."

MSF: Information dated 04.06.2007

http://www.msf.org/msfinternational/invoke.cfm?component=article&objectid=F5EA4962-15C5-F00A-25F0BFD869721427&method=full_html