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
For further contact:
Mr. Mohammad Sadek,
General Secretary, RYDF
Tel: +6 (0)163094599
E-mail: rydf2003@yahoo.com/ rohingyayouth@gmail.com
