European Rohingya Council Vigorously Opposes and Condemns Arakan Report

ERC calls Arakan Investigation Commission's Summary Report 'Inequity'.

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(AMSTERDAM) - The European Rohingya Council (ERC) vigorously opposes and condemns the Arakan Investigation Commission's whole 186-page summary report and points out some of vital false features with respective references in the Commission’s Summary Report. The ERC strongly objects to the methodology and terminology, in stating the name of Rohingya as ‘Bengali’.

The report is inequity and injustice which cannot be accepted by any sound mind. The entire report booklet is biased towards Rohingya and it was the policy of the state. The Commission’s Summary Report (CSR) is most likely what Rakhine community and perpetrators have been demanded.

Sr.1, IDP situation

1. Task A, Bengali IDPs: Covering the Rohingya name by using the “Bengali” terminology, seriously fabricates the actual history, indignity, ethnicity, and bonafide citizenship of the Rohingya ethnic minority. This is not acceptable to the Rohingya people who have the indigenous ethnic identity of their own.

2. Task B, Rakhines: Almost the entire Rakhine population in Arakan has been extremely hostile to Rohingya for many decades, and committed gruesome violence against Rohingya people. An ethnic group should not be entitled or authorized to decide the resettlement or verification of citizenship of another ethnic group in Burma. Such privilege given to Rakhine will further encourage them to commit atrocities against Rohingya.

Sr.2, Population Growth, Task B: Rapid growth of the Bengali population: This is a baseless allegation without any proof. There is ample evidence of rapid growth of the Bengali Buddhist Rakhine population in Arakan that has illegally entered from Bangladesh and settled in Arakan on the properties of Rohingya while the Rohingya population is shrinking as thousands of them have been forced to flee to neighboring countries due to persistent oppression by the successive regimes, and Rakhines. The government of Myanmar must address the rapid population growth of Bengali Rakhine in Arakan. Earlier this month, more than 350 Bengali Rakhine families were resettled in Rohingya areas.

Sr.3, Citizenship, Task A The Rohingya were the sole host of Arakan for generations. The citizenship law of 1982 made them de facto stateless. Rohingya should not be termed Bengali by the Rakhine sponsored commission team. They should have instead used the Bangali Rakhine if they are sincere and fair.

Sr.5, Health, Task B Health care, clinic and hospitals in Arakan are not willing to treat Rohingya people properly. Many Rohingya are likely to suffer from hunger and starvation. Inadequate nutritional resources are causing many cases of malnutrition among young children and aged persons. Instead of treating the patients, Rakhine doctors are injecting life threatening virus to the Rohingya.

Sr.6, Education, Task C The statement of Task C in the report is wrong. The Rohingya students and their guardians respect and honors all the Buddhist teachers and like to follow what they teach. Rakhine teachers use abusive words to Rohingya students such as “Kalar” and they do not wish to complete the syllabus. No higher education is allowed for Rohingya students such as Medicine, Engineering, IT, Business, Law and other good subjects long since gone.

Sr.7, Religion, Task A Moderate Muslim leaders from Yangon and Mandalay should be encouraged to promote Islam in Arakan: No Muslim leaders encourage reform efforts in the Islamic religious schools in Arakan. Most of the Buddhists leaders including monks such as 969 campaign led by Wira Thu stimulate moderate Buddhists into attacking minority Muslims across Burma.

Huge numbers of mosques were destroyed and the holy Q’uran and other religious books were torn and burnt by the security forces in several places where the beards of old people and religious leaders were burnt. The campaign is to drive out Rohingya any way, from the soil of Arakan. Even primary religious schools are shut down for Rohingya children.

A week ago, Human Rights Watch issued the most comprehensive and detailed account yet, of what happened in Rakhine state last year. The report accused Burmese senior official including Buddhist monks, security forces and local Rakhine politicians, of fomenting an organized campaign of “ethnic cleansing” against the Rohingya.

The European Rohingya Council (ERC) urged all concerned International bodies to categorically reject this biased commission’s summary report and send the right group to find accurate reality. The ERC also demands legal action against all the Commission members with due respect of law as they had recommended a report with complete falsehood.

On behalf of ERC

Mohamed Ibrahim
+49 176 34161 906
Media@theerc.net
Germany

The European Rohingya Council (ERC)

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