3 motorboats from Bangladesh with arms found in Myanmar Sea, 2 escaped
photo-D-Nwe Oo
Upon interrogating the crews of that motorboat, 8 Bangladesh citizens were arrested with M-16 guns. In the shootout upon pursuing, 3 Bangladeshi got injuries at heads and thus was sent to Sittwe General Hospital while the rest were sent to Sittwe jail at 4:30pm this evening.
This is 7 Day News journalist who just interviewed an officer from No (1) Sittwe Police Station.
Category: News Published on Monday, 09 July 2012 21:17
Bangladeshis who were saved from human traffickers
9 July 2012
Yesterday morning, 48 Bangladeshis, together with 2 human traffickers were arrested by Bangladesh Special Counter-Drugs Forces while they were trying to immigrate illegally to Malaysia.
The special forces said that those Bangladeshis were arrested in 4 hotels at Kadamtali area while human traffickers were arranging to send them to Malaysia via motor boats.
Major Rakibul Ami said, "As we received news, our No. 7 Rapid Action Battalion Division raided the four hotels and caught those Bangladeshis."
Among the arrested Bangladeshis are fabric weavers, farmers, shopkeepers and unemployed people from Siraganj, Naogaon, Pabna, Magura, Jhinaidah cities in Bangladesh according to authorities.
There were around 100 Bangladeshis hiding in the hotels and most of them escaped during the raid.
According to BBC (Bangladesh) programme, around 100 Bangladeshis were arrested and their plan was to enter into Yangon, Myanmar first before moving onto Malaysia.
A human trafficker called Suru Zaman said these practices of human trafficking to Malaysia using motor boats and fishing boats have been ongoing since 1996.
Many Bangladesh immigrants escaped through boats; when they reached Thailand or Malaysia, they immediately get asylum by saying that they were Rohingyas and they had ran away from violation of human rights by Myanmar government. UNHCR refugees organization also gave out refugees acknowledgement cards if those Bangladeshis said in that way.
Those arrested are Bangladeshis who would continue to travel after bestowing themselves as Rohingya.
Recently Myanmar also has caught many Bangladeshis around Gwa island, Gwa township while they were trying illegally immigrate into Malaysia through motor boats.
Similarly, around 82 Bangladeshis were arrested at Yay township in Mon state Myanmar while they were trying to immigrate to Malaysia and sentenced to 1 year in prison.
When this news was broadcast by various media, VOA(Burmese) Programme depicted it as Myanmar government sentencing 90 Bangladeshis according to Immigration Act while Mizzima stated that 82 Bangladeshis were sentenced to Prison.
Likewise, Kaung Wa news center also reported that 82 Bangladeshis were arrested for illegal immigration.
However, an exile media called Irrawaddy reported the very same news as "Rohingya Boat people Sentenced on Immigration Charges" and stated that those sentenced to prison were Rohingya. During that very news, project director from Arakan Project, Chris Lewa stated that it is unacceptable to have their own people sentenced on their own land.
Source;http://www.narinjara.com/burmese/?p=1178
TS-Sam Christopher
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'Trauma Will Last Long Time': Ko Ko Gyi
Ko Ko Gyi (left), Min Ko Naing (center) and Myat Aye address the issue of sectarian violence in Arakan State at a press conference in Rangoon in June. (PHOTO: 88 Generation)
It will take a long time to resolve the situation in Arakan State and to cure those who are now suffering from trauma and fear, said Ko Ko Gyi, the leader of the 88 Generation Students group, who was one of several representatives to visit the region last week to observe the situation on the ground and to provide food aid to victims of the violence.
"It might take a long time to treat all the victims," he told The Irrawaddy on Monday. "Especially the Arakanese [Rakhine Buddhists] in Maungdaw Township. We found that they do not want to stay there any longer. They want to abandon their native towns and go to live somewhere else."
Ko Ko Gyi said that his group only encountered displaced Arakanese Buddhists in shelters in the Maungdaw area, which was one of the major scenes of riots and the burning of houses over the past month.
"There are only Arakanese refugees in Maungdaw, unlike in Sittwe where both Bengalis [Rohingya Muslims] and Arakanese are staying in shelters," he said. "We found that 97 percent of those still living in their own homes in Maungdaw are Bengalis.
"We visited Bengalis in camps in Sittwe and found they were living in poor and crowded conditions with a high population of children," he said.
The 88 Generation Students leader said that his group discovered that every Arakanese Buddhist village in Maungdaw was burned down, as was every Buddhist temple.
According to Burma's state press, at least 80 people were killed in the month-long violence and hundreds of houses were destroyed. The UNHCR said about 91,000 people have been made homeless, a majority of whom are currently sheltering in temporary camps.
"An old Arakanese man told me that he wanted to leave his native town because Buddhist people were a minority and the situation was too scary," said Ko Ko Gyi. "This is despite the fact that the land and water of the area is Arakanese."
Ko Ko Gyi told The Irrawaddy that his group's surveillance of the situation in Arakan State left them with the impression that local authorities handled the conflict very poorly. He said the government must settle the issue of the citizenship law properly before the country can return to peace.
He said his organization will continue to provide aid to homeless people, both Buddhist and Muslim, in the region, and that it had hosted a public donation ceremony on Sunday in Rangoon.
In early June, Ko Ko Gyi accused "neighboring countries" of fueling the unrest in Arakan State, and stated categorically that the 88 Generation group will not recognize the Rohingyas as an ethnicity of Burma. He said that his organization and its followers are willing to take up arms alongside the military in order to fight back against "foreign invaders."
Chris Lewa, the director of Arakan Project which works closely with the Rohingya community in Arakan State, responded to Ko Ko Gyi's statement by saying, "It is regrettable that prominent Burmese human rights activists portray Muslim communities in Arakan State as foreign troublemakers, suggesting that they are the main perpetrators of such ethno-religious violence when they are actually the main victims. Minority rights are human rights, and should be recognised and respected to achieve true democracy in Burma."
Burma's presidential office released a statement on July 12, a day after Thein Sein held talks with UNHCR head Antonio Guterres. It said it could not accept illegal immigrants [such as the Rohingyas] and urged the UN to take responsibility for them.
Local authorities brought three UN aid workers before a court in Maungdaw last week, one of whom was charged with treason while another was released. A total of 12 local aid workers, a majority of whom work for international agencies such as the UN and Médecins Sans Frontières, were arrested and detained in June, accused of involvement in the unrest.
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Interview with prominent 88 Generation Students Leader Ko Ko Gyi in Maung Daw Township,Rakhine State.
Ko Ko Gyi
Question: Can you share the experiences you gained during the recent trip to Rakhine state by 88 Generation Student Leaders?
Answer: Well when we visited the other parts of Myanmar, there is a sense of family reunion; usually in these occasions there is joy and hope. However in this trip to Rakhine , what we saw, what we experienced are not remotely similar to other trips. We felt heartbroken for the locals; moreover we noticed threats to our nation. The feelings are overwhelming for this trip.
Question: Can you elaborate more on these threats you just mentioned to our nation Mr. Ko Ko Gyi?
Answer: While we visited the town of Sittwe, even in the town in broad daylight, the armed patrols have to guard the railway to prevent any potential sabotages, such kind of situation is totally unacceptable. And again when we visited the townships of Buthidaung and Maungdaw, in these townships, the native Rakhines are of minority and we saw a huge number of Bengali villages along the road. I talked to a Rakhine man who couldn't control his tears while describing about the situation there, and seeing this really touched my heart. He explained that they cannot stand the threat that they would be forced to flee from their native land. Therefore, despite all the hardships they are facing, they are striving to stand firm in their land. Therefore, from my opinion, this(Rakhine) issue is not a trivial matter, and must be take into serious consideration.
Question: Mr. Ko Ko Gyi, so during your trip, did you meet the natives who practices Islam such as the Kamans?
Answer: I visited to Muslim refugees as well. At the village of Thet Kal Pyin, we had a chance to talk to the locals there. Well, I do not regard this as a religious conflict. Of course it has been a long-standing problem; this isn't a problem that exists only recently. For decades, the illegal immigrants have been flowing into Myanmar, moreover the corruption of the Myanmar officials made these matters worse. Another matter to note is the rate these Bengalis give birth, the rate of giving birth is massive and overtime the local Rakhines feel threaten by the sky-rocketed birthrate of these Bengalis. With these birthrates, it's not only the Rakhines who feel threaten; when I visited the Bengali villages the living conditions are saddening as well. I told our belief to them that there should be equal citizen rights, however on the other hand, together with citizen right, there are responsibilities of the citizens, and importance of living in harmony with other citizens. Another issue is that whether a person is our nation's citizen or not, from humanitarian view point, we are going to help those who are suffering, that's one issue. However, on the other hand, in terms of granting citizenship to them, we would have to examine this matter with great care since this is a matter of national security.
Question: Just now in your answer, you talked about the sky-rocketed birthrates of these Bengalis. However, Rohingya organizations from overseas have been claiming that there are restrictions on childbirth for the Rohingyas in Rakhine state, so how would you like to respond to these claims?
Answer: There are a lot issues to take into consideration concerning with Rohingyas. I ask these native Muslims what race do they belong to, and they answered that they are Bengalis. So, what's obvious is that these people themselves regard them as Bengalis. On the other hand, when I visited the townships of Buthidaung & Maungdaw, from what I learnt 97% of the population is the Bengalis. I visited to the border gate between Myanmar and Bangladesh, there are people visiting across border. So in the town of Sittwe, the person that I talked to himself is a guest-citizen of Myanmar. Therefore, if the officials were to make proper census about the citizens, I expect to see lots of illegal immigrants. And to do so, we would need lots of efforts to educate the locals and their cooperation.
Question: Recently, when President U Thein Sein met UNHCR he said since these Bengalis are illegal immigrants from neighboring country, Myanmar will not accept them but to operate refugee camps, and till (if any) other countries who are willing to take them would do so. So what's your view on this stance?
Answer: In every nation, the laws of citizenship and issues related to national security are set in accordance with the individual needs and unique nature of each country; these requirements are hardly the same between two different countries. So that is the same for our nation as well, we would have to issue laws in accordance with the requirements of our nation.
Question: The UNHCR replied on President U Thein Sein's proposal that this is an internal affair of Myanmar and the current situation does not comply with UNHCR's regulations and thus cannot accept the president's proposal. How would you like to say on this matter, Mr. Ko Ko Gyi?
Answer: In concerning with Myanmar, these officials from international organizations tend to conclude their decision based on the limited information that they have knowledge of. And when these limited things that they know are not relevant to the real situations happening in our nation, it could seriously hurt the local's emotions and opinions on them. For instance, in the refugee camps that I visited, I saw signs which show that they do not welcome UN & INGOs. So, the officials from these organizations would need to take serious consideration on how do the locals view them.
TS-Thant Zin
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