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Anti-Slavery International would like to remind this Commission
about the situation of the Rohingya of northern Arakan State,
Burma. This Muslim minority is discriminated against on the basis
of their ethnicity and religion in Burma and, in Bangladesh, the
Rohingyas are unwanted as refugees.
In Burma, the Citizenship Law of 1982 renders them stateless and
their freedom of movement is highly restricted. They are routinely
subjected to forced labour, extortion and arbitrary arrests. A system
of business licences stifles all economic enterprises. Unlike other
people of Burma, Rohingya even need the regime's permission
to get married.
In October 2004, following General Khin Nyunt's removal and the
dismantlement of the NaSaKa [which was the main perpetrators of
abuses], the Rohingyas' conditions slightly improved, even
though no structural changes took place.
However, by February 2005, the military had retaken complete control
of the Rohingya area and the usual repressive policies were
rapidly re-established. Even worse, Rohingyas have now been
instructed to build fences around their villages foreseeing new
demands of forced labour.
Human rights abuses in Burma have led to mass exoduses and a continuous
influx of Rohingya refugees to Bangladesh. Today, 20,000
remain in two precarious refugee camps where the literacy rate is
only 12 per cent and chronic malnutrition peaks at 65 per cent.
Last September [2004], the Bangladesh Government formally rejected
a UNHCR proposal for self-reliance. Several incidents took place
in Kutupalong camp starting in June 2004 with a hunger strike in
protest against harassment by camp authorities and culminating in
a violent police raid on 18 November, leaving three refugees dead
and 42, including six women, imprisoned on fabricated charges.
Rohingya refugees continue to face intimidation, pressure
to sign voluntary repatriation forms and serious abuses in the camps.
In addition, the remaining two international NGOs were compelled
to withdraw from the camps in the past 18 months, and this raises
concerns for the protection as well as the quality of humanitarian
assistance to the refugees.
Mr Chairman,
Anti-Slavery International calls on the Commission to urge Burma
to end its policies of exclusion and discrimination against the
Rohingya and to repeal the 1982 Citizenship Law.
We also calls upon the Commission to urge Bangladesh to immediately
cease all coercion and harassment of Rohingya refugees, to
conduct an independent investigation into the 18 November killings
of refugees and bring the perpetrators to justice, and to fully
implement the recommendations of the joint assessment mission carried
out by the UNHCR and the World Food Programme in October 2004.
Finally, we also appeal to all members of this Commission to do
their utmost to find durable solutions for the Rohingya refugees
instead of abandoning them.
Thank you, Mr Chairman.
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