Chittagong, Bangladesh: Rohingya from exile had held “The Rohingya Global day for Action” with demonstration in front of Burmese Embassy, or gathering in the home, office where the situation is not favorable to organize demonstration and self-sitting for hunger-strike on September 15, according to sources from worldwide.
Around 200 Rohingya, Burmese ethnic groups (Kachin, Karen, Chin) and democratic activists including the organizations including Burma Campaign UK, 88 Generation Students, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Burma Democratic Concern and Burmese Muslim Association UK, protested outside Burmese Embassy in London the United Kingdom on 15 September 2011 at 12:00 – 13:30, according to Tun Khin , President, Burmese Rohingya Association – UK.
“The Burmese Rohingya Association – UK organized the event where the demonstrators have demanded Rohingya’s nationality rights, Human Rights, Religious Freedom, Ethnic equality and Federal Democratic Government in Burma.”
"We are here today to condemn Thein Sein's government because the Rohingyas are accused of being 'illegal immigrants', denied rights of citizenship, and attempted to completely eliminate the whole communities through ethnic cleansing."
"I would like to take this opportunity to express our thanks to all the people today for their support. It is also very important that we continue to keep this sense of togetherness and work together for our country in the future."
Mr. Nurul Islam – Arakan Rohingya Organisation, Mr. Chris Ring Du Lachung – Kachin National Organisation, Mr. Ko Aung – 88 Student Generation, Mr. Van Biak Thang – Chinland Guardian News, A representative – Burma Democratic Concern, Mr. Mathew Jones – Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Waihnin Pwintthon – A daughter of Political Prisoner, Mrs. Nant Bwa Bwa Phan – Karen Community UK, Anna Roberts – Burma Campaign UK, Mr. Kyaw Zwa – Burma Muslim Association and Mr. Shwekey Hoipang – Chin Community UK, were given the speech in the event, according to BROUK information desk.
Wai Hnin Pwint Thon, whose father is still serving a jail sentence as one of the many political prisoners, highlighted the situation in Burma, and said: "When we talk about freedom, it is not only for one person but for all the peoples in Burma."
Chin activist, Shwekey Hoipang, a Christian pastor who worked as a missionary in Arakan State in the 1990s, said he eye-witnessed a series of human rights violations, arbitrary persecution and discrimination against the Rohingyas by the military dictatorship.
Similarly, in Bangladesh some senior political leaders of Rohingya had sat for a meeting to support “The Rohingya Global day for Action” and the senior political leaders rejected Aye Chan's call and refuse to join in this debate too by cooperating any entity if someone likes to sit with Aye Chan's group, according to Ko Ko Linn, Rohingya League for Democracy (Burma).
A joint statement released by 8 Rohingya communities Organizations worldwide and other three individual Rohingya organizations called on Burma's government to immediately restore the fundamental human rights and freedom, citizenship rights and ethnic rights in the country on September 15.
The eight Rohingya organizations are: the Arakan Rohingya National Organization (ARNO); the Burmese Rohingya Organization UK (BROUK); the Rohingya League for Democracy Burma (RLDB); the Burmese Rohingya Association Japan (BRAJ); the Burmese Rohingya Community in Australia (BRCA); the Burmese Rohingya Community in Norway (BRCN); the Canadian Burmese Rohingya Organization (CBRO) and the Free Rohingya Campaign (FRC). The other three individual Rohingya organizations are: the Arakan National Congress (A N C); the Rohingya Concern International (RCI) and the Burmese Rohingya Association of North America (BRANA).
Democratic activists participated the Demonstration in London," The Rohingya Global day for Action"
The joint statement is issued by the Rohingya organizations worldwide against the responses of the concerned USDP ministers U Khin Yi, Minister for Immigration and Population, (former police chief) to the questions raised by the Rohingya MPs at the first formal parliamentary sessions on the issues and problems (human rights violations) being faced by the Muslim Rohingyas of Arakan which the USDP ministers’ responses in the parliament were full of hatred and are deliberate attempts to perpetrate human rights violations against the Rohingya people. We strongly condemn the Thein Sein government for its baseless and concocted allegation against the Rohingya people (of illegal immigrants) in the highest political forum. Such a foolish statement or uncivilized behavior is tantamount to committing crimes against humanity, according to the joint statement of Rohingya Originations.
“The unfounded and irresponsible accusation against the ethnic Rohingya by the USDP ministers as illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators/Bengalis not only contradicts with the Rohingya historicity but also disagrees with the annual reports and statements of the various International Governmental and Non‐Governmental Organizations. The real story is the other way, as about 1.5 million Rohingyas, who have had to leave their homeland to escape persecution since 1942, are already in Diasporas in many countries of the world. International community and UNHCR have confirmed that there is a protracted emergency in Bangladesh as result of the influx of Rohingya refugees from Burma. If the Rohingyas were illegal Bengali infiltrators, why Thein Sein and many other former SPDC ministers assured the Rohingya voters of restoring soon the Rohingya’s rights and freedom during their election campaigns to northern Arakan.”
“The USDP ministers hatefully tag the Rohingya children as black list babies accusing that their fathers have fled (in fact persecution) and illegally entered again into Arakan and have produced babies by unlawfully living together with their wives with whom they have legal wedlock. It is a clear violation of the Child’s Rights under Conventions and international law.”
“Thein Sein government was particularly critical of the Muslim Rohingya’s common religion, culture, appearance and language with the people of Bangladesh in order to accuse them as aliens. Here it is worth mentioning that Burma is an ethnically diverse country. Not only the Rohingya, all ethnic peoples (Kachin, Kayah, Karen, Chin, Mon, Rakhine, etc.) living along all the Burma borders have common religion, culture, appearance and language with the peoples living in the adjacent countries. Despite this the ministers made the Rohingyas special target for being Muslims with a view to accelerating its ethnic‐cleansing policy.”
“The extreme view expressed by the USDP dictatorship implying the need for the ‘extermination of Rohingya’ as a national security plan reveals how much they abhor and preach systematic hatred against the Rohingyas (on grounds of ethnicity and religion). It is a serious concern that the foregoing statements of the Burmese civilianized military regime against the ethnic Rohingya people is a threat to regional and international peace and security.”
The Rohingya organizations call upon the international community, UN Security Council and its member States, EU, ASEAN, OIC to mount effective pressures on the Thein Sein government to cease its ongoing human rights violations against the Rohingyas; to protect their rights and freedom and legitimate interests; and to provide them with necessary assistance. Meanwhile, we demand that the USDP government immediately restore the fundamental human rights and freedom, citizenship rights and ethnic rights of the Rohingya people, the joint statement said.