Dr. Hla Myint, the coordinator for International advocacy group and many others spoke to Chief Government Whip, Federal member for Berowra and Australia’s longest serving Minister for Immigration, Phillip Ruddock, MP during the forum at the University of Western Sydney (UWS) Parramatta campus, according to the Rohingya advocacy group.

The forum, which focused on the plight of the Rohingya Muslim minority from the Arakan (Rakhine) State in Burma (Myanmar), was organized by Dr. Hla Myint, Dr. Sev Ozdowski, former Human Rights Commissioner and Director of Equity and Diversity for UWS.

Hon. Philip Ruddock, MP, who served as chief guest speaker, delivered a powerful pro-Rohingya speech detailing how the Australia public and ASEAN can play a important role in advocating for human rights for the stateless Rohingya by applying pressure the Burma government.  

Dr. Graham Thom, refugee coordinator for Amnesty International Australia, spoke about human trafficking of Rohingya refugees in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Bangladesh, detailing the complicity of Thai and Malaysian government in these smuggling rings. For years, Thom has been working on behalf of individual asylum seekers and other human rights issues related to refugees.

Dr. Sev Ozdowski, who was the chairperson, said recent events in Burma have made the Rohingya minority more susceptible to abuse.

“The situation for Rohingya refugees in the camps and in their communities in Burma where recent attacks have increased their vulnerability is critical.”

“The Rohingya Muslims have a long history of persecution and discrimination in Burma. They are viewed by authorities and the majority Buddhist population of Arakan (Rakhine) state as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh,” stated the UWS website.

Tensions between Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims have increased following the first government census in three decades. The census angered the state’s Buddhist population, fearing it would lead to official recognition of the Rohingyas, according to the website.
 
Previous censuses conducted by Britain during colonial times made no mention of 'Rohingya' as an ethnic group in Burma, said Derek Tonkin, who is the chairman of Network Myanmar, an organization assisting in the country’s reconciliation and rehabilitation efforts. However Rohingya researcher Mohammed Asharff Alam pointed out Rakhines were also not named as an ethnic group during in the various censuses during that period.