DHAKA, Bangladesh: Nearly 100 multi-organizations world wide have condemned Burma and urged it to end the systematic persecution of the Rohingya ethnic minority and recognize them as citizens with full rights and protection, according to their joint statement.
The world multi-organizations also condemned the Thai government for forcibly expelling the Rohingyas, which is in violation of international law. It wanted investigation of the serious allegations of mistreatment by the Thai security forces which may be in serious violation of Thailand's obligations under the 1984 the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and bring those responsible to justice.
The Rohingya have been rendered stateless in Burma and have experienced systematic discrimination, exclusion, and human rights violations in Burma for decades, prompting hundreds of thousands to seek refuge in neighboring countries, most notably Bangladesh, Malaysia and Thailand. Most are without legal status and are vulnerable to arrest, imprisonment, detention and deportation.
The US has also called on Burma to stop persecuting its Rohingya Muslim minority, who have fled the country in hundreds of thousands, a stateless minority from the former Burma's northwest region, Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher told a news conference in Dhaka yesterday during a visit to Bangladesh.
"It's a matter of concern and the U.S wants that Burma stops the persecution of Rohingyas," Boucher added.
He said attention had been drawn to the plight of the boatpeople landing in Thailand and Indonesia over the past weeks. Hundreds of Rohingya recently fled to Thailand in boats, but were cast adrift by the Thai authorities and many died. Burma's military rulers do not recognize the Rohingya as Burmese.
Refugees who have been arriving in Thailand and Indonesia have narrated how the military authorities there have beaten and abused them. Many have shown scars on their bodies they claimed were caused by Burmese soldiers whipping them as a warning not to return to Burma.
"The U.S. was aware of the fleeing of Rohingyas from Burma for persecution and economic reasons," Boucher told a news conference before leaving Bangladesh after a two-day visit.
According to the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) some 230,000 Rohingya now live in Bangladesh, having fled after decades of abuse by Burma's military rulers. But, one of the Rohingya community estimated about 500,000 Rohingyas are living in Bangladesh.
