The United Kingdom (UK) Rohingya community and its supporters demonstrated outside the British Foreign Office on 5 November calling on the British government to support a UN Commission of Inquiry into possible genocide against Rohingyas in Burma.
The demonstration, by over 100 people, was held prior to the Burmese elections on 8 November. It was organised by the Burmese Rohingya Organization UK (BROUK), Restless Beings, Burmese Muslim Association UK, Bradford Rohingya Community UK and Burma Campaign UK.
Tun Khin, the BROUK President said: "We have lost everything from our ethnic rights to citizenship, the right to marry, have children, and now the right to vote and the right to be [election] candidates.
"The UK government should not be funding the Union Election Commission of Burma or any other Burmese government bodies of any kind which apply discriminatory policies against the Rohingyas. If they do, they are complicit in that discrimination. It is deeply troubling that the international community does not oppose strongly, or consider unreasonable, the genocidal acts against the Rohingyas. Whenever genocide happens, they say never again. It is time to stop Genocide against Rohingyas in Burma."
The demonstrators want a UN Commission of Inquiry into the human rights situation in Arakan/Rakhine State, Burma where most of the Rohingya live following critical reports on the situation there based on the testimonies of the victims and eye witnesses; internal or secret government documents; and UN data, reports and information.
Mabrur Ahmed, the director of Restless Beings said: As the recent reports claimed, the Rohingyas are now facing genocide. How many more reports, countless number of dead and acts of pure xenophobia before the international community acts? The marginalization, persecution and the acts of Genocide against Rohingyas should no longer be tolerated”
A report by the human rights organisation Fortify Rights found ‘strong evidence’ that genocide is being committed against the ethnic Rohingyas in Burma.
A legal analysis by the Lowenstein International Human Rights Clinic at Yale Law School concluded that: “strong evidence exists to establish the elements of the crime of genocide”
An International State Crime Initiative report from Queen Mary University and Al Jazeera’s Genocide Agenda Report have also been highly critical of the treatment the Rohingyas are receiving in Burma.
Kyaw Zwa, the Chairman of the Burmese Muslim Association UK said: "Rohingya Genocide in Burma is the outcome of anti-Muslim sentiment. Anti-Muslim sentiment is the outcome of religious based ethno-nationalism in Burma. There are layers of hatred and ideology involved behind the Rohingya Genocide. In order to address the Rohingya issues, we need to address the root cause and solution is not feasible without addressing the root cause”
Mark Farmaner, the director of Burma Campaign UK said: "The UK can’t keep saying never again when there is ethnic cleansing or genocide, and now stand by and do nothing when experts warn of genocide against the Rohingyas. The British government must support a UN Commission of Inquiry into human rights violations against the Rohingyas.
Edited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI
