Myanmar investigators visit Bangladesh, dismiss Rohingya refugees’ stories

A Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh. Photo: EU/ECHO/Pierre Prakash
A Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh. Photo: EU/ECHO/Pierre Prakash

The Myanmar government sent a 10-member delegation to Bangladesh to investigate the plight of Rohingya refugees earlier this week. However, several refugees say they envoys dismissed their claims of murder, rape, and torture at the hands of the Tatmadaw.

The delegation was led by USDP member U Zaw Myint Pe.

On Sunday and Monday, the Myanmar government delegation met refugees from the Kutupalong, Balukhali, and Leda refugee camps to ask them why they had fled to Bangladesh.

When the refugees unanimously explained that they had fled the Tatmadaw operations in Rakhine State, the Myanmar envoys reportedly dismissed the claims.

According to the Dhaka Tribune, one Rohingya refugee named Anwar Kamal alleged a Myanmar envoy responded to his description of atrocities in Rakhine State by calling him a liar.

“Whenever a refugee would speak, they would interrupt and say they were lying,” Kamal said. “I heard a delegation member say ‘These Rohingyas are making things up after fleeing to Bangladesh,’ which makes it clear that they’re just for show.”

Another Rohingya refugee named Hafez Ahmed said the refugees’ requests to return to Rakhine State when it is safe were met with silence from the envoys.

The 10-member delegation was accompanied by officials from the International Organisation for Migration and other aid agencies, none of whom have offered any statements to the media about the visit.

Over 70,000 Rohingya refugees have fled into Bangladesh to escape violence perpetrated by the Tatmadaw.

A UN resolution expected later this week will call for a fact-finding mission into accusations of ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya in Rakhine state.

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  1. The Barbaric Burmese Military regime and their actions against Rohingya.

    Since independence of Burma on 4 January 1948,Rohingyas are suffering and facing unexpected action of 19 full- fledged operation with frequently state patronized communal riots, have been engineered and carried out of resulting in their death, massive destruction of their settlements , holy places of worship, economic bases and expulsion from their hearths and homes.

    Followings are some of the major armed operations:

    01. Military Operation (5th Burma Regiment) November 1948
    02. Burma Territorial Force (BTF) Operation 1949-50
    03. Military Operation (2nd Emergency Chin regiment) March 1951-52
    04. Mayu Operation October 1952-53
    05. Mone-thone Operation October 1954
    06. Combined Immigration and Army Operation January 1955
    07. Union Military Police (UMP) Operation 1955-58
    08. Captain Htin Kyaw Operation 1959
    09. Shwe Kyi Operation October 1966
    10. Kyi Gan Operation October-December 1966
    11. Ngazinka Operation 1967-69
    12. Myat Mon Operation February 1969-71
    13. Major Aung Than Operation 1973
    14. Sabe Operation February 1974-78
    15. Nagamin Operation February 1978-79 (Around 400,000 people have forced migrated from Arakan State )
    16. Shwe Hintha Operation August 1978-80
    17. Galone Operation 1979
    18. Pyi Thaya Operation 1991-92
    19. Na-Sa-Ka Operation 1992 (Around 250, 000 People have forced migrated)
    20. The Genocide has started on 3 June 2012, the recent genocidal campaigns against Rohingya have been documented by Human Rights Watch ( HRW ) , Amnesty International ( AI ) and UN as :

    1- At least 20,000 people killed
    2- At least 3,500 people missing
    3- At least 1000 Women raped
    4- At least 25,000 houses burnt
    5- At least 180,000 displaced
    6- At least 100 Masjid & Madrasas razed

    World crime & action by brutal military regime:
    1. Denial of Citizenship by the act of 1982
    2. Restriction of Movement
    3. Forced Labor
    4. Land Confiscation, Forced Eviction and House Destruction
    5. Restrictions on Marriage of Rohingya
    6. Arbitrary Taxation and Extortion
    7. Registration of Births and Deaths in Families
    8. Deprivation of Right to Education
    9. Arbitrary arrest, torture and Extra- Judicial Killing
    10. Abuse of Rohingya Elders and raping Women
    11. Depopulation law against Rohingya community by making new population law only 2 children for Rohingya
    12. Undocumented refugees & statelessness
    13. Involvement in human trafficking by authority to reduce Rohingya population
    14.Innocent Rohingya prisoners are in Maungdaw , Rathidaung , Akyab ( Sittwe ) and in the neighbor countries (Bangladesh, India, Nepal ,Thailand, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia ).

    Very sincerely yours,
    M.Hussain, Abdullah
    Mobile No: 0049-162-9357337
    The Active member of the ERC
    http://www.theerc.net
    info@theerc.net
    Facebook: ( Human Rights Activist ) https://www.facebook.com/pages/Human-Rights-Activist/272728579557825

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