Burmas Muslims Are Long-standing Victims of Military Regime ~ Rohin...

http://www.rohingyablogger.com/2011/04/burmas-muslims-are-long-stan...

CONTACT US

Search

HOME

ROHINGYA

BOOKSHELF

SCHOLAR'S CORNER

LINKS

VIDEO

PICTURE

REPORT

Burmas Muslims Are Long-standing Victims of Military Regime

FRIDAY, APRIL 08, 2011 ROHINGYA BLOGGER NO COMMENTS

United States, through U.N. agency, helping Rohingyas achieve legal status

Washington -- Although largely unaffected by Burmas 2007 pro-democracy protests and the subsequent crackdown by the military government, the countrys Rohingya Muslim population, an isolated group in Northern Rakhine State (NRS), remains oppressed by Burmas rulers and depends on international donors for survival. The estimated 728,000 community members live as virtual prisoners as a result of the military juntas oppression of religious and ethnic minorities. The governments long-standing campaign to Burmanize the population even has included the coerced conversion of Rohingya Muslims to Buddhism.

Despite having a presence in the area extending back to the seventh century, the Rohingyas are not considered by the junta to be Burmese citizens and they suffer legal, economic and social discrimination. They face severe restrictions when attempting to travel, engage in economic activity, register the births, deaths and marriages in the community, and obtain an education. Marc Rapoport, the chief representative of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Burma, told America.gov January 30 that the Rohingyas continue to suffer from restrictive and discriminatory practices at the hands of the military regime. The Rohingyas did not participate in the September 2007 protests. However, NRS, which is routinely a restricted area, has seen increased vigilance and control, since those protests. Rapoport added that nongovernmental agencies are organizations that (NGOs) and humanitarian finding their operational

environment in the area is becoming more restrictive. He pointed to recent requests by the junta to postpone U.N.-organized diplomatic visits and Burmese government delays or denials of visa requests. For the time being, NGOs and U.N. agencies operate normally in NRS. Should this not be the case in future, the Rohingyas could very well become the collateral victims of the September [2007] events and crackdown, Rapoport said. Since the 1970s, the government has made it very difficult for the Muslims to practice their faith, restricting and sometimes banning the publication and distribution of the Quran, and effectively limiting participation in the hajj through restrictive passport and visa issuance procedures. The government also has targeted Muslim places of worship, ordering mosques to be closed down or even destroyed. IDENTIFICATION CARD PROGRAM In an attempt to integrate the Rohingya population into Burma, the United States is funding a UNHCR program to issue identification cards that will ease registration of births and marriages, school

1 of 3

9/14/2011 10:22 PM

Burmas Muslims Are Long-standing Victims of Military Regime ~ Rohin...

http://www.rohingyablogger.com/2011/04/burmas-muslims-are-long-stan...

Subscribe to our RSS Feed

Follow Us on Twitter

Be Our Fan on Facebook

Popular

Category

Blog Archives

POPULAR POSTS
Diplomat U Kyaw Win's letter to The Honorable Hillary Clinton The Honorable Hillary Clinton The Department of State 2201 C Street NW Washington, DC 20520 Dated : July 4, 2011 Dear Secretary Clinton, ... Aung San Suu Kyi(The 2011 TIME 100) Meet the most influential people in the world. They are artists and activists, reformers and researchers, heads of state and captains of ind... An analysis of Arakan Muslim by Dr. Shwe Lu Maung Please see the rest of the video by clicking below>>>

OIC held Rohingya convention to form ARU Thursday, 02 June 2011 16:24 Jeddah, KSA: The headquarters of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in Jeddah hosted a convention of senior Rohingya leader...

FOLLOW BY EMAIL

RECENT COMMENTS

2 of 3

9/14/2011 10:22 PM

Burmas Muslims Are Long-standing Victims of Military Regime ~ Rohin...

http://www.rohingyablogger.com/2011/04/burmas-muslims-are-long-stan...

VOA NEWS

THE IRRAWADDY NEWS

VJ Handed 10 More Years Suu Kyi Attends Football Match Burma Pivotal as Amphetamine Use Soars Mitchell Concludes Trip with Call for 'Concrete' Action US Accuses Burma of Restricting Religious Freedom

DEMOCRATIC VOICE OF BURMA

DVB VJ given additional 10 yrs in jail Suu Kyi target of sexual slurs from govt Shan villagers beaten by troops: reports Former Thai MP and Karen defender murdered US will respond in kind to reforms

Copyright 2011 Rohingya Blogger- | Designed by Nay San Oo

Free Rohingya Campaign | Rohingya Times | Burma Digest

3 of 3

9/14/2011 10:22 PM