ARAKAN ROHINGYA NATIONAL ORGANISATION ARAKAN PRESS RELEASE (13 January 2015) STOP INTIMIDATION TO BANGLANIZE ETHNIC ROHINGYA Arakan Rohingya National organization (ARNO) strongly condemns the recent action of the Commanding Officer of Border Guard Police (BGP) Tin Ko Ko for threatening the innocent Rohingya villagers into accepting “Bengali” as their racial name in accordance with the wishes of the government. On Thursday, 8th January, U Tin Ko Ko summoned Rohingya elders and village administrators to the office of the BGP Area Command No.5 at Ngakura village of Maungdaw township and asked them to register as “Bengali” in the citizenship verification under 1982 Citizenship Law, starting 13th January. He threaded that those who insist for “Rohingya” as their ethnicity would be in trouble and implicated to have link with insurgent group. The Burma Citizenship Law of 1982 is an oppressive law enacted by late dictator Ne Win in violation of customary international Law and human rights standards. Rohingya are indigenous to Arakan, therefore to Burma. Their case is not an issue of illegal immigration from Bangladesh as shamelessly blamed by U Thein Sein government and vested interest groups, but is a systematic racism, ethnocide, racial extermination and genocide. They cannot be denied citizenship under any legal standards. We would like to remind President Thein Sein to have cognizance of the official statements of Burma’s previous presidents like U Saw Shwe Theik and U Win Maung, who said “Rohingya are indigenous to Burma and are equal in status with other ethnic nationalities of the Union of Burma.” In actual fact, the Rohingya are full and natural citizens by 1947 and 1974 constitutions and as such they do not legally require to apply for citizenship under 1982 Citizenship Law. Yet, in utter disregard of recent UNGA resolution adopted by consensus, urging the Burmese government to allow “equal access to full citizenship for Rohingya minority”, to “allow self-identification” and ensure equal access to service, the Burmese authorities continue atrocity crimes against Rohingya. We, therefore, urge upon the UN and international community to put effective pressure on Burmese government and protect the defenceless Rohingya from being annihilated. For more information, please contact: Ko Ko Linn :+880-172 6068413 Email: [email protected] rohingya.org
Posted on: Thu, 15 Jan 2015 03:01:39 +0000
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