Rohingya News Agency –(AFP): In the desolate camps of western Myanmar many homeless Muslims are determined to assert their identity as Rohingya after years of persecution, in a census some fear will spark further turmoil. Myanmar’s first census in 30 years — which starts at the end of March with United Nations help — will provide new data on the country, until now relying on figures from a flawed population tally in 1983. - See more at: rna-press/en/news/25458.html#sthash.g6BUqVeF.VLcpJtXg.dpuf Rohingya News Agency –(newindianexpress): An earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale shook parts of Myanmar Sunday, the US Geological Survey said. The temblor, having a depth of about 42 km, jolted area located 57 km from Myaydo region at 10.33 local time Sunday, Xinhua reported. - See more at: rna-press/en/news/25456.html#sthash.rb719QWQ.Ov08YWJf.dpuf Rohingya News Agency –(Los Angeles Times): Myanmar, the country formerly known as Burma, has made substantial progress in the last few years, moving from military rule toward democracy, releasing political prisoners and freeing from house arrest Nobel Prize-winning democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi. However, the government has relentlessly continued its appalling treatment of the Rohingya population that lives in Rakhine state in western Myanmar. A Muslim minority in an overwhelmingly Buddhist country, the Rohingya are effectively denied citizenship unless they can meet onerous requirements, such as tracing their lineage back decades. They are restricted in where they can live and work, are limited to having two children and have been subject to brutal violence at the hands of mobs unchecked by local police. More than 1 million Rohingya live in Myanmar, including about 180,000 in squalid internal displacement camps, according to Human Rights Watch. The United Nations has deemed the Rohingya one of the most persecuted groups in the world. - See more at: rna-press/en/news/25460.html#sthash.lPoKZ3zF.VEZbmOaC.dpuf Rohingya News Agency –(brianpellot): Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s most famous citizen, politician and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, made this distinction to a packed room of journalists at the International Media Conference in Yangon Sunday afternoon. Daw Suu, as she’s known in Myanmar/Burma, is an internationally recognized and revered stateswoman. She’s also an active politician, thinking about running in the country’s 2015 elections. Suu Kyi’s continued silence on the Rohingya situation in western Myanmar begs the question: Are political priorities overshadowing her concern for the next generation? - See more at: rna-press/en/news/25459.html#sthash.TjBUcTIj.DCj4qvld.dpuf Rohingya News Agency –(Anadolu Agency): The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has said that the organization expects a quick solution to the Rohingya issue and it aims to play a key role in solving the problem. The issue was a major talking point during a meeting between Iyad Ameen Madani and Bangladesh Foreign Minister AH Mahmud Ali in Dhaka on Sunday morning, Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Md. Sahidul Haque told media. The OIC secretary general - a former Saudi Arabian minister - said that the OIC will raise the issue at international forums, including the United Nations. He called the issue a matter of citizenship issue between Bangladesh and Myanmar. Outside of the Rohingya issue, Madani said that chief among the challenges that face Muslim Ummah today is sectarian violence between Shias and Sunnis, and sometimes between Sunnis. In that situation, there is no winner and all are losers, he said, adding that Islam is a religion of tolerance and peaceful co-existence. The visit was the first to Bangladesh by Madani since he assumed office as the 10th secretary general of the OIC in January. The purpose of his visit was to strengthen existing co-operation between Bangladesh and the OIC. The OIC is the largest organization of Muslim countries in the world. It was established in Morocco in 1969. - See more at: rna-press/en/news/25461.html#sthash.rtFoGrT1.f26oZibw.dpuf Rohingya News Agency –(Anadolu Agency): The anti-Muslim rhetoric of Sri Lanka is similar to that of Myanmar, an international panel of experts at a conference on violence in the two countries concluded this week. Although no one has died in anti-Muslim violence in Sri Lanka, speakers at the March 6 discussion said that the language of hatred is similar to that in Myanmar where hundreds of Rohingya Muslims are reported to have lost their lives. Held at the Central European Universitys School of Public policy in Budapest, Buddhist Fury: violence against Muslims in Sri Lanka and Myanmar sought to answer questions on conflict solution, develop policy ideas and share news on the current situation in both countries, with a purpose of releasing a policy paper to help deal with anti-Muslim hatred. - See more at: rna-press/en/news/25462.html#sthash.zOWWODys.W5hQw0eg.dpuf Kavi Chongkittavorn - nationmultimedia March 10, 2014 For three days last week, more than 250 journalists belonged to ethnic groups from all over Myanmar gathered here with clear objectives: to make their voices heard and to strengthen their nascent media network as well as improve journalistic skills and professionalism. The presence of top senior officials from Ministry of Information (MOI) including Deputy Minister U Pike Htwe was a barometer of the importance Nayphidaw attached to the role of ethnic media played at the countrys democratic transformation. Since 2011, Myanmar has loosening media controls allowing independent printed media to proliferate. At the moment, 18 dailies and 389 weeklies are competing under the watchful eyes of the authorities. MOI has repeatedly said that the aim of media reform is to promote democracy, freedom of expression and attain the international standard of media freedom. - See more at: rna-press/en/articles/25463.html#sthash.l1UL0ZWu.QCxvt5io.dpuf By Pawan Bali - americanbazaaronline March 10, 2014 It was the summer of 2004 when I first ran into the Rohingyas in Jammu, a town in northern India. Over 300 families had settled in a squalid camp next to a noisy rail track, seeking a fresh start. When I mistook them for illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, they were quick to defend, waving the one piece of identity they had- a refugee card from United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). Ten years later, I met the community members again in Washington, DC. A few dozens of them gathered outside the Burmese Embassy to protest and raise awareness about their plight. A decade has not changed much for them. They still carry the only identity they have known- an identity of being a perpetual refugee. Stateless and thousands of them still homeless. - See more at: rna-press/en/articles/25464.html#sthash.RjxLb3YG.gV6wBHlj.dpuf
Posted on: Mon, 10 Mar 2014 13:01:50 +0000