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London, UK -- A group of 30 people, including ultra-nationalist monks and individuals in masks, gathered in front of a venue where Burmese Muslims were commemorating the anniversary of the birth of Prophet Mohamed on Shan Kone Street in Yangon’s Sanchaung Township. The protest took place at around 4pm on the 21st of November 2018. The protesters gathered to call for authorities to ban the event. When local authorities were unable to take clear and effective action, the Buddhist community of the ward said they would call the local monks to intervene and resolve the matter, which resulted in the crowd dispersing and the authorities then allowed the event to resume.
When the event was first announced, a group calling itself “Defenders of the Buddhist Religion” sent a declaration of their objections to the event to several government departments on the 19th of November. On the day of the event, the protesters who opposed the event gathered at around noon at the Bahan Myo Oo Sasana Monastery, where the headquarters of the “Patriotic Buddhist Monk Association” is based. From there the protesters went to Shan Kone Road in Sanchuang Township at around 4pm. At the same time, ultra-nationalists posted hate messages on social media that called for the local community to support their actions, seemingly with the intention of inciting religious unrest or even violence.
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LONDON: Burma Human Rights Network is calling on the Government of Bangladesh to postpone plans to repatriate Rohingya refugees back to Burma until conditions are acceptable to do so. Bangladesh and Burma have agreed to begin repatriating at least 2, 000 Rohingya back to Burma starting November 15th, despite a lack of assurance for the rights and safety of those being returned. Interviews conducted by Burma Human Rights Network with refugees who have been told they are among those who will be returned have shown a pattern of disregard for the safety and concern of the refugees listed for repatriation. All of the refugees BHRN spoke to said they were not asked if they wanted to return and said they felt they would be in danger if they refused.
“The Government of Bangladesh must cease efforts to prematurely return Rohingya refugees to Burma and instead should be working with the international community and the Rohingya themselves to establish ways in which the Rohingya can be returned to Burma with their safety and human rights guaranteed. Currently, those responsible for the repatriation appear to be using pressure to force the Rohingya to return to a place they rightfully fear to be persecuted and even killed,” said BHRN’s Executive Director, Kyaw Win.
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London, UK – The Burma Human Rights Network (BHRN) is deeply concerned by on-going arrests and deportations of undocumented migrant workers in Thailand, to which Burmese Muslims are particularly vulnerable.
Recent reports indicate that Thailand has “repatriated” an estimated 35,000 Burmese migrants nationwide since July. Burmese Muslims are among those who have faced increased difficulty in meeting the current registration requirements in Thailand, an issue outlined in BHRN’s June 2018 report Existence Denied. Nearly 80 per cent of Burmese Muslims BHRN spoke had never been issued citizenship documents in Burma, making it nearly impossible to obtain legal documentation in Thailand, where many have lived and worked for decades.
