PRESS RELEASE: AN URGENT APPEAL TO END INDISCRIMINATE KILLINGS OF ROHINGYA IN NORTHERN RAKHINE STATE
October 10, 2016
The European Rohingya Council (ERC) calls for the assistance of the United Nations (UN), the members of European Union (EU), Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and Australia to exercise “the Responsibility to Protect” norm to immediately end the indiscriminate killings and arbitrary mass arrests of Rohingya by Myanmar armed forces in the northern Rakhine State, Myanmar.
As the government news portal, MRTV, reported that a clash broke out between the government force and unknown militants in the early hours (2am – GMT +6:30) of Sunday, October 9 in Kyi Kyan Pyin (Hawar Bil) where Border Guard Police central command centre is located. It results in the declaration of “state of emergency” and the extension of curfew from 7 pm to 6 am in Maungdaw, a town sits on the brink of Myanmar-Bangladesh border.
Even though the government officials in Nay Pyi Taw confirmed at a press conference that the attack was carried out by a group of unknown assailants, Myanmar armed forces run on killing spree of Rohingya hours after the clash. The atrocious military actions rapidly spread from village to village with the massive deployment of military and police forces. In the early hours of Monday, the forces killed seven Rohingya at close range in Myo Thu Gyi village on the outskirts of Maungdaw town, including a 13 years old schoolboy. In the same day, it is also reported that more than 24 Rohingya were extra-judicially killed in U Kye Kyar (Bura Shidda Para), Ngapura and Kyauk Prang Seip (Nari Bil).
With the curfew and the state of emergency in place, the military raids are carried out arbitrarily arresting vulnerable Rohingya women, elderly (includes intellectuals and religious scholars) and even children, and many remain inside their houses with intense fear and concern for the loved ones.
The search for the unknown assailants cannot be used to justify their indiscriminate killings and arbitrary arrests of minority Rohingya Muslims who have been the constant targets of severe human rights abuses – restrictions on freedom of religion, movement, marriage, education and healthcare, denials of right to citizenship and self-identification, and subjected to arbitrary arrest, torture, extrajudicial killing, taxation and land confiscation, which are widely recorded by various international human rights groups.
Therefore, we call upon the international community, governmental and non-governmental agencies to exercise “the Responsibility to Protect” norm to immediately end indiscriminate killings and arbitrary mass arrests of the persecuted Rohingya minority.
We also demand Nobel Peace Laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s led NLD government to immediately restore stability in the region through peaceful and sustainable means, and to independently investigate the atrocities being committed by the armed forces.
The European Rohingya Council
E-mail: info@theerc.net
Tel: +31 652358202
