Muslims interviewed in February and March 1992 by Amnesty International said that people taken for porterage or forced labour were either given no food at all or a small amount of rice a day. "Historical Phonology of Burmese and Arakanese Finals." Far Eastern Economic Review [Hong Kong]. The situation in Rakhine State contains a toxic mixture of historical centre-periphery tensions, serious intercommunal and inter-religious conflict with minority Muslim communities, and extreme poverty and under-development. The repatriation process was briefly suspended by the Bangladesh government on 19 January 1993 and when repatriation was resumed at the end of the month UNHCR was once again allowed to conduct private interviews with returnees, but only in the transit camps (Ibid., 4). The two most prevalent religions are Buddhism and Taoism, which are often observed in the same temple. One of those currently believed to be detained is Fazal Ahmed, a Muslim member of the National Democratic Party for Human Rights and a member of parliament-elect from Maungdaw South constituency in Rakhine state. Found insideRakhine State is the second poorest in Myanmar. ... the Protection of Race and Religion) against the local Muslim population, as well as the government's ... Unless evidence emerges in the coming weeks and months of continuing repression in Rakhine state resulting in major human rights abuses, it is likely that the repatriation process will get underway in earnest in 1994. Toleration was challenged, however, by the conquest of Rakhine by Myanmar in 1785 and efforts to eradicate local religious autonomy. In 2006 a prominent Muslim religious organisation asked the Rakhine State Peace and Development Council Chairman, the Regional Military Commander, and the Ministry of Religious Affairs to lift marriage restrictions for Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State. From its interviews Amnesty International concluded: "Most male villagers were in effect completely at the disposal of army troops because they might be arbitrarily seized at any time." The organization found that: "those deliberately killed included porters and labourers who were too weak to continue their work, individuals who refused or were unable to obey the army, suspected insurgents and victims of rape by the military, and Muslims fleeing to Bangladesh. The Special Rapporteur concluded from evidence he gathered that "there is strong evidence suggesting a systematic pattern of summary or arbitrary execution of forced porters." Rakhine State had a significant Muslim population so it should still say Buddhist but the number is way under 90%. 1993. In 2006 a prominent Muslim religious organization asked the Rakhine State Peace and Development Council Chairman, the Regional Military Commander, and the Ministry of Religious Affairs to lift marriage restrictions for Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State. In 1978 the then ruling Burmese Socialist Programme Party (BSPP) initiated a campaign code-named Naga Min (Dragon King) which drove over 200,000 Muslims from Rakhine state (then called Arakan state) across the border into Bangladesh (The Far East and Australasia Yearbook 1993, 577). The fear of repeated rape as a result of military reprisals for not finding men for portering was also cited by most of the women interviewed by the Special Rapporteur as a reason for resisting repatriation to Myanmar (United Nations 17 February 1993, E/CN.4/1993/37, 27). They work at the mercy of the soldiers, bearing heavy loads and receiving very little rest or food. The riots finally came after weeks of sectarian disputes including a gang rape and murder of a Rakhine woman by Rohingyas and killing of ten Burmese Muslims by Rakhines. One refugee described to Amnesty International the routine threats and intimidation meted out to Muslims. And then sometimes they are taken for 10 days, 15 days, two months. Although religion in Myanmar can be tense at times due to the friction between the different religious groups, in reality, it is a very peaceful country. One refugee described the process as follows: "They do it in all sorts of ways, depending on what they need people for. By questioning these competing narratives, offering detailed sociopolitical analysis and examining the international dimensions of the conflict, this book offers new insights into what is preventing a peaceful resolution to this intractable ... Pyinsa, Purain, Taung Ngu and Narinsara, Laungkrat cities flourished. The Rohingya people (/ r oʊ ˈ h ɪ n dʒ ə,-ɪ n-,-ɪ ŋ j ə /) are a stateless Indo-Aryan ethnic group who predominantly follow Islam and reside in Rakhine State, Myanmar (previously known as Burma). Porters were sometimes tied up at night, making sleep impossible. Moreover, the four laws adopted as a package in 2015, known as the Protection of Race and Religion package, are widely viewed as targeting Rohingya Muslims, although they have serious repercussions for the rights of other religious minorities, as well as women and children throughout Myanmar. The ethnic Rakhine make up the majority. The Rohingya also displayed hostility, fearing a threat to their religious identity. UN officials and HRW have described Myanmar's persecution of the Rohingya as ethnic cleansing . 2 on Bangladesh, UNHCR Public Information Section, 11 June 1992, 2). 9 October 1993. They constitute 1 % of the total population, 4% of the Rakhine state population, and 45% of the total Muslim population inhabiting in Myanmar. The governments of Bangladesh and Myanmar had originally intended the repatriation process to begin soon after they signed agreements in April and May 1992 that provided for the "safe and voluntary" repatriation of refugees from Bangladesh and set out the means by which the refugees would be repatriated. He reported that Muslims from Rakhine state were among the groups most affected, along with members of the Karen, Shan and Mon ethnic minorities (United Nations 17 February 1993, E/CN.4/1993/37, 16). Found insideToday, in Rakhine state, the Mrauk-U kingdom is still considered to represent ... religion, there is strong evidence of a substantial Muslim population and ... Found inside... population of 800,000 Muslims, the Rohingya, residing in Rakhine state. ... culture, sex and wealth;70 the right to freedom of religion;71 the right to ... In August private relief workers working along the border estimated that the figure had reached approximately 16,000 (Far Eastern Economic Review, 29 August 1991, 26). "Overpopulation is one of the causes of tension." Note: In this issue paper the in-text reference system is used, which is different from the usual WRITENET standard of footnotes. Evidence gathered by the UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar showed that since 1988 thousands of people have been killed throughout Myanmar while providing forced portering for the military. However, the expulsion of the British by the Japanese is reported to have created serious inter-communal tensions as the Buddhist Rakhine, as well as Burman nationalists, sided with the Japanese while minorities such as the Muslims of Rakhine state remained loyal to the British (Far Eastern Economic Review, 28 January 1993, 24). In Rakhine State, according to the UN and media reports, the government and security forces continued to restrict the movement of various ethnic and religious groups, particularly members of the Rohingya community. Porters were often taken in rotation with each man taking his turn for duty. Over 140,000 Muslims have been expelled from cities in Rakhine State, while thousands more are in isolated ghetto-like camps outside Sittwe, Rakhine State's capital. The RSO, financially and militarily the stronger of the two groups, was in 1991 believed to have thousands of followers and up to 600 armed men with a mix of old and modern weapons. Minority Rights Group, ed. Many women provided testimony that women in villages relocated by the army were rounded up and taken to military barracks where they were repeatedly raped. "Rohingyas Repatriated From Bangladesh 16 July." (AI Index: ASA 16/11/92). Found inside – Page 103The conflicts emerged due to the change in demographics in the Rakhine State. Since the 1970s, Rakhine Buddhists slowly lost their majority status to the ... Given that these independent observers are broadly unanimous in their opinion that in the country as a whole the human rights situation remains grim, it is unlikely that conditions in Rakhine state will have improved dramatically over the past year. Asia Watch suggests that this should not necessarily be regarded as implying an improvement in the human rights situation in Myanmar. 5, No. The forcible population transfer initiated by the military is part of a new strategy of the reclamation or re-colonization of Rohingya land. World Directory of Minorities. Up until World War II there appears to have been little or no friction between them and the Buddhist Rakhine. Printed from Oxford Research Encyclopedias, Asian History. Many alleged that Muslim women had been systematically raped by government troops (Far Eastern Economic Review 29 August 1991, 26). Ethnic minority groups constituted 30 to 40 percent of the . When Myanmar conquered Rakhine in 1784-85, it would again try to extend Irrawaddy civilization over it as part of their empire-building. May 1992. The Hong Kong government's Information Services Department data states that approximately 43 percent of the population practices some form of religion. Religions. "Forced or Compulsory Labour in Myanmar (Burma): The Practice of Forced Porterage". ", 23 November 1993. They also reported being forced to build new villages for the Buddhist Rakhine settlers whom the Myanmar armed forces moved into the area. The 2012 Rakhine State Riots were a series of conflicts primarily between ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and RohingyaMuslims in northern Rakhine State, Myanmar, though by October Muslims of all ethnicities had begun to be targeted. INTRODUCTION. The Far Eastern Economic Review concluded in 1991 that there was little evidence to indicate that the population of Rakhine poses a serious military threat to the Burmese army (Far Eastern Economic Review, 29 August 1991, 28). Women who had returned to their villages stated that some of the women among them had died as a result of the continual rapes." Asia Watch cites evidence that coercion and physical abuse of refugees was carried out by Bangladeshi authorities when these mass repatriations were taking place (Asia Watch, 9 October 1993, 1). New York: Human Rights Watch. The Office of International Religious Freedom has recently issued its 2020 report on observance of religious freedom in Myanmar. This region was a crossroads for South and Southeast Asian civilizations and existed at the overlap of the frontiers of Islam and Theravada Buddhism. Although Buddhism is the dominant religion in Rakhine, the state has the highest concentration of Muslim inhabitants in Myanmar (Minority Rights Group International 1990, 345). No reliable figures have been collected or released since independence and those that are published are likely to play down ethnic minority numbers. Information Bulletin No. January 1993. ", 8 November 1993. Four months later the Bangladesh authorities did return a group of refugees to Myanmar, without the UNHCR being granted access to them to assess the voluntary nature of their return, and violence erupted in the camps in protest (Asia Watch, 9 October 1993, 2). Found insideThe best country-by-country assessment of human rights. The human rights records of more than ninety countries and territories are put into perspective in Human Rights Watch's signature yearly report. Found inside – Page 92Taking care of our own religion and race is more important than democracy. ... For example, Shwe Maung, the Rakhine government spokesperson, once lamented ... Instead, the organization argues, the reason for the sudden reduction in refugee arrivals could be explained by the reported build up of Myanmar troops along the border in July of that year, apparently deployed in order to stop the exodus of refugees into Bangladesh (Ibid., 11, citing Agence France Press, 21 July 1992). A city like Yangon can . Found inside – Page 248... Suu Kyi adopted a more neutral tone to refer to Muslims from Rakhine state, ... of Ma Ba Tha (the ultra-conservative Association of Race and Religion ... Religious and ethnic tensions have bubbled to the surface in Myanmar, also known as Burma, with deadly consequences. Rohingya crops are now reaped by the state and redistributed to the Rakhine Buddhists, while the land itself has become state . ্ণুপ্রিয়া মণিপুরী, Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Initially it depicted the refugees as illegal aliens fleeing to avoid routine immigration checks (U.S. Department of State Country Reports for 1992, 528), the same reason given by the BSPP for the massive exodus of Muslims from the state in 1978. Religion in Myanmar. The military routinely employs corvee labour on building projects in different parts of the country (U.S. Department of State Country Reports for 1992, 530). (United Nations 17 February 1993, E/CN.4/1993/37, 16). Buddhists make up 60% of the population, which stands at 3.2 million. As of 16 July the total figure for repatriations had risen to only 29,539 (Rangoon Radio Burma 23 July 1993). In October the Bangladesh Government and the UNHCR reached an agreement allowing for UNHCR staff to conduct interviews with refugees prior to their return. Found inside – Page 19In addition, there are populations of Hindus (0.5%), and those following ... particularly in Rakhine State, where at least 150,000 Rohingya have been ... By October 1990 resettlement was being forcibly carried out by the military in Mawdaung and Buthidaung (Far Eastern Economic Review 29 August 1991, 26). Several others also told of how they and their families had been stopped as they tried to leave Myanmar by the Lone Htein who confiscated all of their belongings and threatened to shoot them if they returned (Amnesty International October 1992, 21). Repatriation of Muslim refugees from Bangladesh to Myanmar has been taking place since September 1992. "Burmese refugees flee camps in Bangladesh. Although Buddhism is the dominant religion in Rakhine, the state has the highest concentration of Muslim inhabitants in Myanmar (Minority Rights Group International 1990, 345). State and Region. He stressed, however, that there remain "many serious restrictions and grave violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms". The book provides a sophisticated and much-needed account of the period, and as such will be an important resource for policy-makers and students as a basis for understanding contemporary politics and the challenges of the modern state. Ninth International Conference on Sino-Tibetan Languages and Linguistics, Copenhagen. Nearly 200 houses of Rohingya Muslims were burned down allegedly by Rakhines in the villages of Gotepi Tawk and Apout Wa in Kyauktaw township in Rakhine state, according to local sources. 1992, Review Publishing Company Ltd. Hongkong. Rakhine State, like many parts of Myanmar(Burma), has a diverse ethnic population. A most persecuted Muslim minority since 2013 UN. ", 11 November 1993. 6 September 1992. It is unclear what provision has been made for repatriated Muslim refugees who are unable to return to their villages of origin because of the resettlement policy. Those who resisted being taken as porters were said by refugees to be at risk of being killed, while family members who protested to the army after their relatives had been taken as porters were subjected to physical punishment (Amnesty International October 1993, 13). Found insideIn this gripping and deeply reported account, Francis Wade explores how the manipulation of identities by an anxious ruling elite has laid the foundations for mass violence, and how, in Myanmar’s case, some of the most respected and ... (U.S. Department of State Country Reports for 1992, 523). Until non-governmental organizations and the UNHCR are established there it is unlikely that an accurate picture of the true situation in Rakhine state will emerge. (FBIS-EAS-93-142). Myanmar's leaders will also need to demonstrate to the world that they are sincerely seeking a resolution to the treatment and political status of the Rohingya, of course within a wider context of addressing the conditions in western Rakhine State, home to a multitude of ethnic and religious groups in addition to the Rohingya. In February-March 1992 a mission from Amnesty International visited the refugee camps in Bangladesh. NGOs and government sources estimated the overwhelmingly Sunni Muslim Rakhine State population (pre-2017) at 1.1 million. With the signing of the MOU the rate of return of Muslim refugees is expected to accelerate rapidly. Unconfirmed reports of a continuing significant military presence in northern Rakhine state were backed up in November 1993 by a German tourist. Yet although the two Muslim opposition groups, the RSO and the ARIF, claim to have armed wings operating in northern Rakhine state, the extent of military conflict between these groups and the Myanmar armed forces appears to have been extremely limited (Amnesty International, October 1992, 21). 17. The historical migration and religious development in Rakhine (Arakan) up to the end of the second decade of the 21st century is complicated. Official Burmese figures state Arakan State's population as 3,118,963. Existing in an ecological niche with a difficult topography and climate and a low population base . This is not a UNHCR publication. Repatriation has also been hampered by the refusal of the Myanmar authorities, until November 1993, to grant the UNHCR access to Rakhine state in order to monitor the safety of those refugees who have returned. It also outlines the repatriation process to date, a process that is likely to speed up dramatically in light of the agreement reached in November 1993 between the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Myanmar authorities. This paper describes the conditions in Rakhine state during 1991 and 1992 that led to the massive exodus of refugees. Refugees also stated that porters were seized in a more random manner, with the military often taking people from their homes or from markets or local roads (Amnesty International May 1992, 6-7). In an interview with the BBC World Service in May 1993 he alleged that Muslims living in Rakhine state continue to be subjected to human rights violations such as deliberate killings, confiscation of land and the use of forced labour for government building projects or as porters for the army. Table 2.2 Respondents by Ethnicity and Religion Table 2.3 Respondents by Religion and Township Table 3.1 Perceptions of Justice Table 3.2 Perceptions of Law Table 4.1 Impact of Local Orders in Northern Rakhine (as of Nov. 2015) Table 6.1 Attitudes Towards the Justice System Table 6.2 Trust in Judicial Actors Annex I Tables 5 International Confederation of Free Trade Unions. When Myanmar conquered Rakhine in 1784-85, it would again try to extend Irrawaddy civilization over it as part of their empire-building. Found inside – Page 2004This is evidenced by the complex and disturbing nature of both government and ... the ongoing conflicts between Buddhists and Muslims in both Rakhine State, ... Thousands of civilians, from boys as young as ten to elderly men, were allegedly forcibly conscripted as unpaid labour for the construction and maintenance of a new military camp and other "border development projects" in the area, including major new roads being constructed through the state. October 1993. The lack of independently verifiable information and lack of access to the country, coupled with the fact that the names of those arrested and released are seldom made public, makes it very difficult to maintain accurate records on political prisoners. Great Image of Mahamuni was cast and probable first local appearance of Buddhism. The Muslims from Rakhine state are descendants of Moorish, Arab and Persian traders who arrived between the 9th and 15th centuries, married local women, and settled in the region. As of December, international organizations estimated 300,000 Rohingya remain in Rakhine State. Freedom of speech, the press, assembly, and association remained nonexistant." Rakhine State (Buddhists and Muslims) to provide humanitarian assistance to vulnerable populations, especially children, affected by conflict. 5 November 1993. Refugees have also provided considerable consistent evidence of the ill-treatment, torture and killing of Muslims by security forces in Rakhine state outside the context of forced portering. Found inside – Page 22Total Hindu population of the country stands at 820,000 in 2010. According to Myanmar government's 2014 census, those who were enumerated in Rakhine, ... In late 1989 the resettlement campaign reached Akyab, Rakhine's state capital and the SLORC are said to have begun resettling Buddhist Rakhines in the predominantly Muslim areas of the state, displacing local Muslims (Europa Yearbook 1993, 577). At the end of the reporting period, they had yet to receive a response. Official Burmese figures state Rakhine State's population as 3,183,330. On 5 November 1993 agreement on this issue was finally reached and an MOU was signed by the UNHCR and the Myanmar government which allows for a UNHCR presence in Rakhine state (Associated Press, 5 November 1993). Sometimes they come at night and just grab people from their beds, sometimes they ask the village headman to make lists of people they should take. Refugees from Rakhine state interviewed by the Far Eastern Economic Review in 1991 described how Muslim-owned land was confiscated, Muslim settlements demolished and a number of mosques were borded up or destroyed by the army (Ibid.). Rakhine State is one of the least developed areas of Myanmar, with a diverse ethnic and religious population. 2 on Bangladesh. "It would be better if there was 100 percent compliance," he said, adding that the state's status as one of the least economically developed . BURMA 2 International Religious Freedom Report for 2018 United States Department of State • Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor including Kachin, Chin, and Rakhine States, led to severe hardship on religious The Rohingya people are an ethnic group from Myanmar, once called Burma. (AI Index: ASA 16/06/93). The overwhelming majority of Myanmar's population practices Theravada Buddhism—around 88 percent. English. Found insideThis second edition of Historical Dictionary of Burma (Myanmar) contains a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography. 28 January 1993. In a preliminary report to the UN General Assembly concerning his visit to Myanmar in November 1993, the UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar is reported to have said that there is evidence that some developments have taken place that could lead to improvements in human rights. Many other minority people living in Rakhine State and nearby Paletwa Township (Chin State) can also speak Rakhine as their second . "Nearly 800 Burmese refugees go home.". 21 Apr 2018: English . Their preparation involved collaborative efforts of the Department of Population and UNFPA. Like the rest of Myanmar, the population of Rakhine state voted heavily against the government-backed National Union Party in the National Assembly elections of May 1990 and in favour of the opposition. Anti-Indian sentiments have always been strong in Myanmar, and many Burmans insist that the Muslims of Rakhine state are Bengalis. Refugees described being subjected to a wide range of human rights violations by the Myanmar security forces deliberately aimed, many of them claimed, at driving them out of the country. Rakhine peasants who had fled British annexation returned to find their lands were occupied by Rohingya rice farmers on a long-term lease basis, rented out by colonizers.

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