08/21/2013

The exodus of Rohingya refugees from Burma continues – neighboring states fail to respect refugee rights

Burma: UN Special Rapporteur comments on human rights situation

According to the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP), the exodus of the Muslim Rohingya minority from Burma continues. Last weekend, the border police of Bangladesh arrested 58 Rohingya refugees who tried to reach Malaysia by sea. "The situation of the Rohingya is dramatic – not only in Burma, but also in the neighboring countries," said Ulrich Delius, the STP's Asia-consultant, in Göttingen on Wednesday. "The Rohingya refugees who escaped to Thailand, Bangladesh, Malaysia or Indonesia are often in great despair, as they are often kept under inhumane conditions and are denied long-term protection."

Most recently, 87 Rohingya refugees managed a risky escape from their deportation camp in the province of Songkhla, southern Thailand, on Tuesday. They had managed to use knives to saw through the iron bars of the small prison where they had been held for more than three months. This is the second outbreak of Rohingya refugees who were detained in this province during this month. More than 1,800 Rohingya who fled from Burma this year are being held in police stations and detention centers in Thailand alone. In total, more than 35,000 Rohingya managed to escape from Burma by sea since June 2012. The Muslim minority is being persecuted and discriminated against – and the refugees are threatened with being imprisoned for illegal emigration.

Following his ten-day visit to Burma, the UN Special Rapporteur, Tomas Quintana, will give a report on his impressions regarding the human rights situation in the south-east Asian country. "Qintana's visit was overshadowed by massive attempts of influence and intimidation by the Burmese authorities," criticized Delius. "When the UN Special Rapporteur wanted to visit political prisoners, the authorities decided to move 32 detained Rohingya from Maungdaw prison and 30 prisoners from the Buthidaung detention center shortly before his arrival." These prisoners were considered to be especially eloquent, so the authorities were trying to avoid any contact with Quintana. More than 1000 Rohingya were detained in Buthidaung prison since the outbreak of violence between the Rohingya and the Buddhist Rakhine in May 2012. They are said to have been involved in the violence. Freed refugees reported that many Rohingya were tortured during their imprisonment – and some of the detainees had not survived the abuse.