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ASEAN Ulama & NGO Comes Up With Action Plan For Rohingya

THE ACTION PLAN

ASEAN + ULAMA DAN NGO MEETING TO STOP THE MYANMAR MASSACRE

1. Distribution of the Shah Alam Declaration Worldwide ( English and Arabic )
– all OIC Head of State members and OIC Special Envoy on Rohingya
– UN Security Council members
– UN Secretary General and UN Special Envoy on Rohingya
– all Asean Head of State members
– Chair of EU
– main international Media

ACTION : MAPIM and SHURA

2. Food and Humanitarian Flotilla to Myanmar
– defining the objectives ( humanitarian and advocacy )
– determing of vessel and route ( options from Penang or Aceh or Krabi or Phuket or India or Bangladesh)
– solicit support from UN and OIC and EU and Asean member state
– shipping of food, medical , basic needs
– participation : ngo activists, international media, celebrities , nobel peace prize winners, ulama, journalist ..ect
– Funding
– voyage schedule
– public mobilization and public annoucement
– target dates and time line.

ACTION : MAPIM and other Ngos

3. Inter religious Dialogue and missions with Religous Leaders in Asean +
– issuing a collective declaration
– inter religous mission to advocate for peace to Myanmar
– sending message to Dalai Lama

ACTION :
4. Special letter to China , India and Bangladesh
– demand to pressure Myanmar to stop the genocide
– demand Bangladesh to protect the rights Rohingya refugees and access to humanitarian assistance
– send delegate to embassies

ACTION :
5. Memorandum to Asean Human Rights Commission
– demand Myanmar to comply to protection of the Human Rights of minorities
– send a delegate to Asean Secretariate in Jakarta
– call to suspend and boycot Myanmar iin Asean if genocide persist.

ACTION :
6. Solidarity call to all International Muslims and Ulama Associations to stop the Myanmar Massacre.
– call to the International Union of Ulama to urge all ulama world wide to stand up against Myanmar genocide.
– urge all Muslims to hold special prayers for Rohingya brothers and sisters.
– call to contribute to humanitarian assistance to Rohingya victims of oppression by Myanmar regime.
– call to defend the victims of injustice by the Myanmar regime on the Rohingya

7. International Boycott Campaign on Myanmar
– to consider an international boycott against Myanmar if genocide persist within the next 7 days.
– to look into ways of launching an effective boycot in trade , cultural, social , diplomatic and labor.
9. International Campaign to revoke Peace Prize from Aung San Su Kyi.
– to send a letter to Aung San Su Kyi conveying a reminder message to her of her responsibilty as a Nobel Peace Prize Winner that she is beholden to carry the duty of protectiong human rights of the oppressed and minorities.
– to write a petition to the Panel Board of the Nobel Peace Prize

10. Calling International Ulama for a Fatwa on the Myanmar Rohingya Massacre :
– to write to the Chairman of International Ulama Union
– to call on all imam of world masaajid to conduct a special prayer on the oppression on the Rohingya .

Action Plan Proposed by the Delegates:

1. Talk with China to put pressure on the Myanmar government as China is influential. Propose solution to PM Najib to talk to China for negotiation.
2. UN is paralyzed with inaction, hence the neighbouring countries should put pressure on them to take actions through ASEAN channels.
3. Asian Rohingya Centers (think tank) published a declaration called the “Declaration of Selayang” which initiated the 2017 International Year of Solidarity for Rohingya. Its objective is also to revoke Aung San Suu Kyi’s Nobel Peace Prize award;
a. Planning for a workshop & public hearing at town halls to hear & share the problems of the Rohingya in Malaysia
b. Engage with the local Rohingyas to assist them through Whatsapp & Facebook & go global.
4. Hold dialogues between Buddhists & Muslims in Myanmar.
5. Stakeholders such as the British, Bangladesh & Myanmar Governments to hold an international conference.
6. Use OIC as a platform by sending letters to the Myanmar Government on the genocide
7. Freedom Flotilla for Rohingya
8. Investigation for the crimes against humanity in Arakan

Source: www.mapim.org

November 30, 2016
Singaporean Buddhist: Rohingya Issue An International Humanitarian Issue, Not Just A Muslim Problem

Admin hi,

I’m Singapore born and bred Chinese who became a Buddhist over 8 years ago. Been following your posts on the plight of the Rohingya in Myanmar. Some of the images and videos were very hard to take. As a Buddhist, it pains me to read that some of the inhumane treatment on the Rohingya were allegedly carried out by militant Buddhists. It made me question my faith but I’ve become better for it as I’ve been able to rationalise that these deplorable acts are not what Buddhism is about. Moreover, the Buddhism practiced there is not the same as what’s practiced here.

Trust me, we all want to help. Me and my other non-Muslim friends, we all want to help. That’s only natural after looking at the suffering. But we all don’t quite know how. Nevertheless, we cannot lose hope.

I want to reassure all my Muslim friends we suffer with you on this Rohingya issue. The Rohingya are human beings just like us. Their lives should not be toyed with, with such appalling disregard.

Their suffering is not a Muslim problem. It is a problem for the world, for humanity. All humankind should roundly condemn the actions of the Myanmar government.

In the past, the world marginalised Myanmar because of its disregard of democracy and its mistreatment of Aung San Suu Kyi. What the Rohingya is going through is far worse. The world cannot turn a blind eye just because there is some semblance of democracy in the country now.

The world can, and should do better.

In separateness lies the world’s greatest misery; in compassion lies the world’s true strength.

#savetheRohingya #SingaporeansforRohingya #solidaritywithRohingya

Lotus

[Reader Contribution]

November 30, 2016
Mohamed Jufrie Mahmood: Why Is Singapore Honouring Aung San Suu Kyi?

Sementara PBB dan negara-negara serantau melalak dan mengutuk perempuan ini kerana sifat anti Muslim dan tidak berperikemanusiaan, kerana tidak bertindak terhadap kekejaman dan pembunuhan dalam negaranya, Singapura menyambut dan beri penghormatan kepadanya. Semua kerana duit. Masuk akalkah?

While the UN and regional countries condemn this woman for her anti Muslim and anti humanitarian stance, with regard to her inaction over the atrocities and killings in her country, Singapore is honouring her. All because of money. Does it make sense?

Source: Mohamed Jufrie Bin Mahmood

November 30, 2016
Aung San Suu Kyi On Official Visit To Singapore

Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi will make an official visit to Singapore from Nov 30 to Dec 2, announced Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on Tuesday (Nov 29).

Ms Suu Kyi will be here at the invitation of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong who will host an official welcome ceremony and a dinner for her at the Istana on Wednesday.

Both leaders will be guests-of-honour on Thursday at the opening ceremony of a three-month exhibition of Myanmar artefacts called “Cities and Kings: Ancient Treasures from Myanmar” at the Asian Civilisations Museum.

Ms Suu Kyi, who is also foreign minister, will call on Acting President J Y Pillay.

Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean will host her to meals separately and the Nobel laureate will have breakfast at a hawker centre with Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.

Also on her agenda is IE Singapore’s Global Conversations dialogue with Singapore businesses, said MFA.

In 2015, Myanmar was Singapore’s 28th largest trading partner, with total trade at S$3.57 billion.

For Myanmar, Singapore was its third largest trading partner after China and Thailand. As of end-October this year, Singapore was the second largest investor in Myanmar with cumulative investment at US$15.6 billion, after China (US$18.5 billion).

During her three-day visit, Ms Suu Kyi will get an orchid named in her honour at the Singapore Botanic Gardens. She will also receive a briefing by the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau, said MFA.

Ms Suu Kyi last visited Singapore in 2013 when she was Myanmar’s opposition leader.

During this official visit, she will be accompanied by Union Minister for Commerce U Than Myint, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs U Kyaw Tin, and officials from the Ministry of National Planning and Finance, President’s Office, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

November 30, 2016
Pritam Singh: Stronger Sense Of National Identity Bulwark For Singapore In Spats With Big Countries

Numbers, sometimes, tell the best stories – whether they are about foreign policy, trade or the economy in general. These latest tables published by the Singapore Department of Statistics reveal that the United States and Japan are the biggest foreign investors in Singapore, their $250b accounting for almost 25% of all our foreign investments (Table 1). These countries have a vested stake to defend in Singapore and their investments – to a varying extent – create opportunities here. Table 1 also tells us why the Trans-Pacific Partnership, in principle, is of strategic importance to the Government. Countries like Norway, the Netherlands, and a host of tax havens make the list. But China is conspicuously missing.

Flip things around however (Table 2), and one sees that the overwhelming bulk of Singapore’s foreign investments are in China – about $110b to be exact. The US comes in at number 14. India and our immediate neighbours feature, but this table emphasizes how important China is to Singapore as a destination for our investments.

Broadly speaking, both tables are indicative of Singapore’s overall foreign policy posture, the imperatives behind our relationship with China and the US, the Government’s perspective on protectionism and global trade in general, amongst many other things.

While numbers are helpful in personifying foreign policy, big powers and bigger countries usually have a wider scope and spectrum for action. For a major power like China, the ongoing diplomatic spat with Singapore over the impounded Terrex fighting vehicles (and before that, over allegations of diplomatic impropriety by Singapore in China’s Global Times), is but one manifestation of statecraft insofar as China’s national interests are concerned, and how it wishes to express and exercise those interests. It knows what is at stake for itself (and for Singapore). Compound this with Singapore’s small size and our near total reliance on our neighbours and countries further afield like China for our economic well-being, it should not surprise anyone how delicate things can be for a small country in Singapore’s position. Add our racial demographics and population imperatives, and the conflagration becomes even more complex, something our neighbours, competitors and friends know all too well.

There must always be space to question our foreign policy or to find our more about its roots and imperatives, and to even disagree with it. But these tables tell us that one-dimensional conclusions about the Government’s strategy, whether one opines them to be right or wrong, are of limited utility, for an underlying question remains central – how differently would it be done, if someone else was in charge?

When Singapore is pushed around in the international realm, or belittled unceremoniously usually as a result of our size, our opponents do so with their interests in mind, and for those with more nefarious intentions – to drive a wedge among Singaporeans. Rather than to curse our misfortune or those seemingly in charge of our fate, a stronger sense of nation and identity should be the only take-away for Singapore and all Singaporeans as a result of this drawn-out diplomatic spat with China. For it is in our destiny as a small state that similar spats will inevitably come to fore again in future. But is far from inevitable that Singaporeans are destined to be divided.

Source: Pritam Singh

November 30, 2016