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Tag: Rohingya

  • Singapore To Offer US$200,00 For Countries Providing Help To Rohingya

    Singapore To Offer US$200,00 For Countries Providing Help To Rohingya

    The Singapore Government will offer an initial contribution of US$200,000 through ASEAN to support the efforts of countries such as Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia that have been aiding Rohingya refugees, said Foreign Affairs Minister K Shanmugam on Saturday (May 23).

    Singapore is concerned about the situation and welcomed efforts by countries, in particular Malaysia and Indonesia, which agreed to provide temporary shelter for the Rohingyas, said Mr Shanmugam.

    He said the financial aid is part of an ASEAN-led initiative, adding that Singapore is prepared to consider further assistance, if there are specific requests.

    Mr Shanmugam said the Rohingya crisis has raised two key issues – one is how to help those currently on boats and stranded at sea, while the other is the need to deal with the problem at its source.

    This would require looking at living conditions created by countries of origin as well as the criminal organisations putting them on boats, subjecting them to terrible conditions. That, he added, is a “more serious problem” because tens and thousands of refugees could potentially suffer.

    Mr Shanmugam stressed that the countries where the refugees originated from should take responsibility, and both ASEAN and the international community needs to address this issue.

    Singapore’s contribution comes days after the Government said it is unable to accept any refugees or those seeking political asylum because it is a small country with limited land.

    Over the past week, countries such as Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia have provided shelter to Rohingya refugees who have landed on their shores. Food and medical aid were also provided.

    Up to 2,000 migrants are thought to be stranded in the Bay of Bengal, many at risk of falling victim to people smugglers. Most are Muslim Rohingyas from the western Rakhine state in Myanmar.

    United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said finding and saving the lives of those migrants should be a “top priority”.

     

    Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

  • Hundreds Of Rohingya Migrants Stranded As Malaysia Turns Boats Away

    Hundreds Of Rohingya Migrants Stranded As Malaysia Turns Boats Away

    Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia are continuing to turn away boats carrying hundreds of Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants, despite reports that 10 people have died after a boat became stranded in the Andaman Sea.

    Two large boats carrying hundreds of migrants were stranded after Malaysia turned both vessels away, the AP reports. Another boat carrying around 350 Rohingya migrants was kept at bay by Thai authorities. Those on the boat, which is stranded off the coast of Indonesia, told the BBC the crew abandoned the ship and 10 people had died. Some are drinking urine to survive as there’s no food or water, they said.

    A boat carrying journalists in the Andaman Sea got close enough to hear cries of “Please help us! I have no water!” and “Please give me water!” coming from the fishing boat, The New York Times reports. The migrants said they had been on the boat for three months and the crew had abandoned them six days ago.

    The Rohingya, a Muslim minority group who have for decades been ill-treated and persecuted in Myanmar, have been taking to the seas in ever-larger numbers to escape deplorable conditions in the camps where many are forced to live in Myanmar and in Bangladesh. Myanmar’s 1.33 million Rohingya population is not recognized by Thein Sein, who refers to them as “Bengalis,” implying that they’re in the country illegally.

    “We have to send the right message that they are not welcome here,” Malaysian Deputy Home Minister Wan Junaidi Jafaar told the AP. He also said the country has been humane to the migrants, but they “cannot be flooding our shores like this.”

    Around 25,000 Rohingya migrants took to trafficking boats between January and March this year, twice as many as the same period in 2014. Around 1,600 Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants were rescued off the coast of Indonesia on Sunday and detained in Malaysia on Monday; Thailand is the usual destination for smuggling boats, but since it closed its borders to the boats, Malaysia and Indonesia have become hot spots.

    On Thursday, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed his concern about the crisis and urged countries to “keep their borders and ports open in order to help the vulnerable people who are in need.” Ban also said the root causes of the exodus—human rights violations—need to be addressed.

    Source: www.newsweek.com

  • Buddhists Demonstrate In Myanmar To Protest Move To Grant Rohingya Muslims Citizenship

    Buddhists Demonstrate In Myanmar To Protest Move To Grant Rohingya Muslims Citizenship

    YANGON — Hundreds of people demonstrated in Yangon, Myanmar’s biggest city, today (Feb 11) to protest a government decision to allow people without full citizenship, including members of the Rohingya ethnic minority, to vote in an upcoming constitutional referendum.

    Most Muslim Rohingya are not citizens, and prejudice against them is high in the predominantly Buddhist nation.

    Parliament plans to debate several constitutional amendments. It recently approved a proposal by President Thein Sein to allow people with temporary identification cards, such as Rohingya, to vote in a referendum tentatively planned for May.

    Communal tensions have led to violence in recent years which left at least 280 people dead and 140,000 homeless, mostly Muslims confined to squalid camps in the western state of Rakhine.

    The temporary identification cards, popularly called “white cards”, were created by the former military regime for the 2010 elections in which it relinquished power to a nominally civilian government, though under heavy army influence. An army-backed political party won seats in areas with sizable numbers of white card holders.

    White card bearers are technically in the process of applying for citizenship. In addition to Rohingya, they include members of ethnic minorities such as the Kokang and Wa, and people of Chinese and Indian descent.

    Parliament originally voted against allowing white card holders to vote in the referendum, but reversed itself after an appeal from Mr Thein Sein. The government has been under pressure from Western nations and rights groups over its treatment of Rohingya, and Mr Thein Sein may have been trying to appease those critics.

    Domestically, however, the move has been sharply criticised.

    Most of those protesting today were Rakhine Buddhists, and the crowd of about 300 included at least 70 Buddhist monks.

    “White card holders are not citizens and those who are non-citizens don’t have the right to vote in other countries. This is just a ploy by politicians to win votes,” said Buddhist monk Shin Thumana.

    Lower house lawmaker Thein Nyunt said the government’s policy toward white card holders is inconsistent because they are banned from voting in general elections but allowed to vote in the referendum. White card holders are not allowed to join political parties.

     

    Source: www.todayonline.com