Australian RISE: Urgent Call for International Intervention-Rohingyas death toll 10 000

 Source RISE,
A number of members from the refugee community in Australia consist of Rohingya Burmese and this group of refugees has been reported by UNHCR to be one of the most oppressed communities in the world. 

With the refugee issue being a global issue, RISE (Refugees, Survivors, Ex-detainees) believes that it is important that the push factors that cause people to be forced to flee from their homes and seek refuge in other countries be addressed in a just, transparent and humane way.  RISE is therefore extremely concerned by an alert we have received from the Rohingya community in Australia about serious incidents of State Sponsored ethnic cleansing and genocidal attacks in Myanmar, in the state of Arkan.  The community has informed us that the death toll of Rohingyan now exceeds 10,000 from Sittwe township alone and a few thousands covering the Maungdaw, Rathedaung and Kyauktaw townships. Most of them were shot dead, brutally beaten to death, burnt alive, with killings in the thousands; the rest of them have been taken away by security forces into hidden areas.

By around September 2012, 16,000 Rohingya houses from 67 villages and at least 55 mosques from seven different towns of Sittwe, Maungdaw, Rathedaung, Kyauktaw, Rambre, Myebon and Pauktaw townships were burnt down and more than 100,000 Rohingyas are displaced and facing direct harassment in these regions. 

Additionally, at least 7 people a day are dying from starvation-most of them are children and elderly people.

Since October 21 2012 the attackings have sharply resumed with another 1000 people killed, 6000 plus more than a dozen mosques burnt down in 22 villages a cross 6 different towns-Minbya, Mrauk U, Kyaukpyu, Myebon and Pauktaw, Kyauktaw towns..

The involvment of the Burmese government in the genocide of the Rohingya is evidenced by the following:

1) Imposing Curfew and Order on only Rohingya while Rakhine people are freely allowed to carry out killing of Rohingyas,
2) Permitting Security forces to shoot Rohingyas,
3) Seizing lands of Rohingyas which were burnt down and disposing them into concentration camps.
4) Blocking foods and compelling them to die from starvation, and
5) Rejecting their rights and pushing them to relocate to a third country.

Please contact the Australian Minister of Foreign affairs and relevant bodies and ask the International community to Intervene.
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Refugee Survivors and Ex-detainees
level 1, Ross House 247 Flinders Lane, Melbourne, Victoria 3000
T:(03)9639 8623|M:0430 007 586|F:(03)9650 3689|web:www.riserefugee.org/
"R.I.S.E is an unique organisation which is governed by refugees/asylum seeker and Ex-detainees. R.I.S.E exists to enable refugees to build new lives by providing advice, engaging in community development, enhancing opportunity, and campaigning for refugee rights."