Queensland Rohingyas appeal world leaders of the G-20 Summit

Source Kaladan Press, 16 Nov

The Queensland Rohingya community gathered in front of King George Square in Brisbane, Australia on November 15, to rise the problem and situation of Rohingyas, facing in Burma to the world leaders who attend the G-20 Summit to solve their status in Burma, said Noor Zaman, the President Queensland Rohingya Community Inc.

The Queensland Rohingya community gathered in front of King George Square in Brisbane, Australia

"We – Queensland Rohingya community Inc- gathered here to appeal to the world leaders of the G-20 Summit in Brisbane, Australia about the Rohingyas who are living in northern Arakan with several discriminations of basic Human Rights – education, health, rape, genocide, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrest,  movement, land confiscation, marriage and forced labor," said the Noor Zaman.

The political reforms today in Burma have yielded little for the Rohingya. Under the Burmese Citizenship law Act 1982, our people are not recognised as one of the 135 national races of Burma. We are stateless people in our own country. President Thein Sein openly stated in July 2012 there are two options for the Rohingya people. One option is to resettle them in a third country; and the other option is for the UNHCR to build a refugee camp in the country -our motherland, said Kefayet Ullah, the Secretary, Queensland Rohingya Community Inc.

The Queensland Rohingya community Inc requested to the world leaders and its guest Burmese President Thein Sein to stop its persecution policies of the Rohingya people before accept input from the Burmese government as a model developing country at the G-20 Summit, according to their press statement.

The statement urged the world leaders to save the Rohingya community in northern Arakan, Burma with following demands:- stop the ethnic cleansing of Rohingya community in Burma; to find a permanent solution for the stateless Rohingyas and refugees; to investigate massacres in Burma; to break Ms. Aung San Su Kyi silence on the plight of Rohingya people and stand for true and meaningful democratic reforms and human rights; to call international intervention in Burma; to impose new sanctions against Burma; to stop the ongoing crimes against humanity in Burma; to take necessary action to rebuild the burnt Rohingya villages without any conditions; to take action against the Burmese regime forcing the Rohingya to change their identity and threats to force Rohingya to register as Bengalis; to pressure to include and recognize the Rohingya as citizens under the Burmese Citizenship law 1982 and provide appropriate protection under that legislation; to monitor closely the situation of ethnic cleansing of Rohingyas, according to the statement.

Kyaw Zwar Minn, Myanmar's Ambassador to UK, France, Scandinavia and Ireland, acknowledged the long-persecuted Muslim minority Rohingya "are people" on November 13, in an exclusive interview with CNN's Christiane Amanpour. But, we [do] not accept the title… the 'Rohingya'. While Amanpour highlighted that even the U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon urged Myanmar to let the ethnic group be called whatever they want, the Ambassador said, "Of course", it will take time to accept the term "Rohingya" by Myanmar government and its people.