Ashraf AboArafe
In July 22, Mr. Zafar Ahmad Abdul Ghani, President of Myanmar Ethnic Rohingya Human Rights Organization Malaysia (MERHROM) sent a letter to the prime minister of the United Kingdom congratulating him for his new position and at the same time asking him to give hand to the tortured people of Myanmar/ Rohingya.. The letter came as follows:
DEAR HON. PRIME MINISTER,
LETTER OF CONGRATULATIONS FROM MYANMAR ETHNIC ROHINGYA HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATION MALAYSIA (MERHROM) ON YOUR APPOINTMENT AS PRIME MINISTER OF UNITED KINGDOM.
I am Mr. Zafar Ahmad Abdul Ghani, President of Myanmar Ethnic Rohingya Human Rights Organization Malaysia (MERHROM). I am a stateless refugee in Malaysia and a human rights defender at risk.
On behalf of the Rohingya people, we would like to extend our warmest congratulations on your appointment as Prime Minister. We believe you will continue to uphold human rights and peace of the world including for the ethnic minority Rohingya and the people of Myanmar.
Hon. Prime Minister,
For your information, in 1988 I was involved in the mass demonstration for democracy and human rights in Myanmar. I was arrested twice by the Myanmar Military Intelligence and was tortured severely. Finally, I was sentenced to 7 years imprisonment. In early January 1989, one day before the military sent me to the prison, I escaped the Myanmar Intelligence lock-up through the help of a Rohingya man who worked as a forced labour in the lock-up. Since then, I have lived in exile and finally sought refuge in Malaysia in 1992.
In 1998, I founded MERHROM to advocate for democracy in Myanmar and to protect the rights of refugees in Malaysia, particularly Rohingya refugees. MERHROM’s main works are focusing on advocacy, rights protection, combating trafficking of Rohingya refugees, arrest and detention, public awareness, community development, health, education, and family related issues. MERHROM has carried out its duty to the maximum level for the past 26 years despite not having funding from any agencies.
Hon. Prime Minister,
We would like to take this opportunity to bring to your attention on the recent genocidal attacks on Rohingya in Buthidaung and Maungdaw Twonships by the Arakan Army (AA) since May 2024, resulted in the continuous killing, rape, torture and arrest of Rohingyas.
Since May 2024, Rohingya were under the control of the Arakan Army. The situation is really bad without access to basic needs and humanitarian aid. The shutting down of the internet by the Myanmar military really made the Rohingya situation in the worst situation. The Arakan Army (AA) threatened to kill the Rohingya who sent out information using the Bangladesh line. The Rohingya lives are at stake moment to moment. We are very worried as the Arakan Army has taken over most townships in Arakan State.
We strongly believe that you are very concerned about the situation in Arakan State and in Myanmar that caused hundreds of thousands of ethnic minorities to be killed. On the other hand, thousands of Rohingyas died in the Cox’s Bazar refugee camps due to starvation and diseases. Thousands of Rohingya children suffered from malnutrition. There are still thousands of Rohingya detained in the IDP camps in Arakan State.
We have much evidence on how the Myanmar military and Arakan Army persecuted the Rohingya constantly. This situation has forced the Rohingya to flee the country to seek refuge. The United Nations has declared the Rohingya as the most prosecuted ethnic in the world but until now we cannot get justice and the Genocide continues.
The ongoing genocidal attack has forced the Rohingya to flee the country seeking safety and protection. In this journey, thousands of Rohingya became victims of human trafficking and died in the ocean over the years.
Hon. Prime Minister,
We truly need your voice as we are voiceless. We need your voice and leadership to end the genocide and atrocities in Myanmar and help us to restore democracy in Myanmar. As you are aware, there are lots of ongoing Anti-Rohingya Campaign in Myanmar and across the region.
