6thย January 2025,
DEAR CHIEF EDITOR,
Myanmar Ethnic Rohingya Human Rights Organization in Malaysia (MERHROM) appeal to YAB Datoโ Seri Anwar Bin Ibrahim, Prime Minister of Malaysia on the capacity of Malaysia as an ASEAN Chairman to end the Rohingya Genocide and restore democracy in Myanmar.
In May 2024, the genocidal attack against the Rohingya were launched massively by the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army (AA) resulting in mass killing of Rohingya especially in Buthidaung, Maungdaw and Sittwe Township. Since then, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya were trapped and under control of the Arakan Army (AA) without any humanitarian aid and access to communication. Rohingya villagers who made an attempt to escape were shot to death.
On top of this, Rohingya villagers were forced to join the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army. Thousands of Rohingya villagers were kidnapped by the Arakan Army and were forced to fight the military. At the same time Myanmar military also arrested the Rohingya and forced them to join their force to fight the Arakan Army. Rohingya who refused will be tortured severely by the Arakan Army who also demanded for ransom. The Rohingya reported that the Arakan Army kidnapped them and sold them to the traffickers.
The situation in Rakhine State and across Myanmar forced Myanmar people to flee the country until now. This is not only affecting Rohingya but all ethnicities. Not only Rohingya fled to neighboring countries but other ethnic groups too. They fall into human traffickersโ hands operating in the region in their journey to save their lives. Their safety is at risk but they had no choice but to flee. The people of Myanmar will continue to flee unless peace is restored and safety is guaranteed for everyone. For the Rohingya, genocide must be stop and their citizenship is restored with safety and dignity.
We have enough evidence that both the Myanmar military and Arakan Army (AA) committed genocidal attacks against the Rohingya for many years. Both must be held accountable for committing genocide against the Rohingya. Both also did not accept the Rohingya as one of the ethnic in Myanmar. This puts Rohingya lives at constant risk and danger.
For the longest decades Rohingya were facing ongoing genocide through mass murder, torture, rape, arbitrary detention, arson attack, enforced disappreances, kidnapping for ransom, forced labour, forced eviction, extortion, restriction of movement and forcibly use as human shields. These are unbearable.
The ongoing Rohingya Genocide required more significant actions above the current interventions. The application of the arrest warrant against Myanmar Senior General, Min Aung Hlaing on November 27, 2024 by Prosecutor Karim A.A. Khan KC is one of them. While the ICC work on the next process, we urge the United Nations and its member states to send UN peace keeping force to the Rakhine State to ensure the safety of the population, deploy emergency humanitarian aid to Rakhine State without delay, improve the security and conditions in the Coxโs Bazar refugee camps, stop the selling of the weapons to the genociders, increase resettlement quotas for the Rohingya genocide survivors and initiate special measures to restore democracy in Myanmar.
As we welcomed the ICC Prosecutorโs application of an arrest warrant against Myanmar Senior General, Min Aung Hlaing, we also hope ASEAN will increase efforts and interventions to end the Rohingya Genocide and war in Myanmar and help in the restoration of democracy.
We would like to stress that the impact of genocidal attacks against the Rohingya in 2012, 2016, 2017 and 2024 are permanent until now. The Rohingya in Sittwe continue their live imprisonment in IDP camps since 2012. Rohingya who fled to Bangladesh continue living in dire refugee camps without basic needs and without security and safety which forced them to flee again. The Rohingya genocide survivors died silently in refugee camps and in the ocean while saving their life. Uncounted numbers died in the hands of human traffickers. Where else the Rohingya should seek safety?
We would like to remind everyone, the lack of political will to save the Rohingya lives only allow Rohingya Genocide to continue subsequently eliminates Rohingya from the earth. Please stop this without delay. We need international support to recover, heal and rebuild our lives. Prove us that humanity still exists.
Once again, we appeal to the ASEAN Chairman and member states to immediately take appropriate measures to end genocidal attacks against the remaining minority Rohingya in Rakhine State. We truly need your voice and leadership to end the Rohingya genocide so that we can return home.
ย โJUSTICE DELAYED IS JUSTICE DENIEDโ.
Yours sincerely,
Zafar Ahmad Abdul Ghani
President
Myanmar Ethnic Rohingya Human Rights Organization in Malaysia (MERHROM)
Tel No: +6016-6827 287
Blog:ย www.merhrom.wordpress.com
Email:ย rights4rohingyas@gmail.com
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