In 1991 I interviewed these Rohingya refugees from Burma. They were terribly persecuted then, which
In 1991 I interviewed these Rohingya refugees from Burma. They were terribly persecuted then, which forced them to flee to cyclone-swept Bangladesh. I described how I found out about their precarious lives in my book “Down the Rat Hole: Adventures Underground on Burma’s Frontiers.” Although much has changed for the better in Burma/Myanmar since then, the persecution of the Rohingyas and other Muslim people is even worse now. Vulnerable to genocide, they have been violently attacked by “Buddhist” extremists who have instigated mobs to commit mass killings, resulting in boat people refugees seeking haven in dangerous territory. Clearing them out may be to the benefit Burma’s military and commercial infrastructure projects including petroleum transport. The Rohingyas’ citizenship rights are denied despite long family residence in western Burma, and the current government has not protected them or supported their right to a self-determined identity. Burma’s government, the region and the world have a responsibility to protect these vulnerable civilians from a small ethnic/religious minority. Their human rights to identity, safety, citizenship, history must be respected.Background on current situation (crisis in 2012):www.projectmaje.org/rohingya_2012.htmBackground on Rohingyas and western Burma from 1991:http://www.projectmaje.org/pdf/journey.pdfEdith Mirante, Project Maje -- source link
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