Rising Rakhine party looming threat to Myanmar’s Muslim minority
Arakan News Agency Myanmar’s historic elections next month are likely to worsen the plight of the country’s oppressed Rohingya Muslim community, with a new, hardline Buddhist party on the brink of becoming a formidable force The empowerment of ethnic nationalists in Rakhine State at the western edge of the Southeast Asian nation could intensify discrimination […]
Islamic Cooperation and the European Union have been discussing the issue of Rohingya
Arakan News Agency Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Iyad bin Amin Madani discussed the plight of the Rohingya in Myanmar with the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy , Ms. Federica Mogherini in a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the seventieth session of the General […]
OIC Contact Group on Myanmar adopts plan of action on Rohingya Muslims of Arakan
Arakan News Agency The OIC Contact Group on Myanmar held a meeting on the sidelines of the Annual Coordination Meeting (ACM) of the OIC Foreign Ministers at the UN in New York on Wednesday Sept. 30 in which it welcomed the proposals of the OIC’s Special Envoy to Myanmar and adopted his recommended plan of […]
Police end probe into deadly Rohingya trafficking trade
Arakan News Agency SONGKHLA: Police have wrapped up their five-month investigation into Rohingya migrant trafficking with warrants issued for the arrest of 232 suspects involved in the human trade and money laundering. But Deputy Provincial Police Region 8 commander, Pol Maj Gen Pawin Phongsirin, said Tuesday the problem is not completely eradicated yet, as a […]
Myanmar’s opposition admits avoiding Muslim candidates
Arakan News Agency Myanmar’s main opposition party, led by Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, has deliberately avoided selecting Muslim candidates as part of the group’s strategy to succeed in upcoming national elections, according to a senior figure in the party. Win Htein, a 74-year-old sitting parliamentarian with the opposition National League for Democracy, […]
Upcoming elections represent milestone in Myanmar’s democratic transition – Ban
Arakan News Agency 29 September 2015 – The upcoming elections represent a milestone in Myanmar’s transition to democracy, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said , adding that their credibility will depend on acceptance of its outcome among the political leaders and the broader population.… “It is crucial that these proceed in a fair, inclusive and transparent atmosphere. […]
Thailand seizes assets of officials suspected of human trafficking
Arakan News Agency Bangkok – Thai authorities seized over $1.5m in assets from officials charged with human trafficking, the government said on Tuesday.… The assets included homes, boats, cars and land belonging to officials charged in absentia with trafficking, the government’s public relations department said. One of the missing suspects had turned himself in, it […]
Alleged rapes spur Rohingya upheaval in Indonesia camp
Arakan News Agency BLANG ADOE, Indonesia (AP) — More than 200 ethnic Rohingya stormed out of an Indonesian encampment Tuesday as tensions erupted following alleged rapes and beatings by locals at the site where members of Myanmar’s long-persecuted minority have been held since arriving by boat four months ago. The incident occurred after authorities forced […]
Ben Rhodes says plight of Rohingya is ‘an abomination’
Arakan News Agency US Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes is seen as Obama’s right-hand man on foreign affairs, helping shape US policy towards Cuba and Myanmar.… In this web extra, Rhodes says the opening up of relations with Cuba is irreversible because Cubans “overwhelmingly” welcome the policy. “For a new president to shut down […]
Thailand to transfer 29 Rohingya refugees to US
Arakan News Agency Thailand is to send 29 Muslim Rohingya “refugees” to the United States as part of a resettlement plan, an official confirmed Friday. … The Rohingya were either rescued from people trafficking camps or arrived on Thai shores in the aftermath of May’s regional clampdown on people smuggling. The 29 will be resettled […]
Under pressure on all sides, UEC reinstates 11 Muslim candidates
Arakan News Agency Eleven Muslim politicians have successfully challenged their controversial disqualification from contesting the November elections following a surprise reversal by the Union Election Commission. Their reinstatement after appeal followed concerted pressure from the United States and eight other governments, which had urged Myanmar to hold “a credible, transparent and inclusive election” while expressing […]
Myanmar defends decision barring Rohingya from voting
Arakan News Agency WASHINGTON (AP) — Myanmar has defended a decision barring 800,000 ethnic minority people from voting in November elections by saying that green card holders can’t vote in U.S. elections either.… Foreign Minister Wanna Maung Lwin drew awkward laughter Thursday in New York at the Council on Foreign Relations when he likened the […]
‘They beat me with sticks at just 7’: Rohingya refugee opens up about long journey to Australia
Arakan News Agency WHEN he was just seven years old, Salemul Kalam was ripped from his parent’s arms and publicly beaten by the Myanmar army for information that never existed. This is one of the many shocking stories Mr Kalam hopes will change people’s attitudes to ‘boat people’ when he talks at a public forum […]