Myanmar defense lawyers say documents from Reuters reporters’ phones ‘not secret’

Arakan News Agency Documents Myanmar police say they found on the mobile phones of two Reuters reporters accused of possessing state secrets were not confidential, defense lawyers said on Tuesday, because the information was publicly available before they were arrested.’ Judge Ye Lwin accepted as evidence copies of newspaper articles the defense said showed the […]
Chevron shareholders vote on cutting business ties with genocide-complicit governments

Arakan News Agency Chevron shareholders voted today on a resolution to evaluate a policy of cutting business ties with governments engaged in genocide or crimes against humanity. Filed by seven socially responsible investing organizations, the proposal cites specifically the nation of Myanmar, whose military stands accused of committing atrocities against the Rohingya ethnic minority. Chevron […]
Is China working behind the scenes to block Rohingya deal?

Arakan News Agency The Irrawaddy, an online Myanmar publication, suggests in a recent article that China may be blocking attempts to sign a memorandum of understanding with the United Nations that would set terms for the repatriation to Myanmar of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslim refugees now in Bangladesh. According to The Irrawaddy, Chinese […]
Rohingya Victims Ask International Criminal Court For Justice

Arakan News Agency The world’s first permanent war crimes court does not have automatic jurisdiction in Myanmar because it is not a member state, but the prosecutor in April asked the court to look into the Rohingya crisis and a possible prosecution through Bangladesh, which is a member. Hundreds of Rohingya victims have appealed to […]
BD government urged to respond to ICC request

Arakan News Agency Speakers at a seminar on Thursday urged the government to respond to the request of International Criminal Court (ICC) to place evidences of genocide and atrocities on Rohingya. They also raised questions on why different international and national NGOs working in relief work are not raising voices on genocide in Myanmar. Dhaka […]
Arakan Government Undecided on How to Use Farmland Abandoned by Rohingya Refugees

Arakan News Agency The Arakan State government has not yet made a decision regarding some 70,000 acres of abandoned farmland in Maungdaw Township left behind by Rohingya Muslims who fled to Bangladesh last year. “We’re still waiting for the policy of the Union government. We’ll do as it says. We don’t have enough workers for […]
Myanmar military could be investigated over Rohingya abuses

Arakan News Agency Lawyers for 400 Rohingya refugees are to urge the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate the Myanmar military. :: Explained: The Rohingya refugee crisis The UK ambassador Karen Pierce said all members considered the Rohingya issue to be “one of the most significant human rights cases we have ever faced in the […]
US for more global action over Rohingya crisis

Arakan News Agency The United States has indicated more action from the international community over Rohingya issue and other areas of concerns in Myanmar in the coming days. “Secretary Tillerson had announced the finding of ethnic cleansing, and I believe it’s ethnic cleansing of a religious minority that’s taking place,” said Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious […]
Myanmar turns facts into fiction

Arakan News Agency For the past nine months, nearly three-quarters of a million Rohingya have been existing as refugees in camps mostly in the Cox’s Bazaar area of Bangladesh. All have endured nightmare experiences to reach this safe haven — and all face a future that is rife with uncertainty and unpredictability. These are a […]
UN expert urges access to Myanmar’s conflict-hit Arakan

Arakan News Agency A U.N. expert on the impact of conflict on children expressed concern Tuesday over a lack of access to Myanmar’s Arakan state, where army-led violence has prompted about 700,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee to neighboring Bangladesh since last August. “The figures we started receiving about killing and maiming and sexual violence are […]
Interfaith leaders pledge to back Myanmar peace efforts

Arakan News Agency Cardinal Charles Bo of Yangon has joined other interfaith leaders in declaring their commitment to peace initiatives in strife-torn Myanmar, a move welcomed by State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi. In an open letter to Myanmar’s people, Cardinal Bo and 17 other members of a high-level delegation from Religions for Peace International and […]
Saudi Arabia calls on the Security Council to return safely to the Rohingya refugees and hold the perpetrators accountable from Myanmar

Arakan News Agency Saudi Arabia stressed the need to facilitate the return of the Rohingyas who had been expelled from their country, a safe, dignified and voluntary return, and to take the necessary measures to hold those who had been harmed to account. This came in a speech delivered by the Permanent Representative of the […]
41 citizens urge Bangladesh govt to respond to ICC call for evidence of Rohingya persecution

Arakan News Agency Forty one eminent citizens called on the government on Sunday to respond to the request of the International Criminal Court for providing it with observations and evidences so that the court could decide if it has jurisdiction over Myanmar to open an investigation into the expulsion of minority Rohingyas from the country. […]