Thursday 14 September 2017

Organizational Letter to The US Secretary of State, Congress and US Ambassador to The UN Regarding the Targeting Of Rohingya Civilians in Myanmar

September 5, 2017

 

On August 25, 2017, the Myanmar Military bombed 25 Rohingya villages reportedly using six gunship helicopters, navy ships and tanks as Rohingya families slept. Reports indicated that soldiers have been shooting at fleeing Rohingya civilians. This has clearly been an effort to sabotage the former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan report's recommendations for peaceful coexistence, which was released only hours before. Now over 120,000 Rohingya have fled their ruined villages into Bangladesh, leaving behind hundreds of thousands of displaced families with no access to food or humanitarian relief.

We the undersigned organizations call on the US Secretary of State to demand that the Burmese Government immediately de-escalate and withdraw its armed forces from the Rohingya areas of Rakhine State and arrest those engaged in firing on civilians and raping women; and ask Bangladesh to accept and assist Rohingya refugees crossing its border. In Congress, and through the US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, the United States should continue to publicly endorse the Kofi Annan-led Rakhine Commission recommendations and not let this vision of peace and coexistence be forgotten by either the public or policymakers.

Background

For the weeks, the Myanmar military has been building its troops in Rohingya areas. Together with the UN, the US Congress, advocacy groups such as Human Rights Watch and Burma Task Force, Pope Francis and leaders around the world have been calling for the Myanmar military to stand down to avoid violence. 

 

We join with such voices to call on the Myanmar government to rein in the Myanmar military, which has been working to empower Rakhine Buddhist extremists. Reports indicate the army has been arming these extremist militias to further escalate an extremely dangerous situation.  

 

The Myanmar military claims Rohingya "insurgents" are being killed, along with soldiers. However, the military has again and again demonstrated that it does not distinguish between civilians and insurgents. The Myanmar government refuses to allow a UN investigative team into Myanmar to follow up on the many allegations of atrocities that took place in 2016.

 

The Myanmar government has consistently ignored international pressure to return rights to the Rohingya minority. Despite Aung San Suu Kyi serving as a figurehead, the Bamar-dominated military clearly still controls the government, with an extremist ideology that prevents peace not only with the Rohingya but with many other ethnic groups in Shan, Kachin, Mon & other states.

 

Sincerely,

 

Signatory Organizations:

Burmese Muslim American Association (BAMA)

Burma Task Force USA (18 Muslim organizations. See the list below)

Centre for Human Rights and Advocacy (CENTHRA)

Institute for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention, Binghamton University (I-GMAP)

Interfaith Center of New York

ISM West

Jewish Alliance of Concern Over Burma

Kalamazoo Islamic Center

Labor Religion Alliance

Maghrib Institute- Nurayn

Pax Christi USA (Catholic)

Pax Christi Maine

Pax Christi Metro New York

Pax Christi Metro DC/Baltimore.

Rohingya Culture Center (RCC), Chicago

Rohingya American Society (RAS, Wisconsin)

South Asian Fund for Education, Scholarship & Training (SAFEST)

South Asian Solidarity Foundation

Turning Point for Women and Families

US Campaign for Burma

World Rohingya Organization (WRO)

 

Burma Task Force USA organizational membership:

Burmese Rohingya Association of North America

Free Rohingya Campaign

Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)

Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago (CIOGC)

Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA NY & Canada)

Islamic Council of New England (ICNE)

Islamic Organization of North America (IONA)

Islamic Society of North America (ISNA)

Justice For All

DawaNet

Majlis Shura of Atlanta

Michigan Muslim Community Council

Muslim American Society (MAS)

Muslim Alliance of North America (MANA)

Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC)

Muslim Ummah of North America (MUNA)

Muslim Leadership Council of New York

Muslim Peace Coalition

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