SITTWE, MYANMAR: Members of Myanmar’s Muslim Rohingya minority expressed hope Wednesday that a visiting panel led by former UN chief Kofi Annan will help end the discrimination and violence they face at the hands of the country’s Buddhist majority.
Annan is a member of an independent commission set up last month by State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi’s government to help find solutions to a communal conflict in the western state of Rakhine that has seen widespread abuses and violence by Buddhists against Rohingya.
Many Buddhists in Rakhine and across Myanmar consider Rohingya to be Bangladeshis living in the country illegally, though the ethnic group has been in Myanmar for generations. Hundreds of Rohingya were killed and tens of thousands forced to flee their homes in 2012 unrest in Rakhine state, and many continue to be confined to squalid camps there.
Rohingya residents, including community leaders who met Wednesday with Annan, said they have faith in the nine-member advisory commission headed by the former UN chief. Members of the Rakhine community, however, protested Annan’s arrival Tuesday, saying they oppose foreign meddling.
Annan on Wednesday visited the Rohingya community in the Aung Mingalar quarter of Sittwe, where Muslims are kept in a gated area and not allowed to go outside. Annan later visited Rakhine and Rohingya camps in Thetkabyin village outside of Sittwe. More than 100,000 people in Rakhine state live in displacement camps, the majority of them Rohingya who were forced to flee their homes after the 2012 rioting. Outbreaks of violence directed by Buddhists against Muslims later spread to some other areas of Myanmar, but were generally contained.
Journalists were not allowed to attend the community meetings, but some people who participated described them afterward.
Aung Thein, a leader of the Aung Mingalar community, said the commission members spoke of their ideas for Rakhine’s future and hopes for cooperation from all sides.
“We trust this commission. We trust any organization that is trying to help us here and we welcome them here,” he said.
A fellow community leader, Hla Kyaw, said he believes Annan’s panel “will be a fair commission because they have included Buddhists and Muslims in the commission. What we want is to live together as brothers and sisters in this community. We don’t know if the Rakhine community will ever accept living together as before.”
“Because of the conflict, we have been suffering for more than four years,” he said. “We really welcome that Kofi Annan is leading the Rakhine Commission and we trust that they will be able to solve the long, complex situation here.”
In a six-day trip, the commission is supposed to address human rights, ensuring humanitarian assistance, rights and reconciliation, establishing basic infrastructure and promoting long-term development plans.
Myanmar’s Rohingya minority welcomes Kofi Annan mission
Myanmar’s Rohingya minority welcomes Kofi Annan mission
UK Police arrest 86 people at prison protest for Palestine Action hunger striker
- Demonstration outside Wormwood Scrubs held in support of Umer Khalid
- Khalid 1 of 5 people charged in connection with break-in at RAF base last year
LONDON: A protest outside a prison in the UK in support of a man detained for supporting the banned group Palestine Action has led to the arrest of 86 people.
London’s Metropolitan Police said a group of demonstrators breached the grounds of Wormwood Scrubs prison in the capital, refused to leave when ordered to do so, and threatened officers. They were arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass.
The group, several of whom attempted to gain access to the prison itself, were protesting in support of Umer Khalid, who is currently on hunger strike at the facility.
Khalid is one of five people charged in relation to a break-in by Palestine Action members at an RAF base at Brize Norton last year, in which two military aircraft were damaged.
Khalid, who denies the charges, is one of several people who are on or who have taken part in hunger strikes in recent months, all of whom have been held on similar charges for over a year without their cases being brought to trial.
A spokesperson for the UK’s Ministry of Justice said: “The escalation of the protest at HMP Wormwood Scrubs is completely unacceptable. While we support the right to peacefully protest, reports of trespassing and threats being made to staff and police officers are deeply concerning.
“At no point was prison security compromised. However, where individuals’ actions cause risk or actual harm to hardworking staff, this will not be taken lightly and those responsible can expect to face consequences.
“Prisoners are being managed in line with longstanding policy. This includes regular checks by medical professionals, heart monitoring and blood tests, and support to help them eat and drink again. If deemed appropriate by healthcare teams, prisoners will be taken to hospital.”
