Impunity Watch: Special Features

Laos: How to make thousands of people invisible

By: D. Pandian

Access to information allows us to expand our world view beyond that of our immediate surroundings. While some of us have access to better information, the real time conveyance of information over electronic media has significantly increased the accessibility of knowledge for all. In spite of this enhanced ability, some situations deserving of attention continue to be rendered invisible by intentional actions of government actors, such as that which occurs in Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Laos).

In Laos, the most media sources may only publish news favorable to the sole political party, the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP), led by the Choummaly Sayasone. Recently, the government hosted a seminar to remind media directors of the LRPR’s policy towards journalists, all who are members of the Ministry of Information and Culture. On account of the Foreign Ministry, media outlets are not allowed to publish negative information about countries that are "friends" with Laos. The criminal code contains heavy prison sentences for journalists who spread news that weakens the state. While the party’s main publication, the Paxaxon (People), claims to be a revolutionary publication, most Laotians prefer Thai media in order to avoid the barrage of propoganda pushed by Laotian media outlets.

Restrictive information dissemination policies have hindered efforts of international groups to collect information on state of the Hmong (pronounced mung) people. The Hmong people have a very tense history with the LPRP. After it came into power, the Hmong allied themselves with the US government in an effort to destabilize the new Communist government. However with the conclusion of the Vietnam War, the US government extricated itself from Southeast Asia and Hmong forces were quickly subdued and pushed to the margins of society. (It is important to note that some Hmong people did ally themselves with the communist government during the course of this conflict and that there are Hmong who hold positions in the Lao government.) Many Hmongs fled to Thailand to seek refuge and more than were 250,000 resettled in the US. Those who remain in Laos are forced to live in small groups in the jungles and struggle to survive, unable to meet basic needs such as food, clothing, housing and medical care. The armed forces regularly attack Hmong encampments, killing and injuring Hmong, and perpetuating their life on the run. The foreign press is prevented from covering the plight of the Hmong minority. Two Laotians of Hmong origin are still in prison for having served as guides in 2003 to a Belgian journalist and his French cameraman. The Hmong guides were charged with "obstruction of justice" and "possessing weapons," being sentenced 12 and 20 years respectively.

With extensive media coverage being focused on certain areas of the world, it is very easy to forget that the are thousands whose suffering is not on the front pages of our newspapers. The effect of this selective coverage and denial of genuine reporting from certain countries renders such important social issues invisible from the eyes of the world, making it possible for countries to continue in their policies of persecution against minorities.

Sources:

Choummaly Sayasone, Reporters Without Borders, available at http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=21963.

Country Profile: Laos, BBC, Oct. 25, 2007, available at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/country_profiles/1154621.stm.

Freedom in the World, Freedom House, 2007, available at http://www.freedomhouse.org/inc/content/pubs/fiw/inc_country_detail.cfm?year=2007&country=7211&pf.

Hiding in the jungle - Hmong under threat, Amnesty International, Mar. 23, 2007, available at

http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGASA260032007?open&of=ENG-LAO.

Laos - Annual report 2007, Reporters Without Borders, available at http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=20788.

New leadership approved in Laos, BBC, June 8, 2006, available at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/5059902.stm.

State of the World’s Human Rights, 2007, Amnesty International, available at http://thereport.amnesty.org/eng/Regions/Asia-Pacific/Laos.

Supalak Ganjanakhundee, Choummaly endorsed as president of Laos, The Nation, June 11, 2006, http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2006/06/09/regional/regional_30006108.php.

The missing children of Laos, Amnesty International, available at http://web.amnesty.org/pages/lao-220307-feature-eng.

More Missiles, More Defense, More Missiles...

Turning back the clock or just going backwards into the "COLD"?
by Jeff Nelson

Russia to over-haul their nuclear arsenal?  Where is this going now?  Yesterday at the EU summit in Portugal, President Putin pretty much said that the world will see another arms race and that Russia is now facing a "Cuban Missile Crisis." 

Recently tensions have grown between the U.S. and Russia concerning the missile shield being placed in two sites within former Warsaw Pact countries. Russia claiming that it is a threat to their security and the U.S. claiming that there is an urgent need for a missile defense system in Europe.  The U.S. wants to place an early warning radar and missile guidance system in the Czech Republic and a ground based interceptor missile system in Poland.  Poland being a little too close for Russian comfort. 

There have been warnings issued from Russia, and the U.S. officials have visited Moscow trying to sell the plan for the proposed systems.  However, President Putin has urged not to force a deployment on the radar or the interceptors and freeze the plans for the defense facilities in Europe.  He has also threatened to abandon the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty, a key nuclear missile treaty between the U.S. and Russia.   

The U.S. finds it necessary to build the defense system to protect against the growing threat of rouge nations like Iran.  The U.S. has suggested that the site establishment might be delayed while they work on the Russian concerns.  Delaying activation of the sites is also an option, waiting to activate the sites until after a more concrete threat like Iranian missile testing has been conducted.

This all comes after Russia pulled out of the Conventional Forces in Europe treaty (CFE)  back in July.  Russia has been flexing its political muscles and the CFE was one of the first moves.  Russia is poised to begin quick production of small- and medium- range missiles, and they have already stated they are ready to build them. They just need to make the political decision.  Russia also expressed interest in expanding the INF to include other countries besides the U.S. and Russia.

I thought it was bad when they pulled out of the CFE causing an upset among European countries.  Now they have threatened to pull out of the INF and begin a short-notice build up of missiles.  You would think after two World Wars and a long drawn out Cold War, that we as people would want to continue to progress forward and not regress backwards.  The INF was responsible for eliminating around 3,000 U.S. and Russian missiles near the end of the Cold War.  The U.S. needs to resolve this issue before we see another arms race over the "potential threat" of a missile defense system in Russia's backyard.   America did not like it when the U.S.S.R. started construction on missile silos in Cuba.  Whether or not the missile defense system is meant for Russia, the U.S. should think a little harder about the impression its making.  Russia, on the other hand, should really consider their response in light of their recent political escapades.  So goes the political dance, like a game of chess, but is a checkmate something the world really wants to experience?

Sources:

Agence France-Presse - Moscow, Russia Ready to Renew Short-, Medium-Range Missile Production, Defense News, Oct. 26, 2007, available at http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?F=3139197& C=europe

Putin compares U.S. shield to Cuba, BBC, Oct. 26, 2007, available at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7064428.stm

Missile shield is 'urgent'-Bush, BBC, Oct. 23, 2007, available at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7058622.stm

Putin wants U.S. date to quit Iraq, BBC, Oct. 18, 2007, available at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7050237.stm

Russia urges U.S. missile 'freeze', BBC, Oct. 12, 2007, available at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7040778.stm

Russia suspends arms control pact, BBC, July 14, 2007, available at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6898690.stm

John Marcus, Russia sends warning to the West, BBC, July 14, 2007, available at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6898897.stm

Systematic Rape and Sexual Assaults Continue in the Democratic Republic of Congo

By Gabie Hart

In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) women continue to be brutally raped and sexually assaulted. The perpetrators of these atrocities are combatants from approximately 20 armed factions who are victimizing and instilling terror on women.

These perpetrators terrorize the civilian population in the DRC with attacks occurring just about anywhere, whether it is out walking the streets, working in fields, or in the home. The frequency and locations in which these acts occur, engenders a feeling of insecurity.

Most recently, a Congolese human rights worker, Justine Masika Bihamba, who informs others around the world of what happens to women in the DRC, found herself at the center of these horrendous acts. Her daughters were brutally assaulted by an armed gang who broke into their home. Apparently, Bihamba had narrowly escaped being attacked herself. One of the perpetrators was recognized as being a colonel for a security force, but he was not arrested. It is alleged that his guards said “‘Madame Justine is not more special than the other persons’ they kill in Goma.”

Women who are speaking out about these atrocities are now discovering that their families are targets of these inhumane actions. The perpetrators of these despicable crimes are receiving impunity for their atrocious acts of violence.

In some instances the women who are targeted are kidnapped and then held for long periods of time—usually until they manage to escape or are killed. They are held in huts as well as in the forest, and wake up each day knowing that they will yet again be forced to perform domestic labor, such as cooking, cleaning, and will quite possibly be either raped, beaten, or both.

Due to this form of imprisonment, lack of health care access becomes an issue. Some of these women become pregnant, and if there are complications, these women have no where to turn for help. Miscarriages may occur, and sometimes these women lose their lives from pregnancy-related complications.

Women who are released immediately after the rape occurs often suffer physical injuries. In some situations, the perpetrators use sharp objects to mutilate and torture these women. Proper health care needs to be received by these women who suffer physical injuries, including destruction of internal organs, internal bleeding, pregnancy, and some need to be treated for HIV as sometimes the attackers are HIV positive. Since many of these women do not have access to proper health care, as there is an inadequate number of hospitals and clinics, further affliction is endured.

The suffering of these women does not cease once the physical brutality stops. Instead, these women have to deal with the not only the physical injuries but also the psychological impact-which may last a lifetime. This is especially true in situations where the rape occurs in front of family members, and in some instances other members of the family are murdered right in front of the woman immediately before of after she is raped. Something needs to be done to ensure these acts cease, that proper physical and emotional care is received, and that these perpetrators do not continue to receive impunity.

Sources:

Amnesty International, Democratic Republic of Congo: Mass Rape – Time for Remedies, October 26 2004, available at http://web.amnesty.org/library/index/engafr620182004.

Olivia Ward, Activist Who Spoke in T.O. of Sadistic Sex Attacks Plaguing Nation Sees Latest Victims – Her Daughters, The Star, October 12, 2007, available at http://www.thestar.com/article/266129.

Human Rights Watch, Sexual Violence in the Congo War: A Continuing Crime, available at http://hrw.org/reports/2005/drc0305/4.htm#_Toc96844248.

Equatorial Guinea: For the love of oil

by: D. Pandian

One’s first association with the term petro-politics is usually the geographical region of the Middle East. While the international politics since the 1970s has proven this to be a proper association, the drive to decrease American reliance on Middle Eastern oil might lead to the reformation of this association. Due to recent discoveries of West African oil reserves, 15% of American oil exports now come from this region of the world. Yet, while major oil-consuming states may be extracting themselves from the political cauldron of the Middle East, they might be jumping into another pot through cultivation of relationships with certain West African rulers.

President Teodora Obiang Nguema Mbasogo ("Obiang") rules over the small West African state of Equatorial Guinea. Obiang came into power on October 10, 1979, and true to his title, "President for Life," has held the position ever since. He attained this position after leading a coup against his uncle, Francisco Macias Nguema, an infamous dictator whose brutality spurred the exodus of more than one-third of the country’s population. Despite Obiang’s role in ending his uncle’s brutal regime, it must be noted that Obiang held key leadership positions in the Army that carried out his uncle’s ordered.

Nearly half of all children under the age of five are malnourished in Equatorial Guinea, and even the major cities of the country lack clean water and basic sanitation. However, the government’s inability to deal with rampant poverty is not a product of financial strain. The discovery of oil and natural gas in Equatorial Guinea in 1995 has led to the county becoming one of the wealthiest in Africa. Oil earnings in the county are at $3 billion a year [1], enough to give this country with a population of a little more than half million people the second highest income per head in the world. However, Obiang keeps a tight hold on the finances of the state. He recently announced that he would be taking full control of the national treasury to prevent civil servants from being tempted to engage in corrupt practices. However, the many expensive properties and luxury items owned by Obiang and his family members, lends to the conclusion that corrupt use of the national treasury was furthered by this manuever.  [2].

Obiang heads the one major political party of the country. Other political parties do exist; however, members of other parties are frequently jailed and subject to government harassment.  In recent elections, Obiang has been voted into office many times by near unanimous vote, however private accounts by locals reveal that this is more the result of fear of Obiang rather than confidence in his abilities as a ruler. When talking about the many coups and attempts at killing Obiang, his more vocal opposition voice say that these attempts were staged to justify Obiang further tightening his control over the country. It is clear that Obiang relies on intimidation to maintain power; in 2003, a state radio station announced that Obiang is "the God of Equatorial Guinea" and that he now enjoyed the right to "decide to kill without having to give anyone an account and without going to hell."  [3].

In spite of his corrupt rule, Condoleezza Rice herself has referred to Obiang as a friend of the United States, no doubt a statement motivated by the favorable terms and profit sharing arrangements that the government of Equatorial Guinea permits to US oil companies. It is a disheartening that the chosen means of reducing American dependence on Middle Eastern oil involves the cultivation of relationship with a dictator such as Obiang.

Footnotes:

[1] Steve Bloomfield, "Teodoro Obiang Nguema: A brutal, bizarre jailer," The Independent.

[2]  "When he wants to travel, the president has a choice of six personal planes, the most recent of which has a king-size bed and a bathroom with gold-plated taps. Destinations include the mansion in Maryland or the holiday home in Cape Town. [H]is son, Teodorin, has managed to build up an impressive fleet of Lamborghinis, Ferraris and Bentley, despite claiming to earn an official salary of only £30,000 a year." (excerpted from Steve Bloomfield, "Teodoro Obiang Nguema: A brutal, bizarre jailer," The Independent.)

[3] Teodoro Obian Nguema Mbasogo, March 2005, DictatorOfTheMonth.com.

Sources Used:

Peter Maas, "A Touch of Crude," MotherJones.com, January/February 2005, available at http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2005/01/12_400.html.

Steve Bloomfield, "Teodoro Obiang Nguema: A brutal, bizarre jailer," Independent, Oct. 5, 1007, available at http://news.independent.co.uk/people/profiles/article2536777.ece.

Teodoro Obian Nguema Mbasogo, March 2005, DictatorOfTheMonth.com, available at http://www.dictatorofthemonth.com/Obiang/Mar2005ObiangEN.htm.

David Wallechinsky, Who is the World’s Worst Dictator?, Feb. 11, 2007, Parade, available at http://www.parade.com/articles/editions/2007/edition_02-11-2007/Dictators.

Luisa Kroll, "Fortunes of Kings, Queens And Dictators," Forbes.com, May 5, 2006, available at http://www.forbes.com/2006/05/04/rich-kings-dictators_cz_lk_0504royals.html.

Disabling One Nuclear Threat...

North Korean secrets may be revealed

By Jeff Nelson

Last time, when I commented on this issue back in July, North Korea had just shut down its nuclear reactor facilities in Yongbyon.  A completion date for the next phase of the process had not been set, and I criticized the amount of progress we would see.   

Well I must say that I am surprised at the recent developments with this issue.  North Korea has actually agreed to a date by which to carry out the next phase of its de-nuclearization.   By December 31st, North Korea will disclose the full details of its nuclear program and disable the Yongbyon reactor.   The agreement was announced back on October 3rd.   

The talks reaffirmed the aid agreed upon last year.  Also, the U.S. agreed to work with Pyongyang toward removing it from the U.S. list of states that sponsor terrorism.   

Last week, a U.S. team of experts arrived in North Korea to begin work on finalizing the disablement of the reactor.  North Korea agreed to letting in a team from the U.S. to oversee the disablement.  I think that was done to add legitimacy to the process for the U.S.  If experts from the U.S. are leading the process, North Korea will have more credibility regarding future talks and agreements. 

Credibility seems to be an issue at this point especially with the rumors of North Korea supplying Syria with nuclear technology help.  Both governments deny those allegations.  However, North Korea is already known to provide missile technology to Syria.   We will have to see what they submit in the nuclear program disclosure about Syria or if Syria is even mentioned.   I think that is an issue that needs to be cleared up. 

We need to keep a lookout on the whole North Korea and Syria relationship.  We cannot have North Korea exporting their nuclear technology and research to other countries.  The details of all these agreements have not been released but I think where the knowledge about the nuclear programs goes is an important issue.

There seems to be a lot of excitement about the developments. I think it is a good thing, but we must remember that we cannot hurry this process.  It took baby steps to get the U.S. and North Korea to the table with each other, but just because we learned to start walking does not mean we can start running.  We need to step back and look at the whole issue, and realize that North Korea is not going to readily give up its bargaining chip with the world so fast.  There is the possibility that they are sitting on a stockpile of weapons.  Diplomacy is working though, working as an example here that it can reduce the amount of dangerous nuclear capabilities being developed.  We need to keep that in mind when dealing with other areas of the world.

Sources:

Assoc. Press, North Korean Official to Visit Syria, Wash. Post (Oct. 13, 2007) available at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/13/AR2007101300797.html.

US nuclear team lands in N Korea, BBC News (Oct. 11, 2007) available at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7039280.stm.

Hyung-Jin Kim, Assoc. Press, S. Korea Sure of Early Nuclear Settlement, Wash. Post (Oct. 8, 2007) available at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/08/AR2007100800136.html.

John Sudworth, Could peace break out in Koreas?, BBC News (Oct. 5, 2007) available at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7030018.stm.

Korean leaders issue peace call, BBC News (Oct. 4, 2007) available at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7027236.stm.

Gordon Corera, First Pyongyang - then Tehran?, BBC News (Oct. 3, 2007) available at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7026759.stm.

North Korea agrees to nuclear deadline, BBC News (Oct. 3, 2007) available at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7025930.stm.

Had I Only Known . . .

By: Cheryl G. Murphy

Imagine if Anne Frank had access to the internet—if others had been informed of her situation, help might have been sent her way before Nazis had the chance to discover her hideout leading to her untimely death in a concentration camp. People in situations of oppression, whose fundamental human rights are being violated, might be able to tell others of their horrific situation and receive help if only given an outlet to do so. Impunity Watch, an interactive website, which operates as a law review, message board, and blog, has been created with the objective of giving a voice to people who are silenced—people like Anne Frank.

Impunity Watch informs people of human rights violations that are committed across the globe. Objective reporting and monitoring of various human rights abuses and impunity-related issues create a global consciousness of these atrocities. Articles written by scholars, professionals, and students are also published on the website, bringing a more in-depth perspective to the abuses and instances of impunity that occur. Those who know of oppressive situations or who are oppressed themselves also have the opportunity to voice these abuses on the website, leading to a greater awareness.

What does “impunity” mean? In a report presented to the Commission on Human Rights, impunity has been defined as the impossibility of bringing human rights violators to account arising from, among other things, a failure of States to meet their obligations to investigate, prosecute, and punish violators or from a failure of States to take necessary steps to prevent recurrence of violations.1 Impunity Watch’s mission is to monitor and address horrific human rights abuses and possible situations of impunity. Whether the atrocities committed are acts of discrimination, acts of human trafficking such as the forced labor or sexual exploitation of individuals, the denial of access to food and water, acts of genocide, or other violations of fundamental human rights, those who commit these inhumane acts should be held accountable and brought to justice.

David Crane, a Distinguished Professor of Practice at Syracuse University College of Law, is the founder of Impunity Watch. Prior to joining the faculty at the College of Law, Crane was appointed by the Secretary General of the United Nations to serve as Chief Prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone. After observing firsthand the effects of the pillaging, mutilation and mass murder of civilians that occurred during Sierra Leone’s Civil War, Crane developed the concept of Impunity Watch.

Impunity Watch is completely run by students at Syracuse University College of Law. Approximately 40 students act as editors, researchers and reporters, devoting their time and effort toward informing others of human rights abuses being committed and ensuring worldwide awareness of those who receive impunity for their inhumane actions. Since Impunity Watch will be entirely paperless, all of the reporting and updates can be done at anytime of the day from anywhere in the world. This flexibility ensures that breaking news is continuously posted 24/7, keeping people up to date on the most current atrocities being committed.

On Thursday, October 11th Impunity Watch will officially launch its website during a ceremony at Syracuse University College of Law where Dr. Henry T. King, Jr. will be serving as the master of ceremonies. Dr. Henry T. King, Jr., a prosecutor at the Nuremburg Trials, was assigned to prosecute the German General Staff and High Command. Impunity Watch will know it has made a difference when that first life is affected—when that person can have her thoughts and situation discovered by the world long before the world finds them scrawled into a diary.

Sources:
1. Commission on Human Rights, Report of the independent expert to update the set of principles to combat impunity (Diane Orentlicher) E/CN.4/2005/102/Add.1 (Feb. 8, 2005). See generally OHCHR, Human Rights: A Compilation of International Instruments (2003).

India of Whose Dreams?

By: Lara Sewers

On October 2, Delhi’s Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit promised a new beginning in administrative matters in his “India of my Dreams” pledge. Marking Gandhi’s birthday, he took the opportunity to express his gratitude to all the officers and state employees that perform valuable services to the state and the people. He may have forgotten about a significant group; Delhi’s trash collectors. A group of India’s poorest and most marginalized people take over the job of garbage disposal in New Delhi were no formal system of collection is in place. But do not panic, the Chief Minister has inaugurated a training program designed to provide training to the “ragpickers” on safe and adequate collection practices and has promised to provide them with gloves and aprons. “The very fact that we have acknowledged that we need to look after their health is a tremendous acknowledgment of their dignity,” said the Secretary of Delhi’s Environment Ministry. But, is it?

Around 89,000 ragpickers in New Delhi alone provide this valuable service that the government has neglected. They are not on the government’s or anybody else’s payroll. Instead, they rely on donations from the communities they serve. This is not the only thing they receive; police officers administer their occasional beatings out of suspicion when they encounter these workers in residential areas early in the morning. Some people express their gratitude by further alienating them and in conjunction with city authorities harassing them to move along when they are trying to sort out the trash to recycle what they can.

Ragpickers, after centuries of submission, have begun to make demands for respect and dignity. They are unimpressed and unmoved by the city’s concessions of gloves and aprons. “They do not want gloves, they say. They want wages, pensions, health care, uniforms that they hope will discourage police harassment, education for their children and decent housing.”[1] They acknowledge the importance of the work they perform and believe the city could do much more to help them make a living in exchange for their hard work. However, there is little they can do to push the government to grant them some of their requests. They depend on the meager donations they receive to support their families and cannot afford to strike or quit working.

India’s system of waste disposal while lacking formalization by the state is highly organized. Recycling of papers and plastics is among the most efficient in the world. Considering India’s population and the lack of state or private sector involvement in this duty, it is an amazing accomplishment, driven in large part by these trash collectors. Despite their vital contribution to society, they remain a neglected group and their demands for dignity are rendered meaningless by small and insignificant concessions like the training program now in place.

For now, the ragpickers are left to rely on donations by those kind enough to acknowledge the important service they are being provided. They will continue looking in the trash for something of value they can salvage and maybe their next meal. [2][3]

---

[1] NY Times: “Picking up Trash by Hand, and Yearning for Dignity,” (Sept. 27, 2007). Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/27/world/asia/27ragpickers.html

[2] The Hindu: “Ambitious plan to organise rag-pickers of Delhi,” (Sept. 22, 2007). Available at: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/09/22/stories/200709226060040.htm

[3] NewKerala.com: “’India of my Dreams’ pledge by Delhi CM to officers,” (Oct. 2, 2007). Available at: http://www.newkerala.com/oct.php?action=fullnews&id=7903

Myanmar: The Rohingya Muslims

by: D. Pandian

As the military-controlled regime of Myanmar fumbles to maintain civil order, the harsh policies of the government have been brought to light for the international community to see. While protests by Buddhist monks came in response to dramatic increases in cost of living by the government of Myanmar (GoM), the abusive practices of this state’s government have long been under the radar of human rights monitoring groups and the Western governments who have imposed sanctions against the GoM. Particularly absent from the international concern however has been the plight of the Rohingya Muslim community based mainly in the Arakan province of Myanmar.

Rohingya Muslims have long been an established community in the Arakan province of Myanmar, having settled there as early as the 12^th century. This community lived in general harmony with the local Buddhist population until the end of World War II, when communal riots resulted from the Rohingya’s desire to have a state independent of what was then Burma. As history shows, this movement never achieved its goal and the ruling regimes of Myanmar that followed instituted harsh policies against this community as drastic as removing citizenship from persons of this group. To this day, the GoM does not recognize the Rohingya Muslims, instead choosing to classify them as persons of Bengali descent.

An increased military presence in the Arakan state following the military junta of 1988 leading the formation of the present GoM has been accompanied by an increased trend in human rights abuses and discrimination against this minority. Rohingya Muslims are required to obtain travel authorization to travel outside of their villages, have their land confiscated by the government for use by Buddhist settlers, have their mosques destroyed by the military, are subject to prohibitive taxes, and are routinely forcefully conscripted for labor projects. As half of the Rohingya are poor landless day laborers, being forced to serve on government labor project – for which they receive no compensation – prevents them from earning enough to sustain themselves.

One Rohingya man recounts the following:

"About one and a half years ago [ mid 2002], [the leader of a group of houses reporting to the VPDC] recruited me for forced labour. I was sick and asked him to replace me but he refused because I could not pay him any money [to bribe him]. During the same morning he called me to the VPDC office. The Chairman told me: ‘if you cannot pay, then you must go, even with your fever!’… I went home but the next day the NaSaKa called me to their camp and beat me up severely with their boots and with a stick. They fined me two big chickens for disobeying the Chairman’s order." – excerpted from The Rohingya Minority: Fundamental Rights Denied.

Rohingya Muslims who have fled Myanmar have faced poor reception in countries neighboring Myanmar. In a bid to discourage Rohingya Muslims from entering the country, the government of Bangladesh have allowed refugee camps for Rohingyas to deteriorate to unconscionable levels. Only a very restricted number of international aid workers are allowed to work with this population, lending to the increased desperation of Rohingya refugees. In Malaysia, Rohingya refugee children are denied access to public education and refugees in general are subject to harsh scrutiny by the Malaysian government.

Cites:

Mark Dummett, Burmese exiles in desperate conditions, BBC, Sept. 29 2007, available at http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7019882.stm.

Muslims in Myanmar: A persecuted minority, Khabrien.info, Sept. 28, 2007, available at

http://www.khabrein.info/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6802&Itemid=88

.

Petterik Wiggers, 10 Years for the Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh: Past, Present and Future, Médecins Sans Frontières, March 2000, available at http://www.msf.org/source/downloads/2002/rohingya.doc.

Rohingya Refugees from Burma Mistreated in Bangladesh, Thailand Also Forcing Asylum Seekers Back into Burma, Human Rights Watch, Mar. 27, 2007, available at http://hrw.org/english/docs/2007/03/27/bangla15571.htm.

The Rohingya Minority: Fundamental Rights Denied, Amnesty International, May 19, 2004, available at http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGASA160052004.

Violet Cho, Unsafe Harbor, Irawaddy, Sept. 1, 2007, available at http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=8440.

Why are the Rohingyas refugees in Bangladesh forgotten?, Refugees International, Mar. 15, 2003, available at http://www.refintl.org/content/article/detail/870/.

For more background on the Burmese situation:

Kyi May Kaung, Monks Versus the Military, Foreign Policy in Focus, Sept. 26, 2007, available at http://www.fpif.org/fpiftxt/4582.