Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network statement on the situation in the Rakhine State of Myanmar

The root cause of the problems in Rakhine State is unabated and systematic discrimination suffered by the Rohingya at the hands of government authorities, including severe restrictions on movement, employment, right to marriage, and right to a family which are linked to the Citizenship Law of 1982 that rendered them stateless.

The Myanmar government has responded to the violence by imposing a state of emergency, but there have been worrisome reports that local authorities in Maungdaw and other areas may not be applying the restrictions of the state of emergency equally, with the result of further targeting and persecuting an extremely vulnerable  religious and ethnic minority.

There are also reports that the Bangladesh government has increased security on its border with Myanmar, and closed parts of the frontiers, thereby preventing people from fleeing the violence in Rakhine state.

The Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN) calls on:

The Government of Myanmar to,

1. Protect equally all people living in Rakhine State.
2. Initiate an independent investigation into the human rights abuses and bring the perpetrators to justice, including their trial in an independent and fair court of law.
3. Permit access to international monitors based in Myanmar, such as representatives of the UN Country team, and Yangon-based diplomats and the media, to assess the situation and make recommendations for further action.
4. Amend the 1982 Citizenship Law to accommodate the Rohingya as an ethnic group of Myanmar and guarantee that they are not excluded in the forthcoming 2014 national census.

1. Ensure freedom of movement, employment, right to marriage and right to a family that are now denied to the Rohingya, and also ensure that local authorities and military/police commanders cease atrocities like forced labor against the Rohingya.

The government of Bangladesh to,

1. Immediately open its borders, for humanitarian reasons, to allow people to escape from the violence and to provide them with basic assistance until they can return to their homes in Myanmar in safety.

The international community to,

1. Take appropriate measure to pressure the Myanmar government to halt the ongoing violence in Rakhine State, while also recognizing the Rohingya as legitimate citizens of Myanmar, enjoying equal protection of the state.
2. Encourage UNHCR and other international NGOs to maintain their presence in Rakhine State during this state of emergency.
3. Offer both strong support and vigorous pressure to the Bangladesh Government so that it will open its borders to refugees.

Endorsers