JEDDAH, 29 July 2007 — Rohingya Muslims of Burma have demanded “immediate and unconditional” release of all political prisoners in Myanmar, allowing them to leave the country voluntarily if they so choose.
The demand was made by Arakan Muslim Council, which represents Rohingya Muslims, during its two-day first international conference on the problems of democratic development in Burma and the plight of Rohingya people, held in Tokyo earlier this month, according to Habib Siddiqui, director of US-based Arakan-Burma Research Institute.
He said the conference urged the UN to set a deadline for the Myanmar regime to honor its international obligations for honoring the people’s verdict in the 1990 election. “The UN Security Council must ensure that the Burmese military regime stops its atrocities against its own people,” he said quoting the conference’s declaration.
“Due to its failure to repeal the 1982 Citizenship Act, the Myanmar regime is guilty of promoting racism, xenophobia, inequality, intolerance and discrimination against Rohingyas and other minority communities. The Act has effectively deprived the Rohingya Muslims of their fundamental rights to citizenship, movement, education, job, marriage, property and health care. The Act must be recognized as challenging the very principle and spirit of the UN.
Myanmar’s UN membership must therefore be revoked due to its monumental crimes against humanity,” said the declaration.
“As per the UN Charter — Articles 55 (c) and 56, the Myanmar government is legally obliged to honor the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and promote human rights and fundamental freedom for all without distinction of race, sex, language and religion. Instead, through its criminal actions against minorities like the Rohingyas, the Myanmar regime has proven itself to be guilty of crimes against humanity, and as such, deserves serious punitive actions from the UN, ranging from annulling its membership in the world boy to sanctions that will force the regime to change its uncivilized and brutal ways,” said Siddiqui, who also represents Arakan Rohingya Organization-Japan and US-based National Democratic Party for Human Rights.
