Burma Campaign UK today delivered 3164 signatures on a petition calling on the NLD-led government in Burma to take four key steps to start to address the Rohingya crisis in Burma.
Mark Farmaner, Anna Roberts and Doug Janke, from Burma Campaign UK, hand in the petition at the Burmese Embassy in London
These steps include tackling hate speech, lifting all restrictions on humanitarian aid, repealing the 1982 Citizenship Law, and supporting a UN investigation into the situation.
The need for action on these issues, first proposed by the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK in February 2016 and supported by a wide range of international human rights and Burma campaign groups around the world, has become even more urgent in recent weeks.
A new military crackdown on the Rohingya since attacks on border guard posts on 9th October has left hundreds of Rohingya dead, and at least 30,000 displaced. Restrictions on humanitarian aid, which were already causing deaths and suffering, have been significantly increased. The NLD government and its state controlled media have consistently denied human rights violations are taking place and instead launched military era style attacks on human rights organisations and journalists which report the violations.
“The Burmese military are using Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her government as a human shield against criticism and action from the international community over the human rights violations they are committing”, said Mark Farmaner, Director of Burma Campaign UK. “The NLD-led government has failed to act in the areas where it has the power to do so and even denies human rights violations have been committed. The international community continue treating the Rohingya as expendable in their efforts to present the situation in Burma as one of a successful transition requiring just technical assistance. The human rights situation for the Rohingya is getting worse, not better, and it is time their approach matched that reality.”
A briefing paper of the Four Steps by Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK is available here.