Deal For Rohingya refugees to return not enough – BuzzFeed News
Mark Farmaner, director of Burma Campaign UK, criticised the deal between Burma and Bangladesh to repatriate Rohingya refugees who have filled out their personal details on forms. He described the deal as a way of “buying time”, since sluggish bureaucracy in both countries means that it could take years to cross-check refugees’ identities.
“When people are fleeing their homes under attack they’re not grabbing their ID cards, if they have them,” he told BuzzFeed News. “The main problem is not how long it takes to return, or the conditions they have to meet to return. The problem is that it’s not safe to return. Unless we start to see really strong sanctions against the military, so that they face real pressure, we’re going to see a repeat of this crisis all over again.”
Why is the US Government funding anti-Rohingya propaganda? – Daily Beast
Commenting on The Irrawaddy’s reporting on the Rohingya crisis, New York’s Daily Beast says the Yangon-based paper, which receives funding from USAID, has parroted Burmese government propaganda.
“Decades of hard work building the reputation of The Irrawaddy has been undermined by the editor in chief deciding to abandon journalistic independence and come down on the side of racists saying the Rohingya don’t belong in Burma,” said Mark Farmaner, director of Burma Campaign UK.
Aung San Suu Kyi complicit in Rohingya ‘ethnic cleansing’ – the Guardian
“On several issues she’s part of the problem”, Mark Farmaner, director of Burma Campaign UK, told MPs.
Giving evidence to the International Development Committee, Mark Farmaner is quoted in the Guardian: “She has kept political prisoners in jail. Although she hasn’t the power to stop their arrests, she has the power to release them – including a 14-year-old recently jailed who was arrested by the Burmese army. She can repeal repressive laws, she has powers to improve human rights. She’s choosing not to.”
Calls for Britain to investigate ‘crimes against humanity’ – Sky News
In testimony to the House of Commons International Development Committee, Burma Campaign UK’s director said Aung San Suu Kyi was complicit in the persecution of the Rohingya.
Mark Farmaner said her “near heroine status” should now be re-evaluated, drawing attention to what he called her “authoritarian tendencies” and her decision not to repeal repressive laws.
Expectations high for Tillerson to press Myanmar – Voice of America
Commenting on the US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s forthcoming visit to Burma, Mark Farmaner, director of Burma Campaign UK, said the Trump administration has done “very little to pressure either the government or the military in Burma over the Rohingya crisis,” and the visit will send important signals one way or the other.
“Failing to take a strong stance will be interpreted as weakness by the military, and seen as a green light to continue abuses,” Farmaner said. “Tillerson has to make clear to Aung San Suu Kyi that her government must stop its policy of denial and commit to giving Rohingya full citizenship if it wants continued support from the U.S.”
Burma Campaign UK plans new ‘Dirty List’ – Frontier Myanmar
Frontier Myanmar reports on Burma Campaign UK’s decision to revive the ‘Dirty List’ of human rights violators.
Anna Roberts, executive director, told Frontier Myanmar “The new list will mainly focus on companies involved with the military, as the military are responsible for most human rights violations in the country, and blocking democratic reform. We hope this new ‘Dirty List’ will force companies to stop supplying and funding the military in Burma.”
Meet Min Aung Hlaing, the chief of Myanmar’s notorious military – TIME
Beyond some sanctions, little action has been taken toward accountability, reports TIME. Mark Farmaner, director of Burma Campaign UK, says the lack of international action over the crisis has essentially given Min Aung Hlaing a green light for murder. “You have to hand it to Min Aung Hlaing,” Farmaner tells TIME, “he is a very smart guy to have correctly calculated that he could commit ethnic cleansing and get away with it.”
Are sanctions the answer in the Rakhine Crisis? asks the Irrawaddy
As the US joins the EU in taking action against the country’s military leadership and considering targeted sanctions, Mark Farmaner, director of Burma Campaign UK, says neither have gone far enough. He told the Irrawaddy it was “very disappointing” that the EU decided not to impose any sanctions on the military, “only suspending invitations to senior military officers.”
“The failure of the USA to impose any significant sanctions combined with European Union is basically giving a green light for the military to continue ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya,” he said.
Bogalay massacres should be investigated and commemorated – Karen News
“The Bogalay massacres of Karen villagers in October 1991 are as much a part of Burma’s history as the 88 uprising”, writes Mark Farmaner, Director of Burma Campaign UK, for Karen News. “It may not have had the same nationwide political repercussions, but it is too significant an event to pass by year after year with no investigation having happened, no justice, and no official acknowledgement or commemoration for those who were killed.”
Aung San Suu Kyi breaks her silence but offers no solace – ASEAN Today
Aung San Suu Kyi used her State of the Union speech to finally break her silence on the escalating conflict in the Rakhine State, reports ASEAN Today. However, her address was a mixture of excuses and misinformation and offered little comfort or encouragement to the persecuted Rohingya communities.
The report quotes Mark Farmaner, Director of Burma Campaign UK, saying that Aung San Suu Kyi “doesn’t see Burma as a multi-ethnic multi-religious country, but a Burma-Buddhist country”.