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Myanmar: European Parliament urges junta to restore citizenship rights to Rohingya

by Mungpi

New Delhi (Mizzima) - The European Parliament on Thursday called on Burma's military rulers to restore citizenship rights to Rohingya Muslim minorities living in Western Burma's Arakan State, and urged Thailand not to repatriate the Rohingya migrants, who have been arrested for illegally entering the country, as they would face repression at home.

In a Parliamentary Resolution voted on February 5, the Members of the European Parliament urged Thailand to ensure that the Rohingya refugees, who had landed on their coast, were treated in keeping with humanitarian standards.

The MEPs also condemned the Burmese military regime for their continuous persecution of ethnic groups and demanded that the junta restore the Burmese citizenship of Rohingya Muslims.

Categorically denying the presence of Rohingya as an ethnic race in the country, the Burmese government in its state-run newspaper declared that Rohingya were not included among the over 100 national races in Burma.

The MEPs also "Condemns the Burmese SPDC's continuous violations of human rights; demands that Burmese citizenship be restored to the Rohingya...," the Resolution posted on the European Parliament website said, referring to the junta with its official name - State Peace and Development Council.

"... and that all restrictions on their right to education and freedom of movement be lifted immediately; demands a halt to religious persecution and the cessation of all human rights violations across the country," added the Resolution.

The Resolution came in the wake of at least 1,000 Rohingya refugees, who are sailing in the Andaman Sea, landing on the coasts of Andaman Island in India, Thailand, and in Indonesia.

More than 400 Rohingya migrants, have been rescued from the Sabang Island in Indonesia and hundreds more were rescued from the Andaman Islands in India and from Thailand.

Thailand has clearly indicated that it will not allow a refugee camp to be opened for the migrants in its territory, while authorities in Indonesia told Mizzima that they were still assessing the situation of the refugees.

Indian authorities in Andaman Island, earlier this week, told Mizzima that it was planning to deport the refugees back to Bangladesh, from where they had originally boarded the boats.

Glenys Kinnock, an MEP, in a statement called on the Thai government not to deport the Rohingya refugees to Burma, but in turn to grant them asylum and protection.

Kinnock said, the Rohingya have long suffered abuse at the hands of Burma's brutal military dictatorship. In desperation they have been driven to the sea only to be met with yet more cruelty and suffering.

"This situation serves to underline the urgent need for recognition, protection and asylum for the Rohingya," he added. He also called on the Thai government to investigate the conduct of the Thai military in this case, to ensure that no other vulnerable refugees were put at risk.

Meanwhile, Thailand-based People's Empowerment, a civil society, called on the Government of Thailand to initiate a regional approach to solve the problems of the people travelling through the sea route.

The group's Programme Manager told Mizzima on Friday that the migrants were part of the problems associated with human trafficking and was a seasonal problem, which would occur again and again unless there was a joint effort to solve the problem.

The Group suggested that Thailand, as the current chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), should take up the issue at the ASEAN Summit.