- Conference
- 2015 National Black Members' Conference
- Date
- 16 September 2014
- Decision
- Carried
Official figures state that in the majority Buddhist country of Burma only 4% are Rohingya Muslims, a heavily persecuted group denied citizenship by the Government of Burma.
For the last two years as the country of Burma has taken steps towards democracy, it has become an ever dangerous place to be a Muslim. The persecution of Muslims has resulted in the displacement of over 140,000, over 240 being killed in the most brutal of circumstances. Many live in refugee camps at the borders of Burma, pushed out of a country they call home.
Being a Rohingya Muslim in Burma means you are denied the most basic of human rights, you are denied citizenship, you cannot marry without government permission, marrying without government permission can result in a ten year prison sentence, you are denied access to schooling, you cannot be employed, you cannot worship freely, mosques are closed during Ramadan and Friday prayers are not allowed. These rules do not apply to the majority Buddhist population only to the minority Rohingya. The Rohingya do not have access to medical care since the Burmese government expelled Doctors Without Borders. This means approximately 700,000 people are without basic medical access.
In March 2014 the Burmese Government took away the identity of the Rohingya Muslims by refusing to recognise Rohingya as a category on the first census in Burma in three decades.
In January 2014 in the village of Du Char Yar Tan in the Rakhine state, 48 Rohingya Muslims were murdered by a mob that included Bhuddhist monks. The government refused to acknowledge the violence or the loss of life, even though the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights released a statement saying that these people had been murdered and asked for a full and impartial investigation; the investigation did not happen.
We are disappointed and saddened that Aaung San Suu Kyi the Nobel Peace Laureate and opposition leader, a woman who has long enjoyed Unison support and is an honorary Unison member, who knows what it is to be persecuted, has thus far remained silent on the persecution of the Rohingya Muslims.
1)We call upon the NBMC to work with the NEC to raise the plight of the Rohingya Muslims with Aaung San Suu Kyi. We ask her to use her political influences as the opposition to pressurise the government to protect the human rights of the Rohingya, to prosecute those responsible for the atrocities being committed against the Rohingya, to recognise the Rohingya as citizens of Burma.
2)Furthermore we ask the NBMC to explore how we can engage with Trade Unions in Burma to apply pressure on the Government to allow the Rohingya to legally seek work.