Reuters Journalists Charged with Illegally Possessing State Secrets
A Myanmar court charged two Reuters journalists, who uncovered the murder of ten Rohingya men, with possessing state secrets in violation of the colonial-era Official Secrets Act (Guardian)
Rights Group Details Atrocities Against Rohingya by Myanmar Military
A new report from Amnesty International details what it calls crimes against humanity committed by the Myanmar military starting in August 2017, including murder, rape, torture, and arson, and names thirteen military officials it says are responsible for a campaign to drive the Rohingya out of Rakhine State (Amnesty International)
Monsoon Rains Hit Rohingya Camps in Bangladesh
Monsoon rains have caused shelters to collapse and sewage to mix with sludge at Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazaar. Conditions are expected to worsen as the rains continue through August, and an estimated two hundred thousand Rohingya could be affected (Voice of America)
Myanmar Agrees to UN Help for Returning Rohingya
Two UN agencies reached an agreement with Myanmar in which they will be granted access to Rakhine State to facilitate the return of Rohingya refugees (Associated Press)
Canada Offers Aid to Rohingya Refugees
Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland offered asylum to members of the Rohingya ethnic minority who have fled Myanmar, saying that the situation in their home country is not conducive to their safe return. She did not specify the number of refugees Canada would take in (Dhaka Tribune)
Myanmar Militants Massacred Hindus, Says Rights Group
The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) killed up to ninety-nine Hindu men, women, and children in Myanmar’s Rakhine State in at least one massacre last year, according to a new report. The report follows allegations of crimes by Myanmar’s security forces against the Rohingya ethnic minority, also in Rakhine (Amnesty International)
Myanmar Asks Bangladesh to Repatriate Some Rohingya
Myanmar requested 1,101 Rohingya refugees from a list prepared by Bangladesh of roughly eight thousand Rohingya to be returned to the country. Myanmar has said that repatriated refugees will be given national verification cards that will allow them to find work (Dhaka Tribune)
U.S. Says Pressuring Myanmar Over Refugee Crisis
In a letter to Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, U.S. President Donald J. Trump said Washington will keep pressure on Myanmar to “create necessary conditions” for the repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar (Dhaka Tribune)
Dozens of Rohingya Rescued in Indonesia
Indonesian fishermen rescued over seventy Rohingya fleeing Myanmar by sea off the coast of Aceh, reportedly in an attempt to reach Australia, local authorities said (Associated Press)
Separately, the prosecution of two Reuters journalists that helped cover the Rohingya crisis detained by the Myanmar government since December on charges of violating a colonial state secrets law suffered a major setback when police officer testified that he was ordered to entrap the reporters (Associated Press)
Bangladesh Rejects Rohingya Repatriation Claim
Bangladesh rejected Myanmar’s claim that it had repatriated a family of five Rohingya refugees; the family never reached Bangladeshi territory, Bangladesh’s home minister said (Associated Press)
Myanmar Not Ready for Rohingya Returnees, Says UN
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said today that “conditions in Myanmar are not yet conducive for the voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return of refugees.” The comments come after Myanmar’s Social Welfare Minister visited Rohingya refugees at a camp in Bangladesh yesterday and said getting the repatriation process moving was a top priority (Reuters)
Myanmar Soldiers Sentenced for Rohingya Massacre
The Myanmar army announced that seven of its soldiers received ten-year prison sentences for the murder of ten Rohingya Muslim men last September. The massacre was the subject of an investigation by two Reuters journalists who are facing charges for acquiring confidential documents (Guardian)
Separately, a Myanmar minister, while visiting Rohingya refugee camps in the city of Cox’s Bazar, said that Myanmar will take back Rohingya refugees whose residency in Myanmar can be verified. It was the first visit to camps in Bangladesh by a minister (Dhaka Tribune)
Meth Pills Seized in Rohingya Refugee Camps
Bangladesh security forces have seized nearly nine million methamphetamine pills smuggled in from Myanmar in less than three months. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called for a “zero tolerance” policy on meth smuggling from Myanmar, and has reportedly ordered an increased counternarcotics drive along the border (Agence France-Presse)
Myanmar Willing to Take Back Fewer Than 400 Rohingya
Myanmar deemed only 374 Rohingya refugees eligible for repatriation from a list, submitted by Bangladesh, of 8,000 people who said they would voluntarily return to Myanmar. The government said the 374 returnees will be place in temporary housing camps, described as “open air prisons” by Human Rights Watch (Guardian)
Myanmar Authorities Accused of Land Grab in Rakhine
Myanmar’s military is building bases to accommodate more security forces where Rohingya homes and mosques once stood, said Amnesty International today based off satellite imagery (Guardian)
Separately, a UN investigator reported today that the Myanmar military appears to be pursuing a starvation policy in Rakhine to drive out remaining Rohingya, and has started new offensives in other states targeting ethnic minorities; Myanmar’s envoy rejected the claims (Reuters)
UN Expert Requests ICC Case in Myanmar
The UN’s independent investigator on human rights in Myanmar called for the UN General Assembly to refer Myanmar to the International Criminal Court to probe suspected “acts of genocide” against the Rohingya ethnic minority and wants prosecution for the crimes committed (Reuters)
Myanmar Military Buildup Triggers Alarm at Border
Bangladesh’s foreign ministry summoned Myanmar’s ambassador in Dhaka after Myanmar troops gathered in trucks loaded with ammunition near the border where thousands of Rohingya refugees have sought shelter (BBC)
Myanmar Bulldozes Rohingya Villages
Myanmar has bulldozed at least 55 villages in northern Rakhine State out of the 362 villages destroyed by the military since August 2017, reportedly in an attempt to conceal evidence of atrocities, said Human Rights Watch. The group released their report as Myanmar struck a deal on aid with the UN and Japan (Reuters)
Journalists Jailed for Reporting Myanmar Executions, Says Reuters
The U.S. State Department has called for an independent probe into atrocities in Myanmar’s Rakhine State following a Reuters report detailing the massacre of ten Rohingya men by neighbors and soldiers (Guardian)
The report allegedly led to the arrest in Myanmar of two Reuters reporters, who face fourteen years in prison (Reuters)
Five Mass Graves Uncovered in Rakhine State
An investigation by journalists uncovered at least five previously unreported mass graves and evidence of systematic killings of Rohingya in villages across Rakhine State. The government of Myanmar has only acknowledged one mass grave, alleging the dead were terrorists, and denies that any massacres have taken place (Associated Press)
Former U.S. Governor Resigns From Panel Investigating Rohingya Crisis
Bill Richardson, a former governor of the U.S. state of New Mexico, resigned yesterday from an international panel investigating human rights concerns in Myanmar, saying he did not want to be “part of a whitewash” (New York Times)
Myanmar, Bangladesh Reach Agreement on Rohingya
Myanmar and Bangladesh reached an agreement today on a two-year time frame for returning hundreds of thousands of displaced Rohingya refugees to Myanmar. Repatriation is set to begin next week, and under the agreement Myanmar will accept three hundred returnees per day (NPR)
Reuters Reporters Charged in Myanmar
Two Reuters journalists that were investigating allegations of mass graves in Rakhine State have been charged with violating Myanmar law after obtaining what authorities say are state secrets from police (New York Times)
Bangladeshi Court Upholds Ban on Rohingya Marriages
The High Court in Dhaka has dismissed a challenge to a 2014 ban on Bangladeshis marrying individuals from Myanmar’s Rohingya minority. The ban was intended to keep refugees from seeking citizenship (AFP)
India Pledges $25 Million in Development Aid to Myanmar
The Indian Foreign Ministry pledged $25 million in development aid to Myanmar, including funds to build houses for Rohingya refugees to return to Rakhine State (Reuters)