As a result of Cyclone Mokha, which hit on May 14, nearly 460 Rohingya have died in Sittwe Township alone, according to people who are actually collecting the death toll of Rohingya refugees.
The mass death of Rohingya refugees from Sittwe Township due to the storm is an inhumane way of living. Rohingya activists said it was due to lack of knowledge and not being allowed to move freely before the storm.
"If we add the remaining 8 camps, it could be more than 400, maybe more than 500."
The United Kingdom-based Burmese Rohingya organization also issued a statement on May 17 regarding the death of these Rohingyas, and said that these Rohingyas had been living inhumanely since before the storm, said U Tun Khin, the group's chairman.
He said that the Rohingya in Rakhine State had lived under the discrimination of the Burmese army for many years and survived the genocide. U Tun Khin also said that the international community must provide emergency aid to the Rohingya as soon as possible because they are suffering from a terrible natural disaster.
Sittwe City A Rohingya refugee from Sakkyen Pyin camp said that 110 Rohingya bodies were buried in two days on May 15 and 16.
"110 were buried. That is absolutely accurate. As for the casualties, we have a list of almost 130 casualties on that side alone. According to their villagers, It may be less than this. It can be more if you want to. But I don't know yet. Because people are in different places, they are out of touch. There are many villages, more than two hundred. I only went to four places out of it. There are many other places. 10 villages near our coast, There are 15 villages to go to. From there, we can still see the bodies."
The bodies were found in Sittwe Township, Model Village No. 3, No. 6 Sand River Village Vadosha He said the victims were from Rohingya villages and refugee camps such as West Village of Darpin.
A 25-year-old Rohingya refugee from the Darpin Rohingya refugee camp told RFA that just days before the storm, the Rakhine State Military Council had informed them of storm warnings and preparations, but the emergency centers to be evacuated were overflowing with others and there was no room for them.
"We are close to the sea in the refugee camp, so the wind blows and the children, Elderly people can't go, Unable to come, he floated in the water and died. governments, There are NGOs that give advance warning before the storm. But there is not enough space to move. That's why I stay the same. We have only two cyclone centres. In those two, Rakhine, Almost all of them are full of Muslims and there are no other places to protect from the storm.”
In the middle of May 14, when the storm was passing through the center of Sittwe, the sea tide and strong winds caused the Rohingya refugees living in the refugee camp to flee in fear. branches He said that he was hit hard by the speeding zinc plates, which caused many deaths.
There are more than 10,000 refugees in the Darpin Rohingya refugee camp, and almost 100 of the more than 180 dormitories they live in have been destroyed.
Due to the storm, the sea level suddenly rose to almost 30 feet, and almost all the huts in the refugee camp were washed away into the sea, so 400 to 500 people may have died, said Ko Ne San Lwin, co-founder of the Rohingya Liberation Coalition.
There are nearly 380 houses in Beda refugee camp alone, but after the storm, only six houses remain and hundreds of people and houses are missing, he said.
Ko Ne San Lwin, co-founder of the Rohingya Liberation Coalition, said that according to the current list he has received, the death toll may reach more than 500.
"Fifty-seven people were killed in the two camps of Beda, Darpin Block - 3. 17 people died in Basar camp, 31 people died in Bordufa, and three people died in Sakke Pyong. The bodies of 10 victims were also found there. Therefore, we know exactly that 118 people died in these five places. There may be people who have not been counted in these five places, so we cannot say. , may be more than this. Therefore, if the remaining 8 camps are added together, it may be more than 400, it may be more than 500."
Two Rohingya refugees contacted by RFA also said that it was difficult to collect all the bodies of the dead Rohingya as they were washed into the sea by the storm tide.
RFA is still trying to get the exact list of dead Rohingya refugees.
Newspapers published on May 16 reported that General Min Aung Hlaing, Chairman of the Military Council, visited Sittwe on May 15 and gave seventy thousand kyats worth of supplies.
A Rohingya resident in Sittwe told RFA that he had not received aid until three days after the storm hit.
"I haven't seen any effective help yet. I haven't heard yet. We are making a list of the damage to the villages. I have not heard of any apparent support. We are facing food shortages. And they don't have centers to gather and stay in their original village. Those whose houses were completely destroyed were found to be living on the side of the road with temporary tarpaulins. They need shelter to live. Food is urgently needed.”
RFA called State Attorney General U Hla Thein, the spokesperson of the military council, to find out about the mass death of Rohingya and the situation of aid and rescue, but he did not pick up the phone.
U Aung Kyaw Moe, a member of the National Unity Government's (NUG) Rohingya Affairs Adviser, said that the Rohingyas had been locked up by the military for a decade, so they died en masse during the natural disaster.
"Whether they are refugees on the move or IDPs, they are in a more vulnerable situation. Another thing is that these people were restricted in their movements and could not leave in time. This can only be attributed to the impact of the closure of the refugee camps after a decade in the past."
Due to ethnic conflict in Rakhine State in 2012 and military clearance in 2017, Sakkyen Pyin, West of Sittwe City, Dauphin sand creek One hundred and twenty thousand Rohingya refugees are sheltering in 13 refugee camps such as Ohn Togyi. There are 21 Rohingya camps in the entire state. There are more than two hundred and forty thousand refugees.
More than 400 people died due to the storm in Sittwe Township alone, and Brahmin Gyun, where there are Rohingya villages and refugee camps. The exact situation in Buthidaung and Maungdaw is not yet known.
RFA tried to contact about six local Rohingyas from Buthidaung and Maungdaw Township today, but could not reach them because the phone lines were down.
The National Unity Government's Department of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management announced on May 16 yesterday that 435 people, including Rohingya, have died in the entire country as a result of Cyclone Mokha.
Political analysts say that ASEAN cannot effectively resolve Myanmar's issue : Cambodia
The 42nd ASEAN Summit, held in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia for three days from May 9 to 11, did not produce any significant results on the Myanmar issue. Criticism has emerged among political observers, including the National Unity Government (NUG).
After the meeting, ASEAN announced that the five common agreements on Myanmar's affairs continue to be ASEAN's main reference point. Furthermore, it has not produced any significant results other than to advocate continued engagement with all stakeholders and lead humanitarian assistance to find sustainable solutions.
At the 2022 ASEAN meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, up to 15 decisions were made, including things such as setting a specific time for the implementation of common agreements and making a final decision if it cannot be done on time.
National Unity Government (NUG) presidential spokesman U Kyaw Zaw told RFA that he was disappointed that last year's resolutions could not be implemented at this year's meeting.
"What we are announcing at this summit is a plan for the implementation of specific actions, a plan to take action. We do not see that they have been able to develop both the concrete practical measures and the time-specific action plan that they said at the 40th-41st ASEAN Summit in November 2022. That is why we cannot rely on it."
NUG also released a statement on May 13 that it was disappointed that the post-summit statement only expressed concern over the rising violence in Myanmar.
"Neither the concrete concrete measures nor the time-bound action plan announced at the November 2022 summit have been produced."
In the NUG's statement, to urgently expose the failures of the military council according to the UN resolution and Article 7 of the charter. As an international court, to conduct an investigation according to Article - 12 (3) of the Rome Declaration. The ASEAN rotating chairman should hold an all-inclusive humanitarian forum as a matter of urgency.
Dr. Sai Kyi Zin Soe, a political analyst, also told RFA that the lack of a time limit in the five common agreements adopted by ASEAN is a problem.
"The problem with the five points of common agreement is that there is no time limit. And how effective are the five points of common agreement? There is no indicator that can measure the results of those results. So now they have not met (60) times for dialogue. We have not met (70) times. How successful are those (60), (70) findings. After that number of times, how many groups in our country We don't know exactly whether they have received representation. Because we don't know, it's a very controversial matter whether the trip has arrived or not."
The leaders of ASEAN countries discussed ways to stop the conflict in Myanmar and find a way for negotiations to take place.
ASEAN Chairman Indonesia President Joko Widodo added to the meeting that Myanmar's military has not made progress in implementing common agreements, and also said at a press conference that Myanmar's human rights violations will no longer be tolerated.
(42) As for the statement of the 42nd ASEAN Summit, there has been no response from the military council.
U Thein Tun Oo, executive director of the Thanang Strategic Study Group, which is a group of former military officers, told RFA that ASEAN does not seem to see Myanmar's affairs as unique.
"As for ASEAN, it is its attitude that it will go according to the common agreement. It means that its actions will go like this. In terms of details, it does not seem that they are expecting anything very special. It means that they will continue on the path that has already been established. It is simple. I do not see anything very special about the political process in Myanmar, so it will have to be considered the same way."
Charles Sentiago, chairman of the ASEAN Parliamentarians' Association for Human Rights, issued a statement saying that if ASEAN continues to adhere to the five common agreements, it will allow the military council to kill its own people and continue to hold power.
Mark Farmaner, Executive Director of Burma Campaign UK, said that if these common agreements continue to be held, there will be no answer from ASEAN for Burma's affairs.
Similarly, Phil Robertson, deputy director for Asia at Human Rights Watch, said that ASEAN's announcement clearly shows that they cannot do anything about Myanmar.
U Ye Tun, a political analyst, told RFA that ASEAN has no choice but to blame the military council.
"Mainly, they put the blame on NASCA. Therefore, we will continue to do the rest that can be done. So, it was a decision that was made by consensus at the last meeting of NASC, and now we will not allow the summit leader of NASC to attend, because such a common agreement can no longer be made. Since we cannot make more, we will have to continue doing this or that. If we do not do this, ASEAN will have nothing to do."
Malaysia's Foreign Minister Zambari Abdul Kadira told Reuters that ASEAN countries are serious about the Myanmar crisis, but that it is difficult to reach an agreement on how to respond as a group as a whole.
ASEAN Secretary General Kao Kim Hung also told Reuters on the sidelines of the meeting that ASEAN countries have a strong desire to help Myanmar, but it is not easy to actually do it and it needs to take time.
U Than Soe Naing, a political analyst, told RFA that ASEAN's lack of decisions regarding the Myanmar issue is due to a lack of coordination among member countries.
"There is only so much we can do. We can't negotiate more than that. ASEAN is also when everyone can agree to make a decision, but when there are different opinions, the decision does not come out. This is what it means."
Philippine Foreign Minister Anne Rimanolo said that the current situation on the ground is difficult and ASEAN is doing what it can.
Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also announced on May 9 that the lack of progress in implementing ASEAN's common agreements is due to the Myanmar military.
To stop the violence, In 2021, to implement the five ASEAN Common Agreements, including important points such as holding an all-inclusive dialogue. It was decided since April, but there has been no remarkable progress for more than two years.
Political analysts have criticized ASEAN because of the lack of remarkable progress when Indonesia was the chairman of ASEAN, which has consistently supported the Myanmar issue.
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