The military council has announced through the state-owned media that they are trying to repatriate the Rohingya refugees who have fled to Bangladesh. However, Rohingya refugees who return to their villages in Rakhine State are being arrested and imprisoned continuously, the Rohingya say.
According to reports on the Rakhine Daily social network page of the Rakhine State Military Council and the statements of local residents, no fewer than 173 Rohingya were arrested for crossing the border in the ten months from January 1 to the end of October this year.
They are often prosecuted under the Immigration Law, according to statements by the Rakhine State Military Council.
"No matter what, they keep coming back and being arrested and imprisoned."
On October 22, 16-year-old Mamat Iwes, who returned from the refugee camps in Bangladesh to Maungdaw Township's Gyung Chong Village, 14-year-old Mafurunina, 13-year-old Marumafa; Nine-year-old Masufira and four children were arrested. The military council announced that they are investigating so that they can be prosecuted by law, but the follow-up situation has not been released until today.
Similarly, at the beginning of October, three Rohingya families who returned from the Bangladesh refugee camp near the northern Mykhura village of Maungdaw Township from the border of the two countries. 22 people were arrested by the military council's border police. Among them, 15 people were sentenced to four years in prison by the Maungdaw Township court, and seven minors were sent to their relatives by the authorities, U Aye Win, a family member of those arrested, told RFA.
"They came across to fish. When it came, my relatives were among them. A week later, Maungdaw court sentenced them to four years in prison. Then sent them to Buthidaung prison. Two weeks ago. They have three families. There are four in one family. In the next group, six In the next group there are five. As for the children, there are young children. I sent it to my relatives. All 18-year-olds are jailed for four years each.”
The Rohingyas who were arrested and imprisoned were those who lived in the Kayntan Ward and the Tugyi Ward of Maungdaw City. They are the people who fled to Bangladesh as the army cleared the area in August 2017.
U Aye Win added that it is unfair to arrest and imprison people who return to their hometowns.
"The mayor who was arrested was my uncle. That's what these border police say, because they go legally and come back illegally. The state should not do such a thing. It's completely unfair to be arrested like this and imprisoned for four years."
Locals said that there are some Rohingya who want to return home who return in their own way, and some who contact the local authorities of the Burmese Military Council and return. However, no matter how they come back and get arrested and imprisoned, an unnamed Rohingya refugee sheltering in Bangladesh said.
"A boy who lives with us is from Maungdaw. His parents are in Myanmar. That's why he went back after negotiating with the concerned. When I went back and negotiated with the relevant person, I was not completely comfortable. He was also arrested and imprisoned. So 13 (1). Lawa is charged only with Section 13 (1). Crossing the border is what I'm addicted to."
He said that this young man took refuge in the Kutu Palaung refugee camp in Ukhia Township, Kob Bazar District, Bangladesh and was arrested and imprisoned six months ago when he returned to Maungdaw Township where his parents and relatives were staying.
Those arrested and imprisoned are often sent to Buthidaung prison, and those who are released after serving their sentences are not sent back to Bangladesh but are allowed to live in Maungdaw area, the locals said. The exact list of those who have been arrested and those who have been released is not yet known.
RFA tried to contact State Attorney General U Hla Thein, the military council's spokesperson for Rakhine state, regarding the arrest and imprisonment of returning Rohingyas, but he did not answer the phone.
Ko Ne San Lwin, the co-founder of the Rohingya Liberation Coalition, criticized the military council's actions as showing that the Rohingya have no desire to be recalled.
"This is even worse when the military council comes up. Don't come back, I'll catch you as soon as you come. On the other hand, the pressure of ASEAN They will be brought back because they can't overcome China's pressure, so it's quite complicated because there are various ways to do it. But what we clearly know is that this military council has absolutely no desire to bring these people back."
In the northern part of Rakhine State, due to the army's clearance of land in 2017, about 700,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh.
The military council announced in early September that it plans to repatriate 7,000 people by the end of this year's rainy season. On October 31, the Myanmar delegation visited the Cox's Bazar district of Bangladesh. The refugees said that they visited Teknaf and discussed the return of the Rohingyas. But on the other hand, refugees who return home in their own way are still being arrested and imprisoned, refugees say.
Most of the Rohingya who have fled and taken refuge in Bangladesh refuse to return to their homeland because there are no guarantees of citizenship and the right to return to their original place of residence.
Li Keqiang's death and the "black hand" he inflicted on Uyghur forced labor
The death of Li Keqiang, who served as China's prime minister from 2012 to 2022, is currently sparking various reactions. It turns out that Chinese citizens have widely expressed their grief over Li Keqiang as "the people's official". But on the other hand, the announcement of Li Keqiang's official obituary 18 hours after his death, the comments given to him in the obituary, and the internal problems hidden behind it are causing various reactions both inside and outside of China.
Mr. Huping, a Chinese analyst in the United States, said that the fact that Chinese citizens are expressing their grief over Li Keqiang's death in various ways in his hometown, Henan Province, where he is the governor, and even Beijing University, where he studied, does not indicate that Li Keqiang is somehow a "good official of the people." Mr. Huping also argued that Chinese citizens used the strong response and deep condolences to Li Keqiang's death as an opportunity to essentially express their opposition to Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party regime. This is what he said.
“We've seen his death provoke a very strong response from the general public. Of course, this type of response among people is multi-faceted and multi-layered. Some people sympathize with Li Keqiang's death at the age of 60, and simply think that his death was an unexpected misfortune. But some people are seeing this as an opportunity to protest the authoritarian rule of Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party. So we are seeing more and more bold criticism of the current situation in China and Xi Jinping as the mourning activities after the death of Li Keqiang are expanding more and more. Because of this, the Chinese Communist Party authorities are now very nervous. Because they are well aware of the intentions behind these mourning activities. So, of course, it remains to be seen whether this will turn into a democratic movement leading to a major political change like the 'Tiananmen Incident' that broke out after the death of former Hu Yaobang. But at least in the current situation, I think we must know clearly that Li Keqiang is not a <great> person who has done good things for the people. This is an opportunity for Chinese citizens to express their dissatisfaction with the current state system of Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party regime. »
However, Li Keqiang's death is a completely different event for Uyghurs, and it is a reminder of China's Uyghur genocide, including forced labor policies. Because it is public knowledge that 1.8 million people were imprisoned in Uyghur land during Li Keqiang's tenure as the Premier of China, that is, in 2017-2018. Because of this, the death of Li Keqiang could not be ignored by some experts and researchers who have been closely observing the Uyghur issue abroad.
"People should stop romanticizing Lee as a 'man of the people,'" Swedish journalist Jogje Olsson posted on social platform X, formerly known as Twitter. Because he wanted the state to control the economy. It is only for financial gain. But he doesn't show his ruthless side as openly as Xi Jinping, the 'President of China'. wrote.
Ilshat Hasan, an American Uyghur intellectual and vice director of the Executive Committee of the World Uyghur Congress, gave an interview to our radio station and said that Li Keqiang was a high-ranking Chinese official directly related to Uyghur forced labor, and that he was one of the designers and direct participants of the Uyghur massacre. He said,
Director of the UK Office of the World Uyghur Congress, founder and director of "Movement to Stop the Uyghur Genocide", Ms. Rakhima Mahmoud also posted on Social Platform X, researcher Adrian Zenz's post on this platform, "Labor transfer targets unencamped rural population and cotton picking, ginning and solar energy It is involved in many fields, such as the production of multi-poles for battery panels. In an interview with our radio station, he talked about researcher Adrian Zenz's recently published report on the forced labor of Uyghurs by Li Keqiang.
Indeed, on October 27, Adrian Zenz, Director of China Studies at the US-based Communist Memorial Foundation, posted on Social Platform X that his recent research showed that Li Keqiang's economic policy towards Uighurs is forced labor. Zenz says in X that the "3 million surplus workers" in southern Xinjiang pose a "serious problem" because they are "easily exploited by oppressors." "They must be put to work," he said.
Mr. Ma Ju, a Tongan analyst who closely observes the situation of the Uyghurs, spoke about this during our conversation and said: "Anyway, the Uyghurs suffered a genocide during the reign of Li Keqiang. We are seeing people ignore the countless human tragedies that have occurred in the process. From a legal point of view, from a human rights point of view, and from the point of view of being a true leader of a country, Li Keqiang has a black hand in the Uyghur massacre, combining toxic politics and crime. The fact is that he attended all the meetings in the Uyghur region, gave instructions, and in the highest administrative body in charge of the economy, he allocated a lot of funds to the massacre of Uyghur, to protect the so-called stability, to carry out what Xi Jinping wants. But we must not forget that the important thing is that the Ministry of Finance is under the management of Li Keqiang. He has direct involvement and authority over a number of police-related matters in China. This is an inescapable responsibility. We can say that we now know that the people are in a helpless state, because the people do not have the ability to resist this iron-blooded policy and China. However, it is impossible to convince Li Keqiang of his sin. »
Indeed, experts say that Li Keqiang's death reveals China's current internal situation on the one hand, and on the other hand, the Uyghur forced labor, which is considered part of the genocide by the United States and other countries, shows the international community more clearly.
The Indonesian humanitarian organization forum is trying to get aid into Gaza
We are doing our best to ensure that aid for the people in Gaza can be received and distributed immediately
Jakarta : A number of Indonesian humanitarian organizations that are members of the Indonesian Humanitarian Alliance (IHA) continue to make efforts so that aid can immediately enter Gaza, Palestine.
"We are trying our best so that aid for the people in Gaza can be received and distributed immediately," said IHA Chairman M Ali Yusuf at the Muhammadiyah Building, Jakarta, Thursday.
Ali said that IHA, which oversees 16 Indonesian humanitarian philanthropic organizations, continues to coordinate with world humanitarian organizations in distributing aid, such as the Egyptian Red Crescent and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
He understands that distributing humanitarian aid in increasingly less than ideal Palestinian conditions will create an unusual distribution process. However, he said, through multi-party collaboration, IHA is committed to accountability in its distribution.
At the same time, he said, IHA was also collaborating with the Indonesian government to send humanitarian aid from the Indonesian people to Gaza.
"The IHA member network has provided a list of aid that will be included in the official flight of the Indonesian Government delegation which will depart this week," he said.
IHA in condemning all Israeli violations of International Humanitarian Law. An end to Israel's aggression against Gaza must also be carried out immediately to stop the increasing number of civilian victims, especially women, the elderly and children.
"Limited access to basic needs is an extraordinary violation committed by the Israeli government against residents in Gaza, Palestine. This has violated International Humanitarian Law," he said.
Meanwhile, Chairman of the Zakat Forum (FOZ) Bambang Suherman said there were dynamic mechanisms and strategies for distributing humanitarian aid in war situations.
Even though it is quite heavy, he said, it does not reduce the IHA network's efforts to ensure that aid reaches people in need.
"We are committed that the humanitarian program for Palestine will last for the next 6-12 months considering the situation, needs and recovery phase," he said.
The Indonesian Humanitarian Alliance or IHA is an organization that houses humanitarian institutions in Indonesia to jointly overcome the impact of the global crisis.
The 16 members who are members of IHA include the Zakat Forum, Dompet Dhuafa, Rumah Zakat, NU Peduli, MDMC Muhammadiyah, DT Peduli, Infaq Management Institute.