Webinar Series: Listening to Voices from Myanmar: Session 5: On the Brink: the unending persecution of Rohingya
Since the military attempted a coup in Myanmar on February 1, 2021, the country has been thrown into chaos with over 2 million internally displaced persons as the military’s oppression and escalating conflicts with ethnic revolutionary organizations intensifies. The death toll from the military crackdown has already exceeded 4,000 people. While Japan is the largest aid donor to Myanmar, it has not exerted its influence in the correct manner, while continuing its Official Development Assistance (ODA) after the coup attempt and supplying public funds to businesses related to the military. Moreover, the situation in regions inhabited by ethnic minorities who have long sought autonomy and the voices of people with diverse backgrounds have not been well understood in Japan.
This webinar seminars is co-hosted by the #NoMoreBusinessWithJunta campaign organizers (Mekong Watch, ayus:Network of Buddhists Volunteers on International Cooperation, Friends of the Earth Japan Japan International Volunteer Center (JVC), and Network Against Japan Arms Trade (NAJAT)) with Progressive Voice. The webinar series intends to amplify voices of the people of Myanmar to Japan. We will discuss and hear ground updates, historical background of conflicts, situation in ethnic minority areas, and what the civil society from Myanmar expects from the Japanese government and society, featuring Myanmar activists and NGO staff as guest speakers.
Session 5: On the Brink: the unending persecution of Rohingya
Next month will mark seven years since the Myanmar military conducted a sweeping campaign of massacres, torture, rape and burning of Rohingya villages in Rakhine State in 2017, forcing over 800,000 people to flee to Bangladesh. Today, nearly one million Rohingya are suffering in squalid, overcrowded refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh, with fading hopes of a dignified return to their home in Myanmar with citizenship, with their full rights restored, and with justice served. Actualizing the Rohingya’s sustainable return to Myanmar has been made far more complex by the Myanmar military’s 2021 coup attempt and the resumption of conflict between the military and the Arakan Army, one of the ethnic resistance organizations operating in Rakhine State, the most western state in Myanmar. Amid the ongoing revolution in Myanmar, the estimated 600,000 Rohingya left in Rakhine State face forced conscription by the Myanmar military and a deepening humanitarian crisis, alongside acute levels of insecurity as the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army commit atrocity crimes against Rohingya communities.
In our fifth session of the webinar series “Listening to Voices from Myanmar”, Tun Khin, President of the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK), will share his insights into the current plight of the Rohingya and BROUK’s efforts to hold the Myanmar military accountable for the international crimes they have committed. In a recent report, BROUK emphasized that “Enduring peace and security in Myanmar and justice for the Rohingya are intertwined.” What does justice and accountability look like for the Rohingya and how is it interlinked with the future of Myanmar? How can the people of Japan and the government support the Rohingya in their struggle for justice and human rights and ensure that the international community does not fail them once again? We invite you to join the discussion following Tun Khin’s presentation.
Date and Time
July 25, 2024 (Thursday) 19:00-20:30 JST
Where
Online Event (Zoom Webinar)
Language
English (with simultaneous Japanese interpretation)
Registration Form
Speaker
Tun Khin
Speaker Profiles
Tun Khin is co-founder and current President of Burmese Rohingya Organization UK (BROUK) which has been a leading voice for Rohingya people around the world. Tun Khin is a Rohingya muslim. He was born and brought up in Arakan State, Burma. His grandfather was a Parliamentary Secretary during democratic Period of Burma. His mother’s grandfather was the first Judge in Northern Arakan State, Myanmar in 1950s. Tun Khin has briefed officials on the Genocide committed against Rohingya populations at the British Parliament, Swedish Parliament, Morocco Parliament, Canada Parliament, European Union Parliament, US Senate, US Congress State Department, the UN Indigenous Forum in NY and the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. He is a featured speaker on Rohingya’s rights for many media outlets. BROUK filed Universal Jurisdiction case in Argentina against Myanmar military and civilian government for genocide war crimes, crimes against humanity. He received a leadership award from Refugees International in Washington DC in April 2015 for his relentless effort working on the Rohingya crisis.
Co-organized by
#NoMoreBusinessWithJunta campaign organizers (Mekong Watch, ayus:Network of Buddhists Volunteers on International Cooperation, Friends of the Earth Japan Japan International Volunteer Center (JVC), and Network Against Japan Arms Trade (NAJAT)) with Progressive Voice
Contact
Mekong Watch info@mekongwatch.org
Relevant resources
Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK, “The Intensifying Rohingya Genocide” (June 25, 2024)
https://www.brouk.org.uk/the-intensifying-rohingya-genocide/
