_ By Dr Habib Siddiqui

The State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), now ruling Myanmar (Burma), should immediately amend or repeal the 1982 Citizenship Act to remove the burdensome standard of proof for attaining citizenship. The government should grant the Rohingyas and other minority entities full citizenship and accompanying rights. The SPDC should furthermore sign and ratify the 1954 Convention relating to the Status of Stateless Persons and the 1961 Convention on the Reduction of Statelessness and fulfil its international obligation to prevent statelessness of all affected people. The Myanmar authorities should address the other fundamental human rights problems which have caused the Rohingyas and other minority communities to flee to Bangladesh and elsewhere.

The prolonged military rule in Burma has worsened human rights situation in the country, leading to the exodus of hundreds of thousands of minorities, especially the Rohingya Muslims, who have been declared ’stateless’ with the 1982 Citizenship Act. Many of these refugees now live in various parts of the world, including Japan.

The First International Conference on Problems of Democratic Development in Burma and the Rohingya people was held on July 16 and 17, 2007 in Tokyo and Tatebayashi City, Japan, respectively. The conference was hosted jointly by the Arakan-Burma Research Institute (USA), Arakan Rohingya Organisation-Japan (JARO) and National Democratic Party for Human Rights (in-exile) USA (HQ). Sixteen papers were presented by academics, scholars and human rights activists.  The conference was attended by Japanese and Burmese NGOs, Rakhine and Karen members, representatives from Japan’s Ministry of Justice and Foreign Affairs, and Rohingya exiles, including the senior members of BRAJ [Burmese Rohingya Association in Japan].

The conference said: ‘Myanmar being a member of the UN, its government is legally obliged to honour the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and promote human rights and fundamental freedom for all without distinction as to race, sex, language and religion. Instead, through its criminal actions against minorities like the Rohingyas, the Myanmar regime has proven itself to be guilty of crimes against humanity, and as such, deserve serious punitive actions from the UN from annulling its membership in the world body to sanctions that force the regime to change its uncivilised and brutal ways.’

[Dr Habib Siddiqui is the director of the Arakan-Burma Research Institute(USA).]