Jorrqr Lerren"To End Rohingya Ethnic Cleansinq & Islamophobia in Burma"

Amsterdam, 6'h May 2013

H.E. Jos6 Manuel BarrosoPresident of the European CommissionRue de la loi/Wetstraat 200B 1049 Brussels, Belgium

Dear President,

We the undersigned Organizations in Europe take this opportunity to submit a joint letter toyou on the appalling situation of the Rohingyas and other Muslims in Burma. We hope it willreceive your prompt and adequate attention.

After the June-October 2012 deadly violence against the Rohingya and Kaman Muslims inRakhine (Arakan) State the situation has not come normal yet. A so-called Buddhistmovement called '969' led by a 45 year-old firebrand Buddhist monk U Wirathu is stillopenly fuelling anti-Muslim sentiment thorough out Burma.

In Arakan, while living in segregation in squalid displacement camps and villages, theRohingyas are facing dire humanitarian disaster without adequate food and essentials,

medical care, education and freedom of movement and religion. Arrest, torture and

intimidations under false charges, sporadic killings and scattered destruction and looting ofRohingya's houses and shops and daily extortion by police and NaSaKa border securityforces and Rakhine extremists are continuing unabated. The authorities and security forces

seldom said they would be unable to protect the Muslims.

Round the clock senses of insecurity and abject helplessness are prevalent on the part oftheMuslims in Arakan and also in other parts of Burma. Deadly religious violence hit Central

Burma from 20 March,2013 with anti-Muslim attacks reported in several townships inMandalay, Pegu and Yangon Divisions. Many Muslims were killed, thousands displaced,hundreds of their homes and shops burned down and many mosques before the very eyes ofthe police and security forces.

The Muslim IDPs in Arakan are disallowed to return and rebuild their houses in their originalproperties and places. Despite promises made by President Thein Sein to bring about peace

and reconciliation, still good sense does not prevail in his mind and his government is

ruthlessly preparing all grounds to implement its official 'ethnic cleansing policy' to 'deportall Rohingyas to a third country'. Over and above, the govemment has no intention to scrap

or amend the oppressive Burma Citizenship Law of 1982 to conform to international human

rights standards; and it has no plan to uphold 'peaceful-coexistence' in Arakan.

The recent report dated22 April 2013 of the Rakhine Investigation Commission was a biased

and discriminatory piece reflecting and promoting the views of the Rakhine extremists and

government's policy of 'Rohingya ethnocide'. The report does not correspond, even

distantly, with the recent report of the Human Rights Watch, a reputed and credible human

rights group, which stated that it had uncovered 4 mass graves of Rohingya dead bodies inNorth Arakan. We enclose herewith a joint statement dated 03/05/2013 of the Rohingya

organisations worldwide for your kind perusal and action.

Although the European Union lifted sanctions on Burma, amidst growing grave human rightsviolations and ethnic cleansing against Rohingya and other Muslims, we still expect that itwould continue exercising its good offices and put pressure on the ruling Burmese/Myanmar

government for the followings:

To end forthwith all killings, violence and all forms of persecution, intimidation,arbitrary arrest, Islamophobia and terrorism against Rohingyas and other Muslims inBurma;

To stop the policies of 'Rohingya ethnocide and ethnic cleansing', segregation and

exclusion;

To allow unhindered international and domestic humanitarian aids and aids workersto reach the Muslim displacement camps, villages and quarters;

To guarantee all human rights and freedom to Rohingyas and all Muslims, includingfreedom of movement, freedom of religion, education, marriage, and right to work,right to cary on trade and business.

To ensue 'right of return'to all Rohingyas or Muslims to their original properties and

places and allow to rebuild their houses without restriction; also to eject Rakhinevigilantes who intruded on the Muslim's land;

To scrap or amend the most controversial and oppressive Burma Citizenship Law of1982 to conform to intemational human rights standards; to end segregation of the

Rohingyas and Muslims, and uphold 'peaceful-coexistence' in Arakan.

Meanwhile, we request the European Union to support sending a UN Commission ofInquiry to investigate all allegations and bring the perpetrators to justice.

Lives are being lost every hour while the European Union and rest of the internationalcommunity wait to take sufficient action. The undersigned organizations urge therefore theEuropean Commission to act immediately and look forward to your response as soon aspossible.

l.

2.

J.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Sincerely,

l. Burmese Rohingya Community Netherlands

2. Burmese Rohingya Organization UK3. Burmese Rohingya Community Denmark

4. Arkan Rohingya National Organization

IBRCNLIIBROUK]IBRCD]lARNol

5. Myanmar Muslim Association Germany6. Rohingya Community in Norway7. National Democratic Party for Human Rights in8. Rohingya Community Ireland

9. Burmese Rohingya Association Deutschland

I 0. Rohingya Organization in Sweden

I l. Burmese Rohingya Association in Finland

On behalf,

e-mai I : br.gn I i?:yalIro. co.mphone: +31 (06) 1503 3663

CC to;

Enclosure:

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IMMAGI[BCN]INDPHR in Exilel

lBRCrlIBRADIlRoslIBRAFI

l. H.E. Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament2. H.E. Herman van Rompuy, President of the European Council3. H.E. Catherine Ashton, Vice-President of the EC/HR of the Union for Foreign

Affairs & Security Policy

o Joint Statement on the official report of Rakhine InvestigationCommission

Sazaat AhammedChairman of BRCNL)