The All-Party Parliamentary Human Rights Group (PHRG) was pleased to attend a discussion on the situation of Myanmar’s minority Rohingya population. The event was organised by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Democracy in Burma and chaired by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead.

The event’s guest speakers:
• Tun Khin, President of the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK. (“TK”)
• Chris Lewa, director of the Arakan Project, (“CL”)

The main points/issues raised during the meeting:

• The urgency of Rohingya issue is increasing, as in the last two months, over 1200 Rohingya have fled the country. (Chair)
• Since the violence of 2012, Rohingya people live in increasing poverty, as a direct result of Government policies. The Rohingya also face many restrictions on their daily life, including in connection with travel, money, and marriage, and other hardships, such as arbitrary taxation, land confiscation, lack of services. (TK)
• The international community tends to praise the Myanmar Government for progress, but fails to recognise its regressive measures. Greater high level pressure is needed to raise the seriousness of these. (TK)
• The Government’s Rakine Action Plan entrenches discriminatory policies against the Rohingya. (CL)
• An amendment to the Political Party Registration Law has been put forward which would effectively prevent Rohingyas forming political parties. A further change has been proposed to strip the vote from those holding temporary ID cards, which would effectively disenfranchise Rohingyas.
• The international community should call for an international investigation into human rights abuses, and for humanitarian access in the worst affected areas. (TK)
• A coalition of Parliamentarians is needed to raise this issue at the EU level for greater leverage. (Chair)

The PHRG will continue to work with the relevant interlocutors to raise concerns about the continuing violation of Rohingya rights.