MERHROM urgent appeal to the Malaysian government to halt the deportation of 5000 stateless rohingya to Myanmar

MERHROM appeals to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to stop the deportation of 5000 stateless Rohingya to Myanmar, citing genocide risk.

MYANMAR Ethnic Rohingya Human Rights Organisation in Malaysia (MERHROM) urgently appeals to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution to halt the deportation of 5000 Rohingya to Myanmar as their lives will be at risk.

The Rohingya are stateless, how Asean and the international community will guarantee our safety in Myanmar. This obviously violates the core international law principle of non-refoulement, which bans returning people to a place where their lives are threatened. Both the victims and their family will be severely traumatising with this decision.

The ongoing Rohingya Genocide and atrocities in Myanmar has driven Myanmar people from all ethnics to flee the country on daily basis to seek refuge. We cannot trust the Myanmar Sham government to protect our safety when the killing is ongoing. The Rohingya will be forced to join the Myanmar military without any training and become the human shields by the Myanmar military in their war with different ethnic groups. That is the only reason why the Myanmar military agreed to accept the Rohingya. The Asean governments, the United Nations, OIC and the international community cannot allow this to happen.

We hope the government will consult the UNHCR and the Rohingya representatives before making such decision as we are putting the lives of 5000 Rohingya at stake. There is no way we can return home safely when we face ongoing Genocide back home. The Rohingya Genocide case is still ongoing at the ICJ and the ICC. Hundreds of thousands of Myanmar people from various ethnic groups who are citizen of Myanmar had fled to Malaysia to save their lives from ongoing persecutions from the Myanmar military. How can Stateless Rohingya will be safe in Myanmar?

We would like to remind everyone, the lack of political will to save the Rohingya lives only allow Rohingya Genocide to continue subsequently eliminates Rohingya from the earth. Please stop this without delay. We need international support to recover, heal and rebuild our lives. Prove us that humanity still exists.

In 1942, 1978, 1990s, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2024, Rohingya faced massacre, slow burning Genocide subsequently opened Rohingya Genocide Rohingya but still no solution to our plights.

Since May 2024, the genocidal attack against the Rohingya was launched by the Burmese military and the Arakan Army (AA), resulting in the mass killing of Rohingya, especially in Buthidaung, Maungdaw Township. This time, no Rohingya could escape the Rakhine State as they were under the control of the Arakan Army (AA). The wounded Rohingya were left to die without treatment as no medical assistance was provided. Until now, none of the humanitarian agencies could enter Rakhine State to provide humanitarian aid. As a consequence, more Rohingya died due to no food, water, treatment, and shelter. Rohingya were targeted by the Arakan Army (AA) by drone bombs and fired artillery. Thousands of Rohingya civilians, including children, women, and the elderly were brutally killed while many others were injured during and after the genocidal attacks.

We have enough evidence that both the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army (AA) committed genocidal attacks against the Rohingya for many years. Both must be held accountable for committing genocide against the Rohingya. Both also did not accept the Rohingya as one of the ethnic in Myanmar. This puts Rohingya lives at constant risk and danger.

MERHROM appeal the government to take necessary steps to combat hate campaign against the Rohingya refugees. The impact of anti-Rohingya campaign is very dangerous on the affected community. The spread of massive hatred against the Rohingya are beyond control.

MERHROM calls upon the Malaysian governments, Asean, United Nations, European Union, OIC, world leaders, civil society organisations, faith-based organisations, community-based organisations, and the international community to increase efforts to end conflict, war, and genocide and continue their support to all refugees around the world while waiting for a durable solution to come.

We would to reiterate the urgent need for extraordinary interventions from Malaysian government, European Union (EU), the United Nations, world leaders, US, UK, Canada, Asean, OIC, Civil Society Organizations and the international community to end the Rohingya Genocide and atrocities in Myanmar and restore democracy in Myanmar.

We humbly request to Prime Minister of Malaysia for the following interventions:

1. Prosecute President Min Aung Hlaing, Arakan Army (AA) Commander-in-Chief Twan Mrat Naing, as well as previous generals for genocide and crimes against humanity. They must be brought to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for killing, raping, torturing, detaining and abusing minority Muslims and other ethnic groups.
2. Urge the Myanmar government to amend the 1982 Citizenship Law to recognise Rohingya as a citizen and one of Indigenous ethnic of Myanmar.
3. Take extraordinary measures to end the Rohingya Genocide and atrocities in Myanmar without further delay particularly stop the selling of the weapons to the genociders
4. Engage effectively with Malaysian governments, United Nations and Asean to end the Rohingya Genocide and atrocities
5. Urge Malaysian governments, United Nations to deploy UN Peacekeeping Troops to Myanmar to protect civilian, prevent genocide and atrocities, monitor human rights violations and restore peace and security
6. Effectively use the 1948 UN Genocide Convention to end the Rohingya Genocide and crime against humanity in Myanmar
7. Fully support to Gambia for the International Court of Justice (ICJ) process
8. Initiate legal actions against the Myanmar military personnels at the ICC
9. Immediately stop the Myanmar-Bangladesh Rohingya repatriation plan from Cox’s bazar refugee camps as the genocide is ongoing
10. Improve the conditions and facilities in Cox’s Bazar refugee camps including their security while waiting for a durable solution
11. Collaborate with the Malaysian government, UNHCR and the resettlement countries to increase quota for resettlement for Rohingya Genocide Survivors including in detention camps in various countries and human rights defenders at risk
12. Advocates to all stakeholders to officially recognize and declare the Rohingya Genocide and collaborate effectively to end the Rohingya Genocide.
13. Intensifying diplomatic efforts to secure an immediate end to all attacks, particularly airstrikes, the immediate release of all political prisoners, and a total countrywide ceasefire supported and enforced by Asean and the UN Security Council and monitored by international observers.
14. Delegitimise the junta and confirm a series of graduating punitive steps that Asean will take if the junta refuses to abide by Asean decisions, fails to end its attacks on civilians and to release political prisoners, or continues to withhold and manipulate access to humanitarian assistance
15. Appealing to the Governments of Malaysia, Thailand and India to release all Rohingya refugees and asylum seekers from detention camps and prisons, in addition to allowing them to live and work to meet their daily needs until the genocide in Myanmar ends.
16. We call upon the Malaysia government and the UNHCR to find durable solution for the Rohingya until the United Nations and the international community stop the Rohingya Genocide

MERHROM also calls on Malaysian Government to release Refugees and Asylum Seekers from detention as “the indefinite detention will definitely affect their mental health as victims of genocide. Being the genocide survivors, the Rohingya suffered from trauma and other psychological problem and most of the time untreated.

We thank you very much for your ongoing support, commitment and intervention to stop the Rohingya Genocide and atrocities in Myanmar as well as restoring our rights as citizen of Myanmar. We look forward to your active intervention to uphold human rights globally, ensure justice and to create a peaceful world.

I wish you all the best in leading Malaysia to be a prosperous country. I look forward to hearing a positive response from you at your.

We thank everyone who becomes part of our journey in our search for safety and protection. We hope one day we become just like you – a free person with rights and dignity.

Your interventions are very crucial for the struggle of the Myanmar people for Justice, Peace and Freedom.

Thank you.

“JUSTICE DELAYED IS JUSTICE DENIED”.

Yours sincerely,

Zafar Ahmad Abdul Ghani
President
Myanmar Ethnic Rohingya Human Rights Organisation in Malaysia (MERHROM)