HUMAN

RIGHTS

FOR

ALL !

To.
His Excellency John F. Kerry
The Secretary of State
United States Of America.
Date :-16th December,2015

Sub :- Special Appeal for your serious attention into the suffering Rohingya issue in
Myanmar .
I am Zaw Min Htut , a Rohingya human rights activist in Japan , the 2011 Human
Rights Defender Award Nominee would like to invite your serious attention into the
suffering of Rohingyas in Myanmar .
The Election on Nov. 8 in Myanmar has been

widely celebrated by international

community including United States Of America as a breakthrough for the nascent

democracy . But it was not only a bittersweet moment but also a historic
disenfranchisement for Rohingya . It is noteworthy to mention that Rohingyas were not
allowed to participate in the Myanmar Election 2015 as a first time in the history of
Myanmar .
Now the Myanmar election is over and NLD won landslide. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
led NLD is now in the process of forming the new democratic government . Rohingya
put their faith in Daw Aung San Suu Kyi led government believing that only she would
give Rohingyas rights back as the former democratically elected government of PM U
Nu in 1950s .
I would like to remind you that more than 1 million Rohingyas are still under siege
without state protection . Some International Human Rights organizations uncovered
what amounts to strong evidence of genocide coordinated by the government against
the Rohingya . The successive military governments made them effectively stateless in
their own country . Making their daily lives miserable by restricting their movement ,
job , education , medication , food , marriage and religion. More than 1,40,000 ,
Rohingyas were put in the concentration camps since 2012 state patronage violence on
Rohingya .

Ironically the government put strict restriction on the access

of

humanitarian .assistance to the people in the

camps and

villages. I wonder how

those Rohingyas are passing their daily lives. Most of the Rohingya are trying to
leave the persecution in Myanmar , particularly those who are in the camps without
food by risky boats to other neighboring countries.
The International Organization for Migration ( IOM ) called on 1st December the
Southest Asian countries to treat migrants landing on their shores humanely and avoid
a repeat of this years disaster in which hundreds of refugees were either lost at sea or
died in jungle camps. The United Nations General Assemblys Human Rights committee
where United States is a core member , on 18th November ,2015 criticized Myanmar for
its treatment of the nations Muslim minority and strongly urged Myanmar to change its
1982 citizenship law to make Rohingya full citizens.
I like to mention one thing here that United States is strongly supporting the
democratization of Myanmar hoping to promote Human Rights for all people including
Rohingya. The US Congress has passed some resolutions urging Myanmar to recognize
Rohingya as the citizens of Myanmar as well as respect their basic Human Rights. But
Myanmar government is still denying Rohingyas` existence in the country and
perpetuating gross Human Rights violation on them. Recently I noticed that the US
Government is trying to lift the sanctions put on Myanmar for Human Rights violation
some years ago. I believe the sanctions should not be lifted yet till the new Myanmar
government recognized Rohingyas as one of the ethnic groups of Myanmar and granted
them as full citizens of the country. We believe the United States has much leverage
and more responsibility as the world only superpower country, on Myanmar to be
peaceful , prosperous and Human Rights respecting democratic society where
Rohingyas can live peacefully enjoying their basic human rights and dignity with the
other people of Myanmar.
Hence, on behalf of all Rohingyas I would like to appeal to your Excellency to take
the leading role in solving Rohingya problem in Myanmar by pressurizing or persuading
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi led new government. All Rohingyas are cautiously looking at
you.

Sincerely ,

Zaw Min Htut