Statement of Ethnic Nationalities of Burma (Buffalo, New York, U.S.A)

Date: June 16, 2012

         Statement of Ethnic Nationalities of Burma (Buffalo, New York, U.S.A)

1. On June 8, 2012, in a town called Maungdaw located in the western part of Burma, innocent ethnic Rakhine and Burmese people were attacked by a mob of terrorists after their Friday prayer in a mosque.  Maungdaw is a border town that shares the border with Bangladesh and its residents are predominately Muslims who came from Bangladesh.  Dozens of people were killed in that day alone and hundreds of people were injured.  Hundreds of houses were torched and burnt to the ground.
2. Since then, the riot has spilled over to other towns in Rakhine state.  In Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine state, thousands of houses have been burnt down to ashes in the last few days making tens of thousands of people homeless.  Amidst the continuous burnings of houses and the lack of adequate security forces, ethnic Rakhine and Burmese are still living in fear.  In Maungdaw, rumors say the town’s drinking water distribution system was contaminated with poison by Islamic terrorist group called Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO).  In Kyauk Phyu, two Muslim ladies were arrested while they were approaching the pond with poison to contaminate.  People are scared to drink water from city pipes and are now relying on bottled water.  Due to the recent rain, drinking water is not in severe shortage but humanitarian aid such as food and blankets are urgently needed.
3. We, ethnic nationalities of Burma from Buffalo, New York denounce the anarchic and brutal act of killings and burning houses including Buddhist monasteries and Hindu temple by Rohingya extremists.
4. We urge both Muslims and Buddhists to refrain from further violence that can cause nothing but destruction to both sides.
5. We urge the government of Burma to effectively contain the situation and prevent further anarchic acts. We strongly urge the Burmese government to plan and implement for long term security measures for residents of Arakan.
6. We request the international and domestic communities to give hand to tens of thousands of refugees in time of need.
7. Due to the fact that the riot started on Friday which is a prayer day for Muslims and in Maungdaw which is one of a very few predominately Muslim towns out of hundreds of thousands of Burmese towns, we believe that some Islamic extremists are behind the attacks and that they are the premeditated attacks.  Therefore, we strongly urge the government to conduct a thorough investigation on the attacks and bring the culprits to justice.

                                                                                            Ethnic Nationalities of Burma
                                                                                                     Buffalo, New York
                                                                                                             U.S.A
Contacts:
Khaing Ba Khin  (347) 488-1100