OIC urges Myanmar to take Rohingyas back

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has urged the government of Myanmar to take urgent steps for the sustainable return of Rohingya refugees and internally and externally displaced Rohingya Muslims to their homeland, in safety, security, dignity and with ensured livelihood.

The heads of state and government of the member states of the OIC recently held a meeting to discuss the current developments of the situation of the Muslim Rohingya community in Myanmar.

The meeting was held on the sidelines of the 1st OIC Summit of Science and Technology in Astana, Republic of Kazakhstan, at the initiative of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of the Republic of Turkey, the current chair of the OIC Summit, said the Foreign Ministry here on Wednesday.

The meeting expressed grave concern over the recent systematic brutal acts perpetrated by security forces against the Rohingya Muslim community in Myanmar, which constitute a serious and blatant violation of international law, and which have affected over 4000,000 Muslims who have been forcibly displaced to Bangladesh, in addition to the burning of their houses and places of worship.

The meeting called upon the government of Myanmar to accept the UN Human Rights Council's factfinding mission to conduct a thorough and independent investigation into all the alleged violations of international human rights law and bring the perpetrators to justice, said the Foreign Ministry here on Wednesday.

They urged the government of Myanmar to honour its obligations under international law and human rights covenants, and to take all measures to immediately halt acts of dispersion and discriminatory practices against Rohingya Muslims, as well as the continuous attempts to

obliterate their Islamic culture and identity, including delisting them from household lists and demolition of places of worship, institutions and houses of Muslim minorities.

The meeting urged the government of Myanmar to eliminate the root causes, including the denial of citizenship based on the 1982 Citizenship Act which has led to statelessness and deprival of the rights of the Rohingya Muslim Minority, and to continued dispossession and discrimination against them, and urged it to work towards a just and sustainable solution to this issue.

They reiterated its call to the government of Myanmar to revive the agreement to open an OIC Office for humanitarian affairs in Yangon after signing a Memorandum of Cooperation with the OIC to that effect.

The purpose of the OIC office was to provide pure humanitarian assistance without distinction between the victims of violence.

They called upon Myanmar to take all necessary measures to restore peace and inter-communal harmony through dialogue and a comprehensive reconciliation process concerning all segments of the Myanmar society community.

This includes tackling the rise of hate speech and the spread of propaganda by right wing extremists against the Rohingya population.

The meeting urged Myanmar to take concrete steps to prevent the further deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Rakhine and ensure the right of each individual to live and move without fear and persecution based on their religion or ethnicity.

They welcomed the recommendations of the Rakhine Advisory Commission headed by Kofi Annan, and urged the Government of Myanmar to take concrete steps towards their earliest implementation.

The meeting called on Member States to provide support for the

implementation of these recommendations with a view to finding a comprehensive and inclusive solution to the challenges in Rakhine State.

The meeting invited OIC member states to join the efforts of the international community towards lifting all the restrictions on freedom of movement in Rakhine and ensuring an inclusive and transparent citizenship verification process that leaves no individual unregistered nor hinders their access to essential social services, including education and health care.

The meeting expressed concerns over the huge Rohingya influx towards Bangladesh and its humanitarian and security consequences for the government of Bangladesh.

The meeting expressed appreciation to the member states that have taken immediate action and deliver humanitarian aid to the camps in Bangladesh.

They further urged all member states to extend the necessary support to Bangladesh to enable it to face the flow of refugees into its territories.

The meeting acknowledged the efforts by the member states which had provided humanitarian and development assistance for the Rohingya people and encouraged all states to formulate development projects that will provide education, health services and vocational training that will benefit all persons in Rakhine, regardless of ethnicity or religion.

The meeting called upon OIC member states and the international community to continue their efforts in conjunction with those of the United Nations to ensure the return of all Myanmar refugees displaced from their homes in Rakhine (Arakan).

States should intensify their efforts in international fora with a view to realising restoration of the nationality and citizenship rights of Rohingya of Myanmar, said the meeting.