Rohingya Urges EU to Do More to End Violence in Myanmar

Brussels, MINA – The Rohingya community in Europe has sent a letter to EU High Representative Federica Mogherini and to all EU Foreign Ministers calling for further EU action to bring an end to violence in Myanmar.

The letter coincides with the EU Parliament’s debate on Rohingya next week, according to KUNA.

Dr. Ambia Perveen, Vice Chairperson for the European Rohingya Council, said that this letter is being sent at a key moment when the EU’s attention is on Myanmar and the plight of the Rohingya.

She noted the upcoming EU Parliament debate on Rohingya as well as the participation of Mogherini and EU Foreign Ministers in the EU-ASIA (ASEM) ministerial meeting held in Myanmar in November.

During this trip, Mogherini also visited Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, whose number now exceeds 626,000.

“The EU is an influential global player; it has the capacity to change the situation on the ground and bring together other nations to put pressure on the military in Myanmar. The EU can impose further punitive sanctions and asset freezes against individuals in the Myanmar military responsible for human rights violations,” said the letter.

“The EU should work with the wider international community, including the neighbouring countries to Myanmar, to guarantee a UN Fact-Finding Mission is allowed to enter the country. This will allow for any evidence of human rights violations to be collected in a transparent, neutral manner,” it said.

The letter highlights that despite several EU meetings and summits, “the EU is not doing enough and Mogherini should be saying more to condemn the continued violence against the Rohingya.”

According to the UN, the Muslim minority Rohingya in Myanmar are one of the most persecuted communities in the world.

The European Rohingya Council based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, is an umbrella-organisation of civil activists in Europe focused on human rights in Myanmar. (T/RS5/RS1)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)