SAVE RAKHINE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES

On behalf of the Rakhine Indigenous peoples worldwide, we write to express our strong concern and condemnation of the recent terrorist attacks of August 2017 in Rakhine State, in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. It is particularly troubling for the Indigenous/ ethnic Rakhine as well as other ethnic minorities who are victims of the terrorist attacks and are constantly living in fear and unsafe conditions without protection in our ancestral homeland. As a result of these heinous acts, many of the Indigenous Rakhine peoples, women and children have been displaced and are in urgent need of emergency shelter, food and protection.

Therefore we call on the International Community to also acknowledge the plight of our people and to provide the necessary humanitarian assistance to alleviate their suffering.

We would like to highlight the commitment that was made by Member States during adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

Article 5
Indigenous peoples have the right to maintain and strengthen their distinct political, legal, economic, social and cultural institutions, while retaining their right to participate fully, if they so choose, in the political, economic, social and cultural life of the State.

Article 7
2. Indigenous peoples have the collective right to live in freedom, peace and security as distinct peoples and shall not be subjected to any act of genocide or any other act of violence, including forcibly removing children of the group to another group.

Also, Free, Prior and Informed consent (FPIC) is protected under the International Labour Organization Convention (ILO) 169 and the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, where it is specifically mentioned (Articles 10,19,22.2).

Today, Rakhine Indigenous peoples face systematic discrimination; our concerns are currently misinformed and unaddressed within the UN system.

Any attempt to force population transfer, assimilation or integration in Rakhine State will violate and undermine our rights to live in dignity. Moreover terrorism and various forms of propaganda designed to promote or incite violence against our people is a direct violation of our rights to live in peace, protect our identity, and our security. The historical contemporary examples of racialize violence-especially rape and various form of sexual assault against Rakhine Indigenous women, girls, and murder resulting in mass displacements of our people-remain under and –unreported.

While the current situation in Rakhine State has begun to attract global attention, the international community has not acknowledge the Rakhine Indigenous peoples existence. The current media narrative is misrepresented and misinterpreted. This is impacting the history of our people and the culture, which will be detrimental to the existence of the future generations. The Incontrovertible fact is that the Rakhine indigenous peoples have lived in our ancestral homeland for over 3,000 years before the arrival of immigrants. We have the right to seek our interest and decide our own priorities for economic, social, political and cultural development.

We are calling upon the international community to fully recognize and respect our rights to live in peace and harmony without the infringement of external power and influence. We want to assure that our traditional identity as Indigenous peoples in Rakhine State will not be exterminated.

We urged strengthened cooperation with Rakhine indigenous peoples, so that their priorities will reflect in global, regional, and national programs. Rakhine Indigenous women’s problems were multidimensional and must be tackled systematically.

As one of the UN goals stated in the 2030 agenda “No One Left Behind.” Therefore, the Rakhine indigenous Peoples must not be left behind.

The international community has the moral obligation to ensure the survival of the Rakhine Indigenous peoples to live in peace and safety.