The Muslims of Burma in Saudi Arabi

[gawdech@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

               MUSLIM LIBERATION ORGANIZATION OF BURMA
                P.O.Box 96, Chiangmai 50000, Thialand .
      Statement regarding the Muslims of Burma in Saudi Arabia.

We, on behalf of the Muslim Liberation Organization of Burma(MLOB),  would
like to heartily thank the Royal Government of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for
its sympathy in extending the stay-permits of the helpless Muslims of Burma
now residing in the kingdom. These poor Muslims are only some of those who
have fled the brutal persecution and economic problems caused by the
military regime in Burma. There are also about 200,000 Burmese refugees in
the borders of Thailand, Bangladesh and India.

The military regime that seized power in early 1962, has been ruling Burma
under various different names but is at present known as State Peace and
Development Council (SPDC). It took back power in 1988 after massacring
several thousands of innocent civilians, most of them are school children,
in peaceful demonstrations. This angered Burmese peoples as well as the
international community.

The regime, to placate the internal and international communities, held a
general election in 1990, in which the National League for Democracy (NLD)
led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi won a landslide victory. When the
regime refused to transfer power to the winning party, NLD, the Burmese
peoples showed their dissatisfaction with the regime and the international
community condemned it as well. To distract the attention of the peoples,
the regime instigated anti-Muslim uprisings in 1991 that forced about
300,000 (Rohingya) Muslims from Arakan state to flee into Bangladesh.
Similarly, in 1978, about 250,000 Muslims fled into Bangladesh when the
regime instigated anti-Muslim riots in Arakan. In March-April, 1997, the
regime also created anti-muslim uprisings in central Burma including
Rangoon where several mosques, houses and properties belonging to the
Muslims were burnt down and destroyed.

Those Burmese Muslims now residing in Saudi Arabia fled all forms of human
rights atrocities including rape, forced labour, summary executions,
arbitrary property seizures and other repressive measures directed in
particular at the minorities by the regime. For more than 36 years under
the military rule, the economic problems have also had a tremendous impact
on the peoples and the minority Muslims are the worst sufferers as their
free movements are strictly prohibitted.

Once again, we would like to thank the Royal Government of the kingdom of
Saudi Arabia which, in a truly Islamic spirit, is allowing the Burmese
Muslims to continue staying in the kingdom when the Burmese situation under
the military dictatorship is going from bad to worse day by day.

Central Executive Committee,
Muslim Liberation Organization of Burma(MLOB).
June, 07, 1998.