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Rohingya refugees demand justice on Myanmar crackdown anniversary (Lead)
Dhaka, Aug 25 (IANS) Tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees held protests here on Saturday, demanding justice on the first anniversary of Myanmar’s crackdown that forced them to flee to camps in neighbouring Bangladesh.
Protesters in the world’s largest Kutupalong refugee camp in Bangladesh rallied for justice and brandished a banner proclaiming: “Never Again”.
More than 700,000 of the minority community fled to Bangladesh after a crackdown by the Myanmar military in August 2017 that the UN has likened to “ethnic cleansing with signs of genocide through killings, rapes and the razing of houses that year”.
But the Myanmar government said it was fighting militants from the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and was not targeting civilians.
“The Myanmar military raped and killed our women, destroyed our properties,” Rakib Hossain told BBC Bengali. “They have to be punished. We want justice.”
Ashiya Begum, whose husband was killed during the violence in Rakhine, called camp life “miserable”. “We can’t continue like this. Let us go home,” she said.
There were also religious services, with an imam reportedly asking God in his sermon to return Rohingyas to their homeland “to see our parents’ graves”.
Meanwhile, the UN renewed its appeal for aid for Rohingyas and called for support for the stateless refugees.
“Kutupalong settlement in Cox’s Bazar today shelters more than 600,000 refugees, making it the largest and most densely populated refugee settlement in the world,” said the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR.
“Over the past year, UNHCR teams have been working to support Bangladeshi authorities in areas including psycho-social counselling, prevention of sexual and gender-based violence, identification of and assistance to separated and unaccompanied children and other vulnerable refugees,” the agency said.
It also said the joint response plan launched in March 2018, appealing for $951 million for the period from March to December 2018, was only one-third funded.
The World Health Organization said that the biggest challenge was “the need to further scale up services to meet the health needs of this highly vulnerable population”.
In a statement on the anniversary, ARSA affirmed its intention to continue with the fight to allow the Rohingyas to return to Rakhine, and accused the Myanmar authorities of looking to destroy their people.
In a Rakhine village, the situation was calm on Saturday but there was a strong presence of border police and soldiers, a Muslim Rohingya man told Efe news.
The man said he has no freedom of movement and was closely monitored along with the rest of the community.
The Myanmar government has agreed a deal with Bangladesh to repatriate refugees but few have returned, with Rohingya leaders saying they would not go back unless they could guarantee their safety.
Myanmar’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi has faced international outrage for not condemning the Army’s actions in Rakhine state.
A predominantly Buddhist country, Myanmar denies Rohingyas citizenship. The government even excluded them from the 2014 census and refused to recognize them as a people.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.
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