By: Katherine Hewitt
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar – With more than 740,000 Rohingya Muslims having fled from Myanmar to Bangladesh since October 2016, Bangladesh has been overwhelmed with refugees. An initial agreement between the two countries was signed in November of 2017, though an official implementation timeline was only recently established.

The agreement lays out that Myanmar will take 1500 Rohingya refugees back each week, with 300 per day and with all returning within two years. This begins on 23 January 2018.  However at this rate it will take closer to 10 years to repatriate all 740,000 refugees.   Bangladesh sees the goal of 300 persons each day as a starting point and hopes that the numbers will increase as time goes on. Bangladesh strives to send families back together as well as orphans and “children born out of unwarranted incidence.” This deal is only applicable to those who fled between the October 2016 violence and the latest round in 2017.

In preparation Myanmar plans to build two transport camps. One can accommodate up to 30,000 people.   Bangladesh will build 5.

As a result of the violence, 350 Rohingya villages burned down.   While Myanmar rebuilds, little attention is given to the Rakhine state. Myanmar’s foreign secretary U Myint Thu stated that there are plans to build new villages for the Rohingya. The plan is that “the returnees will build their homes by themselves.” It is a cash-for-work program in which the Myanmar government “will give them both money and jobs.”

The repatriation act is not without its critics. Little has been done to rectify the repression of Rohingya in Myanmar, and human rights activists are concerned that there can be no safe returns if grievances aren’t addressed. For a community leader in a Rohingya Refugee camp, the “first priority is, they have to grant us citizenship as Rohingya. Secondly, they have to give back our lands. Thirdly, our security must be ensured internationally. Otherwise, this is not good for us.” Restrictions on Rohingya movement have not been waived either.

The UN High Commission for Refugees encourages refugees to only return if they feel safe. The statement from the U.S. reads that the timeline was of less importance compared to the safety of the people. While the reparation is voluntary, most refugees say they will only return if their safety is assured, their homes rebuilt, and their land returned to them.

For more information, please see:

The BBC – Rohingya crisis: Bangladesh and Myanmar agree repatriation timeframe – 16 January 2018

Reuters – Bangladesh agrees with Myanmar to complete Rohingya return in two years – 16 January 2018

The Washington Post – Bangladesh, Myanmar aim to finish Rohingya return in 2 years – 16 January 2018

By: Katherine Hewitt
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

KATHMANDU, Nepal – On January 8, 2018, Ms. Gauri Bayak, age 21 of Nepal, was found dead inside a smoke-filled hut by her sister-in-law. She lived in a village in Achham, a western district of Nepal. She had been banished to sleep in a shed as a result of menstruation.

It is custom in Nepal to force women who are menstruating to sleep outside the house. The community sees menstruating women as impure, contaminating the home, and angering the gods. They are barred from touching food, men, cattle, and religious icons. Thus, they are excluded from the house and forced to sleep outdoors in small sheds or huts. This practice is known as chhaupadi. It is believed that not following this practice will lead to bad fortune such as death or sickness of family members or livestock.

These huts are often poorly insulated and unheated. During the winter temperatures can drop below freezing in Nepal, thus the necessity to build the fire that ultimately lead to Bayak’s death. Additionally, there have been reports of wild animal attacks on the women sleeping in these menstruation huts. Married women typically spend only a few days from home while unmarried women will remain away from home for a week.

The practice was officially banned in Nepal in 2005, but many remote villages still practice this ritual. In 2017, the Nepali government passed a second legislation that criminalized chhaupadi. As a result anyone caught to have forced a women to go through with chhaupadi will face three months in jail and a 3,000 rupee fine.

Traditions have been slow to change as chhaupadi is a deeply rooted religious and culture practice in Nepal. Aid workers have found success with reducing the number of days menstruating women spend secluded outside as well as with promoting the use of secluded rooms inside the home.

The district’s Women’s Rights official said that women’s families should ‘take responsibility and stop this practice’ to protect women’s rights.

 For more information, please see:

The Strait Times- Nepali woman sent to ‘menstruation hut’ dies of suspected smoke inhalation – 10 January 2018

The Guardian – Woman in Nepal dies after being exiled to outdoor hut during her period – 12 January 2018

Times of India – Nepali woman suffocates in ‘menstruation hut’ – 10 January 2018

By: Katherine Hewitt
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – “The protection of religious freedom is vital to peace, stability, and prosperity. These designations are aimed at improving the respect for religious freedom in these countries,” said a U.S. State Department official in response to releasing a “Special Watch List” for religious freedom violations. Pakistan was one of 10 nations placed on the list.

This designation comes after a 2017 report from the US Commission on International Religious Freedom. The report found issues with the blasphemy law under which at least 40 people are serving death or life sentences. The Pakistani government reportedly failed to protect terrorist and societal violence against Ahmadis and Shia Muslims, Hindus, and Christians. There are concerns over forced religious conversions for women.

However, the report did mention that the Pakistani government was taking some “encouraging gestures toward religious minorities.” The full report can be read here.  The U.S. government also found issue with Pakistan providing safe havens for terrorists.

Pakistan’s officials reject the placement of their country on this list. They believe that the placement is based on objective criteria as they have spent $120 billion over 15 years fighting terrorism. They will proceed forward by requesting a clarification on the rationale and implications.  Pakistan’s ambassador to the U.S. hopes that the two countries can continue constructively talking through this confusion to prevent instability in the region.

In the meantime, the U.S. will decrease the amount of aid and suspend security assistance in the amount of $255 million to Pakistan

Tensions have been increasing between the two countries of late. Some analysts suggest that this timing is ‘very ominous.’ Bharath Gopalaswamy of Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center says, “…this is a reflection of the overall frustration of the United States with Pakistan.”

For more information, please see:

Voice of America – US Places Pakistan on ‘Special Watch List’ for Severe Violations of Religious Freedoms – 5 January 2018

Reuters – U.S. places Pakistan o watch list for religious freedom violations – 4 January 2018

Al Jazeera – US places Pakistan on religious-freedom watch list – 5 January 2018

U.S Department of State – Designations Under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 – 4 January 2018

U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom – Pakistan – 2017 

By: Katherine Hewitt
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

YANGON, Myanmar – On 12 December 2017 two journalist from Reuters were arrested by the Myanmar government.  The two journalists are Wa Lone, 31, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 27. Alongside of the them, two police officers were arrested as well. The two reporters have been formally charged with obtaining state secrets, after investigating the existence of a mass grave in the Rakhine state.

The situation is considered to be related to the wider Rohingya crisis in Myanmar. Lone and Oo have been working on stories related to the Rohingya. On 12 December, the two planned to meet two police officers over dinner. The officers had returned from a supervising job in the state of Rakhine.

Two days after the arrest, the Myanmar Ministry of Information released a statement, on their Facebook, in conjunction with the arrests. The post mentioned that two journalists and two police officers arrested were charged under Section 3.1 of the 1923 Official Secrets Act for “illegally acquired information with the intention to share it with foreign media.” Officials say the two journalists forced the police officers to disclose the information. It has been revealed that the officers have not been charged. However, the two journalist could face up to 14 years in prison, if found guilty.

The international community has been supportive in calling for the release of the journalists. The British remarked, “We will make it clear in the strongest possible terms that we feel that they need to be released at the earliest possible opportunity.”

Many believe that these arrests represent a crackdown on freedom of speech and press freedom. The Swedish Foreign Minister said the arrests threatened “democratic and peaceful development of Myanmar and that region.”

While the United States called the arrests “highly irregular,” this is not the first case of journalists being arrested.   Eight journalist and affiliated staff have been arrested this year in Myanmar for just doing their job—reporting.

 For more information, please see:

 Fortify Rights – Myanmar: Release Wrongfully Arrested Journalists, Protect Press Freedoms – 14 December 2017

Reuters – Myanmar faces mounting calls for release of Reuters journalists – 15 December 2017

The New York Times – Reuters Reporters Are Charged In Myanmar With Obtaining State Secrets – 10 January, 2018 

The New York Times – Arrests of Reuters Reporters in Myanmar Add to Fears About Press Freedom – 13 December 2017

By: Katherine Hewitt
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

 BANGKOK, Thailand – For the past 13 years, armed conflict has been waging in Southern Thailand. The clashes are between Muslim-Malay insurgents and Thai troops and police.   Most of the victims of the shootings and bombs are civilians. These attacks happen nearly daily.   The Muslim-Malay fighters hope to gain more autonomy in this conflict.

Since the junta seized power in 2014 and started peace talks, incidents decreased. “This year’s [2017] death toll is the lowest ever if no significant incidents happen in the coming days” reports a Deep South Watch representative. As of a November 2017 report, the latest monthly report available on Deep South Watch’s webpage, there have been 37 incidents. This resulted in 18 death and 18 injured. Most of the victims have been male and between the ages of 18 and 59.

Adding to this list are 6 Thai rangers and a woman who were injured in a separate shooting and bombing on December 26, 2017.

The December 26th incident was a shooting. Four rangers drove through Jalan Kampung Daging-Kampung Bilok in Narathiwat, when “unknown individuals fires multiple shots at the vehicle.” All four received gunshot injurious. A stray bullet injured a civilian woman.

About half an hour later, a bomb exploded close to the scene of the shooting. Two rangers, helping the shooting victims, were injured. 

For more information, please see:

 The Malaysian Insight – 6 rangers, woman hurt in southern Thailand shooting and bombing – 26 December 2017

The Straits Times – Death toll in Thailand’s southern conflict hits record low – 27 December 2017

 Deep South Watch – Summary of Incidents in Southern Thailand, November 2017 – 7 December 2017