Domestic and International responses to the Rakhine State crisis
12 Sept 2012: Rohingyas born in Myanmar are eligible to apply for citizenship if at least two generations of their families have lived in the country, Immigration Minister Khin Ye told the Radio Free Asia Burmese Service. 23 Sep 2012: Vice President Sai Mauk Kham told a workshop in Naypyitaw on rehabilitation, resettlement, rule of law and sustainable development in Rakhine State to draft a development blueprint for the resource-rich state, underlining its importance to the economically deprived area, which suffers widespread unemployment and poverty. The two-day workshop was jointly organized by the Ministry of Border Affairs, United Nations agencies and the Myanmar Development and Resources Institute. |
25 Sept 2012: An estimated 3,000 people attended a two-day public forum focused on resolving the sectarian tensions between Arakanese Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims in a Buddhist monastery in Rathedaung, 20 miles north of the Arakan State capital Sittwe. 18 Sept 2012: The National League for Democracy (NLD) wants to allow the government to diffuse the explosive situation in Arakan (Rakhine) State to bring about a peaceful settlement, party leader Aung San Suu Kyi said. She added the NLD is not in a position to decide what to do and how to operate because it is not the party in power. |
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Formed: 17 Aug 2012 27 members of the government-sanctioned commission
The Commission made its first tour to the affected regions from September 8-15, 2012 and gave a press conference on September 17, 2012. It announced it would form 8 sub-committees to investigate specific tasks to compile a detailed report for the president. The initial deadline was September 17 but has been postponed several times. It was finally officially released on April 27, 2013. |
2-4 Sept 2012, Mandalay: A reported 5000 Buddhist monks in Mandalay marched in support of President Thein Sein’s suggestion to deport Muslim minority Rohingya.
The Rakhine state crisis has received immense international attention and assistance from various sources. UN humanitarian agencies and foreign aid teams have been monitoring, coordinating international aid and providing assistance for refugees resulting from the communal conflict. Muslim countries and the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) has been especially active in trying to provide assistance to Rohingya victims. The OIC appointed the former Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla as the special envoy to Myanmar to oversee matters involving the sectarian violence. On Sept.11, 2012 a memorandum was signed to open 2 OIC Offices for Humanitarian Affairs – one in Rakhine state and another in Yangon. However it was cancelled after thousands of Buddhist monks and other people protested against the opening of the offices in Mandalay, Yangon, Rakhine state and the US. |
Rakhine Commission Report (Myanmar)
| Country | Descripon | Amount |
| Australia | administered by CARE Australia | US$ 1 Mil |
| EU | aid for both Rakhine and Kachin | € 5.5 Mil |
| India | Rakhine Chief Minister Hla Maung Tin said aid for both Rakhine and Rohingya vis | US$ 200,000 |
| Indonesia | official aid Indonesian Red Cross sent a team of aid workers |
US$ 1 Mil 500 hygiene kits, 3,000 blankets and 10,000 sarongs |
| Iran | members of Majlis (the Iranian Parliament), the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Imam Khomeini’s Relief Committee, and the Iranian Red Crescent Society (Sent one shipment) | food, tents, blankets, and other basic commodies to be distributed to Muslims Total weight: 24 tons |
| Malaysia | Putra 1Malaysia Club, collected and transported relief supplies | aid package Total weight: 500 tons |
| New Zealand | for distribution to conflict areas of Rakhine state | NZ$ 1 Mil |
| Qatar | Qatar Red Crescent undertook relief efforts in Rakh- ine province with assistance provided by the Qatar government | US$ 1.5 Mil |
| Saudi | Saudi King Abdullah donated money to be distributed by the UNHCR for Rohingyas the Khalifa Bin Zayed Humanitarian Foundation, under the directives of President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan |
US$ 50 Mil
3 ambulance vehicles and 1,300 tons of basic relief items |
| South Korea | for Rohingya refugees to be distributed by the UNHCR, oered more donations if needed | 700 tents estimated value: US$ 200,000 |
| Turkey | the prime minister’s Disaster and Emergency Management Directorate, the Turkish Religious Affairs Foundation and the Kimse Yok Mu Association, a charitable foundation donated to Rohingya Muslims, Turkish Foreign Minister distributed humanitarian aid administered by the Red Crescent which consists of kitchen sets and food during a visit in August, 2012, sent relief assistance in October, 2012 | 60 million Turkish lira (US$ 33 million) Sent 30 tons of humanitarian aid, included 2,280 boxes of candy, 960 packages of instant raon, 11,000 bags of biscuits, 500 boxes of slippers, 1,000 bales of clothes, 1,000 items of staon- ary and 500 boxes of toys |
| USA | U.N. agencies in Rakhine State WFP and Save the Children |
US$ 2.73 Mil US$ 4.2 Mil |