TCN News
South-Asian community members from Metropolitan Washington area staged a peaceful demonstration against the ongoing genocide of Rohingyas in front of the White House on October 29, 2017.
More than 500,000 Rohingyas fleeing a military crackdown in Burma have been forced to Bangladesh and in jungles in Myanmar’s Rakhine state.
The demonstration was organized by the All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS) in collaboration with several Metro Washington area Muslim, Christian, and Jewish associations.
Speakers informed the public about the conditions in the Myanmar, and the situation which led to such a mass exodus of Rohingyas Muslims to the neighbouring south asian countries.
Rohingyas, a Muslim ethnic group who have lived in Myanmar, or Burma, for generations, were never accepted by the majority Buddhist country. Burma refused to allow Rohingyas to become citizens and have denied them equal access to health care, education and employment because of their religion, branding them “illegal aliens” from Bangladesh.
Speakers informed that Burmese soldiers have destroyed hundreds of Rohingya villages, slaughtered husbands in front of their wives, cut women’s throats with knives and smashed the heads of babies in front of their mothers.
Several speakers at the rally also mentioned that Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh have reported cases not only of rape and sexual assault but the mutilation of women’s genitals by Burmese security forces. The Burmese military is carrying out psychological and physical torture without fear of consequences, speakers claimed.
Speakers appealed to everyone to exercise their duty and let elected leaders at all levels know the concerns about this unfortunate situation in Myanmar and request them to use their power to stop the genocide of the century.