Statement of Central Executive Committee of Rohingya Youth Association
August 14, 2018

Recognition of 25th August as Rohingya Genocide Remembrance Day

Today we remember and honour all those Rohingya men, women and children who have been killed as a result of the genocidal violence perpetrated and led by the Myanmar Security forces. 

The military operations in Rakhine State that began on 25thAugust 2017 marked the beginning of some of the worst mass atrocities of the 21st Century. It is estimated that since 25thAugust 2017, approximately 24,000 Rohingya have been killed and 18,000 women and girls have been raped by Myanmar state forces. Additionally, an estimated 115,000 Rohingya homes were burned down and 113,000 others vandalized (Ontario International Development Agency.) These crimes by the Myanmar state were carried out with the intent to destroy our Rohingya people as an ethnic group belonging to Rakhine – as such they amount to genocide as defined in international law. Accordingly, the Central Executive Committee (CEC) of Rohingya Youth Association (RYA) has decided to recognize 25thAugust as Rohingya Genocide Remembrance Day.

Through remembering, we make sure that the victims of Myanmar’s genocide will never be forgotten. We may not be able to recover all the bodies of our dead, but we can honour each and every one of the victims. By reflecting on this dark chapter of human history, we ensure that the spirit of group survival lives on in all of us Rohingya in our homeland, in the camps of Bangladesh and globally. Despite all our collective suffering, our global community will never be broken.  

Today, we give thanks to those who have born witness to our suffering and offered solidarity. However, genocide is crime of the state and requires other states internationally to act. We call on the international community to recognise the crimes against us as genocide and ensure Myanmar is made accountable. As such, Rohingya Genocide Remembrance Day is also a call for justice for the Rohingya people as a whole.  

Finally, Rohingya Youth Association urges other Rohingya individuals and organizations based in camps and globally to join together in both our remembrance and in our struggle for justice for the Rohingya as a people, by recognising August 25thas Rohingya Genocide Remembrance Day.

For more information, please contact: Khin Maung +880 1835-277103