A/HRC/39/CRP.2 2. Kaman Muslims of Rakhine State 664. Unlike the Rohingya, Kaman Muslims are one of the 135 officially recognized ethnic groups of Myanmar, the only Muslim group to have been granted this status. The Rohingya not having been counted in the 2014 census, most of the 28,700 Muslims recorded in Rakhine State were likely Kaman. Despite being citizens of Myanmar, and not appearing to have problematic relationships with ethnic Rakhine neighbours prior to the 2012 violence, 1427 the Kaman have suffered serious human rights violations. This has significantly worsened since the 2012 violence, possibly attributable both to the prevailing anti-Muslim sentiment and to the frequent absence of distinction between the Kaman and the Rohingya. One Kaman refugee, who previously lived in Kyaukpyu, stated: In Myanmar, it is a crime to be a Muslim. The authorities are saying that the Rohingya are illegal Bengalis. Then what about us? We are nationals of Myanmar. I believe the main issue for the authorities is religion.1428 665. In March 2018, a former Minister and member of Parliament from the Union Solidarity and Development Party opposed a decision by the Government to resettle a small group of Kaman from displacement camps to Yangon. He reportedly said: I think it will be more appropriate if we treat the cancer that is occurring in Rakhine State within Rakhine State itself. Allowing the Kaman families to resettle in Yangon would be like allowing the cancer to spread across the country. 1429 666. The Kaman were directly affected by the 2012 violence, particularly the second wave in October. Kaman were killed and injured, including by security forces. Many were displaced and moved to several displacement camps and sites in Rakhine State. The actual number of Kaman affected is unclear. The report of the Rakhine Inquiry Commission provided no information on Kaman, referring only to “Bengali Muslims” or “Muslims”.1430 667. The Kaman have shared similar experiences to the Rohingya, including being insulted and called “Kalar”.1431 One interviewee stated that at school Kaman students were only referred to as “Kalar” and never by their names, and he was told by a teacher that he was slow in class because he was an “uneducated Kalar”.1432 Like the Rohingya, Kaman had to obtain authorisation to travel between townships (known as a “Form 4”), even though they do not fall into the category of either “foreigners” or “Bengali”. 1433 The process to obtain a travel authorisation is expensive, lengthy and involves considerable bribes. 1434 668. Thousands of Kaman remain in displacement camps and sites in Rakhine State, six years after the 2012 violence. Others have moved to Yangon or abroad. The Myanmar authorities appear to have taken no concrete steps towards facilitating the return of Kaman to their places of origin. Recently it was reported that, although more than 1,000 Kaman continue to live in a displacement camp close to their place of origin in Kyaukpyu, the authorities continue to deny their right to return, citing unspecified security concerns. 1435 3. Torture and ill-treatment at Buthidaung prison In Buthidaung prison, the situation was terrible. They beat everybody with wooden sticks. There were restrictions on everything: going to the toilets, speaking, moving. When we went out of the cell we were beaten, and when we came back we were beaten. 1427 1428 1429 1430 1431 1432 1433 1434 1435 156 V-355. CI-165. V-355. A. South and M. Lall (editors), Citizenship in Myanmar: Ways of being in and from Burma (ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute/Chiang Mai University Press, 2017). CI-052, CI-167. CI-167. See this chapter, section B.2.b: Requirement for a temporary travel permit to travel between townships. CI-052, CI-167, CI-171. V-356.