Declaration of the Buddhist Union of Belgium on the situation of the Rohingya in Myanmar

Adopted unanimously by the General Assembly of the Buddhist Union of Belgium on October 1, 2017.

The lack of respect in Myanmar for human rights and the use of deadly violence greatly distresses us. The testimonies that are reported to us report that residents in cities and villages of the Burmese State Rakhine have suffered greatly from murder, repression, famine and diseases that result from this, rape and expulsion, with their homes being burned systematically after they leave.

The Buddhist Union of Belgium, like the European Buddhist Union, emphasizes the fundamental principles of Buddhism, as they were confirmed by the leading teachers of various Buddhist traditions. We refer in particular to their joint statement, which was addressed to Burmese Buddhists in December 2012.

“We wish to reaffirm the most fundamental Buddhist principles of nonviolence, mutual respect and compassion for the world and encourage you to transform this into practice. These basic principles of the Buddha’s teaching are the heart of Buddhist practice:

• The Buddha’s teaching is based on the rules to refrain from killing others or causing damage.
• The Buddha’s teaching is based on compassion and benevolence.
• The Buddha’s teaching attaches the utmost importance to respect for all without distinction of class, caste, origin or conviction. »

As Belgian and European Buddhists, we support these values and reaffirm our solidarity with all victims of violence, injustice and prosecution.

We declare this from our endeavors to restore peace, nonviolence and respect for human rights with living conditions that guarantee a peaceful society and equality for all ethnic groups in Myanmar.