************************************************************* NCGUB: News on Migrants & Refugees- 26 January, 2010 (English & Burmese) ************************************************************* HEADLINES ************************************************************* NEWS ON MIGRANTS Labor Pains Burmese people continue to leave country despite looming elections Thousands of Thai-Mon people joined in the 63rd Mon National Day ceremony in Uthai Thani NEWS ON REFUGEES Refugees Under Pressure to Return to Burma Over 60 tents of refugees destroyed by locals and police in TeknafSingers Honored for Humanitarian Contributions Update: TBBC & UNHCR Border Map & Populations (December 2009) ************************************************************* vpmwk d ;jr‡ if &ef twG uf zdeyf csKyf puf ±k tvk y orm;rsm; qEN jy vpmwk d ;jr‡ i &ef tw uf zdeyf csKyf puf ± tv y orm;rsm; qEN jy vpmwk ;jr‡ if &e twG uf z eyf csKyf puf ±k tvk y orm;rsm; qEN jy vpmwk d ;jr‡ if &ef tw uf zdeyf csKyf puf ± tvk yf orm;rsm; qEN jy() RRRR UU UU ************************************************************ NEWS ON MIGRANTS ************************************************************* Labor Pains Monday, January 25, 2010 Finnish-born Kari Tapiola is the executive director of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and has been with the Geneva-based group since 1996. Last week, he paid a visit to Burma's administrative capital Naypyidaw to renew a one-year agreement which allows the United Nations to monitor complaints offorced labor.
************************************************************* HEADLINES************************************************************* NEWS ON MIGRANTSLabor PainsBurmese people continue to leave country despite looming electionsThousands of Thai-Mon people joined in the 63rd Mon National Day ceremonyin Uthai Thani
NEWS ON REFUGEESRefugees Under Pressure to Return to Burma
Over 60 tents of refugees destroyed by locals and police in Teknaf Singers Honored for Humanitarian ContributionsUpdate: TBBC & UNHCR Border Map & Populations (December 2009)
************************************************************NEWS ON MIGRANTS*************************************************************Labor PainsMonday, January 25, 2010
Finnish-born Kari Tapiola is the executive director of the International LabourOrganization (ILO) and has been with the Geneva-based group since 1996. Lastweek, he paid a visit to Burma's administrative capital Naypyidaw to renew aone-year agreement which allows the United Nations to monitor complaints of forced labor.
During his stay in Burma, he discussed with Burmese Labor Minister Aung Kyiand other officials the issues of freedom of association and the rights of workersto organize freely. He visited locations where incidents of forced labor had beenreported and met with family members of individuals imprisoned for reportingcases of forced labor to the ILO.
Question: What were the main topics of discussion between ILO officers and Labor Minister Aung Kyi? Did you reach any new agreements with the Burmese government?
Answer: The main topics were the functioning of the mechanism of complaints onforced labor and awareness-raising activities. We also had specific discussions onpreventing the recruitment of minors into the army as well as on freedom of association.
We signed an extension of the trial period of the Supplementary Understanding,which in February 2007 established the complaints mechanism operated by the ILOliaison officer. This was the third extension, again for one year––from now until2011––and is in unchanged form.
Q. What is the latest situation regarding forced labor in Burma? Could you alsocomment about underage recruitment in the army?
A. The use of forced labor remains a problem throughout the country. There are nofigures available and currently there is no way of measuring it. Awareness of the needto abolish forced labor has increased among civilian authorities. However, we cannotsay the same about the military. We have had complaints involving both civilian andmilitary authorities. The military also runs large-scale business activities.
The forced recruitment of children into the military is a problem which has beenrecognized at a high level. We met with the authoritative committee on the preventionof underage recruitment, and we discussed concrete measures such as age verification,discharge procedures and punishment of perpetrators.
An increasing number of the complaints that we receive are on under-age recruitmentwhich by definition is forced labor. In the first two years of the mechanism (2007-08),altogether 42 children were released within an average of 145 days. In 2009, the totalwas 30 children released in an average of 106 days. The number of these cases has
increased and the time to find a resolution has shortened. Last week, while I was inthe country, three new cases of under-age recruitment were received. The governmenthas in practice reacted relatively rapidly and with positive action. Other forced laborcases are more complicated.
Q. Did the number of complaints from the public increase during the past year? Towhat extent is the ILO helping victims of forced labor in Burma?
A. The overall number of complaints has increased. They are mainly centered onunder-age recruitment. There have been less complaints on other forms of forcedlabor, and I believe that this is because there have been arrests and imprisonment of
complainants and their facilitators––people who have acted on their behalf. Theseevents are widely known and obviously discourage the lodging of complaints.
Q. Did you call for the release of victims of forced labor who sent complaints to the ILO office in Rangoon? And how did the government respond to discussions on the“right to free association?”
A. As on all earlier occasions, we called for the release of all those who are in prison
who have wanted to use the complaints mechanism and be in touch with the ILO.These cases are very serious.
As the Governing Body of the ILO has pointed out, solving these cases isfundamental to the operation of the complaints mechanism.
We had a discussion on the concepts and principles of freedom of association andthe rights of workers to organize freely. The exchange was active. It involved severalministries, the Attorney-General's office and the Supreme Court. There arefundamental issues, not least of which is the complete absence of legally functioningworkers' organizations.
Q. Are you satisfied with the government's collaboration with the ILO office in Rangoon? Do you see the government becoming more cooperative with the ILOoffice?
A. We have a good working relationship with Minister U Aung Kyi, the LaborMinistry and the Director-General level representatives of other ministries who are inthe Working Group which follows up the complaints from the government's side.Cooperation has generally improved, but we are still not reaching all the levels neededfor a sustained abolition of forced labor. I certainly hope that the cooperation willincrease. The reasons for forced labor are complex and call for a broad engagementby, and joint efforts between, various groups, both civilian and military.
Q. What are the ILO's plans for 2010 in improving labor conditions in Burma?
A. It is to be remembered that as things are today, the ILO's mandate is to assist in theabolition of forced labor. The aim was set through the recommendations of theCommission of Inquiry in 1998 and the related decisions by the ILO since then. Ourplans for 2010 are to try to further secure that the complaints mechanism is fullyoperational and its rules are fully respected. If there is to be a significant decline inforced labor, more awareness and education are needed.
The [Burmese] government has now agreed to the production of a simply wordedbrochure which can be used as a tool in this process. Of course we will follow thepolitical situation and respond positively to developments.
************************************************************* Burmese people continue to leave country despite looming electionsTuesday, 26 January 2010 KNG
The exodus of Burmese people searching for jobs and new lives in neighboringcountries continues, despite the ruling junta’s is plans to hold elections this year, said
Zaw Myint, of the exiled Burmese opposition party, the National League forDemocracy (NLD) said in Malaysia, Burmese citizens are still flowing into Malaysia.
“2010 is very important for the future of our country, so we really want people tothink about that before they apply and try to go abroad for their livelihood. If possiblewe don’t want anyone from Burma to come here because the situation is verydifficult,” he said.
The Malaysian authorities announced December 15, 2009 their intention to arrestillegal migrants in the country within three months, according to Burmese migrants.
Authorities are arresting illegal migrants and Burmese citizens who came with visaand passport, added Burmese workers in Kuala Lumpur.
“Those who came here with passport and visa, have to give those documents to their job owner. They have only copy of that, so police arrest them too,” added Zaw Myint.
He said there is an estimated 700,000 legal and illegal Burmese citizens in Malaysia,up from around 500,000 in 2008. More people are arriving even though the Burmese
junta is planning to hold countrywide elections this year.
“I would like to suggest everyone patient and stay in the country at least one moreyear, if they want to go out, because it is very important time now,” he said.
However, with the fear of oppression and persecution from the Burmese military junta,a lot of people, especially from ethnic minorities are continuing flee to neighboringcountries such as India, Thailand and Malaysia.
According to the November 2009 report of United Nations High Commissioner forRefugees (UNHCR), based in Kuala Lumpur, there are now 75,600 refugees,compared with 45,400 in 2008. Of those, 69,700 asylum seekers are from Burma.
The report said, 17,400 are Rohingyas from the Northern Arakan (or also calledRakhine) State of Burma, 32,100 ethnic Chins from Burma’s western China State,4,100 were the Muslims and the rest are other ethnics from Burma.
In India, 2,952 refugees have registered with the UNHCR office and thousands of refugees are waiting for registration. Tens of thousands of Chin refugees live inMizoram State, northern India.
A staff member of the Kuala Lumpur-based, Kachin Refugee Committee (KRC), saidethnic Kachin refugees from Burma’s northern Kachin State are living in fear day andnight, because their movements are closely watched by the authorities.
“We have to be alert all the time, even when we are sleeping. I have seen policemenat every corner of the road, everyday” he said.
There are more than 4,000 Kachin refugees from Northern Burma in Malaysia on
************************************************************* Thousands of Thai-Mon people joined in the 63 rd Mon National Day ceremony inUthai Thani Mon 25 Jan 2010, Nai Saing, IMNA
Thai-Mon communities gathered in Uthai Thani province to celebrate one of the mostsignificant Mon holidays commemorating the founding of the old Mon capitol,Hongsawatoi.
The ceremony and festival, celebrated on January 24th, drew an estimated 6,000members of the Thai-Mon community from over 20 provincial areas in Thailand. Theattendees arrived by large buses as well as a variety of smaller vehicles from outlyingareas, to celebrate what is now the 63rd anniversary of Mon National Day. Theceremony and festival included performance arts, a food fair, a cloth fair, a musicalperformance and speeches focusing on the remembrance of the previous centuriesduring the reign of the Mon kingdom when Mon culture flourished and its people
lived in an independent state.
According to Thai-Mon families in attendance, the gathering was held in Parchar Monvillage, in Nong-chang District of Uthai-thani. Where the gathering was held in thecompound of the village monastery. There are over 8,000 Mon in the whole district,and are separated into over 10 villages, where communities still practice Montraditions and customs, explained a local community leader, Nai Samarn Pongparam.
Local people from Uthai Thani welcomed Mon National Day attendees with a localdance performance and tradional foods. The ceremony opened at about 8: 30 a.m, inthe morning after Mon representatives from the different communities arrived. The
Mon Youth Community – Bangkok are accredited with organized the ceremony.
“Whenever the Mon people in Monland had trouble in the past and fled to Thailand,Thai kings always welcomed us and took care us. We always served with gratitudethe Thai kings…,” stated Dr. Rudee Pongbankadee, Chairwoman of Mon YouthCommunity, in a speech at the celebration. “Nowadays, although we lost our country,we never lost our national identity …. Please be proud and preserve our culture andliterature.”
After a short ceremonial speech, people shared foods, danced to music and talkedtogether throughout the festival grounds. The elderly people who also participated,gave alms to the temples monks, who prayed for the lives and well-being of Monancestors, one attendee said.
At the festival, Mi (Ms.) Pakama from Pathom Thani, sung a song of remembranceabout past flourishing Mon Kingdoms, and the suffering of the Mon people after theirkingdom was annexed and destroyed by the Burman king – Alaung-phaya also knownas, U Aung Ze Ya. Hongsawatoi was the Mon kingdom, which was annexed and
destroyed by Burma in 1757.
Ms. Thongraw Pekhao, a descendent of Banya Dalae, the last Mon king of Hongsawatoi, said that their village and monastery were founded from theresettlement of Banya Dalae’s decedents who took asylum in the area during late 18thcentury.
The Mon Youth Community – Bangkok, plans to hold next year’s 64th Anniversaryof Mon National Day (MND) in Prapadeang District near Bangkok.
At the end of the ceremony, leaders of the Mon Youth Community offered a MonNational Day flag to the Prapadaeng Mon community. According to a member of thePrapadaeng community, the community intends to hold an even larger ceremony nextyear. Prapadaeng is the largest Mon community near Bangkok.
************************************************************* NEWS ON REFUGEES************************************************************* Refugees Under Pressure to Return to Burma
By LAWI WENG Monday, January 25, 2010
About 3,000 Karen villagers who live in Tha Song Yang District in Tak Province inThailand are under pressure from Thai authorities to return to Burma, according tohuman rights groups.
Thai authorities were scheduled to hold a meeting in Tha Song Yang district onMonday to determine the fate of the refugees, but rights groups said it was postponed.
A Thai newspaper, The Nation , reported on Sunday that the meeting would beattended by the Thai military, the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), theKaren National Union (KNU), NGOs and representatives from the United NationsHigh Commissioner for Refugees.
The DKBA is asking Thai authorities to order all 3,000 Karen refugees to return toBurma.
Last week, the Karen refugees were told they would be moved to Mae La refugeecamp.
The pressure is directed at refugees now living in temporary camps who fled toThailand due to fighting between the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and a
joint force of Burmese and DKBA troops in June 2009.
Sally Thompson, the deputy director of the Thailand Burma Border Consortium, said,“Their future is undecided, whether they will be allowed to stay or not. There is dailypressure on people to return back across the border to Burma.
“There is a major concern if they have to return because the area is heavily mined.
Any return should be voluntary because there are conflicts still ongoing in easternBurma.”
The Karen Refugee Committee (KRC) based in Thailand said the Thai government isworried more Karen refugees may seek refuge in Thailand.
Many Karen villagers flee their homes because of the threat of conscription intogovernment armies, forced labor and the risk posed by landmines planted around theirvillages by both the KNLA and the joint force of Burmese and DKBA troops.
A KRC representative said that a pregnant Karen refugee stepped on a landmine lastweek when she returned to check on a buffalo that remained in her village, causingserious injuries.
The DKBA and Burmese troops seized the headquarters of KNLA Brigade 7 in June2009. The joint force unsuccessfully attempted to overrun KNLA Brigade 5 areas inPapun District in northern Karen State in September 2009.
Meanwhile, the Free Burma Rangers, a relief group operating in Karen State, reportedon Jan. 21 that about 2,000 Karen refugees including women and children weredisplaced from 10 villages in Nyaunlebin District in Pegu Division on Jan. 17. Therefugees face insufficient food, medical care and other basic necessities.
http://www.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=17653
************************************************************* Over 60 tents of refugees destroyed by locals and police in Teknaf Tuesday, 26 January 2010 00:11
Teknaf, Bangladesh : Over 60 tents of Rohingya refugees, built near Teknaf bus-station before the Rohingya Resistance Committee (RRC) was formed in Teknaf,were destroyed by the local authorities along with police on January 23, said one of
the refugees whose tent was also destroyed.
The RRC committee was formed in Teknaf on January 2, after a meeting by the localpeople. After forming the RRC, over 600 Rohingyas were arrested from border areassuch as--- Shapuri Dip, Teknaf, Ukiya, Whykong, Balu Khali, Bandarbandistrict and Cox’s Bazaar of Bangladesh by BDR (Bangladesh Rifles) and police,said a local elder from the border.
After forming the RRC in Teknaf, some local officials such as--- Perbez (40), son of late village headman Sher Maluk, from Teknaf, Mahbul Alam, Teknaf UpazilarNirbahi Officer (UNO) Nazim Uddin, Mozammal, Rahmat Ullah, some UP membersand police--- moved some of the Rohingya refugees living in local villages in Teknaf by renting houses and sent them to nearby Teknaf bus-station and settled them after
However, on January 23, the authorities destroyed all the refugee tents and askedthem to go to their earlier places. Meanwhile, the cold persisting over the last fewdays sent a large number of refugees, especially children and the aged, to the clinic
seeking treatment for cough, pneumonia, bronchitis and other respiratory illness. Thechildren and the aged are more vulnerable to cold after their shelters were completelydestroyed. The chilly weather continued in the area causing immense suffering to thepoor refugees, said a local trader from Teknaf who sympathizes with the Rohingyacause.
The fate of these unregistered refugees is not unpredictable. Most of the unregisteredrefugees are in Kutupalong unregistered camp, and there future is uncertain. Refugeesdon’t dare to go out of the camp for work to support their families because of policeand local people’s arresting them. Some of the refugees have been facing starvation,said a refugee leader from the camp who did not want to be named.
On 22 January, 30 Rohingya refugees were arrested by police while they were goingto work from Kutupalong unregistered camp and were sent to Cox’s Bazaar jail. Theirfamily members went to jail to see them, but all the wives and other family memberswere arrested by the police and pushed back to Burma by BDR (Bangladesh Rifles).Some of them were re-arrested by local villagers while on their way to the refugeecamp. However, later they were released after their goods were looted, said a refugee.
Another 14 Rohingya refugees were also arrested on January 23, by police while ontheir way to work and pushed back to Burma by BDR. They are from Kutupalongcamp. They were arrested by Nasaka (Burma’s border security force) after their pushback. It is learnt that some of them were killed by Nasaka, but this is not confirmed,said another refugee from Kutupalong camp.
Today, 14-woman refugees from Kutupalong camp went to the forest to collect firewood, but they were detained by authorities. Yesterday, five women refugees werealso tortured when they went to forest to collect fire wood.
In Aakan State, the Rohingya people continue to leave their homeland to escape thesystematic persecution and suppression by the repressive regime in Burma. Thecontinuing Burmese regime’s serious human rights violations such as---forced labor,
confiscation of lands, marriage restriction, arbitrary arrest and torture and extortion,movement restriction are the basic reasons for them fleeing, said a businessman fromMaungdaw.
Alongside, the Rohingya, other ethnic groups such as--- Burmese Chinese, BurmeseIndian and Panthay are not recognized by the junta, according to an “Annual GlobalReport Trends Report” released on January 16, 2009 by the UNHCR.
Burma has the world’s third largest population as stateless persons. In total there are723,571 people are considered to be stateless in Burma, according to UN refugeeagency.
Recently, a Bengali local newspaper stated that over 3,400 Rohingyas are living in
Bandarban district, of who only 16 Rohingyas were arrested and pushed back. But,local people said that many more Rohingyas were arrested and pushed back fromBandarban.
A Rohingya from Holidia Palong village named Amzat Ali said, “We came here 10
years ago from Burma for the systematic persecution of Burmese government. Myfamily was also insulted by the army in Burma. So, we took refuge in Bangladeshtemporarily. But, we also fall prey to Bangladesh authority. If we do not get anyshelter from Bangladesh officers, how will we get protection from ordinaryBangladesh people.”
A local elder named Abdul Hoque from Naikhongchari union said, “Some of theBangladeshi people had taken shelter in Arakan during the 1971 independence war,therefore, some of the Bangladeshi people sympathize with the Rohingya people whocame to take shelter in Bangladesh”.
************************************************************* Singers Honored for Humanitarian Contributions25 January 2010 (Chinland Guardian)
A group of Chin singers participating in the concert tours raising awareness and fundfor the last two years for hunger victims in Burma’s Chin State were honored by a
grateful Chin community in the United States.At a special event organized in appreciation of the singers’ contributions on 16January, a troupe of Chin artists were bestowed certificates of appreciation inrecognition of their humanitarian efforts towards alleviating hunger and poverty inChin State.
The award recipients included Sung Tin Par, Burma’s top celebrated singer who wasconferred the ‘Humanitarian Goodwill Ambassador for the Chins,” as well as, CungLian Thawng, Dawt Hlei Hniang, Malsawmtluangi, Mang Tin Sawn aka SolomonMenrihai, Mimi Lalzamliani, San Pi, Za Tawn Eng aka Salai Tawna and Zamnu,
many of whom were awarded in absentia.
In conferring the awards, the Indianapolis Chin Community (ICC) Chairman Salai ZaBik appreciated the singers for their selfless humanitarian contribution: “Thesecertificates are just mere documents written on a piece of paper, they cannotadequately represent the gratitude and appreciation written on the hearts of the Chinpeople.” On behalf of a grateful community, he acknowledged the time, energy andtalents contributed by the artistes in raising much-need awareness and funds towardsthe relief effort in Burma’s poorest and most neglected region.
Speaking at the award-giving ceremony, Rev. Thawngling of Indianapolis-based Chin
Evangelical Baptist Church (CEBC) talked about how grateful the Chin community isfor the contribution of the Chin artistes.
“The circumstances under which we are gathered here tonight might not be for goodnews, but this occasion tells us that we the Chins rose to meet the challenges facingus.”
A senior pastor of CEBC, the official sponsor of the concert tours in the US, Rev.Thawngling also remarked in his speech that up to 82 percent of the farmland in someareas of Chin State have been destroyed and a large number of people are strugglingto survive with severe malnutrition, disease, and death, prompting thousands of Chinpeople to flee their villages to look for food elsewhere.
Salai Elaisa Vahnie, Coordinator of Chin Food Aid Concert in USA, stressed in hisspeech: "This is the first time in history that we, the Chin people - variousorganizations, Churches, communities and individuals - inside and outside the countryhave come together and worked together to achieve the common and joint goals forour people. As we have always emphasized the importance of the inclusiveness and
joint effort, today we have proved to ourselves and to the world that we can actuallyaccomplish it."
"This is only the begining. We will not quit nor stop, but will continue to lobby theinternational community for the food security and alternative livelihood of the Chinpeople in Chinland," said the graduate student of Indiana University - Bloomington ashe thanked each of the concert organizing committees in different cities of the USAfor their generous contributions to the success of these historic events."
The two-month long concerts in the United States is part of a series of Chin Food AidConcerts since 2008 that have been organized in collaboration with Chin communitiesin various countries including Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, Denmark,Norway, Germany where the Chin artists have performed tirelessly in attempts toraise awareness and fund for victims of the ongoing Mautam food crisis.
In the United States, the Chin Food Aid Concerts have been successfully organized inDallas, TX, Battle Creek, MI, San Francisco and Los Ageles, CA, Indianapolis, IN,Washington DC, Chapel Hill, NC and the other two concerts are to be held in NewYork City and West Palm Beach, Florida on 24 and 29 January respectively.
The Indianapolis ceremony, also attended by guests and representives from Dallas,
Texas; Washington DC and Canada including Chairman of Dallas CYO (Chin YouthOrganisation) and Chairman of Chin Christian Fellowship of Canada, has been seenas one of the most significant events for the Chin people in the wake of mautam foodcrisis. Chin Community of Indianapolis (CCI) is said to be the biggest Chincommunity outside Burma, with an estimated number of more than 4,000 living in the14th largest city in the US.
Photo Exhibition Showcased Chin Crisis
In parallel with the ceremony, a special photo exhibit highlighting the continuinghumanitarian crisis in Chin State was organized. Inaugurated by Pu Lian Uk MP and
commissioned by Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO), the exhibit showcasedpicture documentation of the faces and voices of Chin civilians suffering from hunger
Victor Biak Lian of CHRO, who was intimately involved in initiating andcoordinating the concerts, made a presentation on the humanitarian crisis.
Continuing Food Crisis
Chin State, located on Burma’s western frontiers, and already the poorest State in thecountry, is currently suffering from a food crisis caused by a natural disaster.According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), malnutrition amongchildren in Chin State is higher than that of the national average. Since 2007, ChinState has been plagued by an infestation of rats resulting from a natural cycle of theflowering and fruiting of an indigenous species of bamboo growing on nearly aquarter of the lands in Chin State.
Relying primarily on the local food source produced from shifting cultivation, theChin people have been suffering from the destruction of food crops due to the ratinfestation that has caused a famine-like situation in Chin State in the past two years.According to the Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO), nearly a quarter of thepopulation of Chin State is suffering from severe shortage of food with an immediateneed of emergency relief assistance.
In recent months, there have been fresh reports exposing a serious continuation of thebamboo-and-rat-related food crisis, especially in Southern Chin State and the negativeconsequences of mautam facing the Chin people more severely in remote areas whichhave not been reached by relief assistance.
WFP Extends Relief Programs
Meanwhile, the United Nations’ World Food Program (WFP) is set to extend itsprogram in Chin State in 2010. The primary relief agency providing relief in ChinState, the WFP operates in the area with funding from the Britain’s Department forInternational Development (DFID), as well as from the government of Denmark. ButUN agencies working in Burma have admitted that official restrictions, as well asaccessibility difficulties are limiting their operation.
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