India’s Help Sought For Burmese Cause

By Nava Thakuria
Burma (Myanmar or Brahmadesh) may have officially transformed into a democracy after the 2010 November general election, but the ground realities for the poor Burmese remain the same. And the outcome is the continuous fleeing of Burmese to neighbouring India, Bangladesh and Thailand. If the earlier exodus was of pro-democracy political activists, now more and more common Burmese are leaving the poverty stricken country.
For India, the burden of refugees primarily from Chin State of Burma is carried by Mizoram. With its around10 lakh population, the Burma and Bangladesh bordering Indian State gives shelter to nearly 80,000 migrants. Leaving aside two thousand Burmese recognized by the UN High Commission for Refugees and staying in New Delhi, the rest are scattered in Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.
“The people outside Burma start believing that the country has changed after the polls. But in reality, the election was fought and won by mostly the military men. So even after the military brand State Peace and Development Council, which ruled Burma for decades, is dissolved and the Parliaments are functioning, the common people are suffering a lot,” said a Burmese youth, now staying in Indian bordering town Saiha.
The youth, who migrated from Chin to Mizoram few months back for a better life and presently working as a daily labour, also added that there are serious crisis of food in Chin State after the phenomena of bamboo flowering last year. The Burmese government in Nay Pie Taw remains reluctant for the relief and rehabilitation of Chin people.
“When some parts of Mizoram also faced the bamboo flowering in early 2010, there were constant flow of relief from New Delhi and also international aid agencies. But for our people in Chin, neither the government initiated to send relief nor it allowed the outside aid agencies to serve the people in distress,” asserted the educated youth, who wanted anonymity, during an interview with this writer at Aizawl recently.
Pu Kim, a Burmese political activist who is recognized by the UNHCR and now based in New Delhi, argues that the so-called change of Burma for democratization is useless, as the military clout remains powerful and the judiciary has still no jurisdiction over the armed forces in the country.
“Many historic political events may take place in Burma in the last few months including the November election, release of pro-democracy icon Daw Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest, running Parliament sessions at Nay Pie Taw and the demolition of the SPDC, but these changes are seemingly not adequate for the people and hence many of them have fled the country,” commented Mr Kim, while speaking to this writer from New Delhi.
Meanwhile the pro-democracy Burmese activists and their well-wishers around the world have appealed to the Indian Union government for taking an initiative ‘for restoration of peace, justice and human rights in Burma’ as well as in its adjacent Northeast India. They also urged New Delhi to continue supporting the Burmese peoples’ struggle for democracy and human rights in their country. Among other requests to the Indian government, allowing the UNHCR to establish its office in Mizoram (or somewhere in the Northeast) for the benefit of thousands of Burmese refugees taking shelter in the region, also included.
The appeal came alive in a memorandum submitted to the Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on May 24, 2011 by a pro-democracy group Burma Centre Delhi. The memorandum conveys important messages on the recent historic political events which occurred in Burma such as 2008 (Nargis) Constitution, November 2010 Election, release of Burmese democracy movement leader Suu Kyi, convention of Nay-Pie-Taw Parliament and demolition of the State Peace and Development Council and installation of the New Regime, the military controlled civilian uniform type.
But India does not have a refugee policy and hence it often emerges as a major challenge for both the authority and the civil society groups in a situation like that of Mizoram. For the Chin people, Mizoram emerges as a place of their choice, as both Chin and Mizos share similar religious identity and food habits.
Moreover they are almost look alike and Mizo people in general embrace the Chin as their brother and sisters. But in some occasions, when few Chin youths were found involving in petty crimes, the majority Mizo civil society groups get irritated. Even the most influential Young Mizo Association had warned the Chin people to leave Mizoram as they were polluting the Mizo society.
The resentment of Mizo civil society had compelled a senior Burmese political leader to tender apology in front of the people of Mizoram.
Addressing a consultation meeting on the ‘implication and consequences of regime change in Burma’ after the November 2010 elections at Aizawl on May 6, Dr Tint Swe, a former Burmese MP seek apology for all anti-social activities carried out by a section of Chin people.
The senior member of National League for Democracy (led by Suu Kyi), Dr Tint Swe also claimed that the recently concluded election in Burma has not brought any changes to the common people and they are still ruled by the same group of military under the camouflage of a democratic regime. Hence he urged the government of India and the citizens of Northeast to continue supporting the Burmese peoples’ struggle for real democracy.
Organized by Burma Centre Delhi in collaboration with Chin Human Rights Organizations, Aizawl and Grassroot Development Network, Mizoram and hosted by Zo Indigenous Forum the consultation meeting was attended by various civil society groups, journalists and activists of the region.
Addressing the gathering, Vanlal Ngaia, Chairman of Mizoram Committee for Democracy in Burma reiterated that the regime change in Burma does not seem to bring any change in the condition of pro-democracy activists and general people of Burma. “The only change we have seen is the military uniform into civil dresses. Therefore people preferring for democracy around the world should work persistently for full restoration of true democracy in Burma,” he added.
Muanpuia Punte, vice-president of North East Students’ Organization commented, “The people of Mizoram have a deep relation with Burma as our Chin brother and sisters live there. My understanding is that Mizo, Chin and Kuki are the same people with same religious and linguistic identity. That is why we feel pain when our Chin brothers face problem and suffer under the regime of Burma.”
He also added that both the Burma polls and its 2008 Constitution were criticized and condemned by the UN, the EU and Burmese pro-democracy campaigners for adopting undemocratic norms and rejection of democratic principles and human rights.
Dr. Alana Golmei, advocacy coordinator of BCD also urged the people of northeast to have a closer people to people contact and work together for peace and human rights in the region and Burma. She further said that both the Burma polls and its 2008 Constitution were criticized and condemned by the UN, the EU and Burmese pro-democracy campaigners for adopting undemocratic norms and rejection of democratic principles and human rights. So, she added, no change is taking place in Burma after the technically new and elected government as the human rights
situation in Burma remains the worst.
The memorandum to Indian premier particularly mentioned about the presence of nearly one hundred thousand Chin Burmese population in India where Mizoram carries the larger burden of refugees.
“Though India is not a signatory to the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol, it hosts and accommodates large number of refugees under the protection of the UNHCR. Since India has not yet ratified or acceded to this law, the Burmese refugees in Delhi are treated under the Foreigners Act without clear state’s policy which results in risking their lives as they are vulnerable to insincere and unfair conduct of the concern officials,” said the memorandum.
It also insisted that New Delhi should engage the Burmese Government as well as Suu Kyi and other ethnic groups of Burma. Burma is ethnically diverse and the failure to address the legitimate rights and aspirations of Burma’s ethnic groups is a root cause of instability and dictatorship in Burma, it asserted.
The copy of the letter was also sent to the Union Home Ministry, National Human Rights Commission of India, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees with the New Delhi based embassies of United States of America, Republic of Canada, Australia, Czech Republic, Norway, United Kingdom and Indonesia.
Other resolutions included supporting the Global Arms Embargo against Burma and proper impact assessments before implementation of developmental projects in the region in line with Free, Prior and Informed Consent-FPIC. It also maintained that any current and future Indian investments in Burma should be both fair and responsible such that local participation in those development projects in Burma is ensured.
About the author:
Eurasia Review

Initiative for Upliftment of Burmese refuges by IIT Delhi students

Hi

I am writing to you on behalf of a student group in IIT Delhi namely SIFE IIT Delhi (www.sifeiitd.org), seeking collaboration in public outreach of our community endeavors.

Since November 2010, our team has been working closely with the Burmese refuge community in Delhi. India being a neighboring country hosts a large and growing number of 100,000 Burmese refugees. Even with Burma attracting international attention and the President of the United States acknowledging the plight of the Burmese community settled in West Delhi, there are very few Delhites, let alone Indians who know of their existence. A nearly 10,000 strong community continues to exist in the obscure margins of our lives without anyone taking much notice.

Each day is a challenge for them - be it the lack of legal protection, work permits, education or the challenges of discrimination, abject living conditions, and poor health conditions. Ignorance of their cause amongst the Indians has been a major factor. Their continuous struggle to survive in this home away from home, made us dedicate ourselves to this cause. Under the name of Project Aarambh, we are making a fresh attempt for the cause of overall development of the Burmese refugees.

Our project looks to economically empower these people through sustainable income generation. We have been working with women based small handicraft entrepreneurial units in the refuge community, promoting their traditional arts – wherein we have even collaborated with DASTKAR (http://www.dastkar.org/). We have also established a platform for the community (Placement Cell) to get sustainable far pay work in the unorganized sector. Besides that, our efforts have included initiatives for holistic development such as health camps and awareness programs.

We seek your collaboration in order to increase the awareness and sensitivity regarding this issue in the city, and also to improve the effectiveness of our efforts. Public outreach will be instrumental in fulfilling these objectives. Please find attached a brief article on our activities : http://sifeiitd.org/PressRelease.doc and a flyer about our project : http://sifeiitd.org/flyer.pdf

Kindly let me know, how we could best take this forward.

Thanking you

Abhishek Jain

+91 9717577473

President, SIFE IIT Delhi

www.sifeiitd.org

About SIFE IIT Delhi

SIFE (Student In Free Enterprise www.sife.org) - is an international non-profit organization that aims to mobilize university students to make a difference in their communities and become socially responsible business leaders. SIFE IIT Delhi (www.sifeiitd.org) is the student chapter of SIFE in the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. Established in July 2010, it comprises of a team of 23 dedicated students working under faculty supervision, and has now grown into one of the most dynamic student initiatives while working on its inaugural project.

SIFE IIT Delhi is one of the most comprehensive extra-curricular activities involving components from societal knowledge and community sensitivity to building sustainable social enterprises to management skills. In the long run it aims to create a pool of student leaders who use their technological and business skills to make the world a better place.

Myanmar national murdered

KOCHI: A Myanmarese worker was found murdered in the room, where he was staying in the city. The Palarivattom police have arrested another Myanmarese in this connection.

According to the police, Joseph, 27, who was found murdered on Thursday early morning, had met Thomas, 31, at a Bible College in Bangalore, where they were both studying theology. Together they moved to another Bible College in Thiruvalla for higher studies a couple of years ago. They were working as part-time employees at a hotel in Palarivattom during vacation. The two were staying at Palarivattom along with three others from West Bengal and one from Mizoram, all employees of the hotel. Under a sudden provocation, Thomas smashed Joseph's head with concrete blocks and iron bar. The incident occurred at 2.30 a.m. The roommates panicked and fled on seeing the attack. They were later questioned by the Palarivattom police for gathering information about the crime.

Even though Thomas confessed the crime, the police are yet to form a clear idea on what made him do it. The body of Joseph was shifted to General Hospital here for autopsy, and his relatives were alerted. Thomas was produced before Aluva Judicial First Class Magistrate court.

Myanmar national murdered

KOCHI: A Myanmarese worker was found murdered in the room, where he was staying in the city. The Palarivattom police have arrested another Myanmarese in this connection.

According to the police, Joseph, 27, who was found murdered on Thursday early morning, had met Thomas, 31, at a Bible College in Bangalore, where they were both studying theology.

Together they moved to another Bible College in Thiruvalla for higher studies a couple of years ago. They were working as part-time employees at a hotel in Palarivattom during vacation.

The two were staying at Palarivattom along with three others from West Bengal and one from Mizoram, all employees of the hotel. Under a sudden provocation, Thomas smashed Joseph's head with concrete blocks and iron bar.

The incident occurred at 2.30 a.m. The roommates panicked and fled on seeing the attack. They were later questioned by the Palarivattom police for gathering information about the crime.

Even though Thomas confessed the crime, the police are yet to form a clear idea on what made him do it.

The body of Joseph was shifted to General Hospital here for autopsy, and his relatives were alerted. Thomas was produced before Aluva Judicial First Class Magistrate court.

Chin: Refugees Abandoned By Thailand

Thailand wants to close the refugee camps for over 100,000 Burmese refugees, who have fled the country over the past twenty years


Below is an article published by Council on Foreign Relations:

According to reports by AFP and other news agencies, Thailand’s National Security Council head, Tawin Pleansri, told reporters after a meeting of the council that Thailand wants to close the refugee camps for over 100,000 Burmese refugees, who have fled the country over the past twenty years. Most of the Burmese refugees live in camps on the western Thailand-Burma border; their housing is basic, but it is better than living in eastern and northeastern Burma, where they are prey to regular campaigns of attacks and even mass rape by the Burmese military, and retribution attacks by armed ethnic militia groups. In one comprehensive report, a group focusing on Chin State in Burma documented the use of rape as a weapon of war by the Burmese military.
Thailand has never really wanted to house the Burmese refugees, but over successive administrations Bangkok has tolerated the refugee presence. Undocumented Burmese also frequently enter Thailand itself, providing a source of cheap and easily exploitable labor for many Thai companies. Now, however, Bangkok appears willing to use the fiction that Burma had a real election last fall to repatriate these refugees, most of whom will return against their will. Though the election last year may improve the quality of governance in Burma marginally, it was hardly a free or fair poll, or suggestive of the kind of dramatic change on human rights that would make it safe to return refugees.
There are other reasons for Thailand’s suddenly harder line. Leading Thai company Ital-Thai is in the process of making the largest-ever Thai investment in Myanmar, at over $13 billion. And overall, the government of PM Abhisit has tried to foster rapprochment with its neighbor. Too bad that over 100,000 refugees are going to be treated as a pawn in this relationship.

Mizoram: Complaint To Stop Forcible Eviction Of The Myanmar Origin From Phaibawk Of Vaphai Tract Group In Champhai District Of Mizoram

Hon’ble Justice Shri K.G. Balakrishanan
Chairperson National Human Rights Commission
Faridkot House, Copernicus Marg New Delhi, PIN 110001
Tel. No. 23384012 Fax No. 23384863
E-Mail: covdnhrc@nic.in, inohrc@nic.in
Subject: Complaint to stop forcible eviction of the Myanmar origin from Phaibawk of    Vaphai tract group in Champhai district of Mizoram.
Dear Justice Balakrishnan,
I am writing to seek urgent intervention of the National Human Rights Commission to stop forcible eviction of the Myanmar origin settling in Phaibawk of Vaphai tract group in Champhai district of Mizoram by the Police officials and the Vaphai VC (village Council) and YMA (Young Mizo Association). Please find enclosed family ordered to eviction at Annexure I and their children who were at the school in Annexure II
The authorities have ordered Burmese origins belonging to 23 families settling in Phaibawk area under the Vaphai village council area of Champhai district, who are not on the electoral rolls (voter’s list), to leave Mizoram by April 9. The reason is villagers in Phaibawk of Vaphai tract group in Champhai district had requested for a separate voting booth to the local authorities said by a news report.
These entire household have ration card and the Vaiphai Store keeper (Pu Rinpuia) asked the Phaibawk villagers to submit their Ration Card for issuing of new card, but those who do not have Voter ID were asked to leave their village by the Police officials according to the locals.
The eye witness said that “Champhai Police Officer-in-Charge came to us last Sunday and told us those 23 Burmese families not on the electoral rolls will be driven out of the village. Although 143 members from 23 families will not be allowed to live in the village, but the rest 43, who are children attending schools, will be allowed to continue their schooling.
Although the Vaphai VC (village Council) and YMA (Young Mizo Association) had tried to destroy the houses of those who are not on the electoral rolls in the village, Champhai OC has banned them from staying on reports by the Khonumthung News.
It is not a very fair manner that these children were allowed only to attend the school without their parents who will feed them and they will not have security and will become target and vulnerable to sexual and physical assault. It has violated the rights of the child, please take the action urgent and give their child their rights to live with their parents and their right to continued education.
Zo Indigenous Forum appeals to the NHRC to intervene by taking following measures:

• Direct the State government of Mizoram to immediately halt forcible repatriation.
• Direct the State government of Mizoram to initiate appropriate action against those individuals or organisations that were responsible for forcible repatriation of the Chin refugees under relevant provisions of Indian Penal Code and Criminal Procedure Code;
• Create a separate division within the NHRC to deal with the refugee problems in India;
• Invite the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to submit its comments and views to the NHRC on the issues raised in the complaint;
• Take any other measures that the NHRC deems fit for protection of the refugees;

Looking forward to your urgent intervention.
With kind regards,
Yours sincerely
C.LALREMRUATA                                                                                                 Director                                                                                                                                               +91-9862373371/8575186174
Source: Indigenous People Issues & Resources

Burmese Army deserter stabbed in Mizoram

A deserter from the Burmese Army was stabbed by Enga while seeking refuge from Chin state in Puicheri bock of Sairang, Mizoram in northeast in India. He was admitted to the civil hospital in Aizawl capital of Mizoram with serious injuries on 13 March.

Zaw Lin (22) son of Mr. Sein Maung and Mrs. Tin Tin Kyunt was stabbed with a knife following a quarrel with Enga. He was seriously injured in his back and left hand.

“I am working as a mason and my employer sent us to gather firewood in the jungle. I requested Enga to help gather firewood so as to finish early but he refused. And then he took the firewood collected by me and prepared to return home. Suddenly he came back and stabbed me,” said Zaw Lin.

Enga escaped but the local authority and police are searching for him.

Zaw Lin was recruited into the Burmese Army, in Insein Township of Rangoon the former capital of Burma by the junta military in 2002 and he was posted in the Light Infantry Battalion (304) of Matupi, the second capital of Chin state from 2003 after military training.

Zaw Lin told Khonumthung News that he managed to escape from the Burmese Army in Matupi town to Lawntlai district of Mizoram and was ekeing out a living with odds job.
From Lawngtlai district, he shifted to Sairang village near Aizawl, this year and got a mason’s job.

“I arrived just two weeks ago in Aizawl and got a job as a mason. I am dejected because of not knowing the local dialect lying in the hospital. I am being cared for by the son of my employer, but I cannot communicate with him, because of the language problem” said Mr. Zaw Lin.

It learnt that Zaw was operated upon on 25 March and he is recovering.