RFA Burmese

အာစီယံဥကၠ႒ျဖစ္ေရး၊ ပိတ္ဆို႔အေရးယူမႈ ဖယ္ရွားေရး အတြက္ ျမန္မာႏုိင္ငံက ႏုိင္ငံေရးအေျခအေန တိုးတက္ဖို႔လုိေၾကာင္းထိုင္းႏုိင္ငံကို ေရာက္ရွိေနတဲ့ၾသစေၾတလ် ႏုိင္ငံျခားေရးဝန္ႀကီးက ေျပာၾကားလိုက္ပါတယ္။

ဗီြအုိေအ ျမန္မာ

ျမန္မာႏုိင္ငံမွာသတင္းသမားေတြအေနနဲ႔ဘက္မလိုက္ဘဲမွန္ကန္တဲ့သတင္းအခ်က္အလက္ေတြကုိပဲ ျပည္သူေတြကုိ တင္ျပႏုိင္ဖို႔အေရးႀကီးတယ္လို႔ ျမန္မာ့ဒီမုိကေရစီ ေခါင္းေဆာင္ ေဒၚေအာင္ဆန္းစုၾကည္က ေျပာၾကားလုိက္ပါတယ္။ ဒီေန႔ တနလၤာေန႔ အမ်ဳိးသား ဒီမုိကေရစီ အဖြဲ႕ခ်ဳပ္ (NLD) ႐ုံးခ်ဳပ္မွာ ဖြင့္လွစ္တဲ့ သတင္းစာပညာသင္တန္း အပတ္စဥ္၁ဖြင့္ပြဲ ႏႈတ္ခြန္းဆက္အမွာစကားမွာ ေဒၚေအာင္ဆန္းစုၾကည္ကအဲဒီလုိ ေျပာၾကားခဲ့တာ ျဖစ္ပါတယ္။ အျပည့္အစုံကို ေဒၚခင္မ်ဳိးသက္က တင္ျပေပးထားပါတယ္။

အမ်ဳိးသားဒီမုိကေရစီအဖြဲ႕ခ်ဳပ္ဟာ ျမန္မာ့ဒီမုိကေရစီ ေခါင္းေဆာင္ ေဒၚေအာင္ဆန္းစုၾကည္ ေနအိမ္အက်ယ္ခ်ဳပ္ကေန ျပန္ၿပီး လြတ္ေျမာက္လာတဲ့ ေနာက္ပုိင္း လူငယ္ေတြအတြက္ အရည္အခ်င္း ျမႇင့္တင္ေရး ပို႔ခ်မႈေတြကို အဆက္မျပတ္ လုပ္ေဆာင္ေနပါတယ္။ တနလၤာေန႔ကေတာ့ လူငယ္ ပညာေပးေရး အစီအစဥ္အရ ဖြင့္လွစ္တဲ့ သတင္းစာပညာသင္တန္း အပတ္စဥ္ ၁ ကို အဖြဲ႕ခ်ဳပ္ ဗဟိုအစည္းအေ၀း ခန္းမမွာ စတင္ ဖြင့္လွစ္ခဲ့ပါတယ္။

By David Scott Mathieson

MAE SOT - What if you held an election and you weren't sure how many people showed up at the polls? To establish voting patterns and trends, one needs to have an accurate estimate of the population, clearly demarcated electorates and the eligible voters contained therein, and a system of tallying votes. It is not clear how closely these prerequisites were observed ahead of the November 7, 2010, vote in Myanmar when population estimates in the country vary widely.

Myanmar has not had an effective nationwide census for decades. Previous ones took place during British colonial rule in 1931, under the post war social democratic government in 1953, and by

DVB News

The nine refugee camps along Thailand’s border with Burma are a ‘Bermuda Triangle’ for domestic reporters that creates a misperception of the plight of refugees among the Thai population, a human right expert has said.

Compounded by the difficulties in accessing the camps, Thai journalists rely too heavily on reports issued from the Thai government who “have their own agenda”, said Veerawit Tianchainan, executive director of Thai Committee for Refugees (TCR).

“When the Thai media talks about refugees, they talk about ‘problems’ and not about ways to treat refugees better.”

The comments were made last week at the Bangkok launch of Amnesty International’s annual Global Human Rights Report, which noted that the situation with regards to human rights had declined in many Asian nations over the past year.

PETALING JAYA: Myanmar refugees in the country want Malaysia and Australia to ensure asylum seekers’ rights before going ahead with their swap agreement.

“These governments must conduct a thorough investigation for these asylum seekers so that their rights are protected,” said Myanmar Ethnic Rohingya Human Rights Organisation Malaysia president Zafar Ahmad Abdul Ghani in a statement here yesterday.

Zafar said the Malaysian Government should first sign the 1951 Refugee Convention to protect the asylum seekers’ rights and safety.

“As Malaysia is not a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention and its Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, there are currently no legislative or administrative provisions in place for dealing with asylum seekers or refugees in the country,” he pointed out.

Also expressing his concerns over the Malaysia-Australia pact, he said it was vague on how the plan would stop human smugglers.

Link: :http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/5/16/nation/8689573&sec=nation

In a joint statement with Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak on May 7, the Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced an agreement had been reached to swap 800 future “irregular maritime arrivals” from Australia with 4000 United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) recognised refugees from Malaysia over the next four years.

Although the details of the plan are yet to be fully revealed, a number of myths about this so-called solution have already arisen in the media. Here are the facts.

Thailand's policy of keeping refugees from Burma in nine camps along the border has caused untold suffering and shows that the government does not know how to handle refugees.

This was particularly the case for 60,000 refugees "not registered" by Thai officials, said Veerawit Tianchainan, executive director of Thai Committee for Refugees (TRC).

Most Thais were not aware that 140,000 refugees had been kept in camps along the border for 26 years, he said.

Veerawit, who spoke during the global launch of Amnesty International's annual Human Rights Report 2011, alleged that the Thai Army had "recently stop distributing food" to the unregistered refugees. 

UNITED NATIONS, May 13 -- As UN envoy Vijay Nambiar was on his way to Myanmar earlier this week, Inner City Press asked the UN if he would meet with ethnic minority groups including the Shan, whom the government is attacking. The UN said it didn't know yet.
Now Nambiar has left Myanmar, after issuing a statement that does not mention the Shan or the ending of ceasefires. At Friday's noon UN briefing in New York, Inner City Press asked again the Nambiar take questions from the media when he returns, for example about the situation of the Shan, Karen, Rohingya and other groups, especially since his statement did not mention them.
“How do you know he didn't mention them?” UN spokesman Martin Nesirky demanded.
Well, Nambiar's statement was sent to Inner City Press by e-mail, as were various statements from human rights groups critical of Nambiar's work.

Hamish Macdonald ,May 15, 2011

THERE is a growing chorus of opposition in Malaysia over Australian plans to send 800 unwanted asylum seekers there. An unlikely coalition of senior justice officials, legal professionals, former diplomats and opposition politicians are questioning the legality of the deal to accept refugees from Australia.

Malaysia's main opposition leader, Anwar Ibrahim, is the latest to join the debate. He says "this is a dubious deal, the legality of which must be investigated" and plans to strenuously object to the proposal when parliament next sits.

Burma Soldier” tells the unforgettable story of a former junta member and Burmese soldier who risks everything to become a pro-democracy activist.

“Burma Soldier” provides a rare glimpse of a brutal dictatorship seen through the eyes of a courageous former soldier who, quite literally, swapped sides. The documentary will offer an exclusive and rare perspective, from inside the heart and mind of a former Burmese soldier who lays bare an understanding of a brutal regime and the political and psychological power of the junta over this country.

For decades, the Burmese army has been notorious for its horrific aggression against civilians, especially in conflict areas: underage boys have been forced to join the army; young women, mainly in ethnic areas, have been raped and murdered; locals haved been forced to work as porters—and in some cases even used to sweep for landmines.

“For them [the Burmese military], it is just as normal as eating and drinking,” said Myo Myint, 48, a former Burmese soldier who was an eyewitness to such atrocities and is the subject of the film “Burma Soldier,” a powerful documentary about the life of a former Burmese soldier who risked everything to become a pro-democracy activist.

 Link:  :http://www.filmdates.co.uk/films/2807-burma-soldier/

VIVAnews - The Indonesian government will extend the staying permit of 400 Rohingya refuges who are now waiting in Aceh. This humanitarian aid will be given until a solution is resulted for this issue.

"The Indonesian government will have a bilateral cooperation with Mynmar that will be also involved UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration," said the presidential spokesperson Dino Patti Djalal after Myanmar Prime Minister General Thein Sein's visit at the Merdeka Palace.

In the previous ASEAN Summit, it is agreed that the solution of this issue is creating a regional agreed decision. It will involve the home country, transit country, and destination country.

For generations, the ethnic Muslim Rohingya have endured persecution by the ruling junta of Myanmar, a predominantly Buddhist country.

The plight of the Rohingya, descendants of Arab traders from the 7th century, gained international attention over the past month after five boatloads of haggard migrants were found in the waters around Indonesia and the Andaman Islands.

But unlike the Kurds or the Palestinians, no one has championed the cause of the Rohingya. Most countries, from Saudi Arabia to Malaysia, see them as little more than a source of cheap labor for the dirtiest and most dangerous jobs.

"The Rohingya are probably the most friendless people in the world. They just have no one advocating for them at all," said Kitty McKinsey, a spokeswoman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. "Hardly any of them have legal status anywhere in the world."

According to Malaysia's The Star newspaper, the Burmese asylum-seeker was riding his motorbike in Penang on the weekend when 

he clipped a car. Apparently he didn't have a motorbike licence, but instead of apologising and offering to pay for the damage, the 26-year-old panicked and fled. He is probably now languishing in an immigration detention camp.

The refugees and asylum-seekers in Malaysia fear the police and the government authorities with a deep and abiding anxiety. They have few rights, few avenues of appeal. They live in the community but they are not legally permitted to work or to send their children to government schools.

Lawmakers in Malaysia and Australia have spoken out against a deal between the two countries involving a swap of asylum seekers, with one Malaysian MP expressing doubts about promises from her country's prime minister that refugees coming from Australia will be properly treated.

Under a deal announced on Saturday between Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and his Australian counterpart, Julia Gilllard, the next 800 asylum seekers to arrive in Australia will be sent to Malaysia for processing by UN officials, and in return Australia will accept 4,000 refugees—most of them Burmese—waiting in Malaysia for third-country resettlement over the next four years.

The deal is aimed at deterring “boat people,” many of them stateless Rohingya from Burma, from trying to enter Australia to seek asylum. But Australia has come under criticism from rights groups and politicians of both countries because Malaysia is not a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention and has an appalling record of mistreating asylum seekers.

By Tin Soe

Chittagong, Bangladesh: Ethnic groups living in the UK delivered a petition with 5,323 signatures calling for a UN Commission of Inquiry into crimes against humanity in Burma to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) on May 6, according to Tun Khin (a.k.a.) Ziaul Gaffar, President of the Burmese Rohingya Organisation in the UK (BROUK).

The Burmese military has long oppressed Rohingya and been involved in an ethnic-cleansing program to prevent the creation of a Rohingya state.

My life in Burma was very hard. My family house was demolished two times by authorities and as a result we had to move to my mothers native village. Every person in that village was subject to violent abuses, fines, extortion, military harassment and corporal punishment. I am aware that at least 100 villagers are still in detention and many have died in detention. My father was died for the subsequent detentions. My siblings were detained in 2008. 

There are 93,000 asylum-seekers and proven refugees in Malaysia, most of them living in the Klang Valley in and around the capital Kuala Lumpur.

They are not being held in camps, but are living in poor, largely rented, accommodation "in the community" while they await either assessment by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees or, if already assessed as refugees, await placement in another country.

The UNHCR is helping them with training, and to get work, so that they can look after themselves as far as possible. They are free within Malaysia's borders, but mostly lack travel documents to go beyond.

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Myanmar is one of the neighboring countries of Bangladesh. There exists a close tie of export-import liaison between these two countries. Of late, the Rohingya issue has been creating a crack in the diplomatic relationship between the two countries. Thousands of Rohingyas (Myanmar's aboriginals) have been crossing into Bangladesh for a long time. Because of their illegal entrance, our local inhabitants are suffering much. Rohingyas are now causing serious social and economic disturbances. They are now creating violence in our land. Most importantly, many blacklisted criminals use the Rohingya-cover to disguise themselves from police. Moreover, they are sometimes used as the human and drug trafficking agents! So, it is very important for both the Myanmar and Bangladesh govt. to come forward and settle the matter.

Link : :http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=184650

A petition with 5,323 signatures calling for a UN Commission of Inquiry into crimes against humanity in Burma and organized by Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) and Partners Relief and Development, was delivered to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) today.

The Head of the South-East Asia and Pacific Department at the FCO received the petition from a delegation including representatives from CSW, Partners Relief and Development, Burma’s National League for Democracy-Liberated Area (NLD-LA), and ethnic nationalities including Bwa Bwa Phan of the Karen Community Association UK, Van Biak Thang of the Chin Human Rights Organisation, Ring Du Lachyung of the Kachin National Organisation UK and Maung Tun Khin of the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK.

Questions asked by Baroness Goudie at the House of Lords on 5th of April 2011
o ask Her Majesty’s Government what meetings United Kingdom government officials have had with representatives of the Rohingya ethnic minority in Burma.[HL8101]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): The Government are deeply concerned about the situation facing the Rohingya people. Foreign and Commonwealth officials in London often meet with the Burmese Rohingya Organisation and the Arakan Rohingya National Organisation-most recently on 10 March 2011. Our embassy in Rangoon meets on a regular basis with a wide range of ethnic groups. The Government remain committed to advocating fundamental freedoms and greater respect for human rights for all ethnic groups in Burma including the Rohingya.

Asked by Baroness Goudie

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the United Nations Department of Political Affairs to ensure that United Nations envoys to Burma meet and consult with ethnic Rohingya representatives.[HL8102]

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – As World Press Freedom Day is marked around the world, journalists claim Burma’s new government has not ushered in freedom of the press but superficial change is in the air.

media-freedom1In 1991, the United Nations declared May 3 as World Press Freedom Day to raise awareness about press freedom and remind all governments about the need for a free press.

Over the decades, Burma has suffered from strict censorship. But under the new government of President Thein Sein, the Press Scrutiny and Registration Division (PSRD) under the Information Ministry recently lifted censorship of some journals and eased their tight control over media coverage of certain subjects.

WASHINGTON (AFP) – US lawmakers called Tuesday on President Barack Obama to show greater urgency in setting up a UN probe into alleged war crimes in Myanmar, saying that widespread abuses were going unpunished.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in August last year that the United States would support a UN commission of inquiry, which could lead to charges against the military-backed regime in the country also known as Burma.

 Written by: Tanvi Pate

Only just in mid April, Thailand announced that it would close down nine refugee camps on its 1400 kilometres long eastern border with Myanmar. It’s important to consider as to why Thailand wants to end its twenty years humanitarian policy of assisting refugees? What kind of prospects might be faced by the refugees once they are back in Myanmar? What are the views of the Nongovernmental Organisations (NGOs) and what other options are in pipeline for the refugees that might enable them to escape this bleak scenario? This article considers these various questions and suggests some policy options for Thailand at the end.

Before moving forward onto other analysis it’s necessary to ponder upon the history and nature of the Burmese refugee problem that forced several hundred thousand Burmese into the Thai sanctuaries. 

 Syful Islam(Financial Express)

The government has turned down a US$33 million United Nations (UN) project aimed at reducing poverty in Cox's Bazar after it alleged that the scheme mainly targeted at the rehabilitation of Rohingya refugees in the country.

Four United Nations agencies - United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), World Food Programme (WFP), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) - initiated the project to cut poverty of the people living in Cox's Bazar's southern most sub-districts of Ukhia and Teknaf.

The sub-districts are home to more than 26,000 recognised and another 200,000 unrecognised Muslim Rohingya refugees who took shelter after fleeing decades-long persecution in northern Rakhine state of Myanmar.

BANGKOK, Thailand -- Tired, poor, huddled people seeking jobs in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, America and Europe have died on the high seas, suffocated in vehicles, toiled in sweatshops, and been expelled to countries where dictators lock them up.

Human traffickers eagerly profit from migrant workers' poverty, ignorance and desperation, including many unemployed men and women who beg to be smuggled abroad despite knowing the risks.