The Burma Collective

From Tenaganita

STOP THE UNJUST AND INHUMAN ARRESTS AND DETENTION OF REFUGEES

Women and children refugees are leaving their homes and moving deeper and deeper into the jungles to escape arrest and detention by RELA and the Immigration authorities. Gripped with fear and uncertainty, hundreds of refugees face the risk of lack of food and of diseases in the jungles.

During the last few weeks, the Malaysian government has stepped up intensive raids, especially in areas which have a high density of refugees and asylum seekers. These raids are well planned and organized. They happen during the day, in the wee hours of the morning or very late at night, when the authorities are certain that the refugees will be indoors or returning from work.

The raids often take place for several hours at a time. During the arrests, refugees run for their lives leading many to face injuries as a result of falls or accidents. Many flee their homes, with babies and little children in tow, leaving behind all their belongings, running for refuge in whatever form that may be. To be constantly vigilant and on the move is a persistent reality they face when running from being unjustly detained.

Reports from community members who have managed to escape arrests say that even children, whose parents may not be around at the time of the raid, are arrested. Upon arrests, the refugees are then placed in Immigration Detention Camps. The camps are already packed with refugees and undocumented migrants, thus the influx of arrests in these past few weeks could only lead to an increase in over-crowding and further deterioration of the conditions in the camp.

From the Chin Human Rights Organization

Ottawa, Canada: Chin Human Rights Organization is concerned that food aid being delivered to famine affected communities in Southern Chin State has been seized by local authorities.

CHRO has learnt that more than 300 bags of rice donated by Roman Catholic Church as relief aid for famine victims were seized by local authorities in Paletwa. A mandatory purchasing order was imposed on residents of Paletwa town by the authorities to buy the seized rice at an overpriced rate. Another 150 bags of rice donated for famine victims by the Church of the Province of Myanmar were also seized and sold for profits by the same local authorities during the month of February.

"People are struggling for their next meal. The seizure of the food aid has left most of us in a completely destitute situation. Only about 40 households in our village have enough food for the next few weeks," says a local villager.

Chin Human Rights Organization is calling on the State Peace and Development Council to allow unhindered humanitarian relief effort in Chin State and to create a conducive environment for delivery of basic needs for communities suffering starvation and famine in Chin State.

"We again stress the importance of quick action to respond to the dire humanitarian situation in Chin State. Timely response could really prevent a disaster. And unfortunately, the military regime is not interested in solving this problem," says Salai Bawi Lian Mang, Executive Director of Chin Human Rights Organization.

Chin Human Rights Organization reiterates its call on the international community, especially the World Food Program and individual governments concerned with Burma to help address the already deteriorating humanitarian situations in Western Burma.

Courtesy of Project Maje

A new report, “Desperate Conditions: Update on Malaysia as Burma Refuge” " has been released by Project Maje.

It is an update on the Project Maje report “We Built This City: Workers from Burma at Risk in Malaysia” (July 2007.) As reported in "Desperate Conditions" the situation for people from Burma seeking refuge and work in Malaysia has not improved at all. Raids by the Malaysian vigilante group Rela have continued and may be even more widespread. Rela activities are said to be especially violent and relentless in regions other than Kuala Lumpur, with the island of Penang especially prone to Rela raids. In addition to the abusive behavior of the government-sanctioned legitimate Rela units, the unlimited power of Rela has spawned copycat criminals who simply pose as Rela members in order to rob and extort from foreigners. Lack of police or government control of Rela continues in spite of international press coverage and pressure campaigns. Also, refugees in Malaysia express frustration with the UNHCR, whose entire interview process previously in place is said to have ground to a halt.

"Desperate Conditions" includes an account of a Kachin fugitive campsite where numerous young refugee men were trying to adapt the survival skills of their Himalayan foothills northern Burma homeland to a hidden scrub-jungle on the outskirts of suburban tropical Malaysia. It also includes a sample letter to be sent to Malaysia’s new Minister of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Datuk Syed Hamid Albar, asking him to put a stop to Rela's "anti-foreigner activities."

“Desperate Conditions: Update on Malaysia as Burma Refuge” can be found at www.projectmaje.org/malay08.htm

Project Maje is an independent information project which has distributed information on Burma's human rights and environmental issues since 1986.

Originally Published: Friday, 16 Sep 2005 05:31 AM PDT

When the Global Fund pulled out of Burma in August it sparked a flurry of debate and commentary over the issue of sending humanitarian aid to Burma. The Global Fund had promised US $98.4 million to fight HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in the country. It faced criticism going into Burma in the first place, from those who support total sanctions, and it faced criticism when it pulled out, from those who support ‘constructive engagement’ - at least in the form of aid. The Global Fund rejected claims that it had ultimately pulled out because of criticism from the former, instead citing restrictions placed on their operation, and movements, by the junta.

The Peace and Justice Studies Association will be holding its annual conference in collaboration with the Peace and Conflict Studies Consortium at Portland State University in Portland, Oregon, from September 11 - 14, 2008.

More information on registering to attend, or to submit a proposal to present at the conference can be found at the PJSA conference website

The conference theme will be “Building Cultures of Peace” - exploring historical, current and potential future elements of the local, regional, national and transnational struggles toward peace and justice by peaceable means.

Prior to the conference, a two day CANVAS training will be held. From the website:

"There will be a pre-conference strategic nonviolent civil resistance training offered at Portland State University, September 9-10, 2008. The training group, CANVAS (Centre for Applied NonViolent Action & Strategies, www.canvasopedia.org), operates around the world, helping indigenous civil society to shape their resistance nonviolently. The CANVAS trainers are all veterans of struggles that successfully ended a dictatorial regime (Serbia, Ukraine, apartheid in South Africa, etc.) This will be their first training ever in North America. This is some of the most effective and sought-after nonviolence training on Earth.

The CANVAS training is limited to 30 participants. The due date for your application is May 1, 2008. You will be notified by June 1, 2008."

The training is free for those selected, and housing is provided through volunteer hosts in Portland. Applications for the training can be submitted here.

The Regional Center for Social Science and Sustainable Development will be hosting a public seminar on 29 March 2008 in Chiang Mai, titled "Livelihood, Health, Labors of the Displaced: Policies and Practices Discrepancies"
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From Dr. Chayan Vaddhanaphuti
RCSD Director:

An increasing number of transnational migrant workers have become pressing issue in contemporary Thai society. Undeniably, Thailand largely depends on migrant labors in nearly every sector such as industry, fishery, construction, services and etc. In Samut Sakorn migrant labors are mostly filled up in fishery business while in Northern Thailand they mostly work for services and construction sectors. However, being considered as a non-Thai resident, they have difficulty in gaining access to fundamental state social welfare such as health care, education and etc.

A seminar, "Livelihood, Health, Labors of the Displaced: Policies and Practices Discrepancies" to be held on 29 March 2008 at Meeting Hall, Chiang Mai University's Art Museum, Nimmarnhemin Road will highlight current situation of migrant workers, complexity of displaced people and their problematic access to health services and will address these issues to the public and policy makers. The seminar is organized by the Regional Center for Social Science and Sustainable Development (RCSD), Faculty of Social Sciences, Chiang Mai University in association with Social Research Institute of Chiang Mai University, Friends Without Borders and Foundation for Peace Way Foundation. The seminar is a preparatory process leading to the conference on "Ethnicity and Cultural Pluralism" to be held in October 2008 in Chiang Mai.

Originally Published: Wednesday, 14 Sep 2005 11:04 PM PDT

The Burmese Junta has been doing an excellent job of ensuring there will be no more student uprising. Heck, if there are no students, there can't be an uprising! Ridiculously low teacher salaries, government controlled curricula and costs of tuition have made it so that only those with connections to the military can get a decent education in Burma. Everyone else is left to choose between their schooling and their livelihood.

Here's an excellent article on education in Kachin State, from Irrawaddy Magazine.

Taking a cue from New Mandala this is the first of what will be many posts "from the archives." These are my archives from the blog Burma Underground, which was started in 2005. This endeavor is partly out of an effort to move informative posts to this blog, and partly out of curiosity to review news and editorials from the last three years. Well, and to make up for a lack of blogging original posts here at the Books for Burma blog. So keep an eye out for more posts from the archives!

Martian Rumours
Originally Published: Friday, 26 Aug 2005 09:07 AM PDT

Rumours began circulating last week that there was a coup in Burma. Not a coup to be particularly excited about, mind you, as it was suspected the Junta's number two man, Maung Aye, had ousted General Than Shwe - who himself had seized power in an overthrow of General Khin Nyunt. But, as far as news goes, a coup is nothing to shake a stick at. For a few days at least, news agencies and the Thai intelligence were all abuzz trying get confirmation. Except for the paper which ran the original story, (which I haven't found, by the way) few Burma watchers ever believed it was true. Although unusual fluctuations in the exchange rate and price of gold in Burma did give some pause - it seems merely that the rumor was wreaking a bit of havoc in Yangon as well.

The Asia Society and Open Society Institute invites you to a panel discussion

The Crisis in Burma: In Search of a Unified International Response

Schedule:

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

6:00 – 6:30 p.m.: Registration

6:30 – 8:00 p.m.: Panel Discussion / Q & A

8:00 – 8:30 p.m.: Reception

Cost: $5 members, NGOs, seniors, students (w/ID), $7 non-members

Location:

Asia Society
725 Park Avenue at 70th Street
New York, NY

Six months have passed since the Burmese military government’s violent crackdown on thousands of monks who took to the streets of Rangoon in peaceful, pro-democracy demonstrations. While the brutality of the assault, subsequent mass arrests and heightened repression received an immediate burst of attention and media coverage around the world, the focus on Burma has waned steadily in recent months. After making a few initial concessions to the international community, such as allowing in a UN human rights investigator and permitting a government meeting with pro-democracy leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese junta continues to stand firm and political activists continue to be imprisoned.

Join us as the Asia Society and Open Society Institute convene a panel discussion to revisit the situation in Burma in light of the military government’s recently announced “roadmap to democracy,” including its intention to conduct a national referendum to approve a new constitution in May, followed by a multiparty general election in 2010. How credible is this development given that the new constitution would effectively bar independent political leaders from participating in the process? The panel will also assess recent efforts at the international and regional levels to advance national reconciliation in Burma. What role can and should international actors such as the United Nations and the United States play together with ASEAN and Burma’s influential neighbors?

Speakers:

Scot Marciel, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs

Thaung Htun, Representative for UN Affairs, National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma

Asia Society will stream a live webcast of this event starting at 6:30pm EST

E-mail your questions to moderator@asiasociety.org

As seating is limited, advance registration is suggested. To register, call 212-517-2742 or online at: tickets.asiasociety.org

For more information, visit our website at www.asiasociety.org