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

Sometime ago I posted about the movie Mystic Ball and the sport of Chinlone. Chinlone is a traditional, non-competitive Burmese sport where players in a circle pass a cane ball around using elaborate kicks. 'Elaborate kicks' is really an understatement, though. What some of these men and women can do with that little ball is simply amazing.

The DVD of Mystic Ball is also now available for purchase through the website.

I had the good fortune after writing that blog post to actually see the movie Mystic Ball at the International Film Festival here in Portland. Greg Hamilton is not a professional film maker, but his clear earnestness and passion for Chinlone and Burma make the movie an engaging watch. It's also a unique opportunity to watch some great footage of the sport being played, and to see into the lives of the ordinary Burmese people who are keeping the tradition alive.

Regular readers of Burma Underground have probably noticed that posting here has been a bit inconsistent over the last several months. This is mostly due to my own decision to scale back writing here in an effort to simplify and focus on other priorities - those other priorities mainly being related to Books for Burma. After a significant amount of time, effort, and frustration, Books for Burma finally has it's own proper website. The project has continued on a pretty small scale, but since starting it last November with our initial book drive, it has nonetheless continued to be successful. With that in mind, I will continue writing at the Books for Burma blog.

Burma Underground isn't going anywhere, though. Aye Aye will be posting here occasionally, and I may repost some of the highlights from the archives every now and then. Many of our visitors reach us through Google searches, so Burma Underground will hopefully continue to serve as a useful resource for those seeking information on Burma and the ethnic communities that have been featured on this blog. The blog at Books for Burma will also feature informative articles on current events and issues affecting the ethnic minorities and refugees from Burma, as well as articles related to education and the activists we are supporting with the project - so please come visit me there and bookmark the link!

Some of the best coverage of the revolution in Burma is done by Al Jazeera's youtube account:

Latest news is that the monks are not afraid and they will be back.

A few years ago I did a meditation at the Vipassana center in Rangoon. I keep remembering something that I was told there now....

2500 years ago Buddha made a prophecy that the true method of meditation that he used to attain nirvana would be kept alive within the golden land of Burma for 2500 years. After this time period it would spread from Burma around the world and enlighten mankind.

Seeing the monks and their fearless demand for human rights in the face of such extreme brutality is incredible. They are standing up for the rights of all people in the face of greed and exploitation.

Now we are hearing that Thailand is turning back refugees from it's border and shipping them back by the boat-load. Burma is supplying Thailand with a lot of electricity, while the Burmese people are on a system of rotation. We are also hearing that China is refusing to allow Burmese monks sanctuary as well.

Please continue to put pressure on China. Avoid buying Chinese made toys and shoes. Request retailers such as Walmart and Target to not buy from China. For more ideas on how to boycott Chinese goods please see: Boycott China this also provides you with a list of alternative toys that are not made in China.

Dear All,

Internet connections have been pretty much nonexistent since last Wednesday late in the day.

Things are very, very, VERY tense inside the country. In Yangon, many people are staying at home, keeping family close. Most people are at the very least getting in huge stocks of food, water and fuel. The hoarding is pretty amazing. People are locking their houses and gates earlier or all the time. The traffic (where there aren't road blocks) is very light. But still you can see people riding buses, selling fruit, building houses, etc., and trying to carry on with their daily routine. It isn't easy to do. Last week in Yangon, some people arrived at work in the downtown area on Wednesday morning and found themselves unable to return home for at least the following three nights, because the area of the city they were in was locked down while they were at work - no one was able to go in or out. The 9PM-5AM curfew in effect throughout Yangon and other major cities is already having an impact on lots of businesses.

Right now, the army appears to have the upper hand: they have demonstrated a willingness to shoot to kill, they've effectively shut down internet and most of the cell phone communications, and they have periodically disrupted landline phone service, as well. There continue to be some mild taunting and random acts of violence that demonstrate the levels of rage and fear that exist between groups, but mostly everyone is waiting to see if the monks made a Plan B to follow when Plan A was disrupted. It was clear the monks who began the "walking" had a plan, but how deep that plan went, what types of contingencies they were prepared for, etc., is very hard to say.

The monks raised the specter of the regime's long violence and oppression very effectively. Along with that, they revealed a deep void where strong Buddhist sentiments were always claimed to exist. The question is, now that has happened, what will keep the level of awareness high and the oppression and injustice acknowledged, AND what comes next???

Even in Myitkyina, a mostly non-Buddhist city way north in Kachin State, monks came out of the monasteries and walked, and paid a heavy price, including some monks being beaten to death. In Yangon, there were the biggest protests.

As you have heard, people have been shot or beaten to death, both monks and lay people, because of their involvement in or witnessing of the protests. But there have also been midnight raids on monasteries, where monks have been beaten and dragged off to be put in (rumor has it) a stadium on the outskirts of Yangon proper, where they have been left without adequate water, sanitation or food.

Monks who have escaped the roundups and have sought refuge in people's houses have been caught in the army's house-to-house searches. These same general themes hold true in any place where protests are taking place, not just Yangon. (In at least one case outside Yangon, young monks from a "government" monastery who disobeyed their abbott and joined the marches were turned over to the army by the abbott as punishment!!! However, that doesn't appear to be the norm.)

The people who give shelter, food or water to monks are also rounded up and carted away. Even many monasteries that haven't been participating in the marches are locked down and guarded by soldiers. No one goes in or out without permission, so there's no adequate food and water there, either.

It is important to note that the first monks in Yangon who were killed by the army died at the most revered pagoda in all of Burma, on a sacred, full moon day. The regime is clearly willing to do whatever it takes to keep their hold on power, AND they are very afraid of the political power of the monks.

What may not be so expected, at least from the outside, is the random acts of violence that are sparking up all over as the rage spills over. Thus the stories of army trucks being driven into a crowd of people at a market, or children getting out of school just when soldiers are chasing a group of people who have been taunting the soldiers, and suddenly school children are shot. This type of random violence is a pattern in Burma whenever things heat up. A few differences this time around are that the monks are so clearly the leaders of the protests (not so much the students); the regime has revealed its willingness to kill monks and violate pagodas, something we have never seen before; and we've also never seen them actually target foreigners with their violence, which they have done this time, although that isn't widespread.


Right now, life goes on - it's weird and very tense, but it goes on nonetheless.

A group in facebook.com has been creating great discussions and posting recent information on happenings in Burma. I was able to get a message from the British Ambassador, Mark Canning Sat, 29th about 11am, in which he said that Rangoon was calm, lots of troops around and more arrests at the monasteries overnight. He also sounded hopeful that "there are some encouraging signs too that possibly, possibly, some progress might be possible." I am sure he cannot say more than that at this point, but it gives hope. We were also able to get through to Rangoon last night via ...   more »

Ed.: The following article was received in my email from Malaysia but there was no media source referenced. Elizabeth Wong also has photos and info on the demonstration.

Kuala Lumpur, 28 September 2007

This morning, more than three thousand Burmese protesters , most of them wearing red marched in the street of Kuala Lumpur . They walked from Ampang Park to the Burmese Embassy, 2 kilometers away. There they had a very organized peaceful demonstration facing the local Riot police who were guarding the Embassy. Then they proceeded to the Chinese Embassy and the Russian Embassy to hand over a memorandum.

The demonstration was a joint effort of nine Burmese Organization here.   more »

197,687 people have so far signed this petition calling on China and the UNSC to support the protesters in Burma. Please join them.

September 28, 2007

Dear All,

Kindly forgive the brevity and the lack of formatting of the following email. I am now sending this information out as we are now receiving it. As many of you are now aware phone lines have been cut, mobile networks have been disabled, and Internet access has also been disabled. Information, therefore, is now very difficult to obtain and confirm. I therefore am unable to confirm any of that which follows, but my sources are adamant that this is the truth:

Soldiers from LID #66 have turned their weapons against other SPDC soldiers and possibly police in North Okkalappa township in Rangoon and are defending the protesters. At present unsure how many soldiers involved. Some reports cite "heavy shooting" in the area.

Other unconfirmed reports have stated that soldiers from LID #33 in Mandalay have refused orders to act against protesters. Some reports claim that many soldiers remained in their barracks. More recent reports now maintain that soldiers from LID #99 now being sent there to confront them.

Reports of approx. 10,000+ protesters gathering around the Traders Hotel in Rangoon.

Reports of 10,000+ protesters gathering at San Pya Market in Rangoon.

Further reports of approx. 50,000 protestors gathering at the Thein Gyi Market in Rangoon.

According to Mizzima, an unknown number of soldiers from Central Command and South East Command are presently on their way to Rangoon to reinforce SPDC army troops.

Also according to Mizzima, an unknown number of aircraft have been scrambled from "Matehtilar" airbase - probably a reference to Meiktila in Mandalay Division.

According to one journalist, SPDC have turned water cannons against crowds at Sule Pagoda. The report maintains that the water contained some type of chemical. awaiting further information.


Please circulate this information as widely as as quickly as possible.

Regards,

Jason
Research Director
Human Rights Documentation Unit
National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma

I posted a new photo to Burma.

By Anonymous

Ignorance
In 1988, when students and monks were massacred in Myanmar, Universities were closed and the education system completed its deterioration. A whole generation of young people were left without a means of education. Many students found ways to teach themselves, but in general the lack of higher education along with the system of memorization used in elementary through secondary levels resulted in a huge loss of the potential human resources of the country. In this way the younger generations were handicapped, taught to accept and internalize the twisted histories and other lies fed to them in state run schools instead of being taught how to use their brains, how to think, and how to question. They were taught fear instead. The news and media surrounding them was always manipulated and controlled by the Junta. Myanmar is a country in which rumors fly as no where else. When the US invaded Iraq this last time, many respectable Burmese sincerely believed that the US had tanks lined up on the border of Myanmar and Thailand, finally coming to free them. In reality, the US government marked Myanmar down on their black-list as a dangerous country harboring evil terrorists out to destroy the American people.

When I look at what the education system in the United States of America has become it doesn’t seem very different from that in Myanmar. We are not being taught how to think but only to accept what we are given. Even at our University levels we are rewarded for parroting back what we are fed. It is now common knowledge that our media is controlled by a few groups whose purpose is to keep us in fear of the outer world. It has just been over the last couple years that the majority of Americans have realized this. Still today, many of us believe everything we see on the news. We are constantly surrounded by commercialism and fed mind-dulling nonsense about what is healthy for our bodies, and then told the opposite the next day. This keeps us all confused and in fear of cancer, terrorists, bad-credit, other religions, fires, tornadoes, you name it, that we dare not think for ourselves any more.   more »

I posted a new photo to Burma.

By Anonymous

While exploring the markets and tea-shops of various cities in Myanmar I have had some interesting discussions with people from all over the country. As we all know, Aung San Su Kyi, Myanmar’s elected President who has been under house arrest for more than a decade, requested that tourists not come to Myanmar in order to boycott the military regime. I have done a lot of low-budget traveling around Myanmar, and I have worked in the tourist industry for extended periods of time. In light of the recent events in Myanmar I am compelled to put forth my perspective, and to pass on what many Burmese citizens from all over Myanmar have discussed with me.

The first time I visited Myanmar was in 1996, the last time I was there was the end of 2006. Please excuse me if the writing is sometimes disjointed as the images I have seen on YouTube of the thousands of Monks marching in the street, brings up strong emotions in me of terror, amazement and vast respect for what they are doing.

Tourism in Myanmar
What I have seen in regards to the tourist industry in Myanmar is that there are basically two categories. The major one being package tour groups. These are generally older people, and they mostly come from Europe—from Italy and Germany. These package tours visit Myanmar for ten days. They go from Inle Lake to Bagan to Ngapali, they stay at the same hotels, eat at the same restaurants and shop at the same tourist shops. They are guided around by the same tour guides and their money does indeed support the military and their cronies. As a result I have seen some incredibly decadent hotels built in these areas of the country in the last five years. This type of tourist never sees the real Myanmar or interacts on the local level with Burmese people. I wouldn’t be surprised if these tour groups had never heard of Aung San Su Kyi or her request not to support the military regime.   more »

The following is a series of excerpts from the book From the Land of Green Ghosts: A Burmese Odyssey, by Pascal Khoo Thwe. They were submitted by an anonymous reader for their relevance to the current ongoing protests led by monks in Burma. As the submitter says, "When I re-read these sections, they seemed so pertinent to what is happening now it is scary. It seems history does repeat itself. The BBC seems to have forgotten that protests were also headed by monks in '88, and the military regime had no qualms gunning them down."

The book itself is an absolute must-read for anyone with an interest in Burma. Apart from being beautifully written, it offers a native perspective on the country and the political events that have unfolded in the last century - something that is rare among books written on Burma.

Hopefully these passages will provide some valuable insight and inspiration for readers.

Propaganda
In Burma, apart from good and bad news, there was ‘fragrant’ news. The term denoted news that was good but that was given a sarcastic or hostile twist by the regime. The ‘fragrant’ news from the West at that time was of the new computer age, of advanced technologies and of political freedom. People reacted in different ways to the news, but always and necessarily from a position of ignorance. Our teachers could hardly enlighten us, for they both shared the general ignorance and were at the same time obliged to apply the official ideology to the scraps of puzzling information that came their way. The result was an amalgam of the regime’s anti-colonialism and resolutely pre-modern superstition.   more »

September 19, 2007
From Kachin News Group

Students in Bhamo University have emulated those in Myitkyina University by launching an identical poster movement aimed at the Burmese military junta yesterday. The demands are the same as those of Myitkyina University students in Kachin State.

Over a hundred A-4 size posters were pasted on the key buildings in Bhamo town including four state high schools, Bhamo University, Computer College, Nursing College, government offices and the junta's administrative offices called Ma-Ya-Ka and Ya-Ya-Ka, a student leader told KNG today.

The five-point charter of demands in the students' posters are identical to those put up in Myitkyina-- to roll back oil and essential commodity prices, to immediately stop the Myitsone Hydroelectric Power project, to release all political prisoners and to solve the country's problems by initiating a "Tripartite Dialogue" which should including the ruling junta, political opposition political parties and ethnic leaders.

In Bhamo, the authorities have tightened security and the posters were torn up by security personnel, local students and eyewitnesses said.

This is the first students' movement in Bhamo, the second largest city of Kachin State after the 1988 people's pro-democracy movement in Burma. They will continue with protest against the regime, student leaders said.
Meanwhile, Buddhist monks in Myitkyina continue to be under virtual house arrest and have been kept under tight control inside the rooms of their monasteries to prevent them from protesting against the junta on the orders of Kachin State's Commander Maj-Gen Ohn Myint since Saturday night.

The two main monasteries of Wuntu and Suu Taung Pyi in Myitkyina are being closely watched all the time by the authorities, said local residents.

According to Myitkyina residents, the commander Maj-Gen Ohn Myint is trying to prevent any demonstration in the township.

Although much of the news recently has been focused on the protests triggered by the fuel price hikes in Burma, there are other events that deserve to not be overlooked. In Kachin State, a protests have unfolded in the form of a poster movement in response to both the price hikes and the closing of the Junta's National Convention.

On September 3rd, the junta finally brought to a close after 14 years the convention to draft an outline for the constitution. During the final round of proposals, the Kachin Independence Organization submitted a 19-point proposal calling for autonomy and a federal governing system, as well as for the ethnic armed groups to be integrated into the national forces. The government's predictable response blocking discussion of the proposal, as well as threats and a continued increase in military posturing in Kachin State, makes it difficult to think the KIO's proposal was anything but calculated.   more »

It is fairly obvious that I've been remiss in covering the recent events in Burma. Rest assured I have been following the news closely, though, and will do my best to cover the news of the last month or so.

The initial protests were in response to the junta's surprise 500% increase in fuel prices on August 15th. The subsequent increase in transportation fares meant many people in the cities were left stranded, unable to pay their fares to get to work or school.

ALTSEAN Burma has a detailed report on the protests, as well as an interactive map showing details and locations of the demonstrations.

The first peaceful protests were organized and led by members of the 88 generation student leaders in Rangoon, but as demonstrations spread to the rest of the country, they took on new dimensions. Demonstrations soon became focused not only on the fuel hikes, but also on the heavy-handed tactics of the junta. In Taungup, Arakan, an estimated 1000 people spontaneously joined in a march initiated by 15 NLD members demanding the release of two men arrested during a previous demonstration.

One key aspect of the current situation is the involvement of monks in protesting the government - with the moral authority monks carry in Burma, ongoing opposition and boycotts by the sangha could create an uncontrollable situation for the military regime. on August 28th, 200 monks marched in the streets of Akyab calling for a reduction in fuel prices on behalf of the people. In Pakkoku on September 5th, 500 monks had their demonstration broken up by soldiers firing shots over their heads and attacking several of the men. When authorities later went to apologize for the use of force, they found themselves taken hostage in the monastery and their vehicles being burned.

After the Pakkoku incident, monasteries issued letters demanding officials apologize, and threatening a boycott of the government if they did not also roll back fuel prices - with September 18th given as a deadline.

BNI Online is probably the best place to keep up with the breaking news, as they post articles coming in from several smaller news agencies in the region.

The last few days it's been difficult to keep up with the events unfolding in the lead up to the threatened monks' boycott and protests.

On September 14th, military officials were thrown out of a temple in Phayarkyi quarter by the monks there. Government officials have been approaching abbots and monks around the country to 'encourage' them not to participate in any forthcoming demonstrations. In Akyab, Abbots were forced to join a committee to cooperate with government officials in preventing demonstrations. Other monasteries were asked to keep their monks from traveling to central Burma. In Pegu, 1,800 monks at two monasteries were barred from their morning alms rounds to collect food offerings. The abbots at the two monasteries had previously rejected the junta's request to "take responsibility" if their monks joined in the protests.

Perhaps one of the more disturbing events, in Myityina, Kachin State, several hundred young student monks seemingly disappeared from several monasteries. It now seems that the monks were put under house arrest. According to locals, the young monks, known as koyins, are being forced to stay in their rooms and are being fed by military authorities. Government security forces are stationed both within and near the monasteries, each of which have an estimated 200 koyins in residence. The idea that the government is providing food is perhaps not insignificant, as monks rely on food alms for their sustenance, and the threatened boycott would entail the monks rejecting alms from those associated with the government.

Today an estimated 1,000 monks are marching in Rangoon. The protest started out with 60, and continued to grow despite government efforts to stop it. It remains to be seen how this might continue to unfold in the rest of the country.

From Project Maje:

A new report, "We Built this City: Refugees from Burma at Risk in Malaysia" has been released by Project Maje. The report reveals the plight of refugees from Burma who have worked on Malaysia's massive infrastructure projects but gained no gratitude for their labor. "We Built this City" highlights the persecution currently being inflicted on the refugees by a highly controversial government-sanctioned anti-immigrant vigilante force called Rela, which has been hunting down, beating, robbing and imprisoning foreigners in Malaysia. "We Built this City" includes background on the refugees in Malaysia, interviews with refugee construction workers from Burma's Chin State, and links to articles on the Rela raids, as well as a letter writing action campaign.

"We Built this City: Refugees from Burma at Risk in Malaysia" can be found at www.projectmaje.org

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

Kyle over at Immigration Orange has been trying to get the word out about Chiquita. The famous banana company pled guilty to paying almost $2 million to right-wing paramilitary organizations in Colombia, even after they were designated as terrorist groups.

I wish I had more time to investigate and write about this issue for my readers, but Kyle has links to more resources and info at his own blog. One link I do want to point out, though, is Oke, a fair-trade banana company!

Nathaniel Tan, the Malaysian blogger and activist who was arrested on the 13th and remanded to police custody for four days has been released on bail. He has posted his statement about the events at his blog. His statement is an eloquent and inspiring response, and there's really nothing I could say to add to it here. Here are a few excerpts from his statement, but do go read the whole thing.

I was eventually made to understand that I was arrested in connection to accusations made on the internet regarding Datuk Johari Baharum.

The connection to me was based on a comment made on my blog that was made by an anonymous commentor on the 10th of Februrary, 2007.

It was prepostorous of the police to suspect me of publishing these accusations based on documents protected by the Official Secrets Act that were supposedly in my posessesion. There is absolutely nothing even remotely resembling proof to substantiate such claims.   more »

Malaysian blogger and activist Nathaniel Tan, from Bangkit.net and Jelas.info was arrested without charge on Friday. He was taken from his work Friday afternoon by plainclothes officers who did not identify themselves, and did not tell him he was being arrested or the reason he was wanted for questioning. He was asked to bring his laptop and told that it had something to do with the internet. Police had him in lock-up for six hours while his friends and colleagues searched for him, all the while denying that they had him in custody.

The court remanded him to custody on Saturday for four days, in a closed-door hearing which police attempted to orchestrate without informing Nat's lawyers (from Elizabeth Wong). Nat has not actually been charged with a crime, but is being held for an investigation - even though the police have already seized his laptop and home computer, as well as CD-Roms and documents.

The current official line is that Nat is being held under section 8 of the Official Secrets Act.   more »

The following article was submitted by a reader and author of the fun and informative website Hella Delicious. Burma is a complex and wonderful country, and it's always great to learn something new about it. Other Burma Underground readers are also welcome to submit articles to be published here.

Golden Spice Lilly of the Golden Land
Renee Htein

An unexpected storm in the middle of the cold dry season caused havoc on the highway up the mountains to the Shan plateau. The large air-conditioned bus with its frozen passengers came to a halt. In the last few minutes before the sun rose I was advised to go to the toilet. “Why?” I asked, expecting to hear an explanation about how the first elimination of the day should be before the sun comes up to maintain a strong constitution. “Once the sun comes up everyone will see you, there are cars stopped on every bend, and who knows how long we will be here,” came the logical answer. I quickly found an especially dark spot to do my business.

As the sun rose I went to have a look at what had stopped the traffic. After passing about fifty huge buses and trucks, I reached the source of the problem. A truck overloaded with cabbages had tried to pass another large truck on a tight corner. It was lucky to still be on the road, the front left tire hung over a steep cliff which disappeared into the mist. People milled around, watching the trucks as if they were going to move themselves. I was soon envisioning being trapped on this red muddy road for days and decided to grab my small bag and head to the other side of the traffic jam. “That mile post does say only twenty miles to Kalaw,” I convinced myself, squinting at the Burmese numerals on the muddy mile post nearby. Another impatient young fellow opted to go with me. After a brief jungle treck we found ourselves being dropped off outside the central market in Kalaw, vastly relieved that a friendly pickup had given us a ride. The journey along the windy mountain road had been much longer than I imagined.   more »

228 Burmese Asylum Seekers and Refugees Arrested by RELA

SUARAM is informed that 228 asylum seekers and refugees from Burma were arrested in an operation by the Malaysian Immigration and RELA (People’s Voluntary Corps) raid today (25 June 2007). About 2.00am, the joint force raided the Chin Refugee Centre and Chin communities at Jalan Imbi and Jalan San Peng, Kuala Lumpur.

Most of the detainees are recognised as refugees by the United Nations High Commission of Refugees (UNHCR). Among them, 30 people are underaged, 5 are pregnant women and 10 are people who will be sent to the United States of America tomorrow for resettlement. Chin refugee leader U Sang was also among those arrested.   more »

Malaysian newspaper The Star has a great article about Kachin refugees in Malaysia, in honor of World Refugee Day. It's a pleasant departure from the typical articles focusing on the negative conditions of refugees - the jungle camps and overcrowded apartments - and does a good job of reflecting the personality and character of those interviewed. They also have a related article about a new class being held for the Kachin children.

A tidbit from the first article for you:

Unlike most of his countrymen, Kam Li is fluent in English and was able to represent his community in encounters with the locals.

“The name ‘leader’ is high-sounding but my work is really at the ground level. I go to the different settlements, I bring the sick to the clinic, look into the education programme and the welfare of the pregnant women and such.

“Sometimes our people are detained at the police station. These people are from my community, and I’m their leader so I have to go and explain their situation. Some police do not even know what UNHCR is,” says Kam Li who holds a UNHCR card that identifies him as a refugee entitled to protection under the international human rights law.

I am now missing my friends. Go read the article, and if you know a refugee, wish them a happy day and give them a hug.

Last week I posted a comment over at Burma Digest on a post about the AEIOU program. AEIOU is an open university program for Burmese nationals, and is based in Chiang Mai. Part of the requirements of the program is that students return to their communities for study and work for part of the year. You can read the full post and comment here. Given the number of undocumented refugees from Burma living in Thailand, I was curious as to how they could meet such requirements, if they were unable to return to their own communities, or had no 'community' in their current situation. Professor Kanbawza Win sent me a personal reply, which is copied in its entirety below.   more »

Dated: 18th June 2007

We, the Kachin National Organization, strongly condemn the recent State Peace and Development Council's (SPDC) order to demolish the Bum San Kachin Baptist Church, located near the 105-mile gate office in Muse, Northern Shan State of Burma. The SPDC confiscated many Church buildings and lands, and restricted religious freedom in Burma for several decades. We appeal to the SPDC to dismiss its order to remove Bum San Kachin Baptist Church and to return all confiscated Churches and Church lands to the respective church bodies. We also ask SPDC to treat Christians and people of other religions on equal footing; and to fully abide by the laws and respect freedom of religion in Burma.

Whilst the Christian Solidarity Worldwide released a report highlighting the religious persecutions and discriminations against Christians and other religions in Burma, the SPDC bluntly denies any existence of such violations in Burma. The SPDC even forcefully asked the religious bodies to sign false declaration saying that they are enjoying full religious freedom. We have several evidences that the SPDC officials approached the religious leaders concerned to sign the confession papers. Contrary to the SPDC's claim, the recent act by the Burmese military government to demolish Bum San Kachin Baptist Church is purely a violation of religious freedom in Burma.

We, the Kachin National Organization warns the SPDC that your current treatment to other religions would create more consequences in Burma similar to that of U Nu's era. Many Kachin Christian believers joined Kachin Independent movement when U Nu bluntly declared Buddhism as a state religion for Burma. The history will repeat itself unless Burmese junta fully accepts co-existence and ethnicity diverse in the Union Of Burma.

Finally, we urge all Kachin Christians to protect our churches by all means and Christian from all over the world to condemn Burmese military junta’s fascist policy.



The Central Committee
Kachin National Council
Kachin National Organization


Contact for further information:

UK Office: knoffice_uk AT yahoo.com
Thailand Office: kno_office AT yahoo.com
India Office: kno_India AT yahoo.com
USA Office: kno_usa@yahoo.com
Denmark Office: knodk AT yahoo.co.uk
Japan Office: kno5japan AT yahoo.com

By Salai Za Uk Ling
www.chinlandguardian.com

11 April 2007 – Kuala Lumpur: Dally Sui Hlei Par, a 7 year-old refugee girl who was found murdered and mutilated a week after she went missing on March 20 was finally laid to rest in Kuala Lumpur this afternoon.

More than 500 Chins and local sympathizers attended the emotional funeral and burial service at Cheras Christian cemetery. Funeral goers braved the drizzling rain to pay their last respect to Dally whose decomposing body was discovered under the bushes near the family’s home with both her hands severed at the wrists.

Dally’s peers and classmates sang an emotional farewell song dedicated to her memory.

Like other refugee and undocumented children, Dally didn’t have access to formal primary education in Malaysia. Chin refugee children receive informal education in community schools run by groups such as Chin Students Organization and Chin Women’s Organization.

Read more...

Van Biak Thang
www.chinlandguardian.com

A distant knell echoed 'long the horizon
Like a whisper that blows a hollow horn;
Tears dropped and hearts ached in silent pain
Over a tragic brutal loss of a seven-year old girl,
So sweet and lovely, Delly Sui Hlei Par.
She loved to play, pray and her stories share:
How she wanted to be free and live to care
When the family's to the States fly in hours
All her dreams but turned into a nighmare
Vanishing like a puff of smoke into breezy air   more »

(CHRO Press Release)

CHRO joins the Malaysian Parliamentary Caucus for Democracy in Burma in their call for the Malaysian government to take immediate action in the case of Dally Sui and to protect all Burmese children living in Malaysia. As a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, Malaysia has a responsibility to uphold and ensure the rights of all children, including refugee and undocumented children, are protected.

THE CASE OF DALLY SUI

Dally Sui is seven year old Chin girl who was abducted on 20 March. Her body was later found with her hands severed at the wrist on 27 March. Dally Sui and her family fled Burma, and had been living in Malaysia as refugees since 2002. She went missing the day before she and her family were scheduled to leave Malaysia to be resettled to the United States.

After becoming aware that Dally Sui had disappeared, her parents immediately filed a missing persons report with the police. As the hours turned into days and the search for Dally Sui spread throughout the Chin community in Kuala Lumpur, the police did little to help. Despite repeated requests for their involvement, the authorities failed to take exert the effort even to simply speak to the distraught parents or interview the neighbors

In the end, Dally Sui was found dead with her body dumped in some undergrowth just 4 kilometers from her parent’s house. Her hands remain unaccounted for and her killer has still not been identified by the authorities. Her parent’s must now face leaving for the United States without receiving answers about the death of their little girl.   more »

From the KNO:

A gang-rape case in Putao

March 22nd, 2007

On February 2nd, 2007, shocking news broke out from the highland plains of Duk Dang Village, Putao. This day of infamy will go down in history as evidence of the State Peace and Development Council's savagery, brutality, and oppression. Over a month has passed but we, the Kachin people around the world, have not forgotten the despicable act committed by Maj. Zaw Min Thet, Capt. Win Myint Oo, Capt. Kyaw Ze Ya, and four other service members of Infantry Battalion 138.

More than 10 years ago our Kachin people decided to try and resolve over 30 years of war with the central government by peaceful means. With solicitation from our Burmese counterparts we thought we could bury our differences and begin the mission of rebuilding our homeland. We have now reached 13 years since the ceasefire agreement and the results are extremely discouraging. Kachinland has been reduced to an international hotspot for the raging HIV epidemic, illicit drug production and deforestation is rampant, malnutrition among children is on the rise, and human rights violations continue unabated as the structures of civil society are weakened and torn down.   more »