The Sail

 

 

World Refugee Day

Briefing Notes, 20th June 2009

This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Ron Redmond – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at the press briefing, on 19 June 2009, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

Tomorrow (Saturday, June 20) is World Refugee Day – a day we remember the more than 42 million uprooted people worldwide as well as the tens of millions of former refugees who have rebuilt their lives.

As the High Commissioner notes in his World Refugee Day message, this is a time of enormous global uncertainty, especially so for tens of millions of refugees and displaced people uprooted by conflict and persecution. They have lost not only their livelihoods and their homes, but their loved ones, their friends, their communities and their countries.

As we reported on Tuesday, there were more than 42 million refugees and internally displaced people worldwide at the end of 2008. And the number has grown significantly since the beginning of this year – in places such as Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Somalia. Although this is a huge number, each and every one of them has a very human story to tell.

Refugees are not faceless statistics – they are real people just like us who through no fault of their own have lost everything. And those who work with refugees are struggling more than ever to meet even their most basic needs. Thus the theme of this year’s World Refugee Day – “Real People, Real Needs.” The sobering reality is that there are substantial gaps in our ability to provide them with essentials such as shelter, health, education, nutrition, sanitation and protection from violence and abuse.

The High Commissioner cites some of those gaps in his message.

The global economic crisis, gaping disparities between North and South, growing xenophobia, climate change, the relentless outbreak of new conflicts and the intractability of old ones all threaten to exacerbate this already massive displacement problem.

So World Refugee Day is a good time to remember the 42 million uprooted people around the world who are still waiting to go home .As Mr. Guterres says, they are among the most vulnerable people on Earth and helping them must be a priority.

UNHCR offices worldwide have prepared a wide range of activities for World Refugee Day, including light shows, film screenings, photography exhibitions, lectures, panel discussions, food bazaars, fashion shows, cultural performances, concerts and sports contests. Events include a concert at Washington’s Kennedy Center by Congolese vocalist and bandleader Samba Mapangala; a football match between refugees from Myanmar and Sudan in Australia; a musical performance by Kurdish refugees from Iran in northern Iraq; and a film festival in Japan.

Angelina Jolie and our other committed Goodwill Ambassadors are doing their part to help as well. We issued a press release late yesterday on an event in Washington, DC, featuring Ms. Jolie and the High Commissioner. A video of the Washington event can be viewed on the UNHCR website.

Here in Geneva, the 140-metre-high Jet d’Eau is being lit in UN blue and UNHCR flags will be flown along the Mont Blanc Bridge and on city buses and trams. UNHCR staff will take part in a city walk starting at 1145 a.m. this morning , arriving back at our headquarters at 1300 hours.

On Monday, UNHCR launched its new website as part of activities timed to coincide with World Refugee Day. On Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. EST in the United States (2 p.m. to 2 a.m. GMT) a new web site, www.refugeedaylive.org , will feature live video streams from Iraq, Pakistan, a refugee camp in Africa and a settlement for the displaced in Colombia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Statement On World Refugees Day”, 20th June 2008

Message by UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres to mark World Refugee Day, 2008

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees began work in 1951 with the specific protection challenge of finding solutions for Europeans uprooted in the aftermath of World War II.

Today, the world is different and refugee protection is vastly more challenging.

 

Old barriers to human mobility have fallen and new patterns of movement have emerged, including forms of forced displacement that were not envisaged by the ‘51 UN Refugee Convention.

Conflict today may be motivated by politics, but looking deeper it can also be about poverty, bad governance, climate change leading to competition for scarce resources. Recent food and fuel shortages have had an immediate and dramatic effect on the poor and the dispossessed, including refugees and the internally displaced. Extreme price increases have generated instability and conflict in many places, with the very real potential of triggering more displacement.

 

These new challenges make it all the more important that we find ways to address the increasingly complex root causes of displacement. And the best solution is prevention. We need to better understand what triggers displacement, why states are unable or unwilling to provide citizens with physical, material or legal security.

At the UN refugee agency, we focus on protecting the rights and well-being of refugees. This includes ensuring that those fleeing violence and persecution are given access to safety and life-saving assistance, as well as long term support during exile and eventual durable solutions for them to be able to rebuild their lives.

But our work is becoming increasingly difficult in many parts of the world. In some countries efforts to control illegal migration are failing to make a proper distinction between those who choose to move and those who are forced to flee because of persecution and violence. And all too often, we see refugees turned away at the borders of countries where they had hoped to find safety and asylum.

 

Now asylum and immigration issues are not always addressed in a rational, equitable or effective manner. And people in wealthy countries should be aware that most of the world’s refugees are found in the developing world, and some of the largest migratory movements take place within the South. And many developing nations have shown enormous generosity in accepting refugees and deserve much more support and solidarity.

 

On this World Refugee Day, I would like to pay tribute to all of those who have been forcibly uprooted and to the many humanitarians who help them. Refugees show incredible courage and perseverance in overcoming enormous odds to rebuild their lives. Ensuring that they get the protection they deserve is a noble cause because refugee rights are human rights – and rights that belong to us all.

Thank you.

………………

 

 UNHCR recognized a Refugee who had been detained 6 times and deported 3 times, had sent a letter to us. Who refused to be identify for fear of various reflections. He wrote as

Dear The Sail’s Editor,…

 

• … A Memorandum On World Refugees Day…

“Decade of Failure”

As we celebrate refugees day, refugees all over the world face failure of their rights on daily basis. However refugees Day comes and pass may have a little improvement to meet international obligation in recognition of the right to life and dignity that refugee protection is a fundamental rights both on humanitarian and human rights grounds. But this year had landed by Nargis Cyclone victims about 1.5 million, beside hundred of thousand people dead. Burmese groups around the world had been calling humanitarian bodies to relief Nargis victims regardless of illegal Junta’. But, still remaining illegal Junta’s theory and Nargis victims dying by endangering life and health. At the same time, many of activists were arrested for their humanitarian supports and unknown numbers of activists had been flowed into refugee population. During the similar flow applies on ‘monk’s peace movement; referendum issues. It is the need to adopt a new sanction to illegal Junta’s establishing human rights violations..

 

Which includes, Burma’s rulers denied a present territory of Rohingya in seventh century AD, and Rohingya are not considered to be Burmese citizens.

 

Rohingya is one of the most unforgotten and isolated people from Burma. They do not leave their homes willingly. They were endlessly facing traumatic persecution particularly, expulsion from homeland, depriving all sources of their rights, prosecution, oppressed by Burma’s rulers, regarding long standing campaign to Victimize and Burmanize. It makes them to flee from homeland and passing the risks for many days that trying to find safety in different lands,. But their arrival to close regions, had been rendered by it legislation under defining act of illegal migrants and then disposing to slavery campaign in regard of modern day persecution. After escape from such territory, a few numbers were hopping to meet their obligation under it concern agency to provide legal representation and meet legal instrument. But they had been isolated to meet such kind of instrument or such instrument was not provided for Rohingya.

 

We also well known about UNHCR recognized Burmese refugees’ suffering and facing in the circle of arrest, detention, uncertain deportation and selling for various secret purposes in closed regions. The other hand, on the flow of international humanitarian communities serious in helping refugees, some occasional arguments are growing to host government to recognize all refugees, particular group for Rohingyas, including ratification of “Refugees Conventions” (regardless of host government’s reluctant to response, yet), and then to regularize by IMM-13 ‘work permit’ (regardless of tandem affects and refugees’ claimants), (“IMM-13 is not authorized as a citizen or travel document”, said Mohd Nazri, Minister in Prime Minister Department, on 02 Nov 2004, source from malaysiakini.).

 

Where not signatory to both of refugees conventions, no legislation protection for refugees or asylum-seekers, yet require to reflect by the spirits of International Customary law: CRC: CEDAW: Detention Rights. When refugees was arrested and detained in horrific condition, no one (or) no representation with them, no one can provide legal aid and no one interest the past one regarding media theory, as well as passed invisibility to highlight as illegal immigrants. Reportedly, every one of UNHCR recognized 15,000 Rohingya refugees had been faced arrest, detention, deportation regardless of age and condition and out of about 10% had been punished by whipping. They are still under the attest of ‘clarifying illegal’. About 4,000 Rohingya children are willing yet to ensure their legal learning of basic education.

 

MERHROM’s Mr.Zafar said, “he had been reported to ‘UN special reporter on the right to education’, in early 2007. The other hand, “Dr. Volker Turk’s confidential promise is ‘refugees will not affected by the crackdown’ had been failed again in 2005. (source highlighted in malaysiakini, 15 Dec 2004). As well as he better understood the situation but failed to tackle and casual-transferred. It became to believe that Rohingyas were isolated from its agenda, like the previous. Ensured lives like in limbo, while unscrupulous solution was set no parameter”, said an activist.

 

But there was over concerning on breaching “Fundamental International Law” that facing problems by refugees including over crowding; various inhumane abuses; providing malnutrition food and insufficient diet, criminal justice system and modern day slavery in the respect of international level. However, there are not reducing the continuous exercising according to it country’s legislation in the host and then nothing advanced protection of refugees or ‘refugees rights’. Incidentally, some of a few numbers are mis-leaning and mis-wondering on controversial, but they were not also free from such circle. We were still treating as the host’s enemy No. (2).

 

We well known that discrimination is not welcomes in human rights campaigns but doing in verbal task and practices with discrimination in certain humanitarian field. Also, un-welcomes that refugees facing abuses in humanitarian premises, on their inevitable approaches. Therefore, humanitarian challenges strongly oppose that frontier UNHCR has certained in misinforming to;

Rohingya refugees that

1. (a)“Chins are likely to be resettle” ,Source from malaysiakini, on 15 March 2007. But this creates hotility amongst Burmese refugees.

 (b) “Administration has not yet ordered resettlement for Rohingya”, replied    in Ajil detention camp, on Nov 2007. (testimony by most Rohingya detainee refugees)

(c) “we, office does submit non Rohingya for resettlement process, is our policy”,replied by phone. (some Rohingya refugees were reported to area based community)

1. Malaysian government that “all refugees may are set to return home following a peace deal          between the government and rebel there”. Source from malaysiakini, on Local media that “resettlement is depend on various resettlement countries, not by UNHCR”, Source from malaysiakini, on15 March 2007

2. “There was certainly a decline in resettlement post-Sept 11. That’s because of a changed security environment.” Said Dr Volker Turk, Head representative Officer for UNHCR-Malaysia. Source from malaysiakini on 10 Nov 2004.

3. Foreign reporters that “some a few numbers were succeed in local integration and most are still under the process of local integration”( according to a reporter reported to area based community, before 2008 )

4. Foreign reporters that “the time after election is moved to positive and some hopes in opposition and government” (according to a reporter reported to area based community,, in April 2008 )

5. “According to Office policy you are not eligible for resettlement”, replied by mlslu@unhcr.org, on 17 Jan 2006

6. “we, UNHCR cannot help Rohingya”, replied by an officer who visited to Semenyith detention camp, in an interviewed with a prolong detainee Rohingya on 04 June 2008.

 

It means indirectly neither Rohingya refugees became an interest group nor un-isolated group. It comes to know that if a Rohingya was arrested, the person was forced to accept withdrawal consently after prolong detained and tied for deportation. Because of no resettlement process, no protection for constant security problems, no way to get release like others, can not deport to different country, no accept by home country and no one to care the rest of detainee’s family. Unfortunately, the detainee Rohingyas were sold to human traffickers and forced to pay unbearable amount 1700 to 2500 RM for smuggling entry or free.

 

Otherwise, would be sold into fishing boat or serve in plantation or sex worker sectors with uncertain duration. Reportedly, many are still missing. Usually, it frontier agency also not highlight and just erase the deportee person and then not interest where the person are, according to it policy. The worst is Rohingyas was mis-using and mis-informing by various ways and misconception that “Rohingya is closed to Malaysia, affiliation is a solution, generally every single refugee suffering is simple”. Particularly, we are being closed to such circle of’. Untold suffering that how they surviving while no right to work; no right to stay; lack of handle and sanitation by it frontier closed agency. In some of few numbers meet some strong argument and propose not to admit guilty if not committed sin. While the host government’s legal Lawyer declaring that the person who had not proper document under enforcement department in the entry of Malaysia, the person should be sentence for his guilty. When the person had demonstrated on the right path, the person was remanded again and again and transferred to many prisons for at least 8 months suffering. But later of 8 months, the person was agreed consently to admit guilty. . As, various argument without duration or task is unavailable in un-signatory country and once postponed of the remand jumps to after a month. Loneliness that the person was interested and met once only by whoever.

 

Therefore, it diverted to approach directly to the imminent voices of refugees because they are suffering, they are refugees if we believe or give a hand to’.

 

That is why the most of resettlement countries informed by official letter to various organizations that “their state has already welcomes refugees regardless of race, religion, colour or rank. Please, approach to frontier UNHCR, UNHCR itself can be consider in the context of this quota”. While remaining as the largest resettlement countries USA and Canada, and Australia in Asia Pacific region, Rohingyas may be apply the same protection.

 

Unbelievable, 3 disability Rohingya refugees from Maung Daw township-Arkan, namely Md.Jalal 20, Abdul Khalid 22, and Ama Dudul 32 were thrown in front of UNHCR office by smuggle agent, at 4:00am, on 09 June 2008. they 3 are being very very disability, leprosy on part of body and suffering polio and then crawl only. But UNHCR office had refused to provide assistant and protection as it current policy, but call a Rohingya women and ordered to lift to ACTS clinic and then to provide assistant, shelter and food.

Usually, lower curable clinic refers to hospital or instability treatment conducted for uncertain persons. So, the result founded because of deficiency. Finally, they had been also refused to stay someone’s home for their unidentified status and disability conditions as their hands do not work even to eat food. Fortunately, Tenaganit-GBV following and visited many times and then provided financial assistant and seeking for medication. Therefore, 6 fays later, they were lifted by Tenaganita-GBV’s officer Mr.Jerry, to get providing shelter under ACTS clinic in Batu Arang. However, yet they 3 are in need and hopping UNHCR’s assistances according to it decades based legislations.

 

In additionally, I would like to copy the previous declaration that our home country official declaration that Rohingya is not one of the ethnicity and denied citizenship under 1982 country constitution, however, it comprise to 5 major reasons in refugees convention. So Rohingya is different compare to others who are accepted as citizenship and recognized. We, Rohingyas have nothing to do in Burma before reload our rights, possessions, farmlands, historic buildings, spirits. But

1. UN official Mr. Shinji Kubo’s thesis on his handed over 18 recognized Burmese Rohingyas to police department that he had been unable to provide substantial or credible information establishing their refugee status. Source from BBC World Service, on 25 June 2002.

2. UNHCR Liaison officer Mr. Lowell Martin had denied and dismissed our situation on Nov 2003. 

 

But these thesis were not reliable to compel its constituted declaration and even Mr. Shinji Kubo had also mis-worded them as occupied the agency compound for more than a week. Therefore, we demand that;

1. what we international communities have to involve is the need of intervention in frontier UNHCR’s policy-mania.

2. UNHCR to review it policy and ratify resettlement for Rohingyas to any country.

3. To allow new registration of disability, vulnerable refugees and family members.

4. To stop various abuses in frontier UNHCR.

5. To open UNHCR’s cooperative clinic in between Cheras and Ampang area where most of Rohingyas are based.

6. To distribute legal aid to it recognized detainee refugees in detention centers.

7. To give assistances to it recognized vulnerable Rohingya refugee families. and

8. To save it recognized refugee deportee from uncertain deportations.

9. To stop arrest, detentention, deportation or hand-over to traffickers, of Refugees. While conducting our process to resettlement.

We are in need of the same protection, assistance, education and a safe environment, like others. Pl, don not isolate to us.

We also like to call upon UNDP to practice it decades based declaration of ‘rights’. Especially, to Nargis victims in Myanmar and long rooted statelessness’s solution. Nevertheless, Burma is not interested country.

 

The Host’s View

Auxiliary Police Unit (Rela) director Zaidon Asmuni said, “if talking about human rights, can not talk about security. Illegal migrants are enemy No.2, No. 1 is drug”. (source from multimedia in an interview on Dec 2007, www.iht.com and others )

Minister of directed by government said, “don’t to quote international Law to Malaysia ”, in the meeting with our head officer Dr. Volker Turk. ( source from malaysiakini, 15 Dec 2005 )

Malaysia has not signatory to any agreement concerning refugee which mean do not recognized UNHCR asylum seekers or refugees, in 02-Feb-2007. ( source from News Strait Time )

Malaysia is like other United Nation member Countries, do not recognized UNHCR’s Power.(NST page-2, 02 Feb 2007 )

We are happy in “if the UNHCR here had their own camp, they provide shelter, funding.. and promise to repatriate the refugees”, in 09:18 am, 15 March 2007. ( source from Malaysiakini )

Refugees have become a perennial problem for us, anybody who comes into the Country without proper documentation will be consider illegal, we have more than our fair share, they should be relocate to a third country, the fact is we are not signatory to 1951 06 1967 Refugee Convention, we have called the Agency,.., in 18 April 2007. ( NST, page 8 )

Ministry department of directed by the government said, “O.. , illegal one, our office do not work for illegal”, when some political officer or consultant from various embassies approached for refugees’s issues.

In o5 Aug 2007, two Rohingyas activists had been beaten inhumanly and arrested by Rela Mohamed, Rela Officer Manickam, Rela officer Mohamed and bald-head Rela officer from Rela Station Batu 10, Cheras. At the same time, the same Rela bald-head officer said, “this is not UN Territory, because of you foreign illegal people- we Malaysian have no jobs, we Malaysians have yet require to meet various rights, the raid is not held by as we want, but by PM order, see SMS”.. MERHROM’s Mr.Zafar was jacked his neck and forced to leave the premise of Rela Station,Batu-10. Cheras.

Foreign Minister said, ”We won’t recognize refugees, .. a view to escape hard-shop in their own country”, in Nov 2007,  NST

 

Since Nargis Cyclone, about 200 Burmese Rohingya refugees were arrested and handed over to Malay-Thai border agency. About 100 are still held in detention various centers.

 

Recently in 14 June 2008, current Home Minister Syed Hamid Alber said, “no quick solution to illegals,..Previously we discussed with UNHCR to discuss with other country to help take in the stateless people,…arguing here not to be emotional over the issue,… you cannot impose,.. we understand the fear of the local people,..” source from The Star News.

Thankfully,

”””””””””

 

 

20th June 2008
Press Statement by MERHROM
ACTING TODAY TO SAVE REFUGEES.

In the year 2007, the global number of Refugees and Displaced people reached 67 million. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), there has been an increase in the last 2 years.

While the world is facing an increase in the global number of Refugees, Myanmar Ethnic Rohingyas Human Rights Organization Malaysia (MERHROM) urge the United Nations agencies especially UNHCR to find solutions to the problems faced by the Refugees and displaced people by addressing the Root Causes.

In the case of Myanmar, though the United Nations made attempts to restore democracy by meeting with military Junta but there are no changes whatsoever. The military Junta continues with the human rights violations. The United Nations has to use a different strategy in dealing with Myanmar military Junta to end its human rights violations to the people of Myanmar. We will continue see an increasing number of Refugees from Myanmar, that would contribute to the global numbers of Refugees and Displaced people until and unless the United Nations is able to restore democracy in Myanmar.

Recognizing the fact that UNHCR faces various challenges in dealing with Refugees issues, MERHROM continues to call on UNHCR to protect the rights of Refugees as they are one of the most vulnerable groups. UNHCR must continue the dialogue with the host countries of Refugees to stop the arrest, detention and deportation of Refugees due to their vulnerable situations. The deportation of Refugees to the Thailand border further increases their vulnerability to human trafficking.

Apart from the continuous dialogue with the host countries of Refugees, MERHROM calls on UNHCR, to not discriminate and practice double standards in the Resettlement processes based on ethnicity, race and religion. Further to that, the Resettlement Countries should not practice discriminatory policies in accepting Refugees into their countries.

As we understand UNHCR also have some limitations in Resettling Refugees due to its large number, MERHROM appeals to the UNHCR Headquarters in Geneva to look seriously into the plight of Stateless Rohingya Refugees who mainly seek refuge in Malaysia, Thailand, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Rohingya Refugees have been stranded in Malaysia for almost 2 decades, yet there has been no solution to the plights.

While UNHCR office in Kuala Lumpur resettled other ethnic Refugees from Myanmar, MERHROM hope that UNHCR applies the same policy towards Rohingya Refugees as we are in need of the same protection, assistance, education and safe environment like others.

MERHROM also appeals to the host countries of Refugees to issue temporary documents to allow Refugees to stay and work legally while UNHCR processes our Resettlement to the third countries. By allowing Refugees to work, we could also contribute to the economic development of the host countries.

Though not many countries signed 1951 United Nations Refugee Convention, most of the host countries of Refugees have signed Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), therefore the state is accountable to the protection of every child and woman in their soil but the reality is, babies, children and women continue to become subject to arrest, detention and deportation.

Currently Refugees’ life is challenged by the high increase of the prices of goods. It is really hard for Refugees to continue living in the current situation as we are not allowed to work. Therefore, we really hope that the host countries be more sympathetic to our plights as shown towards the victims of Cyclone Nargis.

It is not easy to live as a Refugee in a foreign land where our rights are completely denied. Our suffering is unexplainable.

We hope that our voices will be heard on this World Refugee Day, actions will be taken to reduce our sufferings and that we can work together in bringing a better future to all Refugees.

Thank you.
————-

 

 

by,”BRAT Rohingya Thai” -24 June 2008

The World Refugee Day was observed on June 20 in the office of the Burmese Rohingya Association in Thailand (BRAT) in Thailand home to more than 3,000-4,000  Rohingyas for the last almost two decades since the citizenship law drafted late dictator Newin in 1982, and also participated a demonstration in front of Burmese Embassy in Bangkok on 19 June, 2008 organized by BRHC and BRAT.

It is clear sign that, Burmese Refugees are helpless in Thailand since refugee screening process is stopped for long time UNHCR is playing role as like as the associating to the Burmese regime. In Thailand many refugees are remained that they are hapless people, uprooted from their homes living in a foreign land due to compelling circumstances of discrimination of religious and racial persecution, political instability, and etc.

World Refugee Day 2008, was observed on June 20 with a call to “right to protection” for all refugees. This year’s the time was “very ugly of UNHCR role for refugees in Thailand “. The gathering was existed in front of the Burmese Embassy for two hours. Participation of Rohingyas were almost 30 people and with some of the group of democratic fighters from Burmese oppositions. It was a remarkable gathering in few years and a Buddhist chanting and Muslim pray was set off.

BRAT secretary Enayet Ullah delivered a speech after the opening speech was given by the BRHC chairman U Kin Zaw. 

On 21/06/2008 a BRAT team participated a meeting International Committee of Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD) was presided over by Thai deputy Justice Ministe, BRAT Secretary General handed over the Rohingya’s current suffering situation including in Thailand and elsewhere. The Thai deputy Justice minister promised to carry out the matter in their ministerial meeting.

BRAT Secretary General also applied to the ICERD meeting to eradicate the all kind of racial discriminations are happening behind the law enforcement agencies in Thailand. 

Finally, BRAT  urge upon to a systematic protection of all kinds of role and regulations would be established in the Thai society and encourage to restore the democracy in Burma .
 
Enayet Ullah
Secretary General
Burmese Rohingya Association in Thailand (BRAT)
Mobile No.    66(0)84-0263144  
Email: bratrohingyathai@ yahoo.com
…………….

 

by BRAJ Demonstrated on WORLD REFUGEE DAY
Dear all,

The Burmese Rohingya Association in Japan (BRAJ) which was established in 1994 has been working for the restoration of democracy and human rights in Burma . Since last few years BRAJ is continuously organizing the demonstration in front of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Justice in Japan on the occasion of world refugee day June 20 as some of Rohingya refugees are managed to reach Japan in search of asylum for the temporary shelter. People are forced to flee their homes country for in creasingly complicated and interlinked reasons. Millions of people worldwide, regardless of race or religion, are already uprooted by violence and persecution, and it is likely that the future will see more people migrate to the neighboring countries in search of safety atmosphere for their livelihood. The world community should consider preventing those factors that create conditions for further forced displacement.

As an expression of solidarity with all the countries, which hosts refugees, and has been showing great generosity and sympathy, the UN General Assembly adopted a Resolution  and therefore decided that, from 2001, 20 June would be celebrated as World Refugee Day. At the present time people worldwide flee persecution and war but also natural disaster  in which the concerned government authority deny to receive foreign aids and decline to supply foods, clean water and medical facilities to the victims of so called disaster consequently more than 133,000 people were left dead or missing when the cyclone pounded into Myanmar on May 2 and 2.4 million people are devastated homeless need emergency aid, but that about one million have not yet received any foreign assistance.

The Burmese military junta has, once again, extended the house arrest of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate in 1991 who become the face of the pro-democracy movement in Myanmar . Daw Aung San Suu Kyi lost her freedom for simply expressing a desire to bring democracy to Burma .   Myanmar state media said that voters had overwhelmingly approved a draft constitution that strengthens the junta’s rule and reported that 92.93 percent of eligible voters approved the constitution which was conducted “in an atmosphere of official coercion and vote tampering.” The regime sponsored constitution is approved against the will of the people of Burma . A deadly cyclone called Cyclone Nargis made landfall on May 2 that resulted about 130,000 people either died or are missing and more than 2.4 people million have been rendered homeless. Myanmar ’s xenophobic military regime had been “deaf and dumb” to global offers of aid to its thousands of cyclone victims.

It is strange to perceive, despite centuries settlement, that the junta has ostracized Rohingya of Arakan calling them non-citizens of Myanmar propagating act of genocide that makes thousands of minority Rohingya stateless around the world wandering for the life security and protection on the humanitarian basis from the concerned authorities. They have been exterminated in a systematic and planned way and their homeland has now shrunk progressively in insignificance or to semi-preservations. The Rohingyas¢ freedom of movement is severely restricted and the Rohingyas have effectively been denied Myanmar citizenship. They are also subjected to various forms of extortion and arbitrary taxation; land confiscation; forced eviction and house destruction; and financial restrictions on marriage. Rohingyas continue to be used as forced laborers on roads and at military camps and denies them access to both medical care and education.

As stranded Rohingya refugees 35 members of BRAJ gathered on June 20, 2008 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Justice in Japan to exhibit their concern over the current situation of the people of Burma under the tyrannical regime which has been forcefully expelling its people through gross human rights violations. The demonstration was also attended by staffs of Amnesty International, representatives from the Japanese NGOs and individuals and it was started at 12:00 noon, the demonstrators shouted democratic slogan that oppose the regime rule in Burma and dispersed at 2:00 pm after handing over a memorandum addressing to Foreign Affairs  Minister and Justice Minister of Japan .

 Thank you,

yours truely,
Maung Maung Soe
Secretary General

 

  

Monday, 26 November 2007

A Nightmare on Foreign Soil source from TENAGANITA, A group of young men boarded the Biman Bangladesh flight to Malaysia hoping for a better life for themselves and their loved ones. They were promised high-paying jobs and were happy to sell off the last piece of asset they owned to realise their dream job. Within a few months they boarded another flight back to Bangladesh. Cheated by their recruiting agency, traumatised by the maltreatment from outsourcing agents, empty-handed and humiliated now they do not know how they are going to go back to their villages and face their families. <!–[if !vml]–><!–[endif]–> Joynal Abedin, Al Amin and the others who refused to leave ZIA until they got back all the payments they made to the recruiting agents. Al Amin, a 24-yr-old Honours student was studying in Rajshahi College Social Sciences department when he was approached by an acquaintance with a job offer he just couldn’t refuse. This man assured Amin that he could get him a job at Sony Electronic Company in Malaysia where he would get a salary equivalent to at least BDT 30,000 and all he would have to do was give an initial processing fee of Tk 1.5 lakh to the recruiting agency. For a hard-up farmer’s son it was like a dream come true. He decided to put a stop to his education and take up the job offer. Collecting the money was not very easy though. Amin’s father sold off all the land that they owned. Amin’s acquaintance, a broker for the recruiting agency Golden Arrow, said that a further Tk 80,000 would be needed to ensure his job. Amin’s family had no way of coming up with this amount, so they ended up taking loans from their relatives. It was a good job, they thought, and they would be able to pay back the amount within a very short time. Twenty-five-year-old Joynal Abedin who was supposed to appear for his degree final exams has a similar story to tell. Joynal who used to live in Naogaon worked for Unilever Bangladesh as a computer operator for two and a half years. The youngest of four brothers Joynal wanted to make it big as a businessman. But he knew that he could never save up enough money for a computer business with his Tk 5500 salary so he discussed with his parents and decided to sell off their family land for a start-up. When one of Joynal’s acquaintances came to know about his plans he convinced him not to invest in a business right then and go to Malaysia instead. He would be able to earn a lot more there and would be able to come back to Bangladesh after three years with a much higher start-up capital. He could arrange everything within one and a half lakh takas he said. But after a few days the sub-agent of the recruiting agency said that for another 80 thousand takas he could manage a very high-paying job at Sony Electronics as a computer operator. Joynal’s parents were happy to sell off the last bit of their land for their son if the agent could manage a respectable job for him. <!–[if !vml]–><!–[endif]–> The migrant workers’ welfare should be of topmost priority for the government. But the Malaysian saga for Al Amin, Joynal Abedin and the 126 other migrants who travelled together was anything but a dream. The nightmare started at the Golden Arrow office in Banani on the day of their flight. The electricity went off and the migrants were asked to sign their contract forms by candlelight, although Amin swears that there was electricity in the rest of the neighbourhood. Even then they weren’t allowed to read through the form very thoroughly. The agents kept rushing them saying that they were getting late and would miss their flight if they delayed any further. The agents leafed through the contract forms themselves and just showed everyone where to sign. It was finally at the Zia International Airport (ZIA) that they could thoroughly read the forms themselves and found out that the actual job description was not in fact for a computer operator but a serviece workers. The second blow came when they arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). For two days no one from the Malaysian outsourcing agency PTC Asia Pacific came to receive them from the airport. Exhausted and deprived of food the group of 128 finally showed their contract forms to the airport police and got in touch with the company through them. On the third day two women from PTC came and received the migrant workers from the airport and took them to Klang and put all the 128 men in one single room that according to the workers was a ‘godown’. There were no sleeping or any other arrangements and only a single toilet for everyone. 128 people had to live on 10 kilos of rice for 2 days. They were given pulse and onions to cook khichuri for themselves. There was no work available for months. PTC Asia Pacific, which is an outsourcing agency stocked up on people and sent groups of five or 10 men when something became available. “I worked for four months,” says Joynal, “the first two as a cleaner in a computer company and the next two as a cleaner in a shopping mall.” He never received a penny. “I lived in Malaysia for seven months without a visa, medical certificate or work permit,” says Amin, “I cut down forest trees for two months and never received any salary.” Amin was shifted to 18 different locations in Malaysia and everywhere the living conditions were the same. “There were two people with beards in our group and they were forced to cut off their beards and were forced to do sit-ups holding their ears when they resisted,” says Amin, recounting the humiliating and inhuman treatment they received from the PTC employees, “we also had to go to jail several times because we didn’t have work permits.” In the contract form it said that they would be receiving 546RM per month for working eight hours a day with holidays and overtime. “We had to work for 14-16 hours at most times.” When they showed the contract forms and demanded that the conditions be met the PTC officials tore them [the contract forms] off in front of them. Any complaints about the living conditions were met with threats and even beatings sometimes. At one point 144 workers living in the same inhuman conditions got together and went to the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur to demand their rights. After three days the high commission promised that the workers would be transferred to another company from PTC within 15 days. “The Labour Counsellor told us to get into the car of the Bangladeshi agent and go back to where we came from and threatened to get us all arrested by the police,” says Joynal. The workers refused and asked to be taken somewhere near the high commission. But they were instead taken to another infamous Bangladeshi boarding in Port Dickson, according to Joynal the worst in Malaysia. “When we refused to go there,” says Joynal, “we were taken to two different places and then an NGO from Kanakani took our responsibility.” This human rights organisation Tenaganita said that it would take at least a month to transfer them to another company. But since there were no direct companies hiring staff, all of them being outsourcing companies Tenaganita could not ensure that the workers would get any permanent jobs. “We didn’t want to work in such an uncertain manner,” says Joynal, “we demanded that we all be sent back to Bangladesh and the money we paid to the recruiting agencies be returned to us.” The workers also filed a case with the labour court and asked that their six months salary also be paid to them. The workers said that if their demands weren’t met within seven days they would go on a hunger strike till death. “Our trip to Malaysia had already killed us anyway,” says Joynal, “and we didn’t want to live like this any longer.” At midnight on September 14 the middlemen from the recruiting agencies got together and attacked the workers on hunger strike while they were asleep. 30 of them were forcefully taken away from there. 300 police were sent to arrest the rest of the 80 striking workers. The police told them that the workers would be sent back to Bangladesh in a couple of days but they would be moved out from there. They were then taken away to Penang about eight hours away. “There we found about 150 more Bangladeshi workers hired by Golden Arrow locked up in a room,” says Joynal, “they were crying through the windows and saying that they had also been promised jobs by Golden Arrow but were now trapped there with no work.” The workers were terrified and begged and cried to be taken away from there. “A Golden Arrow representative suddenly came out of nowhere and said that they had fixed jobs for us and were going to take us in groups to different places but we cried and refused to go anywhere.” The immigration police came and rescued them from there and the workers were then taken to a church where they stayed for some time. Secretary of the Expatriates’ Welfare Ministry Abdul Matin Chowdhury met with the workers there and promised to arrange their return to Bangladesh in three phases within 15 days with a full refund of the money taken from them. After coming back to Bangladesh the workers refused to leave ZIA for two days until they got their full payment back. Till the filing of this report only 20 workers have come back to Dhaka and they have only been given cheques for the official Tk 84,000 that Golden Arrow claims they received. 55-year-old Mahesh Sarker of Tangail died of cardiac arrest while waiting to return to his family. Joynal Abedin, Al Amin and the 18 others who came back are living with their relatives in Dhaka waiting for the full payment of their dues so that they can go back to their families. Although they were supposed to receive the money by October 3, it seems very unlikely that they will be able to do so any time soon. There will be another hearing on October 29. In the 1970s there were only a few thousand migrant workers from Bangladesh. By 2002 the figure went up to more than three million, with about $23.7 billion being sent back in remittances over that period according to a report by The Daily Star. In the just ended fiscal year of 2006-2007, the expatriate Bangladeshis have remitted $5,984 million. The per capita amount that our migrant workers remitted is 33 per cent higher than those of India, which is the second largest remittance receiving country in the world. This strong inflow of remittance has raised the country’s foreign currency reserve to $5,098 million. About 4.8 million Bangladeshis are currently working in more than 100 countries around the world, prominently in Malaysia, South Korea, Singapore Jordan, Libya Lebanon, Germany, Australia, Iran, Japan, Italy and Spain. The Global Economic Perspective Report of 2006 by the World Bank found that remittance flow has helped Bangladesh to cut poverty by 6 percent. After the recent fiasco regarding the striking workers the Cabinet of the Malaysian government has decided to freeze the recruitment of Bangladeshi workers but it does not address nor resolve the problems in recruitment and management of migrant workers in the country. The middleman chain and undocumented financial transactions in manpower business needs to be looked at by both governments more closely to resolve the matter more comprehensively. There are hundreds of thousands of workers living in appalling conditions all over Malaysia and Joynal and Amin say that they can physically identify all of them. The current practice of outsourcing has the elements of trafficking in persons. Workers are brought, their passports taken away, held in captivity, beaten and abused with no employment. There was gross misconduct in fact at all levels. The recruiting agency in Bangladesh, the outsourcing agency in Malaysia and the High Commission of Bangladesh in Malaysia must all be held accountable for the abuse and mismanagement that led to so much suffering for the hard-working men who bring in so much economic benefit to our country. It is amazing how the recruiting agency personnel with the connivance of the high commission staff who beat up the workers during their hunger strike are still going around scot-free while the workers are held inside rooms that are in fact worse than detention centres. These men entrusted their families’ last savings and in many cases borrowed money from other people to work hard in an unknown country so that their families could have better lives. It’s the money that is received from these men that have improved the country’s economic condition in the last few decades by unexpected levels. The government’s highest priority should be to attend to the welfare of these people. The neglect from the high commission is astounding. Now the least they can do is ensure they get their payments back and carry out in-depth investigations on the conditions the rest of the workers are living in, in Malaysia and in other countries. Copyright (R) thedailystar.net 2007  Source: http://www.thedailystar.net/magazine/2007/10/02/hr.htm