Repressive Slorc rule blamed for Bu

[ausgeo@xxxxxxx]

Subject: Repressive Slorc rule blamed for Burmese influx 

28 May 1997 
Repressive Slorc rule blamed for Burmese influx 

BY YINDEE LERTCHAROENCHOK 

BURMA'S repressive military rule and absence of democracy, rule of law and 
respect of human rights were the major causes of the influx of about one 
million illegal immigrants into Thailand, academics and scholars said 
yesterday. 

They said if Burma's living and economic conditions was as good as the Burmese 
junta has always claimed, the people would not leave the country in huge and 
incessant numbers as life in refuge countries can lead to hardship and 
uncertainty. 

The discussions were part of a three-day national seminar entitled: ''Policy 
Options for the Importation of Foreign Labour into Thailand: A Study of 
Interest Parties, Legal Issues, and the State Management System". 

The seminar, which ends today, has drawn some 400 academics, scholars, 
representatives from the government and private sectors, as well as social 
workers to discuss and brainstorm the findings of a research project on 
illegal immigrants and foreign labour. 

The seminar, organised by Mahidol University's Institute for Population and 
Social Research and Thailand Research Fund, will later submit its findings and 
recommendations to the government for use as a guideline in formulating a more 
viable national policy towards foreign labour, Kritaya Archavanitkul, the 
project director, said. 

The speakers urged Thailand to review and reform its ''underhanded" policy 
towards Burma, saying the current ''constructive engagement" strategy, which 
has also been adopted by the Asean grouping, was not well-balanced in its 
implementation. 

They also criticised Asean's constructive engagement policy which aimed at 
only engaging the ruling Burmese State Law and Order Restoration Council 
(Slorc) in return for economic benefits, ignoring the public and pro-democracy 
movement. The policy has not helped bring about openness and democratisation, 
they said. 

>From her joint studies and field interviews with Kritaya, Ponsook Kertsawang, 
from Mahidol University's Institute for Population and Social Research, 
concluded that the root cause of the massive outflow of Burmese was ''the 
government in power which has been instigating lasting conflicts, imposing 
widespread human rights abuses and all forms of compulsory taxation, fees, 
quotas and donations". 

She said Slorc has implemented a policy of Burmanisation (the assimilation of 
all people in the country), religious, language and social discrimination, as 
well as forcibly relocating people and forcibly conscripting them for use as 
labour, porters and soldiers. 

Slorc's economic policy relied heavily on its black market economy and 
although the regime has claimed to have adopted a free market economy, the 
country's ''dictatorial system" only supported widespread corruption and 
abuse, but given economic gains to the powers-that-be, she said. 

''From the continuous exodus of the Burmese people, particularly those in the 
last year, we found that these people, especially the ethnic Shan and Karen, 
must be living under such intolerable conditions to make them become asylum 
seekers in Thailand, where they also face and risk mistreatment, instead of 
remaining in Burma," Ponsook said. 

Supang Jantawanit, from Chulalongkorn University's Asian Research Centre for 
Migration, warned that the presence of a huge number of Burmese immigrants 
here posed a big threat to Thailand's national security concerning crime, 
socio-politics, economics, health care and foreign policy. 

Somchai Hom-La-or, from Forum Asia, said Thailand's national policy towards 
Burma was ''underhanded" as it has been directed by economic lobbyists and 
various interest groups who want to exploit Burma's rich economic potential. 

Thailand has never really understood Slorc and thus has been playing ''the 
underdog" to the regime in expectation for a return of Burmese economic 
contracts, even to the extent of destroying Thailand's historical relations 
with various Burmese ethnic groups along the border, he said. 

He urged Thailand to balance its national policy by cultivating relations with 
Burmese pro-democracy politicians and the ethnic groups or it could face 
difficulties as he strongly believed that Slorc would be replaced in five to 
10 years by a democratic government. 

The Nation