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Workers and farmers Affairs Committ



Subject: Workers and farmers Affairs Committee Satement

       Position Statement  Concerning with  the  Repatriation of Illegal
Burmese  Workers in Thailand

1.  We, Workers and Farmers Affairs Committee of the National Council of
the Union of Burma  (NCUB),  are seriously   
 concerned for the recent development about Thailand decision and actions
on the forced repatriation of the  
  illegal Burmese workers to their native land.
2.  These Burmese workers have to leave for Thailand to get good job
opportunities for their survival due to  seriously repressive attitude of
the ruling military regime, the State Peace and Development Council( SPDC),
 towards its own citizen not only  politically, but also practicing
discrimination in religion, economy, social and cultural  fields, leading
to the shortage of food, deteriorating work place, junta's State Paddy
Purchasing Policy with very low price,  forced labor, forced relocation,
heavy security/ crossing check-point fees,  arbitrary arrests and
imprisonment to its own people.
3.  These illegal Burmese workers have to work very secretly in their work
places in Thailand with very meager wages in comparison with the wages of
Thai citizens.
4.  We can fully understand the burden of the illegal workers on Thailand.
However, we would like to request the Thailand government  to reconsider
its treatments on  the repatriation of these illegal workers on the
humanitarian ground.
5.   While, we, like international community, appreciate the
farsightedness, generosity and patience of  Thailand government in its
peaceful  handling of  the  seizure of the Burmese  Embassy   in Bangkok by
the Burmese students, the Burmese military junta which likes to solve the
embassy problems violently,  closes all its border -crossing points , and
sends a large troops to take positions along the Thai-Burma borders.
6.  We are very much concerned  that the illegal workers repatriated to
Burma would face arrests, rapes, confinements and summary killings,
endangering to their lives.
7.  Moreover, the SPDC, its army and its puppets' are refusing  the
re-entry of Burmese workers, rape the women and even shooting at some of
them to death in an attempt to bar them. Thus it shows its inhumane
character and lack of nationalistic aspiration.
8.  Therefore, we , Worker and Farmer Affairs Committee of NCUB, most
respectfully  appeal to  the Thai government to stop  cross-border
repatriation of the illegal immigrants by force, and  to  solve the illegal
workers problems in cooperation with  and assistance    from international
humanitarian organizations such as International Committee for Red Cross
(ICRC) and United Nations body to secure the safety,  health and  welfare
of the families of these people until these illegal workers can return home
safely.
9.  We, Workers and Farmers Affairs Committee of the NCUB strongly condemn
the SPDC on its irresponsible acts to its own people


      The Workers  and Farmers Affairs Committee
      National Council of the Union of Burma
      11 November 1999.