[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index ][Thread Index ]

AUG-99:AIA NEWSLETTER/ONGOING TRAGI



Subject: AUG-99:AIA NEWSLETTER/ONGOING TRAGIC SITUATION IN MYANMAR

POSTED 29-NOV-99; 6:00AM

Followings are excerpts from the newsletters of Australian Section of
Amnesty International. The three reports about refugees mentioned are
that of ASA: 26/12/99, 16/13/99 and 16/14/99  of June 1999 regarding
with situation in Karen, Shan and Karenni states respectively. For those
who still have not obtained these reports, it would worth the while to
checkout Amnesty Web site or at nearest Amnesty Office in your city.
(You don't need to become members to obtain those reports).

I have also enclosed few posting regarding refugee determination process
in Australia. This will certainly highlight the atmosphere of which
refugees and asylum-seekers in Australia currently are under. 

BUILDING SOLIDARITY WITH OTHER HUMAN RIGHTS GROUPS SUCH AS AI
 
I joined Amnesty in early 1994 as a member supporter to AI movement. By
that time, I had already started my campaign work on Burma and Burmese
refugees with the Burma Action (South Australia). Since then, I have
participated in grassroots Amnesty groups in their campaign agendas on
international human rights. Local amnesty groups here in South
Australia, in some way, don't seem as vibrant in their activities as
other social justice groups. However in the longer run on evaluation,
the human rights solidarity received from AI grassroots members are
significant and perhaps the most rewarding of that membership. 

To Burmese activists, when approaching organisation such as Amnesty
International, it is foremost importance to learn about that
organisation, its mandate and working rules. Firstly, AI is strictly
non-government organisation, which does not seek support or funding from
the governments: it operate purely on public donations. Secondly, it is
impartial and apolitical human rights body. The AI, in principle, does
not make political favour. In other words, AI does not take sides when
expressing its human rights concerns.

Because of impartial nature of AI movement, it is safer for Burmese
activists , who are also AI member, to work on Burma issues on different
platforms. I, for example, never write letters regarding Burma under the
name of Amnesty. In Burma case, the AI materials are utilised only as
useful information. The same logic is applied in founding of NetIPR
(Network for International Protection of Refugees) last year.

CURRENT REFUGEE SITUATION IN AUSTRALIA

As described in posting below, the Australian government treatment of
asylum-seekers are far from being perfect. The government's strict
application of refugee laws, combined with downright disregard to its
humanitarian obligation to these asylum-seekers, have resulted tragic
consequences for these people. Government's rhetoric of 'get tough on
illegals' combined with inhuman practice of indiscriminate deportations,
such as Somali man and Chinese woman cases, certainly alarmed many human
rights activists. Government exaggerated claim of the numbers of boat
arrivals, with more than common sight of letting loose few boat people
into unhabited-arid land and launching high profile 'search', are
anything but disturbing.

To my observation, the refugee movements by its nature are massive and
unpredictable. A true refugee movement would show much less concern for
territorial integrity or domestic political concerns. The simple fact is
the refugees will come when they have to come. Governments are thus
better prepared to make proper reception instead of putting barriers
when the refugees come.

Though alarmed and disturbed by Australian government's rhetoric on
'illegals', I considered--i.e. up until now-- not worthwhile to launch a
campaign on these matters since the numbers of asylum-seekers effected
was still small. However, with recent few boat arrivals from
Iraq/Afghanistan, it may be justified to mount internationally
coordinated campaign action ( A total of 10,000 to be arrived Australia
soon, according to the Immigration Minister's 'Christmas wish list').
Solidarity on this matter will be provided through NetIPR.

With best regards, U Ne Oo.
*****************************  

 
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL AUSTRALIA NEWSLETTER
JULY-AUGUST 1999: VOL.17 NO.4

REFUGEES:
NEW REPORTS HIGHLIGHT ONGOING TRAGIC HUMAN RIGHTS SITUATION IN MYANMAR

Two years after the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
admitted Myanmar as a member, claiming that this would encourage the
military government (SPDC) to improve its human rights record, the
opposite has been true. The SPDC has stepped up its repression of the
opposition party, the National League for Democracy and increased huge
forcible relocation programs in ethnic minority states against the
Karen, Karenni, and Shan peoples, mostly against rice farmers. Possibly
hundreds of thousands are internally displaced within Myanmar, over
200,000 have fled to Thailand. it is now up to ASEAN to get serious with
Myanmar. 

Amnesty International has recently published three major reports on
these ethnic minority groups, based on over 100 interviews conducted in
February this year by AI delegates, of refugees who had recently fled to
Thailand. Practically every refugee interviewed had witnessed
extrajudicial executions, torture, and 'disappearances' of unarmed
farmers, friends and relatives by the tatmadaw, or Myanmar army. Most
refugees were required to undertake forced labouring and forced
portering duties for several days every month which involved horrific
conditions and meant that farms could not be tended.

Many civilians had been internally displaced for two years, having been
forced out of their villages by the tatmadaw, and hiding in forest and
jungle, where conditions were poor and it was almost impossible for them
to farm. They also feared being shot on sight by the military because
they occupied 'black areas', where the armed insurgents are allegedly
active. Many other fled directly from their home villages in the face of
village burnings, constant demands for forced labour, looting of food
and supplies, and extrajudicial killings at the hands of the military.
All of these people were farmers who typically grew small plots of rice
on a semi-subsistence level. Many said that their children had died in
the jungle as a result of malnutrition and treatable disease such as
dysentry. Both those in the jungle and in relocation sites have lost
their land, livestock, and most of their possessions.

The Myanmar army has devastated the lives of thousands of Shan, Karen
and Karenni people by targetting them simply because of their ethnicity
or perceived political beliefs. Civilians are also frequently beaten
while doing forced portering duties -- carrying equipment of Burmese
troops on patrol. Some 300,000 Shan and over 20,000 Karenni villagers
were forced from their village home into designated relocation sites
where the military kept them, in the words of one former resident, 'like
chickens in a basket'. The military have forced thousands of civilians,
including children, to work on massive building projects. An estimated
10 per cent of the work force at a Buddhist temple in Khunhing in the
Shan state are children.

Those we interviewed reported shocking accounts of killings. In November
1998, a 45-year-old Buddhist widow witnessed her 18-year-old son, Saw
Kyaw Nay, shot dead by the Myanmar military. In November 1998 after six
SPDC soldiers had beaten her for refusing to porter for them, her son
tried to intervene and was shot in the stomach. He was shot at very
close range and died instantly. The woman cried as she reported what
happened:

"I felt crazy when I saw my child dead and ran away with my other two
children.. That's why I was so afraid and hid for one month[in the
forest]... I had four tins of rice and mixed them with vegetables and
boiled them in bamboo'.

It is up to the international community to ensure that the refugees have
the right and ability to return home.
-----
[THESE research missions are funded by AI sections such as Australia.
Without your continued support, we cannot fund these missions, nor write
the necessary reports. Australian representative Des Hogan was part of
the mission with AI's Myanmar researcher. Recent reports can be found on
AI's international website www.amnesty.org]
--------------------------------------------
A SENATE INQUIRY INTO AUSTRALIA'S REFUGEE DETERMINATION SYSTEM

In may this year the Senate Legal and Constitutional Legislation
committee opened an inquiry into Australia's refugee determination
system. This inquiry is a direct result of a series of bungles by the
Australian government that ended in two publicly embarrassing cases. The
first was the case of Sadiq Shek Elmi who narrowly escaped deportation
in November last year.

In December 1998 Amnesty International, the Law Council of Australia and
the International commission of Jurists called on the government to
commence an urgent Parliamentary Inquiry investigating six points of
concern raised from Sadiq's case. The government's response was a flat
no.

However, in May this year Senator Brian Harridine broke the news of an
eight month pregnant Chinese woman deported from Port Hedland. It is
alleged that on her return she was forced to undergo an abortion of her
unborn child. Amnesty immediately commenced intensive lobbying for a
full inquiry to address the violations in this and other cases. Within
seven days a senate inquiry into Australia's refugee determination
system was announced, focusing on the six points of concern from
Amnesty's December call, along with an investigation into other areas of
concern, including the Chinese woman's case. At the same time, the
government announced an internal parliamentary inquiry into the Chinese
woman's case.

In June, Amnesty presented a series of nine recommendations to the
senate inquiry including:

1. Amending the Migration Act to include assessment of risk on the basis
of human rights violations covered by international treaties.

2. Providing a legal requirement that no person will be forced to return
to their home country to face serious human rights violations.

3. Incorporation of the Torture and Civil Political Conventions into
domestic law.

The Senate Committee is due to hand down its recommendations on 18
October. Amnesty International has expressed the hope that the inquiry
will be non-partisan and that the government will use it as an
opportunity to identify what is not working so that reforms can be
introduced where warranted. The protection of human rights demands no
less.
********************
AIA NEWSLETTER: SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 1999.
REFUGEES:

SENATE INQUIRY INTO REFUGEE DETERMINATION IN AUSTRALIA
John Clugston

Subsequent to Amnesty International Australia's 40-page submission to
the Senate Inquiry into Refugee Determination in Australia, an AI A
delegation consisting of one staff person and three volunteers, has
given a two hour oral presentation to the Committee.

The Senate Committee gave Amnesty a sympathetic hearing. We were able to
update the Committee on the fate of some of the 23 cases we raised, and
requested that the Committee take a direct interest in these individuals
-- some of whom will face torture or death if forcibly returned to
another country. The Committee stated it would not be appropriate for it
to support such cases.

In particular, we raised the case of two women whom the Refugee Review
Tribunal (RRT) and the government do not deem to be refugees. They now
face deportation and almost certain death if returned to their country.
We raised the case of the fifteen Somalis returned to Somalia via South
Africa who have not been heard from since. We raised the case of three
Somalis in Port Hedland we have grave concerns for and who have since
been rejected by the RRT and face deportation. Additionally, we outlined
the cases of three Tamil asylum-seekers deported to Sri lanka where they
were handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department-- a police
unit notorious for torture of Tamils-- at colombo Airport. We raised the
case or the Iranian man deported to Iran who may have been imprisoned
and tortured for adultery on return. We raised the fact that Sadiq Shek
Elmi remains in limbo in detention.

We highlighted the fact that we are dealing with these cases on a daily
basis and as such AI A has a unique insight into how the system works in
practice. This fact was appreciated by the committee, who asked us for
more details on these cases and examples of how refugee determination
happens in other countries.

Amnesty Sections from other countries have since provided us with
information on how their refugee system work. This unique advantage of
Amnesty International will allow us to make concrete proposals to the
committee about how to improve Australia's system.

But will it make any difference ? Will the government accept the
findings of this Committee with a Senate majority of ALP and Democrats ?
Only time will tell. For us, we will continue to concentrate on human
rights and demand change. John Clugston is a retired solicitor and
volunteer on the Refugee Team in Sydney. He was one of the AI
representatives before the Senate Inquiry.
-- 
HTTP://www.physics.adelaide.edu.au/~uneoo
EMAILS: drunoo@xxxxxxxxxxxx, uneoo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
POSTMAIL: Dr U Ne Oo, 18 Shannon Place, Adelaide SA 5000, AUSTRALIA
[http://freeburma.org/[http://www.angelfire.com/al/homepageas/index.htm]
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =


_____________________________________________________________
What's hot at Topica?  Sign up for our "Best New Lists" 
newsletter and find out!  http://www.topica.com/t/8