BurmaNet: Mirror of Arakan, October

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Subject: BurmaNet: Mirror of Arakan, October 94


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"Appropriate Information Technologies, Practical Strategies"
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Posted November 5, 1994

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                      MIRROR OF ARAKAN
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      Information & Analysis of Arakan (Burma) (IABA)

            Fortnightly         1st October 1994

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Contents:

PLAGUE PREVENTION FOR PEOPLE FLEEING PERSECUTION
BURMESE FORCES BRUTALLY KILLED 3 ROHINGYAS IN BUTHIDAUNG
BURMA SUSPENDS TRANSIT PASS
MUSLIM CEMETERIES IN RANGOON UNDER ORDERS OF CLOSURE
WHEREABOUTS OF REPATRIATED REFUGEE REMAINS UNKNOWN
BURMESE DISSIDENTS STAGED DEMONSTRATION IN TOKYO
3-MILE CHECK POST IN-CHARGE KILLED A ROHINGYA IN MAUNGDAW

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FOCUS
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PLAGUE PREVENTION FOR PEOPLE FLEEING PERSECUTION

Persecution is better than cure is the proverb by which all of us
might have heard of during our schooling days. Because one suffers
long enough if attacked and before being cured - be it natural
calamity, epidemic or man-made disaster.

In India, wave of fear had rocked the entire country and its shock
wave reaching far and wide across the world following the death of
sixteen people overnight in western India due to the attack of a
disease relegated to the pages of history; plague which is still
taken as a curse and claimed millions of its victims. Surat, a city
known for textile, silk and diamond-cutting industries and 250 km
from India's commercial capital Bombay, is to witness the deadly
disease which had promptly taken the life of 51 persons and
confined 350 in critical condition. Doctors shaken to discover the
'black death' themselves could not cope up with the situation as
patients started pouring into the hospitals and hundreds more
fleeing the area and fanned out in all direction carrying with them
unknowingly the deadly infectious disease only to spread and
spread.

Unlike other infectious diseases like AIDS and cholera, plague
spreads rapidly as droplet infection through skin and could be
air-borne as when victims cough, spit or sneeze. It is so deadly
and highly contagious that it left a trail of 75 million dead in
Euro-Asia in the 14th century within a span of four years and took
six long years to reach America from China after sweeping over
South East Asia, New Zealand and Australia at the end of the 19th
century when communication from one continent to another was
comparatively poor. Thus, the disease could reach far across the
continent and no one should rely on and take a sigh of relief only
to hear the medical bulletin that the disease is reasonably
contained. It could make a sudden come back at any place without
warning. Care must be taken against any possible outbreak including
keeping the environment clean and there should be no negligence
from the part of the medical authorities in carrying out their
assigned duties on an anti-plague programme and they should remain
always alert against the infiltration of this disease by human
carriers into a society presently free from small bacteria
medically known as 'Yersinia pestis'. An area previously infected
with plague germs could be declared as effectively contained after
passing at least 9 to 12 weeks without any sign of plague like
symptom on animals, specially rodents and human beings, and many
more weeks still are lying ahead for Surat, India to fulfill the
required observation period.

We know that none could escape from the icy claws of death which
will undoubtedly visit the door of every living creature at a fixed
time. Yet, we are desperate to live longer and longer and when the
threat of life knocks the door, we are frantic to find a way out.

Similar is the case for the 2 million people of Surat, home to
migrant workers from all over India. It is believed that hundreds
of thousands of people were rushing to railway stations every day
in a bid to leave the affected area and by the end of September
1994 the city looked deserted as those, who had still not fled,
remained indoors. What happened next is that New Delhi and
Calcutta, two major cosmopolitan cities in India, though thousands
of kilometres from Surat, felt the jolt within a few days,
prompting the neighbouring Bangladesh government to take protective
measures like cancellation of regular flights between India and
Bangladesh, putting extraordinary surveillance and quarantine teams
at every entry point and making mass awareness on plague preventive
measures.

Similar is the case for the people of Burma. Many thousands Burmese
fled their homeland in the wake of the pro-democracy crack down
repressive measures by Burmese brute forces in front line areas and
slipped into neighbouring countries in groups or separately, some
of whom were fortunate enough to have food and shelter arranged by
some humanitarian organisations, UN agencies or the host country
herself while some portion of people who could not avail the
facilities for various reasons move on their own to new places with
a hope to find greener pasture and clear water. Having lost their
legal status in alien lands, most of them end up in slums or
crowded cities doing odd jobs.

Although Burma has since long maintained isolationism, restricted
entry of foreigners into the country and formally banned running
night clubs, casinos and flesh trade, the junta's misrule and
excessive human rights violations had given a severe backlash in
the society - unofficially the Burmese population is running neck
to neck with Thais on the spread of STD (Sexually Transmitted
Disease) and these dreadful diseases have been steadily taking
foothold in Burma. Reports are already in the air on the subject
giving credit to the ruling junta. The AIDS is now taking its toll
in Burma and there are a few towns in central Burma where more than
70% of its population has been suffering from STD.

Whatever the circumstances may be, any catastrophe on the people of
Burma is to be shared by all of us and the people at the helm of
state are more responsible for such an onslaught. Nevertheless, our
fear is perhaps more intense as we have reasons to say that there
is every posibility of the danger of outbreak of plague in any part
of Burma as was the case with the AIDS and other STDs, and before
outsiders could know anything of the extent of severity, the highly
infectious disease would easily take a wealth of human lives,
particularly from rural areas where medical facilities are
inadequate in addition to maladministration.

Admittedly a quarter million (approx) Rohingyas fled Burma in
1978-79 and all of them did not return home foreseeing the danger
lying ahead in Arakan. Some remained in Bangladesh while the other
proceeded further west. The 1991-92 influx of Rohingya into
Bangladesh met the same nature as some people in refugee camps felt
insecure due to their protest against the repatriation agreement
between Burma and Bangladesh followed by detention of hundreds of
refugees by Bangladesh authorities. There were reports of people
caught at different border crossing points at the Indo- Bangladesh
border line in western Bangladesh and many newspapers in Bangladesh
termed them as Rohingyas. There are also reports of refugee camps
on the Indian side of the border with Burma and Bangladesh. Some of
them are Burmese citizens and they left for fear of persecution.
When the whole Indian population is trembling with plaguephobia,
the Burmese as well as those Bangladeshi hill-tribe people in India
might be scared of an may try to leave the danger zone and
certainly not through the check points in Bangladesh and Burma. And
no one knows for sure the state of their health and it would
probably be difficult to detect their entry.

In Bangladesh, where nearly 200,000 Rohingyas are living in
different refugee camps in overcrowded and unhygenic condition,
though under the care of the UNHCR, NGOs like MSF, IIRO, Rabeta,
Red Crescent Society, etc. the authorities should have taken
special care for anti-plague drive and explained the inmates on the
matter of their own language. Perhaps their kith and kin might have
gone to somewhere for long and under no circumstance should they be
allowed to stay there again without proper medical examination.

Many countries have taken stringent measures for people coming from
India and the ruling junta - SLORC (State Law and Order Restoration
Council) also followed suit. Although we do not exactly know what
measures have been taken to check people infiltrating from the long
porous border with India and Bangladesh, the junta had stopped
people entering from Bangladesh at transit points of Teknaf,
Gundum, etc. in addition to those travelling by air from
Bangladesh. Despite the concern shown, the border administration
has not yet taken any step to educate the people on anti- plague
drive nor is there any sign of bringing adequate medical supplies
for people of the area.

All preventive measures are essential for the people living
surrounding India as the "black death" surfaced there first. Any
discrimination in providing proper medication and other plague
related drive for the refugees in Bangladesh as well as those
hapless minorities in Arakan will certainly bring a curse for all
in this region.

One is not sure how big will be the size of the danger that is
looming but let us hope and pray that it does not extend its
ominous hand towards us.

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NEWS
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BURMESE FORCES BRUTALLY KILLED 3 ROHINGYAS IN BUTHIDAUNG

The Burmese military forces patrolling south of Buthidaung township
entered Saubrang village on 18th September 1994 and took away one
Moulvi, Dil Mohammed aged 25 years alleging that he had been
associated with anti-state elements. He was later shot dead without
trial.

The same group of Burmese forces again entered Saubrang village on
20th September 1994 and arrested one Mohammed Ayub son of Mohammed
(23 years) and Mohammed Anwar son of Moulvi. Abu Bakker (22 years)
without assigning any reason. Later, the two youths were inhumanely
tortured and subsequently shot dead. 

The barbaric treatment on Rohingya in Buthidaung township has been
continuing with more intensity for the last three months, and there
have been unconfirmed reports of rape, torture and killings of more
than 50 Rohingya Muslims including young women in the area by the
Burmese military positioning in the region.

Due to severe restriction of movement, victims of rape and torture
could not reach hospitals or private doctors in Buthidaung for
treatment.

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BURMA SUSPENDS TRANSIT PASS

The Burmese Border Administration, popularly known as Na Sa Ka has
suspended transit visas to people coming from Bangladesh. All entry
points along the Burma-Bangladesh border demarcated by the Naf
river have been closed without giving prior information to its
Bangladesh counter-part.

An engine boat carrying Bangladesh nationals who were visiting the
Maungdaw side of Burma from Teknaf, under Chittagong division on
29th September 1994 were turned away by the Burmese immigration
authorities.

It is understood that the Burmese junta has decided to impose a
temporary ban on entry of persons from Bangladesh by both air and
land following outbreak of plague in Gujraat, India.

It is likely that the repatriation of Rohingya refugees from
Bangladesh will also fall within the purview.

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MUSLIM CEMETERIES IN RANGOON UNDER ORDERS OF CLOSURE

The Rangoon authorities have recently issued an order to the Muslim
community there that the government needed the burial grounds of
Muslim in Rangoon for the development of the city.

Under the circumstances, three main cemeteries belonging to the
Islamic faith namely Tamwe, Kandawgale and Hanthwaddy graveyards,
which are located within the vicinity of downtown Rangoon will be
closed for burial and the Muslim community will face untold
inconvenience due to this order.

It may be mentioned here that Tamwe graveyard is more than a
century old and there is a mosque and a madarasa within the
compound. Besides, the mortal remains of U Razzak, one of the
national martyrs and Yebaw Ko Htwe, who were assassinated along
with General Aung San, were buried in this cemetery.

The Burmese military junta had earlier confiscated Muslim
graveyards, orphanage, residential building for aged Muslim and
mosque in Mandalay and leading members looking after the trust
properties were put behind the bar when protested.

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WHEREABOUTS OF REPATRIATED REFUGEE REMAINS UNKNOWN

The Bangladesh government has since been repatriating Rohingya
refugees from its soil to Burma following an understanding between
the two governments and so far about 82,000 (approx) Rohingyas have
already been repatriated to their homeland.

One Abdur Rahman son of Mrs Amina Khatun, who was also included in
the list of repatriated refugees on 10 September 1994 batch which
was received at Maungdaw jetty refugee reception centre, was
interrogated by the police on duty at the reception centre. He
hailed from Ponyolake village, south of Buthidaung township, Arakan
state and stayed in a camp at Gundum of Bangladesh.

Afterward Abdur Rahman was about to be sent to 10-mile Military
Intelligence Office by the police when the matter was reported to
the UNHCR by someone. At this the UNHCR reportedly intervened and
the refugee in questions was instead sent to Maungdaw police
lock-up.

It is understood that Abdur Rahman was kept there for about three
days on the ground that he might be associated with anti-state
forces operating along the Bangladesh-Burma border while he was in
refugee camp. When he was contacted by his mother about his
condition, she was told by the police that Abdur Rahman was no more
in their custody and they refused to disclose his whereabouts.

People in the area presumed that the repatriated refugee might have
been taken away by the Burmese military intelligence unit and was
probably shot dead.

Although the repatriation has been steadily taking a new phase, the
treatment of repatriated refugees by the Burmese authorities has
not yet improved. There are allegations that the authorities
preferred to conscript forced labour from among the refugees and
some were either detained or tortured to death on assumed charges.

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BURMESE DISSIDENTS STAGED DEMONSTRATION IN TOKYO

Burmese dissidents in Japan had organised a demonstration in Tokyo
on 19th September 1994 in protest against the conditions holding of
state power by the SLORC (State Law and Order Restoration Council)
and detention of hundreds of prisoners of conscience including
Nobel Peace Prize winner Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

The rally was organised by members of four political parties in
exile including NLD (National League for Democracy) and BRAJ
(Burma's Rohingya Association in Japan). About 320 Burmese
nationals working in Japan and hundreds of supporters belonging to
different strata participated in the demonstration marking the
sixth year of military take over in Burma.

It is further reported that the rally was headed by Dr Tun Aye, a
prominent Burmese national in Japan and BRAJ president Sallmullah
and its general secretary Nyi Nyi Htwe. The participants marched
towards the Burmese embassy in Tokyo.

It may be mentioned here that with the take over of state power by
the SLORC in 1988, many pro- democracy activists were shot dead and
hundreds more have been detained. Besides, the SLORC which promised
to hand over state power to elected representatives once the
general election was completed in 1990, refused to comply with
their own words and has since been designing a new administrative
set-up having military supremacy in Burma.

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3-MILE CHECK POST IN-CHARGE KILLED A ROHINGYA IN MAUNGDAW

Sometime in the first week of September 1994 one Noor Mohammed son
of Fakir Bakker, about 45 years hailing from Myothugyi village, 3
miles east of Maungdaw township, Arakan state was carrying some
food items from Buthidaung township. His bicycle was stopped at the
3-mile check post by Na Sa Ka forces for a routine check. After
searching, the official not only seized a small rice bag he was
carrying but he was also beaten up for carrying objectionable
goods. At this Noor Mohammed lost control of his temper and
resisted the in-charge reportedly by the name of one Thet Naign
belonging to Military Intelligence Unit 10.

Under the circumstances the in-charge became furious and went for
his pistol. Perceiving the danger, Noor Mohammed ran for his life
and took refuge in an under construction building of the UNHCR but
the 15 security forces of the 3-mile outpost who were after him
finally caught him only to be punished to death. His dead body was
later handed over to his family members for burial.

It may be noted that the Na Sa Ka is a group of combined security
personnel belonging to Customs, Immigration, Police and Defense
services which has been formed to restore law and order in the
Muslim majority area of Arakan. 

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