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BSG(MELBOURNE) REPORT ON ROHINGYAS,



Subject: BSG(MELBOURNE) REPORT ON ROHINGYAS, HR-SUB 15A.

/* posted Sun 30 Jun 6:00am 1996 by DRUNOO@xxxxxxxxxxxx in igc:reg.burma */
/* ---------" BSG (Melbourne) report on Rohingyas "---------- */
(from Human Rights Sub-Committee report, Vol 5, Submission 15-a, 
published 5 September 1995) 
---------------------------------------------------------------
27 June 1995

ACFOA Human Rights Office
124 Napier Street
Fitzroy, 3065
Ph:(03) 9417 6783

Margaret Swieringa
Secretary Joint Standing Committee
Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade
Burma Inquiry
Parliament House
ACT 2600

Dear Margaret

You  may  recall  that  at  the  Melbourne hearings of the Burma Inquiry, I
raised the issue of AusAID's funding of the UNHCR repatriation  of  Burmese
Muslims  - the Rohingya from Bangladesh to Burma. It has taken me some time
to obtain the latest NGO reports to provide to the Inquiry, I hope they can
still be included in BSG's submission or to the  members  to  assist  their
questioning of DFAT and Aus Aid.

Allegations  that  this  repatriation  was violating UNHCR's own mandate of
voluntary repatriation  emerged  in  a  Medicine  San  Frontier  report  in
September  1994.  UNHCR  responded  with  a  report  that  same month which
maintained that the repatriation was going smoothly. In February this  year
a  more  detailed  report  by  the  US  committee for Refugees was released
alleging forced repatriation and the lack of protection  of  returnees  and
arguing that UNHCR had failed to show any evidence that human rights abuses
had halted in Arakan state of Burma.

Medicine  San Frontiers requested access to the refugee camps to conduct an
independent survey of the  refugees  knowledge  about  repatriation.  UNHCR
refused  permission,  but  MSF  went  ahead anyway with the assistance of a
number of other NGOs including Oxfam, Save the Children Fund, INternational
Islamic Relief Organisation and Concern. Their result are disturbing.

I have included the summary and recommendations of this survey  from  MSF's
May  1995  report.  I  have  also  included  UNHCR's  second  report on the
repatriation from June 1995. Aus Aid accept UNHCR's assuraces and  hitherto
seem unaware of NGO allegations.

There are three issues here:

1. the welfare of the Rohingya;
2.  according  to AusAID's submission, $1.5 million of Australian taxpayers
money is being provided to UNHCR in a program which is allegedly  violating
their own mandate;
3.  the  lack of guarantees of safety for refugees and the relative lack of
information from UNHCR or AUSAID about the  repatriation,  raises  concerns
about  their  ability to respond to NGO concerns and manage safely a future
repatriation of refugees in Thailand. The Rohingya are the model,  we  must
get their repatriation right.

Sincerely
Sd. Marc Purcell

INCORPORATED DOCUMENTS

Medicins  Sans  Frontieres:  MSF's concerns on the repatriation of Rohingya
refugees from Bangladesh to Burma.

U.S. Committee for Refugees: THE RETURN OF THE ROHINGYA REFUGEES TO  BURMA,
Voluntary Repatriation or Refoulment ?

UNHCR  Information  Bulletin,  June  1995:  Return to Myanmar, Repatriating
refugees from Bangladesh.