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