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FIAN LAUNCHED INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIG



Subject: FIAN LAUNCHED INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR THE SHAN REFUGEES

S.H.A.N : FIAN LAUNCHED INTERNATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR THE SHAN REFUGEES
MAY 19; 1997

FIAN ( Food First Information and Action Network ), an international
organisation which promotes for the Human Rights to feed oneself, launched an
urgent action to respect the right of the Shan refugees to feed themselves. The
campaign is based on the fact of forced relocation of about 100,000 Shan peoples
by the Burmese military regime.

The report said : Burma's ruling junta is constantly oppressing the national
minorities of Burma in the border areas of Burma. This oppression and denial of
minority rights has resulted in quasi permanent fighting with various resistance
groups of these minorities.

One of the strategies of the Burmese army to fight these groups has been to cut
them off the assistence they could get from the local villages, namely food,
funds, intelligence and recruits. For this purpose the army has been relocating
the population of the regions where the resistance group could get help. The
depopulated areas are declared " fire-free " zones.

In 1996, Burma's ruling SLORC ( State Law and Order Restoration Council ) has
started another systematic forced relocation program in the Central Shan State
in the west of Burma. Until now more than 100.000 persons, from 600 villages
have been forcibly evicted. The conditions of the village families were forced
to live in the relocation sites along the roadside are very bad and many of them
do not have enough to eat. That is why about 20.000 of the forcibly relocated
persons tried to escape the desperate situation by fleeing across the border to
Thailand.

Contrary to its former policies towards Burmese refugees, the government of
Thailand doesn't acknowledge the Shan refugees who fled Burma in 1996 and became
refugees. Therefore, they cannot stay in refugees camps and do not have the
right to receive the humanitarian assistance from international aid
organisations, including food aid. The families are trying to feed themselves by
working on farms near Chaing Mai or on construction sites in the town. The
irregular and underpaid work they can get as illegal migrants isn't enough to
nourish the whole family. Starvation and undernourishment are the result and the
right to food of the refugees is at stake. Some people, especially elders and
children are dying because of diseases related to undernourishment.

The refusal of the Thai government to allow the setting up of Shan refugee camps
is a manifestation of the transformed relation of the Thai government with the
SLORC.

The government of Thailand has, in the past, ensured the right to food of the
Burmese refugees by approving  the construction and maintainance of refugee
camps by international aid agencies. However, the government now changes this
policy because it doesn't want to impede its good business and diplomatic ties
with SLORC which would provide them with natural gas and other economically
wanted resources. In order to maintain its good relation with SLORC, the Thai
government wants to get rid of the refugees and thus refuses to recognise them
as refugees.

The Thai government is obliged by the Declaration of Human Rights to respect the
right of the refugees to feed themselves.
*****

Reasons for the urgent action :
An international  letter protest action may urge the government of Thailand to
review its policy towards the Burmese refugees and allow the construction of
refugee camps for the Shan refugees.

Recommended action :
Please send faxes or letters to the Government of Thailand, the embassy of
Thailand in your country and the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Please express your concern about
the violations of the refugees right to feed themselves and demand the Thai
government to ensure the right to food of the Burmese refugees by allowing them
to live in the refugee camps and to be provided with food by international aid
agencies.

! ! !   End of Action : 30.06.1997
     
Participation is easy : send the copy of the letter attached, to the addresses
mentioned below. Please take note that the attached letter are models, though
these could be used by those without a good command of the language - or who
don't have time to write a letter. However, if you are in the position to write,
it will undoubtedly have a bigger impact. We encourage you therefore to send
personalized letters.

We count on your active participation in FIAN Actions ! ! !


Prime Minister General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh
Office of the Prime Minister
Government House
Nakhorn Pathom Road
Bangkok 10300
Thailand.


Honourable Prime Minister,

Recently, I received very alarming information about the situation of around
20.000 refugees from the Central Shan State of Burma. Forcibly evicted by SLORC
from their villages they fled across the border to Thailand, where they now face
hunger and malnutrition.

Being refused the refugee status by the authorities of Thailand they have to
live as illegal migrants. This threatens their right to food as they do not live
in refugee camps and have no access to the provisions of international
aid-organisations.

As a person working Internationally for the realisation of Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights, I am deeply concerned about the situation of the refugees and
especially their right to food, which is enshrined in Art. 25 of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights.

The current point of the Thai government supports the gross violations of human
rights perpetrated by the SLORC on the population of Burma.

It is with these concerns in mind that I respectfully ask you to : 
- acknowledge the Burmese refugees as refugees
- allow for the setting up of refugee camps for the Shan refugees who had to
flee Burma
- stop any direct or inderect support for the gross violations of human rights
by the Burmese government 

Please inform me about all measures you intend to take to ensure the inalienable
right of the Burmese refugees to be free of hunger.

Sincerely yours,




*******
Addresses :  

Prime Minister General Chavalit Yongchaiyudh
Office of the Prime Minister
Government House
Nakhorn Pathom Road
Bangkok 10300
Thailand
Fax :  +66 2 2801443

copies to :  

United Nation High Commissioner for Refugees
Case postale 2500
Ch - 1211 Geneve, N0. 2 Depot
Switzerland

The Embassy of Thailand in your country

*****

Please inform the International secretariat of FIAN of any response to your
letters.

FIAN International Secretariat
P.O. Box 102243
D- 69012 Heidelberg, Germany
Tel :  ++49 - 6221-830620
Fax : ++49 - 6221-830545
email :
FIAN-IS@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
*****