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ARE THE SHAN STATELESS?
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Dear People,
I have seen two reports (encl) by Kyodo that the Burmese military
is refusing to recognise the Burmese citizenship of at least one group
of Shan deportees . The 7 November piece quotes a "border control
source" as saying that "the Myanmar government considers the
migrants as being stateless".
It is also said that in Shan State, people are not being
issued with identity cards (see SHRF report, below).
Does this mean that the Shan are being deprived of their status
as a "national race" and treated like the Rohingyas? (You may
remember that the junta said that the Rohingya refugees in
Bangladesh were "illegal immigrants" without Burmese citizenship.)
Or is it that a particular unit of the Burmese military was trying to
extort money, and the particular group(s) did not pay the required
bribes? Or did the Shan in question not have identity cards?
Since there are very few such reports, can we assume that most of the
deportees have been able to get back into Shan State?
The basic question is, are these just one-off events, or SPDC policy?
Are there other similar reports? Could anyone who can clarify fact or
policy post the information on the nets, or send to me directly.
Sincerely,
David Arnott (Burma Peace Foundation, Geneva)
darnott@xxxxxxxxxxx
***********************************************
Myanmar ready to shoot workers deported from Thailand
Varunee Torsricharoen
Kyodo, Bangkok, 13 November 1999. authorities in Myanmar have
threatened to shoot Myanmar workers being deported to Myanmar
from Thailand, reports reaching Bangkok on Saturday say.
The threats are exacerbating an already intractable problem that has
also left many deported Myanmar workers starving in the jungles along
the Thai-Myanmar border as they try to avoid the authorities in
their homeland as well as those in Thailand.
According to sources along the border, Myanmar is refusing to
recognize the illegal immigrants being sent home from Thailand
as citizens, has closed many border crossing points, and has threatened
in other cases to throw migrants into jail for up to nine years for entering
Myanmar 'illegally.'
Thailand is trying to repatriate as many as one million people from
Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and some other countries who had been
working illegally in Thailand.
For years, the Thai government turned a blind eye as hundreds of
thousands of people fled repressive governments and economic
hardship at home, particularly in Myanmar, to seek freedom and
work in Thailand.
But with the economic meltdown that began in July 1997 having
thrown at least 1.4 million Thais out of work, the government
decided to deport all illegal workers who failed to get work permits
by Nov. 3.
The process has, however, turned exceedingly ugly.
Already several hundred illegal workers from Myanmar, mostly members
of the Shan ethnic minority, have sneaked back into Thailand in Mae Hong Son
Province after being deported by Thai authorities and then detained in their
homeland as 'stateless' immigrants there.
Now, according to Sai Myint, a 27-year-old Shan, he and some 40 other Shan
workers were jailed by the Myanmar authorities soon after they were trucked
into Myanmar Nov. 9.
'They claimed we were illegal immigrants despite the fact that
we are Myanmarese, so we waited until they were inattentive
and we stole away from the jail,' he said.
In a report from the province in Thailand's far north, Sai Myint
was quoted as saying he and the others are now hiding in the
jungle because they fear arrest in Thailand as well as at home.
'We are hiding, but we are also starving, especially the children,'
he said, adding at least one member of his group has already died
after the initial 3-kilometer walk into Myanmar.
And the situation is unlikely to improve soon.
Myanmar shut border points after five exiled students took over
the Myanmar Embassy in Bangkok in early October and held
hostages there for 25 hours. The ruling junta in Yangon took the action
because they felt Thailand was too lenient with the student exiles.
Adding to the overall problem, as of the Nov. 3 deadline for obtaining
work permits, only about 106,000 of the estimated one million unskilled w
orkers from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar in Thailand were given
permission to remain and take jobs. The rest are to be repatriated.
Even those 'lucky' enough to get work permits can take jobs only in
one of 37 provinces and must work in only 18 business sectors,
including agriculture, fisheries, construction and mining.
And even those work permits will expire Aug. 5 next year.
Illegal workers are widely sought by Thai businesses seeking
to exploit their low wage rates, but the many Thais who are now
unemployed claim the migrants take jobs away from them and that their
willingness to work for extremely low wages drives down wages for Thai
workers as well.
Thailand's minimum wage for unskilled labor ranges from 130 to 162 baht
daily (about 3.5 to 4.3 dollars), but illegal workers will work for only
one-third that amount.
Thai labor law requires all workers, illegal or not, to be paid minimum
wage, but the threat of deportation meant many illegal workers could
be easily intimidated into accepting wages far below the minimum.
***********************
Myanmar detains 30 Shan deported from Thailand
Kyodo, Bangkok, 7 November 1999. Myanmar authorities have
detained 30 members of the Shan ethnic minority after they were deported
from Thailand's border province of Maehongson, a Thai immigration official
said Sunday.
Since Saturday, 116 illegal immigrant workers, mostly Shans, have been
trucked back to Myanmar from the Thai province. The mass deportation
follows a Thai government directive to repatriate nearly
one million illegal laborers throughout Thailand.
The 30 people detained in Myanmar are originally from the country's
northeastern state of Shan. They were arrested Saturday immediately
after crossing the border and entering Ban Namonluang, said a
45-year-old Shan woman who identified herself as Ching. She said
she had managed to escape the roundup.
A border control source said the group was detained in a military
camp at Ban Namonluang and will probably be charged for illegal
migration as the Myanmar government considers the migrants as
being stateless. They could face up to nine years imprisonment.
Thai police and immigration officers in several provinces in Myanmar's
border areas began a crackdown against illegal migrants Wednesday.
That was the deadline for alien laborers from neighboring countries to o
btain Thai work permits.
As of the deadline date, about 106,000 unskilled workers from Cambodia,
Laos and Myanmar were given permission to work in 37 provinces of
Thailand in 18 business sectors, including agriculture, fisheries,
construction and mining. Their permits are valid until Aug. 5 next year.
The repatriation of the nearly one million illegal workers who remain in
Thailand has become a difficult job because Myanmar sealed all border
checkpoints with Thailand after a group of gunmen stormed its
embassy in Bangkok in early October and held hostages.
Making matters worse, Myanmar beefed up its border security after
learning of Thailand's crackdown against illegal workers. In some areas,
local authorities are threatening to shoot all people sent back from
Thailand who enter Myanmar's territory, according to the border source.
Several hundred migrants from Myanmar have managed to return to
Thailand after only a few hours of repatriation since they were not
welcomed in their own country.
The million-odd migrant workers in Thailand from neighboring
countries are welcomed by businesses seeking low-cost labor.
Most are fleeing political and economic trouble at home.
But now the migrants are seen as a major political problem. Some
of the 1.4 million Thais who are unemployed claim the migrants take
jobs away from local people and that their resence drives down
wages.
Thailand's minimum wage for unskilled labor ranges between 130 and
162 baht daily (about 3.5-4.3 U.S. dollars). The foreign workers, however,
often get a third to half that amount, even though they are supposed to be
protected by Thailand's labor law.
*******************
SHAN HUMAN RIGHTS FOUNDATION
SHRF MONTHLY REPORT -- OCTOBER 1999
CEASEFIRE PEOPLE DENIED NATIONAL IDENTITY
Many people in areas under ceasefire groups and many of the members of the
ceasefire groups themselves are being denied national identity by not being
issued identity cards by the SPDC authorities.
The following is the list of the areas in which people are being deprived of
their national identities.
1. Special Region or Zone (1): Ko Kang, Pang Sai and Ta Pang areas
2. Special Region (2), under UWSA: Murng Phen, Ho Tao, Murng Kaa, Murng Pawk,
Parng Yarng, Waeng Ngurn, Parng Sarng, Murng Mau, Kun Keng, Kun Long, Ho Parng
and Mang Seng
3. Special Region (4), under NDAA: Saler, Murng Ma, Murng Laa, Murng Luay,
Murng Yu and Nam Parn
4. Members of the MTA who had a ceasefire agreement with the SPDC have so far
only been given 'surrender cards', but not national identity cards. When these
people need to travel to places outside their areas, a certain kind of travel
document is issued by the SPDC military authorities in their respective areas.
Internet ProLink PC User
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Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii"
<html>
Dear People,<br>
<br>
I have seen two reports (encl) by Kyodo that the Burmese military<br>
is refusing to recognise the Burmese citizenship of at least one group
<br>
of Shan deportees . The 7 November piece quotes a "border
control<br>
source" as saying that "the Myanmar government considers the
<br>
migrants as being stateless". <br>
<br>
It is also said that in Shan State, people are not being <br>
issued with identity cards (see SHRF report, below).<br>
<br>
Does this mean that the Shan are being deprived of their status<br>
as a "national race" and treated like the Rohingyas? (You may
<br>
remember that the junta said that the Rohingya refugees in
<br>
Bangladesh were "illegal immigrants" without Burmese
citizenship.)<br>
<br>
Or is it that a particular unit of the Burmese military was trying to
<br>
extort money, and the particular group(s) did not pay the required <br>
bribes? Or did the Shan in question not have identity cards? <br>
<br>
Since there are very few such reports, can we assume that most of the
<br>
deportees have been able to get back into Shan State?<br>
<br>
The basic question is, are these just one-off events, or SPDC
policy?<br>
<br>
Are there other similar reports? Could anyone who can clarify fact or
<br>
policy post the information on the nets, or send to me
directly.<br>
<br>
Sincerely,<br>
<br>
David Arnott (Burma Peace Foundation, Geneva)<br>
<br>
darnott@xxxxxxxxxxx<br>
***********************************************<br>
<br>
Myanmar ready to shoot workers deported from Thailand <br>
<br>
Varunee Torsricharoen <br>
<br>
Kyodo, Bangkok, 13 November 1999. authorities in Myanmar have <br>
threatened to shoot Myanmar workers being deported to Myanmar<br>
from Thailand, reports reaching Bangkok on Saturday say. <br>
<br>
The threats are exacerbating an already intractable problem that has
<br>
also left many deported Myanmar workers starving in the jungles along
<br>
the Thai-Myanmar border as they try to avoid the authorities in<br>
their homeland as well as those in Thailand. <br>
<br>
<b>According to sources along the border, Myanmar is refusing to <br>
recognize the illegal immigrants being sent home from Thailand <br>
as citizens, </b>has closed many border crossing points, and has
threatened <br>
in other cases to throw migrants into jail for up to nine years for
entering <br>
Myanmar 'illegally.' <br>
<br>
Thailand is trying to repatriate as many as one million people from
<br>
Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and some other countries who had been
<br>
working illegally in Thailand. <br>
<br>
For years, the Thai government turned a blind eye as hundreds of <br>
thousands of people fled repressive governments and economic <br>
hardship at home, particularly in Myanmar, to seek freedom and
<br>
work in Thailand. <br>
<br>
But with the economic meltdown that began in July 1997 having <br>
thrown at least 1.4 million Thais out of work, the government
<br>
decided to deport all illegal workers who failed to get work
permits <br>
by Nov. 3. <br>
<br>
The process has, however, turned exceedingly ugly. <br>
<br>
Already several hundred illegal workers from Myanmar, mostly members
<br>
of the Shan ethnic minority, have sneaked back into Thailand in Mae Hong
Son <br>
Province after being deported by Thai authorities and then detained in
their <br>
homeland as 'stateless' immigrants there. <br>
<br>
Now, according to Sai Myint, a 27-year-old Shan, he and some 40 other
Shan <br>
workers were jailed by the Myanmar authorities soon after they were
trucked <br>
into Myanmar Nov. 9. <br>
<br>
<b>'They claimed we were illegal immigrants despite the fact that <br>
we are Myanmarese, </b>so we waited until they were inattentive
<br>
and we stole away from the jail,' he said. <br>
<br>
In a report from the province in Thailand's far north, Sai Myint <br>
was quoted as saying he and the others are now hiding in the <br>
jungle because they fear arrest in Thailand as well as at home. <br>
<br>
'We are hiding, but we are also starving, especially the children,'
<br>
he said, adding at least one member of his group has already died <br>
after the initial 3-kilometer walk into Myanmar. <br>
<br>
And the situation is unlikely to improve soon. <br>
<br>
Myanmar shut border points after five exiled students took over <br>
the Myanmar Embassy in Bangkok in early October and held <br>
hostages there for 25 hours. The ruling junta in Yangon took the
action<br>
because they felt Thailand was too lenient with the student exiles.
<br>
<br>
Adding to the overall problem, as of the Nov. 3 deadline for obtaining
<br>
work permits, only about 106,000 of the estimated one million unskilled
w<br>
orkers from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar in Thailand were given <br>
permission to remain and take jobs. The rest are to be repatriated.
<br>
<br>
Even those 'lucky' enough to get work permits can take jobs only in
<br>
one of 37 provinces and must work in only 18 business sectors, <br>
including agriculture, fisheries, construction and mining. <br>
<br>
And even those work permits will expire Aug. 5 next year. <br>
<br>
Illegal workers are widely sought by Thai businesses seeking <br>
to exploit their low wage rates, but the many Thais who are now <br>
unemployed claim the migrants take jobs away from them and that
their<br>
willingness to work for extremely low wages drives down wages for Thai
<br>
workers as well. <br>
<br>
Thailand's minimum wage for unskilled labor ranges from 130 to 162 baht
<br>
daily (about 3.5 to 4.3 dollars), but illegal workers will work for only
<br>
one-third that amount. <br>
<br>
Thai labor law requires all workers, illegal or not, to be paid minimum
<br>
wage, but the threat of deportation meant many illegal workers could
<br>
be easily intimidated into accepting wages far below the minimum. <br>
<br>
***********************<br>
<br>
Myanmar detains 30 Shan deported from Thailand <br>
<br>
Kyodo, Bangkok, 7 November 1999. Myanmar authorities have <br>
detained 30 members of the Shan ethnic minority after they were
deported<br>
from Thailand's border province of Maehongson, a Thai immigration
official <br>
said Sunday. <br>
<br>
Since Saturday, 116 illegal immigrant workers, mostly Shans, have been
<br>
trucked back to Myanmar from the Thai province. The mass deportation
<br>
follows a Thai government directive to repatriate nearly<br>
one million illegal laborers throughout Thailand. <br>
<br>
The 30 people detained in Myanmar are originally from the country's
<br>
northeastern state of Shan. They were arrested Saturday immediately<br>
after crossing the border and entering Ban Namonluang, said a<br>
45-year-old Shan woman who identified herself as Ching. She said <br>
she had managed to escape the roundup. <br>
<br>
A border control source said the group was detained in a military<br>
camp at Ban Namonluang and will probably be charged for illegal <br>
migration as <b>the Myanmar government considers the migrants as <br>
being stateless. </b>They could face up to nine years imprisonment.
<br>
<br>
Thai police and immigration officers in several provinces in Myanmar's
<br>
border areas began a crackdown against illegal migrants Wednesday. <br>
That was the deadline for alien laborers from neighboring countries to
o<br>
btain Thai work permits. <br>
<br>
As of the deadline date, about 106,000 unskilled workers from Cambodia,
<br>
Laos and Myanmar were given permission to work in 37 provinces of <br>
Thailand in 18 business sectors, including agriculture, fisheries, <br>
construction and mining. Their permits are valid until Aug. 5 next year.
<br>
<br>
The repatriation of the nearly one million illegal workers who remain in
<br>
Thailand has become a difficult job because Myanmar sealed all border
<br>
checkpoints with Thailand after a group of gunmen stormed its<br>
embassy in Bangkok in early October and held hostages. <br>
<br>
Making matters worse, Myanmar beefed up its border security after <br>
learning of Thailand's crackdown against illegal workers. In some areas,
<br>
local authorities are threatening to shoot all people sent back from
<br>
Thailand who enter Myanmar's territory, according to the border source.
<br>
<br>
Several hundred migrants from Myanmar have managed to return to <br>
Thailand after only a few hours of repatriation since they were not
<br>
welcomed in their own country. <br>
<br>
The million-odd migrant workers in Thailand from neighboring<br>
countries are welcomed by businesses seeking low-cost labor. <br>
Most are fleeing political and economic trouble at home. <br>
<br>
But now the migrants are seen as a major political problem. Some <br>
of the 1.4 million Thais who are unemployed claim the migrants take
<br>
jobs away from local people and that their resence drives
down<br>
wages. <br>
<br>
Thailand's minimum wage for unskilled labor ranges between 130 and <br>
162 baht daily (about 3.5-4.3 U.S. dollars). The foreign workers,
however, <br>
often get a third to half that amount, even though they are supposed to
be <br>
protected by Thailand's labor law. <br>
<br>
<font face="Arial, Helvetica" size=2>*******************<br>
<br>
</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica"><b><i>SHAN HUMAN RIGHTS
FOUNDATION</b></i> <br>
<br>
<b>SHRF MONTHLY REPORT -- OCTOBER 1999<br>
<br>
CEASEFIRE PEOPLE DENIED NATIONAL IDENTITY</b> <br>
<br>
Many people in areas under ceasefire groups and many of the members of
the<br>
ceasefire groups themselves are being denied national identity by not
being<br>
issued identity cards by the SPDC authorities. <br>
<br>
The following is the list of the areas in which people are being deprived
of<br>
their national identities. <br>
<br>
1. Special Region or Zone (1): Ko Kang, Pang Sai and Ta Pang areas <br>
<br>
2. Special Region (2), under UWSA: Murng Phen, Ho Tao, Murng Kaa, Murng
Pawk, Parng Yarng, Waeng Ngurn, Parng Sarng, Murng Mau, Kun Keng, Kun
Long, Ho Parng and Mang Seng <br>
<br>
3. Special Region (4), under NDAA: Saler, Murng Ma, Murng Laa, Murng
Luay,<br>
Murng Yu and Nam Parn <br>
<br>
4. Members of the MTA who had a ceasefire agreement with the SPDC have so
far only been given 'surrender cards', but not national identity cards.
When these people need to travel to places outside their areas, a certain
kind of travel document is issued by the SPDC military authorities in
their respective areas.<br>
</font><br>
<div>Internet ProLink PC User</div>
</html>
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