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Mizzima: Burma's ethnic refugees in
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Burma's ethnic refugees in Indian border get no help
Kaki Village (Indo-Burma border), August 7, 2001
Mizzima News Group (www.mizzima.com)
A large number of Arakanese refugees who fled from Burmese military's
repressive measures have been living silently in the Indo-Burma border
areas in Mizoram State of India without receiving assistance from
outside world. Most of them came from Arakanese villages of Palatwa
Township in western Burma and they have been scattering along the
Mizoram-Burma border and Bangladesh-Mizoram-Burma border areas since
1988.
Without any assistance and not getting even awareness on their existence
in these remote areas, the Arakanese refugees are facing enormous
survival problems and many have died over the years due to lack of basic
medicines and food.
There are at least five Arakanese "refugee" villages in Mizoram (such as
Kaki, Laung Machu, Duduswara, Laungatoan, Hmawngbuchhuah) along the
border areas with Burma and upto 400 families live in a village. While
the State government has failed to recognize them as "refugees", the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Office in New
Delhi does not cover its actions in this north eastern state of India.
Transport and communication even to the nearest Lawngtlai town in
southern Mizoram is very difficult due to porous terrains. The lack of
medicines, doctors and food has made many refugees die every year in
winter and rainy seasons.
The Arakanese are one of the ethnic nationalities of Burma and the
refugees alleged that they were the victims of dictatorial and
repressive actions of the Burmese military government, now known as
State Peace and Development Council (SPDC). Many refugees recall their
bitter experiences of forced labour, forced porter, forced
tax-collection, rape and various arbitrary abuses of the Burmese
soldiers in their native villages in Arakan State.
"We fled our villages when we could no longer bear the repression of the
Burmese army. But, since we arrived this area (refugee village), we have
been facing several problems. We do not have proper shelter and work to
survive. We don't have any land to farm ", said a refugee who left his
village (Poan Nyinn Wa village) in Arakan border in 1989.
According to him, despite the International Labor Organization's
pressure on the Burmese regime to end the use of forced labor in the
country, the Burmese army continues to practice forced labor in a large
scale in remote villages in northern Arakan State.
Although they yearn for going back to their homes in Burma, they said
they couldn't do so as the human rights abuses of the Burmese army
continue unabated inside the country. Burmese government last year
reportedly asked these refugees to come back but the refugees are not
willing until their life is guaranteed in Burma.
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<center><b><font color="#000099"><font size=+2>Burma's ethnic refugees
in Indian border get no help</font></font></b></center>
<p><i><font color="#CC6600"><font size=+1>Kaki Village (Indo-Burma border),
August 7, 2001</font></font></i>
<br><i><font color="#CC6600"><font size=+1>Mizzima News Group <a href="http://www.mizzima.com";>(www.mizzima.com)</a></font></font></i>
<p><font size=+1>A large number of Arakanese refugees who fled from Burmese
military's repressive measures have been living silently in the Indo-Burma
border areas in Mizoram State of India without receiving assistance from
outside world. Most of them came from Arakanese villages of Palatwa Township
in western Burma and they have been scattering along the Mizoram-Burma
border and Bangladesh-Mizoram-Burma border areas since 1988.</font>
<p><font size=+1>Without any assistance and not getting even awareness
on their existence in these remote areas, the Arakanese refugees are facing
enormous survival problems and many have died over the years due to lack
of basic medicines and food.</font>
<p><font size=+1>There are at least five Arakanese "refugee" villages in
Mizoram (such as Kaki, Laung Machu, Duduswara, Laungatoan, Hmawngbuchhuah)
along the border areas with Burma and upto 400 families live in a village.
While the State government has failed to recognize them as "refugees",
the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Office in New
Delhi does not cover its actions in this north eastern state of India.</font>
<p><font size=+1>Transport and communication even to the nearest Lawngtlai
town in southern Mizoram is very difficult due to porous terrains. The
lack of medicines, doctors and food has made many refugees die every year
in winter and rainy seasons.</font>
<p><font size=+1>The Arakanese are one of the ethnic nationalities of Burma
and the refugees alleged that they were the victims of dictatorial and
repressive actions of the Burmese military government, now known as State
Peace and Development Council (SPDC). Many refugees recall their bitter
experiences of forced labour, forced porter, forced tax-collection, rape
and various arbitrary abuses of the Burmese soldiers in their native villages
in Arakan State.</font>
<p><font size=+1>"We fled our villages when we could no longer bear the
repression of the Burmese army. But, since we arrived this area (refugee
village), we have been facing several problems. We do not have proper shelter
and work to survive. We don't have any land to farm ", said a refugee who
left his village (Poan Nyinn Wa village) in Arakan border in 1989.</font>
<p><font size=+1>According to him, despite the International Labor Organization's
pressure on the Burmese regime to end the use of forced labor in the country,
the Burmese army continues to practice forced labor in a large scale in
remote villages in northern Arakan State.</font>
<p><font size=+1>Although they yearn for going back to their homes in Burma,
they said they couldn't do so as the human rights abuses of the Burmese
army continue unabated inside the country. Burmese government last year
reportedly asked these refugees to come back but the refugees are not willing
until their life is guaranteed in Burma.</font>
<p> </html>
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