Aliran Kesedaran Negara.

Commission on Human Rights, 57th Session

Oral Intervention: Item 14 Delivered by Deborah Stothard, 
April 12, 2001

Mr/Madam Chairperson,

I speak on behalf of Aliran Kesedaran Negara.

I wish to use this time to highlight two particular cases, that although quite different, stem from the same root causes – the oppression of ethnic nationality and religious minorities in Burma, and the prevalent use of forced relocation.

These causes have led to an increase in the number of internally displaced persons. Many of these internally displaced persons end up becoming refugees, trafficked persons and migrant workers seeking to escape the intense oppression perpetrated by the regime known as the State Peace an Development Council of Myanmar.

On January 18^th, Nang Thwe, a 14 year old girl, who came from the relocation sites in Lai Kha township, Shan State, was sold at the town of Mae Sai, in Thailand. Her brother traveled to Mae Sai to try to bring her back home. However, the owner who bought the girl demanded that he buy his sister back for 20,000 baht [about USD 500]. He returned to Burma to collect some money to purchase his sister’s freedom. Tragically, when he arrived in Thailand with some money, he was unable to get her back. Since then 14-year-old Nang Thwe and her "owner" have disappeared.

Nang Thwe and many young people like her are vulnerable to being trafficked because of human rights violations committed by the military regime in Burma. In some cases, we can only pray that she will be able to stay alive and be "lucky" enough to eventually be rescued by welfare groups in Thailand. Even then, there is no guarantee that these young women will be returned home safely – the regime has not committed itself to such repatriation programmes. In addition, the villages of these young people may have been forcibly relocated several times, or their communities may have become fled to hide from security forces in the jungles of Burma.

The problem of children of Burma being trafficked to work as labourers, sex workers and domestic help is already well known to the Commission. In March, the High Commissioner for Human Rights Mrs Mary Robinson herself was able to witness this problem when she visited a children’s shelter near Bangkok, Thailand.

Therefore, it is somewhat amazing to hear the regime’s ambassador His Excellency U Mya Than this week deny that there have human rights violations in Myanmar. Has the SPDC somehow miraculously eradicated the scourge of human rights violations between March and this week, or does he mean that the SPDC has successfully exported all its violations across the border? Or are we talking aout two entirely different countries – is there another Myanmar or Burma existing in a parallel universe that is free of human rights violations, and has H E U Mya Than beamed himself down from that planet?

Mr/Madam Chairperson,

In Malaysia, Mr Peter Hee Man, of Chin ethnic nationality from Burma faces deportation into the hands of the SPDC, merely because he went to observe a protest at a public event held by the Myanmar embassy in Kuala Lumpur.

Aliran urges the Malaysian government not to deport Peter Hee Man, who was detained along with three Malaysians who were part of a group that paraded Aung San Suu Kyi T-shirts in front of guests at the embassy reception. Mr Hee Man was unlawfully detained by security agents of the embassy who then insisted that the Malaysian police arrest him. He was subsequently released and immediately re-arrested for being an illegal immigrant. Mr Hee Man has a pending application to be recognized as a refugee by the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. He is currently being detained at the Immigration Detention Centre in Macap, Melaka state pending deportation. UNHCR is attempting to process his application, however the Malaysian government has given no assurance that Peter Hee Man will be allowed to stay in Malaysia until his UNHCR application is processed.

Aliran calls on the Malaysian government to stay Mr Peter Hee Man’s deportation until his application for refugee status and subsequent resettlement can be processed. We are convinced that if he is deported, he will be deported to the Myanmar or Burma that DOES perpetrate human rights violations against activists and people of ethnic and religious minorities. We note that Mr Peter Hee Man has been identified as a pro-democracy sympathizer, also that he is of Chin ethnic background and is a Christian. It is a documented fact that the Chin people have been targeted for abuse by the military regime on these grounds. Deporting Mr Peter Hee Man would be an act that would condemn him to torture or even death at the hands of the Burmese military junta.

Thank you.