Joint Statement For Rohingya Refugees

Burma: Joint letter to Japanese Justice Minister and Foreign Minister on Rohingya

Keiko Chiba
Justice Minister
Ministry of Justice
Kasumigaseki 1-1-1
Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8977

Katsuya Okada
Foreign Minister
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Kasumigaseki 2-2-1
Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8919

Re: Rohingya Asylum Seekers from Burma and Japan's foreign policy on Burma

Dear Justice Minister and Foreign Minister,

We write to you urging prompt protection for Rohingya asylum seekers from Burma. Several aspects of Japan's current policy on refugee protection fail to meet international standards, and therefore are in need of revision.

Burma's ethnic Rohingya "boat people" gained the attention of international and domestic media and policy makers after images of emaciated Rohingya arriving in Thailand and Indonesia by boat were captured on camera in early 2009. The Rohingya are a Muslim minority primarily residing in Western Arakan State, and speak a dialect distinct from Burmese and Bengali. For many years, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya have fled repression by the Burmese military government to countries such as Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and in the Middle East. Some have also come to Japan.

Amidst rampant human rights abuses in Burma, the Rohingya have for decades borne the brunt of one of the most inhumane policies and campaigns by the military government. The Burmese government denies them citizenship, rendering the majority of Rohingya stateless. The military government launched several "ethnic cleansing" campaigns, particularly in 1978 and 1991, killing many in the process of expelling Rohingya to Bangladesh, where many also died from starvation and disease. In Burma, the Rohingya face brutal religious repression, forced labor and expropriation of property, and are often denied employment opportunities and access to education and trade.

Over the period of past decade, more than 110 Rohingya have made their way to Japan, mainly by air, and petitioned the Japanese government for asylum. While major state parties to the 1951 Refugee Convention have recognized Rohingya asylum seekers as refugees based on the Burmese government's persecution of them, many Rohingya in Japan, to date, have been denied refugee status and some, therefore, are threatened with deportation to Burma. They are prevented from actually being deported, however, because the Burmese government refuses to recognize the Rohingya as its citizens and therefore refuses to accept them back. While we do not have any reports that Rohingya in Japan have been forcibly repatriated to Burma, the legal status of those subjected to the deportation orders is very unstable and leaves the threat of deportation hanging over their heads.

The Japanese government detains many Rohingya asylum seekers for more than a year while processing their asylum claims. Even those who are released are extremely vulnerable as many of them are on "temporary release status," which enables the Japanese authorities to detain them at any time. Further, Rohingya asylum seekers face enormous economic challenges; they are barred from work authorization and denied all but limited access to social welfare, including Seikatsuhogo or Hogohi.

In light of these difficulties the Burmese Rohingya asylum seekers are facing in Japan, we urge the Japanese government to promptly take the following steps:

- Don't forcibly return Rohingya to Burma. Rescind deportation orders to Burma and grant Special Residential Permits to the Rohingya, since they face persecution by the Burmese government and deportation is not practically possible because the Burmese government will not accept Rohingya back to the country. The Japanese government should promptly grant Special Residential Permits (such as one-year "Long Residence Permit") to all Rohingya asylum seekers.

- Do not detain Rohingya applying for asylum and grant them work permits and full access to social welfare services including the access to Hogohi or Seikatsu Hogo. Follow the UNHCR Guidelines, which states that as a general rule, asylum seekers should not be detained and detention of asylum seekers may only be permitted under exceptional circumstances.

- Press the Burmese military government to end abuses against the Rohingya and grant them full citizenship rights.

Yours sincerely,

Amnesty International Japan

Arakan Rohingya Organization-Japan (JARO)

Lawyers' Group for Burmese Refugee Applicants

Burmese Rohingya Association in Japan

Christian Coalition for Refugee and Migrant Workers

People's Forum on Burma

BurmaInfo

Human Rights Watch

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Chin refugee detainees in dilemma

VOCR
28th October, 2009
Kula Lumpur, Malaysia

According to confirm information, approximately 250 Chin and 300 Burmese detainees are still detained in Lenggeng immigration camp. On 10/10/09 one of Chin detainees in the camp formally known as Mr. Tei Khar Lian informed to Chin refugee committee office ( CRC ) that the camp authorities are begging the money from detainees and Camp authorities will let the prisoners meet  the UNHCR team.

“In previous visit of the UNHCR team to the camp, we did not need to pay the money to meet the UNHCR team. But now, the Burmese detainees are paying RM 1000 each to immigration officers in order to meet with the UNHCR team. So, we (Chin detainees) have been denied to meet with the UNHCR team because we are unavailable to pay. Even though we are formally holders of UNHCR card the camp authorities denied our claim to meet with UNHCR team” he said.

In the last couple months, the UNHCR team had released many refugee detainees from other detention facilities such as Langkap, Seminyih camp but no one has been released from Lenggeng camp after Mr. Duh Sang was released on 19/08/2009

Chin Refugees in detention centre on Market

             On 24th Oct, 2009, There were lots of chin refugees were arrested by the police without Uniform in Budu Palaza around last Saturday. They brought all the arrested people to Budu Police State for hours. The arrested people called and informed their respective community  Leaders and their family members. When we, community leaders and family members reached the police station, the police asked us RM.350 per one person for release. We have no choice because it is more important for their release and safety. 

              One of polices from malaysia detention centre called the family member of the arrested refugee and asked for RM.50 to be reload to his handphone , otherwise, he will torture the person in prison, he said.   

This is  the truth happening among Burmese Refugees very often and the voice of Burmese Refugees in Malaysia. 

Malaysia releases 66 Sri Lankan refugees from camp

Kuala Lumpur - Malaysian immigration officials have released 66 Sri Lankan refugees from a detention camp and handed them over to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), a news report said Wednesday.

Two buses took the 66 men, women and children Wednesday to the capital, Kuala Lumpur, to be placed in the care of the UNHCR office until a country can be found to accept them, a UN official told the Star online news portal.

The detainees were among 105 Sri Lankans who have been held at the camp in the southern state of Johor since September for not having valid travel documents.

Last week, six of the detainees allegedly went on a hunger strike, demanding to be allowed to meet UNHCR officials whom they claimed had issued them refugee status.

'We are delighted that some of them have been released and the process was fast,' state immigration deputy director Amran Ahmad was quoted as saying by the Star.

'Efforts have begun to secure the release of another 21 as well,' he said.

Amran said of the 105 detainees, 17 have been charged with immigration offences while one has been released to his employer.

However, he refuted the hunger strike claims, saying the detainees have been well-fed and taken care of at the centre.

UNHCR external relations officer Yante Ismail thanked the government for the speedy release of the refugees, who had fled unrest in their homeland.

'We will continue to advocate the release of the remaining refugees and asylum seekers as soon as possible,' she said.

Malaysia is both a transit point and permanent asylum site for tens of thousands of refugees from countries experiencing political turmoil, such as Myanmar and Sri Lanka.

Australian government intensifies crackdown on asylum seekers

By Richard Phillips
28 October 2009

Labor Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has intensified his government’s crackdown on asylum seekers with plans to pay Indonesia to detain refugees intercepted while trying to sail to Australia. In-principle support for the deal was secured by Rudd with Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the Indonesian president’s swearing-in ceremony in Jakarta last week.


The subcontracting arrangement, estimated to cost $50 million per year and dubbed the “Indonesian Solution”, could see hundreds of poverty-stricken refugees languishing in Indonesian detention camps for years. A final agreement is expected to be signed at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Singapore next month.


According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), a bounty would be paid to Jakarta for “‘warehousing’ detainees, processing their refugee applications and deporting those who fail to secure refugee status”. There would be additional funds for air and naval surveillance, undercover police operations and Indonesian detention centres. Canberra is currently involved in high-level negotiations for a similar deal with Malaysia.


Labor’s proposal is a variant on the former Howard government’s so-called “Pacific Solution” in which Papua New Guinea and Nauru were paid to incarcerate asylum-seekers intercepted by Australian navy and immigration authorities.


While in opposition, Labor denounced the measure as “inhumane” and ended the arrangement last year. However, the agreement now being organised by the Rudd government is even more regressive. Indonesia and Malaysia are not signatories to international refugee laws and are notorious for their treatment of asylum seekers.


Prior to visiting Jakarta last week, Rudd contacted Yudhoyono and secured an agreement that Indonesia authorities would detain 78 Tamils intercepted by Australian customs ship Oceanic Viking on October 17. The Tamils—men, women and children—were rescued from a fishing boat attempting to sail to Australia.


The asylum seekers have spent 10 days on the Oceanic Viking and are now being transported to an Australian-funded detention centre at Tanjung Pinang on the Indonesian island of Bintan, about 40 kilometres from Singapore.


The Tamils, who staged a hunger-strike when they learnt that they were being returned to Indonesia, have refused to disembark from the ship. They have threatened to kill themselves rather than leave the ship and be interned in Indonesia.


While Australian authorities are now discussing forcible removal of the asylum-seekers from the ship, provincial governor Ismeth Abdullah has told the media that he opposes Canberra’s deal with Jakarta. Abdullah said he did not want Indonesia becoming a “dumping ground” for asylum-seekers that should be taken by Australia.


Even as Rudd was insisting that his Indonesian plan was “humane”, Afghan refugees in Tanjung Pinang told the media that they had been beaten by Indonesian immigration officials. The ABC says it has seen evidence of the beatings and refugee and asylum-seeker support groups have verified these claims. When Rudd was asked by journalists about these allegations at an ASEAN summit in Bangkok last weekend, he refused to comment.


Like the previous Howard government, Labor, with the assistance of the media, is whipping up anti-refugee sentiment to deflect attention from rising job losses, endemic youth unemployment and social problems which have been intensified by the global financial crisis.


Even the rhetoric is similar. Last week Rudd branded asylum-seekers arriving as “illegal”. In fact, it is the government, not the refugees, that is breaching international law. As a signatory to the UN convention on refugees, Australia is legally obliged to afford all asylum seekers the same treatment irrespective of how they arrive or whether they have passports or other official papers.


Some sections of the political establishment have voiced concern that Rudd is too closely following the former Howard government and that the “tough on asylum seekers” bidding war between Labor and the opposition is escalating out of control.


Australian Industry Group chief Heather Ridout, for example, told the Fairfax media on October 19 that Rudd’s “hard-line” approach and the anti-asylum rhetoric from the Liberal-National coalition was “causing the worst possible outcome”. She called for a calm, bipartisan response. Ridout’s comments reflect concerns in corporate circles that the furore will impact on Australia’s international business relations, particularly in Asia.


Similar points were made by Australian Workers Union (AWU) national secretary Paul Howes, who called on Rudd to adopt a “more compassionate approach”. This was followed a week later by a declaration from the Australian Congress of Trade Unions (ACTU) that it was “disappointed” over “the demonisation of asylum seekers for political gain”.


These comments are entirely cynical. The union bureaucracy has fully backed immigration controls, mandatory detention of asylum seekers and the round-up of so-called illegal workers. The latest remarks are warning to the government that its current anti-asylum seeker campaign risks a political backlash. In the lead-up to the 2007 election, there was growing popular revulsion over the Howard government’s draconian anti-refugee methods.


Rudd and Immigration Minister Chris Evans reacted to these concerns by claiming that the Indonesian plan was “compassionate”. The prime minister has repeated ad nauseam that Labor was “tough but fair” with refugees.


However, the claim that the so-called Indonesian Solution is “humane” is a cruel hoax as any examination of the plight of asylum seekers in Indonesia and Malaysia demonstrates.


Jessie Taylor, a lawyer and filmmaker who visited 11 Indonesian detention centres in July, told the World Socialist Web Site that conditions for asylum seekers varied but in some cases were “horrendous”. Families with babies were locked in third-world style high-security prisons.


“One place I visited was one of the filthiest I have ever seen. It was a converted grain-storage warehouse and had rodent problems, fungus and mould. It had an uncovered water supply, which had big chunks of fungus and faeces floating in it. While we were there we saw someone fishing a dead cat, possum or something like that out of the water supply,” she said.


Taylor explained that even when refugees are registered they are not officially allowed to work and there is no schooling for their children.


“One place we visited had an empty class room that the IOM [International Organisation of Migration] was supposed to open once or twice a week for educational purposes. But if the IOM considers that there has been misbehaviour or too many demands by the refugees then it refuses to open the classroom. In other words, the children are punished. This happened while we were visiting this place. The IOM don’t supply teachers or anything but one Iraq refugee woman who speaks a little English was teaching the children.


“Even when people are given refugee status they are not re-settled and sit in these places—jails and prisons—for years on end, holding their refugee certificate and not knowing whether they will ever get out of there,” Taylor said.

Conditions in Malaysia are also appalling. The government refuses to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross access to detention centres. According to a recent Amnesty International (AI) report, forcible deportations, malnutrition, disease, beatings and suicide attempts by asylum seekers are commonplace. There are 22 detention centres in Malaysia, many of them holding over 1,000 men, women and children.

According to AI, in one centre 120 men were held 24 hours a day in a building about the size of a tennis court. The report noted that treatment of refugees depended on their nationality or religion. Some Burmese refugees had been held for over a decade.

These are the conditions into which the Rudd government is determined to force the Tamil refugees on the Oceanic Viking. Like the Howard government’s decision in August 2001 to prevent the Tampa, a Norwegian freighter that had rescued 433 Afghan refugees, from entering Australian territorial waters, the standoff over the Oceanic Viking is rapidly becoming a symbol of Labor’s repressive asylum seeker policies.

Burmese Refugee Camp

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Burmese Refugee Camp

Refugee: a person forced to leave his or her home or native land to seek safe refuge as a result of war, persecution, or the like.

The country of Burma is being ruled by a "military regime [who] arbitrarily arrests, tortures, rapes and executes its own people, ruthlessly persecutes ethnic minorities, and bizarrely builds itself a new capital city while failing to address the increasingly urgent challenges of refugee flows, illicit narcotics and human trafficking, and the spread of HIV/AIDS and other communicable diseases." (Wikipedia)

Some of these people have lived in this camp for over 20 years. Others die in this camp, never to see their homeland. While the children who are born here may never leave the camp itself, wherein their world view is only as big as this camp.

Even so, within this darkness of a "Forgotten Crisis" - deep down there is a light that never goes out.


Myanmar refugees on the Thai-Myanmar border

The situation of refugees from Myanmar in camps in Thailand is one of the most protracted in the world. These refugees have been confined to nine closed camps since their arrival in the 1980s. According to Thai law, those found outside the camps are subject to arrest and deportation. Officially, refugees have no access to employment.

The prolonged confinement of the Myanmar refugees has created numerous social, psychological and protection concerns. The coping mechanisms of refugees have been eroded, and the restrictions imposed on them have increased their dependency on assistance.

Against this background, the introduction of third-country resettlement has opened a durable solutions window. In 2009, UNHCR expects 18,000 departures. Despite this remarkable burden-sharing effort, the camp population is not likely to dwindle rapidly because of a number of factors, including the irregular functioning of the screening and admissions system for the camps. The Office will continue to work with the Government to find durable solutions for the refugees and ensure that asylum-seekers have access to fair and efficient asylum procedures.

(extract from UNHCR report, Global Needs Assessment: Thailand)

This video won't give them justice, but at least it can give you a window, a chance to see another world much smaller and more fragile than our own, a chance to understand what is happening at the Refugee Camp.

UNHCR partners in Thailand
Implementing partners

Government agencies: Ministries of Education, the Interior, and Justice
NGOs: Aide Médicale Internationale, American Refugee Committee, Catholic Office for Emergency Relief and Refugees, Handicap International, International Rescue Committee, Malteser International, Right to Play, Ruam Mit Foundation for Youth, Shanti Volunteer Association, ZOA Refugee Care
Others: UNDP (UNV), UNOPS
Operational partners
Government agencies: Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Social Development and Human Security, and the National Security Council
NGOs: ICS Asia, JRS, Solidarité, TBBC, WEAVE
Others: FAO, ILO, OHCHR, UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF, WHO

The ninemillion.org campaign
The ninemillion.org campaign was created in 2006 by the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) in partnership with Nike and Microsoft.

The goal of the campaign is to give more than nine million children better access to education, sport and technology by 2010.

The ninemillion.org website exists to raise funds, but also to give voice to those who often go unheard, allowing visitors to see pictures of the camps where children pass much of their lives, read refugee children's stories and understand what refugee children's lives are like.

Related articles:
1.My Blog article on Wednesday, June 24, 2009, Clinic Mae Tao at Mae Sot(แม่สอด)
2. UNHCR makes dream of education come true for Myanmar refugee boy, dated 22-6-2009 http://www.unhcr.org/4a3f8c126.html
3. Restless Souls(2006), by Phil Thornton, published by Asia Books, Bangkok,Thailand
4.The repatriation predicament of Burmese refugees in Thailand: a preliminary analysis(2001), by Hazel Lang, UNHCR Working Paper NO: 46, http://www.unhcr.org/3b7d24214.html
5. Mae Tao Clinic official website, http://www.maetaoclinic.org/
6.Global Needs Assessment: Thailand, by UNHCR, ttp://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/page?page=49e489646
7. The ninemillion.org campaign, http://www.ninemillion.org/

Myanmar hails over-six-decade UN undertakings

2009-10-26 11:25:40  


YANGON, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar official media Monday hailed the over-six-decade undertakings by the United Nations, saying that the international community today has a better, more prosperous future with peace ahead due to the joint efforts member countries have been making in harmony to surmount the great varieties of crisis and challenges being faced by the world people.

"Indeed, the U.N. is the best forum to tackle global challenges as well as for guaranteeing international peace and security," said the New Light of Myanmar in its editorial.

"Over the decades, the U.N. has successfully maintained international peace and security. Moreover, the U.N. also made advances in the field of development, protection of the environment and promotion of international law," the editorial noted.

"The imbalance in the global economic, financial and trade environment remains a major impediment for many developing countries," it pointed out, warning that the emerging global issues of climate change, financial and economic crisis, food and energy crisis threaten to undermine socio-economic progress gained.

Welcoming the world body's scaled-up humanitarian aid, the editorial said the U.N. has vaccinated 40 percent of the world children, providing food for more than 100 million people and over30 million refugees, adding that it is trying to generate a multinational system that can fulfill requirements of the neediest people.

Myanmar celebrated the 64th anniversary of the U.N. Day in Nay Pyi Taw Sunday, attended by First Secretary of the State Peace and Development Council General Thiha Thura Tin Aung Myint Oo.

Editor: Anne Tang

Chin People were forced to construct road without wages by USDA

10 June 2009: 

KCho Chin people are being forced to construct a road in Kanpelet Township by the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) in Kanpelet Town, Southern Chin State, in western Burma.

Chin People made to construct road without wages by USDA

"We have started work from April. A link road between Hmuchinding and Cin dwe villages, a stretch of 30 miles, will allow motor cars to travel on the road. The construction work is being led by USDA with 20 neighboring villages. We have been divided into five groups and told to construct a specific number of meters of the road. We have almost finished 16 miles," a local said.

The construction of the link road between Hmuchinding and Cindwe village has been sponsored by "I Love Myanmar" which is a non government organization (NGO). However, the USDA does not pay daily wages to the villagers who are involved in the project.

Although the USDA has spent all the sponsored funds for buying digging equipment, people’s labour is more useful for the work. "Especially they're using people’s energy. The machines can't handle crushing of big stones," he added.

On the other hand, one of the USDA leaders told workers "The construction of the road is none of our business but we are only doing it to help transportation between the two villages. It will be beneficial for students who go to school in Hmuchinding village."

There are about 70 houses with approximately 500 people in Hmuchinding village. The village has a Middle School where most students from neighbouring villages attend. "I Love Myanmar" will sponsor a new High School building next year.

Similarly, people are being forced to build a road between Mukwe Inu village and Mindat town by the USDA.

Meanwhile, the workers are anxious about their livelihood as they are being forced into road construction by the USDA without getting paid. They are worried about their family. Yet, they want to complete the project as it would mean better transportation between the two villages and will help their children’s education.

Job at American Refugee Committee (ARC)

American Refugee Committee International (ARC) 

Positions Available

American Refugee Committee (ARC) works with refugees, displaced people, and those at risk to help them survive crises and rebuild lives of dignity, health, security and self-sufficiency. Today, ARC works in 10 countries around the world to help victims of natural disaster, war and civil conflict rebuild their lives. ARC International (Pakistan) works in the fields of primary and reproductive health care, clean water, shelter repair, trauma counseling and community development services to people in Bagh and Balochistan. Applications are invited from individuals fulfilling the criteria for the following positions.

Female Medical Officers (Balochistan)

Main Responsibilities:

• Responsible for one or more BHUs. Assessment, Diagnosis and treatment of the patients in those BHUs.
• Responsible to run and supervise the entire programme like T.B., Malaria, EPI, Diarrhea control, reproductive health, community development in the BHU.
• Estimate and make demand for medicines, stationery etc. and assist Health Coordinator.
• Keep record of items received and keep record of items issued, monitor store and see that medicines are stored properly; equipments are maintained properly and ensure proper usage of vaccines, medicines, lab items etc.
• Compile monthly health reports of EPI, T.B., Malaria, MCH, family planning, CHWs and submit it to International Health Coordinator not later than 3^rd day of every month.
• Responsible to report any communicate disease or any out break of diseases like Gastroenteritis etc. immediately to International Health Advisor/ Medical Coordinator.
• Coordinate and cooperate in time-to-time surveys like NSS, EPI, multi indicator surveys.
• Responsible for reproductive health programme in the BHU and give family planning advices to the clients also do IUD insertions wherever it is possible.
• Identify risk cases and refer them to hospitals.
• Supervise all BHUs health staff including Dispensers, LHV, Vaccinators etc.
• Maintain OPD medicines and revenue records and clear the accounts twice a month (every two weeks) with ARC Finance Assistant.

Eligibility Criteria

• Minimum 3 years experience with humanitarian or development programs, preferably experience working closely with and building the capacity of national program managers.
• Technical knowledge and practical experience with international humanitarian programming.
• MA degree preferred (sociology, gender, public health, etc.)
• Fluency in written and spoken English. Computer literacy (MS Word, Excel, Outlook).

 

APPLY WITH CONFIDENCE

Send your CVs at jobs_arcpk@yahoo.com or post to P.O Box # 317,Main G.P.O Quetta

.

“ARC is an equal opportunity employer and encourages females to apply”

Professional Career Opportunities

An International humanitarian, non-profit and non-sectarian agency specializing in providing emergency relief, rehabilitation, and development assistance to victims of natural disasters and conflicts worldwide is looking for the following staff to recruit for its program in Dir NWFP.

Ideal candidates should have an understanding of local socio-economic, cultural, political conditions, and experience working with international development program in conflict, culturally sensitive regions, preferably fluency in English, Pashto and Urdu.

 

Position:                             Security Officer

Location:                            Lower Dir.

No. Of Position:              (1)

Reports to:                            Regional Program Manager, NWFP

Position Objective:

The overall objective of the position is to support the regional staff on regular basis in NWFP. To work with civil and military authorities regularly provide inputs to the management on security for the program and staff. 

Main Responsibilities:

• Will be responsible to review and monitor current security management practices in all Relief International office.
• Responsible of to Develop clear guidelines in regards to security and safety.
• Attend all INGOs security coordination meetings and other security meeting with all Law Enforcement agencies
• Advise and regularly update the staff on current issues in Pakistan on potential threats, and impact on security.
• Will be responsible to arrange regular security briefing to staff when it will be needed
• Provide security advisory to staff on regular basis.
• Take lead and ensure developing office security measures.
• Develop weekly, monthly and quarterly security reports.
• Develop RI Pakistan evacuation and hibernation plans.
• Will be responsible to provide security clearance to staff traveling out station after taking complete security information of the area to visit. Also to keep proper track of all travel authorization.
• To carry out security assessments in the field areas when required. Develop security SOPs for any new project / field area.
• Actively developing relationship with security related formal and informal security stakeholders and obtaining timely information.
• To co-ordinate with managers, administration, and logistics to ensure that the appropriate systems of administration, communication and transport are in place to facilitate good security management and with the Management team on the provision of the necessary budget cover.
• Provide security orientation for incoming or newly appointed staff
• Responsible to maintain Organization Security Tree.
• Responsible to provide Incident Report and analysis
• Supervision of security guards and maintains their daily roaster.

Qualification:  

 

• Graduate from HEC recognized university.
• At least 03 years proven experience in the relevant field.
• Retired Pak Army officers will be given preference.
• Ability to meet deadlines and to work under pressure.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal and report writing skills are desired.
• Ability to speak/ write English language fluently and also can speak Pashto.
• Proficiency in MS Office and Internet browsing.

 

 

 

Position:                            Field Officer

No. Of Position:               (3) 1 male 2 Females                            

Reports to:                            Team Leader

Location:                             Lower Dir

Main responsibilities:

• To form volunteer committees, orient those committees about project interventions in the targeted areas
• Work with formed committees for beneficiaries identification, selection and trainings
• To initiate and develop a social process in selected communities of collective analysis of community problems and collective action leading to solutions of those problems, and to make that process self sustaining and self managing.
• To begin baseline research of selected communities, and continue to monitor social change and new social information relevant to community empowerment. To identify potential leaders and/or organizers
• To motivate and encourage potential leaders to talk to their fellow community members about project interventions, impact and sustainability
• To assist community members to identify needs and to generate solutions, identifying priority issues and to analyses their problems.
• To encourage and stimulate community members to organize for action aimed at solving their problems and to plan, implement and monitor action that they define themselves.
• To provide community activists with management skills and knowledge in getting community members interested, organized and motivated.
• To develop trust, tolerance and co-operation among community members;
• To encourage and stimulate full participation by all community members; with special attention to marginalized in community decision making.
• To assist the community in obtaining information and knowledge that may be available through governmental and non governmental agencies, through extension and outreach programmes.

 

Qualification and Skills required:

 

• Graduate from HEC recognized university.
• At least 03 years proven experience in the relevant field.
• Local resident of Lower and Upper Dir having good knowledge of local socio-economic culture will be preferred
• Ability to meet deadlines and to work under pressure.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal and report writing skills are desired.
• Ability to speak/ write English language fluently and also can speak Pashto.
• Proficiency in MS Office and Internet browsing.

 

 

Position:                            Field Officer (Livelihoods)

No. of Position:                            (1)

Reports to:                            District Team Leader

Location:                            Lower Dir, NWFP

POSITION OBJECTIVES

Responsible to assist the project team in needs identification, procurement and distribution of small livestock, poultry and other relevant livestock commodities for the farmers in conflict affected areas of Maidan, Lower Dir, and NWFP.

Main responsibilities:

• To assist the Project Team in beneficiaries committees formation, beneficiaries identification, selection and training.
• To assist the Project Field Team in needs assessment of the local community in Maidan area of District Lower Dir
• To assist the Project Field Team in procurement of small livestock, poultry and agriculture inputs (seeds, tools, equipments)
• To assist the Project Team in the verification of the purchases materials
• To assist the Project Team in community training for restarting livelihoods activities such as growing nurseries, vegetables, grains, cash crops, orchards and livestock management.
• To assist the Project Team in independent Monitoring of Small livestock distribution in  the District
• Establish good linkages with District Agriculture and Livestock Department with guidance from Team Leader
• Review and analyze the information received from RI Livestock Department and Beneficiaries.
• Meet with Community Organizations, Livelihoods Committees, and Selected Beneficiaries for random checks.
• Any other task assigned by the team leader/supervisor

 

Qualifications and skills required:

• Graduation in veterinary medicines/animal husbandry/agri sciences from HEC recognized institute/university.
• Local resident of District Lower Dir and good knowledge of local language and socio economic culture
• At least 2 years experience with I/NGO or Government Institute or Department in the relevant field
• Good computer and report writing skills

 

 

Position:                             Logistic Officer

No. of Position:                            (2)

Location:                            Lower Dir and Peshawar

Reports to:                            Regional Program Manager, NWFP

Position Objective:

The overall objective of the position is to provide effective support to the program activities in the NWFP region following RI procedures.

Responsibilities:

Procure requested program and program support items following organizational procurement procedures in timely manner.

• Account for purchased items and coordinate with appropriate logistical and admin staff members.  

• Inventories and stocks control and administration in the offices and field.
• Coordinate with the landlords for maintenance of the offices in use. 
• Coordinate with other staff members to ensure the offices and Guest Houses are adequately equipped and supplied.

Support the programs with the logistic information required (costs, availability of products etc…)

Manage office’s vehicles and drivers for timely provision to program staff

• Responsible to ensure vehicle usage and fueling reconciliations
• Organize the transport of goods during distributions

• Organize all documentation completed and updated as needed.

• Assist the team during distributions and field activities.
• Observe and inform all staff about security situations in the area.
• Coordinate with local and provincial authorities for the security.
• Maintain the security guards schedule in office.
• Any other duties as assigned by the RPM.

 

Qualification and Skills Required:

• Graduation from HEC recognized institute/university
• 4 Years of experience in INGO/UN
• Pashto speaking having good knowledge of socio, economic culture of NWFP
• Willingness to travel to the field (Malakand Division)
• Good Computer and report writing skills

 

 

Ideal candidates should have an understanding of local socio-economic, cultural, political conditions, and experience with international development program in conflict, culturally sensitive regions and emergency response, preferably fluency in Urdu, English and Pashto.

Candidates with strong professional background, previous INGO/NGO working experiences are encouraged to apply. Please send your soft resumes with at least 3 professional references of which one should be you’re most recent or present employer by Tuesday, October 27, 2009 to:  jobs.peshawar@gmail.com

Frederick resident helps others from Myanmar in his spare time

In his spare time, Phun Kar Thang likes to help others who have, like him, left their native Myanmar and its military dictatorship and landed in Frederick .
Thang has been in Frederick for about five years and is a permanent resident.

Mostly, he takes newcomers to doctors' visits, the Motor Vehicle Administration or school appointments, and helps translate for them.

Since he's moved to Frederick , he's seen an increase from about 100 to about 400 people from Myanmar living in the area.

That number would be greater, he said, if the area had more available jobs.

Community life for many is centered around church, he said. Thang is a deeply committed Christian and a chairman of Frederick 's Falam Baptist Church, Maryland.

Most of those from Myanmar who've left the country and become refugees in Frederick are ethnic Chin, a persecuted minority, he said. Many of the Chin are Christian, which is a religious minority in mostly Buddhist Myanmar.

Thang spent the majority of his adult life in Yangon, Myanmar's former capital city.

He worked as a college professor of world government and international relations for about a decade and earned two graduate degrees in those subjects; one in Myanmar and another in Tokyo.

He eventually quit his teaching position and started a publishing company, which he ran for about seven years.

His company published mostly Christian books and journals, he said.

Finally, because of the effects of political instability in Myanmar, he left for Frederick . His wife and two sons joined him about a year later.

Adjustment to life in Frederick was a bit difficult at first, he said.

He'd lived most of his life in large, metropolitan areas. Frederick appeared tidy, comfortable and pleasant. He could speak enough English to get by, but it took him almost four months to obtain a state ID card before he could begin work as a manual laborer at BP Solar.

If he hadn't lived abroad before, and understood how difficult it is for foreigners to gain employment in another country, he said the employment transition he's gone through would have been a lot less bearable.

"In fact it is hard, but I'm prepared to do it," he said.

His wife was an anesthesiologist in Myanmar, but didn't even qualify for a nursing assistant's position in Frederick as she didn't have American credentials.

Also, both he and his wife have applied, but failed to receive official copies of their diplomas from Myanmar.

Now she works in a local company scanning documents.

For the first generation of immigrants, work life can be quite a challenge, he said.

Generally, most of the people from Myanmar he's talked with feel accepted and comfortable living in Frederick , he said.

He said he plans to remain in the United States for good. "There is no hope in my country."

Sri Lankan refugees’ plight to be resolved

JOHOR BARU: The plight of the 108 Sri Lankan refugees at the Pekan Nenas Immigration Detention Centre will be settled soon following intervention by Sri Lankan High Commissioner Don D. Ranasin-ghe and representatives from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

The centre’s commander Zainal Abidin Ibrahim said Ranasinghe and UNHCR representatives visited the facilities to check on the refugees recently and the problem was expected to be resolved by next week.

The 108 were detained after being caught without proper documents at a hotel here last month.

Zainal Abidin also denied reports that the refugees went on hunger strike recently, saying that they were provided with three meals a day.

“Some of them had refused to eat initially but we managed to persuade them to take the food.

“All of them are being treated well by our personnel here,” he said.

Meanwhile, Suhakam commissioner Datuk N. Siva Subramaniam also expressed optimism that the problem would be resolved by next week.

He explained that he had held talks with UNHCR and was scheduled to meet representatives of the Home Ministry to discuss the matter.

The Sri Lankans, he said, did not want to return to their home country as they claimed to have been through very bad experiences there.

“I hope this matter can be resolved fast just like the problem at the KL International Airport detention centre which was resolved on Friday.

“A total of 98 Sri Lankan refugees at the KLIA detention centre were handed over to the UNHCR while 90 others will face action by the Immigration Department,” he said.

Sri Lankan refugees in Malaysian camp go on hunger strike

Kuala Lumpur - At least six Sri Lankan refugees at a Malaysian detention camp have been on a hunger strike for more than seven days, demanding that they be allowed to meet officials from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), a news report said Friday.

The six detainees, including a woman, are among 108 Sri Lankans currently in the camp located in Malaysia's southern state of Johor after they were detained at a hotel last month for not having valid travel documents.

The six had claimed they were given documents from the UNHCR granting them refugee status, said E Silvarajah, coordinator for a local human rights group dealing with the detainees.

Silvarajah said they were now refusing food until they are allowed to meet UNHCR officials to clarify their status and be released, the Star daily said.

When contacted, UNHCR external relations officer Yante Ismail said the case was under investigation, adding that some of the Sri Lankan immigrants had indeed been given refugee status since fleeing the unrest in their homeland.

'We are also working closely with the Malaysian authorities for the release of the Sri Lankan asylum-seekers and refugees there.

'We are currently finalising certain administrative details before the release can be secured,' Yante was quoted as saying by the Star.

She said the organisation would send over officials to speak to the detainees on hunger strike as soon as possible.

Malaysia is both a transit point and permanent asylum for tens of thousands of refugees from countries such as Myanmar and Sri Lanka.

Sri Lankan detainees refusing food until UNHCR visits them

Sri Lankan detainees refusing food until UNHCR visits them

Fri, Oct 23, 2009
The Star/Asia News Network

PONTIAN: At least six Sri Lankans, including a woman, are believed to have gone on a hunger strike for more than a week at the Pekan Nenas immigration detention centre.

The detainees were among 108 Sri Lankans placed in the centre after they were detained for being without proper documents at a hotel here last month.

Persatuan Persahabatan Semparuthi, a Johor-based non-government organisation, had been in touch with the detainees on hunger strike.


The organisation?s coodinator, E. Silvarajah, 60, said those on hunger strike were determined to refuse food until officials from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) visited them to determine their status.

He added that those on hunger strike claimed they had documents from the UNHCR after they left Sri Lanka due to the fighting over there.

UNHCR external relations officer Yante Ismail said the case was under investigation.

"We are also working closely with the Malaysian authorities for the release of the Sri Lankan asylum-seekers and refugees there.

"We are currently finalising certain administrative details before the release can be secured," she said.

Meanwhile, Suhakam commissioner Datuk N. Siva Subrama- niam said the latest incident involving Sri Lankans on hunger strike was gaining a lot of attention overseas especially on human rights issues.

"The Government should avoid unnecessary attention and release those with UNHCR cards as a gesture of good will," he said, hoping that the Home Minister would look into the problem. -The Star/Asia News Network

HOME – The Drama & Documentary

October 22, 2009 – 11:53 am

I once visited a small Burmese refugee residence here in Kuala Lumpur. They are all here due to many reasons like health, military ruling, poverty and etc. in their country and they need a place they could call home.

It was in January 2008 where (read about my visit) I visited this small refugee home and I took this video below. Watching it again, I miss this place and I do hope they are still around, with better support of course.

Then, recently I found out that there is a drama and documentary made about the Burmese refugee here in Malaysia.

I can’t remember where I picked this up, but I knew that I saved it in my “Read Later” Tab on Firefox.

The Drama

HOME is a short drama about the journey of Burmese refugee Roi Roi’s search for a home in Malaysia.

The Documentary

Many Burmese refugees flee to Malaysia to escape the tyranny of their country’s military junta. Despite surviving a grueling journey across the borders of Thailand and Malaysia, many find themselves victims of human rights abuse and human trafficking in Malaysia. This is a documentary that unveils the heartbreaking stories of Burmese refugees in Malaysia through testimonials of their horrific experiences.


There will be a film screening this coming 23rd October at The Annexe Gallery at 8.00 PM. It is presented by SUARAM and for further info, you can call 03-77843525 (SUARAM).

Unfortunately, I can’t make it to this event… as I will be flying off in approximately 20 hours to a perfect “honeymoon” with my love one.

Can someone please update me on the outcome of this drama and documentary if you happen to be there.

Abuse of Sri Lankan asylum seekers and refugees

Wednesday, 21 October 2009 20:34

Human rights group Suaram has made a shocking claim that four Sri Lankan embassy officials were at the Pekan Nanas Immigration Detention Centre (IDC), Johor, yesterday to force Sri Lankan refugees detained there to sign repatriation agreements.

It was reported in the Malaysian Mirror (21 October) that the refugees were beaten and kicked by these officials when they refused to sign the repatriation agreements. The group assaulted was part of the 108 UNHCR registered refugees detained at Pekan Nanas IDC. The number includes 10 women - with one in her eighth month of pregnancy - and 10 children.

One Sri Lankan woman refugee went on hunger-strike on 13 October and has since been joined by nine more women and five men, to protest their detentions despite being refugees recognised by the UNHCR. On 8 September, 122 Sri Lankans were arrested at a hotel in Johor: 108 of them were sent to Pekan Nanas IDC and 14 asylum seekers were sent to the Simpang Renggam IDC. According to Suaram, the 122 Sri Lankans, who were staying in Kuala Lumpur, were promised jobs in Johor Baru by an agent for payment of fees.

(Apart from the Johor incident, another 207 UNHCR-recognised Sri Lankan refugees are being held at the KLIA Immigration Depot. Suhakam officers, we learn, have been denied access to investigate a complaint regarding the detention of these asylum seekers and refugees by the Immigration Department).

Aliran condemns what is seen as collusion between the Sri Lankan diplomatic authorities and the Malaysian Government in committing such a shameless contravention of the principle of non-refoulement of refugees and asylum seekers. This clearly goes against the basic tenets of human rights under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights laws forming customary international law. These should be observed by all countries irrespective of whether they have ratified the relevant UN conventions.

Aliran notes that Malaysia in spite of being a party to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (Cedaw) and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) regrettably has not seen fit to honour many of the provisions contained in both these international human rights treatises, especially in relation to migrants.

We demand:

the immediate release of all UNHCR-recognised refugees and that they be given into the UN Refugee Agency’s protection;

the exemption from arrest of UNHCR cardholders;

the recognition of UNHCR documentation by all security enforcement bodies, including Rela;

that UNHCR be given free access as a matter of right to undocumented asylum seekers to facilitate their registration with UNHCR;

Suhakam personnel be similarly allowed free access to asylum seekers, refugees and undocumented migrants in detention to investigate complaints of human rights abuse during the arrest and detention of these unfortunate migrants.

Aliran Executive Committee
21 October 2009

Burmese Refugees in Malaysia photo exhibition

Real life in focus

THE No Refuge: Burmese Refugees in Malaysia photo exhibition at Kuala Lumpur’s Central Market highlights the plight of the displaced Myanmarese population in Malaysia, many of whom left behind a deplorable existence in Myanmar but found life here only a marginal improvement.

Organised by the Annexe Gallery and human rights NGO Suaram, the exhibition features 70 photographs by five award-winning photojournalists.

Making do: A photograph by Simon Wheatley showing Burmese refugees in an apartment in the Pudu neighbourhood.

The images are captured in real-life settings and focus on the woeful persona-non-grata predicament of the displaced Myanmarese in Kuala Lumpur and surrounding areas.

The exhibition featuring the works of Halim Berbar (France), Simon Wheatley (UK), Greg Constantine (US), Zhuang Wubin (Singapore) and Rahman Roslan (Malaysia) also marks the launch of a petition campaign to get the Malaysian government to sign the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees.

“We hope this exhibition will help us reflect on the difficulties faced by these people and open our eyes to their situation,” said Pang Khee Teik, the gallery’s art programme director.

As Malaysia is not a signatory to the 1951 Convention nor its 1967 protocol, Malaysia does not recognise Myanmarese refugees.

According to the UNHCR in Malaysia, 90% of the registered 63,600 refugees and asylum seekers are from Myanmar. Many more remain unregistered.

UNHCR grants protective refugee status via a registration card system, but the lack of a legal and administrative framework hampers possible recourse regarding refugees’ rights.

All together: Zhuang Wubin’s picture of children from the Matu community playing with their toys while having lunch at a low-cost apartment shared by around 30 Chin refugees.

For the displaced Myanmarese, being stateless has hindered their access to proper healthcare and education. Even when they are eligible for a 50% discount at public hospitals upon registration with the UNHCR, the medical fees still remain beyond their means.

As for education, different communities have come together to build classrooms.

“We have seen 60 of those makeshift schools around the Klang Valley,” a UNHCR spokesperson said, adding that there were currently eight UNHCR and NGO-funded schools in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor and Johor.

She said the Malaysian authorities generally allowed refugees to take up jobs in informal circumstances for survival. However, the absence of work permits has left the refugees vulnerable to abuse and exploitation.

“The police — with a mandate to protect the public — quite readily recognise the validity of the UNHCR registration cards, thus ensuring protection for refugees,” she said.

Desperate measures: Greg Constantine took this picutre of a 22-year-old Mon refugee crouching in thick undergrowth to try and evade a raid.

However, due to the lack of guidelines, action by enforcement agencies like the Immigration department and Rela often results in hardship for the refugees.

While there are no ready answers, the Myanmarese continue to hope. As they struggle to rebuild their lives, they still look forward to a better future, and this is vividly reflected in the photo exhibition. Each photo tells a story of despair, fear, loneliness and hope.

No Refuge was launched last Thursday at The Annexe Gallery in Central Market Annexe, Kuala Lumpur. Part of the sale proceeds will go to the Suaram campaign for the rights of Myanmar refugees. Proceeds from the sale of Halim Barber’s photos will be fully donated to procure medical supplies for refugees.

The No Refuge: Burmese Refugees in Malaysia photo exhibition in Central Market, KL, will be held till Oct 25. Viewing times: 11am-8pm (Sunday to Thursday), 11am-9.30pm (Friday and Saturday). Admission is free.

NO REFUGE : BURMESE REFUGEES IN MALAYSIA

By Alice Nah

OCT 18 – Her eyes are empty as she stares into the distance. She balances a child on her body, wrapped in a sarong. His eyes are lively, piercing, looking directly at us. He leans forward, engaging with us, while all she wants to do, it seems, is disappear. She looks numb – tired of pain, fear, insecurity – it is clear she does not want to be here.

Next to her is a woman with glistening eyes. She looks worried, harried, preoccupied. Her child lies behind her on a makeshift bed, sick with malaria. They live in a basic wooden hut, afraid of the police, unable to afford medical care.

At least she still has her child. Next to her is the portrait of another woman in a jungle camp, whose desperate features tell us of the deep wounds in her soul. We are told that she was catatonic and traumatized when she first arrived. She lost her entire family while fleeing from Burma to Malaysia – she lost her children while crossing a river.

These are some of the refugees that photojournalist Halim Berbar has encountered. In another photograph, he captured a group of women praying fervently before a sickly boy. The caption reads: “A group of women pray in the jungle camp for a boy who was stricken with malaria. The boy passed away a few days after this photo was taken.”

Halim Berbar’s photos are on display at the Annexe, part of an exhibition of the work of five photographers entitled “No Refuge: Burmese Refugees in Malaysia”. Each photographer highlights different angles to the complex lives of refugees trying to survive in a hostile environment. Together they weave a compelling visual narrative of pain and loss, desperation and hope.

Simon Wheatley’s collection focuses on the complexities and ironies of urban life – the strange mix of loneliness with overcrowding, the tensions that arise while socializing in enclosed spaces, the (dis)comfort caused by the sharing of run-down apartments, made necessary by expensive rent, meager pay and unstable jobs.

In one of his photos, feet pile upon feet as people sleep close together in order to save rent. In another, a pregnant woman sits silent and alone, lost in her thoughts, while on the other side of the wall, a man sits looking just a lost. In another photo, a crowd gathers around the body of a man killed by a local gangster and abandoned on the street. They look distressed. Newspapers are strewn haphazardly over his body, covering him only partially.

Greg Constantine’s photos show the immediacy of the risks that refugees face. Without legal status in Malaysia, they are arrested regularly through Rela and Immigration raids. His photos show raids in progress – Rela officers demanding for identity papers, scared refugees locked in vehicles ready to be transported to detention centres.

He captures the bleak desperation felt by those separated from their family members arrested in raids. He has a photo of a photo of a man with scarred buttocks. The permanent welt caused by the tremendous power of a thick cane will remain with him for life, a constant reminder of the punishment given to those who dare to seek refuge in Malaysia.

Rahman Roslan shows the uncertainties and dangers of working at night markets. In one photo, a woman looks on helplessly as local authorities confiscate the vegetables she intended to sell. Replacing her stock is expensive. Hers are the cry of any mother: “Where can I get money? How can I feed my kids?”

Another photo shows the power-relations between uniformed officers conducting raids, their firm stance in stark contrast to a man pleading for leniency, his eyes wide open and hands gesturing to obtain their understanding. In another photo, a man stands alone, looking down, dejected.

Zhuang Wubin captures the experiences of children who live in an environment they do not fully understand. In one photo, a boy is angry at being awakened early in the morning. They need to go early to the UNHCR in order to board a plane to New Zealand. They are one of the fortunate few who will ever get resettled from Malaysia. He does not fully comprehend how this day will mark the beginning of a new life in a different world.

In other photos, children play games to pass time as they stay in urban apartments that double up as schools. It is safer to be indoors than on the street, for they too, can get arrested.

Wubin’s photos also show the significance of community life in affirming the worth of a person. Refugees come together to eat, to pray, to mourn, and to celebrate. They mark beginnings and endings in their lives together, lives unseen by most and made unworthy by some.

With great sensitivity and compassion, these five photographers show us the breadth and depth of the lives of refugees in Malaysia – their joys and sorrows, their longing and loss. They show us the tremendous courage and strength of spirit required for refugees to live every day without legal status and without the recognition and protection of the Malaysian government.

If you have the time, go to the Annexe Gallery at Central Market to witness the lives of the refugees who struggle to live amongst us. And if your heart compels you, sign the petition spearheaded by Suaram to call for Malaysia to sign the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees. It is Malaysians who must call upon our government to protect the vulnerable. It begins with us.

“No Refuge” is jointly presented by Suaram and Annexe Gallery. It will be on display until Oct 25. Admission is free. A talk by photographers and activists will be held at 3pm on Sunday, Oct 18, to highlight the realities of the lives of refugees.

Photograph by Halim Berbar. A makeshift church that was burnt down during a RELA raid of a refugee camp. Burmese refugees were worshipping in the church when it was set on fire.

Photograph by Rahman Roslan. A Rohingya vegetable trader pleads to local authority's personnel for mercy during a raid in a market in Kuala Lumpur.

Photograph by Zhuang Wubin . Children from the Matu community play with their toys or have lunch in this low-cost apartment shared by around 30 Chin refugees. As Malaysia is not a signatory of the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, the children have no access to education, except for informal classes organized by NGOs or the various Chin groups.

International Detention Calendar

International Detention Calendar

Geneva: 97th Session- UN Human Rights Committee

12 October

Geneva: 43rd Session- UN Committee Against Torture

2 November

Geneva: 9th Session- UN Sub-Committee- Prevention of Torture (OPCAT)

16 November

Geneva: 56th Session- UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention

18 November

Global: Universal Children’s Day

20 November

Geneva: 6th Universal Periodic Review (UPR)

30 November

Global: International Human Rights Day

10 December

UN Human Rights Day

10 December