Malaysia marks World Refugee Day

KUALA LUMPUR: To mark World Refugee Day, The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) organised a two-day programme over the weekend at the Kuala Lumpur sentral station that had cultural performances, food and crafts made by refugees themselves.

The programme is not just to raise donation and awareness towards the plight of the refugees in Malaysia but also to sign up volunteers to assist refugees in teaching and skills building.

There are 94,000 registered refugees and asylum seekers in Malaysia.

An estimated 10,000 others are unregistered.

92 per cent are from Myanmar, the rest are Sri Lankans, Somalis, Iraqis and Afghans.

Almost 19,000 are children below the age of 18.

"Refugees in Malaysia are almost invisible because they live in cities, they live in (an) urban setting where they blend in very quietly side by side Malaysians and they are not noticed. The result is that Malaysians don't know about them. This event is to be that trigger, (to) let malaysians understand, (and) after that hopefully the compassion will come," said Ms Yanti Ismail, spokesperson for UNHCR, Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysia is not a signatory to the UN convention on treatment of refugees.

Thus, there's no proper legal framework governing their rights.

Refugees are unable to work legally in Malaysia and their children have no access to public healthcare and education.

"Although there is some tolerance by authorities for them to work in (the) private sector, still this creates unpredictability because they can only access odd jobs," said Ms Yanti.

Some refugees also complain of being discriminated against by the local community.

"They look down on us...they don't see us as human beings, they see refugees as criminals,'' said Ns Tanda Htun, founder of Mon Women Refugee Malaysia.

With all these concerns plaguing the refugee communities, it's no surprise that many rights groups have raised objections over the proposed refugee swap deal between Malaysia and Australia that now hangs in the balance.

Joint Statement by Burmese Women in Malaysia

Joint Statement by Burmese Refugee Women in Malaysia:

Raise our voices, claim our rights!

2011 Refugee Conference, Sydney, Australia

As the people of Burma flee seeking protection and hope for a future, the world also bears witness to the courage of women refugees and their tenacity to survive despite the odds. Burmese women organizations in Malaysia express this joint statement with the women and people of Burma, in recognition of their justness of their struggle.  We also stand together, firmly asserting that all governments, especially that of Malaysia and Australia, respect and promote our right to seek asylum and all our fundamental basic human rights, while exercising their power to protect us against violence, abuse and persecution.

Burmese refugee women face deep-rooted patriarchal attitudes, cultural norms, practices and traditions that stereotype and discriminate against them, while justifying and “normalizing” violence at home.  These pervasive attitudes also mean that ‘domestic violence’ is often not considered an “issue” by male community leaders, thereby not only limiting the access to any form of protection for survivors, but also legitimizing the physical, sexual and emotional violence husbands and male members of the family inflict of wives, mothers, sisters and daughters. The State’s failure to recognize the status of refugees in Malaysia also means that victims of violence face tremendous difficulties in accessing legal protection and access to justice. Their deemed ‘illegality’ renders the women silent in fear. In addition to these forms of gender-based violence, there are many records highlighting other forms of wide spread and severe human rights violations refugees in Malaysia are subjected to. We, refugee women in solidarity with women around the world, are calling for the rights of all refugees in Malaysia to be recognized and protected.

As the Myanmar government continues to oppress, marginalize and abuse the people of the land, women will continue to flee these persecutions. We call on governments to open their shut eyes to our realities, and to immediately stop their policies and actions that further threaten our survival, and deepen the denial of our dignities and basic right to health, education, livelihood, safety and life.

The commodification of women through the attitudes, policies and practices of , or condoned by the State , further intensifies the sexual exploitation and abuse refugee women face. Without the protection that legal status and accepted documentation provide, refugee women are at the mercy of their employers, who frequently withhold pay or sexually harass and exploit them. Our ‘illegality’ further prevents us from reporting these crimes, as we risk being arrested, detained and even deported.

The threat of being trafficked into sex work is also a very real one for refugee women. We’ve fled to Malaysia, believing that we would be protected and treated as human beings. Instead, many of our sisters have been trapped in these prisons of slavery, living lives of fear and uncertainty. Many more, after fleeing into Malaysia, are seen as ‘illegal migrants’, and have been sent back into these threatening environments, vulnerable to being trafficked again. The traffickers, meanwhile, a hardly ever prosecuted, free to continue committing crimes with impunity.

We women, from all over Burma, pledge to work hand-in-hand actively and persistently, in this on-going struggle for recognition and dignity in Malaysia. We stand together, with the hope that it will inspire also other women all over the region to keep fighting for their rights and for the voices of women to be heard.

We, the Burmese women are one with the rest of the world in calling Malaysia to ratify the 1951 UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees.

We the Burmese women, call on all exploited women of the world, to link arms and strengthen our solidarity against the intensifying onslaught of all puppet, undemocratic governments, against our lives and livelihood.

We call on the women of the world to come together and support the struggling women of Burma, and the millions of struggling women across the globe.

We appeal to the government of Australia, to halt all plans to send asylum seeks and refugees to Malaysia.  We ask that Australia remember the commitment it has made as a signatory to the UN Refugee Convention and uphold its legal and ethical obligations to asylum seekers.

We collectively demand that the Malaysian government awaken to the call for human rights, recognize our basic rights, and ratify the UN Convention on Refugees.

We collectively demand that ASEAN countries exercise their influence over Burma’s regime to end the persecution of the people of Burma and to ensure that the human rights of all Burmese women, in all countries of ASEAN, are respected.

This statement is endorsed by the following organizations.

1. Alliance of Chin Refugees – Mang Tha

2. Alliance of Arakan Refugees

3. Chin Women Organization

4. Malaysian Karen Women Organization

5. Mon Women Refugee Organization

6. Organization of Karenni Development

Statement issued through:

TANMA Federation

c/o TENAGANITA

38, Jalan Gasing,

46000,

Petaling Jaya,

Malaysia.

Phone no.; 6-03-7770 3691 / 6-03-7770 3671

Fax no.: 6-03-7770 3681

For more information, please contact Elodie Voisin at:

Email: elodie.v@tenaganita.net Website: www.tanmawomen.org

Phone no.; 6-03-7770 3691 / 6-03-7770 3671

Fax no.: 6-03-7770 3681

Over 2500 Chin refugees demonstrate in New Delhi

21 June 2011: Over 2500 Chin refugees in New Delhi, India demonstrated outside the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

(UNHRC) office in Jantar Mantar from 11 am to 2 pm. on June 20. The protest was organized by the Chin Refugee Committee.

With the Burmese Army attacking ethnic armed groups, there will be more and more Burmese refugees in New Delhi. Now there are about 11,500 Chin refugees in New Delhi.

The Chin Refugee Committee (CRC) president Mr. Steven Ral Kap Tluang said, “Nothing has changed under the Burmese government. It is still fighting ethnic armed groups – the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), DKBA, Democratic Karen Buddhist Army, Karen National Union (KNU) and SSA, the Shan State Army.”

He added that the Burmese government is violating human rights in Chin state continuously, so Chin people cannot live on their own land and are facing many hardships.

He asked UNHCR in New Delhi, the Indian Government, and social communities in India and International NGOs to understand their situation and to provide more support on World Refugee Day that was celebrated around the world.

There are only 8000 Burmese refugees in New Delhi according to UNHCR records said Newsleaks in its 17 June online issue.

Burma Today online edition also said that UNHCR has given jobs to 14% of the refugees in New Delhi allowing them to earn Rs. 7000 a month. About 127 families have got jobs.
But only eight families of Chin refugees have been sent to third countries between January to June 2011 from UNHCR in New Delhi. It is not a good sign for the future of Chin refugees.

There are more than 40,000 Chin refugees in Malaysia, 70,000 in Mizoram and more than a thousand in Thailand. - Khonumthung News

Working Together To Support Refugees Workshop

Written by Nisha Kumaravel, Lily Jamaludin

Refugee WorkshopWorking Together To Support Refugees Malaysian Social Research Institute (MSRI) D’Villa Residence, Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur INTRODUCTION The Malaysian Social Research Institute (MSRI) organised a workshop on the 9th of June 2011 that was held in Jalan Ampang with the purpose of discussing and developing solutions to the dilemma faced by refugees universally, and specifically in Malaysia. This workshop was divided into 4 sessions, and each session was divided into sub-sessions to address various issues such as -  perceptions of refugees, health concerns, funding, networking, education, and legal matters that affects both refugees as well as asylum countries. MSRI, a nongovernmental/profit organization, was established in 1959 with the intention of promoting an understanding and appreciation of Muslim and other communities in various parts of the world in pursuance of humanitarian rights and to conscientise the public and mobilize support for people struggling for self determination and/or suffer from war or other forms of dispossession and displacement. In addition to their ongoing programmes, MSRI organises events, workshops and talks to address various social issues, and the Working Together to Support Refugees workshop is an example of their attempt to raise public awareness, and to promote a more balanced and just social system. A refugee is defined as a person who, owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion, is outside the country of their nationality, and is unable to or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail him/herself of the protection of that country (the United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees adopted in 1951). Although there have been many attempts to clarify and stress the helplessness of refugees, they are still regarded as a burden and a threat, and in Malaysia, refugees are often confused with migrants and are treated in an inhumane way, thus they are subjected to detention, persecution and deportation. This is mostly due to the lack of public education on the roles of asylum countries and individual responsibility to preserve human rights and protect refugees and this issue stems from the fact that Malaysia is not signatory of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. This was discussed in the first part of the Working Together to Help Refugees workshop, as unwillingness to rectify this issue has resulted in the stagnation of attempts to improve the quality of life of refugees. The lack of education, healthcare, employment, proper working conditions, and legal coverage has resulted in the decline of independence of these refugees as they are forced to rely on each other to ensure their stability – financially, emotionally, mentally, socially, for education, and security in asylum countries, specifically in Malaysia. UNHCR PRESENTATION Mr. Alan Vernon, the UNHCR representative in Malaysia talked about the roles and responsibilities of the UNHCR to fulfill the needs of refugees. As the Malaysian government does not recognize the dichotomy between refugees and migrants, no provisions are made to be more involved in efforts to protect and provide for refugees, and thus, the UNHCR assumes this responsibility. According to Mr. Vernon, it is vital to determine the underlying cause that is forcing these refugees to flee their country of origin as the circumstances might have changed since they left and thus, this determines whether or not they are able to return. UNHCR has always worked in partnership with various other organisations, governments, individuals, and institutions to exchange and share experiences, services, and skills, as well as to achieve the goal of “converting” more countries to adhere to ideal resettlement policies. The UNHCR in Malaysia focuses on several main areas of work, namely – registration of refugees, communication (lack of information and the language barrier leads to friction between refugees and the local people), inter-governmental organisations (standardising the policies of asylum countries), sharing of public information, media monitoring (portrayal of the refugee issue in local media), healthcare (mental and physical wellbeing), leadership training, education and vocational training, livelihood support, resettlement processes, legal support (rights, arrest and prosecution of refugees), and to promote solutions to refugee-related issues, all of which are done in stages as the whole process is tightly bound by bureaucracy and the volume of refugees is overwhelming. RESEARCH Next, individuals from different organisations presented findings of research conducted on issues related to refugees. 1. Mrs. Sumayya Firdaus, MSRI -- Palestinian Refugees Firdaus outlined the outreach program conducted by MSRI with Palestinian refugees. MSRI conducts outreach with about 60 refugee families. Of these, 67% are actually single men. They may have been married or have families, but have since been forced to leave them. Firdaus highlighted the plight of the Palestinian families in Malaysia. Among their difficulties she highlighted their lack of social networks, inability to find legally paid employment, poor working conditions, a lack of legal working rights, and no access to health care. Firdaus also mentioned that women face an extra burden of having to take care of the family. Firdaus stated that they found themselves faced with displacement and persecution multiple times, and were forced to come to Malaysia. Notably, Firdaus contended that the Palestinian refugees did not think of Malaysia as their final destination - rather, it was a stop “on the way to exile.” Their main desire was for their temporary stay to be bearable. 2. Mr. Andika Wahab, SUARAM Wahab proclaimed that while 142 states have ratified the United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, Malaysia has yet to do so. Wahab pointed out USCRI (US Committee for Refugees and Field Immigrants) criticized Malaysia for being one of the world’s worst places for refugees because of its disregard for the protection of the rights of displaced individuals. Wahab highlighted various arguments for the ratification of the Convention, including meeting international standards, improving Malaysia’s international reputation, and improving the conditions of refugees in the country. Wahab also stated the needs for Malaysians to understand the situation of the refugees and to not negatively stereotype them. 3. Ms. Davina Isaac, Amnesty International -- Refugees Denied Rights in Malaysia Isaac emphasized the lack of humanity in Malaysia’s policies and actions towards refugees. She stated that refugees may have breached immigration laws but they are not criminals because of their circumstances. Isaac revealed that refugees are often kept behind bars in Malaysia, a violation of their freedom of movement, and that they were kept in overcrowded cells of up to 120 people. Further, they lacked access to food and clean drinking water, not to mention health care, making them prone to serious illness and even death. Further, violent arrests by RELA (Ikatan Relawan Rakyat Malaysia or Volunteers of Malaysian People, a paramilitary civil volunteer corps formed by the Malaysian government) portray an abuse of power by authorities. Isaac, like Wahab, highlighted the Malaysian public’s negative misconception of refugees. She gave several recommendations for Malaysia’s future interactions with refugees such as – the government ID card system for refugees and asylum seekers, ending criminal sanctions against refugees, protecting them against human rights violations, health treatment, ratification of the Convention 4. Ms. Eng Qian Jun and Ms. Assumpta, Health Equity Initiative Jun and Assumpta advocated the right to health for marginalized communities such as refugees. They stated that refugees are prone to  high stress and anxiety, leading to depression, lack of sleep, and other problems. It is important to make the distinction between these health issues and issues of mental disablement. It was pointed out that the population of mentally disabled refugees are no higher than any other population. A question was brought up by the public about whether or not this would affect the refugees’ likelihood for resettlement, but  HEI was unable to answer this question. PERSONAL STORIES In the third session, refugees from various countries shared and discussed problems they have faced in the process of being accepted into resettlement programmes. Refugees from 3 different countries shared their stories – Mrs Iman, a Palestinian Iraqi, Mr Belal Faraj from Palestine, and Mr Zabiullah Ahmadi from Afghanistan. There were several parallel and recurring themes in all of their stories, as all of them have gone through the difficulty of displacement, unfair treatment, violence, corruption, helplessness and desperation, unemployment, and persecution. The process of attaining their refugee status card from the UNHCR takes up to 2 years and this causes them a lot of physical and mental stress as problems of being unemployment, limited funds, fear of persecution and the inability of the UNHCR to handle their case drives them to the point of desperation and this leads to other social problems such as robbery, theft, depression and suicide, violence, poverty and malnourishment. Ahmadi stated that the main reasons refugees leave their country is because of political unrest, human rights violation, corruption, insecurity, warlords, blood feuds, “collateral damage” of war (civilians being killed by invading troops), and civil war. WORKING GROUPS This workshop also included a session whereby participants were divided into four parallel working groups, each given the task of debating on and producing solutions to certain issues, which were: 1. Legal Matters Participants in this group argued that Malaysian authorities such as the police force and the RELA as well as the Malaysian government on the whole should intervene and participate in the issue of refugees in this country. This can be done by assimilating governmental policies with social concerns and producing a collective and wholesome law that is able to preserve the position of the local population while protecting the refugees and fulfilling their needs. Another solution suggested by this group was to strengthen ties between  NGOs and to educate the public to bring these two parties closer to lobby and find common ground rather than just campaigning and not producing any concrete results that will help refugees. This problem is interrelated to the function/role of the media in presenting this issue to the public. It is hoped that by lobbying, organisations, individuals and the media involved in the solution of refugee-related problems will be able to place sufficient pressure on the government to adopt a more active stance in the effort to help refugees. 2. Public Awareness and Coordination of Services In order to shed light on the issues faced by the refugees, public awareness can be raised by engaging the civil society (NGOs and concerned individuals) to find a link between organisations and to work together to achieve similar goals. In order to change perceptions, the public must first be educated on the difference between migrants and refugees as the general misconception is that they are the same and that they pose a threat to the local society both socially and economically. This group also stressed the importance of creating a database for organisations dealing with the refugee issue and to involve everyone (NGOs, the grassroots and actual victims/refugees). through this process of information sharing, individuals and organisations will then be able to share personnel, funds, services, skills and experiences through mediums such as portals, a common database, meet-ups and workshops. 3. Healthcare Members of this working group argued that healthcare is very dependent on and interrelated with the financial issue that’s is faced when dealing with refugees. this is because access to healthcare is very limited for refugees and they either have to produce their own funds or rely on relatives to help them. Free healthcare for refugees is an issue that is almost impossible to solve as the number of refugees (both registered and unregistered) is overwhelming. Despite that, they stated that there should be at least an universal standard for the preservation of health for refugees and this can only be achieved through a coordinated effort. Besides the obvious issue of lack of funds, the language barrier between patients (refugees) and healthcare personnel makes it impossible for both parties to express themselves and to produce a solution to a particular issue/concern they are faced with. 4. Education and Vocational Training. In order to produce a more progressive refugee community, education is vital and this can be achieved by creating a standardised syllabus for schools that accept refugee children. Also, there has to be a minimum quality/standard of education to ensure that refugees are not left out, as there is a serious concern now that they have become late learners dues to the fact that they have had to prioritise and sort out other concerns such as registering their refugee status, obtaining a UNHCR refugee card, stabilising themselves economically, and therefore, education takes a back seat. Education can be used as a method to create a sense of continuity and normalcy for refugees as it will equip them with knowledge and skills to compete in the local job market. The issue of funding and costs too pose a threat to the process of educating refugees as it is an added burden on families, and this will cause them to deem education as being unnecessary when compared to the need to eat, drink, pay rent, and to support themselves. CONCLUSIONS AND FINAL COMMENTS The Working Together to Support Refugees workshop organised by MSRI fulfilled its objectives, which were to discuss dilemmas faced by refugees, produce solutions, and more importantly, to network and create a database linking organisations and individuals related to this issue. It is shocking that Malaysia is deemed one of the world’s worst places for refugees. A lack of common humanity characterizes Malaysia’s policies towards refugees, causing unjust treatment. Malaysia should re-evaluate its position in the context of being an asylum nation, and to adopt and apply humane resettlement programmes to help these refugees. The workshop stressed two key steps that must be taken in the fight for refugee rights. That is, the need for Malaysia to ratify the UN Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, and also for the Malaysian public to correct its misconceptions and stereotypes of refugees. Ratifying the convention would be the first step in creating humane policies towards refugees. Public awareness and social consciousness would also be a critical component in the cause for refugee rights.

Letter from a refugee: ‘This system broke my heart’

I am a Rohingya Burmese refugee asylum seeker in Australia and I left Burma since the end of 1999 for certain circumstances based on race, political and systematic oppression.

Due to the Burmese military government’s long war against minorities through an ethnic cleansing pogrom, the Rohingya ethnic minority became the most oppressed group and Burma’s first refugees.

I escaped to Malaysia and spent 10 years where I worked with Rohingya refugee organisations and Burmese political opposition groups based in Kuala Lumpur.

As a result of my involvement in human rights and community welfare activities, I faced interrogations by intelligence police. I have been personally detained six times and deported on four occasions.

Finally, I left Malaysia and took the risky journey by boat to Australia. Unexpectedly, I was detained for18 months, both here in Darwin’s Northern Immigration Detention Facility and on Christmas Island.

As I was well known in Malaysia I also brought here identities, which I had used in the past decade. The inappropriate length for my security checks is nonsense since I was found to be refugee by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship at the end of May 2010.

The wait is longer than longer, neither it does put priority on vulnerable cases, nor longer cases. And there is no queue system in the process.

It is unexplainable about the longer than longer wait. What is happening to mental and physical health while matters of individual concerns were unable to influence the process. 

I wish to stress this situation is difficult and is a form of psychological torture for me.

However, the government notice released on March 17 had eased my long worries. 

I did believe my case would be finalised by April. Although immigration said our Burmese cases are the first priority, at the end my case has been outstanding and not undertaken according to the details of the government notice.

So far, how sad it is that my case is not yet finalised. It seems as if ASIO does not know I am detained here for the whole of last year until now.

As I acknowledge, the mandatory detention system has a mandate with key values, which ensure fair and humane treatment. Security assessment is a minor part compared to the major Refugee Status Assessment (RSA) process.

While thousands of other clients have been released timely and properly, the length of my detention is unexplained. It has reached an excessive period and is intolerable.

Several letters I sent to the outgoing and current immigration ministers, ASIO and the inspector-general of intelligence, appear to be unread.

My ongoing case is totally unjust, unlawful and inappropriate. It is also paving the way for a deterioration and will cause unexpected things.

An 18-month process is too long a period to wait for a result and is an excessive length of time for processing a single case.

It does nothing more than disadvantage and prolong the detention of an innocent refugee.

I raised this matter in the detention community meeting on April 13 and sent a letter to a senior officer in charge of NT detentions before the government notice expired in the end of April.

I did this because I wanted to hear the result of my case, whether positive or negative.

As a result of me asking for my welfare and security, I was kept 19 days (from April 29 to May 17) in an isolation compound. During these days, immigration officials came routinely to write down my concerns.
After that I was informed on May 20 that ASIO had agreed to finalise my case shortly, but had not given a timeframe.
Although it might not have taken longer for my single case compared to the thousand cases that were finalised with 20 days, I am still kept. Unfortunately, it does not show good conduct and good order.
I see my only choice is rooftop protesting again on World Refugee Day, even [though] it will not bring an outcome except another mess, and no doubt to lay charges against my freedom of expression.
But I don’t know what is the other way to apply against unlawful, prolonged and arbitrary detention. As my concerns, requests, endurances, situations and letters were not made any sense.
Thus, the action doesn’t matter for me and makes no difference whether it stops or progresses.
In summary, I want to raise the ongoing indirect discrimination against Burmese cases.
Burmese refugee asylum-seekers in Australia are being less valued than the Australian cattle.
I am a stateless, recognised refugee and I have the right to be transferred to another country if the department claims my criteria is a threat to security. But, my liberty should not be hampered by any means of such indefinite manner.
I am a UNHCR recognised refugee and I never committed any criminal offences.
Therefore both departments [DIAC and ASIO] are responsible for my prolonged detention and risking my health condition.
As we know, Australia is a leader in humanitarian fields and advocates and assists for the welfare of refugees, particularly in Burma’s neighbouring countries.
The government departments must respect the rights and the dignity of refugees in terms of Australian way of human rights.
I never expected this thing would happen to me in Australia. Now, I feel anxiety and feel unsafe in this situation. This system has threatened me and broke my heart.
As well as, this system hinders my liberty and whatever getting informs were not accountable, nor correctly informed.
I have had enough in detention and I don’t want to stay any more in detention or in
Australia.
I want to quit as soon as possible from defining me as a risk person. I am not a person from a country with terrorists.
Therefore, in the spirit of World Refugee Day, I would like to call Australian communities, including Australian human rights groups and international communities to come together to call to finalise my case unconditionally.

Sincerely,
Habiburahman,
ID here: MAL-1, UNHCR's File No. 512-03C-00571
A prolonged Burmese refugee asylum-seeker detainee
Northern Immigration Detention Centre — Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia
 

Shan refugees in Malaysia (Part 3)

 “The first time I came to Malaysia I see the Malaysia is very freedom. You want to go somewhere you can go, no one block your way,” said a Shan refugee who was a fan of Martial Arts Odyssey, my web TV show. “My country is not like that. After 9.00pm, you cannot go out of the house. If the military saw you on the road they would beat you up, they would beat you.” 

“In the history books in Burma they change everything. If they can change history it’s not history. It is their story.”- Burmese refugee in Malaysia.

“When I was young, staying with my family in my home town I didn’t know about the information that military is beating the people and killing them, burning our farms. I didn’t know. The information is blocked.”

“When I came outside I have freedom of information. We get to know everything they are doing to us.”

“Before I came to Malaysia I didn’t know about internet. We didn’t know anything in Burma. I came here, and I saw even a small baby can use internet. They are professional already. They are higher than me, higher than us.”

“It is better here than Burma. Even though we are refugees here, we have more rights than in our home town. But we also don’t want to move our home town.”

This was an important point, which I had only recently come to understand. Shan people are fleeing Burma in droves. They go to Thailand, or in this case, Malaysia. But this is not what they want. What most of them want is for the fighting in Burma to stop. While they may openly dream of resettlement in the US or Australia, what they all told me, when they revealed what was in their heart, was that they just want to go back to a free and democratic Burma.

That is what this man meant, when he said, “But we also don’t want to move our home town.” He still wished he could live in his home town, but life there is simply untenable.

“Our Shan culture is that we don’t want to go to a foreign country. If we had a choice we would go back to Burma. So many only stay here four or five years, and then they go back.”

“In our country is the military law. They blocked skype, facebook, and information. They have bad policy no human rights. Everything under control,”

I asked if they had SPDC government spies here in Malaysia?

“Yes, we do. But we don’t know who. It could be anyone. It could be our best friend. We don’t know about their secrets… intelligence. They know everything we are doing. But they also cannot do anything. They can only get information and send back to Burma. But if they plan to do something we also don’t know.”

He told me that he had studied at university in Burma. “But we didn’t learn Shan history. I didn’t get to know our history till now. They don’t have it in the student book in Burma. In the history books in Burma they change everything. If they can change history it is not history. It is their story. So we don’t know our history we only know Burmese history.”

“I couldn’t write in Shan. I learned here in Malaysia. In Burma they didn’t allow us to teach Shan writing. But we could sometimes learn the reading from Shan karaoke.”

“They replaced all of our history with Burmese culture. In Malaysia we have a big celebration for Shan New Year, in central KL. We started in 2006 and we have every year. In Burma, Shan New Year was outlawed.”

“One group of Shan in Burma have forgotten their language. The government prevented them from learning holidays, language, and culture. They have become Burmese already. They can speak properly Burmese, so they are like Burmese already. But they know their parents and grandparents were Shan. They know they are Shan, but they don’t know anything about Shan.”

“Can you imagine you cannot do your Shan New Year. It is celebrated according to Shan calendar, usually in November. And then the religious New Year is the same as Thailand (Song Kran) usually in April. We also call that New Year.”

Historically, the Shan and the Thai have been closely related. They share some culture and their festivals. But, it is important to remember that the Shan and the Thai are two unique peoples. And, the Shan should be recognised as an ethnic group by the UN and other international organizations.

One of the other refugees told me that he had married a Shan refugee locally. They had a baby, but the baby’s birth was registered by the immigration department. He has a birth certificate, but the baby can’t be considered a Malaysian citizen.

I told him it was sad that his baby can’t be a Malaysian citizen. Refugee babies born in America are considered US citizens.

“We have no choice. We have a lot of struggle.”

When I asked what the biggest problem faced by refugees in Malaysia was, he answered, “The most challenging is security.” By security, he meant that the refugees get arrested by the Malaysian police on a regular basis.

As much as the refugees are struggling to survive, they continue to do what they can to further the cause of human rights inside of Burma, and to let the world know what the Shan people are suffering.

“In 1990s we submitted photos and documents of genocide (to the UN).

“Last year again, in central Burma, the government attacked and destroyed all of the villages. And the innocent people suffer. They (the villagers) have farmland. It belonged to their ancestors, their forefathers, but Burmese government took it away easily. They say will build a railway or a road so they confiscated the Shan land.”

Large scale infrastructure projects in Burma generally lead not only to land seizure, but to forced labour. Villages are threatened with death if they do not provide a certain number of workers. Many of those workers are never seen again. In numerous interviews I have done with refugees subjected to forced labour, they all reported having been beaten, tortured, starved, and often raped or they witnessed killings. Often, the forced labourers are used as human mine detectors, being pushed into the mine fields, ahead of the construction project.

I asked my new friend if he had a final message he wanted to send out to the world.

“For the Shan people what I want to say now, the situation is very bad. We are under the control of the Burmese military. When the Burmese army comes, they (the Shan people) are very afraid. They cannot do anything. They cannot depend on the Shan army to protect them. Example, when the Burmese army comes, the Shan army has to run away. So they cannot do anything. So many girls were raped or taken away. Hard times for Shan people. Even though we have the Shan army, we don’t know when we will get freedom.”

“The world must know about this and the world should put pressure on the Burmese government.”

“If we are still under the Burmese military, our rights …we have no human rights.”

Brooklyn Monk, Antonio Graceffo is a martial arts and adventure author living in Asia. He is the author of the books, “Warrior Odyssey’ and “The Monk from Brooklyn.”
Visit his website: www.speakingadventure.com

Refugees in Rochester are survivors — and may be your neighbors

Irondequoit, N.Y.

 

Ayaan Aweis, left, a resettlement case manager at Catholic Family Center, chats with a client, a 28-year-old from Eritrea, in Africa, regarding the coming closure of his resettlement period. The discussion is a standard procedure for all cases and an opportunity to review with clients the core services they received, the state of their educational, employment and acculturation progress, and what further steps they need to take to become self-sufficient. After-care plans and referrals could follow.

“Opposite” is the word Dim Sian Huai has for her life in Rochester for about the past two years.

Originally from Burma, in Southeast Asia, Dim obtained refugee status and lived in Malaysia before moving to Rochester with her brother and sister.

“The place (Rochester) was chosen for me,” said Dim, who is all smiles as she talks about “learning little by little.”

“The transportation, the language, the health care system ... the  weather,” Dim says, all have been hard to learn — and ever-so-different than her background.

Even the mail is different here, Dim says.

Dim is one of 600 to 800 refugees — different from immigrants because they’ve had to escape their countries as a result of  wars or some other kind of violence — who find new homes in Rochester each year.

She now works with other refugees, largely seeking health care, at a Rochester General Health System clinic in Rochester. She landed the job about four months ago, and now is excited to learn to drive.

“But it’s hard, too, finding someone to teach you (to drive),” Dim admitted.

She works alongside Jim Sutton, a physician’s assistant and director of community medicine and the refugee health program for Rochester General, and has colleagues like Ranga Khatiwada-Sharma, who is originally from Bhutan, a tiny country located between India and China.

Ranga, a refugee who was a teacher in Nepal for five to seven years before he was “resettled” in Rochester three years ago, came here with his wife, two children, and his mother, now 86.

“I already knew some English, but when we first got here, there was no one to talk to, and everything looked very strange,” Ranga said. “We didn’t know where to go shopping or how to get there or to our appointments.”

Ranga said the most difficult change he faced, however, was transportation.

“In Bhutan, I was used to the public transportation,” Ranga said, adding that here, “driving is a necessity.”

He said he’s still learning the “credit” system — especially how to establish credit.

Yet, working as a patient advocate and interpreter at a Rochester General clinic for two years, Ranga said he feels he’s helping, and is happy to do so.

He knew a little about computers when he came here, so that helped, too, Ranga said, and has also become the “tech support” for some of the hospital’s refugee services.

He does have people to socialize with now, Ranga said, but still doesn’t like the weather about half the year.

The hospital didn’t have a refugee program until 2008, Sutton said, but saw the need when it seemed they were getting more and more referrals.

According to 2008 data, the latest for which data is available, 87 percent of refugees coming in to New York state were resettled upstate. Of that 87 percent, 16 percent of those refugees are settled in Rochester.

“I think the environment here (in Rochester) is easier, and housing and jobs are semi-decent,” Sutton said. “Plus, Catholic Family Center is one of the better resettlement agencies in the country.”
He works with refugees primarily from a medical standpoint, and organized a conference on the topic earlier this year. The response to that two-day conference surprised even him. It drew 400 participants from 29 states.

“There are three traumas refugees go through,” Sutton said, pointing first to whatever happened in a refugee’s native country, then becoming, in effect, “a person without a country” in a camp, then resettling in the U.S.

“We see a lot of symptoms of unhealed trauma,” Sutton said, “yet it’s also extremely rewarding to help someone who’s so vulnerable and wants to do the right thing ... Even a little bit of help always gets a smile and a thank you.”

To health care providers, among the biggest challenges is communicating with refugees, Sutton said. To that end, the hospital is experimenting with a program, Remote Simultaneous Medical Interpretation (RSMI) it is piloting.

“It (RSMI) could be the solution to the language issue,” Sutton said, “but we still have to be careful of privacy laws.”

Sutton works closely with people like Jim Morris, associate director of refugee services at Catholic Family Center.

The center has a three-month resettlement program, Morris said, during which they provide or arrange “core services” — like housing and education — as defined by the federal government.
The national network with whom the center works sends biographies of potential refugees who might settle in Rochester, Morris explained, and the center accepts about 99 percent of them.

After a refugee is accepted, his department waits for an arrival notice, Morris said, and finds a house or apartment for the refugee or refugee family.

Saints Place, a ministry out of St. Louis Church in Pittsford, helps furnish the living quarters with donated goods, Morris said, adding, “Most settlement sites don’t have that (resource).”

Saints Place also runs a tutoring program in Rochester’s South Wedge area, Morris said.

Someone on the staff of six in his department then picks up the refugee or refugees at the airport, Morris said, and usually goes with an interpreter.

The refugees are given an initial orientation — on the culture here, basic household budgeting, public transportation, where to shop, etc. — and “a slew of services,” he said. “There’s so much they need to know” — from applying for a Social Security card to getting the proper immunizations so children can go to school.

Most are resettled in the city of Rochester because they need to be close to public transportation and city services, Morris said, but added that he knows families that have relocated to Henrietta, Pittsford, Perinton, Brighton and beyond after their initial arrival.

“We try to get them to the highest level of self-sufficiency and stability as we can,” said Morris, who started as a volunteer with the program in 1998, and now is a member of the full-time, paid staff.
“And we get everything from Burmese farmers to Cuban doctors,” Morris said, adding that people don’t realize the value of diversity to the community.

“There’s value in understanding other cultures and people,” Morris said, adding that refugees are also rejuvenating some whole blocks and neighborhoods in Rochester. “It’s a story of urban development ... To a large extent, they’re like the rest of us — a big melting pot.”

And, refugees are willing to take jobs some others may not, he said. For instance, 100 refugees graduated last week from certified nursing assistant training.

“There’s the economic angle, too,” Morris said. “These people are very willing and anxious to work, and they have a good reputation as an excellent work force.”

At the same time refugees are facing cultural barriers, they’re also dealing with trying to overcome some kind of trauma, Morris said. “Some were tortured or raped or the victims of some other kind of violence ... or they witnessed it.”

“Then there’s the trauma of just being a stranger in a strange land,” Morris said.

Still, there are great success stories, he said. “These people are determined ... and they’re survivors.”

They’re also  everywhere ... “if you look,” Morris said. ‘They’re serving us food, working in hotels and hospitals ... The greatest thing to see is that they’re part of our community and making it a better place, too.”

Burmese refugee tells of caning in Malaysia

Tom Allard, Kuala Lumpur

June 25, 2011

Concerns have been raised about the treatment of refugees in Malaysia. Photo: AP

A YOUNG Burmese refugee in Malaysia was rounded up, sent to prison for three months and lashed three times with a rattan cane last year, even though he possessed a coveted refugee card supposed to offer protection from persecution.
Kap Lian's account of his arrest, incarceration and punishment, the first by an actual holder of a refugee card, raises new questions about the Australian government's guarantee that no asylum seeker it sends to Malaysia will be abused under its proposed refugee swap deal.
Malaysia and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees insist protections of asylum seekers have improved substantially in recent times. In a significant development, it was announced on Thursday that the feared volunteer corps, known by its Malay acronym RELA, has ceased operations against irregular migrants since March.

Advertisement: Story continues below

But Mr Kap Lian's nightmare occurred when the UNHCR was supposed to have an arrangement with the police and immigration authorities that any genuine asylum seekers would not be detained, let alone punished with caning.
It all began, Mr Kap Lian said, when RELA cadres stormed his apartment block in Kuala Lumpur in the early hours of March 11 last year.
''There were 20 of us picked up and six of us had UNHCR cards,'' said Mr Kap Lian, a quietly spoken 20-year-old from the persecuted Chin ethnic minority. ''We showed them the cards but they just took them from us and kept them … and then took us to prison.''
After 14 days, Mr Kap Lian was taken before a court. But, he said, he had no legal representation and could not understand what was happening because he did not speak Malay. ''The sentence was three months and three hits with the cane. It was the same for all six of us.''
Trussed up and naked except for a blindfold and a small piece of cloth to cover his genitals, Mr Lian said he took three hits across his buttocks from the long rattan cane.
''It [the pain] was very bad,'' he said. ''For one week, I couldn't sleep. For two weeks, I couldn't sit down … just once they put on the medicine [on the wounds].''

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/national/burmese-refugee-tells-of-caning-in-malaysia-20110624-1gjnu.html#ixzz1QHSb3F8J

Malaysia blacklists shadow immigration spokesman Scott Morrison

Banned ... Opposition immigration spokesman Scott Morrison / Pic: AAP Source: AAP

 

MALAYSIAN officials have blacklisted shadow immigration spokesman Scott Morrison and banned him from entering detention centres or meeting key senior officials.

Mr Morrison arrived in Kuala Lumpur yesterday morning for a "first-hand look" at how illegal refugees are treated in Malaysia ahead of the Gillard government's plan for a refugee swap.

But his visit was not welcomed by all with his visitation ban also backed by the Malaysian government refusing to let him visit Home Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein, who had mocked Mr Morrison's visit.

Instead, the MP visited a local Chin community before meeting the Australian High Commission and refugee advocates.

Earlier, Mr Morrison had heard a boat of 65 asylum seekers and two crew were being taken to Christmas Island yesterday after they were intercepted off Australia's coast.

Those refugees will join the 275 detained and in limbo with no deal officially signed between PM Julia Gillard and Malaysia.

"The key point of this visit for me is to compare education, health and general living conditions for refugees in Malaysia compared with Nauru, where I have also visited," Mr Morrison said.

Travelling with two staffers, he hit back at government MPs who called his 6600km trip a "stunt".

"People who have watched these refugee programs on television have told me to watch them. Well I've gone one step further and I've actually come to see for myself what is going on here," he said.

Refugees declined to show Mr Morrison their UNHCR identification cards which often do not stop them from being considered "illegal" by police and sent to prison.

Jailed, caned ... and protected by a refugee card

Tom Allard

June 25, 2011

Through the cracks ... Kap Lian, 20, a Burmese refugee, at his workplace in Kuala Lumpur where he earns $15 a day and also sleeps at night. Photo: Rahman Roslan

A YOUNG Burmese refugee was rounded up, sent to prison for three months and lashed three times with a rattan cane last year even though he possessed a coveted refugee card supposed to offer protection from persecution in Malaysia.
Kap Lian's account of his arrest, incarceration and punishment, the first by an actual holder of a refugee card, raises new questions about the federal government's guarantee that no asylum seeker it sends to Malaysia will be abused under its proposed refugee swap deal.
Malaysia and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees insist protections of refugees have improved substantially in recent times. In a significant development, it was announced on Thursday that the feared volunteer corps, known by its Malay acronym RELA, has ceased operations against irregular migrants since March.

Advertisement: Story continues below

But Mr Kap Lian's nightmare occurred when the UNHCR was supposed to have an arrangement with the police and immigration authorities that any genuine refugees would not be detained, let alone punished with caning.
It all began, Mr Kap Lian tells the Herald, when RELA cadres stormed his apartment block in Kuala Lumpur in the early hours of March 11 last year.
''There were 20 of us picked up and six of us had UNHCR cards,'' says Mr Kap Lian, a quietly spoken 20-year-old from the persecuted Chin ethnic minority. ''We showed them the cards, but they just took them from us and kept them … and then took us to prison.''
After 14 days, Mr Kap Lian was taken before a court. But, he says, they had no legal representation and could not understand what was happening because they did not speak Malay. ''The sentence was three months and three hits with the cane. It was the same for all six of us.''
Trussed up and naked except for a blindfold and a small piece of cloth to cover his genitalia, Mr Kap Lian said he took three hits across his buttocks from the long rattan cane. The pain was like no other he had experienced.
''It was very bad,'' he says. ''For one week I couldn't sleep. For two weeks, I couldn't sit down.'' He was given medicine just once.
Mr Kap Lian's story could not be independently verified with the UNHCR but the young Chin bears the scars of his ordeal. He explained he couldn't contact the UNHCR because his card, which contained a hotline number on the back that he could call for help, was confiscated. Guards at the detention centre also refused to let him call community leaders who might have been able to help him, he said.
As a 14-year-old, Mr Kap Lian says he was intermittently pressganged by Burma's military, and forced to serve as a porter. At 18, told he would have to serve full-time, he left to join 40,000 other Chin in Malaysia.
As he waits for resettlement, he works illegally as a construction worker, earning about $15 a day.
''If I could come to Australia, well, it would be better than Malaysia,'' he says. ''Even better, though, would be if the government changed in Burma and I could go back.''

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/jailed-caned--and-protected-by-a-refugee-card-20110624-1gjim.html#ixzz1QHRaWiHh

Refugee Protection Act Defends Human Rights, Promotes U.S. Protection for Persecuted Refugees

Wed, 06/15/2011 - 15:44

Refugee Protection Act Defends Human Rights, Promotes U.S. Protection for Persecuted Refugees

Washington, DC – Refugees International (RI) welcomed the introduction of The Refugee Protection Act of 2011, which was introduced today by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT). RI noted that the comprehensive piece of legislation brings the United States much closer to fulfilling its obligations under the 1951 Refugee Convention. It addresses shortfalls in current law that make it unnecessarily difficult for asylum seekers to find safe harbor in the United States and for refugees to be fully protected.

“This bill will ensure that asylum seekers and refugees can more fairly and quickly receive U.S. protection, while preserving U.S. security,” said Michel Gabaudan, President of Refugees International. “We commend Senator Leahy for his leadership to preserve and strengthen U.S. law in recognizing and defending human rights and human dignity, particularly for persecuted refugees.”

The legislation comes thirty-one years after the passage of the U.S. Refugee Act of 1980 and as the international community is celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Refugee Convention. The bill will require a streamlined asylum process that will simplify processing and reduce detention costs.  It will remove restrictions for some victims of terrorism who have been unfairly excluded for providing “material support” to armed groups, often by force or coercion. At the same time, it will reject those with legitimate ties to terrorist activity. The bill also seeks to prevent newly resettled refugees who struggle to rebuild their lives in the U.S. from slipping into poverty by adjusting the resettlement grant level annually for inflation.

“The U.S. has a long and proud history of supporting human rights and seeking to aid those who have been forced to flee persecution,” said Gabaudan. “The country has offered asylum, resettlement and a path to citizenship for many persecuted groups who have become contributing citizens in their new homeland. This is a heritage of which the U.S. is justly proud.”

The legislation also offers legal status to a long forgotten group -- de jure stateless people in the U.S. These individuals currently lack citizenship to any country and include people from the former Soviet Union, the "bidoon" of Kuwait, or denationalized Syrian Kurds. Chairman Leahy’s Refugee Protection Act would rescue these men and women from limbo and allow those who are otherwise admissible to the U.S. and able to pass security screenings to obtain a temporary legal status for five years, and then permanent residence.

Refugees International is a Washington DC-based organization that advocates to end refugee crises and receives no government or UN funding. For more information, go to http://www.refugeesinternational.org/.

For Immediate Release: June 15, 2011
Contact: Dara McLeod, +1-202-540-7025
dara@refugeesinternational.org

Govt Should Prevent Persecution of Refugees

by Aidil Syukri

KUALA LUMPUR, 8 JUNE, 2011: Lembah Pantai MP Nurul Izzah Anwar (pic) today said the government’s stand on the refugee issues should be parallel with the current situation to prevent the persecution of refugees.   Commenting on the agreement between Malaysia and Australia on the transfer of refugees, Nurul Izzah said Malaysia is not a member of the United Nation (UN) convention on the rights of refugees where no special protection will be provided to refugees by the government.   “Because Malaysia is not a signatory to the UN convention on the rights of refugees there is no recognition to those who are certified by the UNHCR refugee,” said Izzah in a press conference held at her office this morning. She also referred to a case where a local woman who wants to marry a Burmese refugee named David but had to face Malaysian laws that prohibit citizens from marrying the refugees. According to Nurul Izzah, the woman, Amirah Ismail has referred the matter to the religious department before this and was told that she can continue the marriage if her partner converts to Islam. However, when Amirah referred the matter to the Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara (JPN), she was told that under the Immigration Act 1959, refugees cannot get marry to the locals. “The religious department said if David embraces Islam, then they can get married. Unfortunately, this country’s law prohibits its people to get married to a refugee. “And since it is not a signatory to the UN convention on the rights of refugees, anyone without legal documentation to work in Malaysia even with UNHCR card is an illegal immigrant,” ,” said Nurul Izzah who is also PKR vice-president. “So imagine what would happen when the refugees from Australia were later moved to Malaysia. There will be more problems,” she added. Meanwhile Amirah who was present at the press conference with David whose new Muslim name is Mohd Daniel Abdullah said she really hopes that she and Daniel will be able to get married.  Amirah who has known Daniel for a year also told reporters that her partner who have been three years staying in Malaysia has embraced Islam even before they first met in May last year. “When I referred this matter to JPN, they told me that it (her efforts to get government approval for marriage) is the responsibility of the religious department. But when I went to the religious department, they told me that I need to refer it to JPN,” said Amirah who works in a restaurant in Kelana Jaya.  Meanwhile Nurul Izzah who is handling the matter said she has discussed it with Suaram (Suara Rakyat Malaysia) which will be doing the necessary follow up. “It is very sad to see this thing happening. We will follow up with the responsible department,” said Nurul Izzah.

Refugees flee Myanmar clashes near Chinese border

June 14, 2011

BEIJING, June 14 — Myanmar’s military has clashed for several days with a militia controlled by the country’s ethnic Kachin minority in a remote but strategic region where China is building hydropower plants, various sources said today. The fighting, which began last Thursday, has killed at least four people and forced hundreds, if not thousands, to flee toward the Myanmar-China border, the sources, including a Washington-based advocacy group and Chinese media, said.

More than 2,000 villagers from the conflict area had fled toward China, and 28 Chinese engineers and dam workers were being held by government forces, the US Campaign for Burma said in a statement.

Ethnic rebel armies, like the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), have fought Myanmar’s military for decades to defend their territory, and the clashes mark one of the most serious upticks in hostilities since the government held rare but tightly controlled elections late last year.

Those elections were widely condemned abroad and by ethnic groups within the former British colony, also known as Burma, which see no interest in giving up control of their land for what they believe are hollow promises of self-government and political representation.

An observer based in Kachin State capital Myitkyina confirmed that battles broke out between KIA and Myanmar troops on June 9 in Momauk Township, about 130km southeast of Myitkyina and about 40km from the Chinese border.

“It’s said that the battles are still going on but we have no idea about the casualties,” a source who asked for anonymity told Reuters.

“We don’t think the government wants to launch a major offensive against the KIA headquarters at the moment. So far as we heard they just want to drive the KIA away from Taping hydropower project being developed in cooperation with China,” the source said.

Chinese-built dams have been divisive projects, experts say, with ethnic minorities seeing the construction as expanding military rule into their territory.

Last year, a series of bombs exploded at a hydropower project site being jointly built by a Chinese company in the Kachin state.

At least 100 Chinese engineers and workers returned to China after the fighting erupted near the Taping River Dam site, only about 90km from Yingjiang county in China’s southern Yunnan province, China’s Global Times newspaper said today.

But the condition of the 28 workers apparently being held by the government forces is unclear.

“China has always attached much importance to the safety and legitimate rights of Chinese nationals abroad, and the Chinese side has taken stock of the situation and is making all out rescue efforts,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told reporters in Beijing.

Four ethnic militia groups have pledged to fight against the Myanmar government forces, US Campaign for Burma said, citing the Kachin General Gwan Maw.

According to the US Campaign for Burma statement, the fighting erupted following a dispute on prisoner transfers between government troops and the KIA, prompting government forces to advance on KIA-held territory.

Aung Naing Oo, a Myanmar analyst and deputy head of the Thailand-based Vahu Development Institute, said the next few weeks would be crucial in determining if the clashes were about the dams or the broader conflict.

“The main issue here appears to be the security of these dams. All the stakeholders involved, the government, the Chinese, the Kachin — they have interests to protect,” Aung Naing Oo said.

“Low-level fighting has been going on for a year now and it’s only logical that at some point there would be a crisis. All that was needed was a little spark, a catalyst.” — Reuters

Teachers upset over Malaysia child plan

Martin Wheatley and other teachers from St Johns Park Public protested outside Chris Bowen's office recently.

ST Johns Park teachers protested outside Immigration Minister Chris Bowen’s Fairfield office last week over a proposal to send unaccompanied children to Malaysia under the federal government’s refugee swap deal.

St Johns Park Public School teachers, whose students are mainly from non-English speaking backgrounds, were furious the government would send unaccompanied children to a country with such a poor record on human rights.

St Johns Park pre-school teacher Carol Trethewey said the only reason she was there was because she loved the kids.

“The kids are my life,” she said.

Fairfield Teachers Federation organiser and St Johns Park Public School teacher Mark Wheatley said he had collected a petition to present to Mr Bowen to kick off the campaign.

“We are appalled to hear that the federal government will send unaccompanied children to a country that doesn’t have a policy on human rights.”

He said the response to the campaign was positive with parents keen to get involved.

“Given there’s a direct relationship between our students and the issues we think it’s relevant,” he said.

“This is our first protest but I am sure there will be a more concerted effort across Fairfield.”

No-caning tags for Aussie refugees in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, June 10 — Australia plans to issue special identity tags to asylum seekers headed for Malaysia under a controversial refugee swap deal to protect them from “draconian” punishments here, The West Australian newspaper has reported.

The daily said Australian Immigration Minister Chris Bowen has signalled that the boat people will be required to wear tags exempting them from caning and other harsh punishments sometimes meted out by local law enforcement.

The refugees will also be monitored by International Organisation for Migration to further protect from human rights abuses in Malaysia, the Perth-based paper added.

Australia announced last month that it will swap 800 boat people for 4,000 certified asylum seekers with Malaysia while footing the entire A$292 million (RM940 million) cost.

But the plan, dubbed the “Malaysian solution”, has come under fire from opposition and Labour lawmakers alike who accuse Canberra of abdicating its duty to humans rights by “oursourcing” the refugee problem to Malaysia.

Critics have also raised humanitarian concerns about Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s deal with Malaysia, which has been accused whipping and deporting asylum seekers.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has urged both governments to build humanitarian safeguards into the agreement, including assurances that asylum seekers will not be forcibly expelled to face persecution in their home countries.

The West Australian also said the refugee swap deal is expected to be finalised within days, following weeks of intense discussion between Australian and Malaysian delegations.

The paper added that terms of the deal could be revealed as soon as Monday.

Australia currently tries to intercept boat people in the Indian Ocean, who are then detained on its remote Christmas Island for processing, preventing asylum seekers from gaining greater legal rights by landing on the Australian mainland.

Under the refugee swap deal, asylum seekers will be housed in Malaysia for six weeks during which they will undergo security, identification and health checks before being released into the local community.

Australia currently has more than 6,000 asylum seekers in detention, originating from countries like Iran, Iraq, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.

Burmese refugees that fled genocide in Myanmar struggle to find work,

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
   

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Myanmar refugees who fled military persecution and
settled in America are finding new struggles with limited education
and a stifling language barrier.

They've quietly grown to become one of Kentucky's largest refugee
groups, spread among Louisville, Bowling Green and Owensboro. Many are
concentrated in Louisville's South End, where they've become an
increasingly common presence in local factories, churches and schools.

Over the last four decades, an estimated 1.3 million refugees have
fled Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, to escape persecution at the
hands of the military, according to the United Nations.

For many, their new lives in the U.S. haven't been easy. Most arrive
with limited educations, farming backgrounds and a lack of work
history from years in camps along the Thailand border, The Courier-
Journal reported.

"We are happy to be here, but it's difficult," said 42-year-old Hsar
Say, who fled Myanmar after participating in 1988 democracy protests.
"I hope to go back someday. But I'm not sure where to go back. There
is no home anymore."

Say, who lives in south Louisville, is one of nearly 3,000 refugees
who have been brought to Kentucky since 2006.

Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell has long been an outspoken critic of the
Myanmar regime and staunch advocate of sanctions designed to bring
democratic change there. But he believes that's a distant prospect.

"I've never spent more time on something with fewer results,"
McConnell said. "I can't envision how you bring this regime down."

Refugee Thar Tin recently landed a job at a Louisville meatpacking
plant. He explained that he'd fled his homeland because Army soldiers
were forcing men to labor as porters and human minesweepers. He spent
nine years at the camps before coming to Louisville three years ago.

"There was no good education in Burma or in camp; here they have good
school and good jobs," he said, noting his children are doing well in
school. "And you don't have to sneak out to work."

Yet many refugees have struggled, speaking little or no English and
usually lacking experience with formal schooling and structured jobs.

"They arrive happy to be where they are, and then reality sets in,
they're overwhelmed," said Annette Ellard, a Louisville resident who
became involved with the refugees' plight after a mission trip. "The
reality for many of these refugees is they would like to go back home
and live life in the traditional way, but they don't have that
choice."

The Louisville refugees from Myanmar have established communities at
several churches, and some gather elsewhere to practice their Buddhist
faith. At several South Louisville apartment complexes, groups of
refugees from Burma gather to celebrate births and share traditional
meals along with tips on navigating life in the U.S.

Many of those brought here say they would like to return if things
were to change in Myanmar. For now, however, they remain in apartments
and modest homes, quietly carving out a new life while keeping one eye
on their homeland.

"If there's no peace, I dare not go home," Ka Waw said. "Right now, I
have no hope of going back."

Some Win Some Lose in Australia-Malaysia Swap Deal

Malaysian police officers guard a road block as part of a manhunt for escaped foreign illegal migrants from the Lenggeng detention depot at Broga, south of Kuala Lumpur on April 5, 2011. (Photo: Getty Images)

PUCHONG, Malaysia— The teenager's eyes light up when she talks about her dream of traveling to Australia. Nyein Su Wai wants to see the "interesting animals" — koalas and kangaroos — but says she would be happiest about living without the constant fear that she endures as a refugee in Malaysia.

She could become one of the winners in a swap deal that would send 4,000 refugees from Malaysia to Australia. The losers would be 800 asylum seekers who would travel the other way, with assurances that they would be treated better than the more than 93,000 registered refugees, mostly from Burma, who eke out a precarious existence on the fringe of Malaysian society and law.

In Malaysia, Su Wai and her family constantly fear detention or worse, deportation.

"I think Australia will be a good place for me," the friendly, gangly 14-year-old told The Associated Press in a modest school for refugee children from Burma run without state help in suburban Puchong, outside Malaysia's largest city, Kuala Lumpur.

Australia and Malaysia continue to negotiate terms of the deal, which springs from Australia's strong desire to deter asylum seekers from coming there by boat.

Critics say wealthy Australia is shirking its international responsibilities by shunting asylum seekers off to a developing nation with a tarnished human rights record that has not signed UN conventions on refugees and torture. Australia maintains that the deal will protect the asylum seekers' rights.

Sri Lankan-born Ramesh Fernandez, who spent three years in remote Australian immigration detention camps before he was accepted as a refugee, has another criticism of the deal: He doesn't believe it will discourage anyone from making desperate boat journeys like the one he made in 2001.

"People know that Australia has human rights obligations and they don't want to go to Malaysia because Malaysia has problems and there are refugees who have been there for a long time," said Fernandez, a director of a refugee help center in Melbourne, Australia's second-largest city.

Rights advocates say refugees in Malaysia face beatings, overcrowding, insufficient food and poor sanitation. They usually survive on odd jobs but risk detention and whippings with the dreaded rattan cane for doing so because in the twilight world that they inhabit they are officially not allowed to work or have access to state education.

Kyaw Zin Latt, a 30-year-old who fled Burma for Malaysia in 2008 when soldiers burned his village, claims police and the government's volunteer security corps routinely harass refugees on the streets, demanding that they hand over their money and valuables in exchange for not being detained.

Latt said he was arrested a year ago while working as a restaurant dishwasher. He said he spent two nights with 15 others in a cell meant for three, sleeping on a cold cement floor while stripped to his underwear by police, before aid workers secured his release.

Su Wai, her parents and two sisters have for three years shared a single bedroom in a rented apartment that they share with other refugees on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur. Her father is a handyman and her mother works illegally in an electronics factory.

Recently, the family cowered in their room for hours before dawn, afraid to look out their window because police were searching for illegal immigrants in their neighborhood.

Su Wai vividly recalls fleeing the military junta in Burma in search of a brighter future and walking for miles through jungles and sugar cane plantations to cross into Thailand. She hid under a blanket in a van as people smugglers brought them into Malaysia.

The UN refugee agency UNHRC registered Su Wai and her family as refugees, but they are still regarded as illegal immigrants by Malaysia.

Australia's government, meanwhile, is suffering in public opinion polls because of asylum seekers who are being smuggled from transit points in Malaysia and Indonesia by boat.

The numbers are small by international standards but they're growing, to the chagrin of many Australians who prize their relative isolation as a country that borders nothing but ocean. Refugees are targeted in complaints of overcrowding and inadequate infrastructure in Australia's largest cities.

The refugee swap is expected to cost Australia 300 million Australian dollars ($320 million) over four years and Malaysia nothing.

While the details have not been finalized, asylum seekers brought into Malaysia will need to be treated better than refugees already there for the deal to be acceptable from Australia's perspective.