China forces return of Kachin to Burma: Rights group

China has been accused of forcibly returning at least 4,000 ethnic Kachins to a conflict zone in northern Burma.

Landmark in Rangoon, Burma (Credit: ABC) 

Human Rights Watch has written to the foreign ministry in Beijing complaining that the forced returns were carried out without providing the Kachins with a process to determine their claims for refugee status.

Human Rights Watch says that rather than honouring international law on refugees, it appears the Chinese government wants to rewrite the rules.

Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Asia division, told Radio Australia's Connect Asia it was not safe for the Kachin to return.

"There's been increased offences by the government and we're quite concerned that these people are being sent back into conflict zones," he said.

Despite many of them being in China for the past year he said the Kachin have not been given access to the UN's refugee agency.

"They should have been received and provided temporary protection including basic assistance, food, medical supplies, but importantly they should have been allowed to have access to UNHCR," he said.

Human Rights Watch has interviewed many of the Kachin and says they simply want asylum until it is safe to return to their home villages.

"These are not people who want to stay long term in China, and they all said that," he said.

And he said the refugee convention was under threat in the Asia-Pacific from states that have either not ratified or do not observe their obligations.

"Well unfortunately it seems to be the refugee convention and the standards it provides are under attack by many different governments in the Asia-Pacific region, including governments like China and Australia who've ratified the convention."

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