China threatens 'decisive' response after Myanmar bombing

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's military will take "decisive" measures if there is a repeat attack by Myanmar forces on its territory, a senior military officer said after a bomb from a Myanmar aircraft killed four people.

Myanmar government forces have been battling rebels on the border with China since last month and China has urged Myanmar to "lower the temperature".

But Myanmar denied that any bomb from its forces had fallen in China and said the rebels might have fired into China to create "misunderstanding". The rebels do not have aircraft.

China's air force has dispatched planes to patrol the border and step up protection of its airspace. Beijing has also summoned Myanmar's ambassador to complain about the bombing.

Fan Changlong, who is a deputy head of the powerful Central Military Commission, said Myanmar air force aircraft had crossed the border "many times" recently, China's defence ministry said in a statement late on Saturday.

"The Myanmar side must recognise the seriousness of the issue, seriously deal with this incident, punish those who caused the trouble, apologise and pay compensation to family members, and explain themselves to China," Fan was cited as telling Myanmar's military in an emergency telephone call.

Myanmar must take strict steps to rein in its armed forces to ensure no repeat of such incidents, he said.

"Otherwise, China's military will take resolute and decisive measures to protect the lives, property and security of China's people," Fan said, without elaborating.

Speaking at his annual news conference on Sunday, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said that the government had the ability and responsibility to "firmly defend" the stability of the border.

Tens of thousands of people, many of them ethnic Chinese, have fled the fighting in northeastern Myanmar's Kokang region into China.

Myanmar has said Chinese mercenaries were fighting with the rebels, and it has urged China to cooperate to prevent "terrorist attacks" being launched from Chinese territory.

China has denied that any attacks into Myanmar have been launched from its territory.

The rebels are from a group called the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), which is led by ethnic Chinese commander Peng Jiasheng.

The MNDAA was formed from remnants of the Communist Party of Burma, a powerful China-backed guerrilla force that battled the Myanmar government until it splintered in 1989.

The group struck a truce with the government which lasted until 2009, when government troops took over their region in a conflict that pushed tens of thousands of refugees into China's Yunnan province.

China and Myanmar share a 2,000 km (1,250 mile) border, much of it remote and hard to access.

(Additional reporting by Jason Subler and Michael Martina; Editing by Robert Birsel & Kim Coghill)

Malaysia pledges to step up Myanmar worker protection

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak pledged to improve protection for migrant workers from Myanmar during talks with the country’s President Thein Sein on Friday.

Hundreds of thousands of migrants from impoverished Myanmar are estimated to be working — many of them illegally — in more-developed Malaysia.

“Malaysia acknowledged the contribution of Myanmar labour force in Malaysia’s economic development and agreed to expand and improve the cooperation,” the Malaysian government said in a statement after the talks.

It will issue memorandum of understanding to formalise its intention to “safeguard the rights and interests of Myanmar workers in Malaysia”, the statement said.

It did not provide any further details.

The talks were held on the second day of Myanmar president’s two-day trip to Malaysia, his first state visit to the country.

Tens of thousands of workers in Malaysia are Muslim ethnic Rohingya who have fled what they describe as decades of oppression in majority-Buddhist Myanmar.

The Rohingya exodus has gained pace since Muslim-Buddhist bloodshed erupted in 2012 in the western Myanmar state of Rakhine.

Police say that a number of killings in Malaysia last year involving Myanmar nationals are linked to the ethnic strife back home.

Muslim-majority Malaysia has no laws to protect refugees though it accepts them temporarily. Those who are un-registered face arrest and languish in detention unless granted coveted UN refugee status.

Activists have complained that low-wage foreign workers are conned by recruitment agents and mistreated at work, with little recourse for legal action.

The two nations also agreed to cooperate on other sectors include bilateral trade, oil and gas, tourism and education.

Myanmar is only Malaysia’s 38th-largest trading partner globally, and seventh-largest within ASEAN, according to Malaysian data.

Total bilateral trade in 2014 reached $864 million, based on current exchange rates.

But Malaysian officials have said the nascent trade relationship is growing fast and have expressed a desire for Malaysian firms to take advantage of Myanmar’s opening-up by moving into its markets.

Myanmar is gradually emerging from decades of authoritarian rule and has embarked on democratic reforms that have won praise abroad, though some observers warn they appear to be stalling.

- AFP

Dewan Rakyat: Malaysia Urge UNHCR To Expedite Refugee Migration Process

KUALA LUMPUR, March 12 (Bernama) -- Malaysia wants the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) to expedite the resettlement process of refugees in Malaysia, especially from Myanmar, to other countries.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Dr Shahidan Kassim said speeding up the process of the migration to other countries was necessary since their presence has raised a number of social, economic and security problems that has threatened the peace and harmony.

"We have also urged UNHCR to review the status and eligibility of the UNHCR card holders since some individuals do not fit into the refugee status.

"Some have come here as migrants to enhance their economic status," he said when replying to a question by Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud (PAS-Kota Raja) who wanted to know the number of refugees registered with UNHCR and their rights in the country.

Shahidan said based on UNHCR statistics, there are 151,838 applications for refugee status until Jan 31, 2015.

Shahidan said from the total 52,788 had applied to seek asylum while 99,050 were refugees.

He pointed out that Malaysia was not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention which this meant such persons are not recognised by Malaysia as refugees and are allowed to enter the country solely on humanitarian grounds.

Shahidan said during their stay in Malaysia, these refugees were free to move around the country without any restriction but must abide by the country's law and order.

He said the children of refugees were given free vaccination and education.

-- BERNAMA

KUALA LUMPUR: There is a total of 151,838 registered refugees and asylum seekers in the country, Parliament was told.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim said of the total, 99,050 are refugees while the remaining 52,788 were asylum seekers from various countries registered here as of Jan 31.

Of the total, Myanmar nationals make up a majority of the refugees and asylum seekers with 140,590.

Other nationals include Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and Somalia.

"The government does not recognise their status as Malaysia is not part of the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (CRSR) and the 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees.

"However, on humanitarian reasons, these group of people are given freedom and will not be detained unless if they have violated Malaysian laws. They are not denied rights to medical assistance and education here," he said in responding to a question by Siti Mariah Mahmud (PAS- Kota Raja) on the number of refugees (by country of origin) who have registered with UNHCR the rights and protection they are entitled to while staying in the country.

Myanmar groups in Malaysia protest against Letpadan crackdown

Myanmar Buddhist activists staged a protest alongside Rohingya Muslims in Kuala Lumpur, calling for an immediate end to the violent crackdown against student protesters in Myanmar

KUALA LUMPUR: Scores of Myanmar Buddhist activists have staged a protest alongside Rohingya Muslims in the Malaysian capital.

The Buddhist activists were calling for an immediate end to the violent crackdown against student protesters in Myanmar. This comes just a day before Myanmar President Thein Sein is scheduled to arrive for a two-day state visit.

Rohingya Muslims and the Myanmar Buddhist community do not usually mix in Malaysia where both groups have sizable numbers in residence. That is why the police and special branch were taking no chances when both groups decided to protest and hand over memoranda to the Myanmar government.

The Chin National Front group and the 88 Generation leaders' representatives were demanding an immediate release of the students taken into detention after clashes with police in central Myanmar. Over 100 students fighting for educational freedom were arrested in Letpadan as a result of violent clashes with the police.

"If (Thein Sein) could hear us, he should make the situation in Myanmar positive, and not handle it like in a dictatorship," said Alfred Aung Myin Myint from the Chin National Front.

The Rohingya community, too, was condemning the use of violence. There are some 80,000 Rohingya Muslims in Malaysia, mostly refugees. President Thein Sein will visit Malaysia on March 12 and they will be using the opportunity to call on him to recognise their basic human rights.

Mohammad Sadek, program coordinator for the Rohingya Arakanese Refugee Committee Malaysia, said: "We are part of Myanmar and we must have voting rights to support the government for the democratic process."

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), there are over 130,000 Myanmar refugees in Malaysia and regardless of their ethnicity, many do not feel safe in Malaysia.

"We are not safe at all here, because we are foreigners, we are not documented people," said Alfred Aung Myin Myint.

Mohammad Sadek added: "We are also afraid of Malaysia's enforcement law. The Malaysia immigration penal code does not allow anyone to escape any country."

It is a plight that many in the Myanmar diaspora can relate to. They feel that Thein Sein’s self-styled reformist government is now letting the country's reforms slip backwards.

Many, like Yaw Han, the Chairman of the Chin National Front, still believe in pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is their only hope. "We trust in her than anyone else in Myanmar because she is Aung San's daughter and we trust him alone." 

- CNA/by

BRITISH PARLIAMENT ASKED TO HELP REFUGEES ON THAI BURMA BORDER

A delegation, advocating on behalf of refugees and displaced people from Burma took their cause to Britain’s Parliament in an attempt to highlight the affects of funding cuts on services to people in camps on the Thai side of the Burma border.

“As refugees, we are under tremendous pressure in the camps. There have been many reductions in services including cuts to healthcare, education, shelter, and food. We feel we are being forced to choose between being hungry in the camps or being forced to return and be abused in Burma. We desperately want a better choice”, said Naw Ta Mla Saw, Joint Secretary 1 of the Karen Women's Organisation.

The Karen Women's Organisation is a community-based organisation with over 49,000 members that provides its communities with education, health and social welfare. The KWO provides assistance for refugees and IDPs along the border areas.

In a media statement the delegation said it had met and spoke in Parliament with the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Democracy in Burma – “a unique opportunity for British Parliamentarians to hear directly from refugees on the border and organisations working on the ground providing assistance for these refugees.”

In its media statement the delegation said it planned to meet with “the Department for International Development Minister Desmond Swayne MP, officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Parliamentarians, NGOs, the Burmese community and members of the UK media.

Other members of the lobbying delegation included Ms Sally Thompson, executive director of The Border Consortium (TBC) and Luiz Kaypoe from the Karenni Refugee Committee (KnRC).

The delegation pointed out in its media statement that “it is important that refugees are not forgotten.” The delegation stated that the Burma’s peace process is still fragile and that despite ceasefires between the government and the ethnic armed groups conflict is still happening in parts of the country.

“At the moment, shifting donor focus away from the border is perceived by refugees as a form of coercion to return prematurely,” the delegation said in its media release.

A member of the delegation, Luiz Kaypoe, Secretary of the Karenni Refugee Committee said in the media statement.

“Our ethnic people want peace, but the Burmese government use peace to twist and kill our people. Sadly, the international community focuses only on the situation in Rangoon and Nay Pyi Daw, and ignores what’s going on in ethnic areas. We want our ethnic people’s voice to be heard”.

The KnRC is a grassroots organization that provides support to Karenni and other ethnic minority refugees from Burma currently residing in two camps in Thailand.

Ms Sally Thompson, the executive director of The Border Consortium said that it was important that funders stay committed to the refugees and displaced people along the Thai Burma border.

“We want donors to commit to stay with refugees through a sustainable return in the future.”

The TBC provides food, shelter, camp management and livelihood support for 110,000 refugees in Thailand and 120,000 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Burma.

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