Burmese Receiving No Help

[george]

Burmese receiving no help

They are being seen as `not worthy' of aid

PHANGNGA: -- While foreign tourists and Thais who survived the monster waves have been provided with shelter, basic facilities and financial assistance, hundreds of Burmese workers that are still alive and kicking are being treated as if they don't even exist.

Forget about the 20,000-baht compensation for a Burmese death, 2,000-baht in aid money for an unemployed Burmese, or receiving DNA checks to find their missing relatives. Burmese workers can only think of finding food and drinking water without being arrested and deported by the immigration police who have stepped up their crackdown against them.

Thai villagers and police have accused many of the illegal Burmese workers of theft and break-ins at tsunami-damaged hotels. Only Burmese with work permits and those who were brought back for work by their employers are not being branded as criminals. Auig, 25, a Burmese worker at the Ban Nam Khem fishing village, said Burmese workers who had taken refuge in front of the Takua Pa district office along with some Thai villagers to escape the wrath of the tsunami, had mostly been rounded up by immigrantion police for deportation. The ones who escaped arrest had fled the province and taken refuge at a detention camp in Ranong. Auig and some 20 other Burmese workers arrived from Koh Song in Burma by boat in Ban Nam Khem five years ago in search of employment. Auig was employed as a helper by a Thai fish vendor and received a monthly salary of 3,000 baht before the tsunami devastation.

According to Auig, more than half of about the 2,000 Burmese workers in Ban Nam Khem were missing.

He lost two elder brothers in the disaster and found the body of one and handed it to a rescue party because he had no money to arrange a cremation.

``We haven't received any help from the Thai Government, but it's fine. We have no right to complain,'' Auig said, adding he could not go back to Ban Nam Khem because his employer had also been killed by the waves along with five of his family members. Thouse, 25, a Burmese worker from Ban Nam Khem, said Burmese workers dared not go to Wat Yanyao to search for the dead bodies of their relatives as they were afraid of being arrested.

The Burmese survivors fled in all directions after the tsunami catastrophe, he said, adding some had even set up a camp in a deep jungle on the high mountains. Others were arrested and deported to Burma, and the rest presumed dead.

Meanwhile, a Burmese immigrant advocate called on the government to provide humanitarian aid to alien labourers on par with Thais and foreign tourists.

``Alien workers should not be a subject of discrimination under the disaster relief scheme. These people are severely affected in the same way as Thais and foreign tourists,'' said the activist, who asked for anonymity. Jakkaphan Sareung, head of the Labour Ministry's illegal alien workers suppression unit, said there were about 20,000 Burmese workers in Phangnga. Of this, about 1,000 were deported after the disaster. ``The remaining are hiding in a deep jungle or have returned to their employers,'' he said, adding the officers had deported only the permitless workers and those who wanted to return home.

The ministry and the immigration police yesterday launched joint patrols in Takua Pa District in response to Thai villagers' claim that Burmese workers had been stealing food and valuables from the tsunami-hit hotels, he said.

He urged employers to look after their Burmese workers well if they wanted them to stop committing crimes.

``Many employers abandoned their workers after the disaster. However, the authorities do not want to aggravate the situation further, so we will just send the unemployed back without punishing the employers,'' he said.

--The Post 2005-01-11

[mffun]

Burmese receiving no help

Suggestion, how everyone can help???

Burma say:

- no assistance likes,

- says to everything no,

- no assistance desired,

- no information (but surely 60-100 death victim)

and many more...

How can Help, REAL ???

-

At this time Exact data of Military government

Surely: 60 - 80 people are dead

That Military government say 10.000 to 15.000 people needs assistance.

BUT 7000 People needs immediately assistance!!!

Edited January 11, 2005 by mffun

[chonabot]

Burmese receiving no help

Suggestion, how everyone can help???

Burma say:

- no assistance likes,

- says to everything no,

- no assistance desired,

- no information (but surely 60-100 death victim)

and many more...

How can Help, REAL ???

-

At this time Exact data of Military government

Surely: 60 - 80 people are dead

That Military government say 10.000 to 15.000 people needs assistance.

BUT 7000 People needs immediately assistance!!!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Mate , your posts need a bit of help to make any sense.

[kat]

Here's something interesting from the Irrawaddy Newsletter:

Criticism of Thai Media Accusations

By Punnisa Nimmanahaeminda

January 12, 2005

The coordinator of a Thai NGO on Wednesday spoke out against sensationalist Thai media reports that Burmese gangs were looting areas of southern Thailand affected by the tsunami.

“The media is presenting the alleged crimes of a small group which is causing damage to them [the Burmese in Thailand] as a whole,” said Nassir Achwarin, coordinator of the Thai Action Committee for Democracy in Burma, who claimed that the reports were xenophobic in nature.

“Compared to looting by Thais, the number of the Burmese committing crimes is insignificant,” said a Thai journalist who requested anonymity. “But the Burmese are blamed because of their nationality. Prejudice towards them has increased.”

On January 8 the mass circulation Thai newspaper Khao Sot carried a story headlined Maung Thieves (maung is a Thai pejorative term for Burmese) which claimed that at least a thousand Burmese looters on pickups were stripping Khao Lak bare. Strangely, the paper claimed that the “Burmese” looters had tricked local people into thinking they were southern Thais by learning to speak fluent Southern Thai dialect (apparently in anticipation of the tsunami).

The Khao Sot report was repeated on at least two television stations and remarked on by at least one high profile TV pundit. NGOs fear that the media reports may lead to more discrimination against Burmese tsunami survivors in Thailand.

An assessment of the six southern provinces carried out by the TACDB before the January 8 Khao Sot article found that Burmese tsunami survivors in Thailand were often treated unfairly by officialdom.

Many legally registered Burmese workers lost their identification cards and work registration papers in the tsunami. “The Burmese have no chance to verify themselves because they have no identification with them anymore, so they end up being deported to Burma,” said Nassir.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Edited January 12, 2005 by kat

[kat]

Irrawaddy:

Thai Police Net Hundreds of Burmese Migrants

By Kyaw Zwa Moe

January 11, 2005

Dozens of Burmese migrants are being arrested daily in southern Thailand by police who say they are looking for looters, said NGO workers.

More than 600 Burmese migrants have so far been reportedly rounded up in daily police sweeps through Thailand’s tsunami-ravaged southern Phang Nga province, Htoo Chit, a Burmese NGO worker, said Tuesday.

Burmese migrants doubly hit by tsunami and authorities.

Htoo Chit is co-ordinating relief work among Burmese migrants undertaken by the Human Rights Education Institute of Burma, or HREIB.

He said 30 Burmese were arrested Monday alone in Khao Lak while hiding on a construction site.

The HREIB recently reported that migrants had gone into hiding because they feared arrest for failing to have papers allowing them to work and stay in Thailand. Many migrants lost their papers in the tsunami.

Htoo Chit said among those arrested Monday was a mother of an 15-month-old child. The woman, identified as Wai Zin, had suffered an abortion during the tsunami.

“They are not thieves,” Htoo Chit said after interviewing the arrested Burmese. “Look at Wai Zin. She is actually a victim, who was discharged from hospital two days ago.”

Thai media recently quoted police officials saying seven of 27 suspected looters arrested in the province were Burmese migrants.

Htoo Chit maintained some Burmese had been cheated by Thais who hired them to carry looted goods for them.

There are an estimated 30,000 Burmese migrants are in Phang Nga. Officially registered migrants in six southern Thai provinces, including Ranong and Phuket, number 60,000.

Many of the arrested migrants are being taken to Ranong and repatriated to Kawthaung in Burma, Htoo Chit said.

As of Jan 8, the HREIB office in Khao Lak, has documented 156 dead Burmese and established contact with 560 migrant workers affected by the Tsunami in Phuket and Phang Nga districts.

The HREIB estimated that the total number of Burmese killed by the tsunami is between 700 and 1,000.

Thai official estimates put the number of casualties in Thailand at 5,291 dead and 3,616 missing. Most of the casualties were in Phang Nga, where more than 4,000 people died and 2,100 are still missing.

The HREIB said an exact Burmese death toll could not be established because of the lack of dental records, DNA material or other means of identification. Migrants were also reluctant to identify dead relatives for fear of being arrested by Thai police, the HREIB said.

[kat]

Irrawaddy: www.irrawaddy.org

Wednesday, January 12, 2005

Red Cross Aid for Burma’s Tsunami Victims

The US Red Cross is donating US $500,000 to UNICEF’s tsunami relief work in Burma.

UNICEF said Tuesday that families affected by the disaster are being provided with basic needs, including blankets, clothing, utensils and mosquito nets. The UN agency also plans to assist in the long-term development of local communities that were affected by the tsunami.

The German and Canadian Red Cross have also sent emergency supplies to the Rangoon office of the International Committee of the Red Cross, or ICRC.

The Burmese government initially declined offers of international aid, claiming that the country was able to deal with the effects of the tsunami with its own resources.

[onethailand]

On January 8 the mass circulation Thai newspaper Khao Sot carried a story headlined Maung Thieves (maung is a Thai pejorative term for Burmese) which claimed that at least a thousand Burmese looters on pickups were stripping Khao Lak bare. Strangely, the paper claimed that the “Burmese” looters had tricked local people into thinking they were southern Thais by learning to speak fluent Southern Thai dialect (apparently in anticipation of the tsunami).

Kat, is this being carried by English mainstream media anywhere? I can 100% believe that about Khao Sot... I'm amazed that Thai Rath didn't join in too.

The tragedy is a ridiculous excuse for rounding up Burmese.

[kat]

I have not seen this in the mainstream press yet. The Irrawaddy is usually a reliable source for news concerning Burma that is not usually in the regional mainstream press. The only story that was in the Nation today was the one about the Burmese army raiding a KNU village near the Thai-Burma border. Visit www.irrawaddy.org and check it out.

[onethailand]

I have not seen this in the mainstream press yet.   The Irrawaddy is usually a reliable source for news concerning Burma that is not usually in the regional mainstream press.   The only story that was in the Nation today was the one about the Burmese army raiding a KNU village near the Thai-Burma border.  Visit www.irrawaddy.org and check it out.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

There was a story a couple of days ago in either the Nation or the Post about the Burmese getting a raw deal - but I don't recall it being particularly detailed - it may have been the story at the top of this thread.

This, imho, is one of the things that the government will not want any publicity about - so I'm betting on The Nation to be the first to start exposing these crazy moves - I think that the Post still tends to stay away from the highly sensitive issues.

Re: our discussion in the other thread, Thai Rath, Khao Sot and Daily News are the key "tabloids" here and it often irritates me to hear what they have printed. But the fact of the matter is that these are the three most popular Thai dailies - I'm sure the sensationalism is one of the reasons.

Anyhow, if you come across any mainstream stuff in English - even outside Thailand - regarding the Burmese, let us know. I'm heading to Irrawaddy.org now to have a look.

<edit> I noticed that the writer of the article was Punnisa Nimmanahaeminda, surely related to the Nimmanhaeminda brothers... but no indication that Ms (presumably) Nimmanahaeminda is on the Irrawaddy staff. Any ideas?

Edited January 12, 2005 by onethailand

[kat]

I have not seen this in the mainstream press yet.   The Irrawaddy is usually a reliable source for news concerning Burma that is not usually in the regional mainstream press.   The only story that was in the Nation today was the one about the Burmese army raiding a KNU village near the Thai-Burma border.  Visit www.irrawaddy.org and check it out.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

There was a story a couple of days ago in either the Nation or the Post about the Burmese getting a raw deal - but I don't recall it being particularly detailed - it may have been the story at the top of this thread.

This, imho, is one of the things that the government will not want any publicity about - so I'm betting on The Nation to be the first to start exposing these crazy moves - I think that the Post still tends to stay away from the highly sensitive issues.

Re: our discussion in the other thread, Thai Rath, Khao Sot and Daily News are the key "tabloids" here and it often irritates me to hear what they have printed. But the fact of the matter is that these are the three most popular Thai dailies - I'm sure the sensationalism is one of the reasons.

Anyhow, if you come across any mainstream stuff in English - even outside Thailand - regarding the Burmese, let us know. I'm heading to Irrawaddy.org now to have a look.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The Thai mainstream papers are so bad that they mesmerize. I often scan these papers in disbelief. Unfortunately, the majority of the population view these papers as a legitimate news source. I think the majority of Thais have never viewed a legitimate news source and therefore don't have the slightest clue as to what one is.

[onethailand]

The Thai mainstream papers are so bad that they mesmerize. I often scan these papers in disbelief. Unfortunately, the majority of the population view these papers as a legitimate news source. I think the majority of Thais have never viewed a legitimate news source and therefore don't have the slightest clue as to what one is.

I think it comes down to education level. These papers are meant for the average people - often get passed from family to family, person to person - they're cheap, provide interesting reading, etc.

My friends rarely buy these papers, prefering instead the football dailies (what's new) or the more business-like papers - but inevitably if they want to read the scandals, all they have to do is go to the tea lady, or the shop owner, maybe even their parents - to get a copy.

Let's face it - the farmer, or fisherman, or factory worker could really care less about the business side of things - all they want is something that will allow them to escape an otherwise dreary world.

I am of half a mind to expose some of these things - OneThailand was actually put up as a result of my frustration at not being able to get English-language information on the tsunami - I wrote a scathing letter to the Post (which of course was not published) about how they didn't understand that it was their public and national duty to have frequent updates on their site... and when the need for tsunami information is finally over, I may well turn OneThailand into an alternative view site... translations of Thai media headlines, obviously the headlines from the mainstream English news... etc... sometimes frustration can be fruitful...

[george]

Thailand's secret survivors

KHAO LAK: -- Soe, a 24-year-old Burmese migrant worker, looks as if he has just stepped out of the beach resort in Khao Lak where he used to work.

Migrants from Burma gather at an evacuation center in Takua Pa town in Phang Nga, Thailand

Many migrants are now being repatriated by the Thai authorities

His uniform, an open-necked Batik shirt, is stylish and relaxed, his smile friendly and welcoming.

But as you look closer, the deep bruises show through the dark skin of his face, and he walks with a pronounced limp from the wounds he received when the tsunami came.

Unlike the guests he helped at the resort after the disaster, he has had no medical care for his wounds, no financial aid and the only offer to go home is in the back of a Thai immigration truck.

As a legally registered migrant worker, Soe should have nothing to fear.

But a sudden crackdown on illegal immigrants, prompted by unfounded rumours in the local media of Burmese looters, has forced a group of Burmese high into the mountains overlooking the devastated beach resorts they helped to build and operate.

He has thought about trying to go home to Burma, but it is too risky:

"Of course we've considered it but how would we do it? We have some possessions like a TV but if the authorities found it they would accuse us of stealing.

"There are some girls and young children with us and it would be dangerous for them."

Deprived of aid

Soe has been in hiding for the past two weeks with his wife, child and 17 other Burmese migrant workers to avoid the regular sweeps by Thai immigration police along Khao Lak beach.

A displaced family from Myanmar gathers at a shelter Thursday near Takuapa, Thailand.

Burmese workers will not venture down to the temples or morgues to claim the bodies of their loved ones

With them are three orphans aged five, eleven and six whose parents have been missing since 26 December.

They have received no medical aid, and their only food and clean water supplies are being provided by local volunteers.

Soe has heard about the massive aid effort following the tsunami but knows he is unlikely to benefit.

"There's not much I can do about it because the authorities won't let it get to us.

"I feel very bad for those who are with me, especially those going hungry, but this time there is nothing I can do. If I go and complain or tell them about it, they will accuse me of something, and I feel I can't do anything about that."

The struggle for survival is one that Soe and the 30,000 other Burmese who have legal registration in Phang-Nga province should not be fighting.

Although he is a legal worker there are believed to be thousands of other Burmese, and their families, who entered Thailand illegally to work in its once-flourishing tourist economy.

But Pranon Samwong, of the Migrant Assistance Programme (MAP), says she has seen much more evidence of registered workers being seized.

"We can't confirm that everyone being deported has legal status, but most have the right to stay here," she said.

Officials at the labour ministry have confirmed that the arrests should only be targeting illegal migrants but the evidence suggests local authorities are implementing tougher regulations of their own.

They have neither the time nor the energy to deal with a vast floating workforce which has been left without food and shelter.

Ironically, many Burmese do want to return home.

But after the trauma of the tsunami and facing an uncertain future, they are being prohibited from doing so by Thai employers who do not want to lose the fee of $3,000 they paid to register them in the first place, especially as the reconstruction work gets under way.

On Thursday, a Burmese doctor and two volunteers were detained by police in the town of Ban Tuplamu on suspicion of helping migrant workers get home.

Hiding in the hills

They were representing the NGO World Vision, forced to stop aiding refugees cross the border into Burma after border officials told them no more large groups would be permitted to cross.

In the confusion, the trauma of those missing family or friends has been forgotten.

Too afraid of deportation, the Burmese workers will not venture down to the temples or morgues to claim the bodies of their loved ones.

It will never be known how many Burmese died when the tsunami swept over Thailand's shores.

And with no access to dental records or DNA information the forensic teams are unlikely to find positive identification for many Burmese bodies.

The only hope for Soe and the thousands of Burmese like him is to remain hidden in the hills above the coast.

Unlike the bodies that remain missing and unidentified, he is hoping that no one finds him, and his only hope for the future is that no one comes looking.

--BBC 2005-01-13

[kat]

Yes, these stories are confirmed from several sources. This is from BurmaNet News:

January 12, The Globe and Mail

Migrants becoming hidden victims of tsunamis – Geoffrey York

BANGKOK -- In secret hideouts in the mountains of Thailand, hundreds of fugitive migrants are holding religious ceremonies for the tsunami victims who have been largely forgotten.

At least 700 migrant workers from Myanmar were killed when the tsunamis hit Thailand, according to new estimates by human-rights workers who have conducted the first detailed survey of the migrants since the disaster.

In death, as in life, the migrants are being treated with disdain by officials of both countries. Most of the dead migrants lacked registration papers and are not included in the official death toll of about 5,300 in Thailand and 59 in Myanmar. The surviving migrants, who often lost everything they owned, are unable to get relief assistance and have been subjected to intensified harassment and arrest by the police.

About 60,000 migrant workers from Myanmar, previously known as Burma, live in the Thai disaster zone. Having left their homeland because of desperate poverty and the repression of a military dictatorship, many found jobs as fishing-boat crew members or restaurant workers, but the largest number were low-paid construction workers, providing manual labour to build new luxury beachfront hotels.

When the giant waves hit, the migrants were particularly vulnerable. Many sought shelter in the half-built shells of the new hotels.

"The walls collapsed and they died," said Aung Myo Min, director of the Human Rights Education Institute of Burma, who is trying to help the survivors.

Many of the surviving migrants have been arrested by Thai police. They are accused of looting the homes and shops of Thai tsunami victims. To escape the police, an estimated 1,000 migrants have fled in small groups to secret locations in the mountains, in rubber plantations or abandoned construction sites. They cannot even claim the bodies of their dead relatives because of their fear of the authorities.

"They live in fear of arrest," Aung Myo Min said. "They're in a very traumatized situation. . . .They are already traumatized by the tsunami, and we cannot offer them any counselling."

Just yesterday afternoon, the police raided one mountain hideout and arrested 20 migrants, he said.

Despite official promises that all victims would be given the same rights and the same assistance, most of the migrants have not been registered as legal residents of Thailand, and are therefore barred from getting official relief, he said.

"The Burmese migrants are always treated as second-class citizens, always looked down upon by the Thai people. They are ignored, neglected and marginalized. This is the discrimination that they face. It's a violation of their international rights."

>From talking to witnesses or surviving family, rights activists have

compiled a detailed list of 163 migrants who were killed by the tsunamis. Based on this list and other research, the activists estimate that at least 700 were killed. They say the migrants have secretly held four Buddhist ceremonies in the mountains in memory of those who died.

About 600 survivors are now getting food and medical aid from the activists. Many are increasingly vulnerable because they lost their legal documents in the tsunamis. Some have tried to return to Myanmar, but in many cases they are forced to seek shelter in a refugee camp near the border, under armed guard, before they can eventually be allowed to cross the border.

"We're extremely concerned by reports that their lack of legal status is making it difficult or impossible for them to get the disaster relief they desperately need," said a statement this week by the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants.

Another group, the Canadian Friends of Burma, is trying to raise funds for the migrants. "These people had a pretty tough time even before the tsunami," said Shareef Korah, the group's executive director. "They don't have any legal status, which could really hurt their access to medical care and relief aid. It's a devastating blow to an already vulnerable group."

................................................................................

....................................

[kat]

I have a suggestion: we need to contribute to aid releif specifically for Burmese in the South as much as the aid for everyone else. I think I will search out Aung Myo Min, director of the Human Rights Education Institute of Burma, and the Migrant Assistance Program (MAP).

Can you imagine surviving such a devestation in the first place, and not receiving medical attention, food, water, or assistance? Instead you are hunted like an animal, as usual if you are Burmese in Thailand.

[kat]

I also need to step slightly around the topic for a minute and take an opportunistic moment for another Burmese gentlemen that I know. He has been locked up for over a year in a Thai dentention center, and his rights have been severely curtailed or revoked by a famous multilateral that is supposed to guard his welfare. I have been trying desperately to get this man press or international attention as a last-ditch effort to safeguard his rights, and possibly his life.

I know there are a few journalists on TV. If you are interested to hear more so that you can possibly help, please PM me.

Thanks,

Kat

[onethailand]

I have a suggestion:  we need to contribute to aid releif specifically for Burmese in the South as much as the aid for everyone else.  I think I will search out Aung Myo Min, director of the Human Rights Education Institute of Burma, and the Migrant Assistance Program (MAP).

Can you imagine surviving such a devestation in the first place, and not receiving medical attention, food, water, or assistance?  Instead you are hunted like an animal, as usual if you are Burmese in Thailand.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I should hope that the Red Cross and/or UNICEF or World Vision will be looking after their interests there. I would be extremely disappointed if they weren't. I might check with the World Vision office, as it is right next door to where I live.

Re: the man in detention, please PM me.

[mffun]

2,500 Myanmar migrants in Thailand killed by tsunami: NGOs

RANONG - At least 2,500 Myanmar migrant workers were killed in a single Thai province when it was lashed by tsunamis on December 26, Myanmar non-governmental organisations based in Thailand said Sunday.

Source: channelnewsasia.com

[onethailand]

2,500 Myanmar migrants in Thailand killed by tsunami: NGOs

RANONG - At least 2,500 Myanmar migrant workers were killed in a single Thai province when it was lashed by tsunamis on December 26, Myanmar non-governmental organisations based in Thailand said Sunday.

Source: channelnewsasia.com

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Am I missing something here? Ranong had 260 dead, of which 161 were Thai. How in the world could they have missed 2,500 Burmese?