The United States of America has accepted 73,000 Burmese (Myanmar) refugees from Thailand as part of an agreement with the UNHCR, to provide resettlement for these stateless refugees. Based on our research, this is a combination of Burmese Karen (Christian) and Rohingya Muslim refugees, but we do not have an exact count.
Tun Myin and his family confirming their interest in resettlement to the United States in Mae La Oon camp, north-western Thailand. (Source: UNHCR)
The UNHCR states: “One of the world’s largest resettlement programs recently came to an end in Thailand when UNHCR received the final expressions of interest from eligible Myanmar refugees who wish to start a new life in the United States. The group resettlement program was initiated in 2005, with the support of the Thai and US governments, to offer a durable solution to the tens of thousands of refugees from Myanmar who found themselves in a protracted refugee situation and dependent on international assistance in the nine camps along the Thai-Myanmar border.”
“Anne C. Richard, assistant secretary at the US State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, said that her country had welcomed and settled more than 73,000 refugees from Myanmar since 2005. ‘The United States is proud to have given a new start to these refugees. Resettled Burmese refugees have thrived in their new homes, and enriched their new communities. Many have become homeowners, small business owners and American citizens,’ she said.”
“‘We expect several more thousand to arrive in the coming year as the program winds down,” she added. ‘This successful resettlement program has reached its natural conclusion following the January 24, 2014 deadline for Burmese refugees to express their interest in resettlement to UNHCR.'”
“The program’s pending closure was first announced and implemented in January last year in Mae La camp. It was subsequently rolled out to the other camps in different stages. Eligible refugees in each camp were given three months to decide whether or not to apply for resettlement to the US under the simplified procedures.”
“The process ended last Friday as the deadline for applications passed in the last three camps in Mae Hong Son province, namely Mae La Oon, Mae Ra Ma Ruang and Ban Mae Surin.”
“Over the past year, nearly 6,500 Myanmar refugees on the Thai-Myanmar border have expressed interest in the US group resettlement program – 2,500 more individuals than in 2012, an indication that many refugees had been waiting for the last chance before making a final decision to resettle or not.”
“In addition to the US departures, some 19,000 Myanmar refugees in Thailand have gone to other resettlement countries, including Australia, Canada, Finland and Japan, in the last nine years.”
“‘The end of this chapter does not mean that resettlement is closed completely,’ said Mireille Girard, UNHCR’s representative in Thailand. ‘UNHCR will continue to identify and submit refugees with specific protection needs on an individual basis to various countries. We are also working with the Thai government and resettlement countries to reunite families and make sure family members can be resettled together.'”
“There are an estimated 120,000 Myanmar refugees remaining in the nine camps in Thailand, including more than 40,000 not registered by the Thai authorities.”
Reports continue to describe the ongoing persecution of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar (aka Burma). We urge the public to call for an end to this persecution, violence, and oppression.
Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) urges world leaders and people around the world stand in solidarity with the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar (Burma) as our brothers and sisters in humanity in defense of their Universal Human Rights for human rights, human dignity, freedom of conscience, safety, and security.
— R.E.A.L. has issued an on-line petition calling for an end to violence in Myanmar, respect for the Universal Human Rights of all people living in Myanmar, and an end to the persecution and targeted violence against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.
— 1. We call for an end to the violence in Myanmar by ANY group – of any religion or ethnicity. There is no “justified” violence which targets any religion or ethnic group – Muslim or Buddhist.
— 2. Our brothers and sisters in humanity of any group, any religion, any ethnicity, all deserve consistent Universal Human Rights, including their human rights of dignity, safety, and freedom – without exception.
— 3.We call for an end to oppression against Rohingya Muslims by government security forces and ethnic majority groups against Rohingya Muslims, who have faced a series of targeted attacks against their identity group.
— 4. R.E.A.L. urges the world governments, the media, and the public to become aware of the persecution and violence against Rohingya Muslims in the northern Rakhine State (NRS) in Myanmar (Burma). The Rohingya Muslims live in desperate refugee camp type of conditions and they represent one of the largest groups of stateless people in Asia. We urge the world governments, the media, and the public, to call for an end to the persecution and violence against Rohingya Muslims by government security forces and ethnic majority groups.
The United Nations indicates that there are 800,000 Rohingya Muslims without citizenship in Myanmar. Reports state that Rohingya Muslims represent a large percentage of the displaced individuals in Myanmar. Amnesty International states that between 50,000 and 90,000 Muslim Rakhine, and Muslim Rohingya have been displaced.
On July 20, 2012, the Associated Press reported that “communal violence is grinding on in western Myanmar six weeks after the government declared a state of emergency there, and Muslim Rohingyas are increasingly being hit with targeted attacks that have included killings, rape and physical abuse,” according to Amnesty International. AP also reported that “Amnesty International accused both security forces and ethnic Rakhine Buddhists of carrying out new attacks against Rohingyas, who are seen as foreigners by the ethnic majority and denied citizenship by the government because it considers them illegal settlers from neighboring Bangladesh.”
Amnesty International Myanmar researcher Benjamin Zawacki states that a series of unlawful arrests have been made after a state of emergency was declared on June 10. Amnesty International states: “Many Rohingyas and other Rakhine Muslims reported cases of physical abuse, rape, destruction of property and unlawful killings carried out by both Rakhine Buddhists and security forces. Authorities in Myanmar must take action to stop these acts and prevent future abuses from occurring.”
Australia’s Kourosh Ziabari reports on the history of the oppression of Rohingya Muslims persecution dating back to 1942, and the efforts of Rohingya Muslims to seek to flee to Bangladesh and Malyasia, which have not “warmly” received such refugees. Kourosh Ziabari writes that “It’s said that as a result of dire living conditions and discriminatory treatment by the government, some 300,000 Rohingyas have so far immigrated to Bangladesh and 24,000 of them have also escaped to Malaysia in search of a better life. Many of them have also fled to Thailand, but neither Bangladesh nor Thailand has received them warmly. Bangladesh is negotiating with the Burmese government to return the Rohingyas and Thailand has sporadically rejected them. There have been instances where boats of Rohingyas reaching Thailand have been towed out to sea and allowed to sink, sparking international anger among Muslims and non-Muslims.”
Rohingya Muslim woman whose husband was allegedly killed in Myanmar (AP Photo/Saurabh Das)
The July 27, 2012 briefing by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) states that it has delivered aid to over 30,000 displaced people in Myanmar’s Rakhine state. The UNHCR report states that “An estimated 80,000 people are displaced in and around the towns of Sittwe and Maungdaw, according to UN and NGO assessments…. Some displaced Muslims tell UNHCR staff they would also like to go home to resume work, but fear for their safety. Movements are restricted in Sittwe, preventing IDPs and host families from earning a living as labourers, trishaw drivers and market sellers. Fishermen cannot reach the lagoon and the nearby waters are too rough for fishing. Some say they are running out of money and food. The sick now have to travel longer distances to access health care in the IDP camps. Pregnant women are also facing problems reaching hospitals.”
The Times of India reports that “the Rohingyas (Myanmar Muslims who mostly live in Arakarn region)… are considered by the UN as one of the most persecuted communities in the world.”
Human Rights Watch has also previously reported of Myanmar government efforts to require Rohingya Muslims to perform forced labor, and those who refuse are physically threatened and young children have been seen on forced labor teams.
The July 31, 2012 Times of India states that Rohingya Muslims are fleeing to Hyderabad. The Times of India reports “M Mandakini, field officer of United Nations High Commission for Refugees that is working in collaboration with the Cova in the city, said that many of them have taken shelter in Hafiz Babanagar and Kishanbagh where already a considerable number of Myanmar citizens reside.”
R.E.A.L. urges the the public to share the story of the Rohingya Muslims’ persecution with your fellow human beings, your government, and world organizations, to continue to pressure the government of Myanmar (Burma) and its people to urge them to share our Universal Human Rights of dignity, safety, and human freedom with Rohingya Muslims, and end their persecution.
Thailand: Buddhist Teacher shot dead, torched by Muslim insurgents in Pattani
— Thailand’s The Nation reports:
— “A Buddhist teacher was shot dead and his body was torched by Muslim insurgents in this southern border province Monday afternoon.”
— “Police said Samrit Phandej, 52, was shot dead on the Karubi-Plong Hoi Road in Buanaera village in Tambon Plong Hoi of Kapho district at 4:30 pm.”
— “Samrit taught at the Ban Bango Yimeng School. He came from Yala’s Muang district to teach at the school.”
— “Police said Samrit was riding his motorcycle from the school to return home all alone and was shot by a pillion rider, using an AK-47 assault rifle.”
The two insurgents then poured petrol over the teacher’s body and set fire before fleeing the scene.
Cop, civilian killed in Thailand
— AFP reports: “SUSPECTED Islamic militants have shot dead two men, including a police officer, in the restive Thai south, police said on Saturday.”
— “A 55-year-old sub-lieutenant, who worked at a police station in Pattani province, was killed on Friday in a drive-by shooting as he left a mosque after prayers, they said.”
— “Also in Pattani, a 51-year-old Buddhist man was shot dead in another drive-by shooting earlier on Friday.”
— “A bloody separatist insurgency has gripped Thailand’s Muslim-majority southern provinces, bordering Malaysia, for the past five years. So far it has claimed more than 3,900 lives.”
— “The shadowy militants, who have never publicly stated their goals, target Muslims and Buddhists alike and both civilians and members of the security forces.”
Bangkok Post reports:
— “A school in Buerae village of Narathiwat’s Bacho district was set on fire on Thursday morning, Bacho police said. It took about 30 minutes for fire fighters to extinguish the blaze. One classroom was damaged. Police blamed separatist militants for the arson. Hem Yunu, director of the school, ordered suspension of all classes for two days to allow state authorities to inspect the incident scene.”
(Thailand) Villagers wounded by bomb in Pattani — “A bomb explosion at the entrance door of Rusa Milae village school in Pattani’s Muang District on Wednesday morning seriously injured two civilians, Pattani police said.”
(Thailand) Pattani: 2 women shot dead, burned in South — “Two elderly women were shot dead and their bodies set on fire on
Wednesday in the latest atrocity in the troubled far south, police said. They blamed the murders on separatists.”
— “They said a 62-year-old woman and her 78-year-old mother-in-law returning home by motorbike from a market in Pattani province were killed in a drive-by shooting.”
