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REPORT ON COMMUNICATIONS (12/01/94)
/* Written 22 Oct 6:00am 1995 by DRUNOO@xxxxxxxxxxxx(DR U NE OO) in igc:reg.burma */
/* -------------" Report on Communications (12/1/94) "-------------- */
[The debate about UN supervised repatriation has been existing within our
NGO and activist community for long time. Following is piece of
information on the debate regarding UN supervised repatriation for all the
refugees. It is a proof that things cannot be done overnight and require
persistent efforts from all concerned. With best regards, U Ne Oo. ]
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LETTER FROM TRIBAL REFUGEE WELFARE IN SOUTH EAST ASIA INC.
**********************************************************
Dated 12th January 1994
Dr Ne Oo
Secretary
Burma Action (SA)
1st floor, 39 Wakefield Street
Adelaide, SA 5000
Dear Sir,
Greetings from all members of T.R.W. to you all and may the new year bring
hope, peace and democracy to Burma.
Thank you for the information which you have sent us. We are so pleased to
learn that another caring group has been formed in Australia and we would
like to learn a little bit more about your organization.
T.R.W. was formed on 3rd April 1986 by expatriates from Burma to raise
funds for Karen refugees in Thailand and in October 1986 four committee
members were able to go to the border with a "West Australian" journalists
and photographer to access the need of the refugees. With the assistance of
the Karen National UNIon, we were able to travel to Manerplaw and also
visit other settlements in the Liberated Areas of Kawthoolei.
Very much to our surprise we learnt of the atrocities committed by the
Burmese Army on its own ethnic population and we were able to send reports
and photographc evidence to Amnesty International who had been writing a
two page reports on Burma. (NOw its in booklet from!).
We exposed the Burma situation and the plight of the Karen refugees in W.A.
and began collecting all information on Burma as our local newspapers did
not print anything on Burma. This information was then sent around to the
few organizations that were concerned with what was happening in Burma, now
we have a mailing list of over 70 organizations and individuals all over
the world.
We have since our formation, run on donations and fund raising and have
been able to assist all the refugees displaced in the Liberated Areas and
also the refugees in Thailand, regardless of race or religion. We are now
assisting the Karennnis, Karens, Mons, the Burmese students(A.B.S.D.F.) and
the ones in India and Bangladesh and also the muslims down in Sangklaburi!
We are not a political or religious organization but we wish to see peace
and democracy return to Burma. We are also affiliated with other
organizations, including the Australia Burma Council wihdh is doing
political lobbying.
After you have given us a short account of the Burma Action group, perhaps
we could work in co-operation with one another as probably our common cause
is peace and democracy in Burma. Should you require our information
packets, please do let us know. This is a free service based on donations
to cover cost of postage and photocopying.
We hope to hear soon from you and lood forward to working together for
peace.
Yours sincerely,
(C.V.ALLMARK) Secretary.
LETTER TO TRW (1/2/94)
**********************
Dr U Ne Oo
48/2 Ayliffes Road
St Marys SA 5042
Adelaide Australia
February 1, 1994
Mrs C.V. Allmark
Tribal Refugee Welfare
P.O. Box 215
Mirrabooka, Western Australia 6061.
Dear Mrs Allmark,
Many thanks for your encouraging letter of 12 January 1994. I myself is
happy to make contact with T.R.W. and will raise joint activities aiming at
promoting peace, justice and democracy in Burma. As for the Burma
Action(SA), I will inform the secretary, Miss Pam Simmon, and consult with
all our members in order to promote joint activities.
The Burma Action (SA) was formed in 1992 and a very small NOn-Governmental
Organization. I myself was formerly a teacher at the Rangoon University. I
became openly involved in anti-government activities in 1992 following the
Burmese Government's cancellation of my passport that year. I am an ethnic
Burman of Buddhist religion. However, I always have a warm feelings with
Karens, probably because I was born in Henzada district and grown up and
educated at predominantly Karen schools.
One of the Burma Action's political activities last year was making
initiatives for the UNHCR supervised repatriation for the Burma-Rohingyas.
As shown in Memarandum-of-Understanding, the Burmese government will now
allow those MUslim Rohingyas to go back to Burma and UNHCR will be able to
monitor those Rohingyas, preventing from further abuses by the Burmese
military.
We are at most hoping that allthe refugees in Thailand; the Karen, Karenni,
Tavoyan, MOn and all Burmese , can get such repatriation agreement. This is
why I firstly invoke the Royal Thai Government to allow the refugees to be
recognized by the UNHCR.
At this point in fact, I would like to ask for some help from T.R.W. As
your organization have been operating in Thailand since 1986, I believe you
have a good contact with the refugees in Thai-Burma border.
1) Firstly to explain the situation of Rohingyas in Bangladesh; the
Rohingyas are now able to go back to Burma and still able to get protection
form the UNHCR; the United Nations is going to assist the Rohingya's area
with the development projects.
2) Therefore, the refugees in Thailand to make a statement that they want
similar repatriation scheme for themselves. And also call for more
international involmenents in resolving Burma's ethnic-political issues.
3) to send the statement to Ms Sadako Ogata, UNHCR (see address) and Thai
MInistry of Interior and all NGOs.
We can then make a campaign for the repatriation of the Burmese refugees in
Thailand. Actually, to take this action is sooner the better. Because
various groups , Mons and Lately Karens, has been lured to make peace
agreement by SLORC for Border Area Development programme. I saw in the news
Gen. Mya saying that they (KNU) would't kike to be left behind the
development for the Karen People and so they would make peace with SLORC.
As you can imagine, people will prefer UNHCR's development programme than
that of SLORC's development programmes.
To make the statement, it can start with Karen Refugees Committee and then
other groups will naturally follow.
I am also following-up about the DAB's demands in talk with SLORC. That
information is supposed to be confidential. But it will be useful for me to
get some input in this. If T.R.W. have this information, please share it
with me. I am also sending this copy to Amanda, whether she has any
information regarding DAB.
I would be interested to know whether any of these actions could be taken
by T.R.W. Please also send information ket to me, I would kike to get it. I
will also ask the secretary to send Burma ACtion publications about the
organization.
Yours sincerely,
Sd. U Ne Oo.
LETTER FROM AUSTRALIA BURMA COUNCIL (8/2/94)
********************************************
AUSTRALIA BURMA COUNCIL
[ Central Office, PO Box 2024, Queanbeyan, NSW 2620
Phone:(616) 297 7734 Fax:(616) 297 7773 ]
8th February 1994
Dear U Ne Oo,
Thank you for acting so quickly in regard to the Thai position. At this
stage they are just getting tougher and tougher, God help all the Burmese
residing in Thailand.
My friend, I am very concerned about a consolidated push to have UNHCR
involvement with the repatriation of Karen and Mon Refugees.
1. The Rohingyas are not happy with their lot and are saying that they are
not being monitored at all. Some af them have been forced back to
Bangladesh. I do not have enough accurate information in regard to this
but shall try and get it fory you. One or two officers can not possibly
protect 100,000 people.
2. Secondly the majority of Karen and Mon are scared to death of returning
and want to stay in Thailand. If the UN becomes involved they may have no
option but to return and with out proper monitoring they will be in serious
danger.
3. Only when the UN are prepared to endorse a policy of total monitoring
will their assistance by of any value to refugees. In Thailand that is
impossible as the Thais have refused to allow UN involvement. At this stage
that position is toughening not softening. The best we could hope for,
which is unlikely, is that the Thais would agree to what is happening in
Bangladesh which I have already pointed out , is completely unsatisfactory.
As I have said to you before your reporting and actions are professional
and valuable which does mean that you must be very cautious about the
action you take to ensure that it is truly in the interests of Burma and
the people.
All action must be first approved by the Karen, Mon, DAB, MCGUB and locally
based ethnic relief centers or which ever of the above is most appropriate.
Please do not mount campaigns without first consulting with them as it can
be very dangerous.
What would be more appropriate would be UN monitoring of the human rights
situation in the liberated zones. This would enable an envoy to prepare
reports for the UNGA and ensure that the UN really knows what is going on.
IN view of the UN resolution this is now possible and should be encouraged
as an achievable and v aluable project campaign.
The DAB meeting was ver confidential as you pointed out so this is little I
am authorised to tell you. However, really the most important issue is that
the reason for the Thai push is contracts in relation to the energy
projects such as the Salween River Dam and the gas pipe line. I have more
information on that if you wish. Basically there is agreement that
individual groups have no option but to take about talk about talks with
the SLORC because of intense Thai pressure, however, they will continue to
talk on behalf of the DAB and are working on a unified strategy.
I hope this information is valuable to you. Please do not misunderstand
this correspondence. I know you are all doing a great job and I am grateful
for that.
Thain you for acting so quickly and sending the letter to the Thais.
Yours sincerely,
Sd. Amanda Zappia
Australian Rep. NCGUB
Australian REp. FTUB.
LETTER FROM TRW (2/3/94)
************************
TRIBAL REFUGEE WELFARE IN SOUTH EAST ASIA
Dated 2nd March 1994
Dear Dr U Ne Oo,
Thank you for your letter of 1/2/94 which arrived here on the 3rd instant.
We are very pleased to learn that at least the SLORC signed the Memorandum
of Understanding with the UNHCR for supervised repatriation for the Burma
Rohingyas.
>From 1984 as a person of concern for the ethnic minorities I have been
writiting to the UN, Churches everyone I could think of regarding the Karen
refugees in Thailand. I was informed by the UN authorities that they were
prepared to acknowledge the Karens as "refugees" and provide aid, but the
Royal Thai Govt. would not permit them to do so and would rather classify
them as "Displaced persons" and allow SOME form of humanitarian aid to be
given by the concerned churches. The International Red Cross wrote and told
me the same thing and up till to-day the situation for our "refugees" in
Thailand stays the same.
The whole reason is that the Thai's do not want the outside, the UN or Red
Cross to be implicated and there is some good reason for theat Dr but I do
not know the real reason. For years when we had the C.B.P. the Thai's were
using the Karens as a buffer. They have problems with the Muslims down
south of Thailand too and a bit of Communists I think.
I was also told by the Karen refugees when I first visited their camps that
they would prefer to remain as they are "displaced persons"for the simple
reason is that they are allowed to go out and are not "caged in" as other
refugees. Some of the KNU soldiers have their families in the refugee camps
/* ------ */.
So from then onwards I stopped trying to get them classified as "refugees"
but I am of the opinion that the UN now step in and do something about the
situation. At that time, the Karens I think were under the impression that
before long they would be able to live in Burma peacefully but since 1989,
they have lost a lot of their bases and the situation has gone worse.
I do not think it would be safe for the ethnic races to return to Burma as
long as SLORC is in power. They have had many peace talks before and it was
always, give up your arms and come into the legal fold and accept the
consequences business. Which means the ethnics would have fauhgt and died
for nothing and they would be back to square one. So the ethnic minorities
have learnt a good lesson by "experience" but now they have outside
advisers like Prof. Allan Smith and others to advise them plus the many
educated Burma expatriates all over the world who are enlightened.
Now that the ethnic groups are doing cease fire agreements before the peace
talks, it might be a good idea to wait and see for a while but I do
sincerely agree with you that we need more international involvement in
resolving Burma's ethnic-political issues as SLORC is adamant not to give
up the power despite the fact that the Burma majority have come to
understand why the ethnic monority had to go to war to fight for their very
survival.
I agree with your idea but this would not solve the Civil War. Eventually,
the minority groups will again take up arms and go to war when they find
they ahve no political or social rights and that the UNHCR's development
programmes only the Burmese Tatmadaw to get closer to their prople, their
lands and their bases.
Are you aware that China used a lot of pressure on the Kachins to do the
cease fire and that there are 20,000 Kachin refugees in China ? The Thais
have done the same to the Mons despite Nai Shwe Kyin's wish not to but at
their meeting, he lost by votes and had to do the cease-fire agreement. The
Karens are in the same boat, Gen. Bo Mya is against doing any peace talks
like the Kachins, but he has been forced to and he has tried several times
for SLORC to talk to the DAB but SLORC has refused.
I haven't received any news from the DAB as yet but the DAB is still trying
to talk to SLORC.
We have sent you our first information packet and have seeral more packets
to send but due to lack of funds, we have to wait till some donations come
in. As I mentioned before, we are running on a shoe-string budget and at
our food fetes to raise funds, the committee members donate the food we
sell.
T.R.W. will wait and see the outcome of the Karen cease fire talks before
we do anything Dr. and we are pleased to learn that the USA is not slacking
up on SLORC and that instead of the Japanese Prof. seeing ASSK, Congressman
Bill Richardson was permitted to see her. I guess we have to read the signs
and Bill Clinton's letter to ASSK was very very encouraging.
I think I better close my letter now that I've written you a long letter
which I hope is informative. By the way, we met with Amanda from the A.B.C.
and we have given her full points, she knows what she is talking about and
knows what she is doing and not like a number of people who jump up and
down, do a lot of talking and nothing else.
Yours sincerely,
Sd. C.V. ALLMARK
Secretary
/* Endreport */