Indo-Burma border news (r)

[sayagyi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Indo-Burma border news

On 4/27/99, 16 Burmese hand-loom workers were arrested and sent to
Indo-Burma border by Mizoram police. All are male.

There has been a move against foreigners in Mizoram. The main targeted
foreigners are Checkma who are from Bangladesh and Buddhist. 99% of Mizo
people are Christians and majority of Bangladeshis are Muslim. Religious
persecutions are widespread in both Bangladesh and Mizoram.

The second reason is politics. Whenever there is an election, local
political parties play the foreigner card. So far current Mizoram
government spared pro-democracy activists because this government was a
revolutionary party and got the power from Congress which ruled Mizoram for
20 years.

Usually Burmese workers returned back from the border on the next day of
deportation if not on the same day. 80% of all hand-loom workers in Mizoram
are from Burma. They work there for 11 months and return Burma a month
every year. As job opportunity and labor fees are so poor in Burma, many
more hand-loom workers from Monywa, Shwebo and Amarapura are coming to
Mizoram. So they are paid lower wages than before. Some employees usually
misuse the worker. They have to share their income with local police. 

However their lives are far better than in Burma under military regime.

Burma Info