Grassroots-HRE
Kyaw Thein Kha
June 15, 2009
Traditionally, youth are not given a voice in society. They are taught to be quiet and not have opinions. Saturday there was lots of laughter, noise and viewpoints coming out of the Youth Outreach Office as representatives from all the learning centers came together for a children’s forum that was youth-centered and youth-led. Grassroots-HRE held the Children’s Forum of migrant children in KKhuk Khek village, Takuapa township of southern Thailand on the 13th of June 2009.
Ms. Nan Nilar, the program organizer, told about the purpose of the Children’s Forum. “We want the student representatives from all the GHRE schools to meet with each other and share their experiences and any needs they have in their schools. They can evaluate the progress in their schools and they can find out how they can work further improvements. That’s the purpose of the program. If we hold a monthly children’s forum, the student representatives from a school will have a chance to know what’s happening in the other schools. Then, we hope that they can exchange the information among themselves. Another outcome is they’ll have confidence in themselves and be able to talk in front of people bravely. “
Although the teachers took part in leading past forums, this year nine teenage students from Youth Outreach planned activities, led the forum and arranged everything for themselves with the support of Ms. Nan Nilar and their teachers.
Tun Thit Soe, 15 years old and a student of Youth Outreach, said, “In this forum, I took the role that would make the children happy and I led in the game activities. We organized the programs so that the children would feel free to talk bravely. The nine student representatives from Youth Outreach organized this program.” He added, “I’m proud of myself and our activities, and I’m happy.”
Tun Thit Soe said that he wanted all the students of migrant workers to study until the end of their education. He urged all of them to unite and to try until they have the qualities of a leader.
Ms. Linette Escobar, an American volunteer who attended the first forum in 2006 said, “This is a revolutionary moment for Grassroots! It is beautiful to remember teaching in our learning centers with no walls to seeing the youth blossom as leaders. I am so proud of the young people for taking the lead in this way and for GHRE in supporting youth development principles by giving young people a meaningful opportunity to make changes in their community.”
Lae Lae Htway, 12 years old and a student of Pakarang village said, “I come from Pakrang Primary School of Migrant Children. I’m happy to attend the Children’s Forum and I have a chance to make new friends. I reported about positive and negative aspects of my school in the forum. For the good aspects, I reported that we have a garden in our school, the students listen to their teachers and I reported about some other things, too. I like all the programs in this Children’s Forum.”
In total, 32 student representatives from all the schools in Phang Nga province, such as Kok Kloy, Thaplamu, Ban Neing, Pakarang, Par Weep and Kuraburi villages, attended the Children Forum. The day started at 10 am with information and bonding games and the students reported positive and negative aspects of their schools. All the representatives exchanged their experiences with each other and they played games and activities. The program ended at 2 pm.
Grassroots-HRE has held such forums since 2006. This is the third year that GHRE held the forum it will hold monthly forums all year.
Grassroots-HRE
Kyaw Thein Kha
June 15, 2009
A Burmese girl was allegedly killed by a hotel assistant manager in a hotel near the Kawthaung township of Southern Burma on the 19th of April, 2009. The murderer threw the dead body into the sea.
Maung Yin Thway, the police, was on duty in the area at the time the crime happened. Aye Kyine, the police officer, and Maung Maung Lwin, assistant police officer, are conducting an investigation. However, the officials haven’t found out the truth yet. The family believes the murder was committed by the Assistant Manager at the hotel.
According to a friend close to the victim, 34 year old Than Maung, who was working as an assistant manager at Treasure Island Resort near Kawthaung township killed Ma Thandar Tin and cut her neck. The dead body was thrown into the sea. Ma Thandar, aged 19, was working as an accountant and a receptionist at the hotel. The case happened at about 1 am the 19th of April, according to the victim’s friend.
The suspect, Than Maung, fled to Ranong in southern Thailand, the other side of Kawthaung. The victim’s mother said that Than Maung talked to Ma Thandar Tin’s mother on the phone and confessed to the murder saying that Ma Thandar Tin spoke aggressively and that was the reason why he killed her.
A close friend to the victim’s family said, “Than Maung was a close friend to Daw Wai, the victim’s mother. He helped the victim to get a job at the hotel, and he proposed marriage to the victim. However, the victim refused Than Maung’s proposal as she wanted to continue her education. The victim had been admitted to study law this coming August in Myeik University of southern Burma. She came and worked at the hotel to cover her school expenses. She earned 50,000 Kyats (about US$50) per month.”
The hotel is situated on Yadana Kyun (Treasure Island) near Kawthaung township. The Singaporean and Thai business owners rented Yandana Kyun and built the Treasure Island Resort on it. The resort was opened in 2008. Over one hundred staff are working in different positions at the resort. There were 22 rooms in the hotel where the victim stayed.
Although it was known that the victim was killed on the 19th of April, the hotel informed her parents that she took a leave. Since the parents of the victims could not find their daughter, they went to the hotel where the victim was working. Then, the parents found out that their daughter was killed.
A friend of the victim’s mother said, “All the staffs were still there when the victim’s mother checked the room. Her earrings were dropped on the floor. Her mobile, watch and ID, all were left in the room. According to the clues, all knew that Thanda Tin had been killed because the mosquito net was also torn off with a knife and the blood could be seen under the net.”
According to another report, a human head that was stringed and a dead body was found near Ten Miles Village and the victim’s mother confirmed that the dead body was her daughter’s.
An anonymous police officer said, “The doctor and the senior police officer are going to check the dead body. The suspect fled to the other side of Kawthaung. We want to find out the truth, but we haven’t done anything about the crime yet. What is known is that Ma Thandar Tin was killed.”
Grassroots-HRE
Interview by
Kyaw Thein Kha
June 15th 2009
Thailand based NGOs and community based organizations in Malaysia got together to hold the second “Two Destinations One Origin Conference” from 5th to 7th June, 2009 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The participants from different organizations in both Thailand and Malaysia mainly discussed migrant workers’ issues and shared their experiences about migrant issues.
In an interview last Friday 12th June 2009, Ms. Po Po, the deputy director of Grassroots – HRE based in Phang Nga province of South Thailand, shared what she discussed in the conference.
Q. Which NGOs organized the second “Two Destinations One Origin Conference”?
A. Thailand based Migrant Assistant Programme (MAP) Foundation and Malaysia based Workers Hub for Change and Network of Action for Migrants in Malaysia (NAMM) organized the programme together.
Q. How many social organizations in Malaysia attended the conference?
A. National League for Democracy (Liberated Area) Malaysia, Burma Campaign Malaysia, Network of Action for Migrants in Malaysia (NAMM), Multination Women’s Organization of Burma, Myanmar Refugee Volunteer Group (MRVG) and a Shan Refugee Organization attended the conference. Thailand based MAP Foundation and Malaysia based Workers Hub for Change also attended the conference.
Q. What did you discuss in the conference?
A. We mainly discussed the situation of migrant workers in both Thailand and Malaysia. All the NGOs and organizations at the conference mutually evaluated the problem that migrants have to face and encounter during the global economic crisis and the policies and principles that the respective governments coded for migrant workers.
Q. What topics did the Malaysia based community organizations discuss in the conference?
A. They discussed workers’ rights, for example, how the Malaysian outsourcing companies and firm owners oppress and exploit legal migrant workers and how the migrant workers have their rights abused. We discussed these issues very clearly so they could be understood in detail. Following that, the Malaysian based organizations could effectively exchange information about how the migrant workers in Malaysian detention and deportation centers are being oppressed by authorities in those centers. In my opinion, the Malaysia based organizations are working the best they can but I think that if they put in stronger efforts to work in balance and harmony within their networks, they’d find a better way to solve the problem of migrants.
Q. Did you discuss the recent death of two Burmese migrant workers in a Malaysian detention center at the conference?
A. Yes, we mentioned this case as an example when we were discussing our future action plan about how we can work with the respective authorities for fair and just detention and deportation. The issue of how to stop detentions and deportations has been published in Mek Khong migration publications. As a consequence, we must share this knowledge among the workers’ environment so that they know what their rights are. Then they themselves can call for their rights to be respected and we can increase pressure on the government through united efforts. We talked a lot about this.
Q. I heard a joint statement was issued after the conference. What did you call on in the statement?
A. We called on the Malaysian government to immediately stop the unjust, discriminatory and unconstitutional policy and practice, known as ‘Foreign Workers First Out’ (FWFO) principle. According to this policy migrant workers must lose their jobs before local workers regardless of the length of time they’ve been in the job and we called on Malaysia and Thailand to demand that all employers fulfill their contractual agreements with regard to all workers, including foreign workers. Employers must not use the economic crisis as an excuse to dismiss workers or close down factories without adequate notice to the workers. Mechanisms should be put in place to ensure that employers pay workers adequate and just compensation for any early termination of employment agreement.
Q. Where did you send it to, to which authorized organizations?
A. The statement is currently only in the hands of NGOs. But, we’ll send it to the Thai government, Malaysian government and the ASEAN.
Q. May I know how your organization is working with the networks of Malaysia based organizations?
A. This is the first time that I attended the conference of our networks. Grassroots – HRE works together with Action Network for Migrants (ANM), the Network of Action for Migrants in Malaysia (NAMM) and other Thailand and Malaysia based organizations which are working for migrants in both countries. However, this year we discussed becoming a stronger network for the welfare of our people, how we can support the migrants and each other, how we can approach the governments and how to work towards changing their principles and policy of migrant workers. However, at this initial stage we could only exchange our experiences and give advice to each other. We talked about linking with more networks to become a better, stronger one.
Q. How will you keep on your work as an NGO based in Thailand with the connection of Malaysia based organizations?
A.We’ll keep putting pressure on the governments. We’ll work and coordinate with local organizations in Malaysia. We’ll let the two governments know about the situation of migrant workers and their issues. We’ll call on the ASEAN to also put pressure on the two governments. We hope that our efforts concerning the migrant issue will catch the interest of international governments.
Q. Grassroots – HRE is a legally organized non-government organization in Thailand. The Malaysia based organizations are not legally organized ones so they may face some difficulties in their work. As deputy director of Grassroots-HRE do you have an opinion on this or any advice to give?
A. Yes, they might have some difficulties. The organizations themselves are not in legal status. It is very difficult for the organizations of illegal status to help illegal migrant workers. I understand their situation. However, if all the organizations connect with each other and work together in unity they’ll be able to help to some degree. At the same time, the illegal ones need to organize and stimulate the legal ones to work and support them.
Q. Do you have anything else to say to the Burmese migrant workers in Malaysia?
A. I don’t want to separate the workers in Thailand or in Malaysia as they are all the same. The Burmese migrant workers are spreading out to different places in the countries. Although I’m talking about the workers in Malaysia and Thailand, I also want to urge all the workers in the other countries to unite and help each other, try to know your rights and call on governments to respect your rights. If you yourself don’t stand up for your rights, who will stand up for you? If someone else defends your rights on your behalf, there chance of achieving our goal is reduced. I want to urge them all to unite and work in balance and harmony.
Grassroots – HRE
Kyaw Thein Kha
June 8, 2009
A truck loaded with twelve Burmese migrant workers, had an accident at 4 am on the 2nd of June, 2009. The truck crashed into a six-wheeled truck and overturned near mile post number 15 near the Chainat area, Tumbon Prasriracha township of Kanchanaburi Province. The accident killed five workers on the spot and another injured one died as soon as he arrived at the hospital. Some other injured workers in the accident are under the treatment of the intensive care unit at Sanglauri Hospital. Other workers who had minor injuries are being taken to the police station of Sanglaburi township, Kachanaburi Province as soon as they are discharged from the hospital.
The police officer from the criminal department of Sanglaburi police station said, “The truck crashed into a six-wheeled truck. We don’t know who the driver was. He escaped. We’ll deport all the injured workers to the border when they completely recover. We don’t have the right to arrest the foreign migrant workers who don’t have a stable job. The Thai government has recently coded a regulation to deport them all to the border.”
A nurse, who was on duty at the hospital, said, “The five dead bodies of female Burmese workers were brought to the hospital. The two male workers were seriously injured and one died in the intensive care unit while receiving special treatment. The last one, who’s still alive, is also in serious situation. He’s still in a coma. In total, five women and one man have died.”
“I don’t know where the other victims are from,” said the neighbour of the three victims, “but one of them stayed near me. One lived in Kawtalay village, Kawgraid township and she was 22. Another two were aged 23 and 29. They smuggled into Thailand through brokers. The driver who brought the dead bodies to the hospital told me to come and collect the dead bodies. How can we afford to pay for the funeral of the victims?”
The number of Burmese migrant workers smuggling into Thailand through Thai-Burma border, are increasing because of their country’s downturned economic situation under the military regime’s domination of the country. The severity of the smuggling racket made international headlines in April last year when 54 Burmese suffocated to death in the back of a truck while on their way to Phuket. Some workers died on the trucks in check points when the police poked sharp iron rods into the surface of vegetables under which the smuggled workers were hiding. Some migrant workers were killed by the Thai gang stars, Thai police and village authorities.
Grassroots – HRE
Kyaw Thein Kha
June 5, 2009
Four hundred migrant workers and their children were arrested by Thai border guards at around 3 am, yesterday morning. The Thai border guard soldiers raided the “44 Kilo Village” in Phuphaya townsip, south of Mae Sot on the Thai-Burma border. After they arrested four hundreds migrants, including children who are studying in school, the soldiers also burnt the houses, clothes and kitchen wares of migrants in the village who had managed to escaped arrest.
“They ran. The soldiers burnt about three or four houses and about thirty houses in the village were destroyed. They took all the chickens of the villagers,” said Ma Yin Win, a witness who escaped arrest. “The three 70-year old people,” she added, “including pregnant women with babies were also arrested. We’re anxious about so many difficulties. We moved to Thailand as it was too difficult for us even to survive in Burma. Thailand’s also not safe for us. We now have so many difficult situations.”
Htike Thu Aung, who is a teacher of migrant children in 44 kilo village, said, “All 120 children from kindergarten to grade five, studying in our school were arrested. They also arrested the people nearby my place. If they want to arrest the workers without work permit cards, ok, they can. Now, why did they even burn the houses of the villagers? The parents of a child from Kindergarten have work permit cards. The child was staying with his grandparents. The soldiers arrested the grandparents together with the child. The child’s parents begged them not to arrest their child but the soldiers did anyway. They even burnt the houses. They’re so cruel!”
The soldiers continuously carried all the arrested migrant villagers by truck from 3 am, early in the morning to 8 am. Last month, the same had happened in that village (44 kilo). The soldiers raided the village and expelled the villagers from the village. Since then the villagers had been hiding in the nearby forest for a month. Now, the soldiers have arrested them and burnt their houses down not long after they returned home from the forest due to it being rainy season.
“The reason for the arrests was not having work permit cards. We don’t understand Abhisit who said that Thailand fully respects human rights. All the workers, working in this area, are from Burma. They don’t get paid full wages. They get the wages from 60 Baht to 100 Baht (US$1.7 to US$ 2.8) per day. All the profits from the workers’ effort are just for Thailand. The Thai authorities should be sympathetic the workers whom they get the profits from,” said Ko Nyo Maung, a teacher in “44 Kilo Village.”
Ko Moe Gyo, the Chairman of Joint Action Committee for Burmese Affair (JACBA), said, “On the 28th of March 2009 the Thai soldiers raided “War Taw Village” which lies about 48 Kilometers from Phuphaya township. They burnt 80 houses and all the houses were destroyed. The villagers fled to the forest. We gave food and other necessary things to two hundred workers who had fled into the forest. The Thai government need to respect human rights as Thailand is a democratic country. It has said that over two million foreign migrant workers will be registered. They should wait until the registration period has finished before they arrest illegal migrant workers. If the workers have work permit cards, it will be good for their health and safety. They will be able to go out safely. However, the firm owners don’t want to help those workers who are working for them. Aside from the police and immigration officers, a Thai volunteer force also harasses the Burmese workers. We don’t like such an unfair behavior.”
According to migrant teachers and volunteers who are working in the “44 Kilo Village” area, the Thai soldiers raided the villages of Burmese workers and burnt their houses twice in 2008 and another twice in 2009, including this time.
GHRE
Kyaw Thein Kha
June 3, 2009
33 year old Ven. A Shin Naymeinda, who played a lead role in the Saffron Revolution of Burma in 2007, fled to Thai-Burma border on May 30th, 2009, as government pressure increases to find and persecute those who were involved in the uprising.
During the revolution, Ven. A Shin Naymeinda worked to coordinate and organize the effort through careful and rigorous information sharing and planning.
“On the second day of the revolution, we occupied the east archway of Shwedagon Pagoda. We didn’t have a chance to see Ven. Gambira, the leading monk of Saffron Revolution, but we knew that the revolution was growing stronger on the second day because of his media contacts. We didn’t need to organize the monks inside Burma to take part in this revolution. Everybody inside Burma was already primed to stand up to the regime. As we marched along the street, large groups of people began to join us. The soldiers threw tear gas and fired upon the peaceful protesters and the protesters ran for their lives. The authorities then raided our monastery and took everything they found. We climbed over the brick wall of the monastery to take refuge as the soldiers, government supporters and trained thugs shot at and beat the protesters. We hid in a pool.”
Like Ven. Naymeinda, most of the monks in the Saffron Revolution came from rather remote states and so many of them still haven’t been found by the regime. Others are still being detained in the prisons where the status of their health remains a concern. There have been reports of monks being released from prison with infections, cases of cholera and other health problems.
Ven. Naymeinda wished to remark about the failure of the Saffron Revolution stating that “I think part of the problem may have been that our people said that they would join the protests. We said that we would just walk, recite peaceful chanting and we feared that if they joined the protests, that there would be violence and that they may be hurt by the regime. We assumed that the government would not be cruel to the religious leaders like that. We’d like to solve the problem in peaceful way. That’s one reason why we didn’t organize the people to join the protests. Maybe that’s our weakness. But, we don’t want the people to be hurt.”
Since the Saffron Revolution, Ven. Naymeinda had been taking refuge in the different monasteries and moving from one to another. The authorities are now putting pressure on the monasteries inside Burma to deny any guest monks who have been involved in any politics. The responsible monks now have to sign a contract stating that they will not allow any political activists or monks to stay at their monasteries. The authorities have also assigned a government supported informer to every monastery.
With these latest government measures, Ven. Naymeinda’s life has been threatened inside Burma and so he has left for the Thai-Burma border where he will be able to continue his political advocacy from the outside.
