JUMP Network in Malaysia Announces Release of Booklet about the Rohingya

JUMP (Jaringan Utara Migrasi & Perlarian) Malaysia along with the Migrant Workers Group announced in Penang the release of a new booklet about the Rohingya people, written and compiled by Abdul Hashim Abdul Motalib, a refugee who has lived without legal rights or status as an undocumented person in Malaysia for the last two years.

Booklet Auhthor and Rohingya Refugee, Abdul Hashim Abdul Motalib

Hashim’s experience as a refugee, however, did not begin upon his arrival to Malaysia where he crossed the border from Thailand and has lived since 2007.  Hashim became a refugee in 1978, when as a three year old, his family fled Myanmar to Bangladesh.

Hashim is not unacquainted with the harsh realities of life.  In 1991, at the age of 12 he returned to Myanmar for a short while and participated in a demonstration.  He was arrested by the military and tortured.  When discussing how there are many stories he wants to write about his people he said, “I cannot write with my own hand, I must type on the computer.”  He struggles to hold a pen since his arm was so badly hurt when he was tortured during his incarciration.

Members of the JUMP Network and MWG officially launch the booklet

Presently separated from his two young boys and his wife, whose whereabouts is unknown since she was kidnapped in the Bangladeshi refugee camp where they were living, Hashim now lives in Malaysia.  One of the estimated 28,000 Rohhingya currently in Malaysia, Hashim is stateless.  The government of Myanmar does not recognize the Rohingya as citizens, and the Malaysian government does not recognize the Rohingya as refugees.  Like many other refugees one of the most difficult realities Hashim faces is the separation from his family.

A spokesperson from the JUMP Network stated that the Rohingya “are in limbo.”  The fact that they have no refugee status granted by the Malaysian government means they have “no basic rights that citizens of Malaysia take for granted” including access to health care, education, or the right to redress.

And the problem is not a new one.  The Rohingya have been in limbo in Malaysia for more than two decades.  Hashim explained that the reason he wrote the booklet was to show that the Rohingya want to contribute to Malaysian society. He intends for the booklet to break down barriers between his community and Malaysians.  ”We have been stateless for more than two decades; in the next decade we want legal rights to education and to work,” he said.

Members of the Media and Conference Participants

Many Rohingya have been arrested, detained in camps, and deported from Malaysia.  While many more Rohingya work in various forms of manual labour, especially construction.  From a practical point of view, Alice Nah of The Migration Working Group, considers the present government policy of arrest and deportation as a waste of time, explaining that as stateless people, they only come back, because they have now where else to go.  Granting legal status, to treat the Rohingya in a humane way is paramount for Nah and her organization: “Malaysians need to recognize the contribution of Rohingya to Malaysia.”

Representatives of JUMP and MWG who gathered in Penang this weekend reiterated their commitment to continually lobby government to get some sort of legal status or recognition for the Rohingya in Malaysia and other refugees.

To produce the booklet, Hashim traveled throughout Malaysia, visiting communities of Rohingya throughout the country to assess their needs and concerns.  The booklet is a concise overview of the different communities, the danger they face fleeing their country of origin, and the daily risks of life as undocumented people: harassment, extortion, arrest, deportation, and fear.  The booklet includes photographs of the squalor conditions many Rohingya live in.

Hashim wrote to raise awareness and to build bridges of understanding between his people and Malaysians.  What remains clear is that there is much to be done in the nation for the Rohingya.  For the more than 28,000 refugees of this people group, that bridge can’t be built soon enough.

10,000 Shans uprooted, 500 houses burned in Burmese regime latest scorched earth campaign

Press Release:

Shan rights organizations today denounced the Burmese military regime renewed scorched earth campaign in Central Shan State, which has driven an estimated 10,000 villagers from their homes. According to data compiled by the Shan Human Rights Foundation (SHRF), the Shan Women’s Action Network (SWAN) and other Shan community based organizations, since July 27, 2009, the regime’s troops have burned down over 500 houses, scores of granaries, and forcibly relocated almost 40 villages, mostly in Laikha township.

Over 100 villagers, both men and women, have been arrested and tortured. At least three villagers have been killed. One young woman was shot while trying to retrieve her possessions from her burning house, and her body thrown into a pit latrine. Another woman was gang-raped in front of her husband by an officer and three of his troops.

“This campaign has been carried out cold-bloodedly and systematically. The troops commandeered petrol to burn down the houses, and radioed repeatedly to their headquarters as the buildings went up in flames”, said SHRF Director Kham Harn Fah. This is the largest forced relocation since 1996-1998, when over 300,000 villagers were uprooted in southern and central Shan State, most of whom have since fled to Thailand. The villagers currently being uprooted had already been relocated during the previous campaign.

Most are now seeking shelter with relatives and in temples in nearby towns, but are expected to flee to Thailand in the coming weeks. The groups, including SHRF, SWAN, the Shan Relief and Development Committee, the Shan Sapawa Environmental Organisation, Shan Youth Power and the Shan Health Committee, are demanding that the military regime immediately stop their atrocities against civilians in Shan State and allow all relocated villagers to return to their homes. They are also calling on the United Nations Security Council to set up a Commission of Enquiry into the regime’s crimes against humanity.

“The regime brazenly committed these crimes even as the whole world was watching them during the trial of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi”, said Charm Tong of SWAN. “They are thumbing their noses at the international community.” The groups are also calling on Burma’s neighbours, including ASEAN, to end their silence on the regime’s atrocities, and seriously review their engagement with this pariah nation. Ironically, this scorched earth campaign began precisely when ASEAN Ministers of Energy were recently meeting in Mandalay.

For detailed information on the recent abuses, see www.shanwomen.org

Contact persons:

Kham Harn Fah + 66 86 184 2430

Charm Tong +66 81 6036655

Sai Khur Hseng + 66 84 2243748

IJM Rescues

The following notice was posted on IJM Intstitute’s twitter feed:

I am thrilled to bring you this report today from yesterday’s operations – significant rescues were secured in two nations last evening:

• Last night (July 28), IJM Cambodia and local police conducted a successful rescue operation at a remote brothel: 20 girls and young women were removed from the building in the coordinated operation, and all perpetrators were arrested.  The brothel owner, formerly an officer in the brutal Khmer Rouge regime, initially attempted to escape by jumping from a second floor balcony over a brick wall, but was pursued by police and ultimately found hiding in a shed.  The brothel was particularly cruel; the girls and women there were never free to leave alone and were sent to service customers at local casinos each night.  One of the girls said to IJM staff, “Now we’re out of hell and going to paradise!” The victims are receiving care from IJM social workers as they share their stories with local authorities.  IJM will ensure that each victim is equipped with the aftercare services she needs in collaboration with local partners.  The accused perpetrators are in police custody.

• Additionally, last night, one of IJM’s South Asia teams conducted an operation in collaboration with local police at a brothel – the operation, a result of IJM investigative work, brought freedom to seven trafficking victims. Six suspected perpetrators were taken into police custody duing the rescue operation. The freed women and girls are being cared for by IJM social workers as they share their stories with authorities.

Praise God for his great love and rescue!
As always, any comments you leave will certainly be shared with the team who fought so hard to bring this victory. And please continue to pray for them, as the rescue operation is only the beginning in the justice journey.

Support the Anti-Trafficking Campaign for Vancouver 2010 Olympics

Did you know that when the world comes together for the Olympics, besides bringing the glory of sport, the beauty of cultural diversity, and inspirational athletic feats, it also brings with it some ugliness too?

Women and children  are in threat of being trafficked and used during the glorious games.

Here’s an organization worth looking into: REED – Resist Exploitation Embrace Dignity.

REED has a campaign, “Buying Sex is not a Sport,” their anti-trafficking campaign for the 2010 games.

If you’re in Vancouver tonight, go to a public dialogue re: Human Trafficking and the Vancouver Olympics:

Working Group:
Social Initiatives
Date:
June 17, 2009 – 7:30pm – 9:00pm
Location:
Vancouver Public Library Vancouver
Address/Street:
350 West Georgia StreetLangara Dialogues

In the Alice MacKay Room at the Vancouver Public Library.

June 17 2009 7:30pm

Speakers:
Michelle Miller, REED (Reduce Exploitation, Embrace Dignity)
Trisha Baptie (Honor Ministries)
Annabel Webb (Visiting Scholar, UBC Law School)
Jackie Lynn (Aboriginal Women’s Action Network)

Today is World Day Against Child Labor.

Today, you can start rescuing a child in India.

What is child labor?
India is home to the largest number of children living and working on the streets. “Child labor” is a form of modern-day slavery that forces children to work long hours for extremely low wages, and often in dangerous conditions, leaving no time to attend school or play.

Through Dalit Freedom Network, you can prevent a child from working in forced labor. In Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu, most children spend their days making matches or fireworks in large factories with unsafe and deplorable conditions. Celebrate World Day Against Child Labor by sponsoring a child from Tamil Nadu. You can ensure that he/she is able to attend school and graduate, receive basic medical care, and has a chance to learn the value of freedom and the dignity of all people.

Want to know more about child labor in India?
Click here to visit the State Department’s webpage for the 2008 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report about labor in India.
Read a letter from the Director-General of the International Labor Organization, a UN agency, about World Day Against Child Labor.

Sweden rules ‘gender-based’ abortion legal

“Swedish health authorities have ruled that gender-based abortion is not illegal according to current law and can not therefore be stopped, according to a report by Sveriges Television.”

Read the rest of the article here.

VOTE ON CHILD TRAFFICKING BILL TOMORROW

VOTE ON CHILD TRAFFICKING BILL TOMORROW

MP Smith to Table 1000’s of Signatures in Advance

Ottawa, ON:  On April 22, 2009, Bill C-268, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (minimum sentence for offences involving trafficking of persons under the age of eighteen years), will be voted on by Members of Parliament.

The vote on Bill C-268 is scheduled to take place approximately between 3:00-3:30pm EST on Wednesday, April 22, 2009.

Bill C-268, tabled by Member of Parliament for Kildonan – St. Paul, Joy Smith, would amend the Criminal Code to include minimum sentences of five years for cases of human trafficking involving minors.

Over the past few weeks, MP Joy Smith has received many petitions and signatures supporting Bill C-268 from across Canada. During Routine Proceedings following Question Period on Wednesday, MP Smith will table over 4500 signatures from Canadians who are calling for the penalties to child traffickers to fully reflect the gravity of the crime.

Routine Proceedings will take place approximately between 3:45-4:00pm EST on Wednesday, April 22, 2009.    

MP Joy Smith’s Bill has already received two hours of debate at Second Reading. If Bill C-268 passes, it will proceed to the Justice and Human Rights Committee.

Learn more about it from the great people at MY CANADA