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News on Migrants & Refugees- 19 March, 2010 (English & Burmese)
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HEADLINES
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NEWS ON MIGRANTSCrop failures causing more people to migrate to ThailandReport of Thai newspaper is different from actual eventNEWS ON REFUGEES
MYANMAR: Damaged embankments threaten Nargis recoveryAMI Office Closed Down in Northern ArakanThailand denies Rohingya abuseKaren refugees leave Thai camp
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Crop failures causing more people to migrate to ThailandFriday, 19 March 2010 17:48 Hseng Khio Fah
Because of a harsh weather, drought and crop failures in Shan State, hundreds of people are migrating to Thailand almost every day from the beginning of this year,according to sources from the Thai-Burma border.There are over a thousand people arriving in Fang now and other places along theThai border, said a social worker in Fang.An average number of people who fled to the areas were about 400 per month.Currently, they are working at orange farms in Fang. “But they are not well-paid,” hesaid.
A female worker is paid Baht 80 (US$ 2.47) and a male worker is paid Baht 90 (US$2.78) per day. People who have official document papers received Baht 120(US$3.71).According to him, the villagers were mostly from townships in Shan State South;Kehsi, Mongkeung, Laikha, Langkher, Loilem, Hopong, Namzang and Mongpan,where the Burma Army and rebel groups frequently fight against each other. Thusthere were also people who fled from junta-backed militia’s recruiting campaign. Andsome were from Tangyan township in northern Shan State.A local villager in Loilem, who requested anonymity,said big trees in the areas arebeing cut down everyday by businessmen who got teak permits from the juntaauthorities. Others cut down for poppy cultivations and some are cutting for shifting-cultivation.“Therefore there have been water shortage and no rain,” he said. “Not only the waterin the river is dry but also water in the wells is dry. There were many places wherepeople don’t get any single drop of rain even though it was rainy season.”Almost all of villages in Shan State South were unable to grow their crops and paddybecause there was not enough water. This situation has been obviously getting worsewithin the last year. People are mainly relying on agricultures and farms, growinggroundnut, soya beans, onion and garlic. But there had no market for onion and garlicthis year, said a trader from Langkher township.Another fact that has led people to move was because of less opium output andseveral abuses by local Burmese authorities, said another source from Mongkeung.This year, the opium output has dropped down to 20 times compared to the previousyears, due to unbalance weather conditions, even thought the last poppy season (2008-09) saw some increase.“People who used to get 1 viss (1.6 kg) last year, just got about 0.20 viss (0.32 kg)this year,” he said.On the other hand, the local authorities have also been destroying some of the fieldsthough they have not stopped collecting taxes from the farmers. “Farmers were askedto pay taxes. If not the family members would be arrested and would be fineddouble,” said a poppy farmer in Loilem.And sometimes villagers were arbitrarily arrested by the Burma Army accusing themas rebel supporters.A few days ago, some local villagers in Namzang township were tortured by theauthorities for failing to inform them about the rebels in the areas. On 13 March, theBurma Army battalions based in Namzang township were attacked by the non-ceasefire Shan State Army (SSA) ‘South’, leaving 20 Burmese soldiers dead.
http://www.shanland.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2976:crop-failures-causing-more-people-to-migrate-to-thailand-&catid=87:human-rights&Itemid=285
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Report of Thai newspaper is different from actual eventFriday, 19 March 2010 07:49
The news of the death of two sisters, who ran away to avoid arrest of Thai police anddrowned in the canal, which was reported in Adman Thalay Thai newspaper isentirely different from the actual event reports eyewitnesses.Myint Myint San, age 20, ran away to avoid arrest of local Thai police, andsubsequently drowned while she was working in the construction site at Pathoungbeach of Phuket, while the police came and arrested the workers in that site at 5pm onMarch 8
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, 2010. The older sister, Nyo Nyo San, age 20 years, was unable swim, butstill tried to save her younger sister, also drowned in the water.The Thai version that appeared on the newspaper’s front page stated that the twosisters drowned while they were playing in the canal on March 9
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, 2010.Naung Naung, the older brother of the two young victims said that “both of mysisters’ deaths were caused by panic to avoid arrest by the Thai police.” And hefurther added, that they were not swimming or playing in the canal. Then hecontinued, “If anyone wants to know the real events, they could talk to me… They ranaway and were drowned in the water because they were afraid of the police.”U Khaing Than who led the funeral of the victims said “That news in the March 9
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newspaper was false. I can not read Thai language, but it was read to me by Thaipeople. The story was totally different from the actual events”.That news was not only reported in the newspaper, but also posted online as“Drowned while they were playing in canal.”After the death of victims, a document written in Thai language was asked to besigned by the father of the victims, said the mother of the victims. Then she continuedthat “that the canal is a collection of many streams of Pathaung city. The water is dark and dirty. Let alone to play in the water, the water should not be even touched. Bothof my daughters were dead because of the on coming police. The police were cruel,both of my daughters were drowning in the water, but the police were just watching.After both of them disappeared into the water, the police then recovered the bodies,”said Ma Tin Wai, mother of victims said while sobbing.A person from an organization that is planning to help to reveal the real event andnews said “in the past many Burmese workers have died, now this should not happenanymore. In the last month, February, 300,000 Bahts was given in compensation foreach victim, who were shot to death by the Thai police in Ranong. Injured victimswere also paid compensation. We are planning to reveal the truth about theseincidents” he continued.
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