Why Burmese flee their home

Overthepastfewyears,refugees from Burma havebeentargeted in large scale resettlement programs by a number of different countries, such as the US and Australia. In the last four years 65,000 Burmese refugees have been resettled to third countries. (Zetty Brake, newmatilda.com)

Despite this large scale resettlement, the exodus of refugees from Burma continues. In Thailand refugee numbers in the nine refugee camps along the Thai-Burma border remain largely unchanged, even after people have been resettled.

Burma will continue to be a major source of refugees until the needs of people with no choice but to flee their homeland are addressed. This would require some serious changes in Burma.Ongoing military attacks targeting civilians, in violation of international law, must stop.
The systematic and widespread violation of human rights by the Burmese army and authorities also must stop. These include, but are not limited to: the rape of ethnic women and girls; the use of villagers as slave labour; the destruction or confiscation of land and property; forced evictions; beatings; torture; and extra-judicial killings.

Improvements in Burma’s human rights crisis are unlikely to come while those in power continue to deny that such abuses are occurring. Nor will they come while perpetrators of such crimes have impunity. Article 445 of Burma’s 2008 Constitution states that:

“‘No proceeding shall be instituted against the said Councils (SLORC/SPDC) or any member thereof or any member of the Government, in respect of any act done in the execution of their respective duties”.

This means that any person who has been an official of the regime since 1988 cannot be held legally accountable for any actions they take including the gross and systematic violation of human rights abuses.




Source: newmatilda.com