On Saturday, July 25th, the US Campaign for Burma hosted its second event in the Forgotten Voices of Burma: Refugees and IDPs series. This event covered refugees and IDPs issues in Arakan and Chin state, following our first event on Karen and Kachin state.
The USCB was grateful for the presenters who provided their insight and experience about on-the-ground issues relating to IDPs and refugees in Burma. Ting Oo is currently serving as the General Secretary of the All Arakan Students’ and Youths’ Congress. Sang Hnin Lian serves as Program Director of the Human Rights Education and Religious Freedom Program at the Chin Human Rights Organization. Phil Robertson is the Deputy Director of Human Rights Watch’s Asian Division.
Throughout the event, the speakers noted the numerous concerns of refugees and IDPs in Burma and detailed the issues surrounding the Burmese government’s lack of concern for its people. Ting Oo started the event by speaking on the lack of relief for IDPs in Arakan state, underlining how the Burmese government commonly restricts international humanitarian aid organizations and is rarely transparent with its funding. Ting Oo stated, “The people who are residing in the IDP camps, around 60,000 to 70,000 people, they are getting food rations, they are getting support,… but only two international organizations are allowed to provide humanitarian relief in Arakan state.” The Burmese government continues to block vital aid from entering Arakan state and helping those who need it most. If organizations want to provide emergency relief, they must gain permission to do so: a process that only elongates the distribution of aid.
Sang Hnin Lian continued to highlight the Burma Army’s indiscriminate attacks in Chin state, noting that as recently as March 12, airstrikes killed three civilians and that on April 8, Burma Army jets bombed a village and killed seven civilians. Civilians can be affected by conflict perpetrated by the Burma Army in numerous ways other than displacement- abductions and arbitrary arrests are common from the Burma Army, and women who collect firewood away from villages are constantly at high risk of violence from the Burma Army. Sang Hnin Lian highlighted the impact of conflict on livelihoods, stating that “because of this fighting, this year the Chin, particularly in Paletwa Township, will face food shortages into next year, even if the conflict ended. This farming becomes dangerous because of abductions and because of landmines, and is a big challenge.”
Lastly, Phil Robertson covered the plight of the Rohingya in Arakan state IDP camps, highlighting that the over 128,000 Rohingya IDPs are essentially living in open-air detention camps with heavy movement and travel restrictions. These detention camps are comparable to apartheid and result in high numbers of preventable deaths- when the International Rescue Committee compared the rates of tuberculosis in the camps to those in the villages, they found that the rates of tuberculosis in the camps were nine times higher. Additionally, central Arakan state holds an estimated 120,000 school-aged children, 70% of which are out of school. Phil Robertson stated, “What you’re talking about is a systematic deprivation of education that’s in clear violation of the fundamental rights of the children living in the camps and also some of the children living outside of the camps as well. And this is, in our view, a tool of long-term marginalization and segregation of the Rohingya.” Arakan state continues to struggle with progressing their education system, preventing further violence towards the Rohingya, and holding the Burma Army and Burmese government accountable.
While Burma continues towards a genuine democracy, the takeaway from the event is that the on the ground situation is not improving- in fact, the situation sees an increase of militarization. This results in an exponential surge in human rights abuses as well as a rise in the number of refugees and internally displaced persons. Civilians and grassroots organizers need to continue educating themselves and others around them by sharing resources on social media platforms, spreading awareness to government officials, and pressuring the Burmese government and Burma army to be held accountable for their actions.
The US Campaign for Burma would like to formally thank the All Arakan and Students’ Youths’ Congress, the Chin Human Rights Organization, Human Rights Watch, and the participants for their contributions to the event. To view a thread of live Tweets from the event, visit USCB’s Twitter page @uscb. To view a live stream recording of the event, visit here.
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