Today begins the new chapter for all those in Burma who were forced to displace both externally and internally. Daw Aung San Su Kyi gave a clear message to thousands of migrants refugees who attended the meeting at city of Mahachai in Thailand. She said she will make every effort to remove any obstacle in repatriation to their native lands, stop harm that impose upon them by local military/police and make their lives better. Historically Burma has been in the spotlight for treating badly by military and its thugs to its own people. Since the independence, the nation has been deeply divided into several ethnic groups due to unfair treatment by the central government. A spirit of national unity once built by the late Bogyoke Aung San did not last long; even right after the famous "Punglone Pact". Forced labor and massive relocation of indigenous ethnics create the drastically overgrown refugee population along Thailand, Bangladesh and China borders. Some minority ethnics even elaborate about ethnic cleansing measures imposed by the military. In fact Daw Su's overseas trip is regarded as historical. Most of the opposition political figureheads in the past had never been granted official passports. We all believe she is a beacon to the nation and hope of Burma's bright future. Her courageous and thoughtful vision will once again bring the nation back on world political main-stream. Her will is our dream.
Thousands of minority ethnics Karen, Shan, Karenni, Kayan, Mon, Kachin, Chin fled their native lands in masse since 1988 uprising. In 2010, total refugee population had escalated to over 150,000 in 11 refugee camps in Thai-Burma borders and about 60,000 within Burmese territory. U.S. government sent a special envoy to study situation of those refugee camps in Thailand. Former first lady Laura Bush visit the camps and spent time with those refugees. U.S. government decided to grant Burmese refugees as top priority among other Asian nations. The program began in 2007. Refugee Bureau of Department of Health and Human Services of the U.S. Government posted total refugee resettlement reached 49,000 in December 2010.
Orange County of California is also home of many Burmese refugee families. After years of deep involvement with those families, I realized it is still hard for those who have already been in U.S. for first 5 years and still face tremendous challenges in many ways. Some survive those challenges but many still in peril even in this first world. When the very first family received the so-called "Green Card", they invited friends and neighbors and offered very famous 'monhingar'. I noticed they are very pleased and happy with their first ever identification they had been granted. It is true they never ever have the birth certificate, marriage certificate, national identification card or whatsoever. It is great pleasure to be ID-ed! Any kind of identification is a treasure for them!
Yesterday Irrawaddy online magazine posted a news about Burmese government launching issuance of identification cards to internally displaced ethnic groups. President Thein Sein pledged to the nation he will make the best effort to hand laptops to those young ethnics who decide to surrender their arms. International, especially the West, is stunned with Burmese Government political reform. Once Burma is tainted with bad news. Today, our motherland becomes a role model to the world.
They were unfortunately categorized as 'stateless' people. Thousands of innocent children and women have been deprived of humanitarian norms for more than half the century. After all, they purely are our, in fact, our brothers and sisters regardless of their background and dialects.
with metta
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