
Issue No 41		26 November 1999

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News

Stop Forced Repatriation of Burmese Migrant Workers

APHEDA - Union Aid Abroad has called for the Thai government to delay the process of forced repatriation of Burmese migrant workers until their safety can be guaranteed.

Thousands of these workers have been deported since the beginning of November 1999.

"In Burma, civilians face forced labour, forced relocation, rapes, extrajudicial killings and torture by SPDC (State Peace and Development Council) troops," Marj O'Callaghan, APHEDA campaigns officer.

"It's not difficult to understand why hundreds of thousands of these people enter Thailand searching for work and for a better life.

"Once they get to Thailand, however, many have no chance to be recognised as refugees and are sent back to Burma by the Thai authorities. In the last few weeks, there have been reports of some of these workers been killed or raped by SPDC troops when they have returned to Burma," she says.

"There is also the possibility that they will be refused reentry to Burma - to their own country - by Burmese government authorities. These people have nowhere to go, being literally caught between the two countries, neither of which will allow their entry. Many are stranded on islands in the Moei river, which separates Thailand and Burma, with no food, water or shelter. There are reports that some of these people have drowned trying to get back to Thailand" she said.

APHEDA - Union Aid Abroad appeals to the government of Thailand to delay the process of immediate and forceful repatriation of Burmese migrant workers on humanitarian grounds. The international community needs to offer solutions to the situation facing these hundreds of thousands of Burmese migrant workers for whom no government or international organisation is taking responsibility. We urge Thailand to seek consultation with the United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights in order to find solutions to the ongoing crisis facing Burmese migrant workers.

Australian unionists have expressed strong concern for the Burmese people in their struggles. Through APHEDA - Union Aid Abroad, they have been assisting projects for Burmese refugees on the Thai-Burma border since 1996. These projects support medic training and mobile medical clinics, vocational training for refugee and displaced communities as well as information and education-based radio programs for Shan and Karen speaking refugees and migrant workers in Thailand.

To take action on this issue, send a fax with your concerns to the Thai Prime Minister, Chuan Leekpai, Office of the Prime Minister, Government House, Nakhorn Pathom Road, Bangkok 10300, Thailand Fax: +66 2 280 1443

For further information about supporting projects on the Thai-Burma border, please contact APHEDA on (02) 9264 9343 (phone), (02) 9261 1118 (fax) or mailto:apheda@labor.net.au.

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Issue 41 contents

Interview: A Bob Each Way
ALP tactician Bob McMullan is responsible for charting Labor industry policy into the next millennium. He tells us where he’s heading.

Unions: Organiser of the Year
Just ten days to go before entries close for our $2000 air ticket. Here’s another nomination.

History: Labour Daze
A report from the 6th National Biennial Conference of the Australian Society For The Study Of Labour and Community.

Politics: Tomorrow’s Questions
While the turn of the century sees Sydney play host to the Olympic games, the International Youth Parliament 2000 will bring world focus to contemporary issues facing young people.

Health: Red Ribbons
December 1, World AIDS Day has a special place in the history of the AIDS pandemic.

International: Organised Chaos
Persistent rumours are floating around Jakarta that the former boss of the official pro-Soeharto Indonesian trade union movement is about to be charged with corruption.

Economics: Seattle Numbers Grow for WTO Protest
News of the agreement to smooth China’s entry to the World Trade Organisation has created its own "China Syndrome" for organisers of the Seattle WTO event.

Satire: Too Many Media Players!
The Productivity Commission has issued a report calling for the abolition of existing cross-media ownership laws.

Review: Leviathan
John Birmingham has lifted the lid on Sydney’s shady past - and found trade unions to be at the centre of the sordid tales.

Deface a Face: Reith Loses His Shine
With his Second Wave looking more like a splash in the bath-tub, Workplace Relations Minister Peter Reith still reigns as the union movement’s favourite bogeyman.

» Labor Hire Faces Deregulation

» Democrats Poised to Say No

» Olympic Job Cut Fears

» Inspectors to Act on Ships of Shame

» Grave Concerns About Body Bags

» Former Trades Hall Boss Into Teachers Fray

» Tools for Timor Plea

» Rio Tinto Sacks 84 for Christmas Eve

» Hotel Workers in Unprecedented Action

» Tug Action Hits Sydney Harbour

» Free National Parks Access as Bans Kick In

» Parkers Issue Ticket To Loitering Government

» Stop Forced Repatriation of Burmese Migrant Workers

» Will the Real Casual Workers Please Stand Up?

» STOP PRESS: Labor Wins NZ Election