[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 87 (Friday, May 25, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1146-E1147]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                 BURMA

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOSEPH R. PITTS

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 24, 2007

  Mr. PITTS. Madam Speaker, I would like to submit the attached report 
describing the attacks by the brutal military dictatorship against the 
ethnic peoples of Burma. The situation facing the internally displaced 
is dire. The international community needs to step up its assistance to 
refugees and displaced persons. In addition, the international 
community must act immediately to stop the ethnic cleansing and other 
horrific acts by the dictatorship against the people of Burma.

Refugees International--Burma: Military Offensive Displacing Thousands 
                              of Civilians

       The worst Burmese military offensive in 10 years has 
     displaced at least 27,000 people in eastern Burma's Karen 
     State since November 2005. The displaced are civilians who 
     have been targeted by the army and are living in 
     exceptionally vulnerable conditions. An estimated three 
     million people have been forced to migrate in Burma as a 
     result of conflict, persecution, human rights abuses, and 
     repressive government measures that prevent people from 
     earning a livelihood. Instead of fulfilling its 
     responsibility to protect its citizens, the Government of 
     Burma, known as the State Peace and Development Council 
     (SPDC), is the biggest perpetrator of violations in the 
     country.
       Ethnic groups, comprising one-third of Burma's 52 million 
     people, have borne the brunt of the government's repressive 
     policies. The pattern of the Burmese military or the Tatmadaw 
     has been to eliminate all opposition and take full control of 
     ethnic areas. As part of its strategy to curb the support of 
     ethnic insurgent armies, it targets civilians it perceives as 
     backers of the insurgent groups.
       In the course of Tatmadaw operations at least 3,000 
     villages have been destroyed along the eastern Burma border 
     since 1996. Villagers have been forced to flee to hiding 
     sites in jungles, move to government-controlled relocation 
     sites, or travel to relatively more secure ceasefire 
     locations. Today Burma is estimated to have the worst 
     internal displacement crisis in Asia. More than 500,000 
     civilians are displaced in eastern Burma, with those in 
     hiding being the most vulnerable. People unable to care for 
     themselves

[[Page E1147]]

     and their families have fled to Burma's neighboring countries 
     of Bangladesh, China, India, Malaysia and Thailand in search 
     of asylum. Burma's refugee crisis has a regional impact and 
     the number of refugees from the country is believed to be 
     more than one million.
       As the military takes control of new territory in ethnic 
     areas, it initiates development projects and exploits natural 
     resources, which displace more civilians. The forced 
     migration of civilians is ongoing even in ethnic states, such 
     as Mon and Kachin, where political leaders have signed 
     ceasefire agreements with the central authorities. According 
     to a Burmese asylum seeker interviewed by Refugees 
     International in Thailand, ``The outside world thinks that 
     just because a cease fire has been signed between the Mon and 
     the SPDC, it is safe for us to live in Burma. But we continue 
     to face abuses on a daily basis. The military confiscated all 
     my orchards and my family could barely survive. We still 
     tried to stay but had to leave when the military tried to 
     recruit my teenage son.''
       The Karen National Union, the indigenous political 
     leadership in Karen State, has not entered into a ceasefire 
     agreement with the SPDC and conflict and displacement are not 
     new phenomena there. However, the intensity and spread of the 
     Tatmadaw offensive in recent months are estimated to be the 
     worst in more than a decade. The attack is linked to the 
     military's attempt to consolidate its control over parts of 
     Karen State and the districts of Toungoo, Papun and 
     Nyaunglebin have been particularly hard-hit by the offensive. 
     According to a community-based organization assisting the 
     internally displaced, the recent attacks differ from previous 
     ones in that the military did not withdraw during the 2006 
     rainy season but continued to attack the same areas 
     repeatedly.
       In order to protect themselves, Karen communities have been 
     trying to establish early warning systems. Villagers are 
     constantly on watch to be able to anticipate Tatmadaw attacks 
     and whenever possible, the Karen ethnic army has been warning 
     villagers ahead of an attack so they can go into hiding. At 
     present there remains a lack of an adequate number of 
     communication tools for advance warning.
       The military has planted a large number of landmines in and 
     around villages so people are unable to go beyond a certain 
     area, and at the time of harvesting many do not have access 
     to their crops. In some parts of Karen State the army has set 
     rice fields on fire. According to the estimates of a 
     community-based organization assisting the internally 
     displaced, 25,000 people have lost their harvest for the 
     entire year, and in Lerdoh Township alone, 2,800 civilians 
     are believed to have been taken away from their villages and 
     fields by the Tatmadaw to relocation sites where they are 
     being forced to dig trenches and build fencing. Since 2006, 
     the military has also placed a prohibition on trading in some 
     areas of Karen State and prevented villagers from selling or 
     buying certain products around harvest time. After harvest 
     time, villagers are allowed to sell their products, but at 
     half the normal price and only to the military, contributing 
     to food insecurity.
       Besides food, the displaced are in urgent need of shelter 
     and medicines. The displaced in Karen State are being 
     assisted largely through cross-border assistance, coming from 
     agencies based in Thailand, and a few community-based 
     organizations inside Burma. This aid is helping people cope 
     with their situation and preventing large numbers from 
     fleeing to Thailand as refugees. Although in recent years 
     donors have allocated more funds for aid to internally 
     displaced people, both for cross-border operations and those 
     inside Burma, the number of vulnerable people has gone up 
     significantly with the latest offensive in Karen State and it 
     is critical that donors respond accordingly.
       In terms of medical assistance, Karen internally displaced 
     people are relying largely on traditional curative techniques 
     or on mobile teams, back pack health workers, and Karen 
     medical units who may be able to access them only after 
     navigating their way through heavily militarized territory.
       Organizations based in Thailand and Burma that are 
     assisting the internally displaced from across the border and 
     inside the country have improved communications in recent 
     months, but there remains a need to strengthen information 
     sharing on the activities being undertaken by both sides.
       Many of those displaced in the recent attacks in Karen 
     State who have been able to reach the Thai-Burma border are 
     living in settlements on the Burma side. One of these, the Ei 
     Tu Hta camp, set up in April 2006, is home to 3,000 persons 
     mostly from Toungoo district. Approximately 5,000 recently 
     displaced Karen have also crossed the border into Thailand. 
     Some of them have entered refugee camps, are recognized as 
     asylum seekers, and are awaiting approval from the Provincial 
     Admission Boards, the Thai Government's entities for 
     processing new arrivals. This has largely been the case in 
     Mae Hong Son Province. In Tak Province's Mae La camp, 
     however, none of the new arrivals are recognized and they are 
     living unofficially in the camp.
       The Thai Government is concerned that recent efforts to 
     resettle Burmese refugees in third countries is drawing 
     recent arrivals to camps. The Governor of Tak Province has 
     announced that no food or accommodation would be made 
     available to new arrivals in the camps in that province. 
     Further, the Provincial Admission Boards are not fully 
     functional in each of the provinces, and there remains a void 
     for processing new arrivals in certain areas.
       The Burmese internal displacement and refugee crises are 
     linked to the regime's policy of targeting civilians. All 
     regional and local initiatives to urge the SPDC to stop 
     attacking civilians and protect its people have failed. The 
     non-binding Security Council resolution introduced by the 
     U.S. in January 2007, which included a call to the SPDC to 
     cease attacks on the country's ethnic minorities, was vetoed 
     by China and Russia. Until such time that all members of the 
     UN Security Council acknowledge that the SPDC must be held 
     accountable, and develop a united approach to address the 
     government's failure to protect its people, the worst 
     internal displacement crisis in Asia will persist.
       Refugees International, therefore, recommends that:
       The Burmese military immediately halt all attacks on 
     civilians.
       The UN Security Council members reach consensus on a 
     strategy to pressure the SPDC to stop its abuse of civilians 
     and hold it accountable for its failure to protect Burma's 
     people.
       Donors support initiatives to assist internally displaced 
     people by agencies doing cross-border work and agencies 
     operating inside Burma, with funding directed to the most 
     vulnerable.
       Donors support initiatives to enhance IDP protection 
     through early warning systems.
       Agencies based inside Burma and organizations operating out 
     of Thailand continue to improve coordination and 
     collaboration through regular meetings and information 
     sharing forums.
       The Government of Thailand allow new asylum seekers from 
     Burma official access to all camps and ensure that the 
     Provincial Admission Boards are functioning consistently so 
     the new arrivals can be processed.

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