» 07/04/2011 11:58 MYANMAR-INDIA Burmese military torture and kill Kachin people by Nirmala Carvalho Thousands of refugees have massed along the Chinese border to escape violence, but Beijing will not accept them. No international agency is able to get aid to them, as they live on two bowls of rice a day. Military junta responsible for repeated violations of human rights.
Mumbai (AsiaNews) - The crisis in relations between the Burmese military junta and ethnic Kachin, simmering for years, has recently reached a new peak of intensity. AsiaNews has interviewed Zau Raw, of the Kachin Refugee Committee, on violations committed against civilians in the region. "Burmese soldiers in civilian clothes - says Zau Raw - rob and assault the Kachin, in Kachin State since 9 June 2011. The soldiers in the area concerned do what they want, and there are no effective or appropriate punishments by the higher authorities. "
What is the situation of violations to the civilian population?
I can say that there are many cases of abuse, torture, rape and use of civilian forced labor which remain unknown. Their number is greater than those released by the Burmese news agencies in exile. In recent weeks, 18 women and girls were gang raped by Burmese soldiers, four of them were killed after the rape. The soldiers killed three girls and raped a woman in front of her husband, who then was forced to follow them and work for them.
How many refugees and displaced are there?
There are now more than ten thousand war refugees, although according to some there are actually more than 20 thousand, who since June 9 fled towards the Chinese border, from the Kachin Independence Army-controlled areas (Kia), but are not allowed to cross the border. The refugees live with a little help from Kia, two bowls of rice a day, but no international organization can reach them. They fled in fear of violence and torture, especially in remote areas. Which is not to say that the Kachin people living in cities are safe: they can be arrested and accused of conniving with the Kia at any time. So most of Kachin have fled to areas controlled by Kia.
Is this violence war-related?
The Kachin people, has suffered decades of violence and abuses such as forced labor, land confiscation, torture, rapes and slavery. The Kia was formed in 1961 because of lack of rights in which the Kachin people lived. Forced labor is a normal thing in our lives, imposed by the Burmese military junta. I myself have suffered as a child, until he fled to India.
What is the situation of refugees?
China does not accept refugees, and India is difficult to enter, since the end of the Second World War the two governments, India and Burma, have not opened the border crossing in Danai 'Arunachanal Pradesh. So most of the refugees take refuge in the jungle. After the ceasefire of 1994, many began to flee to Malaysia, India and Thailand. But even after that agreement, the military has continued to oppress the people of Kachin. In Malaysia, there are more than 5 thousand refugees. In Thailand they are very numerous, but we have no precise information. In India the conditions of life are not simple, and it is difficult to find work. For this we ask to be allowed to reach other countries: Canada, USA, Australia and New Zealand.
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