The role of freedom for Burmese Refugees and Asylum Seekers

Steeping into the juncture of technological evolution and the era of globalization most people around the world start recognizing the role of freedom. Freedom is an essential element to the people in any form of society. I wonder, that is there anyone in the world who enjoys not being free. I do not think so because everybody has the right to do what they want to as long as does not affect others. Of course, no one will have the freedom to kill, rape, and exploit others. Having said about freedom there is, obviously, no such thing as absolute freedom. However, the Burmese people in Burma have no mere chance to know the meaning of freedom. The freedom is a dream, when the SPDC continuously violates various forms of human rights abuses throughout Burma.
There are many causes of the Burmese refugees choose to flee to another country continuously. Let me use some examples as a vehicle for our explanation. Thousands of ethnic Karennis have been driven from their homes by Burmese troops sweeping the border between Karennis and Shan state in Burma on January 2004. “Burmese troops has burned down six villages and 40 rice barns and seized several hundred livestock. The attack caused about 2,000 villagers to flee their homes and run away to the Thai border”. What is more, others ethnic minority groups such as Shan, Kachin and, Mon have been forced to leave their homes. Moreover, forced labor is widely known and practiced by the military army. The Burmese ethnic minorities are forced to work without paying and forced to work mostly at prison sites. The villagers do not dare to complain the soldiers if not they would be beaten to die or shot on the spot. Then, their mutilated bodies showed on display to warn others. This is the responsibility of State Authority to protect the security of civilians. Nevertheless, the Burmese military failed to recognize the right of social security. According to these evidences, the Burmese authorities are violating the right to liberty of movement and freedom to choose his residence which is stated in ICCPR ( International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights), Part III, Article 12, (1) and ICCPR, Part III, Article 8, (1) which states that no one shall be required to perform forces or compulsory labor. It also abuses human rights which is stated in Article 27 that in those State in which ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities exist, persons belonging to such minorities shall not be denied the right, in community with other members of their group, to enjoy their own culture, to profess and practice their own religions, or to use their own language.
According to Benedict Rogers of Christian Solidarity Worldwide, ethnic minorities are forced to build, Buddhist temples, forced to donate for those projects and festivals. Other than that, the Burmese regime denies privileges to faithful other religions. Muslims suffered the worst abuses at the hands of the military junta. The international communities list predominantly Burma as a Buddhist country of a particular concern because of the military junta’s restrictions on religious freedom. The international religious Freedom Report says that restrictions on religious practice is a worldwide problem, but cited Burma, China, Cuba, Laos, North Korea and Vietnam as the worst offenders. The Burmese military regime restricts the right to freedom of religion which is stated in “ICCPR, Part III, Article18, (1).
“Discrimination” is very common case in ethnic lands because of the war against the ethnic nationalities armies by the Burmese ruling regime. The soldiers commit sexual violence against ethnic women are gang-raped by soldiers, and killed, which is the most striking form of discrimination. “Ethnic persecution, a form of racism, xenophobia and related intolerance” are the main contributors for the ethnic groups to leave Burma. So, many of them become refugees and undocumented migrant workers in neighboring countries. They have no choice. Then, in other country, they face discrimination again because of non-nationals.
The enforcement of relocation campaigns and the process of 'Four Cuts' are designated to limit and control the populations. The 'Four Cuts' is known as cutting food, finance, intelligence and recruitment. They used this method to destroy the links between citizens and the ethnic armies. In the relocation camp site, there is no food and medicines were provided. So, many died of disease in each camp site. As the Burmese regime seek to control the population, particularly the ethnic minority population, “relocation takes on a number of dynamics”. The effects demerit sides involved in relocations are “Fragmentation of communities, the splitting of families, and the individual losses associated with relocation”. These all circumstances make it difficult for the villagers to cover their own basic survival needs. In recent years, large numbers of Kachin, Shan, Karenni, Mon, and Karen people have been forcibly relocated due to the 'Four Cuts'.
These all above examples are the reasons why Burmese people flee from Burma.

Sources
1. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/fr/1170420/posts
2. http://www.islamonline.net/english/news/200109/10/article13.shtml
3. http://www.forcedmigration.org/guides/fmo019/fmo019-3.htm
4. “Human rights watch Group”, http://www.rebound88.net/