6 Burmese children in detention in Malaysia

DVB should not be calling them 'beggar children' for it is demeaning...they are just children...

Burmese children wave from a UNHCR camp in Malaysia (Reuters)

By AYE NAI
Published: 30 April 2010

Six Burmese child beggars in Malaysia have been kept in an immigration detention camp for more than nine months as the Burmese embassy continues to deny them assistance.

The children, who range from 10 to 14 years old, were trafficked into Malaysia from Rangoon, Irrawaddy and Mandalay divisions last year. Kyaw Thaung, of the Burmese Nationals Association in Thailand, said financial assistance is needed for the children to travel back to Burma.

“We are having a headache over raising money for the kids – for travel expenses, food and clothing,” he said. He added that both the Burmese embassy in Malaysia and the UN’s refugee agency were playing “volleyball” with the children.

“That’s why they’ve been here for so long. Otherwise, the children would’ve been home long ago.” He said the group is now preparing to seek assistance from Save the Children UK.

The Burmese embassy in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur was unavailable for comment.

The families of two of the children, 10-year-old Kyaw Thu Linn and 12-year-old Aye Mya Htwe, were reportedly duped by traffickers into handing over their kids who were promised work in Rangoon, a source close to their family said. As money began to be sent by them, via traffickers, to the family, the mother handed over her eight-year-old son; unbeknown to her, he was also taken to Malaysia.

The boy is now believed to be missing in Malaysia and the family has not been able to contact him.

“[Kyaw Thu Linn and Aye Mya Htwe] were in Malaysia for about a year and four months. About six month ago, Kyaw Thu Linn’s brother was taken there by the same traffickers,” said the source. “Now some human traffickers are in detention.”

A police officer in Madaya, in Mandalay division, said that Burmese authorities were aware that the children were in Malaysia.

“[Burmese police] have a department called the ‘Transnational Organised Crime’ department and they will make necessary contacts with the foreign government,” he said. “As for us, we are a lower-ranking police station and we can’t bring people back. I think [the government] will make a ceremonial process to bring them back.”

He said that two couples in Madaya have confessed to the police that they sold the children. Kyaw Thaung told DVB that children were smuggled into Malaysia via overland and air routes.

“They said they were made to beg for money, with no breakfast provided for them in the mornings. They were instructed to earn around 70 to 80 Malaysian ringgit ($US22 to $US25) and were beaten when they failed.”

Two of the six children, Aung Ko Win and Nay Linn Oo, were residents in Rangoon’s Hlaing Tharyar township. Local police said they knew nothing about them. The other two children were identified as Tin Myo Htet from Irrawaddy division’s Kyaukgon town, and Min Yu San from Dala in Rangoon.- Democratic Voice of Burma, 1/5/2010, Beggar children held in Malaysian camp

Protest in Jakarta over Malaysian police 'shoot-to-kill' case - 3 persons killed

Nobody deserve to be shot dead by the police ....who later claims that the dead were robbers, killers, criminals,.... but then the defamed dead have no means of defending themselves.

For years, Malaysians have called for an end of this 'shoot to kill' attitude and action by the Malaysian police - and sadly I have not seen a report about any Minister or police chief have come out and even said that the duty of the police is to arrest suspects...and they should try their very best to avoid killing suspects ..

There is also still no public inquiries about police shoot-to-kill incidents. In these inquiries, the police must justify their actions that resulted in death of persons...

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: Indonesian migrant worker group Migrant Care staged a protest outside the Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta on Friday demanding the Malaysian government to responsible for the shootings of three Indonesian nationals last month accused of commiting robery.

Director Executive of Migrant Care Anis Hidayah told the crowd outside the Malaysian Embassy that the group will bring the matter to UN Human Rights Council, and other pressure group like Amnesty Internasional and Human Rights Watch, to force the Malaysian government to investigate the case as no measure taken by the Malaysian to investigate the case after 40 days since the murder took place.

The Malaysian Embassy invited Anis Hidayah for a talk on condition that protesters furl down a banner printed with “Malaysia, murderer of Indonesian migrant workers”.
Anis dismissed the request prompting Indonesian Police took the banner down.

According migrant care three indonesian workers kiled last month and autopsy results suggested that the three men were killed by short-range shots.TEMPO Interactive, 23/4/2010,Indonesian Worker Group Protest Three Deaths in Malaysia

Jakarta -- Lembaga swadaya masyarakat yang menangani isu buruh migran, Migrant Care, memprotes penembakan tiga tenaga kerja Indonesia di Malaysia dengan melakukan demonstrasi di depan Kedutaan Besar Malaysia di Jakarta kemarin. "Tidak ada tanggapan apa pun dari Kedutaan Besar Malaysia, bahkan ucapan dukacita ke keluarga korban. Ini jadi tradisi buruk pemerintah Malaysia, yang tidak pernah merasa bersalah atas kematian buruh migran," kata Direktur Eksekutif Migrant Care Anis Hidayah yang ditemui di sela aksi kemarin. 

Demonstrasi ini berkaitan dengan penembakan tiga buruh migran, Abdul Sanu, Musdi, dan Muchlis, di kawasan Danau Kota Putri, Kuala Selangor, 16 Maret lalu. Menurut Anis, hingga kini Kepolisian Malaysia dinilai tidak menunjukkan upaya untuk membuka tabir kematian ketiganya. 

Kepolisian Malaysia, kata Anis, kerap tak menggunakan asas praduga tak bersalah, terutama pada buruh migran Indonesia. Hasil otopsi sementara atas kasus ini, kata dia, terindikasi bahwa ketiga korban ditembak dalam jarak dekat. 

Dalam aksinya, Migrant Care memasang spanduk bertulisan "Malaysia Pembunuh Buruh Migran Indonesia", meski akhirnya spanduk itu diturunkan oleh polisi. Anis juga diajak berdialog oleh Duta Besar asalkan spanduk itu diturunkan. Migrant Care menolak syarat itu karena dianggap melanggar kebebasannya berpendapat. "Kami kan aksi di halaman kedutaan yang masih milik Indonesia," ujarnya. 

Duta Besar Malaysia untuk Indonesia, Datuk Syed Munshe Afdzaruddin, kecewa terhadap Migrant Care. "Itu bukan cara demonstrasi yang benar. Mereka mengaibkan pagar rumah saya. Saya sampai harus masuk lewat pintu samping," ujarnya kepada Tempo kemarin.
Datuk Syed menilai tindakan tersebut telah melanggar konvensi Perserikatan Bangsa-Bangsa yang menyatakan tidak boleh ada penghinaan di depan pintu rumah negara lain. "Mau demonstrasi silakan, tapi tolong hormati kedaulatan kami," katanya. 

Ia menambahkan bahwa Malaysia siap berdialog. "Ke depan, masyarakat bisa bertemu langsung dengan saya jika ada keluhan dengan cara yang baik-baik tanpa unjuk rasa," Datuk Syed menambahkan. 

Migrant Care Malaysia berencana melakukan investigasi atas penembakan tersebut. Direktur Eksekutif Migrant Care Malaysia Alex Ong menyatakan, sebagai langkah awal, lembaganya telah mendatangi Kedutaan Besar Republik Indonesia Kuala Lumpur. "Beberapa hari yang lalu kami telah menyampaikan rencana investigasi penembakan TKI ini kepada Pak Tatang (Wakil Duta Besar Tatang B. Razak)," ujarnya. 

Hasil investigasi diharapkan rampung akhir bulan ini, dan selanjutnya akan diserahkan ke parlemen dan Kementerian Dalam Negeri Malaysia--yang membawahkan Kepolisian dan Komisi Nasional Hak Asasi Manusia Malaysia. Dianing Sari | Masrur (Kuala Lumpur) - Koran Tempo, 24/4/2010, Migrant Care Demo Kedutaan Malaysia