Love for Rohingyan Children

This is my story about my experiences with some friends from CiKrip (Community Kreatifitas Paramuda), PEKAN (Persatuan Kesenian Anak Nelayan – The Unity of Fisherman Children Artisant) as part of SMN (Suara Muda Nusantara – Voice of Indonesian Youth) when accompanying children from Rohingya refugees in Bayeun, Aceh (translator: Aceh is a province in the North of Sumatera Island, Indonesia) on September 10, 2015. There was seven of us at that time, and was accompanied by brother “kakak” of CMC (translator: Children Media Center, an NGO focusses in children rights issue) and Roosa Sibarani.

It is still clear in my memory, in the first week of May 2015 when the fishermen of Aceh rescue and bring the Rohingya refugees from adrift in the ocean, eventually they were taken to the mainland. They are placed in several refugee camps in East Aceh, Langsa, Lok Bani, etc. Since that time I saw the Rohingya refugees present in my city, namely Langsa. Currently, it seems clear view of hundreds of man-adults, teens, children, baby; faced fatigue, chills, confusion, pale, sad, depressed, etc. Nothing is pleasing to the eye, just sadness that look and I can feel. I never imagined there was such a heartbreaking thing happened and now they live side by side with me and the people in Langsa.

A second chance to interact with Rohingya refugees back open, on September 10, 2015. On that occasion I witnessed that most children already looks cheerful, even some of them may already be able to put away the events that shake their psychology. Their cheerfulness seems clear when they start actively playing and to do dialogue with the volunteers companion though constrained language. Yes, most of them only know Urdu, while the companion using Indonesian and some people can speak English.

But there is another view, I also see children who always alone even stay away if a stranger tries to approach them, even scared when he/she  saw the man, I think that the child still can not forget what happened to him a few months ago.

There are a lot of children activities in Rohingya refugees in Bayeun refugee camp, such as reading, writing, drawing and counting and those learning activities were applied with playing monopoly, congklak (Indonesian traditional game), and puzzle that children easily understand it. They also play soccer, play with rubber band, and many other traditional games.

Although the instruments played are sufficient, but few tools are damaged and can harm children themselves, such as swings made from iron that has been broken and is left unattended while children ran around the swing without anyone forbid or warn them about the risks they faced when exposed to scratches iron.

Another thing that I noticed in the refuge camp is "children see,  children do." Some children imitate what they see in others and the effect is there are children who often beat, throw his toys, and even there is bickering and being tempramental is one reason why the child is easily upset and offended. What was done by the adults of course very quickly imitated by children. I suspect that the Rohingya children are very often see adults and surrounding being violent in many form such as easily angry, do hitting, make rude joke, etc.

However, in the camp made by the CMC and terre des hommes- Germany, our companion teach children about love. Children who fight while playing and learning will separate gently and given a hug for them, so they can feel that they are loved and will gradually get to know love. The more the Rohingya children feel that they are loved, I believe the more children will be a source of love their friends and others.

Writing by Zata Lini Zalsabila, CiKrip - member of Suara Muda Nusantara

 Translated by Indra N Hatasura

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 Anak-Anak Rohingya Dicintai

Ini adalah cerita saya tentang pengalaman saya dan teman-teman CiKrip , PEKAN & SMN  saat mendampingi anak-anak pengungsi rohingya di Bayeun, Aceh (Nama daerah tempat pengungsian) pada tanggal 10 September 2015. Jumlah kami 7 orang saat itu, dan didampingi oleh kakak-kakak dari CMC dan Roosa Sibarani.

Masih jelas di memori saya pada minggu pertama bulan Mei sewaktu para nelayan Aceh menyelamatkan dan membawa para pengungsi Rohingya yang terkatung-katung di lautan, akhirnya mereka dibawa ke daratan. Mereka ditempatkan di beberapa lokasi pengungsian di Aceh Timur, Langsa, Lok Bani, dll. Sejak saat itu saya melihat para pengungsi Rohingya hadir di kota saya, yaitu Langsa. Saat itu tampak jelas pemandangan ratusan manusia-dewasa, remaja, anak-anak, bayi- dengan wajah keletihan, kedinginan, bingung, pucat, sedih, murung, dll. Tak ada yang enak dipandang mata, hanya kesedihan yang terlihat dan dapat saya rasakan. Tak pernah saya bayangkan ada hal yang memilukan seperti itu terjadi dan kini mereka tinggal berdampingan dengan saya dan masyarakat di Langsa.

Kesempatan kedua untuk berinteraksi dengan pengungsi Rohingya kembali terbuka, yaitu pada tanggal 10 September. Pada kesempatan itu saya menyaksikan bahwa sebagian besar anak-anak pengungsi Rohingya sudah terlihat ceria kembali ,bahkan sebagian dari mereka mungkin sudah dapat melupakan kejadian yang cukup mengguncang psikologi mereka. Kecerian mereka nampak jelas terlihat ketika mereka mulai aktif bermain dan mau berdialog dengan relawan-relawan pendamping walau terkendala bahasa. Ya, kebanyakan mereka hanya tahu berbahasa Urdu, sedangkan para pendamping menggunakan bahasa Indonesia dan beberapa orang dapat berbahasa Inggris.

Tapi ada pemandangan lain, saya juga  menjumpai anak yang selalu menyendiri bahkan menjauh jika ada orang asing yang mencoba mendekatinya bahkan mereka merasa takut ketika melihat orang tersebut, saya berpikir bahwa anak tersebut masih belum bisa melupakan apa yang terjadi padanya beberapa bulan yang lalu.

Kegiatan Anak-anak pengungsi rohingya di pengungsian Bayeun sangat banyak, seperti belajar membaca,menulis, menggambar dan berhitung dan kegiatan belajar itu diaplikasikan dengan cara bermain monopoli, congklak, dan permainan merangkai gambar agar anak-anak mudah mengerti  dan memahaminya dengan cepat. Selain itu anak-anak juga bermain  sepak bola, bermain karet gelang, dan masih banyak lagi permainan tradisional lainnya dimainkan oleh mereka.

Walaupun alat-alat bermain yang dimainkan anak-anak sudah mencukupi, tetapi ada beberapa alat-alat bermain yang sudah rusak dan dapat membahayakan anak-anak sendiri, seperti ayunan yang terbuat dari besi sudah patah dan dibiarkan terbengkalai begitu saja dan anak-anak pun berlari-larian di tempat ayunan yang sudah patah tersebut tanpa ada yang melarang atau memperingatkan mereka tentang resiko yang mereka alami jika  terkena goresan besi tersebut.

Hal lainnya yang saya perhatikan di pengungsian adalah “children see, children do”. Sebagian anak-anak menirukan apa yang dilihatnya pada orang lain dan efeknya adalah ada anak yang sering memukul, melepar temannya sendiri dengan mainan, bahkan juga ada yang beradu mulut dan bersikap tempramental menjadi salah satu penyebab mengapa anak tersebut mudah marah dan tersinggung. Apa yang dilakukan oleh orang dewasa tentu saja sangat cepat ditiru oleh anak-anak. Saya menduga bahwa anak-anak Rohingya sangat sering melihat orang dewasa dan di sekitarnya melakukan kekerasan, seperti marah-marah, memukul, mengejek, dll. 

Namun, di camp yang dibuat CMC dan terre des hommes Germany para kakak pendamping mengajarkan anak-anak Rohingya tentang cinta-kasih. Anak-anak yang bertengkar saat bermain dan belajar akan dilerai dengan lembut dan diberi pelukan untuk mereka dapat merasakan bahwa mereka dicintai dan lambat-laun akan mengenal cinta-kasih itu. Semakin banyak anak Rohingya merasakan bahwa mereka dicintai, saya yakin maka semakin banyak anak-anak akan menjadi sumber cinta-kasih bagi teman sebayanya dan sesama.

ASEAN Youth Forum: Where is my voice?

I participated in the 2015 ASEAN Youth Forum (AYF), held in Malaysia, which was both enjoyable and very powerful. Youth from the ASEAN community, including people from Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam, came together and shared and exchanged their concerns and views on issues such as development projects, education, sexual diversity, democracy, and the environment.

I am proud of the youth because they discussed these issues with a great amount of strength and clarity. They raised their voices about wanting to see good governments without corruption, real democracy, sustainable development, equal rights in society, participation rights in developing countries, and to see people’s human rights respected.

During the days of the AYF, the youth from ASEAN countries joined each other for discussions, enjoyment, learning and raising their voices together.

During the forum, some questions came to my mind: Where is the discussion about stateless youth participation rights? Where are the voices of the stateless youth? Where is the stateless youth body in the ASEAN Community? From which countries do stateless peoples belong to?

Stateless youth in the ASEAN Community are from many countries. Most of the parents of stateless youth come from Myanmar, some of them from Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, and some of them from China.

I missed the chance to share across borders when I was a stateless child; I had many opportunities to share about my life, problems, and dreams as a stateless person, but I could only share all of this in Thailand. One time I had an opportunity to be able to share my experiences in Kenya, but I couldn’t go because I was a stateless child.

Now we are an ASEAN community, one community, in unity. People across nationalities are become one ASEAN population. But nobody can answer the question of whether or not stateless people are part of this ASEAN population as well. If you are a stateless person, what do you do? The people in ASEAN discussed issues like equality rights and security. For stateless people, even having legal status like a normal human being is something denied by the state.

My experience as a stateless child taught me that we don’t want any nationality but we do need to have equal rights in society. We are trying tirelessly to demand nationality or legal status. Because if we are illegal or are without a nationality, we are nobody in the world: No voice, No rights, No status, No state.

I want to see the states in the ASEAN Community discuss this issue and find the solution to achieving legal status for stateless people. I want states to do this together because stateless people are human beings and belong to the ASEAN Community. Now stateless people have no freedom of movement, no public health insurance, no political rights, are paid low wages, are restricted in their field of study, have no rights to own property, and they are a target group for human trafficking.

Do you want to see an ASEAN Community without illegal peoples? Do you want to see all people’s human rights respected? Do you want to see equality? Do want to see non-discrimination? Do you want to see everyone have a good quality and secure life? If your answer is YES! We have to put stateless people’s rights on the agenda. Let’s get into the habit.

Writing by Flower of Salween (Mueda Nawanat), link https://mekongyouth.wordpress.com/2015/05/01/asean-youth-forum-where-is-my-voice/

Faces of Change: Mueda Nawanat (Thailand)

Faces of Change: Mueda Nawanat (Thailand)

Source http://www.earthrights.org/multimedia/video/faces-change-mueda-nawanat-thailand

in 19 January 2015

In this edition of our Faces of Change series, we hear from Mueda Nawanat, who grew on the Thai/Myanmar border. While she herself was born in Thailand, because she is a daughter of refugees from Myanmar, she is considered a “stateless” person. 

Because of this, she was denied a scholarship and high school diploma, required for attending university. Mueda became so vocal about life as a stateless student that academics, lawyers, and politicians referred to her experience as a case study in the development of laws for stateless people. 

Eventually, she helped pass Article 23 in the 2008 Nationality Act, which allows people born in Thailand before 1992 to apply for citizenship. Da officially became a Thai citizen in 2008 because of this.

She was motivated to attend EarthRights School Mekong after witnessing the impacts of unsustainable development in stateless communities. After graduation she created the Mekong Youth Assembly, network of youth groups in the Mekong Region that strengthens communities’ capacity to defend their earth rights.

Mueda believes that: “I don’t fight for myself, but I fight for my family and also my village, so that if I fight, if I win, they also win with me.” 

My Life Story

My name is Naw Victoria Baw I am 25 year old, I am Sgaw Karen and Baptist Christian. My father is a teacher, and also work with KED in Daw OO. In the past he taught history (Karen, Burmese and international) in the Karen State. My mother live at home. Now he teaches in Mae Ra Moe Karen refugee camp I was born in the Karen State, in Taungoo district , in the Hee Daw Kaw village.

When I was 5 years old, I started primary school in my village. After finishing it, I went to middle and high school in another place because they were hiding in the jungle from SPDC. In 2006, I finished high school. In the same year, SPDC army burned our village, we had no house and no food so we lived in the jungle for one year. In December 2006, I came to the Mae Ra Moe Karen refugee camp and started post-term education there. It took 2 years. At the same time, I worked with KSNG. After that, in 2010, I came to Mae Sot.

2006, Hee Daw Kaw Village was burn

When I was young, SPDC often attacked the village, destroying animals and paddy fields. People would always flee and later come back again. So I went to a high school in the city, in Taungoo. I was afraid because the SPDC would try to identify who was not from Taungoo so I had to hide there too. My village was burned twice and people kept going back and forth – from the village to the jungle and back. I spent more than 10 years in Taungoo.

Children in front of thier ex-house

In Thailand it is a little bit better than in my village, but I am not registered so I’m worried and miss my village. I’m less afraid now than in Burma but I have no ID card. We left the village in 2006, along the way there was Burmese military. We had to stop and stay for a few days until it was safe to go. We had to do this many times. On our way we had to cross a military road – Tha Da Daw road only for the military. We went in a group of nearly 300 people so we had to cross the road very quietly, at 3-4 am. We reached the Salween and then took a boat along the river. On one side we saw the Burmese military, on the other side – the Thai.

There was also a military checkpoint but the driver took the boat along the Thai side and the Burmese military did not see us. We crossed the border at the Mae Ne Ta village – it is an IDP area. We had to cross the KNU and Thai checkpoints, but not Burmese. We only worried about the Thai checkpoint because Thais did not want to accept refugees. KNU knew all about us so we did not worry about them. My family was separated when the village was burned and during the fleeing. I arrived to Thailand first. I have one brother and one sister, all of my family is now in the refugee camp except me.

First time I felt afraid because I had never been to the camp. There were too many people there and it was not my country. I was afraid to be arrested or do something wrong. We did not understand the Thai language so it was difficult.they are separate – in terms of communication. But they also mix because of their residence location – they rent whatever houses are empty. It is not possible to tell where which ethnic area is as people are mixed.when I am in Mae Sot, it feels temporary. When I am in the camp, it is also not eternal, it is temporary. The Karen State is my homeland, Thailand is temporary. I miss living in the Karen State every day.

I miss the Karen people who are still in the jungle, the students who can’t go to school. I feel sorry for them. People are still hiding in the jungle, do not have enough food, who have to go very far just to get a tin of rice.

I feel happy to come back. I’m satisfied to have a chance to go back and see the people and know the situation of the Karen State. I am worried to cross the river, but satisfied. From Mae Sot to the border is more dangerous than crossing the [river] border. But still there is no stability in the political situation so it still feels dangerous [in Burma].I never had to deal with them, I am afraid of them and I avoid the police. I avoid checkpoints, sometimes the Thai police wait for us when crossing the river and then we have to pay them. I was arrested 5-6 times, sometimes for 1 hour or 0.5 hour, sometimes for 3-4 hours. If that happens, somebody else has to go to the police station and pay 7,000-8,000 baht to get me released. The KNU pays for us.

Burma and Thailand are close but very different political situation. People who are registered have a good chance to get a job, to get hospital treatment, they don’t need to pay the school fees. They can get a permission to go anywhere, help when looking for a job. Thailand is a developing country, it has better leadership than Myanmar. In Myanmar, there is no free provision of education, medical care – we have to pay a lot for it. Burma government does not really protect the population. It is a military regime because they only care for the army rather than the whole population. They spend most money for the army. I want to say that I will try a lot to get freedom for Burma. I want to go back but not yet. We are still facing problems. Can you tell me what to do to get freedom for Burma?

Writing by Victoria Baw, Burma / Thailand.Photo is taken from www.freeburmarangers.org to support this story