Background on Refugees from Burma
Facing continued, systematic persecution of ethnic minorities within Burma by the ruling military junta, refugees from Burma have resettled in Oakland, California in increasing numbers since 2007. Burma is one of the world’s most ethnically diverse country with over 130 different ethnic groups and tribes with different languages and cultures. The refugee population from Burma in Oakland reflects this ethnic and linguistic diversity with individuals representing Karen, Karenni, Chin, Burman, Rakhine, Shan, Pa-o, and other ethnic groups from Burma.
Since Burma’s independence in 1948, the central government has oppressed and fought with Karen, Karenni, Mon, Pa-o and Rakhine insurgent groups. In the 1960s it initiated a brutal counter-insurgency policy called the Four Cuts, in which it sought to cut food, funds, intelligence and recruits from villagers. This policy and national takeover of industries has isolated Burma and made it one of the poorest countries in the world. On August 8, 1988, a student-led, nationwide uprising for democracy sought to overthrow the dictatorship, but was brutally suppressed and over 3,000 were killed.
In 1990 the National League for Democracy (NLD) let by Aung San Suu Kyi won a landslide election victory, but the ruling generals instead maintained power. Re-established as the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), the government placed Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest at that time and continued its policies of high military spending, forced labor, and human rights abuses. SPDC has since brokered ceasefire deals with several of the ethnic groups, yet persists in attacking ethnic minority villages and seizing lands.
Another pro-democracy movement led to peace marches with Buddhist monks in 2007. These activities were also suppressed, with over 1000 arrested. Cyclone Nargis then hit in 2008, killing 138,000 and displacing 2.4 million. Again, the military junta was criticized for failing to respond appropriately and for initially refusing to receive international aid.
As a result of both political oppression and natural disasters, the United Nations reports that Burma has over 963,000 internally displaced persons or persons without citizenship within its borders. In addition, another 500,000 refugees or asylees originate from Burma, with 107,000 in nine camps in the Thai-Burma border and 81,000 in Malaysia.
Although Burma has transitioned towards a quasi-democracy since 2011, and with a civilian led government elected in 2016, it has yet to fully address all human rights problems within the country, and resolve armed ethnic conflicts and ongoing civil wars. As long as there is instability and unrest in Burma, there will always be internally displaced persons, refugees and asylees that will need assistance and aid for safer homes and protected futures.
Since Burma’s independence in 1948, the central government has oppressed and fought with Karen, Karenni, Mon, Pa-o and Rakhine insurgent groups. In the 1960s it initiated a brutal counter-insurgency policy called the Four Cuts, in which it sought to cut food, funds, intelligence and recruits from villagers. This policy and national takeover of industries has isolated Burma and made it one of the poorest countries in the world. On August 8, 1988, a student-led, nationwide uprising for democracy sought to overthrow the dictatorship, but was brutally suppressed and over 3,000 were killed.
In 1990 the National League for Democracy (NLD) let by Aung San Suu Kyi won a landslide election victory, but the ruling generals instead maintained power. Re-established as the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), the government placed Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest at that time and continued its policies of high military spending, forced labor, and human rights abuses. SPDC has since brokered ceasefire deals with several of the ethnic groups, yet persists in attacking ethnic minority villages and seizing lands.
Another pro-democracy movement led to peace marches with Buddhist monks in 2007. These activities were also suppressed, with over 1000 arrested. Cyclone Nargis then hit in 2008, killing 138,000 and displacing 2.4 million. Again, the military junta was criticized for failing to respond appropriately and for initially refusing to receive international aid.
As a result of both political oppression and natural disasters, the United Nations reports that Burma has over 963,000 internally displaced persons or persons without citizenship within its borders. In addition, another 500,000 refugees or asylees originate from Burma, with 107,000 in nine camps in the Thai-Burma border and 81,000 in Malaysia.
Although Burma has transitioned towards a quasi-democracy since 2011, and with a civilian led government elected in 2016, it has yet to fully address all human rights problems within the country, and resolve armed ethnic conflicts and ongoing civil wars. As long as there is instability and unrest in Burma, there will always be internally displaced persons, refugees and asylees that will need assistance and aid for safer homes and protected futures.
Background on Refugees from Burma Resettling in Oakland
Over 500 refugees from Burma have been resettled to the San Francisco Bay Area. Arriving in the midst of the worst recession in 2007 to 2012 since the Great Depression in late 1930s, these new refugees from Burma have been resettled in East Oakland. Oakland’s city budget faces huge deficits, and the school system has been taken over by a state administrator. Exacerbating their situation, adult English as a Second Language classes have been completely cut, and the Oakland Police Department had to lay off ten percent of its force. Within Oakland, refugees have largely moved to the San Antonio/Fruitvale district, a low-income neighborhood with affordable rents.
Although the economy has improved and returned to normal since late 2012 to present, this positive turn around means that businesses are booming and urban centers have once again become more expensive to live in. Rent and other living expenses have gone up in prices, even in Oakland, which makes it harder for our client communities to afford making the San Francisco Bay Area their home. The political climate has also recently changed where diversity, social and educational support structures in institutions are on the decline in the United States of America since late 2016. Changes are happening to many government departments that traditionally have supported much of the services accessed by the resettled refugees and asylees. In addition, tolerance for immigrants and "outsiders" are brought into question in the larger social fabric of the country. Our client community in Oakland and surrounding areas are protected as we live in sanctuary cities. However, the impact of federal and state program changes would inevitably affect our communities.
Many of the refugees from Burma have spent the most of their lives in refugee camps on the Thai/Burma border or living as internally displaced people in the jungles of eastern Burma and face many challenges adjusting to a foreign urban culture. Burma Refugee Family Network (BRFN) was formed to support these newcomers from Burma to gain self-sufficiency and pursue their hopes and dreams for their new life in the United States. We are committed to stand with our clients, no matter what the tides will bring with the current and future social, political and economic climates of this country.
Although the economy has improved and returned to normal since late 2012 to present, this positive turn around means that businesses are booming and urban centers have once again become more expensive to live in. Rent and other living expenses have gone up in prices, even in Oakland, which makes it harder for our client communities to afford making the San Francisco Bay Area their home. The political climate has also recently changed where diversity, social and educational support structures in institutions are on the decline in the United States of America since late 2016. Changes are happening to many government departments that traditionally have supported much of the services accessed by the resettled refugees and asylees. In addition, tolerance for immigrants and "outsiders" are brought into question in the larger social fabric of the country. Our client community in Oakland and surrounding areas are protected as we live in sanctuary cities. However, the impact of federal and state program changes would inevitably affect our communities.
Many of the refugees from Burma have spent the most of their lives in refugee camps on the Thai/Burma border or living as internally displaced people in the jungles of eastern Burma and face many challenges adjusting to a foreign urban culture. Burma Refugee Family Network (BRFN) was formed to support these newcomers from Burma to gain self-sufficiency and pursue their hopes and dreams for their new life in the United States. We are committed to stand with our clients, no matter what the tides will bring with the current and future social, political and economic climates of this country.
For more information about refugees from Burma:
Refugees from Burma: Their Backgrounds and Refugee Experiences (Cultural Orientation Resource Center Publication)
For more information about human rights abuses in Karen State and Eastern Burma:
www.khrg.org and www.freeburmarangers.org
For more information about the refugee camps and the border:
http://www.tbbc.org/
One journalist experience about being an Eritrean asylee in USA:
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2017/09/stateless-america-170903125426485.html
For more information about Afghan SIVs:
https://www.humanrightsfirst.org/resource/afghan-special-immigrant-visa-program
For more information about US resettlement:
U.S. Department of State, “Proposed Refugee Admissions for the Fiscal Year 2011,” p. 44
Refugees from Burma: Their Backgrounds and Refugee Experiences (Cultural Orientation Resource Center Publication)
For more information about human rights abuses in Karen State and Eastern Burma:
www.khrg.org and www.freeburmarangers.org
For more information about the refugee camps and the border:
http://www.tbbc.org/
One journalist experience about being an Eritrean asylee in USA:
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2017/09/stateless-america-170903125426485.html
For more information about Afghan SIVs:
https://www.humanrightsfirst.org/resource/afghan-special-immigrant-visa-program
For more information about US resettlement:
U.S. Department of State, “Proposed Refugee Admissions for the Fiscal Year 2011,” p. 44
