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....Motto: "Voice for the voiceless,neglected and hidden"....
....Motto: "Voice for the voiceless,neglected and hidden"....
12:21 AM
Posted by VOCR
4:00 PM
Posted by VOCR
8:06 PM
Posted by VOCR
by Simon
Recognised Chin refugee Kham Cung Ceu from Vom Kua village, Thantlang Township was fallen down from his working site while he was working at 5:00 pm on 27thof April. The site from which he fell down is said quite high and it is extremely risky. Immediately, he was brought to the
From the get-go since he fell down, he became unconscious until they got to the hospital. Both his employer and relatives came to realize that the expense-to-use which is about
Until now, he absolutely forgets all the happenings for just a moment before the scene taking place when VOCR asked of the reason “why” and “how” at a time he can speak for a few.
Sadly, it’s hard to say about the reason why that happened for he couldn’t recall his memory. It is in impossible position to track back the investigation down for “why and how”. At worst, his wife and relatives are too much worried over his memory loss.
We could say that he is so lucky, though he is now having a painful suffering and facing the uncertain condition for life, that he is assisted by his employer as much as he can do to some extent.
Recently, the one from CRC members from Lulpilung village,
5:52 PM
Posted by VOCR
VOCR
24th April, 2010
Kuala Lumpur
by Saimon & Salai CC
A Chin refugee named Thla Awi, about 40 yrs from Aive village,
The man was hit when he was back en route home to Jalan Pudu to have meeting with his friends.
Volunteers of CRC (Chin Refugee Community) immediately rushed to the incident taken place as soon as a pedestrian informed the CRC in order to give a hand there.
"It was said that the police car reached the place ahead by the time we arrived there. The body was left on the road and the police were searching for a witness to facilitate the investigation as the driver had run away. However, no witness had been found out since he was alone in the incident occurred," a volunteer of CRC said.
Search & Rescue team checking Thla Awi body
"Around this area, some of Chin refugees had had encountered the same accidents and all the rest of people should be on alert especially when crossed the road. No one should cross off this highway for the reason of the car speed here is higher than other normal roads. Fortunately amid the sorrow mounted, the case will be thoroughly investigated and any necessary action will be taken into the driver despite his status is illegal (refugee)", a police man said to the VOCR.
A police man prompted that Chin refugees living around this area are very disobedient so that two had been died in the same incident here as a result. The reason is all the people who walk down here between Jalan Imbi and Jalan Pudu are still crossing this highway though incident has given them some knowledge and they can best walk past the bridge for the highway, instead.
It was said that Za Tin lost contact from his relatives since 04.04.2010 and was found dead on 14.04.2010 at
It is so certain that more death tolls because of the accident appear to be continuous as long as they keep crossing the highway as before. So far in this related cases, any compensations for those who have been died in the car accident have never been offered until recently.
Truth, often and often times Communities and Churches make such a very important awareness to the people along with each community owned leaflets which are used as a strong media. It's been time for individuals (refugees) to be aware of self safety and learn from the past what was going through.
9:35 PM
Posted by VOCR
"The incident started while the two guys hailing a cab at Bukit Jalil bus station at around 6:30 pm , a man with proton car approached them and asked them to give a ride at the same charge with other taxi. The two guys with overloaded three bags decided without hesitation to onboard because of unable to carry their heavy bags and could not take other cabs.
"After driving for five minutes, the car was suddenly stopped and a person standing on the pavement came into the car and sat beside us .On the way, they began to threaten us and asked us to give them all the money we got .They took RM-180 from us but still weren't satisfy with the money and took us to a house believed to be the driver's house which is at outskirt of Kuala Lumpur and arrived there at around 11:30 at night. As soon as we got there, we were punched, kicked, beaten up and stroke with a pipe and threatened us to be beaten till death unless we made calls to our relatives and friends to send them RM 2000 for the redemption," the two victims said.
The two hostages made calls to their relatives several times but no one could send the demanded money to save them as it was already midnight and the banks had already been closed so that it was unavailable to transfer the money.
Biak Van Peng showing his scars of toture by the thugs at Chin refugee community office in Kuala Lumpur
"Soon after we called our relatives, they stopped beating us for a while as they had got words of promises to be given the amount of money they demanded through the phone. Even thought they were having some drugs, we were guarded strictly throughout the night. At early in the morning around 5:30, we were once again forced to make calls to our relatives, friends and the entire contact's name listed in our phonebook both in abroad and domestic to remind them of our situation," Biak Van Peng said.
"We did calls as we were badly beaten and intolerable of their assaults. Soon after they stopped beating us as our relatives transferred RM 2000 in their credit card but they broke their promise of letting us go instead they asked another RM 2000 to our relatives. As they no longer had been assured of the money to be sent for our ransom, they continued beating us with the pipe till we were nearly fainted. At around 3pm, we were forced to take a shower as we were about to be released by their hired taxi only after our relatives transferred another RM 1000, saying that both of you would be sent home because we had already done our job," Zam Peng cited.
"A Chin Disciplinary Action Committee chairman, Lal Siam Mawi had already lodged a report to the police since the gangs told him both hostages would be released after they received the money. As soon as the hostages were brought home alive by the taxi, the Chin refugee committee immediately took them to the hospital for their medication.
The police are investigating the case and hunting the perpetrators after the doctor confirmed that Mr. Zam Peng was severely wounded and one of his ribs is nearly broken.
This breaking news has become as an alert to the chin refugee living in KL for it has once again strengthened the fact that we, the vulnerable chin refugee are the most targeted people of the local gangster as their prey.
"This is a shocking and sporadically incident among the Chin refugees in
This incident happened to these vulnerable people is really an embarrassing and aggressive matters. Any operation to swipe-out this heartless people is necessary
12:07 AM
Posted by VOCR
GEORGE TOWN: Two children were among about 300 foreigners rounded up during an operation to flush out illegal immigrants.
State Immigration director Abdul Qadir Siddiq Ahmad said 200 officers from the Immigration, police, Rela, Penang Municipal Council, Manpower Department and Malay¬sian Anti-Corruption Commission took part in the one-hour operation in Komtar which began at 3pm.
“We conduct such operations from time to time whenever the department receives complaints.
“This operation inside the Komtar building and the surrounding area was held after a meeting with the Chief Minister.”
Most of those rounded up were Indonesian, Myanmar, Filipino, Indian and Bangladeshi.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/4/18/nation/6081664&sec=nation
11:04 AM
Posted by VOCR
VOCR
11:36 AM
Posted by VOCR
UNHCR spokesperson Yante Ismail said investigations revealed that the lack of employment opportunities made them beg.
She said most refugees were hardworking and prepared to do odd-jobs for a living.
“Most of the women refugees work as cleaners in homes in order to keep going. They are not able to find jobs elsewhere since the UNHCR card does not give them the privilege to be formally employed,” she told Starprobe.
Yante said the refugee children, including those born here, had no access to formal education as their status was different from that of citizens or permanent residents.
The one advantage they had was a special discount for medical treatment at government hospitals, she said, adding that the UNHCR also provided them with free medical treatment at certain clinics assigned by the Commissioner.
“We also offer them financial aid during emergencies,” she said.
Asked how long the refugees were allowed to stay on, Yante said they could stay on for as long as their home country was not prepared to accept them.
In most cases, she said the refugees wanted to return to their homeland soon after seeking temporary asylum in another country, but political instability and other factors made them stay on for a longer period.
Meanwhile, Selangor Welfare Department director Adnan Abu Bakar said the sight of women begging with their children was just too much for Malaysians to bear.
He said with Malaysians being a generous lot, there was “good money to be made from begging.”
“Malaysians are kind and highly sympathetic, especially towards women and children. So many (refugees) take advantage of the situation to earn easy money,” he said when contacted.
Adnan said the department conducted raids every month to round up beggars.
“We conducted close to 200 raids last year, but that did not stem these activities,” he said, adding that it was difficult to tackle the foreign beggar problem due to their status as refugees.
He said locals caught begging were sent to the Welfare Department for counselling or to rehabilitation centres, while illegal immigrants were handed to the Immigration Department.
“However, the solution for refugees is tough, as they hold passports. Many also return to begging after their release. Our department has its limitations,” he said.
Besides Klang, there were also a high number of foreign beggars in Hulu Selangor, Ampang and Petaling Jaya.
Klang Municipal Council public relations director Norfiza Mahfiz said most Myanmar beggars in Klang had been rounded up by the authorities during raids.
She said the beggars were caught during joint raids conducted by the council, Welfare Services Department and the police.
“These beggars seem to have no other means of survival except to seek alms,” she added.
Klang district police chief Asst Comm Mat Yusop said police had so far not received reports of syndicates being involved in begging activities, but would investigate the matter.
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/4/7/starprobe/6002469&sec=starprobe11:32 AM
Posted by VOCR
THE Myanmar community in Klang who have made begging their livelihood claim that the lack of job opportunities has forced them to resort to it.
They said that their status as refugees — under the auspices of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) — only allowed them to stay on temporarily in this country.
One of them, who wished to be known as Sofinah, 34, said she entered Malaysia with six children, adding that she got married at the age of 12.
She said her eldest son, who was 18, had left the family, adding that she had to fend for the other children, including an eight-month old.
“My mother is sick. My husband and I have to feed the family and pay rental for the home.
“We are not allowed to work or do business,” she said, adding that the children were also not allowed to attend government schools.
Her husband, Salim Mohamed, 51, who walks with the help of crutches, said the family was in a dilemma.
He said he had no choice but to join his wife “to beg for survival.”
“The UNHCR status has helped us to live safely in this country since we are not accepted back home but there is nothing much we can do here,” he said.
A 28-year-old beggar, who wished to be identified as Bahorosha, said she had four children aged between five and 13.
She claimed that her children attended a private school in the morning and only joined her in the afternoon.
Bahrosha said her husband had left her and she had to resort to begging.
“I’m worried for the future of my children, especially my three daughters,” she said.
“I cannot imagine what their future will be and pray that they will not have to continue begging for the rest of their lives,” said Bahrosha, who came to Malaysia when she was only two years old.
11:23 AM
Posted by VOCR
ELAN PERUMAL provides a first-hand account of his close encounters with vagabonds over a two-month observation period.
I WAS surprised to find beggars and their children all over the place when I first entered their “territory”.
They were in the thick of action and I realised that they were well known among the petty traders and shopkeepers in the area.
Things were so intense that I was almost immediately approached by the young beggars.
But they soon began to sniff something amiss – it was as if they knew that they were being followed and photographed.
Several traders even asked me why I had been photographing the beggars. They were worried that the beggars’ “livelihood” would be affected, and that enforcement action would follow.
From my observations, I learnt that the beggars operated under various modus operandi, depending on the age of their children.
The ones with babies would normally use a more “direct approach” by moving around in crowded areas to attract sympathy.
One of the mother beggars whom I thought was the most “hardworking” was identified as Sofinah.
She does not only operate along the terminal at Jalan Pos Baru but often gets onto buses to plead for money.
But after she kept seeing me, she disappeared.
Sofinah was afraid of me after I started taking her photographs.
She seemed to be the only one who was accompanied by her husband, Salim, who was physically handicapped. This guy only begged on the buses.
After several hours, Salim would go and enjoy teh tarik at a nearby restaurant while his wife continued to beg. The couple often sat next to each other at the bus stop.
Other beggars with very small children would wait at strategic spots such as the back lane near Plaza MPK. They would make their children sit in front of them, holding a bowl.
On weekends and public holidays when human traffic was heavy, the mothers would leave their children at a strategic point before moving to another location to beg. But they would often return to watch over the young ones.
Beggars with children who were independent sat along the pavement in front of shops or under trees near the terminal area.
I noticed that many of these mothers had more than three children.
There were those with five or six children “working” alongside them.
I witnessed how the children would run to their mothers with their collection. The mothers would quickly insert the coins into a pouch which they kept in a sling bag.
For the children, the area is not only a place for them to help their families eke out a living but is also their “playground”. They take time-off to rest and play with their friends.
11:20 AM
Posted by VOCR
And it looks like this “generational handover” of the trade will continue, as they themselves have their own children either in their arms or running around nearby begging from pedestrians.
Some of the women reportedly get pregnant often, as beggars carrying babies are usually more successful in getting the sympathy of passers-by.
The beggars are from a community of Myanmar refugees who first came here in the 1970s.
Social workers have said three generations are now living here, all of whom have had to resort to begging to make a living.
11:55 PM
Posted by VOCR