BurmaNet News, August 26-28, 2006

[Editor]

August 26-28, 2006 Issue # 3034


INSIDE BURMA
DVB: Ex-student leader says junta's media reports harmful for reconciliation
New Light of Myanmar: Min Ko Naing, Htay Kywe hold talks with British
Envoy, Ko Ko Gyi, Thet Zaw meet NLD members in Kalay, Kalewa
DVB: Monk pressured and intimidated for helping AIDS patients in Burma

ON THE BORDER
DVB: KNU and armed wing reconciled on Thai-Burma border
Reuters: Bangladesh seeks relocation of Myanmar refugees

BUSINESS / TRADE
Kaladan: Burma to introduce new measure to prevent tax evasion

REGIONAL
Nation: Burmese workers find Thai police are not very good sports

INTERNATIONAL
Helsingin Sanomat: Mob smashes windows of apartments housing refugees from
Myanmar
HeraldNet: No quarter for refugees
AFP: Fifty Karen refugees begin journey to United States
AP: South Korea welcomes North Korean defectors, but other refugees
struggle to be accepted

____________________________________
INSIDE BURMA

August 26, Democratic Voice of Burma
Ex-student leader says junta's media reports harmful for reconciliation

The 1988 generation students have warned that the junta dailies'
undisciplined writings and allegations could pose a hindrance to attempts
for national reconciliation. The Myanmar [Burma] Alin daily reported today
that the 1988 generation students' meeting with the British ambassador and
their visit to Kale and Kalewa are attempts to incite public unrest. Ko Ko
Gyi, one of the 1988 generation student leaders, issued this warning.

[Ko Ko Gyi] This is a leisure trip and I duly notified the responsible
officials before my departure. At the towns that I visited, local
officials also came and saw me. My expectations were, in building
understanding and confidence towards national reconciliation, although I
am unable to meet with the top leaders at the moment, if I am able to meet
with local officials during my visits and gain their understanding then it
is a bonus. When I reached Kale I thought of visiting Tamu [Indo-Burmese
border town] to gain some knowledge but I decided not to, to avoid
misunderstanding because it is close to the border. But when I returned I
came across this news report in the newspapers [that they came to the
region with the scheme to destroy regional peace and stability]. Usually
they will write something and we will give our rebuttal and this will go
on, so I remain silent to avoid all this. What happened was the newspaper
cited that it was the view of the locals from Kale. This is a very harmful
news report written at a time when we are working towards national
reconciliation. Does this mean the top-level responsible officials did not
know? Or is this the work of irresponsible personnel because I have duly
notified responsible officials about my itinerary? Or, I wonder whether
anarchy is reigning because the organizations seem to have no correlation
whatsoever with each other. [End of recording]

That was a response by Ko Ko Gyi, one of the 1988 generation student
leaders. The junta dailies have increased their attacks on the democratic
forces and this is the third time this week. This tactic was also used by
Gen Khin Nyunt's military intelligence apparatus but not to this extent.
They would use pseudonyms to write articles to present their views and
opinions. At present in Information Minister Brig-Gen Kyaw San's era, the
press blatantly attacks the opposition in the form of a news report.

Rangoon-based correspondents said the persons writing such news do not
seem to have the faintest idea of journalistic ethics and diplomatic code
of conduct and they fear the reports will push national reconciliation
expectations further away.

____________________________________

August 25, New Light of Myanmar
Min Ko Naing, Htay Kywe hold talks with British Envoy, Ko Ko Gyi, Thet Zaw
meet NLD members in Kalay, Kalewa

Yangon: Min Ko Naing and Htay Kywe of the group under the name of “88”
students and the British ambassador held discussions at the residence of
the first secretary of the British embassy here yesterday evening.

Ko Ko Gyi and Thet Zaw (Ba-ka-tha) of the same group arrived at Kalay in
Sagaing Division on 19 of this month and stayed at the house of the late
Dr Thein Win of the National League for Democracy, ex-representative-elect
of Kalay Township constituency 2. The two met with Kale Township NLD
chairman U Ka and writer Mya Hsint Chai on 19 and 20 August.

Together with children of the late Dr Thein Win, the two traveled to
Thaingngin village, Tiddim Township, Chin State, by car the next day. But
due to landslides, they went back to Kale. In the evening, they held
discussions with U Ka and U Myint Thein, who returned to the legal fold
after fleeing to the other country. U Myint Thein took part in the 1988
unrest.

On 22 August, Thet Zaw visited the house of U Tun Thein of NLD, while Ko
Ko Gyi held talks with U Ka, U Nyunt Maung (ward/village NLD member), U
Myint Thein, U Tun Thein, U Al Mya and U Do Htaw (Kale-1) on NLD
activities at the house of the late Dr Thein Win from 9 am to 5.30 pm.

The following day, Ko Ko Gyi and Thet Zaw together with two daughters of
the late Dr Thein Win and a female friend met with NLD members in Kalewa.

The five traveled from Kalewa to Monywa by Thein Than Kywe speed boat on
24 August. Thet Zaw had the itinerary to go to Yesagyo. Ko Ko Gyi and the
other three went to Yangon.

Local people's view on the activities of Ko Ko Gyi and group was that Ko
Ko Gyi and Min Ko Naing and party had taken part in the 1988 unrest; that
later they acted as political agents meeting with diplomats of some
Western powers, expatriate insurgents, members of a certain local
political party, and foreign media persons; that they came to the region
with the scheme to destroy regional peace and stability.

____________________________________

August 26, Democratic Voice of Burma
Monk pressured and intimidated for helping AIDS patients in Burma

Local Burmese authorities have been pressuring and intimidating the
Reverend Einthariya, a monk from Mahasi Yeiktha Monastery at Yenanggyaung,
Magwe Division in central Burma, for providing help to HIV/AIDS victims.

Local authority members repeatedly told him on 21, 22, 23 August that his
charitable actions are not in accordance with the codes of conduct of a
monk. He was also summoned by members of the township Sangha Maha Nayaka,
a top Buddhist monks organisation, and told not to resume his charitable
organisations due the order from the chief administrator of religious
affairs and local authority chairman. He was also threatened with arrest.

When asked if his charitable activities are not in accordance with the
codes of conduct of a monk, Reverend Einthariya replied:

“Why ever not? Even during the time of Our Lord (Buddha) he asked
Ingulimala to go and cure a woman in labour, isn’t it? There is no reason
this is not in accordance with the codes of conduct. Why is it not in
accordance with the conduct to save life? It infringes none of the 227
laws for the monks in this matter.”

He also added that the top abbot, the chairman of Township Sangha Maha
Nayaka was very understanding of his predicament and gave him advice. He
also explained to the abbot that he has been carrying out his charitable
activities with the National League for Democracy (NLD) because there is
no government sponsored charity group to help the victims, and that he is
willing to work with the government if they expand their help for the
victims.

Reverend Einthariya has been helping HIV/AIDS victims for three years and
he coordinates with other NLD volunteers such as Phyu Phyu Thin and Yarza
in Rangoon and helping the patients make contact with them or taking the
patients to Rangoon himself. He also procures medicines for local patients
and distributes educational leaflets on the disease.

Despite the ever presence of harassment, pressure and intimidation, he
vowed to continue his charitable activities even if he is forced to
disrobe and leave the monkshood, Reverend Einthariya insisted.

Asked why the authorities have been harassing him, Reverend Eithariya said:

“What shall I say? At our monastery, there is a small lame dog. This lame
dog eats from the nearest plate and it does so, other big dogs give him
space, because they know that it is a lame dog. Therefore, it eats at the
plate left unoccupied for him. I was thinking, it would be nice if these
people (the authorities) have as much common sense/conscience like those
dogs at our monastery. I have nothing else to say.”

____________________________________
ON THE BORDER

August 26, Democratic Voice of Burma
KNU and armed wing reconciled on Thai-Burma border

Leaders of Karen National Union (KNU) Central and one of its military
wings, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) Brigade – 7, have sorted
out their differences and decided to continue their still unfinished
revolution, according to a statement issued by KNU today.

The statement came out at the end of an emergency meeting held at the KNLA
Brigade – 7 Region on the Thai-Burmese border to sort out the
misunderstanding arising from underhanded divide-and-rule action of
Burma’s military junta, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC).
The Karen leaders also decided to find solutions to the political problems
of Burma by means of dialogue.

“The result (of the meeting) is, we have this KNU 13th Congress. We
decided to continue our activities based on the policies adopted there,
with the same mind and stomach (in unity),” KNU Secretary General Phado
Mahn Sha. “All the commanders were satisfied. In particular, there were
some matters the commanders who were not clear in their view (about the
actions of some KNU leaders). We explained those to them. They were
worried that there might be some divisions within the Karen Revolution.
There are some efforts they are trying not to be so. Everyone is worried
that there might be some divisions within the Karen Revolution, especially
among the whole of the Karen people. We all see that if things turn out
like that, it would not be good, and it is a great success that we are of
the same mind and stomach again.”

A commander of Brigade – 7, Maj Saw Htein Maung gave his reaction to the
latest development as follows:

“There have been a little bit of differences in way of thinking among us.
Therefore, there have been some explanations among us. The letter from the
Central is the same. We have to continue to work together now and in the
future. We have to stand firm regarding our duties until we succeed in our
revolution.”

____________________________________

August 23, Reuters
Bangladesh seeks relocation of Myanmar refugees

Dhaka: Bangladesh on Wednesday sought international assistance, including
from the United States, to help find a new home for thousands of refugees
from Myanmar, saying it couldn't afford to keep them any longer.

Some 21,000 Rohingya Muslims from mainly Buddhist Myanmar have been living
in two camps in Cox's Bazar district, 450 km (280 miles) southeast of the
Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka for more than a decade.

They were among hundreds of thousands of minority Rohingyas who fled the
west Myanmar region of Arakan in early 1992 to escape persecution by the
military government.

Bangladesh's Food and Disaster Management Minister Chowdhury Kamal Ibne
Yusuf said he had discussed the refugee problem with visiting U.S.
Assistant Secretary of State for Bureau of Population, Refugee and
Migrations, Ellen R. Sauerbrey.

"We have urged the U.S. and the U.N. to try to relocate the Myanmar
refugees in a third country," Yusuf told reporters.

Impoverished Bangladesh was not in a position to accommodate thousands of
refugees for an indefinite period, he said.

Sauerbrey, who toured the Myanmar refugee camps, said she had urged
Bangladesh to allow international aid organisations to help the refugees.

"A better living condition with adequate healthcare, food and education
for children are the prime need at the moment," she said.

Bangladesh officials say in addition to those in the camps, there were
more than 10,000 Rohingyas from Myanmar living on the banks of the river
Naf which partially delineates the 320-km (200-mile) border between the
two countries.

____________________________________
BUSINESS / TRADE

August 28, Kaladan News
Burma to introduce new measure to prevent tax evasion

Rangoon, Burma: A new measure to be introduced soon in Burma will prevent
private companies doing business in the country from evading tax, a local
weekly journal reported in this week's issue.

The biennial renewal of business licenses of companies will be granted
only on full settlement of their profit tax levied on them annually, said
the Kumudra journal.

Thirty percent of the profit will be taxed each year for companies, it
said, adding that company’s responsible persons, who apply to leave Burma,
will have to undergo tax clearance checks before they are allowed to go.

Meanwhile, Burma is stepping up levying of income taxes on employees in
the private sector and the move has begun since June.

According to the Internal Revenue Department, for the past 18 years, the
government had not taken a serious approach to tax collection from private
companies and individuals. With the rate of tax collection remaining
unchanged, income tax ranges from five to 30 percent on varying income
levels for local currency earners, while that for foreign currency earners
it is a flat 10 percent.

Observers commented that tax evasion has reached a critical stage in Burma
with the majority of the people seeking to evade paying taxes. As one of
its measures, the government designated that people who are found to be
evading taxes, will be banned from travelling abroad until the financial
debts have been settled, according to the department.

The department statistics show that the country gained Kyat 400 billion
(about US $ 363 million) in revenue in the fiscal year 2005-06 which ended
in March, a significant increase over the previous years but much lower
than targeted.

The department attributed the lower figures to tax evasion, blaming some
companies and individuals of presenting false data about their income for
taxation assessment as well as the government's ineffective measures in
collecting tax from companies, service providers, restaurants,
supermarkets or individuals for the last 18 years.

However, the finance authorities held that the recent amendments to income
and commercial tax laws would not affect the tax rate levied by the
government but would ensure that tax collection policy will be more
effective and widespread.

Income tax represents about 90 percent of total government revenue.

_____________________________________
REGIONAL

August 28, The Nation
Burmese workers find Thai police are not very good sports - Nakhon Pathom

When more than 10,000 itinerant Burmese labourers gathered at the sports
ground of the Royal Police Cadet Academy in Sam Pran, Nakhon Pathom,
yesterday, they were looking forward to enjoying their annual traditional
celebration.

But within moments their hopes were dashed when some 200 officers of the
Sam Pran District Police and the Immigration Police went to the field to
round up the workers, who began to flee in panic. When calm was restored,
674 had been detained.

The workers thought they had been given permission to use the field.

Those who arrived for the event included Burmese and Karen labourers and
Burmese students from several provinces in Thailand. They claimed that one
of their community leaders had already sought permission to use the field
for the event.

An officer at the academy reported to local police yesterday that a huge
number of alien labourers were arriving by bus and taking over the
football field.

Nirun Sukkrai, 30, a leader of the Burmese group, said he thought the
academy had given permission for them to use the field for the traditional
ceremony, so he invited 10,000 Burmese people in Thailand to attend and
take part in football matches.

The event, subsidised by 70,000 Burmese migrants, had been held 14 times
before at various other places in the province such as at college or
school sports fields.

"But we were not allowed to use the old places this year, so my friend
Thanasit Kheiwsaard asked for permission to use the field of the Royal
Police Cadet Academy. We never thought we would be arrested," Nirun said.

Col Padsanong Boonyakiet, deputy commander of the academy, said he
mistakenly gave permission because Thanasit told him he wanted to use the
field for soccer games involving only 200 factory workers.

"I had no idea it would turn out to be 10,000 foreign labourers coming
here," he said.

Sam Pran district police chief, Col Kritsakorn Plithanyawong, said some of
those detained were illegal workers who would be sent back to Burma.

Another officer said the police were looking for Thanasit, the leader of
the group, who had fled the scene yesterday.

_____________________________________
INTERNATIONAL

August 28, Helsingin Sanomat (Finland)
Mob smashes windows of apartments housing refugees from Myanmar

Two men held after racist attack in Kotka

Two young men have been held in the south coast city Kotka in the
aftermath of an incident in which a group of men attacked a building
housing refugees from Myanmar - formerly Burma.

About 20 young men broke windows of a public housing apartment house in
the city’s Suulisniemi district on Wednesday.

The building is home to 40 Myanmar refugees who arrived in Finland in
April as part of this country’s annual refugee quota.

The two who were arrested were local residents. One of them was born in
1984 and the other was born in 1988. Police inspector Juha Junkkari said
that others have also been interrogated, and the questioning continues. He
says that the motive for the action has not yet emerged.

There were two incidents of window-breaking on Wednesday. In the
afternoon, two people are believed to have been involved, and later in the
evening, there were about 20.

Weapons included stones and pieces of wood.

The attack was condemned on Friday by Minister of Labour Tarja Filatov (SDP).

The attacks were met with shock in Kotka. Junkkari says that on previous
occasions police had received scattered reports of windows of refugees’
apartments being broken in the same area, as well as clashes between
people of different nationalities, but the latest one was more extensive
than before.

Social Worker Virpi Kupiainen has spoken with the refugees themselves
after the attack. She says that the predominant emotions are great anguish
and fear.

"We tried to offer them the possibility to go somewhere else
provisionally, but they decided that they did not want to leave, because
they would have to come back anyway."

The company that runs the apartments has increased its security
surveillance of the area.

The integration process of the Myanmar refugees is on hold until their
faith in security returns, Kupiainen says.

"Behind the anguish for many are their memories of their home countries.
They have thought that they would be safe here. It is incredible that
something like this can happen."

Kotka immigration coordinator Jaana Kosonen hopes that the events would
lead to an open discussion on tolerance. She said that since the events on
Wednesday, many city residents have contacted her.

"The message was that this kind of thing is not acceptable, and that such
acts have no place in our city."

_____________________________________

August 28, HeraldNet (Everett, Washington)
No quarter for refugees

Alleged terror ties keep asylum seekers out of Everett - Krista J. Kapralos

Everett: People who would have become some of Everett's newest residents
have been turned away because they are considered terrorists under the
Patriot Act.

Last week, residents of Everett's most visible refugee enclave celebrated
their different cultures with a party at the Grandview Community Center.

Meanwhile, thousands of ethnic Karen refugees from Burma, also known as
Myanmar, languished in squalid refugee camps in Thailand.

Some of those refugees were to have made Everett their new home this summer.

More than 10,000 Karen have been granted status as refugees because of the
oppression they've endured for more than 50 years under a military
government. But now, U.S. immigration officials allege they're connected
to terrorist organizations.

Some of those refugees were to be resettled in Everett, said Jan Stephens,
director of Lutheran Community Services NW, an organization that resettles
refugees in Western Washington.

They've run afoul of the Patriot Act of 2001 and the REAL ID Act of 2005,
which further tightened asylum laws.

The Karen are not alone. Many people trying to escape Cuba, Liberia,
Colombia and other troubled countries are classified as having provided
"material support" to terrorists. In reality, many were forced to aid
violent soldiers who passed through their villages.

Women in Liberia who were raped by soldiers have been told that they
offered aid to rebel groups, experts say. Cubans who resisted Fidel
Castro's communist regime have been denied entry here because of supposed
affiliation with clandestine terrorist groups.

Many Karen refugees, who make up the largest group affected by the
legislation, may have aided the Karen National Liberation Army, a militia
that fights the country's military junta.

The Karen were granted refugee status because they fled from the Burmese
government, but because they may have helped the rebel soldiers who fight
against that government, they aren't admitted into the U.S., said Thaung
Htun.

Htun is a member of a democratic government that operates in exile on
behalf of Burmese.

"Their resettlement in the United States should not be delayed because of
the confusion," Htun said.

Htun spent five years in a Thai refugee camp.

"There is no electricity and no communication," he said. "These are
makeshift bamboo tents, and they are very crowded."

The refugees aren't allowed to attend school or seek work. Until they are
resettled in the U.S., they will spend their days waiting.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has granted a waiver to a small
number of refugees.

Joe Pitts, a Republican congressman from Pennsylvania, recently introduced
a bill that would alter the language of current laws to exempt refugees
who have helped groups that have been mistakenly labeled as terrorist
organizations and would protect those who were forced to help those
groups.

"This would be a statutory fix," Gave Neville, Pitts' chief of staff,
said. "People who are not really terrorists would not be arbitrarily
categorized as such just because of the place they live or the things
they've been forced to do."

Neville said Pitts will reintroduce the bill at the next congressional
session in January if it is not addressed before the end of the current
session in September.

In the 25 years before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the U.S.
accepted an average of 90,000 refugees each year, according to Human
Rights First, a refugee advocacy group. Since the attacks, the annual
quota of 70,000 has yet to be met.

Van Dinh Kuno, director of the Snohomish County Refugee and Immigrant
Forum, is hopeful that Burma's most desperate refugees will soon arrive in
the United States. When that happens, Snohomish County could receive
anywhere from several dozen to several hundred people.

"These decisions often change at the last minute, even when they are in
the airplane coming to the United States," she said.

What she does know is that Everett should have been home to the Burmese
families by now.

Grandview Community Center, the social hub of a cluster of
government-owned duplexes and triplexes in north Everett, was abuzz
Thursday at a party held to celebrate the many cultures in the
neighborhood.

Clamoring children converged on a table covered with sweets. They shouted
at one another in Russian, Arabic and MaiMai, an African dialect.

More than two-thirds of the families in the neighborhood are refugees from
Iraq, the former Soviet Union, Africa and other places, said Teena
Ellison, family services coordinator for the Everett Housing Authority.
The demographics change constantly, as families move away from subsidized
housing and new refugees arrive.

"This year, that neighborhood will change yet again," Kuno said. "We will
have more African refugees, there will be the Burmese, and some Iranians.
The picture in Everett will change once again."

_____________________________________

August 28, Agence France Presse
Fifty Karen refugees begin journey to United States

Bangkok: Nearly 50 Karen refugees on Monday left a cramped camp on the
Thai-Myanmar border and began their journey to a new life in the United
States, Thai interior ministry officials said.

The 47 ethnic minority Karen are the third such group to leave Than Him
refugee camp in Thailand's western Ratchaburi province since an operation
began on August 15 to resettle more than 1,700 in the United States and
Australia.

So far 146 people have left the camp in the six-week operation.

Monday's resettlement comes as Antonio Guterres, the UN High Commissioner
for Refugees, arrived in Thailand on a four-day mission. He will visit
Tham Hin on Tuesday with US Assistant Secretary of State Ellen Sauerbrey.

A UNHCR statement on Friday said the aim of Guterres's trip was to
underline the importance of resettlement as a solution for the refugees,
some of whom have been living in camps for 20 years.

It added that the United States plans to accept 2,700 Karen refugees this
year.

Nearly 10,000 ethnic Karen who fled fighting in their homeland of Myanmar
are currently living in the overcrowded Tham Hin camp.

They had previously not been eligible for resettlement in the United
States because many of them back the Karen National Union, an armed group
fighting the Yangon military junta.

But in May, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice waived the law meaning the
refugees will no longer be viewed as terrorism supporters, paving the way
for some 9,300 Karen to apply to live in the United States.

_____________________________________

August 27, Associated Press
South Korea welcomes North Korean defectors, but other refugees struggle
to be accepted - Mi-Sook Jeong

Seoul: Fleeing oppression at home, Aung Myint Swe had high hopes he'd be
warmly welcomed as an asylum seeker in South Korea, which like his native
Myanmar suffered decades of repression under military dictatorship.

The 46-year-old had watched admiringly as South Korea blossomed into a
democracy in the 1970s and '80s while he was active in uprisings against
the Myanmar military regime, supporting opposition leader Aung San Suu
Kyi.

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But his experience hasn't been what he hoped. He had to wait four years to
be granted asylum, in 2003, and he is still struggling to get by. He gets
no government assistance and cannot find work other than harsh manual
labor.

“I can't bring my family over here ... because my own survival is
precarious,” said Swe, whose wife and two children are still in Myanmar,
also known as Burma.

Despite his disappointment, Swe is among the lucky ones – one of just 48
refugees from countries other than North Korea who have been officially
recognized here since South Korea joined the U.N. refugee convention in
1992.

Under South Korea's constitution, North Koreans are regarded as citizens
of the South, and Seoul has welcomed some 8,500 North Korean defectors.
But the situation for other refugees is drastically different.

It wasn't until 2001 that South Korea even granted asylum to its first
non-Korean refugee, and it has denied 229 asylum applications. Still
awaiting a decision are 445 refugees, while 94 have withdrawn their
requests and 35 were allowed three-month stays on humanitarian grounds but
not granted refugee status. Fifty-three others are appealing rejections.

For defectors from the North, the government provides support for career
education, housing and some $10,500 in settlement aid per person along
with three months of assimilation training.

Other refugees get no help, and they are banned from working until they
are granted asylum, forcing them to struggle for their survival.

“There are no other ways for refugee-seekers to support themselves except
to steal or work illegally,” said Hwang Pil-gyu, a lawyer who helps
refugees seek asylum.

Many do illegal work in factories or manual jobs. Newspapers and
broadcasters have reported many cases of foreigners being abused by Korean
employers or colleagues, such as being cheated of wages or forced to work
in dangerous conditions.

A Justice Ministry official who deals with refugee matters, Kong
Jon-haeng, said the government is “putting a lot of effort” into the
refugee situation.

But he added that the government is concerned migrants from impoverished
nations are seeking asylum status in prosperous South Korea to get jobs.
Some 180,000 foreigners are believed to reside illegally in South Korea,
according to the Justice Ministry.

Some refugees argue that worries about economic migrants are simply an
excuse not to acknowledge legitimate asylum seekers.

Activists also accuse the government of failing to address the needs of
refugee seekers who don't know about the social system and don't speak
Korean, saying asylum decisions are often made with insufficient
communication.

Lawyer Hwang Pil-gyu noted the government doesn't provide interpreters to
asylum seekers. “How can a person who barely speaks simple language get
across such a complicated situation as being a refugee?” he said.

South Korea's asylum system was called “rudimentary” by the U.N. refugee
agency.

“Some aspects of the current system do not yet meet the international
standards ... necessary to effective refugee protection,” such as a lack
of translators, Janice Lynn Marshall of the U.N. refugee office in South
Korea said in an e-mail.

A political refugee from Bangladesh, who calls himself Ronel Chakma – not
his full name – in fear of reprisals against relatives at home, came to
South Korea as a tourist in 1994, staying illegally off-and-on until he
was granted asylum in 2004, two years after applying.

He said he chose South Korea for its democracy and relatively high level
of security.

He works at a furniture factory in a Seoul suburb with his wife, has
opened an office to support fellow countrymen seeking asylum and is still
pushing for increased sovereignty for his own people, the indigenous Jumma
minority in southeastern Bangladesh.

Chakma said a brother at home recently told him Bangladeshi government
agents are still tracking his whereabouts, so he is happy to be in South
Korea, especially for his 7-year-old son, who just started school.

But he'd like to see better conditions for those who flee oppressive
regimes at home.

“I wish there was some tangible support for refugees like myself,” Chakma
said.