18.03.2007
Illegal Immigrants
_ by Victor S Khambil
The history of mankind on earth is inarguably economic migration. Tracing back to ancient ancestral migration, it is reality in nature that no living creature could live without enough edibles. The nature of living is moving into the greener pasture even if the greed of power is the driving force of all evils on global face. On modern term, we may say that European illegal immigrants supplanted Red Indian land in North America since the past 5-6 centuries. Mongoloid origin people are vastly scattered in Asia. The first settlers who supplanted animals were called aborigines and defended their first-handed places from others which now become popular in modern history as motherlands everywhere on earth. The evolution of urbanization was the solution of rural dispersion which were dissolved by economic hardship or dearth of survival. No human being is illegal creature. It has been universal rights of human to move or migrate until the greedier one put a limit on his first-hand from others to coexist.
The issue of modern term as “illegal immigrant” by a host country where foreigners approach in search of better survival is now hugely the outburst of debates among politicians especially in developed or developing countries. The issue of illegal immigrant mostly stems from the ascription of criminalities or social ills in which the politicians gamble the match with the citizens they rule. Politics is a game between two rivals where all known things on earth are inserted inside a global ball and dodge each other to score the winner. While some religious pious are preaching to make solace among the masses by defining the circular form of earth creation as a symbol of zero since nothing is perfect in the world and God only is perfect, politicians are kicking, dodging and scoring everywhere. The want of power and blindly leading people is resulted always in survival troubles through out histories.
The military regime knows that they are giving trouble to 52 millions Burmese civilians for their survival but they remain pigheaded since they do not want to relinquish power seat. They dread they will execute, hang, confiscate all their illegal amassed wealth or lock their life inside if given power to their rivals. They know they are trampling millions of citizens under their heels and see large civilians fleeing into their neighbors but closed their eyes and ears. Burmese civilians are shuttling scapegoats between state-prisoners and illegal immigrants for almost two decades. The government of Malaysia is now trumpeting that Burmese are illegal immigrants… ignoring the political calamities befalling on them in Burma even if Malaysian government is the strongest voice against military regime in Burma among 10 Asean nations. Out of 1.8 million foreign workers, 700,000 are illegal immigrants in Malaysia according to government figure while 100,000 are suppose to be refugees from Burma and Acehnese from Indonesia.
In fact, Malaysia is inarguably laying it foundation’s infrastructure of building into the developed nation in 2020 on the expenses of the now they defunct as illegal immigrants. In the past 6-7-8 years, Malaysia was hugely in need of unskilled labour to strike out with raw materials to lay the foundation of it visionary develop nation and keeping mum on illegal immigrants issue. However, as the nation is gradually hardening into skilled labour, raising high their big hand on foreigners and even whip them as if criminals. It is in stark contradictory with Malaysia government chairing of United Nations Human Rights Commission in 1995-1996 to 1998. Whipping a person as if a dangerous offender who in fact has no other than undocumented status is totally unacceptable and clearly violates standard of government ethics especially a country like in Malaysia where multi cultural society is highly valued. Count the blessing of the people considers illegal immigrants who contribute largely in the now flourishing economy of Malaysia and match the punishment they received whether they deserve or not to leave them with everlasting scars on their flesh by caning them just because of having no document.
The Malaysian government still impugn on ingenuous illegal immigrant issue to systematically insinuating the public by enlarging a minor offense among foreigners into huge inimical crime and conduct sweeping raid indiscriminately as if they battle the enemy of the public. Charging a small UN humanitarian agency to establish camps for thousands of refugees in Malaysia is highly unlikely to solve illegal immigrant problems. The neighboring countries of Malaysia especially Indonesia who is licking the wound of three decades military rule which plagued Indonesian domestic economy profoundly plus natural disaster like tsunami and earthquakes, and Myanmar which is worsening economically and politically every year is only producing more refugees into neighboring countries. As long as regional economic development do not go proportionally within the acceptable direction especially among Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia and Indonesia, the biggest burden of illegal immigrants will be inevitably born by the most developed nation among them. The force of hunger is most dangerous if strike in last breath or in maximum.
We are all children of our mothers and no one is born illegal human being. Repelling illegal immigrants as if allergic to the country wellbeing is only placing itself ignominy. The debates on opinion matures into decisions, grow further into bills which amalgamated again into law and from which breeds tons of legal proceedings. No one can govern the law but enforce. Can we say that illegal immigrants are illegally punished by government because of having no legal document required by law? A person who in no way able to obtain legal document but forced out of his/her home country by substantiate fear of imminent danger to his/her life because of politic, religious or culture is no other than a refugee. A person who by all means can get legal document but ignore in favour of his own will and infiltrate into a foreign nation where eschew again all kind of available legal requirement to stay is no other than illegal immigrant.
I hope not only Malaysia should distinguish Burmese refugees from illegal immigrants but neighboring countries and worldwide will measure the Burmese refugees on the ongoing political situation in Burma whether the reality of living in Burma poses substantiate danger to his/her life. Burma (now Myanmar) is a prison-state. The only Nobel Peace laureate who is democratically support by 80% of the nationwide vote but imprisoned now in Burma under lawless military rulers is a clear evident to show on global face that Burma is a state-prison. We do not want to be illegal immigrants and we are illegal immigrants. Don’t let us go home when the rulers are vanished from Myanmar with scars on our flesh just because of having no document. We are wandering in political wilderness because of uncivilized military rulers out there in Myanmar.
.
Your Comments here_
Request: If you can kindly volunteer to translate BURMA DIGEST English articles into Burmese, please let us know burmadigest@tayzathuria.org.uk .
Last issue's English article
