Refugees from Burma (Myanmar)
Resource-rich and fertile, Burma was once regarded as “the rice bowl of Asia.” Under military rule since 1962, its fortunes have steadily declined, and today it is one of the world’s least developed and least free countries. It is also the source of one of the world’s most protracted refugee crises. More than half a million refugees from Burma, also called Myanmar, are in mainly neighboring and nearby countries such as Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, and Thailand. Around 150,000 people, mostly ethnic Karen and Karenni, are living in designated camps in Thailand; some have been in these camps for more than 2 decades. Burma is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world. Within the eight main ethnic groups inhabiting the country, anthropologists have counted more than 130 distinctive subgroups.
Burma gained independence from the British in 1948, which almost immediately led to civil wars throughout the entire country. In 1962, the military ruled Burma with cruel ambition. They instilled the "four cuts policy" which cut insurgent armies off from their food, funds, recruit, and information. They would burn entire villages to the ground and use villagers as shields against the ethnic armies' attacks. In 1988 the people, led by student groups, had finally had enough and took to the streets to protest the authoritarian regime. They were met with extreme violence and on August 8, 1988 3,000 students and demonstrators were killed in a single day. Since then the military junta has been periodically terrorizing villages all across Burma causing thousands to seek refuge across the borders.
In 2010 the military government ceded to a civilian government which began the long road to democratic reform. Elections in 2015 resulted in new leadership under Nobel Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. However, civil unrest continues in the ethnic border states, and persecution of the Rohingya people in Rakhine State persists.
Burma gained independence from the British in 1948, which almost immediately led to civil wars throughout the entire country. In 1962, the military ruled Burma with cruel ambition. They instilled the "four cuts policy" which cut insurgent armies off from their food, funds, recruit, and information. They would burn entire villages to the ground and use villagers as shields against the ethnic armies' attacks. In 1988 the people, led by student groups, had finally had enough and took to the streets to protest the authoritarian regime. They were met with extreme violence and on August 8, 1988 3,000 students and demonstrators were killed in a single day. Since then the military junta has been periodically terrorizing villages all across Burma causing thousands to seek refuge across the borders.
In 2010 the military government ceded to a civilian government which began the long road to democratic reform. Elections in 2015 resulted in new leadership under Nobel Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. However, civil unrest continues in the ethnic border states, and persecution of the Rohingya people in Rakhine State persists.
Refugees from Burma Living in Worcester, Massachusetts
To date, the United States has resettled over 100,000 refugees from Burma. Worcester began inviting refugees from Burma in 2008. Over 1,500 refugees from Burma have resettled to Massachusetts and Worcester is home to just over 200. These people mainly represent the Karen and Karenni ethnicities, but there are also Chin, Kachin, Burman, Shan, Muslim, and Rohingya people. Most of these people escaped the civil wars in their home states in Burma, but were farmers prior to encampment in Thailand. Some have spent as many as 20 years in refugee camps in Thailand or urban settings in Malaysia and so have been forbidden by the hosting government to have jobs, attend public schools, or own businesses. Moving to Worcester, they are looking for a better life for themselves and their children. Here they face the language barrier and culture shock in addition to trying to find jobs before their government assistance runs out.
WRAP was created in the process of providing friendship and helping the refugees get to know Worcester and its people.
WRAP was created in the process of providing friendship and helping the refugees get to know Worcester and its people.
Suggested Reading
A clinic for Burmese refugees and migrants on the Thai-Burma border,
A 7-minute documentary film about a Karen refugee in Worcester,
More cultural information about refugees from Burma
The Question of Refugees: Past and Present
A 7-minute documentary film about a Karen refugee in Worcester,
More cultural information about refugees from Burma
The Question of Refugees: Past and Present
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Click here to watch an episode of A Bridge to Better Mental Health on Worcester's WCCA TV in September 2016 featuring three young refugee women from Burma
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