Taipei, Dec. 13 (CNA) Dr. Cynthia Maung, a Burmese physician who has been providing medical services to Burmese refugees for almost 20 years, said Thursday that there are serious human rights issues in Myanmar.
Maung, recipient of the 2007 Asia Democracy and Human Rights Award (ADHRA) , received the award and grant worth US$100,000 from President Chen Shui-bian in a ceremony before participating in a forum on human rights issue in Myanmar.
Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, has been ruled by a military junta since 1988. The junta changed the country's official English name to the "Union of Myanmar" in 1989, a move which is not recognized by many opponents of the regime.
Estimates of the displaced population on the Thai-Myanmarese border range between 500,000 - 600,000, composed mostly of people forced to leave their towns and farms because of civil wars and oppression from the military junta, she said. It has been very difficult for refugees to gain access to everything from health care and education to clean water and accommodation, she added.
In addition, the refugees face threats from land mines, epidemics and drugs. Taken together, the human rights issue in Myanmar is simply too serious to be overlooked, she said.
The 48-year-old doctor, herself a refugee and a member of the ethnic Karen minority, established the Mae Tao Clinic in Mae Sot, Thailand, near the Thai-Burmese border, in 1988. Since then, the clinic has been providing not only medical care, but also job training, social services, health education, child protection, and community-building activities.
Michael Hsiao, Executive Director of Academia Sinica's Center for Asia-Pacific Area Studies, described situation in Myanmar as "a human hell" where civilians have been deprived of the right of stay in their hometowns.
"As a matter of fact, Taiwan might not be able to do much to improve situation in Myanmar. But Taiwanese can offer support simply by focusing more attention on the problems [in Myanmar] and at the same time take that as a warning to ensure that the same does not happen again in Taiwan," he said.
Some Taiwanese have been doing more than just bringing attention to the issue. The Taipei Overseas Peace Service (TOPS), for instance, has been sending humanitarian missions to Myanmar for 10 years.
The human rights situation in Myanmar and conditions in 10 refugee camps along the Thai-Myanmarese border have been deteriorating, said Sam Lai, a TOPS team leader who's been working in Myanmar for five years.
All the refugees were disappointed after the demonstrations in September failed to overthrow the military regime, Lai said, adding that "they thought they could finally go home."
"For the past five years, my mother has always been asking me the same question: When will you come home? I always answer: Maybe next year, " he said.
"Hopefully, all our Myanmarese friends will be able to go back home someday so I can tell my mother that I'm finally coming home, " Lai said.