Ethnic Minorities

Shan refugee camp on the Thai-Burma border

Ethnic Minority Groups

The majority of Burma's people belong to the Burman ethnic group, composing two-thirds of the population. The remaining one-third of the Burmese people consists of various ethnic minority groups:
· 69% Burman
· 8.5% Shan
· 6.2% Karen
· 4.5% Rakhine
· 2.4% Mon
· 2.2% Chin
· 1.4% Kachin

The main immigrant groups are:
· 3.4% Chinese
· 2.4% Indian

The breakdown of religious affiliation within Burma is:
· 89% Buddhist
· 5% Christian
· 4% Muslim
· 1% Animist
· 1% Other

Human Rights Violations

Ethnic minorities in Burma find themselves victims of human rights violations aimed particularly at their minority status. All people in Burma experience human rights atrocities committed by the ruling military junta; however, ethnic minorities are an especially vulnerable target due to their membership in a minority group, physically setting them apart from the majority of the population.

Ethnic minorities are victimised by many human rights abuses such as forced and child labour, particularly in the minority Shan and Karen state borderlands, also among Muslims in northern Rakhine state. Ethnic minorities experience land extortion and confiscation, causing the nationwide problem of forced relocation and internal displacement of ethnic minorities. Burma is estimated to have one and a half million such internally displaced people.

According to recent reports from human rights groups, the military uses rape and sexual violence as a weapon of war to terrorise ethnic women of the Shan state. Reported cases of rape have increased dramatically in the past six years with the mounting of political tension.

Demands of Ethnic Minorities

The main principal demands of Burma's ethnic minorities include genuine self-government for their home areas and the attainment of their rights to political dialogue and a significant voice in the affairs of the country as a whole.

Ethnic minorities face great difficulty in achieving these demands through spreading knowledge and organising themselves into a united front, since ethnic political parties are not allowed to function openly in Burma. Since the 1988 coup, the ruling Burmese regime has waged fierce assaults against most armed ethnic opposition groups, negotiating ceasefires with some of them.

The junta continually chooses not to act on the many grievances of ethnic groups. Burma's democratic opposition has urged serious efforts to address these issues, for ethnic reconciliation and cooperation is a major challenge for a future Burmese democracy. Prospects for a democratic, prosperous and peaceful Burma remain dim without a just and amicable settlement to the country's ethnic conflicts.

Refugees and Undocumented Immigrants

Several million Burmese--many of them ethnic minorities--have fled the country for economic and political reasons to neighbouring Thailand, Bangladesh, India and China to seek asylum and employment. Hundreds of thousands of Burmese are undocumented immigrants who reside and work without the required documentation in these countries bordering Burma. Thailand contains ten refugee camps with Burmese ethnic minority residents, and Bangladesh has two such camps.

Questions

1. Why are ethnic minorities especially vulnerable to human rights violations, and what policies and actions can the regime implement to solve this problem?

2. Why is ethnic minority status socially defined as an inferior status in Burma and most countries in the world, and how might Burma and the world be different if it was not?

3. What is an undocumented immigrant, where are many Burmese undocumented immigrants residing and what are they doing?

4. What is a refugee camp, and in what countries are the 12 refugee camps located where Burmese reside?

5. What is an ethnic minority, and what percentage of each ethnic minority makes up the population of Burma?

6. What types of human rights violations do ethnic minorities experience and for what purpose, and what policies and actions can the regime implement to solve this problem?

7. What are the principle demands of Burma's ethnic minorities and why do they face great difficulty in achieving these demands?

8. What policies and actions can the regime implement to assist ethnic minorities in achieving their demands?

9. Why are ethnic political parties unable to function openly in Burma, and how might Burma be different today if they were allowed?

10. Why has the Burmese regime waged fierce assaults against most armed ethnic opposition groups, and what might happen if they did not?

11. Why does the junta continually choose not to act on the many grievances of ethnic groups, and what policies and actions can the regime implement to address these grievances?

12. Why has Burma's democratic opposition urged serious efforts to address the issues affecting ethnic minorities, and what might happen if they did?

13. Why have several million Burmese--many of them ethnic minorities--fled the country, where have they gone and what are they doing?

14. What policies and actions can the regime implement to solve the problems of undocumented immigrants and refugees?

Activities

1. Create a poster map identifying Burma's geographic regions and areas where ethnic minority groups reside.

2. Complete an assignment on global ethnic minority statistics and campaigns.

3. Complete an assignment on the history of Burma's ethnic minority groups and issues they currently face. Devise policies and actions the Burmese regime can now implement to resolve the issues of ethnic minorities. Devise counterfactual scenarios for how Burma might be different today if these issues were resolved. Compare and contrast Burmese ethnic minorities and issues with those of another country, and those of your own country.

4. Complete an assignment on the human rights violations experienced by ethnic minorities in Burma such as forced labour, land extortion and confiscation, forced relocation, internal displacement and rape as a weapon of war. Devise policies and actions the Burmese regime can now implement to resolve this issue.

5. Organise classroom discussion and debate representing both sides of ethnic minority issues in Burma.

6. Give a speech presentation outlining the arguments and demands of ethnic minorities in Burma.

7. Complete an assignment on the opposition activities of Burma's ethnic minorities and why they face great difficulty in achieving justice. Examine the inability of ethnic political parties to function openly and the fierce assaults waged against armed ethnic opposition groups by the Burmese regime. Devise policies and actions the Burmese regime can now implement to resolve the issues of ethnic minorities. Devise counterfactual scenarios for how Burma might be different today if these issues were resolved.

8. Complete an assignment on Burmese undocumented immigrants in other countries. Devise policies and actions the Burmese regime can now implement to resolve the issues of undocumented immigrants. Compare and contrast Burmese undocumented immigrants with those of another country, and those of your own country.

9. Complete an assignment on Burmese refugee camps in other countries. Devise policies and actions the Burmese regime can now implement to resolve the issues of refugees. Compare and contrast Burmese refugee camps with those of another country, and those of your own country if applicable.

Web Sites

For further information on Ethnic Minorities in Burma, please visit our Links Page.

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Last Modified: Sunday, 22-Apr-2007 16:14:16 EST
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