Mizzima news (www.mizzima.com)

18 November 2003

About 250 Burmese nationals staged a demonstration today in New Delhi against the continued detention of 43 Burmese refugees and asylum seekers
who are currently lodged in Tihar Jail in New Delhi.

Holding placards and shouting slogans of " Release innocent prisoners, We
need refugees status, We want ; resettlement, UNHCRsilent killer", the Burmese held a protest near Jantar Mantar in central New Delhi.

The demonstrators in their memorandum to the Indian Prime Minister Shri Atal
Bihari Vajpayee, stated that the "UNHCR had recently cut down Subsistence
Allowance of Rs. 1400 per month by 60% and since 1994, the office had not
increased the SA despite inflation in the country". They also alleged that about 99% of asylum applications have been rejected without any written reason.

The demonstrators had requested the Indian Prime Minister to release all the
43 Burmese refugees who were arrested on November 12 while demonstrating in front of the UNHCR by the Delhi Police.

Several Burmese refugees and asylum seekers had staged sit-in protests against UNHCR in front of the UNHCR office in New Delhi from 20 October. They demanded the recognition of refugees by the UNHCR and their resettlement in third countries.

UNHCR had refused to accept the demonstrators' demands and urged the Indian authorities to take whatever action is necessary to dispel the protestors.

On 12 November, Delhi police took action against the demonstrators and forcibly dispersed the refugees by the use of water cannons and lathi charges. Some of the demonstrators were seriously injured and hospitalized in the scuffle. The police claimed that the demonstrators turned violent and tried to enter into the UNHCR compound and in the scuffle, 12 police personnel were injured as well. The demonstrators denied the Delhi police claims.

Twenty-three Burmese women and men were produced this afternoon before the metropolitan magistrate Ashawani Kumar Sarpal at Patiala Court in New Delhi. They were charged under Section 147, 148, 149, 186 and 323 for rioting and obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions by Delhi police.

Total 43 Burmese men and women are currently lodged in Tihar Jail in New
Delhi.