Demanding Justice for Migrant Arakanese Youths, Demonstration in Front of Thai Consulate in New York

Originally appeared in Narinjara News

Around 30 Burmese nationals, most of them are Arakanese , staged a demonstration in front of Thai Consulate in New York on Friday demanding justice to two Arakanese migrant workers, who were detained in Thailand in a murder case there, said Ko Khaing Ba Khine, one of the organizers of the event in America.

The demonstrators, who assembled in front of the Consulate General of Thailand for two hours beginning on 2 pm, urged the Thai government in Bangkok to scrutinize the case fairly, where the two Arakanese youths have been accused of murdering two British citizens namely David Miller (25 years old) and Hannah Witheridge (23).

Arakanese youths namely Maung Zaw Lin and Maung Win Zaw Tun, who used to live in Koh Tao island of Thailand, are facing charges of robbery, rape and murder of the two Britons on  September 15 last.

The demonstrators argued that both the accused Arakanese youths had been made scapegoats in the case and they are seemingly not the real culprits. They shouted slogans like ‘We Want Justice’, ‘Thank You Thai People for Standing for Justice’ etc.

Ko Than Tun Aung, another organizer of the protest programme, claimed that the migrant workers from Burma (Myanmar) always face ill-treatments from the local Thai authority. They have general tendency  to accuse Burmese workers for any kind of crimes there, he added.

Earlier Arakan National Party (ANP) on October 12 urged the Burma government in Naypyi Taw and the Burmese embassy in Bangkok to initiate for protecting the two Arakanese from punishments. The ANP leaders are also making arrangements to help the relatives of Maung Zaw Lin and Maung Win Zaw Tun to meet them in Thailand under detention.

The ANP vice president U Phoe Min, while talking to Narinjara News, argued that his party would try its best to prove the innocence of the Arakanese youths. He pointed out that  in many cases, where the violence erupted in northern Thailand the government in Bangkok has made it a habit to blame the poor migrant Burmese workers.

View the original article here.

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