Escaping the chains of oppression

Continuing our series on ordinary people often overlooked by society, Life spent the day with an inspirational Rohingya man who has battled to establish a life for his family in Thailand

7am

Ali grumbles about his hectic life as we sit in his house near a mosque in Lamsalee. He has to send his three children to school, then go to his job as a jewellery salesman, and later join a meeting for the Burmese Rohingya Association in Thailand (Brat).

He gives his three children a bear hug before they leave for school. Then Ali — who preferred to withhold his last name — shared his life story. Arriving in Bangkok 27 years go on a visit that was meant to be temporary, he was unable to return home after escalating ethnic violence in Myanmar. Two failed attempts at receiving refugee status from the UN made him realise that he was here for the long haul. Just 20 years old at the time, he spent his first 15 years in Thailand illegally. He was caught and deported a dozen times by the immigration police.

Decades of residing in Thailand has now enabled him to live and work in the country legally with the help of a government-issued non-Thai Identification Card issued by the Department of Employment. But now his deepest concern is over his children's future.  

"Without proper papers my children are not allowed to get their high school diploma," said Ali. "Some Thai schools have pity for our children and allow them to attend classes. Without proper schooling certifications, my biggest fear is that these children might get in with the wrong crowd later in life because they don't have a future to look forward to." 

As we speak, he looks at the clock. Ali is running late for an appointment with the owner of a jewellery store at Fashion Island shopping centre.

 

8am 

Unlike a number of stateless Rohingya residing in Thailand, Ali has a respectable career selling precious stones to jewellery shops. By the estimate of Brat, there are around 5,000 Rohingya people in Bangkok alone.

Dressed in smart checked shirt and blue jeans, the 46-year-old's dark complexion and heavily accented Thai means he could easily be mistaken for a businessman from the subcontinent.

"I came to Thailand during the student uprising in Myanmar, to show my support for friends who were fighting for democracy. Little did I know that the situation against my people would go from bad to worse, and that I would be left in a foreign country. It has been a roller-coaster ride ever since," said Ali, whose father was a village headman back in Rakhine. 

"Despite the hardships the Rohingya people have suffered when they come to Thailand, it is much better than staying in Myanmar, where our status is less than that of a dog. Our Rakhine state has become a ghost town. Residents, who are literally refugees in their own home, live in constant fear for their lives. Everything is being done to get rid of us. The Rohingya leave their homeland because they have no other option. They risk their lives on overcrowded rickety boats because they know if they stay, their lives have no future."

News reports of Ronhingya refugees being caught by police, soldiers, or victimised by human trafficking rings, are prevalent. Last month, 96 Rohingya were crammed into trucks and smuggled into Nakhon Si Thammarat by suspected human traffickers. One woman was crushed to death at the back of a truck. It is likely the rest will be deported back. It was just one of the many cases we've heard about in recent years.

"Over 100,000 of my people were forced out of their homes and sent to live in a mangrove swamp near the sea, with nothing but a few clothes. The atrocities are unimaginable," Ali said.

10am

We are early. The shop Ali is supposed to sell his goods to is closed, so we decide to have coffee to pass the time.  

As the sole breadwinner, Ali works hard to generate a steady monthly income to pay for his family's upkeep, and divides the rest between his family back home and Rohingya families who he is aware are in financial dire straits.

Of the 5,000 or so Rohingya in Bangkok, many reside in squalid conditions. Elsewhere, they live in border towns across Thailand.   

While sipping on his cold coffee, he tells me about his work with Brat, which was set up a decade ago to assist vulnerable Rohingya boat people. 

"As we are stateless, there is not a large amount we can do to support our people here. As an association, we help bring in food and clothing for them. In legal matters, we help with translation, and offer them counselling. We also document their cases and forward it to non-governmental organisations to garner support for our campaign to become citizens of Myanmar one day."

Ali wanted to make it clear that the Rohingya are not economic refugees.

"I am very sad when I see the pain my people are experiencing," he said. "We are not economic refugees. It is because of persecution that many risk their lives at sea. We don't want to be resettled in another country but desire to go back home."

In a revealing moment, Ali confesses to feeling guilty at times for being blessed with the financial means to enjoy a good life when many of his people are starving. He says that whenever an opportunity arises, he encourages them to learn a new craft.

It happens that a large number of Rohingya people in Thailand find themselves pushing carts and becoming sweetened roti vendors. "In fact, I discourage them from selling sweetened roti, which is not even a Rohingya delicacy, for the simple reason that it is not sustainable in the long-term," he said.

 

Noon 

Two hours have elapsed, and the metal shutters to the shop we have been waiting to open are finally pulled up. Ali greets the Chinese jeweller with a wai, and after 30 minutes, they are able to strike a deal.  

Beaming from ear-to-ear, he has made a sizeable amount of money from the sale, which comes in the form of a cheque. 

We stop by a Muslim restaurant for lunch. After this, Ali will make home visits to two Rohingya families who are in dire need of financial support.   

2.30pm  

We are at the home of Salma and Ahmed, who a month ago welcomed the arrival of their second son. In their 20s, the couple were born in Thailand to stateless parents. Their biggest worry is the future of their two sons. Their eldest son is five. 

"While the labour card does help us to get work, it is the education of my children that makes me very depressed," said Salma, who sells sticky rice and fried chicken skins at a market near their one room home. "Financially, we live a hand-to-mouth existence. It is really hard especially now that we have another mouth to feed."

A couple of metres away is the home of Nagma, who lives with her four children. Her husband Muhammad works as a construction worker. His daily wage of 300 baht is used to support the family.  

"We try to make do with what we have, but its never enough because my children are still young," Nagma said, with tears in her eyes. "The elder two are attending a Thai school, but while they are allowed to study, as they are stateless they are not entitled to receive a high school diploma. I am like any parent that desires to see their children have some sort of future."   

Ali listens to their grievances with empathy. The most he can do is to make the children happy by distributing sweets and ice cream. He presses a small bundle of red bank notes in the hands of both men before leaving.

4-5pm

Before going home, Ali attends a meeting with members of Brat at a mosque on Ramkhamheng Road.

It is brought to his attention that a fellow Rohingya was caught trafficking his own people in the Thai-Myanmar border town of Mae Sot. "The man started off like the rest of us, selling roti and living a lowly existence, but after he got into the trafficking trade, he is believed to have earned millions of baht through this dirty money. It is such a disgrace," he said.

"We also came to the conclusion during the meeting that we have to work closely with the mosques in the areas our people are detained to bring relief in a more expeditious manner."

The gathering, which has attracted a sizeable number of Muslims, offers Ali a chance to bond with people of his faith.

"I would choose to live in Thailand more than in a Muslim country. We have had our differences, but I couldn't have chosen a better country to take temporary shelter," he said.  

6-8pm 

The Sun is setting, and Ali has arrived home. His wife is about done with dinner, while his children watch a rerun football match between Thailand and Myanmar on the TV. His youngest son excitedly tells his father how he wanted the Thais to win. Each time the Thais get a chance to score a goal, the 12 year old jumps with glee. His present goal is to play for the Thailand national team when he grows up. 

When Ali asked the youngster if he would like to one day visit Myanmar with his parents, the fifth grade pupil said: "Thailand is my home because I was born here. You and mum go ahead, I will stay here. I am Thai." 

Dinner is served. And yes, the dishes prepared were largely Thai, with the exception of one Rohingya dish for Ali.