Dear friends from Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants & Hong Kong Coalition for a Free Burma,

We, the undersigned Burmese CBOs based in Mae Sot, Thailand, would like to express our deep appreciation for your efforts to take action at this critical time for migrants in Thailand. We received the petition that is being circulated as well as the invitation announcing your plan to picket in front the Thai Consulate in Hong Kong tomorrow, and are hopeful that these actions will speak truth to power.

As community groups on the Thai-Burma border working for the rights of migrant workers, we are extremely concerned about the potentially disastrous impact of the Thai nationality verification process for migrants here. As you all know, the migrant communities in Mae Sot and other parts of Thailand are very afraid of what this process means for their safety, as many of them have left Burma on the basis of ethnic and political persecution in addition to the challenge, simply put, of surviving.

We have just learned that the February 28th deadline for completing the NV process has most likely been postponed to March 31st. Though there are conflicting accounts between different parts of the Thai government, it appears that migrants will still have to declare their intention to complete the NV process by February 28th. With these looming deadlines, there is still increasing anxiety and fear among migrants of possible massive arrests and forced deportation on February 28th and on March 31st. Therefore, we believe that your petition and picketing action on the 26th is still quite timely. Even with the new March 31st deadline, we feel it is still imperative to express our concerns to the Thai government about the entire NV process and likely deportations to come.

As community-based groups, this is the first chance we have to connect to solidarity groups like yours, and we wanted to take the time to express our sincere appreciation for all of your efforts. We hope this is just the beginning of more solidarity and cooperation to come, and we look forward to working hand in hand as we know the days and months ahead will be a time when we will need all the support we can get.

With sincere thanks,

Social Health and Development Association
Kayan National Development Foundation
Burma Lawyers’ Council
Yaung Chi Oo Workers Association
Committee for Protection and Promotion of Child Rights
Arakan Workers’ Union
Arakan Labor Campaign
People's Volunteer Association

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