The Chinese of South-East Asia an Mrg International Report
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MINORITY RIGHTS GROUP INTERNATIONAL R E P O R THE CHINESE OF T SOUTH-EAST ASIA • 92/6 THE CHINESE OF SOUTH-EAST ASIA AN MRG INTERNATIONAL REPORT G R M Edited by Minority Rights Group MINORITY SPONSORS Lady Butler RIGHTS GROUP George Cadbury is an international research and information unit registered Milovan Djilas in Britain as an educational charity under the Charities Dr Robert Gardiner Act of 1960. Its principal aims are – Dr Dharam Ghai To secure justice for minority or majority groups suffering Lord Arnold Goodman CH discrimination, by investigating their situation and publi- Lord Joseph Grimond PC cising the facts as widely as possible, to educate and alert David Kessler public opinion throughout the world. Dr Joseph Needham FRS To help prevent, through publicity about violations of human rights, such problems from developing into dan- COUNCIL gerous and destructive conflicts which, when polarised, are very difficult to resolve; and Chairman Sir John Thomson Dr Shirin Akiner To foster, by its research findings, international under- standing of the factors which create prejudiced treatment Philip Baker and group tensions, thus helping to promote the growth Hugo Brunner of a world conscience regarding human rights. Efua Dorkenoo Scilla Elworthy Françoise Fonval Minority Rights Group urgently needs further Jennie Hatfield-Lyon funds for its work. Please contribute what Ben Hooberman you can. MRG is eligible to receive a Richard Kershaw covenant from UK taxpayers. Helen Krag Dr Claire Palley Kate Phillips Phillip Rudge STAFF Director Alan Phillips Programmes Salah Bander International Advocacy Christine Bloch Director’s PA Emmie Dharmakan Editor Judith Kendra Administration Janusz Kiczma Projects – Western Europe Ingrid Kircher Secretary Gloria Mitchell Publications Brian Morrison Projects – Eastern Europe Suzanne Pattle Finance Patricia Pons Projects – Asia/Middle East Patricia Sellick Sales Frances Smith Education Rachel Warner Marketing Robert Webb OFFICE 379/381 Brixton Road London SW9 7DE UK Tel: +44 (0) 71-978 9498 2 Minority Rights Group gratefully acknowledges all the organizations and individuals who gave financial and THE CHINESE other assistance for this report. OF SOUTH- Authors’ Biographies RAMSES AMER, author of all the sections on Indochina, EAST ASIA is a Research Fellow at the Department of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University, Sweden. He is the author of The Ethnic Chinese in Vietnam and Sino- Edited by Vietnamese Relations, Forum, Kuala Lumpur, 1991. Minority Rights Group SUE RABBITT ROFF coordinated the management of this report. Formerly of MRG New York, she is now at the Centre for Medical Education at Dundee University. MARY SOMERS HEIDHUES, author of the overview of CONTENTS ASEAN states and the individual ASEAN state sections, is based at the Seminar for Political Science at the University of Göttingen, Germany. She has written exten- 5 Preface sively on the situation of the Chinese in South-East Asia, and is the author of Southeast Asia’s Chinese Minorities 6 Glossary (Longman 1974). She was the guest lecturer at the first Jennifer Cushman Memorial lecture at the Australian 7 National University, Canberra, April 1991. Historical Overview MARTIN SMITH, author of the section on Myanmar 11 THE ASEAN STATES: (Burma) is a journalist who has specialized in human rights in Burma for a number of years. He is the author of Burma: Insurgency and the Politics of Ethnicity (Zed 12 Malaysia Books, 1991). JOHN TAYLOR, author of the section on East Timor, is 13 Indonesia Principal Lecturer at South Bank University, London, UK, where he is also Head of the Centre for Chinese 18 East Timor Studies. He is the author of Indonesia’s Forgotten War: the Hidden History of East Timor (Zed Books, 1991) and 19 Singapore The Indonesian Occupation of East Timor, 1974-9: A Chronology (Refugee Studies Programme, Oxford University / Catholic Institute for Int’l Relations, 1990). 20 Thailand 22 The Philippines A Chinese couple in Indonesia P. ZACHMANN/MAGNUM 24 Brunei Darussalam 25 INDOCHINA: 26 Vietnam 28 Cambodia © Minority Rights Group 31 Laos British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A CIP catalogue record for this book is available 32 Burma from the British Library ISBN 0 946690 99 5 34 Conclusions ISSN 0305 6252 35 Published November 1992 Footnotes Typeset by Brixton Graphics 37 Select Bibliography Printed on bleach free paper by Manchester Free Press This report has been commissioned, and is published, by Minority Rights Group as a contri- bution to public understanding of the issue which forms its subject. It does not necessarily represent, in every detail and in all its aspects, the collective view of Minority Rights Group. DRAFT DECLARATION ON THE RIGHTS OF not incompatible with national legislation. PERSONS BELONGING TO NATIONAL OR 4. Persons belonging to minorities have the right to establish and maintain their own associations. ETHNIC, RELIGIOUS AND LINGUISTIC 5. Persons belonging to minorities have the right to establish and maintain, with- MINORITIES* out any discrimination, free and peaceful contacts with other members of their group, with persons belonging to other minorities, as well as contacts across fron- The General Assembly, tiers with citizens of other States to whom they are related by national or ethnic, Reaffirming that one of the basic aims of the United Nations, as proclaimed in its religious or linguistic ties. Charter, is to promote and encourage respect for human rights and for fundamen- Article 3 tal freedoms for all, without distinction as to race, sex, language or religion, 1. Persons belonging to minorities may exercise their rights including those as set Reaffirming faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the forth in this Declaration individually as well as in community with other members human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and of their group, without any discrimination. small, 2. No disadvantage shall result for any person belonging to a minority as the con- Desiring to promote the realization of principles contained in the Charter of the sequence of the exercise or non-exercise of the rights as set forth in this United Nations, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the Convention on Declaration. the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the International Article 4 Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the 1. States shall take measures where required to ensure that persons belonging to International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant minorities may exercise fully and effectively all their human rights and fundamen- on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Declaration on the Elimination of tal freedoms without any discrimination and in full equality before the law. All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief, and 2. States shall take measures to create favourable conditions to enable persons the Convention on the Rights of the Child, as well as other relevant international belonging to minorities to express their characteristics and to develop their cul- instruments that have been adopted at the universal or regional level and those ture, language, religion, traditions and customs, except where specific practices concluded between individual States Members of the United Nations, are in violation of national law and contrary to international standards. Inspired by the provisions of article 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and 3. States should take appropriate measures so that, wherever possible, persons Political Rights concerning the rights of persons belonging to ethnic, religious or belonging to minorities have adequate opportunities to learn their mother tongue linguistic minorities, or to have instruction in their mother tongue. Considering that the promotion and protection of the rights of persons belonging 4. States should, where appropriate, take measures in the field of education, in to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities contribute to the political order to encourage knowledge of the history, traditions, language and culture of and social stability of States in which they live, the minorities existing within their territory. Persons belonging to minorities Emphasizing that the constant promotion and realization of the rights of persons should have adequate opportunities to gain knowledge of the society as a whole. belonging to national or ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities, as an integral 5. States should consider appropriate measures so that persons belonging to part of the development of society as a whole and within a democratic framework minorities may participate fully in the economic progress and development in based on the rule of law, would contribute to the strengthening of friendship and their country. cooperation among peoples and States, Article 5 Considering that the United Nations has an important role to play regarding the 1. National policies and programmes shall be planned and implemented with due protection of minorities, regard for the legitimate interests of persons belonging to minorities. Bearing in mind the work done so far within the United Nations system, in partic- 2. Programmes of cooperation and assistance among States should be planned and ular the Commission on Human Rights, the Sub-Commission on Prevention of implemented with due regard for the legitimate interests of persons belonging to Discrimination and Protection