Burmese Australians (ဗမာနွယ်ဖွား သြစတြေးလျ) are Australian citizens or permanent residents who carry full or partial ancestry from Myanmar, also known as Burma, a country located in Southeast Asia. The majority ethnic group of Burma is the Bamar people but there are also numerous Burmese ethnic minorities.
Burma was historically ruled as a British colony throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and it was part of the British Raj (i.e., British India) at one point. The United Kingdom lost control of Burma to the Empire of Japan during World War II (1942), regained control over Burma in 1945, and was subsequently expelled from Burma in 1948 when the country became independent.
Like Burma, Australia was also historically a British colony, though Australia's indigenous population has largely been replaced by Anglo-Celtic Australians and other settler groups, whereas Anglo-Burmese people constitute a minority of Burma's native population.
Most Burmese Australians are of Bamar descent, though there are also many Sino-Burmese, Indo-Burmese and some Rohingya people in Australia.
History
For much of its post-colonial history, Myanmar (Burma) has been ruled by the Tatmadaw, its armed forces, which has exacerbated domestic political instability, especially in regions inhabited by ethnic minorities, such as the Karen, Shan, Rakhine, Mon, Chin and others. Unresolved political issues and grievances by ethnic armed organizations have fomented significant tensions and conflict with the military government. Consequently, the ordinary Burmese have endured subjugation for decades under a series of military governments. Many Burmese people were internally displaced in 2002 as a result. Burmese people were either being forced to relocate or relocating by their own will. Over a half million Burmese had escaped to neighbouring countries for safety. The government was accused of engaging in various many human rights violations, such as forced labour, forced displacement and persecution.
Prior to Burmese arrival in Australia, this group of refugees were living in camps on the border between Burma and Thailand. During their time in these camps Burmese refugees had experienced health problems and diseases, women in camps were exposed to violence, a lack of income and food security.
Health
It was reported that a great number of the Burmese community have experienced certain health difficulties upon migrating to Australia. Mental health conditions of the Burmese community in Australia upon migration has been examined and associated with factors of pre and post migration. A study that was conducted indicated that a high number of participants reported various mental health distress this includes: PTSD (9%), anxiety (20%), depression (36%), and somatisation (37%). This mental health factors were related to pre migration trauma and post migration difficulties. It was reported that pre migration traumas linked to traumatisation symptoms whereas post migration had escalated symptoms of depression and anxiety. Burmese migrants were greatly concerned about the difficulties of communication in Australia, and this hindering their ability to obtain job security and/or access to the right health services. Furthermore, more worry was accentuated to educational opportunities and being away from family.
A number of Burmese migrants who have settled in Australia have demonstrated Vitamin D deficiency as well as a number of infectious diseases. Oral health is also not seen as a priority by many Burmese refugees in Australia due to the lack of oral health services in Burma. It is also reported that the oral health of Burmese Australians is prone to further impacts if there is a rapid consumption of snacks and sugar in Australia. Burmese migrants to Australia are also prone to chronic diseases. Many refugees who were at the Thai-Burmese border camps before migrating to Australia have reported suffering from depression, and PTSD. Further members of the Burmese community are at risk of diabetes, high blood pressure and weight gain.
Post-migration experiences
Access to services
After migrating to Australia, some Burmese people experienced various difficulties when settling in a new country. One example of this is access to services, some Burmese Australians have reported difficulty when it came to knowing where and how to access a service, and the lack of interpreters has made them become reluctant when trying to access certain services.