Kurdistan Human Rights Network– According to Iran’s Director General of Border Affairs (Interior Ministry) during a press conference on 10 June, porters will no longer be insured because they are not permanent workers and the concessions granted to border residents are temporary.
According to Sharq, On Sunday, June 10,the Director General of Border Affairs (the Interior Ministry) had held a news conference on Sunday, June 10 to announce the regulations concerning the exchange of goods in the informal temporary border markets. The western borders of the country have witnessed conflicts for the past three months following the government’s decision regarding implementation of the provincial border plan and replacement of Kolbars profession by the Pedlar Plan (*Pilewari in Persian) late last year. The closure of borders affected the market stability to a serious extent. In late March, merchants and marketers in the cities of Baneh, Marivan, Saghez and Javanrood closed their shops in protest to the closure of borders which resulted in financial loss for the border residents and particularly kolbars who endanger their life for transporting the goods across the border. Moreover, the marketers and business set an empty tablecloth in front of their shops to symbolise the fact that kolbars could not feed their families.
Following the above-mentioned events, Shahriar Heydari, Director General of the Border Affairs (the Interior Ministry), has now announced that the governors and related organisations had been informed of new regulations for the exchange of goods in temporary border markets and the entry of goods by sailors of sea vessels with a capacity of less than 500 tons (pollination). Moreover, he stated that kolbars would no longer be insured because their job was not permanent
“Last year, the government passed these two regulations which were not implemented due to some problems including the the need to pay attention to the location of markets and the needs of border residents. However, the two regulations were revised and the amended regulations thankfully take account of these elements. In the past, goods were brought to the border areas of the country and transferred to inside the country by kolbras. Under the new regulations, the goods are now transferred into the country under supervision while observing dignity of the border residents. “, he said.
“kolbars are temporary workers and their job is not considered a stable activity. Therefore, Kolbars cannot be insured anymore and the privileges granted to border residents will be temporary too. However, the new regulations creates a higher capacity for employment by the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade which in turn raises the possibility of insurance opportunities for Kolbars. .”, in response to a question about how the new regulations took account of the insurance policy of kolbars, Heidari said.
“Border residents, who fulfil the necessary requirements, may enjoy these privileges which concern the border residents with poor income and no proper job. Moreover, all the candidates will be registered in a system and they will be operating under supervision of related organisations which determine the list of legal imported goods. ”, Heidari continued:
15 Official Markets in the Border Areas
“Following the implementation of these new regulations, the frontiers and informal passages previously used for smuggling goods into the country would be blocked by military, police forces and border guards. Legal passages in addition to 15 official market in the border regions have bee identified in the new regulations “, He also said:
Why were the kolbars killed?
But there is more to the issue of Kolbars than definition of the border markets. Some of the kolbars lose their life at the borders and difficult paths. According to ILNA, a 47-year-old Kolbar lost his life last Friday as a result of falling from Paveh heights. On June 07, another Kurdish Kolbar called Alexander also lost his life. Of course, Not all Kolbars die due to natural disasters. last year, ILNA reported the deaths of two kolbars form Baneh due to unfounded incidents. According to the Military Prosecutor of Kurdistan Province, a number of Baneh border guards fired at a group of kolbars and two kolbars lost their life as a result. The spokesman of the government promised to investigate the matter at the time. In November and December last year, three other kolbars lost their life.
“No kolbar has been killed on official frontiers. The country’s border guards are responsible for the security of the country. When someone crosses the border through illegal routes at night, the border guards would not know if the person is a Kolbar or a smuggler. People expect border guards to confront such illegal actions to protect the country. Without doubt, deaths and injuries will occur in the country’s informal passages. “the Director General of the Border Affairs (Ministry of Interior) said in response to the correspondent of the “Sharq” on the number of kolbars casualties at the border
