11.03.2007
Editorial: Burma's Human Rights Day
_ By Taisamyone
It is unusual for a fight in a teashop to give rise to a day set aside by a country to remember the issue of Human Rights. But it did – not by the illegal government, but by the people themselves. The day is remembered as the spark that unleashed the indignation and pent-up anger of a nation for the previous 26 years of mis-rule; during which time Burma had sunk to the pits, money was practically worthless, and prospects for students non-existent. The events of 1988 will live in infamy as a time that people demonstrated their desire for freedom and democracy and were brutally crushed by the terrorising soldiers of the Tatmadaw. The very army that claims to protect the people was used to kill, torture and imprison thousands of students, school children and unarmed civilians. Nowadays, the people of Burma are still dissatisfied with their poverty and suffering under the same regime. The Open Heart campaign has allowed a peaceful non-confrontational outlet for some of their present woes, but still the junta refuses to budge.
It is perhaps useful to look at how human rights have changed since 1988, with a review of the US State Departments 2006 report on Human Rights. The State Department review practically every country worldwide, except the USA – but there are enough organisations in the US and around the world to investigate and report on their misdemeanours.
It is interesting that the USSD report starts with the internet – “the challenges to freedom of expression and the free flow of information on the internet by repressive regimes which threaten the internet's ability to empower individuals and societies.” Just recently, the Junta in Burma reinforced it’s already onerous rules on internet cafes to restrict the freedom of information and expression of the people. Perhaps not surprisingly, China felt the weight of the briefings on Internet repression and practically every other human rights abuse; Russia, another of the regime’s friends came in for criticism over its manipulation of ‘democracy’ and control of (the lack of) freedom of expression.
The summary for the Human Rights record in Burma shows just how far the junta have moved – in the wrong direction! “The government's human rights record worsened during the year. The regime continued to abridge the right of citizens to change their government. The government detained five leaders of the 88 Generation Students pro-democracy activists. The government refused to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to visit prisoners privately. The army increased attacks on ethnic minority villagers in Bago Division and Karen State designed to drive them from their traditional land. In addition, the government continued to commit other serious abuses, including extrajudicial killings, custodial deaths, disappearances, rape, and torture. The government abused prisoners and detainees, held persons in harsh and life threatening conditions, routinely used incommunicado detention, and imprisoned citizens arbitrarily for political motives.
National League for Democracy (NLD) General Secretary Aung San Suu Kyi and NLD Vice Chairman Tin Oo remained under house arrest. Governmental authorities routinely infringed on citizens' privacy and resorted more frequently to forced relocations. The government restricted freedom of speech, press, assembly, association, religion, and movement. The government did not allow domestic human rights nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to function independently, and international NGOs encountered a hostile environment. Violence and societal discrimination against women continued, as did forced recruitment of child soldiers, discrimination against ethnic minorities, and trafficking in persons, particularly of women and girls. Workers rights remained restricted and forced labour, including that of children, also persisted.”
The 26 page USSD report goes on to detail many of the incidents and reports that we have read over the last year, indicating the illegality of the regime and lack of the rule of law in Burma; laws exist but are not enforced against the perpetrators unless they are in opposition to the junta.
Perhaps the latest shocking report from the Women’s League of Burma illustrates the junta’s lack of respect for the law and its abysmal human rights record succinctly; the case of the 4 Kachin schoolgirls. Early last month, four girls, aged 14-16, from a village south of Putao, northern Kachin State, were gang-raped by three army officers and four soldiers from a local SPDC military base. The army reportedly gave money to the girls and their parents and ordered them not to report the incident to police or other authorities. After news of the incident was reported by an independent Burmese media, the girls were arrested and jailed.
In any country where human rights and the rule of law are taken seriously, there would have been a national outcry – front page news stories, calls for life sentences against the soldiers, cashiered from the army with loss of any future benefits, court-martial for bringing the army into disrepute, counselling as well as compensation for the victims, official enquiries into the army management and discipline, angry indignant protesters on the streets and at the courthouse calling for corporal punishment rather than just custodial prison terms for the criminals!
The WLB press release came out on International Women’s Day (IWD), “celebrated on 8 March, IWD is the global day connecting all women around the world and inspiring them to achieve their full potential.” On 8th March, the IWD made page 5 (official photo from Xinhua) and page 8 (Ban Ki-Moon’s UN message) in the New Light of Myanmar, which ran a front page article about a cesspit of generals inspecting uncut jade at the ‘44th Myanma Gems Emporium at the Myanmar Convention Centre’. Avarice over truth!
Just as appalling as this news is the fact that it is not an isolated incident. The Burma Army has acquired a notorious reputation for committing acts of sexual violence against women since its inception and there are incidents reported in every division and particularly in every ethnic state. The depravity and degenerate corruption of the Tatmadaw is endemic, it is an ethos that has been nurtured by the clique of army leaders to terrorise the country into obeisance. If we look at the history of warfare, sexual violence against women by invading troops has been a shameful feature all too often – invading troops treating civilians as enemies and the territory as a conquered land – the very attitude that the Burma Army has for the people and the country of Burma. If the buck has to stop somewhere to take responsibility for the immorality has pervades the Burma Army, we need look no further than the top man, Than Shwe.
The events of 1988 reflected the exasperation and revulsion of the people for the leading generals and the government of oppression. The SPDC may claim developments, with roads and bridges, dams and colleges – but what the people still want more than anything is still the same as it was in 1988 – peace, freedom, democracy and internationally recognized human rights. The people won’t get these until the SPDC generals are removed, the military junta steps down completely from government and hands power to a civilian government elected by the people, without the use of coercion and persecution to vote the army back into power via their sycophantic USDA thugs.
For further information
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices – Burma,
¨ The Human Rights Record of the United States in 2006
¨ Women’s League of Burma (WLB)
¨ Asia Pacific Solidarity Coalition (APSOC)
¨ Lt-Gen Myint Swe visits Gems Emporium
¨ International Women's Day (IWD)
QUOTES
¨ “… all people, regardless of race, creed, or culture are free by nature and equal in dignity … when given a truly unfettered choice, human beings will choose liberty over oppression, the natural right to life over the constant fear of death, the right to own property over random search and seizure, and that they will choose to be ruled by the consent of the governed, not by the coercion of the state.”……..Condoleezza Rice
(Briefing on the State Department's 2006 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. 6th March 2007)
¨ “Thank you for raising the case of Burma. And let me say this, about a year ago the Secretary sat down with several of us and said, we cannot continue this business as usual. I want to use all the multilateral tools to press for fundamental change in Burma and for the freedom of Aung San Suu Kyi, for her demands, for her requests to open up a dialogue. What that has meant is that we work very closely with our EU allies, we worked in the third committee of the General Assembly, we worked with our ASEAN partners and we also took Burma to the Security Council. And yes, Russia and China vetoed it. But let me say this, a year ago, people thought there was no way that we could even have an informal discussion of Burma in the Security Council. And so we will use all multilateral avenues, including the Human Rights Council to press on Burma.”…….Assistant Secretary Lowenkron
(On-The-Record Briefing on the State Department's 2006 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. 6th March 2007)
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