Child Trafficking a Real
Threat in the Aftermath of Cyclone Nargis
Asia ACTS, the regional campaign to fight child
trafficking in Southeast Asia, calls on the
international community--nations, organizations and
individuals--to mobilize support and humanitarian
intervention in Burma to exercise the right to save
lives, especially the children. Forty percent (40%) of
cyclone victims are children. Child trafficking is an
actual threat amid reports by international media that
human traffickers are already been active in the
devastated areas. Abandoned children face great risk in
the confused aftermath of the cyclone and the chaotic
relief effort.
Asia ACTs appeals to all human rights organizations and
advocates to pressure Burma's military government to
open its doors to humanitarian aid, rescue and relief
operations. Official death toll is 38,500 and 27, 838
still missing but the UN estimates that over 100,000
people are dead and 220,000 more are missing.
With every day that passes without sufficient food,
water and shelter among the 2 million people affected in
Rangoon and Irrawaddy divisions, more are susceptible to
join the staggering death toll. The areas affected by
the cyclone are the densely populated agricultural and
industrial centers. Decimated food and rice supplies
threaten the welfare of the whole country.
The disaster will escalate into a severe situation
unless more aid gets into the country very quickly.
There is the imminent outbreak of infectious diseases
while corpses were going uncollected. Widespread
malnutrition looms as many in the cyclone-affected
region are suffering from inadequate nutrition already.
Asia ACTs condemn the excesses that worsen the misery of
the people, amid reports that government officials and
the military have misappropriated relief supplies from
international donors. The generals are using the media
to portray themselves as beneficent, while restricting
the entry of international aid workers. Burma's military
junta have remained deeply suspicious of the outside
world and wary of any foreign influence which could
undermine their control over the isolated nation.
The military junta even took advantage of the emergency
situation to get the draft constitution approved. It
announced that the draft constitution was ratified by
the 92% of the voters during the May 10 referendum while
most of the people could not even think, much less vote,
on this referendum because of the disaster.
Child trafficking: a present danger
Child survivors of the disaster now face the risk of
kidnapping and trafficking. For instance in Bogolay,
UNICEF officials are concerned about the welfare of
children who survived the natural disaster, but have
been left without parents, guardians, houses and
schools. Officials estimate that 90% of schools in the
area have been damaged or destroyed. This accounts for
some 3,000 primary schools and around 500,000 students.
The UN said child traffickers are targeting the
youngest and most vulnerable survivors of the
catastrophe, and that two suspects have already been
arrested after trying to recruit children at a relief
camp.
Amidst the grave crisis in Burma, Asia ACTs call on all
individuals, organizations and nations to support the
campaign to help disaster victims in Burma and to
protect children from grave risks like human trafficking
in the aftermath of cyclone Nargis.
A petition calling for the UN to implement the
'Responsibility to Protect' by forcing aid into Burma is
available at:
http://www.petitiononline.com/nargis/
The Burma Partnership encourages you to sign this
petition.
Please also visit www.emergencyburma.org
to get relevant updated information including the
information about donation centers and contacts to help
the Cyclone Nargi's victims.
Or contact:
Aung Myo Min
Chairperson
Tel +81-9925293
(0r)
Asia ACTs
Rm 312 3rd Flr. Philippine Social Science Center
Commonwealth Avenue, Diliman
Quezon City, Philippines
Tel: (632) 9290822 Fax: (632) 9290820
Email:
asiaacts@pldtdsl.net
Myanmar
protesters sentenced
New
research by Amnesty International shows that at
least 40 protesters, including seven monks, have
been given prison sentences in the six months
after the authorities violently suppressed
demonstrations in Myanmar. The details of those
sentences are below:
September 2007 – 5 sentences
-
On 25 September, NLD member U Pike Ko
and four other residents of Pakokku,
were sentenced to long prison terms under
Section 6(1) of the Public Property
Protection Act of 1947. They had been
arrested on suspicion of passing information
to foreign media, but charged with damaging
public property. The five were brought
before the Thayet prison court.
October 2007 – 15 sentences
-
On 1 October, Ko Kyauk Khe (also
known as Ko Aung San Oo), NLD member in
Magwe Division, was sentenced to two years
imprisonment under Section 505(b) of the
penal code for making statements conducing
to public mischief" in late September. This
was the maximum sentence for this particular
offence. He reportedly shouted a
pro-Buddhist slogan in a local video house
after watching footage of the crackdown on
foreign media, and made further political
statements during his trial.
-
On 1 October, Aye Cho, NLD member in
Mandalay Division, was given a six-year
prison sentence under Section 505(b) of the
penal code for making a statement which
could cause public alarm or incite an
offence. He is reported to have made
accusations against Union Solidarity and
Development Association officials the
previous day.
-
On 10 October, U Ithiriya, 28, a monk
from Sittatukha monastery in Sittwe, Rakhine
State, was sentenced to seven and a half
years in prison for his role as a leader in
the September demonstrations.
-
On 11 October, Ko Soe Win, a Human
Rights Defenders and Promoters Group member
in Rakhine State, was sentenced to four
years imprisonment under Sections 295A and
505(b) of the penal code for insulting
religion and creating a public disturbance.
In the wake of the authorities' violent
attack on monks in Pakokku on 5 September,
he held a placard outside the town market
calling for the release of political
detainees and the expulsion of Sr. Gen. Than
Shwe from the Buddhist faith. On 24 October,
however, he was reportedly retried and
released.
-
During the week of 14-21
October, Shwe Pain, NLD member from
Sagaing Division, was sentenced to two years
imprisonment under Section 505(b) of the
penal code for causing public alarm or
disturbing state tranquillity.
-
During the week of 14-21 October, Kyaw
Khine, a chair of the NLD in Rakhine
State, was sentenced to seven years and six
months imprisonment for participation in the
September protests. He was reported to have
been released on 24 October.
-
During the week of 14-21 October, Tun Kyi
and Than Pe, senior NLD members
in RakhineState, were sentenced to seven
years' imprisonment for participation in the
September protests. They were reportedly
released on 24 October.
-
On 16 October, Ko Htay Naing Lin
and Ko Chan Aung, Human Rights
Defenders and Promoters Group members from
Sagaing Division, were sentenced to two
years imprisonment under Section 505(b) of
the penal code for causing public alarm or
disturbing state tranquillity. They assisted
with the protests in late September.
-
On 17 October, Min Aung, 35, a
joint-secretary of the NLD in Rakhine State,
was sentenced to nine years and six months
imprisonment. His sentence was reported to
have been reduced to either seven and a half
years or two and a half years.
-
On 18 October, Sein Kyaw, 75, a chair
of the NLD in Rakhine State, was sentenced
to five years in prison. He was reportedly
freed the next day.
-
On or around 18 October, a monk in
RakhineState was sentenced to prison for
taking part in pro-democracy activities.
-
On 18 October, Myint Kyi, member of
the NLD and people's parliament, and Zaw
Min, NLD member, both from Sagaing
Division, were sentenced to two years
imprisonment under Section 505(b) of the
penal code for causing public alarm or
disturbing state tranquillity.
November 2007 – 9 sentences
-
On 7 November, Thet Oo, 39, Zaw
Htun, 34, and U Myint Aye,
all members of the Human Rights Defenders
and Promoters Group in Bago Division, as
well as monk U Pannihtha, were
sentenced to two years imprisonment under
either Section 5(j) of the 1950 Emergency
Provisions Act or Section 505(b) of the
penal code for acting with intent "to affect
the morality or conduct of the public or a
group of people in a way that would
undermine the security of the Union or the
restoration of law and order." They took
part in the September protests, distributed
materials, and spoke to the media. An appeal
filed on their behalf was rejected in early
January 2008.
-
On 9 November, Nay Win , a deputy
chair of the NLD in Kachin State, and U
Ba Myint, 68, a deputy NLD chair, were
sentenced to two years imprisonment under
section 505(b) of the penal code for causing
public alarm and inciting offences against
public tranquillity. They were reported to
have been tried secretly and without lawyers
in prison courts.
-
On or just before 16 November,Nyunt Aung
was sentenced to two years in Shwebo prison.
-
On 28 November, U Khin Hla, 60, a
secretary of the NLD in Rakhine State, was
sentenced to four years and three months in
prison under penal code Sections 427, 506,
and 294, covering property damage, criminal
intimidation, and obscenity respectively.
The sentence comprised the cumulative
maximum under each section. He was one of a
group of NLD members who started a
demonstration on 4 September 2007 by
marching to the police station to demand
information on two activists who had been
arrested the previous week. The charges
under which he was sentenced, however, were
brought by his sister following a family
dispute; she later tried to withdraw them
but was told by officials that it was too
late.
-
In late November, U Zantila, abbot of
Zantila Rama monastery, was sentenced to two
years in prison for defamation of the
government after writing a letter of
complaint about the seizure of money from
the monastery during a raid by the
authorities. He was reportedly disrobed by
the authorities.
December 2007 – 5 sentences
-
On 5 December, Ko Win Maung, a
government village secretary from Rakhine
State, was originally sentenced to nine and
a half years in prison under Sections 143
and 505(b) of the penal code for giving an
anti-government speech to the people he was
assigned to monitor during the September
protests. His sentence was later reduced to
two and a half years, and he was sent to
Kyaukpru prison.
-
On 18 December, Win Myint, an NLD
member, was sentenced to three years in
prison for the alleged possession of a
nine-inch knife. He had previously resisted
the government's request to resign from the
NLD. He was unable to hire a lawyer due to
the short amount of time between his arrest
and trial.
-
On 21 December, Shwe Thway was
sentenced to two and a half years'
imprisonment, while Ko Zaw Gyi and
Ko Yazay were sentenced to two years,
for giving water to protesting monks in
September. They are residents of Sagaing
Division, and reportedly were not otherwise
politically active or affiliated.
Unknown dates – 6 sentences
-
U Kitharihya, a monk from Sittwe's
Seikthathukhah monastery in RakhineState,
was sentenced to seven years and six months
imprisonment under Sections 143, 505(b) and
6 of the penal code.
-
U Kawmala, 67, a monk from Sittwe's
Adithan monastery in RakhineState, was
sentenced to two years and six months
imprisonment under Sections 143 and 295 of
the penal code.
-
U Wunnathiri, 23, a monk from
Sittwe's Yadana Bonmyay monastery in
RakhineState, was sentenced to three years
imprisonment.
-
Ko Aung Naing Soe, 22, was
sentenced to three years and nine months in
prison under Sections 143 and 505(b) of the
penal code. He is from Rakhine State.
-
Ko Aung Naing, 32, was
sentenced to two years and three months.
-
Ko Thiha, a youth member of the NLD
in Mandalay Division, was sentenced to life
imprisonment, plus two years, under Sections
124(a) and 505(b) of the penal code,
covering sedition and incitement to offences
against the public tranquillity
respectively. He was arrested for having
political leaflets.
READ MORE:
Imprisoned for giving water to monks (News,
28 March 2008)
****************************
'Grave
Violations' Of Children's Rights In Burma
Monday, 26 November 2007, 9:00 am
Press Release: United Nations
Secretary-General reports 'grave violations' of
children's rights in Myanmar
Grave child rights violations, including recruitment
into armed groups, continue in Myanmar, United Nations
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says in a new report,
calling on the Government to take measures to address
the problem which is common to both State and non-State
actors.
"Although there has been progress in terms of dialogue
with the Government of Myanmar and two non-State actors,
the report notes that State and non-State actors
continue to be implicated in grave child rights
violations," Mr. Ban writes in a summary of his report
to the Security Council.
He notes progress in a number of areas, including the
commitment by the Government that no child under the age
of 18 will be recruited and the signing by two non-State
actors - the Karen National Union and the Karenni
National Progressive Party - of Deeds of Commitment to
cease the recruitment and use of children.
The report documents "patterns of underage recruitment"
by the Government, including those involving "poor and
unaccompanied street children who are vulnerable to
promises of food and shelter." Other children picked up
by the police for not having a national identification
card are offered the "choice" of either being arrested
or going into the army.
"Also of grave concern are the reliable reports of a
number of incarcerated children/minors who have been
convicted of desertion and sentenced to prison terms of
up to five years," Mr. Ban writes, noting that
international practice and principles stipulate that
children who have been unlawfully recruited or used by
armed forces should not be treated as deserters.
Other actors cited in the report in connection with the
recruitment of children include the United Wa State
Army; the Karen National Union/Karen National Liberation
National Progressive Party/Karenni Army; Kachin
Independence Organization/Kachin Independence Army;
Karenni National People's Liberation Front; Democratic
Karen Buddhist Army; Shan State Army-South and Myanmar
National Democratic Alliance Army; and the Karen
National Union/Karen
National Liberation Army Peace Council.
The UN has received "credible but unverified reports of
rape perpetrated by Government forces and armed groups,
which the country task force on monitoring and reporting
is not in a position to confirm owing to limited access
to conflict-affected areas."
The Secretary-General recommends that the Government of
Myanmar to take into account its responsibilities to
ensure that all armed groups with which it shares a
ceasefire accord are made accessible to monitoring.
He urges the Government to continue taking disciplinary
action against those responsible for aiding and abetting
the recruitment of children, and to systematize and
institutionalize this disciplinary process.
The Government of Myanmar is encouraged to accede to the
Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the
Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict
and to adjust national legislation accordingly.
Mr. Ban also recommends that the Myanmar Government
allow international and humanitarian organizations
access for delivery of humanitarian services, and to
accept the proposal of the UN refugee agency's Assistant
High Commissioner for Operations for an inter-agency
humanitarian needs assessment in the country.
***********************************************
ASEAN:
Human Rights In The Charter And Beyond
Thursday, 22 November 2007, 12:30 am
Press Release: Amnesty International
ASEAN: human rights in the Charter and beyond Amnesty
International notes that the Charter of the Association
of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), has been signed by
leaders of ASEAN at its 13th Summit now being held in
Singapore.
Amnesty International welcomes the inclusion of a
commitment within the ASEAN Charter to promote, protect
and respect human rights and to establish a regional
human rights body. However, the organisation is deeply
concerned that the process followed thus far to
establish an ASEAN Charter has been largely opaque and
non-participatory.
Despite the existence of a vibrant, active and dedicated
civil society in the region which has been at the
forefront of efforts to push forward an ASEAN Charter
with a strong human rights component, consultation with
civil society on the content of the Charter has been
severely limited.
The organisation is concerned that any commitments made
within the existing Charter to human rights protection
will remain empty gestures unless they are followed by
concrete action in a timely manner.
This would include immediately addressing serious
violations of human rights within ASEAN member states,
and by setting up an effective human rights body.
Such a body should be capable of addressing the human
rights violations which are so prevalent a feature in
parts of the ASEAN region, and to ensure that what the
Charter calls "a people-oriented ASEAN" means in reality
a human rights-oriented ASEAN.
Human rights in the ASEAN region
Over the years Amnesty International has documented a
wide range of human rights violations civil and
political as well as social economic and cultural -
across the ASEAN region, and notes that the region has
seen violations that are both national and transnational
in nature.
The current crisis in Myanmar, which is in fact a
continuation of decades of serious human rights
violations, some of which constitute crimes against
humanity, is a case in point. ASEAN has so far been
unable to bring about a halt to these violations,
despite Myanmar being a member state.
It is unclear to Amnesty International how the military
government of this state was able to -- or indeed was
allowed to - sign the ASEAN Charter, when that
government is clearly already in what the Charter
reportedly calls "a serious breach" of its human rights
provisions. Amnesty International is concerned that the
ASEAN Charter may have lost credibility right from the
beginning. Amnesty International is encouraged by
reports that some ASEAN leaders share these concerns.
The cross-border movement of individuals across the
region has included serious violations of human rights;
whether it be the exploitation of victims of human
trafficking, refugees and asylum seekers moving in
search of protection from persecution, or the movement
of migrant workers in search of a livelihood in the more
prosperous ASEAN countries where they are often subject
to abuse of their human rights including labour rights.
While ASEAN has recently declared its intention to
address some of these issues, concrete improvements on
the ground are yet to be seen.
Other violations prevalent across the ASEAN region
include torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading
treatment or punishment, extrajudicial executions,
widespread violations of international humanitarian law
and international human rights law within internal armed
conflicts, violence against women, restrictions of
freedom of expression, assembly and association and
disregard for economic, social and cultural rights of
marginalised communities. Amnesty International calls on
ASEAN to take up the challenge of comprehensively
addressing all of these human rights concerns.
ASEAN human rights body
Amnesty International urges ASEAN to adopt a transparent
and participatory approach to the setting up of the
human rights body. Civil society organisations,
including human rights NGOs, trade unions, social
movements, women's organizations, minority groups and
members of the public, must have a prominent role in
both the shaping of the human rights body's mandate and
its ongoing function.
Civil society can contribute substantially to the human
rights body's ability to bring about compliance with
international human rights law and standards on both the
regional and national levels, as well as provide
essential feedback on the work of the human rights body.
Amnesty International calls on ASEAN to establish a
reasonable timeframe within which the human rights body
will be set up. The organization also calls on ASEAN,
when determining the terms and reference of the body, to
ensure as a priority that international human rights law
and standards provide a benchmark for all action
undertaken by the body, in common with other regional
human rights monitoring bodies.
The ASEAN human rights body must itself be -- or else,
if representative of governments, must have the power to
appoint - an independent, impartial, competent,
well-resourced, professional human rights body, whose
membership reflects the region's diverse peoples and
cultures as well as gender parity.
Members should be nominated and elected in a transparent
process involving civil society at every stage of the
proceedings.
As a minimum, the human rights body should:
* Work for and provide advice on the ratification and
implementation of human rights and international
humanitarian law treaties, including establishing
effective training;
* Encourage and support states parties' timely and
adequate reporting to UN human rights treaty-monitoring
bodies;
* Urge member states to invite UN Special Procedures to
visit and to provide them with full assistance and
access;
* Encourage states to implement recommendations of UN
treaty bodies and Special Procedures, and provide advice
regarding such implementation;
* Encourage the establishment and operation of national
human rights institutions in accordance with the UN
Principles relating to the status of national
institutions (the "Paris Principles");
* Investigate specific human rights situations, in
response to submissions by individuals, organisations or
states, or on its own motion;
* Develop tools and materials for human rights education
and help member states in providing human rights
education and training, both for state officials and for
the public as a whole; and
* Work with and provide advice to national and regional
human rights defenders, as well as ensuring that states
allow them to carry out their work unhindered.
The human rights body must have the authority and be
provided with sufficient resources to carry out these
tasks in a timely and effective manner.
Finally, Amnesty International strongly recommends that
the human rights body's initial mandate should allow the
future development, expansion and elaboration of
mechanisms which will be able to prevent human rights
violations and provide an effective level of protection,
monitoring and promotion of human rights throughout the
ASEAN region.
Amnesty International urges ASEAN leaders to ensure that
the future process of elaboration of the human rights
body enables the effective and transparent engagement of
civil society groups in order to ensure that people and
their human rights are at the heart of this body.
ENDS
***************************************************
^Top^
PRESS RELEASE
THE FAILURE OF ASEAN WAY: WASHING OFF THE BLOODY HANDS
OFF BURMA
(20 November
2007, Singapore) Representatives of the Solidarity for
Asia People's Advocacies (SAPA) Working Group on ASEAN
today condemned ASEAN for washing its hands off Burma.
"The Association persisted in admitting Burma despite
strong opposition from civil society groups in 1997",
said Charm Tong of the Shan Women's Action Network
during a press conference held in Singapore today.
"ASEAN is shameful because it washes its hands off
Burma, and passed on the burden of dealing with Burma to
the UN", Charm Tong added. This Burma activist said that
the recent policies and actions of the Association are a
clear indication of the failure of the ASEAN Way. The
Burmese military junta has slapped the face of ASEAN
during this Summit by simply insisting that the
political turmoil in the country is an internal matter,
and preventing a dialogue between ASEAN leaders and the
UN Secretary General's Special Envoy, Prof. Ibrahim
Gambari.
Representatives of Southeast Asian civil society groups
also expressed their disappointment about the human
rights elements in the ASEAN Charter, which was signed
earlier today. Rafendi Djamin of the Indonesian Human
Rights Working Group (HRWG) argued that "ASEAN remains
non-committal to human rights being an overarching
principle of the Charter." Djamin also commented that
elements in international human rights law and the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights are absent in the
ASEAN Charter. In addition, Djamin also expressed his
pessimism regarding the creation of the ASEAN Human
Rights Body. "From what we have seen in the Charter, we
cannot really expect that this human rights body will
have a protection function."
Southeast Asian civil society groups were also concerned
about the lack of attention given by ASEAN leaders
towards the migration issue in this Summit. "The bulk of
economic flows and economic growth in Southeast Asia are
generated by migrant workers, both documented and
undocumented, many of whom are women who are abused and
exploited!" commented William Gois of the Migrant Forum
Asia (MFA). Consequently, Gois argued that ASEAN must
have core labour standards that respects the rights of
migrant workers in the region.
The disappointment about the Charter prompted civil
society groups to launch the ASEAN People's Charter
campaign. Previously, Singaporean Foreign Minister,
George Yeo, was quoted as saying that "this [the ASEAN
Charter] is a government agreement, but there should be
parallel activities among parliamentarians, CSOs,
students, graduates, think-tanks, and so on".
Reacting to the aforementioned comment, Sinapan
Samydorai of the Singapore based Think- Centre, argued
that civil society must not be relegated to organizing
parallel activities outside of formal ASEAN processes,
but rather should be an integral part of ASEAN
processes. "If ASEAN governments act against the wishes
of the people, refusing to listen to the voices of the
people, will ASEAN be legitimate in the eyes of the
people?" stated Samydorai.
The SAPA Working Group on ASEAN will continue to hold
the press conference at the Singapore Council of Women
Organisations (SCWO) at 3.00-4.00 pm until tomorrow,
21st November 2007.
About
SAPA Working Group on ASEAN
The SAPA WG on ASEAN is a common platform for collective
action on ASEAN advocacy.
The WG-ASEAN respects and promotes the multiplicity of
perspectives, strategies and forms employed by its
individual members, as it strives for specific unities
in ASEAN-related advocacy and action. Presently, the
SAPA WG on ASEAN has more than 100 CSOs, national and
regional organizations, as members.
Further information and documents related to SAPA and
SAPA WG on ASEAN activities may be downloaded from
http://www.asiasapa.org.
For more information, please contact:
Mr. Samydorai Sinapan, Think Center, +65 9479 1906,
samysd@pacific.net.sg
Ms. Consuelo Katrina Lopa, South East Asian Committee
for Advocacy (SEACA), +63 928
5025685, clopa@seaca.net
************************ ^Top^
[LOGO] Human Rights Education Institute of Burma (HREIB)
G P O Box (485) Chiang Mai, 50000, Thailand.
e- mail :
hreburma@loxinfo.co.th
website :
http://www.hreib.org
“UN
Security Council should fulfill its pledge to hold the
Burmese Military accountable for its use of child
soldiers”
The Human
Rights Education Institute of Burma (HREIB) calls to end
to the use of child as soldiers in the Burma Army as
well as in armed opposition groups, coinciding with the
release of the new Human Rights Watch (HRW) Report “Sold
to be Soldiers: The Recruitment and Use of Child
Soldiers in Burma.” HREIB urges the UN Security Council
in this coming to take a stronger action on the Burmese
military for its use of children soldiers.
The HRW
report released today outlines how Burmese military
recruiters target children in order to meet an
unrelenting demand for new recruits. This demand is
fueled by continued army expansion, high desertion rates
and a lack of willing volunteers. However, the use of
child soldiers also continues in some ethnic-based
insurgent groups, who also recruit and deploy children
in far smaller numbers.
Describing
how trained recruiters and civilian brokers exchange
children like commodities in attempts to fulfill
military recruitment quotas, the report outlines how
young boys are targeted at train and bus stations,
markets, and other public places in cities and towns in
Burma, and often threaten with arrest if they refuse to
join the army. After basic military training, enduring
often brutal conditions, children are sent into combat
situations to participate in gross human rights abuses,
such as burning villages and using civilians for forced
labor. Children who attempt to escape or desert are
beaten, forcibly re-recruited, or imprisoned. The HRW
findings are consistent with HREIB’s findings from
previous research conducted in September 2006.
In Burma’s
conflict regions, children of ethnic nationalities
continue to be devastated by the almost five-decade long
civil war. Deeply scarred by atrocities they have both
witnessed and survived, and without any viable options,
many children join non-state armed groups. “The reality
for children is devastating, as becoming a soldier at
such a young age leaves lasting psychological impacts.
Their experience as child soldiers deeply affects their
adult lives. As children are the future of any country,
this situation will also affect the future of Burma as a
whole” said Aung Myo Min, Director of the HREIB.
Aung Myo Min
went on to say that, “the formation of the Committee for
the Prevention of Military Recruitment of Underage
Children by the Burmese military government in 2004 has
yet to be translated into concrete actions to address
the issue on the ground. Nor have these developments
deterred Burma’s armed forces from continuing to recruit
and use child soldiers in armed conflict. On the
contrary, effort to recruit child soldiers appears to
have increased.” Aung Myo Min went on to say “Burma
remains in serious violation of its own domestic
policies and international laws.”
Despite this
deeply troubling scenario, the Human Rights Watch report
notes some gains in efforts to stem the use of child
soldiers in Burma. Specifically, the report acknowledges
the progress made by certain groups in addressing the
issue of child soldiers in their ranks, namely, the
Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and the Karenni
Army (KA), have signed Deeds of Commitment promising to
end recruitment of child soldiers. HRW even recommends
that the Karenni Army be removed from the UN Secretary
General’s list. HREIB welcomes the progress made by
these groups and hopes to see additional steps forward
being taken by other armed groups.
The United
Nations Security Council Working Group on Children and
Armed Conflict will meet to discuss violations in Burma
in coming weeks. The Security Council has stated in the
past its willingness to consider the imposition of
targeted sanctions. Such sanctions could include
embargoes of arms and other military assistance, against
parties listed on the secretary-general’s register that
refuse to end their use of children as soldiers. So far,
the Security Council has taken no action in the case of
Burma. The Security Council now has an important
opportunity to move against the use of child soldiers in
the Burma army.
HREIB urges
the UN Security Council to take a concrete action on
Burma by imposing measures that include an embargo on
the sale of arms to Burma, the cessation of military
aid, the imposition of travel restrictions on SPDC
leaders, and new restrictions on the flow of financial
resources to the SPDC, particularly from the oil and gas
industry.
The
new report released today by Human Rights Watch can be
accessed at:
http://hrw.org/reports/2007/burma1007/
Human Rights Education Institute of Burma (HREIB) 2002
report, "Despite Promises: Child Soldiers in Burma’s
Armed Forces” can be accessed at:
http://www.hreib.com/images/pb/csreport.pdf
For more
information, please contact Aung Myo Min, Director,
HREIB at +66 (0) 81-9925293 (Thailand)
********************************************************
^Top^
1st Regional Consultation on ASEAN and
Human Rights (26 – 28 August 2007)
OPEN
LETTER
28 August 2007
To: ASEAN
Heads of State,
H.M. Sultan Haji
Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and
Yang di Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam
H.E.
Samdech Hun Sen, Prime Minister of the
Kingdom of
Cambodia
H.E.
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, President of
Republic of
Indonesia
H.E.
Bounyang Vorachith, Prime Minister of the People’s
Democratic Republic of Laos
H.E.
Dato Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Prime Minister of
Malaysia
H.E.
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, President of
Republic of
Philippines
H.E. Lee
Hsien Loong, Prime Minister of
Singapore
H.E.
Surayud Chulanont, Prime Minister of the
Kingdom of
Thailand
H.E.
Nguyễn Tấn Dũng, Prime Minister of
Socialist
Republic of
Vietnam
CC.
Mr. Ong Keng
Yong, Secretary General of ASEAN
Mr. Termsak
Chalermpalanupap, Special Assistant to the ASEAN
Secretary-General
Mr. Ban Ki-moon,
Secretary General of the United Nations
Ms. Louise
Arbour, United Nations High Commissioner for Human
Rights
Mr. Ibrahim
Gambari, Special Adviser to the Secretary General on
Myanmar
Mr. Paulo
Sergio Pinheiro, Special Rapporteur on the situation of
human rights in
Myanmar
Ms. Hina
Jilani, Special Representative of the Secretary-General
on Human Rights Defenders
Mr. Homayoun
Alizadeh, OHCHR Regional Representative for
Southeast Asia
Subject: ASEAN intervention on
Burma starts now!
We,
representing 23 organizations participating in the 1st
Regional Consultation on ASEAN and Human Rights from 26
– 28 August 2007 in Kuala Lumpur organised by the Asian
Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) and
SUARAM, its member organization in Malaysia, are joining
the international community in demanding that the
Burmese government release all protesters currently
detained for demonstrating against the government’s
sudden decision to increase fuel prices and express our
deep concern over the treatment and whereabouts of those
detained.
Since the
first peaceful marching that took place in
Rangoon on 19 August,
the junta has summoned its pseudo-civilian proxy, the
Union Solidarity Development Association (USDA), to
harass and provoke through the use of unnecessary force
upon all demonstrators, including women and children.
Many have been detained and taken to unknown locations,
some of whom were prominent pro-democracy activists
during the 1988 uprising, including Mr. Ko Ko Gyi, Ms.
Phyu Phyu Thinn, Ms Aye Aye Than, Ms Sandar Minn, U
Myint Aye, Mr Min Ko Naing, Mr. Ko Ko Gyi and Mr. Aung
Kyaw Oo. We are concerned that further protesters will
fall victim to such treatment as demonstrations against
the fuel price increases spread throughout the country.
According to reliable sources,
some 65 human rights defenders (HRDs), mostly coming
from the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD)
party and the 88 Generation Students, have been harassed
and unlawfully arrested[i].
About thirteen of these HRDs have been sent to Insein
Prison, where they could face up to 20 years
imprisonment[ii].
We believe that the ASEAN is the most relevant body to
address this issue. It is the responsibility of this
intergovernmental organization to be more proactive in
raising concerns and responding to this situation
diplomatically. This is particularly pertinent at this
point in time for ASEAN celebrates its 40th
anniversary and is in the process of drafting an ASEAN
Charter to help realize the goal of creating a caring
and sharing community.
ASEAN members
should help
Burma
uphold the principles of democracy and the rule of law
by urging the Burmese government to respect the freedom
of assembly, freedom of expression and the right to
information. We are urging ASEAN to exercise its duty as
an intergovernmental organization to immediately respond
to this situation and avoid a repetition of the 1988
massacre. Indeed, this should be seen as a litmus test
of ASEAN’s sincerity in pursuing democracy and human
rights in the region.
In light of
the upcoming ASEAN Charter and the 13th ASEAN
Summit, ASEAN as a regional entity must make its
position clear regarding
Burma’s continuous
human rights violations which also endanger regional
peace and security. Let the gift of democracy and human
rights to the people of
Burma mark a new
beginning for ASEAN in its 40th anniversary.
For more
information, please contact:
Anselmo Lee, Executive Director,
FORUM-ASIA, +66 (0)2 391 8801,
anselmo@forum-asia.org
Yap Swee Seng, Executive Director,
SUARAM, + 60 (0)3 7784 3525,
yapsweeseng@gmail.com
Aung Myo Min, Director, HREIB, +66
(0)8 1992 5293 (Thailand)
and +60 017650 3807 (Malaysia),
myomin@cscoms.com
The letter is
endorsed by 23 organizations and individuals attending
the 1st Regional Consultation of ASEAN and
Human Rights from 26 - 28 August 2007 in
Kuala Lumpur.
1 - Aliansi
Jurnalis Independen (AJI),
Indonesia
2 -
Alternative ASEAN Network on
Burma (ALTSEAN-Burma),
Thailand
3 - Asia
Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD),
Thailand
4 - Associate
Professor Miriam Coronel Ferrer, University of the
Philippines (UP),
Philippines
5 - Cambodian
Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC),
Cambodia
6 -
Coordination of Action Research on AIDS and Mobility –
Asia (CARAM Asia),
Malaysia
7 - Empowering
People for Strong Civil Society (People Empowerment),
Thailand
8 - Focus on
the Global South (FGS),
Philippines
9 - Human
Rights Education Institute of
Burma (HREIB),
Thailand
10 -
Indonesia’s NGO Coalition for
International Human Rights Advocacy (HRWG),
Indonesia
11 - Informal
Sector Service Centre (INSEC),
Nepal
12 - Judicial
System Monitoring Programme (JSMP),
Timor Leste
13 - Komisi
Untuk Orang Hilang dan Korban Tindak Kekerasan (KONTRAS),
Indonesia
14 -
Malaysia Youth & Student Democratic
Movement (DEMA),
Malaysia
15 - Migrant
Forum in Asia (MFA),
Philippines
16 -
Monitoring Sustainability of GlobalisatioN (MSN),
Malaysia
17 -
Myanmar Ethnic Rohingya Human
Rights Organization Malaysia
(MERHROM),
Malaysia
18 -
Perhimpunan Bantuan Hukum dan Hak Asasi Manusia
Indonesia (PBHI),
Indonesia
19 - PILIPINA
Legal Resources Centre (PLRC),
Philippines
20 - Pusat
Komunikasi Masyarakat (KOMAS),
Malaysia
21 -
Task-Force Detainees of the
Philippines (TFDP),
Philippines
22 - Think
Centre, Singapore
23 - Yayasan
Lembaga Bantuan Hukum
Indonesia (YLBHI),
Indonesia
[i]
“Analysts say fuel protests in
Myanmar pose no
immediate threat to junta.” International Herald
Tribune, 26 August 2007.
[ii]
Burmese Police Patrol
Rangoon Following
Protests. VOA News, 26 August 2007.
********************************
^Top^
HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION INSTITUTE OF BURMA
(HREIB)
G P O Box (485) Chiang Mai, 50000, Thailand.
e- mail : hreburma@loxinfo.co.th website : http://www.hreib.com
