Lifting the lid on Burma's persecuted ethnic minorities
Rakhine children at a Buddhist temple
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By Alistair Potter. |  |
Tuesday, 16, Feb 2010 05:06
By Matthew Champion.
Another warning note ahead of elections in Burma has been sounded, with a major report unveiling the plight of the country's oft-persecuted ethnic minority groups.
Most international criticisms of the impending elections centre on the continued detention of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, one of 2,100 prisoners of conscience in Burma.
But a new report from Amnesty International UK says ethnic minority activists are being arrested, imprisoned, tortured and killed prior to this year's elections.
The human rights group spoke to 700 activists from Burma's seven largest ethnic minorities, including Rakhine, Shan, Kachin and Chin, over two years beginning August 2007 in a period including the 2007 Saffron Revolution.
They reported a constant state of surveillance, harassment and discrimination from the country's military junta.
No date has been set for the general elections by the deeply superstitious generals, who infamously relocated the country's capital from Rangoon to the astronomically-favourable jungle hideout of Naypyidaw in 2006.
Among the crimes committed specifically against Burma's ethnic minority groups uncovered by Amnesty is an incident where troops refused to rescue a pregnant woman in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis after discovering she was Karen and a Christian.
In 2007 meanwhile four teenage Kachin girls were caned in public and imprisoned for a year after their gang rape by Burmese soldiers was covered by BBC Burmese. Their only provocation before the attack had been to sing Kachin songs at a karaoke bar.
"Ethnic minorities play an important but seldom acknowledged role in Myanmar's [Burma's] political opposition," said Amnesty International's Burma expert Benjamin Zawacki.
"The government has responded to this activism in a heavy-handed manner, raising fears that repression will intensify before the elections.
"Activism in Myanmar is not confined to the central regions and urban centres. Any resolution of the country's deeply troubling human rights record has to take into account the rights and aspirations of the country's large population of ethnic minorities."
Amnesty International is calling on the Association of South East Nations (Asean), of which Burma is a member, and the region's major power China to expert more pressure on Burma to begin recognising people's rights to freedom of association, assembly and religion.
"The government of Myanmar should use the elections as an opportunity to improve its human rights record, not as a spur to increase repression of dissenting voices, especially those from the ethnic minorities," Mr Zawacki added.
Ethnic minorities make up between 35 and 40 per cent of Burma's population, and are the majority in seven separate states, all of which have engaged in armed insurgencies against the government.
Earlier this week the UK government said securing a global arms embargo against the Burmese regime was a priority.
"A global arms embargo remains a priority for this government, and we will continue to press for progress in our bilateral contacts and in relevant multi-lateral fora," said Foreign Office minister Ivan Lewis.
"The ability of Burma to continue to purchase arms from a wide range of suppliers has helped to reduce their defence and security costs and modernise an army responsible for widespread and systematic human rights abuses."
Burma Campaign UK's campaigns officer Nang Seng commented: "It is incredible that there is still no global arms embargo, especially as the United Nations has said the Burmese army is committing war crimes. Countries supplying arms to Burma are complicit in war crimes and crimes against humanity."
Arriving in Burma this week was the UN's human rights representative for the start of a five-day trip.
Tomas Ojea Quintana said he was yet to receive confirmation of a planned for meeting with Daw Suu Kyi, who has spent 15 of the last 20 years under house arrest.
Last month Burma's supreme court heard a final appeal against the extension of her latest period of house arrest, with a decision expected at the end of February.
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Lead photo courtesy of: