The Burma Army always prides itself as a model (asin-alar-shi’ -thaw-tatmadaw) army. However, looking at their track records one would wonder what they meant by it. And if one look at its past incidences one would get the impression anything but.

- in 1962 when Burma Army staged a coup and in a subsequent protests by the students, the army slaughtered them in hundreds. And no soldiers or officers faced consequences. Instead, almost all of them promoted.

- in 1974 when then UN Secretary General U Thant died and subsequent disturbances arising from his funeral, many students were slaughtered by the army cold bloodedly. Again, no soldiers or officers faced consequences. Instead, almost all of them were promoted.

- in 1988 the whole country rose up against the military dictatorship and many thousands were slaughtered cold bloodedly. Again, no soldiers or officers were court martialed. Instead, almost all the officer involved in killing of innocent civilians to whom they are sworn to protect, were promoted. Some of those officers hold top positions in current SPDC leadership now.

- there were also many instances in military operations conducted by the Burma Army in rebel area where its soldiers time and time again committed rapes, murders, looting and stealing. There were no single incidence of court martial whatsoever for those criminal acts by its troops.

Now the army is slaughtering monks and civilians again. Will they be rewarded for the behaviors? Based on its track records, the officers and soldiers believe they will be rewarded again for killing innocent civilians and monks because their superiors has set precedents that such criminal actions merit rewards.

The UN and the international community stood idle and watched many thousands innocent civilians get slaughtered in 1988. No international actions were taken against the officers of the Burma Army. Will the international community do the same again? After World War II many officers from Fascist Japanese Army and Nazi German Army were prosecuted for their crimes against humanity. In the Balkan Crisis in the 90s, Milosevic, Karadizc, General Maladic and many Serb officers, who committed crimes against the Croatians and Bosnians, were indicted by the UN Tribunal in Hague. The UN took similar actions also in Rwanda and Sierra Leone . Why not this time against the murderous Burma Army? Hasn’t it done enough crimes to warrant such actions by the UN?

Since the Burmese people cannot take such actions against their powerful brutal Burma Army, the international community must embark upon this task immediately to punish the officers of Burma Army. It is not just one or two generals. It is the whole institution. Therefore, international community must set a precedent for the Burma Army that slaughtering its own people doest not merit rewards. Instead, its officers who commit such crimes must be punished in accordance with the existing international law. Such international actions will prevent future killings by the Burma Army. Otherwise, many innocent lives will perish in the hands of murderous Burma Army.

Win Moe