Some Risks Are Worth Taking.

December 28, 2011.  54 University Avenue.  Rangoon. Burma.

For Immediate Release 13th December 2011

Hague Burma Visit – Prioritise Ending Burmese Army’s Use of Rape and Sexual Violence

Burma Campaign UK today called on Foreign Secretary William Hague to make ending the use of rape and sexual violence by the Burmese Army a top priority when he visits Burma in January.  The increasing use of rape and sexual violence in Burma has largely been ignored by the international community.

A series of small political changes during the summer and autumn of 2011, and the release of almost 300 political prisoners, generated much hope and expectation that there would be fundamental reforms in Burma. However, the pace of change has slowed, and expected releases of political prisoners have not taken place.

At the same time in ethnic states the military-backed government has broken ceasefire agreements with armed ethnic political parties, and the Burmese Army has been committing horrific human rights abuses against civilians, including gang-rape, torture, executions, mortar bombing civilian villages, and mass use of forced labour. Women’s organisations have documented more than 80 cases of rape by the Burmese Army, including the rape of a child and a disabled woman. This is likely to be an underestimate because of the stigma in admitting to being raped, and difficulties in accessing areas where conflict is taking place.

“The changes that have taken place are welcome, and people in Burma are hopeful, but so far the changes have largely only affected the Burmese equivalent of the ‘Westminster bubble’,” said Mark Farmaner, Director of Burma Campaign UK. “At the same time human rights abuses, including rape and sexual violence by the Burmese Army, have increased, and this must not be ignored.”

The European Union maintains economic and diplomatic sanctions on Burma. Some EU members argue that the EU should lift some economic sanctions now, while others want to see concrete changes first, such as the release of all political prisoners, a nationwide ceasefire, and an inclusive dialogue process.

“There is a risk that Burma’s military backed government is only introducing changes in order to gain international legitimacy and get sanctions lifted,” said Mark Farmaner. “President Thein Sein talks about change while his soldiers rape children and burn villages. It is vital that William Hague delivers a clear message that no economic sanctions will be lifted while these abuses are still taking place.”

Burma Campaign UK is calling for a carefully calibrated response from the UK and EU, ensuring that encouragement is given in response to changes taking place, but at the same time not making too many concessions too fast, as this is likely to remove incentives for the military-backed government to continue reforms.

For more information contact Mark Farmaner on 07941239640.

–

Mark Farmaner

Director

Burma Campaign UK

28 Charles Sq

London

N1 6HT

Mobile: 0794 123 9640

Tel: 00 44 (0)207 324 4713

Fax: 00 44 (0)207 324 4717

E-mail mark.farmaner@burmacampaign.org.uk

www.burmacampaign.org.uk

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Kuki women urge Burma and India: Stop damming the Chindwin and let us return home

Press Release by Kuki Women’s Human Rights Organization

Impacted Kuki women are demanding that India and Burma immediately cancel the giant Tamanthi dam project on the Chindwin River and let over 2,400 relocated villagers return home.

In a campaign booklet launched today, the Kuki Women’s Human Rights Organisation (KWHRO) exposes how the planned hydropower dam will flood an area the size of Delhi, displacing over 45,000 people, including the entire town of Khamti, from along the Chindwin River in Sagaing Division, northwest Burma.

Over 2,400 villagers, including indigenous Kuki, were forcibly relocated from the dam site in 2007 by Burma Army troops, who bulldozed their houses and lands. Ordered into a barren relocation site 40 miles away, many families are continuing to suffer from food shortages and poor health.

Surveying at the dam site by engineers from NHPC Limited, India’s largest hydropower producer, has been ongoing this year under tight security.  Burma plans to sell 80% of power from the 1,200 megawatt dam to India, although the majority of people in Burma have no access to electricity.

The Chindwin, the largest tributary of the Irrawaddy, is a vital watershed for millions in Burma. According to a 2006 project EIA, the dam’s reservoir will flood parts of Tamanthi Wildlife Reserve, home to several globally endangered species.  Since dam surveying began, there has been large-scale logging along the river banks. The entire river basin is also a seismically active zone.

In September 2010, Burma’s President Thein Sein abruptly suspended the massive Chinese-funded Myitsone hydropower project on the Irrawaddy river, due to widespread public pressure against the dam.

“The Tamanthi dam is a social and environmental disaster in the making. Burma and India must stop the project now or the public backlash will be huge,” said Ngangai, spokesperson of KWHRO.

The KWHRO are demanding that relocated villagers be allowed to return to their homes immediately and be provided with proper compensation. Villagers received as little as 5,000 kyats (US$5) in total for the loss of their homes and farms.

The booklet can be viewed at: www.burmariversnetwork.org, www.ksdf.net. www.kwhro.blogspot.com

Contact persons:

Ms.Nga Ngai               Ph: +91-9717369831

Mr.Seigin Kuki            Ph: +91-9971912240

1. Background

Recently, bilateral talk has been taken placed in between the government of Burma and Bangladesh regarding refugee repatriation.  However, the situation in Arakan, after the election, becomes worst than ever. The persecution and the human rights violation accelerated than before. It is too early to repatriate refugees to Arakan without changing any situations in Arakan. Premature repatriation will repeat mass refugee exodus again as we have witnessed the second mass refugee exodus in 1992, after 14 years time from the first mass refugee exodus in 1978.  In order to gain long lasting solution, hosting countries and international bodies need to find out the root causes of the problems.

2. Root Causes of the Rohingya Refugees

The Rohingya, who have been living with distinct socio-cultural entity, are not tolerated in Burma, and they have long been oppressed and persecuted in a planned way in order to transform the Arakan into a purely Burmanized Buddhist Arakan. Apparently, the successive military government of Burma with the aid of ultra racist Rakhine (Magh) have been pursuing the policies of de-Muslimization and Burmanization in Arakan applying various kind of inhuman polices to drive them out from the soil of Arakan. Indeed it is a problem of religious intolerance and political persecution and is a systematic eradication of an ethnic Muslim minority from their ancestral land; periodically, armed operations were conducted against unarmed Rohingya civilians since her independence on Jan 4, 1948.

2.1 The armed operations against Rohingyas

01. Military Operation (5th Burma Regiment) November 1948

02. Burma Territorial Force (BTF) Operation 1949-50

03. Military Operation (2nd Emergency Chin regiment) March 1951-52

04. Mayu Operation October 1952-53

05. Mone-thone Operation October 1954

06. Combined Immigration and Army Operation January 1955

07. Union Military Police (UMP) Operation 1955-58

08. Captain Htin Kyaw Operation 1959

09. Shwe Kyi Operation October 1966

10. Kyi Gan Operation October-December 1966

11. Ngazinka Operation 1967-69

12. Myat Mon Operation February 1969-71

13. Major Aung Than Operation 1973

14. Sabe Operation February 1974-78

15. Nagamin Operation February 1978-79

16. Shwe Hintha Operation August 1978-80

17. Galone Operation 1979

18. Pyi Thaya Operation 1991-92

19. Na-Sa-Ka Operation (presently going on) 1992

Out of 19 operations, 18 were carried out within 43 (1948-1991) years time, it means every 2 ½ years there was one operation for Rohingya. Obviously, Rohingyas are constantly and gradually migrated to Bangladesh, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, United Arabs Emirate, Thailand and Malaysia to escape from the persecution.  However, the junta and the racist Rakhine (Magh) are still not satisfied and the Na-Sa-Ka operation was started in 1992.

2.2 The Na-Sa-Ka Operation (1992-presently going on)

It was the longest and the worst ever operation in the history of Rohingya. It was a new extermination design, with long-term plans and programmes under the command of ex- Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt, the Chief of the Directorate of the Defence Service Intelligence (DDSI) and the Secretary No. 1 of the SPDC then. Through this operation, the Rohingyas are made educationally backward, economically crippled, socially and culturally de-generated. Many mosques have been destroyed and closed down. Arbitrary killing, confiscation of land, forced labours, forced relocation, forced ration collection for army, extortion of money and raping of women are the tactics used in this operation.

2.3 The Citizenship Law of 1982

1982 Burma citizenship law (Pyithu Hluttaw law No.1982-87) supersedes the 1948 Constitution Nationality Laws. According to the 982 law, there are citizens, associate citizens, and naturalized citizens. Under this law, citizens by birth are Kachin, Kayah, Karen, Chin, Burman, Mon, Rakhine and Shan ethnic groups.

The new citizenship law was purposely formulated to target the Rohingya Muslims and denying their rights to nationality and thus rendered them to the status of stateless people.

This particular law will continue to create outflow of refugees which overburden other countries and create threats to peace and tranquillity within the region.

The Rohingya problem is a man-made tragedy recurring in cycle. The neighbouring countries, particularly Bangladesh, are over burdened with the Rohingya influxes. It creates regional instability posing serious threat to the world peace.

2.4 Racial and religious intolerance

The present situation of the Rohingyas are the result of join oppressions by the ultra-racist Rakhine and Burmese military government through forcible expulsion from their homeland by means of persecution, genocidal massacres, torture and harassment in the most inhuman manner.

Therefore, prior to any refugee repatriation process, the government of Burma (Myanmar) should accept the following pre-requisites and fully implement them in Arakan.

3. Pre-requisites for repatriation

1.      Recognition of Rohingyas as an indigenous ethnic minority of Burma (Myanmar).

2.      Issuance of national securitization cards to all Rohingyas.

3.      To lift all form of restrictions and harassments such as travel ban, marriage restriction, land and property confiscation, extortion, arbitrary arrest, forced ration collection for army etc.

4.      To stop building model villages and sent back all model villagers to their origin.

5.      To return all confiscated lands and properties to the original owner.

6.      To give assurance for religious freedom.

7.      To give access for higher education and to provide enough hospitals and medical facilities in northern Arakan

As all above-mentioned factors are the main elements that directly contribute to uproot and displaced hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas from Arakan, unless and until developing the situation in Arakan, the repatriation of refugee will not fulfill its primary objective that is the durable solution.

4. Creating conducive environment for returnees

Instead of passively waiting for conditions to be changed Burma, refugee agencies, must work actively to create conditions conducive to their safe return. It should emphasize on:

1. The right of all persons to return to their country
2. The prime responsibility of countries of origin to establish conditions for safe and dignified return
3. The obligation of Burma to accept the return of their nationals
4. Calls on Burma to promote conditions conducive to the return of refugees and to support their sustainable reintegration

5. Welfare of voluntary returnees

It is essential to maintain an image of truly voluntary repatriation. Voluntary repatriation requires asylum, it respects the refugees, and allows them to make unpressured decisions. The returnees should have the following:

1. Overall peace and security

2. Provision of agricultural settlement land or creating job opportunities

3. Improving infrastructures

4. Strong funding support from donors

6. The repatriation dialogues

Apart from UNHCR, the hosting country (Bangladesh) and the country of origin (Burma) there should have representatives of the refugees or community leaders in the repatriation dialogues.

7. Conclusion

Rohingyas had become refugees to two times, portions of them had been repatriated to Arakan, through bilateral repatriation agreement between Rangoon and Dhak in 1978 and 1992, but it does not provide adequate safeguards to the refugees upon their return and yet their problem still remains unsolved.

Sad to mentioned, in both agreements (1978 and 1992), the refugees were not accepted as citizens of Burma, instead, the technical word Myanmar residents was used. Apparently, the Rohingyas were fallen prey again and again to the atrocities of the junta.

After the election, there are no changes at all in Arakan, and rather the situation is further deteriorating.

Therefore, we would like to the government of Bangladesh, UNHCR, US, EU, OIC, and ASEAN to give pressure to the government of Burma to accept Rohingya as an ethnic minority and to grant full citizenship rights before any refugee repatriation process.

President Thein Sein

President’s Office

Naypyidaw, Republic of the Union of Myanmar

Respected President Thein Sein

First of all Armed for the Quill wants to congratulate you on assuming the office of Myanmar President on 30^th March 2011 and being a first civilian President in 50 years of this great nation.  Since the inception of your leadership in the new democratic era of Myanmar political history there are many challenges you have to address and needs the immediate redresses of the national policy framework to execute the fundamental reform process.  The 14 years 8 months of military rule has destroyed your nation completely and devastated millions of people. The self styled socialist policies of Mr. Than Shwe has dragged the country into years behind the current modernity and its development strides of this Asian century.

From decades now the general public has suffered from the wrong policy measures and unwanted regulations. Foreign media and personnel have kept previously at bay and outside the country even the relief aid workers at the time of cyclone Nargis were denied entering. The years of totality in Myanmar has lead to severe depletion of natural resources, high rate of corruption and extreme poverty. People there are hardly aware of their rights and their duties. The only thing one lives with there is just fear from the system and its authorities so this fear needs to be removed from the hearts and mind of general public.

Mr. President when a leader enjoys a true absolute legitimacy of his own people he becomes an inspiration and admiration for the generations to come. However the current scenario and the road to democracy may brings your position into a series of challenges faced by you and your government but there are things which AFTQ wants His Excellency to throw some light on the darker corners of the disputed constitution and its implementation. From the date of 10^th May 2008 this newly constitution has left a big question mark on Myanmar’s road to democracy as this creates serious doubts and has severe flaws in the adopted 2008 constitution. For instance here are few points which draw the negativism on this nation’s democratic functioning.

1.)    25% of all parliamentary seats would be reserved for military.

This suggests that military would have much tighter control on the government and may dictate its terms to the democratic government. Mr. President no democracy can function and a country cannot be said a true democracy if it’s military interferes in its functioning.

2.)    The Ministry of Home Affairs would fall exclusively under military control.

These words show that a democratic government would be puppet in the hands of its military and have no control on the lives and freedom of its own people. The military which has being haunting Burmese people from last 5 decades will continue to haunt and govern their day to day lives through its enforcements.

3.)    Anyone married to a non-Burmese would be barred from running for the premiership.

This is completely unjustified on the grounds that a citizen which wants to run herself / himself for the premiership is barred just because he / she has married non Burmese this absolutely wrong. Every citizen of Burma whether he or she should have the full liberty to stand for premiership candidature in the elections nationwide irrespective of their spouse nationalities. Every citizen must be treated equally and with mutual respect. AFTQ is fully aware of the situation and why this kind of the clause been putted into this new constitution just to prevent Aung San Suu Kyi a lady who has always remained a shining face of Burma to the world.

Mr. President the world which seems as a white elephant from the Burmese Junta eyes is not like that but instead it is more open and liberal in following realism. As the nation of Myanmar moves closer towards the establishment of democratic government it seems that it is moving towards military controlled democracy rather to full and transparent democracy which is much needed and necessary for the entire survival of the Burmese identity in this advancing 21^st century.

AFTQ wants Mr. President to at least have look into the basic critical points of constitution which has never been favored by the public itself to make necessary amendments init as the true vibrant democratic framework and call for the new referendum on it on a nationwide level which will not only wins the support of general public but also of the international community towards your Presidency. These suggestions are not only for just making amendments in the new constitution but it also eyes on the fundamental freedom of the entire country and its general public.

His Excellency to save Myanmar from more humiliation and embarrassment the government must focus on starting an enhanced democratic political reform process and on removing unwanted regulations like the one on press freedom which not only curb the voice of common man but also makes this great nation more isolate from the outside world. Burmese people have full right to live free and in an open environment where they can practice their rights independently and under vibrant democratic political system.

The world is going through a revolutionary change and many strides are being made in terms of politics and its variants where a functional transparent democracy is a need of the hour must be given importance to secure a better future of the people and the nation at large. This can be done by making amendments in the respected constitution and by providing assurance of the better environment for press freedom. Mr. President the government earns legitimacy when it enjoys the complete support of its people and maintains their confidence in the long run with its policies, its implication and with your coordinative decisions which should support vision in order to build a strong and healthy nation.

Due to the prolonged non-visionary and corrupt rule by the Burmese Military Junta the nation has been thrown back many centuries backward in terms of health, freedom, public life, and economics and in many such areas which empowers the future of a country and its people. Neither the government nor its policies had done anything great and in the right direction more on and at large the entire authority suffers with just short vision and zero tolerance to its people demands and critics. Mr. President following on the same footsteps even after having an elected government in 2010 means that only the regime’s uniform has changed but not its functioning towards its people and the world. And if the government sings the same tune which is unfriendly and not liken by the public then its future leaves no hope in the eyes but only suffering and desperation.

Mr. President there are many questions which now arises in the wake of last elections held and the way the new constitution being followed:

• Is it justified to have 25% seat reservation for Military in the democratic parliamentary setup?
• What is your opinion on barring Aung San Suu Kyi for contesting for county’s premiership?
• How will you justify the procedure followed by Military Junta to conduct constitutional referendum in 2008?
• With military as an opposition in the political setup, how you will ensure the smooth and transparent running democracy?
• Do you have any strategy for bringing Mr.Than Shwe to trails in the international court of justice for the crimes and the human rights violation committed by him and by his regime during Junta’s 14 years long rule?
• How will you justify the regulations being put on the free movement of press / media in the country?
• Is this right-full enough to deny the people of their fundamental rights in the world where free and fair democracy is the need of the masses?

Mr. President AFTQ wants that the government must start the confidence building measures and as an initiative to proper establishment of a healthy and stable democratic nation the newly adopted constitution of 2008 must be amended and must be made free from the un-necessary regulations and ban put on the people of Burma. Burmese who have married with other non- Burmese must be allowed to take part fully fledged with no restrictions on either level or premiership. Press / media must be allowed to flourish as this brings the accountability and saves the nation from isolation hence; bringing the transparency and economics to the nation.

Regards
Hatef Mokhtar
Founder
Armed For The Quill
0047 92548634
Oslo, Norway

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Information Release
October 20, 2011
AAPP Urges the External Hospitalization for the Critically Ill Political Prisoner
AAPP has learned that Nay Myo Zin has been repeatedly denied vital medical care and has been unable to sit or walk without severe pain, causing him to forego his family visits.  His repeated denials come at a time when the U Thein Sein administration granted an amnesty to those prisoners in poor health.
AAPP strongly urges the U Thein Sein administration to allow external hospitalization for this critically ill political prisoner. The health condition of Nay Myo Zin, former army captain turned charity worker recently sentenced to ten years under the notorious Electronic Transactions Act, has rapidly deteriorated since his initial arrest in May.
In physically good health upon arrest, he is now unable to walk and faces potential paralysis of his lower body due to appallingly inadequate medical care in Burma’s prisons, compounded by repeated denials of requests for external hospitalization. The severe pain he is being forced to endure has also prevented him from receiving family visits. The case of Nay Myo Zin amounts to a wholesale violation of his most basic prisoner rights, including the right to basic medical care and family visits. AAPP demands the relevant prison authorities to provide Nay Myo Zin with the urgent medical care he is rightfully entitled to under domestic law.
Nay Myo Zin, who was both physically and mentally tortured during his interrogation, is currently suffering from a broken hip and rib leaving him unable to walk or stand. Although he received an x-ray from the prison hospital confirming his grave injuries, repeated appeals to the prison doctor requesting a transfer to an appropriate medical facility have all gone denied. U Hla Myo Myint, Nay Myo Zin’s legal representative, decried the situation as unjust, stating he witnessed criminal offenders receive approval for their external hospitalization requests without delay. Nay Myo Zin has so far received nothing other than pills.
The prolonged mistreatment of Nay Myo Zin is a far cry from the recent
amnesty that saw the release of prisoners in bad health.
Unfortunately, there are still at least 122 political prisoners locked up and suffering from poor health.  Among those in poor health are:
Honney Oo, an ABFSU student serving a 9 and a half year sentence and now suffering gastric problems; and the famed student leader Min Ko Naing, who was not released in the recent presidential amnesty, is suffering from hypertension and heart conditions due to prison conditions.
The conditions in Burma’s prisons have remained appallingly far below minimum international standards to satisfy the most basic prisoner rights.  Nay Myo Zin is being held in Insein prison, which is notorious for inadequate health care and only provides 3 doctors for 10,000 inmates.  AAPP has documented at least 146 political prisoner deaths due to such deplorable conditions.  The gross negligence for the care of political prisoners by the prison staff demands that resources outside of the prison be made available to those prisoners in need when the prison staff themselves cannot care for those inmates.
As the first political prisoner to be arrested under U Thein Sein administration, it serves as a cautious reminder that conditions inside Burma’s prisons are not changing quickly enough, despite overtures of progress by the administration.
“Given the recent so-called amnesty by the U Thein Sein administration and its intentions of releasing prisoners in poor health, it is decidedly unjust to not only keep Nay Myo Zin locked up on false charges, but also to deny him adequate and necessary medical care which is the right of prisoners and the responsibility of the authorities,” says AAPP Joint-Secretary Ko Bo Kyi.

Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (Burma)

For more information:

Tate Naing (Secretary):    +66 (0) 81 287 8751
Bo Kyi (Joint Secretary):   +66 (0) 81 962 8713

–
Thanks N Regards,
Assistant Association for Political Prisoners (Burma)
email: info@aappb.org
Office Ph: 66(?)55-545495
Web: http://www.aappb.org, http://www.fbppn.net

“There can be no national reconciliation in Burma, as long as there are political prisoners.”

ALTSEAN-Burma has released a one-page briefer titled “Burma’s regime does it again: Political prisoners remain in jail.”
Burmas Regime Does It Again – Political Prisoners Remain in Jail
On 12 October, Burma’s regime released 6,359 prisoners from jails across the country. However, only 220 political prisoners were among those released.

The regime’s routine mass releases of prisoners haven’t resulted in the release of significant numbers of political prisoners. Political prisoners have accounted for about 1% of the prisoners freed by the regime during mass amnesties.

The regime has continued to arbitrarily arrest and imprison political activists and journalists, even after the new regime led by former junta PM Thein Sein took office on 30 March 2011. In the past six months, the regime has arbitrarily detained or imprisoned at least five activists and media persons.

The 12 October mass amnesty saw the second largest number of political prisoners released by the regime (220) since 2004. The move came ahead of the planned 28 October fact-finding mission to Burma by Indonesian FM Marty Natalegawa and the ASEAN Summit in mid-November. During the Summit, ASEAN is expected to make a decision on whether to grant Burma the bloc’s Chair in 2014.

The briefer is available at: http://bit.ly/qFQI5t

Yours, in solidarity,

ALTSEAN-Burma

September 2011

Burma Lawyers’ Council has released a new briefing paper, “Revealing Burma’s System of Impunity:  A Briefer for the Commission of Inquiry Campaign,” analyzing the inability of the domestic judicial system to ensure accountability for atrocities committed in Burma.

The briefer concludes that the judicial system in Burma only serves to ensure impunity for crimes committed by those in power and therefore the international community has both the right and duty to act.

This ten-page briefer includes detailed analysis of:

• The system of impunity that has been embedded in Burma’s constitutional structure;
• The unlikelihood that Burma’s military regime will act on its promise to the international community to halt heinous crimes and create a system of accountability; and
• The need for the international community to take action in order for a truly impartial investigation into human rights abuses to take place.

True reform of the domestic judicial system is impossible under the current legal framework as recent actions by the regime only serve to maintain the status quo. The international community should not be distracted by the regime’s empty promises to uphold human rights principles, and must establish a Commission of Inquiry.

“We have been waiting too long for justice to be served for victims of crimes against humanity and war crimes in Burma,” said U Thein Oo, Chairman of Burma Lawyers’ Council. “The perpetrators are still at large and there are no echoes of preventive mechanisms even at the so-called newly formed Legislative Assemblies. Waiting in vain for action is out of the question.”

For more information, please contact:

Thein Oo

Chairman of Burma Lawyers’ Council

E-mail: utoo@ksc.th.com

Burmas System of Impunity – BLC Briefer

Hkun Htun Oo, Shan State Leader will be 68 on 11th September.

Happy Birthday, Hkun Htun Oo!

FREE HKUN HTUN OO NOW!

Press release by Hark Mong Kok (Love Mong Kok),

Local communities launch campaign against Thai coal mine and power plant in eastern Shan State

Impacted communities today launched a campaign to oppose plans by Thai investors to develop a coal mine and power plant in conflict-ridden eastern Shan State.

The campaign briefer Save Mong Kok From Coal, published in Thai, English, Shan and Burmese, blasts construction giant Ital-Thai’s plans to develop an open-pit lignite mine and coal-fired power plant in Mong Kok, 40 kilometers north of the Chiang Rai border, to import coal and power to Thailand.   

Thai workers began construction work on the power plant in April 2011, bulldozing farmlands of three Shan villages, which had been ordered to move by Burmese military authorities a month earlier. A mere 20,000 kyat (under USD 20) per acre of land was offered as compensation.

Ital-Thai has agreements with the Burmese regime to extract 1.5 million tons of coal a year from Mong Kok for 10 years and to construct a 405 MW power plant to sell 369 MW to the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand over 25 years.

Ital-Thai is relying on the Burma Army to provide security for the project, which lies in an active war zone, where the Shan State Army-South and Burmese troops clash regularly. Ongoing abuses, including forced labour, by the Burmese troops, have caused half of the original 2,000 Shan, Akha and Lahu inhabitants of Mong Kok to flee the area.

“Burmese soldiers, their families and police now outnumber the native population of Mong Kok,” states the campaign briefer, published by the “Hark Mong Kok” group (Shan for “Love Mong Kok”).

Thai communities held protests in 2010 against plans to import coal from Mong Kok through scenic Mae Fah Luang district of Chiang Rai, and are continuing resistance against plans to shift the transport route through Mae Sai. They are also concerned about pollution of the Kok River, which flows from Mong Kok into Thailand, a vital water source for countless northern Thai communities and a famous tourist attraction.

Local Thai authorities, academics and activists are today holding a public forum at Wat Jat Yot (Temple), Chiang Rai about the impacts of the Mong Kok project entitled “Celebrating Chiang Rai’s 750th anniversary amid coal dust and river pollution?”

The campaign briefer can be viewed at www.shanland.org

Contact persons: Hark Mong Kok at harkmongkok@gmail.com

P.O.BOX 415, CHIANG MAI 50000, THAILAND

July 19, 2011

Press release by the Kachin Women’s Association Thailand

Aid urgently needed for refugees fleeing spreading fighting and “orders to rape” in Kachin State

Over 16,000 refugees fleeing escalating fighting and systematic sexual violence in Kachin State and sheltering in makeshift camps along the China-Burma border are urgently in need of aid, according to the Kachin Women’s Association Thailand (KWAT).

Since the Burma Army launched attacks on the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) on June 9, 2011, breaking the 17-year ceasefire, fighting has spread to ten townships in Kachin State and northern Shan State, with systematic torture, killing and rape by Burmese troops.

KWAT has so far documented the rape of 32 women and girls in eight townships during the offensive, thirteen of whom were killed. One young girl was raped and killed in front of her parents. Refugees describe soldiers declaring they have “orders to rape women”.

Villagers suspected of supporting the KIA have been tortured severely. Two community leaders had their ears cut off. Another four men were put in sacks, beaten and then drowned in the Shweli River.

Denied refuge in China, terrified villagers are sheltering in camps set up in areas under the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) liberated areas inside Burma. Those unable to come to the border have fled to towns deeper inside Kachin State.

“Our Kachin refugees are trapped. They have no exit,” said KWAT spokesperson Shirley Seng. “Local Kachin networks and churches have been helping but it is not enough. International aid is urgently needed.”

KWAT is concerned not only for the immediate food and medical needs of the refugees, but for their long-term survival, as they have been forced to abandon their rice fields.

“A humanitarian crisis is looming in Kachin State,” said Shirley Seng. “We need concerted international pressure, particularly from China, to force the regime to implement a nationwide ceasefire before it is too late.”

For detailed updated lists of cases of sexual violence, torture and killing, please see www.kachinwomen.org

Video interview with refugees can be viewed on www.kachinwomen.org

Contact persons:  Shirley Seng  + 66 86- 9238- 854

Moon Nay Li  + 66 85- 6251- 912

Email:                                    kwat@loxinfo.co.th /kwat.coordinator@gmail.com

Kachin Women’s Association Thailand (KWAT) is a non profit-making organisation working on behalf of Kachin women. We have a vision of a Kachin State where all forms of discrimination are eliminated; where all women are empowered to participate in decision making at a local, national and international level; and where all Kachin children have the opportunity to fulfill their potential.

P.O.BOX 415, CHIANG MAI 50000, THAILAND

July 19, 2011

Press release by the Kachin Women’s Association Thailand

Aid urgently needed for refugees fleeing spreading fighting and “orders to rape” in Kachin State

Over 16,000 refugees fleeing escalating fighting and systematic sexual violence in Kachin State and sheltering in makeshift camps along the China-Burma border are urgently in need of aid, according to the Kachin Women’s Association Thailand (KWAT).

Since the Burma Army launched attacks on the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) on June 9, 2011, breaking the 17-year ceasefire, fighting has spread to ten townships in Kachin State and northern Shan State, with systematic torture, killing and rape by Burmese troops.

KWAT has so far documented the rape of 32 women and girls in eight townships during the offensive, thirteen of whom were killed. One young girl was raped and killed in front of her parents. Refugees describe soldiers declaring they have “orders to rape women”.

Villagers suspected of supporting the KIA have been tortured severely. Two community leaders had their ears cut off. Another four men were put in sacks, beaten and then drowned in the Shweli River.

Denied refuge in China, terrified villagers are sheltering in camps set up in areas under the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) liberated areas inside Burma. Those unable to come to the border have fled to towns deeper inside Kachin State.

“Our Kachin refugees are trapped. They have no exit,” said KWAT spokesperson Shirley Seng. “Local Kachin networks and churches have been helping but it is not enough. International aid is urgently needed.”

KWAT is concerned not only for the immediate food and medical needs of the refugees, but for their long-term survival, as they have been forced to abandon their rice fields.

“A humanitarian crisis is looming in Kachin State,” said Shirley Seng. “We need concerted international pressure, particularly from China, to force the regime to implement a nationwide ceasefire before it is too late.”

For detailed updated lists of cases of sexual violence, torture and killing, please see www.kachinwomen.org

Video interview with refugees can be viewed on www.kachinwomen.org

Contact persons:  Shirley Seng  + 66 86- 9238- 854

Moon Nay Li  + 66 85- 6251- 912

Email:                                    kwat@loxinfo.co.th /kwat.coordinator@gmail.com

Kachin Women’s Association Thailand (KWAT) is a non profit-making organisation working on behalf of Kachin women. We have a vision of a Kachin State where all forms of discrimination are eliminated; where all women are empowered to participate in decision making at a local, national and international level; and where all Kachin children have the opportunity to fulfill their potential.

INTERNATIONAL BAR ASSOCIATION

HUMAN RIGHTS INSTITUTE

NEWS RELEASE

[For immediate release: Tuesday, 12 July 2011]

IBAHRI calls on the world’s lawyers to

take action for justice in Burma

The Justice for Burma campaign was launched today by the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI). The Campaign aims to galvanise support, primarily among the world’s legal profession, for a United Nations Commission of Inquiry (UN COI) into allegations of serious violations of human rights law and humanitarian law in Burma.

Dr Mark Ellis, Executive Director of the International Bar Association said, ‘The most egregious crimes have been committed with impunity in Burma over an astoundingly long period of time. The international community must act to hold the perpetrators accountable and end this iniquity. He added, ‘It is imperative that the 2011 United Nations General Assembly establishes a UN Commission of Inquiry for Burma with urgency. We believe the IBAHRI’s “Justice for Burma campaign” will contribute towards realising this endeavour.’

In the view of the IBAHRI an established UN COI should be mandated to investigate all allegations of international crimes documented by UN mechanisms; human rights organisations; and international regional and national organisations that have been committed by all parties to the conflict in Burma, that is: the Burmese army and the non-state armed groups.

With the international community reluctant to take stringent measures against the newly elected Government of Burma, the initial mandate of the UN COI could be primarily to seek the truth, ascertain the facts and legally determine whether or not the crimes involved constitute international crimes. In the absence of adequate protection by a state, such a process can only be instigated by an independent and impartial body.

If prima facie cases of international crimes are found, the Commissioners could make recommendations to the UN Security Council to explore options for international judicial mechanisms, through a second UN led fact-finding mission, and for UN Member States to apply   their universal jurisdiction legislation.

The IBAHRI believes that the announcement and establishment of a UN COI may significantly deter the commission of further crimes; insofar as the international community will send a strong signal to the generals that human rights abuses must stop immediately.

Murder, systematic rapes, sexual violence, torture, the recruitment and use of children as soldiers, warrantless detention, widespread forced relocations, and forced labour are all crimes widely-reported to have taken place in Burma.

The UN Special rapporteur on Burma, Tomás Ojea Quintana, in a report to the UN Human Rights Council in 2010, described human rights abuses in the country as ‘gross and systematic’ and potentially amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity. His report reads: ‘Given the extent and persistence of the problem, and the lack of accountability, there is an indication that those human rights violations are the result of a State policy, originating from decisions by authorities in the executive, military and judiciary at all levels.’ In March 2011 Mr Ojea Quintana reiterated his proposal for an impartial and independent investigation.

Mr Ojea Quintana’s proposal has been the catalyst for the Justice for Burma campaign. Lawyers, bar associations, and law societies will be encouraged to use their influence to bring about a UN COI by:

• Issuing statements of support on their websites and in newsletters;
• Adding their names to the campaign for a UN Inquiry organised by Burma Campaign UK; and by
• Lobbying their own governments through letters and meetings with foreign ministers.

Background information and guidelines to assist lawyers in taking action are on the IBAHRI website at: www.ibanet.org.

IBAHRI Co-chair, Sternford Moyo said: ‘Lawyers have both the legitimacy and duty to apply influence and pressure where necessary to open an investigation when allegations of international crimes are reported. It is our inherent responsibility to uphold and promote the protection of human rights.’ He added, ‘I am deeply concerned by the unwillingness of the Burmese Government to investigate reports of human rights abuses and by the absence of legal remedies available to victims. Human rights violations in Burma must stop immediately and an independent and impartial UN- led investigative mission should be established without delay.’

Click here for the IBAHRI Background Paper on Burma.

Click here for the IBAHRI Guidelines for Action Document.

ENDS

For further information please contact:

Romana St. Matthew – Daniel

International Bar Association

Press Office

10th Floor

1 Stephen Street

London W1T 1AT

United Kingdom

Direct Line: +44 (0)20 7691 6837

Main Office: +44 (0)20 7691 6868

Mobile: +44 (0)7940 731915

Fax: +44 (0)20 7691 6544

E-mail: romana.daniel@int-bar.org

Website: www.ibanet.org

Notes to the Editor

• To date, 16 countries have declared support for the UN COI, namely: Australia, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Estonia, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Slovakia, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.

• The IBAHRI campaign will focus on European Union Member States, which will be drafting the UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolution. However, support from African and Latin American countries will also be sought.

• The 21st Resolution on Burma will be voted upon at the plenary session of the UNGA in December 2011. Recent political developments, including the transformation of the military regime into a civilian government in Burma have led many states to adopt a ‘wait and see’ approach. However, the legal framework, within which the Burmese apparatus operates, gives prima facie evidence that the military continue to rule behind the scenes.

• On 18 June, Peace Nobel Prize recipient and leader of pro-democracy opposition Daw Aung Saan Kyi, who was freed from house arrest a week after the first elections in 20 years took place, was warned not to conduct political activities in breach of the law. At the time of writing, very serious allegations of human rights abuses, including, inter alia, attacks on civilians, forced displacement of population, rape and sexual violence continue to be reported in Eastern Burma, in particular in Kachin, Shan and Karen States.

About the International Bar Association

the global voice of the legal profession

The International Bar Association (IBA), established in 1947, is the world’s leading organisation of international legal practitioners, bar associations and law societies. Its membership includes over 40,000 lawyers and almost 200 bar associations and law societies spanning every continent. The IBA influences the development of international law reform and shapes the future of the legal profession throughout the world.

The IBA’s administrative office is in London; regional offices are located in São Paulo, Brazil and Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Grouped into two divisions – the Legal Practice Division and the Public and Professional Interest Division – the IBA offers its members access to leading experts and up-to-date information across all areas of legal practice and professional interest. Through a network of specialised committees, the IBA enables an exchange of information and opinions regarding laws, practices and professional responsibilities pertaining to the practice of law globally. High-quality publications and world-class conferences further provide unrivalled professional development and networking opportunities for legal practitioners and professional associates.

The IBA’s Bar Issues Commission provides a forum for IBA member bar associations and law societies to discuss any matter relating to law at an international level.

The IBA’s Human Rights Institute works to promote, protect and enforce human rights under a just Rule of Law, and to preserve the independence of the judiciary and the legal profession worldwide.

In partnership with the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa, the IBA created the Southern Africa Litigation Centre, based in Johannesburg, South Africa, to promote human rights and the Rule of Law in Angola, Botswana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The IBA was instrumental in establishing the International Legal Assistance Consortium in Stockholm, Sweden. This global consortium of non-governmental organisations provides technical legal assistance to post-conflict countries.

Through a grant-funded project, the IBA also maintains an office in The Hague which manages the IBA’s International Criminal Court (ICC) Programme. This office follows the work and proceedings of the ICC, focusing primarily on the fair trial rights of the accused and the manner in which the Rome Statute and other legal documents of the Court are implemented and encourages the legal community to engage with the work of the Court. The programme also produces a dynamic news magazine about the ICC called Equality of Arms Review or EQ which is available on the IBA website.

Contact information:

International Bar Association

10th Floor

1 Stephen Street

London W1T 1AT

United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0)20 7691 6868

Fax: +44 (0)20 7691 6544

Website: www.ibanet.org