US Supports UN Inquiry in Burma; Others Must Follow Suit

By Burma Partnership • August 23, 2010

Last Tuesday, the Obama administration declared their support for a UN commission of inquiry into crimes against humanity and war crimes in Burma. Activists, think tanks, and UN officials, including UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Burma Tomás Ojea Quintana and his predecessors Paulo Pinherio and Yozo Yokota, have long called for this commission of inquiry in order to move towards justice and peace in Burma. The United States’ decision is a crucial step towards to the creation of the commission of inquiry and a much-needed move from the international community to demonstrate their commitment to the protection of human rights in Burma.

Regardless of individual nations’ diplomatic policy towards Burma, support for a commission of inquiry is a move that all countries can, and must take. It is not an issue of intrastate politics – it is an issue of justice. If a state is earnest in its calls for positive social, political and economic change in Burma, it should back up its rhetoric with concrete actions to help seek justice, peace and national reconciliation.

As demonstrated by the Obama administration, support for a commission of inquiry is still consistent with policies of engagement: “Diplomatic engagement is not a reward – it is a tool designed to facilitate and encourage positive change. We have been clear all along this did not preclude us from taking steps to increase pressure when warranted,” stated a US State Department official.

Foreign Policy magazine noted that this move reflected a greater shift towards critical engagement in US policy on Burma, partly in response to the fact that “the Burmese government failed to come forward with steps to bring progress towards democracy.”

Burma and solidarity groups have applauded the US’s decision to back up their words with actions but have noted that, shamefully for the international community, the US is only the fifth country to publicly support the commission of inquiry, following Australia, Czech, Slovakia, and UK. Joint Secretary of the Assistance Association of Political Prisoners-Burma, Ko Bo Kyi, called for action to pressure New Zealand, Canada and numerous European countries to follow suit and support the commission. Burma Campaign UK has specifically targeted New Zealand and especially the European Union, stating, “The EU must end its silence on crimes against humanity in Burma, and publicly support a UN Inquiry. The EU is currently drafting the UN General Assembly resolution on Burma and must ensure the establishment of a UN Inquiry is in the resolution which is adopted.” Canadian Friends of Burma is leading the calls for the Canadian government to also support the inquiry.

Regional groups, including the Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma (Altsean-Burma), have also called on ASEAN to support the commission of inquiry. Indonesian House of Representatives Myanmar caucus head Eva K. Sundari declared that the Indonesian government should support the creation as the Indonesian government “ha[s] been very soft so far. Our so-called constructive engagement has failed to bear any fruit.”

The international community often pledges their support for improving the human rights situation in Burma in statements and speeches. However, the people of Burma need more than just empty words. If individual states are truly committed to protecting human rights, they must prove it now by supporting the creation of a UN-led commission of inquiry into crimes against humanity and war crimes in Burma.

Tags: Commission of Inquiry, Crimes against humanity, United States

This post is in: Blog

US Supports UN Inquiry in Burma; Others Must Follow Suit

About Burma Partnership

Spotlight

Campaigns