Join our mailing list for latest news and information about Burma.
Safeguarding Human Rights in a Post-Ceasefire Eastern Burma
By Karen Human Rights Group • January 26, 2012The ongoing ceasefire negotiations between the Government of Myanmar and the Karen National Union present an important opportunity for bringing lasting peace and improved human rights conditions to local people in eastern Burma. If the ceasefire can end fighting between the two parties, it should end human rights abuses associated with armed conflict. Human rights abuses, however, do not stem only from armed conflict but also from ingrained abusive practices and lack of accountability for perpetrators. In the absence of armed conflict, abuses related to extracting labour, money and resources from villagers and consolidating state control can be expected to continue or even worsen, particularly where there is a correlative increase in industrial, business or development initiatives undertaken without opportunities for genuine local input. Given these concerns, this commentary concludes by presenting recommendations for using the ceasefire negotiations to define monitoring processes that can offer new options for communities already attempting to protect their human rights. Analysis for this commentary was developed in workshops held with staff at KHRG’s administrative office in Thailand and with villagers working with KHRG to document human rights abuses in Mon and Karen states and Bago and Tennaserim divisions.
To view the KHRG Commentary click here
About KHRG
The Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG) was founded in 1992 and documents the situation of villagers and townspeople in rural Burma through their direct testimonies, supported by photographic and other evidence. KHRG operates completely independently and is not affiliated with any political or other organisation. Examples of our work can be seen online at www.khrg.org, or printed copies may be obtained subject to approval and availability by sending a request to [email protected].
For more details of the report, or interviews, please contact KHRG at [email protected]
Tags: Armed Conflict, Ceasefire, Human Rights, Karen Human Rights Group, Karen National UnionThis post is in: Press Release
Related PostsBurma Army Displays Blatant Disregard for 21st Century Panglong Peace Process
On Union Day, Reappraisal of the Peace Process is Needed
ရွမ္းျပည္တိုိးတက္ေရးပါတီ၊ ရွမ္းျပည္တပ္မေတာ္ SSPP/SSA ထုတ္ျပန္ေၾကညာခ်က္
Time for the Government to Accept the Reality of Human Rights Problems, Take Effective Measures and Move Forward
Kachin Region: War Torn Displaced Village Profiles
All posts