Ban Ki-moon Highlights the Plight of Kachin People as Fighting Intensifies

Last week saw the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, visit Burma and become the first overseas dignitary to speak at the Parliament. He also took the time to consult with Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and President Thein Sein regarding the nascent changes over the last twelve months. While he was full of praise of recent developments it is important not to lose sight the actual situation for most people in Burma. As Naw May Oo Mutraw, a Karen National Union negotiator, pointed out to journalists in Bangkok last week, “The current reform process is not yet irreversible” and yet the “international community displays its excitement beyond measure.”

An issue of grave concern to Ban Ki-moon, and one in which the international community certainly should not be excited about, is the on-going conflict in Kachin State, which he states is “inconsistent with the successful conclusion of ceasefire agreements with all other major groups.” This inconsistency has manifested itself in around 70,000 refugees, numerous cases of rape, forced labor, child soldiers being forcibly recruited, torture, and the burning of villages in Kachin State by the Burma Army […]

World Press Freedom Day, Not Yet a Day of Celebration for Burma’s Journalists

This week, on 3 May, the world will celebrate World Press Freedom Day, giving the occasion to look closely at recent developments that appear on the surface to be an easing of media restrictions in Burma.

This year, the Press Scrutiny and Registration Division (PSRD) exempted publications covering the themes of health, kids, technology, crime, education and sports from pre-publication censorship. Despite this, a recent International Media Support report found that Burma’s censorship board still orders the removal of approximately 20 to 25% of articles submitted by newspapers and magazines.

For instance, while massive presence of international media was allowed inside Burma at the time of the by-elections, local media were facing harsh restrictions. The International Press Institute reported that ahead of the elections, the PSRD issued a list of “Do’s and don’ts for the media covering the by-elections.” A local reporter explained that the PSRD warned editors that “action will be taken” against publications that don’t abide by the board’s guidelines […]

Lifting Of Sanctions Premature, No Substantive Changes Yet

This week has seen the Thein Sein government awarded for their tentative steps towards a democratic Burma. Many countries such as the UK, Norway, Australia, and the US have announced an easing of sanctions while the EU will make a decision today although it seems a forgone conclusion that they will lift many sanctions. While these steps should be rewarded it must be noted that the fundamental conditions for which the sanctions were imposed in the first place remain and the steps taken by the government are tiny.

Catherine Ashton, EU Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security identified the three key areas in which EU policy towards sanctions against Burma will hinge on: national reconciliation, the release of political prisoners, and resolving ethnic conflict. If we take these three in turn, it is evident that these issues have not been resolved […]

European Parliament Calls on the MNHRC to Intensify its Work of Promoting and Safeguarding the Fundamental Rights of Citizens

In a resolution dated 20 April, the European Parliament, among other things, called “on the National Human Rights Commission to intensify its work of promoting and safeguarding the fundamental rights of citizens.” This statement came only few days after Catherine Ashton, European Union High Representative announced that she has launched a programme to help the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission.

We welcome this statement as the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission is not yet an independent and effective mechanism to promote and protect human rights for the people of Burma.

We hope that the European Union will work closely with the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission in order to ensure it respects the Paris Principles. These principles are minimum conditions that must be met for a national human rights institution to be considered independent and effective in protecting and promoting the rights of the people […]

Happy Thingyan!

Our office has been closed for Thingyan, the Burmese New Year. We’ll be back with a new issue of Weekly Highlights on 23 April. Happy New Year to all!

NLD’s Victory A Step Forward But Sanctions Must be Maintained Until Genuine Reforms Under Way

The past week has seen much celebrating from people throughout Burma and around the world over the election of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and 42 additional members of the National League for Democracy. These results marked a moment of excitement and hope for the people of Burma. However, the many irregularities in the process and the continued numerous restrictions on people’s fundamental freedoms demonstrate that a great deal more progress needs to be made on Burma’s path towards genuine democracy.

As Soe Aung, Deputy Secretary for Foreign Affairs of Forum for Democracy in Burma, noted in an opinion piece earlier this week, “[G]enuine change must be defined by bold institutional, legislative and policy reforms that can decisively create a truly democratic, inclusive and accountable government based on the rule of law and respect for all human rights. For the majority of people in Burma, there has been little real change. The quasi-civilian administration has made small gestures calculated to generate maximum excitement in the international community with minimum cost to high-ranking officials and their cronies.” […]

Civil Society Calls on Leaders to Promote a People-Centered ASEAN During Burma/Myanmar’s Chairmanship in 2014

Two hundred and sixty-three (263) people signed a letter urging ASEAN Heads of State to promote a genuine people-centered ASEAN and the free and meaningful participation of the regional civil society during Burma/Myanmar’s chairmanship of the regional bloc in 2014. The letter was signed by participants of the ASEAN Civil Society Conference/ASEAN People’s Forum (ACSC/APF 2012) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, from 29 to 31 March […]

Letter to ASEAN Heads of State

We write to you today to share our serious concerns about ongoing human rights violations in Burma/Myanmar, ahead of the ASEAN Summit on 3 and 4 April in Phnom Penh. We would like to request that you use this opportunity to urge President Thein Sein and his government to take meaningful steps towards a democratic transition, peace and national reconciliation as well as to put an end to gross human rights violations in the country […]

“A Step Towards Step One in Democracy”

“We won, we won” was the chant that resonated throughout the streets of Rangoon all night yesterday and waking up this morning had an unprecedented taste of joy and hope for the people of Burma. It is the “triumph of the people who have decided that they have to be involved in the political process in this country,” said Daw Aung San Suu Kyi today after the NLD claimed it has won 43 seats out of the 45 contested. Reports still vary and the official results will only be known later this week, after the Union Election Commission confirms them. In yesterday’s by-elections, more than six million people were eligible to vote, 160 candidates from 17 parties were contesting 45 parliamentary seats.

“A step towards step one in democracy” is how Daw Suu qualified the by-elections, reminding the world that even with the NLD wining yesterday, Burma is not a democracy yet but just slowly starting a fragile transition process in which genuine irreversible reforms need to replace the superficial changes done so far. As Burma Campaign UK outlined in a briefer released this week, “By-elections don’t mean Burma is free” […]

APSOC Condemns Restrictions on ASEAN Civil Society Conference-ASEAN Peoples Forum 2012 in Cambodia

The Asia-Pacific Solidarity Coalition (APSOC) along with its allied regional networks strongly condemns the restrictions imposed on an independent civil society gathering in Cambodia this week in the run-up to the ___ ASEAN summit […]