ASEAN All Talk, No Action on Burma

ASEAN held their 16th Summit this past week in Hanoi, Vietnam, where they discussed enhancing economic cooperation and inaugurated the Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC). The ASEAN leaders were also forced to discuss the issues of Burma’s human rights situation under the military regime and it’s manipulation of the electoral process in the lead up to this year’s polls […]

ASEAN Must Step Up on Human Rights and Burma

The ASEAN Inter-governmental Commission of Human Rights (AICHR) held its first meeting in Jakarta from 28 March to 1 April. Delegates discussed the Rules of Procedure (RoP), the guidelines according to which the body will operate, and the first 5-year work plan, both of which will be taken up at the 16th ASEAN Summit that begins today in Hanoi. Civil society from throughout ASEAN gathered to raise important human rights cases, including that of Burma, only to be ignored by the new body. As representative[s] of a human rights institution, the refusal to meet with civil society is in itself a contradiction of the spirit and principles of human rights,” said Yap Swee Seng, co-convener of Solidarity for Asian Peoples Advocacy Task Force on ASEAN Human Rights and the Executive Director of the Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (Forum-Asia). […]

Support for the NLD’s Decision to not Register Under Unjust Laws

Yesterday, the National League for Democracy (NLD) decided that it would not register as a political party under the junta’s unjust laws and flawed constitution. One hundred and thirteen Central Committee members from across Burma took the decision unanimously […]

Quintana’s Report Sparks Debate and Action; NLD Decides Not to Register

UN Special Rapporteur Tomas Ojea Quintana’s courageous report calling for a UN-sanctioned investigation into crimes against humanity and war crimes has already carried ripple effects from Geneva to New York to Jakarta, fueling discussions in both the UN Human Rights Council and the UN Security Council, and prompting civil society to demand action from the new ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights […]

Quintana’s Recommendations to the UNHRC Must be Supported

On 15 March, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Myanmar, Tomas Ojea Quintana, presented his progress report on the country to the 13th session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC). In his report, Quintana documented the “gross and systematic violation of human rights” being carried out at the hands of the military regime.[…]

Threat of Civil War and Unjust Election Laws, Recipe for Democracy?

On 8 March, the junta began releasing its election laws. The first two to be released—the Election Commission and Political Party Registration Laws—made it clear that these elections will be truly undemocratic and carried out exactly as the junta wants. Political parties will now have 60 days—until 7 May—to submit their registration in order to run in the elections. Some parties are already preparing to register, including at least three organized by the junta-backed Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA), and the pro-junta National Political Alliance, consisting of nine smaller groups.[…]

Junta’s Announcement of Election Laws Paints Dire Image

On 8 March, the Burma’s military regime announced it had enacted the election law for this year’s polls, but did not set a date for the general election. State-run television reported that details of the laws would be published as supplements in the junta’s newspapers over the coming days. So far, the Union Election Commission and Political Parties Registration Laws have been made public, painting a dire image of the elections that lay ahead.

From what has been released so far, here are some notable points […]

Women’s Participation: The Pivot for a Peaceful Burma

The women of Burma face oppression on multiple levels. Under the military regime, women are barred from holding any positions of power. They must deal with the ongoing day-to-day realities of extreme poverty, as well as lack of healthcare and education. Their bodies have been used as battlegrounds throughout decades of conflict. Moreover, they must face societal gender stereotypes, according to which they are treated as subordinates and objects in their day-to-day life.

Despite palpable barriers, the women of Burma have worked tirelessly to take on essential roles in the fight for peace, stability and democracy in Burma. […]

International Women’s Day Marked Around the World

Today marks the International Day of Women. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners-Burma released a brief today on the situation of 177 female political prisoners in Burma’s prisons. In their press release, AAPP stated that these women are an important force within the pro-democracy movement and should be released immediately with all other political prisoners […]

Nationality Verification deadline passes; deportations begin

Days after the 2 March deadline for registering intent to complete the Nationality Verification process, Thai authorities are already scaling up deportations of migrant workers.

According to a spokesperson from Yaung Chi Oo Workers Association (YCOWA), there has been a sudden spike in the detention and deportation of migrants today in the Thai-Burma border town of Mae Sot. […]