Press Release
133
Ethnic Civil Society Organizations Express Concern and Reservation
Regarding Foreign Military Engagement with the Burmese Military
Today, October 17, 2013, 133 civil society organizations, representing 15 of Burma’s ethnic nationalities, submitted a joint letter
to President Barack Obama of the United States, Prime Minister David
Cameron of the United Kingdom, and Prime Minister Tony Abbott of the
Commonwealth of Australia expressing great concern and reservation
regarding their military engagement with the Burmese military. Along
with details of human rights atrocities and ongoing conflict the Burmese
military continues to perpetrate, the joint letter pens explicit
preconditions that must be met prior to any military engagement and
states the criteria for military engagement should it move forward.
The undersigned organizations describe in
the letter the egregious abuses they have experienced at the hands of
the Burmese military: “They have destroyed our villages, stolen
our land, forced us to serve as their slave labor, to carry their
equipment as they hunt down, torture, kill, and enslave our fellow
ethnic brothers and sisters, and rape, gang-rape, and sexually assault
our women and girls…We know the Burmese military intimately, like no one
else could. We speak of the past, and we speak of the present. We do
not want this to be our future.”
“The Burmese military’s lack of
commitment to democratic reform is evident in its continuing attacks
against ethnic minorities and its failure to work honestly toward
genuine peace.” The military broke a 17-year-old ceasefire with
the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) in June 2011 and continues
to ignore requests to stop the attacks, resulting in the displacement of
100,000 people. The military has violated multiple signed ceasefires
with the Karen, Mon, and Shan, and continues to commit war crimes and
crimes against humanity.
Economic reform, rather than democratic
reform, along with global recognition and legitimacy, are the priorities
of the Burmese military and government, and providing trainings via
military engagement would prove anything but beneficial for the ethnic
people of Burma“The Burmese military does not commit human
rights abuses accidentally, out of ignorance, because they do not know
any better, or because they are not properly trained. Burmese military
leadership orders their officers and soldiers to violate human rights in
order to control property and resources.”
“Training junior officers and
soldiers does not address the main problem: that soldiers are committing
human rights abuses on the orders of their military and political
leaders.”
The letter urges several preconditions and
criteria prior to any military engagement. Examples of preconditions
include but are not limited to the following:
-
Require the Burmese military to demonstrate
a genuine interest in reform by stopping all attacks throughout the
country in both ceasefire and non-ceasefire areas, withdrawing from
conflict zones;
-
Require the Burmese government and the
Burmese military to publicly acknowledge that human rights abuses have
and continue to be committed by the Burmese military and commit to a
zero tolerance policy;
-
Require the Burmese military to establish,
with international support, an independent military police force that
will investigate allegations of human rights abuses by soldiers, and the
creation of an open judiciary process where such soldiers are given
fair trials and sentences.
“Allowing military engagement with
the Burmese military without requiring the Burmese military to
demonstrate an interest in genuine reform and to adhere with the
established preconditions conveys an undeserved legitimacy on the
Burmese military and will jeopardize any effort to persuade the Burmese
military to agree to national reconciliation.”
The joint letter to President Obama, Prime
Minister Cameron and Prime Minister Abbott was submitted on behalf of
133 ethnic nationality civil society organizations worldwide, the full
list of signatories is included with the letter.
Please find the full text of the joint letter here.
The following individuals are available for media inquiries:
In Sydney, Australia: Seng Maw Lahpai - Kachin Association of Australia
Languages: English, Kachin and Burmese
Mobile: +61 402 927 888, Email: smlahpai@gmail.com
In Thailand: Seng Zin – Kachin Women’s Association Thailand
Language: English, Kachin and Burmese
Mobile: +66 846 142 330, Email: kwat.advocacy@gmail.com
In London, UK: Saw Raymond Htoo - Karen Community Association UK
Languages: Burmese, Karen, Karenni, English
Mobile: +44 751 981 9862, Email: rphtooms@gmail.com
In London, UK: Kai Htang Lashi – Kachin National Organization, UK
Languages: English, Kachin and Burmese
Mobile: +44 792 082 6694, Email: htangkai@gmail.com
In Washington, DC, USA: Myra Dahgaypaw - U.S. Campaign for Burma
Languages: English, Burmese, Karen
Office: +1-202-234-8022, mobile: +1-718-207-2556, email: myradah@uscampaignforburma.org
credit:Burma Partnership
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