NGO Name: International Educational Development, Inc. (IED)
Contact person: Karen Parker, JD, Chief Delegate
E-mail: ied@igc.org
HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
Special session on Myanmar
Written statement submitted by International Educational Development, Inc.,
A non-governmental organization on the Roster
Human rights and humanitarian law catastrophe in Burma (Myanmar)[1]
1. At its 6th session, the Human Rights Council agreed to hold this special session due to the urgent need to have effective United Nations human rights review of the situation in Burma (Myanmar).
2. Most of the concern has been focused on the renewal of civilian protests against the illegal regime of General Than Shwe, led largely, but not exclusively, by Buddhist monks and nuns. However, any review of the situation in Burma (Myanmar) must look into the situation as a whole, both in the largely Burman urban areas but also in the areas of the many ethnic nationalities, many of whom have been resisting the General?s regime (first SLORC and now SPDC) for decades. In this light, we draw particular attention to the plight of the Karenni people.[2]
3. In spite of an old cease fire agreement between the Karenni leadership and the Burmese regime, the situation of the Karenni people remains largely unchanged, with military operations by the regime directed at Karenni villages, forcing even more civilians to flee. This is a clearly ethnic cleansing. Recent reports indicate many hundreds of thousands of displaced Karenni, many of whom are languishing under very grim conditions in camps along the border with Thailand or in Thailand itself. Karenni who don?t flee are frequently abducted and forced into slave labour camps by the Burmese military. There are very credible reports that in the past few years the Burmese military forces have been using illegal weapons, in particular weaponry containing nerve and blistering agents, against both the Karenni armed forces and Karenni civilians.
4. At time of writing (30 September 2007), General Than Shwe has still not met with United Nations Special Envoy Ibrahim Gambari; we hope that there will be sufficient pressure to ensure a meeting as soon as possible. Special Envoy Gambari should also be encouraged to carry out as complete an investigation as possible, involving the widest array of issues and including that of the situation of the many ethnic nationalities. We also urge that the Special Advisors to the Secretary-General on genocide (Francis Deng) and armed conflicts (Jan Egeland) be urged to join the Special Envoy as soon as possible.
5. The need for ongoing monitoring of the situation in Burma will continue for the foreseeable future, and not before the persons and parties who actually won the democratic elections are able to take office. The Council, and all its mandate holders, can play a crucial role in keeping the UN system informed and in developing processes and programmes to end this long crisis. The mandate holders on religion, housing (due to the ethnic cleansing), displacement, health and food will be especially valuable in regards to the crisis of the Karenni people. We hope that this special session will represent a clear turning point for all the people of Burma as they seek their full human rights, including the right to self-determination of the ethnic nationalities.
[1] The Association of Humanitarian Lawyers also
shares the views expressed in this statement. We use the name Burma because the
country was renamed by an illegal regime, now called the State Peace and
Development Council.