Burma: The Great Human Rights Scandal

Issued : Monday 6 December, 2004 by UCD

Burmas struggle for democracy is sometimes known as the forgotten war. Indeed coverage of atrocities perpetrated by the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), Burmas ruling military junta, receive minimal press coverage in the west. To address this asymmetry of information, Hughie Baxter, chairman of Burma Action Ireland addressed a Labour Youth meeting of nearly 30 people on Wednesday Dec 1st in UCD.

As many people are unaware of the history of Burmas struggle, Mr. Baxter sought to put the current situation in context by presenting a timeline of Burmas history- from ancient times, through British colonial oppression up to recent developments. He contrasted Burmas experience in trying to throw off the yoke of British imperialism with the Irish experience. Indeed, Michael Collins is seemingly an icon in Burmese eyes!

Although the Burmese are proud to have left the British Empire a year earlier than Ireland, in 1948, theirs is a story not of a successful transition to democracy, but of a failed state. In 1988, students staged mass protests against the oppressive regime. These were put down mercilessly, with over 3000 killed far more than during the Tiennamen square massacre the following year. Soon after, Aung San Suu Kyi, daughter of independence leader and national hero, Aung San, emerged as leader of the pro-democracy movement: National League for Democracy (NLD).

Yielding to popular demand, the ruling junta held elections in 1990. The NLD won by an 80% landslide. The military, however, refused to recognise these results. Many NLD leaders were imprisoned. Aung San Suu Kyi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 while still in prison. She has remained in prison or under house arrest intermittently ever since. Indeed, last week, her term under house arrest was extended by one year.

While Suu Kyi is the focal point of Burmas struggle for democracy, one must not forget that it is her people that suffer daily from outrageous human rights abuses. In Burma, there is explicit evidence of forced labour, child soldiers, arbitrary imprisonment, forced portering (civilians forced to undertake dangerous military duties), systematic torture, rape and murder. The SPDC also engages in active genocide, seeking to exterminate the many ethnic groups present in Burma through the ruthless and xenophobic policy of Burmanisation. This manifests itself daily as ethnic groups, the largest of which is the Karen, with a population of over 7 million, bear the brunt of military oppression. These atrocities do not happen despite government controls: They are State policy!

Aung San Suu Kyi must not be the forgotten freewoman of Dublin (awarded alongside U2 in 2000). This struggle must not remain a forgotten war.

What Can We Do?

• Boycott goods produced in Burma
• Join Burma Action Ireland
• Join Amnesty International
• Write Letters to the Dept. of Foreign Affairs and local TDs
• Raise awareness at political meetings and in the media

Useful Links:

 

Burma Action Ireland website: http://free.freespeech.org/bai/baisite/index/index.htm

Global Unions list of Companies with business links in Burma: http://www.global-unions.org/burma/default3.asp

 

Further Reading:

• The Voice of Hope by Aung San Suu Kyi
• Outrage: Burmas Struggle for Democracy by Bertil Lintner
• Burma: Insurgency and the Politics of Ethnicity by Martin Smith

Written by Victor Duggan: Treasurer, Labour Youth Pat Upton (UCD) branch.