The Human Rights Situation in Myanmar By Rene Wadlow, AWC Chief Representative to the UN, Geneva The Association of World Citizens (AWC) welcomes the Special Session of the Human Rights Council devoted to the situation of human rights in Myanmar. It is most appropriate that this Special Session is held on 2 October 2007 - a day designated by the United Nations as the Day of Non-violence. 2 October is the anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi who, speaking of the power of Non-violence, which he called Satyagraha (holding fast to truth) warned that "Unless all of us strengthen the forces of satyagraha, the methods of violence are bound automatically to gain ascendancy." Mahatma Gandhi coined the term satyagrahi for those who use the truthforce of Non-violence and went on to say "The satyagrahi desires to harass neither the government nor anyone else. He takes no step without the fullest deliberation. He is never arrogant. Yet he will never, out of fear of punishment, leave a duty undone. It is my unshakable faith that before so great a self-sacrifice even the power of an emperor will give way. (Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi, Vol 16, page 7). It is in this spirit of Non-violence and holding fast to truth that the Buddhist Sangha (community of monks) is leading the protests against injustice in Myanmar. Therefore we urge the Human Rights Council to take three decisions at this Special Session: 1) To recall to the Government of Myanmar the human rights standards which are non-derogable in times of emergency, in particular the Right to Life, the Right to Humane Treatment, and Freedom of Conscience and Religion. 2) To urge the Government of Myanmar to respect the Non-violent character of the Sangha-led protests; 3) To establish a follow-up monitoring group under the leadership of the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Myanmar, Dr Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, to monitor potential violations of human rights, in particular in the fields of arbitrary detention, torture, and extra-judicial executions. The Association of World Citizens believes that there are two short-term measures which the Council should urge the Government of Myanmar to carry out: 1) To release immediately and unconditionally all political prisoners and detainees held on account of their peaceful exercise of the right to freedom of expression and of association. 2) To create freedom of expression and of association. Without freedom of expression and of association, the major problems facing the Government and the society of Myanmar cannot be resolved. Already in 1990, we called for the release of political prisoners and for freedom of association in oral and written presentations to the Commission on Human Rights. We indicated at that time that we were prepared to work with the democratic forces of Burma, the national minorities, and the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) as the Government was then called, on trying to find common ground to deal with the structure of the State and planning for ecologically-sound development. We were informed by the authorities that they could deal with these issues without our help. Today, the Government of Myanmar, now called the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), still faces the same issues of no constitution in which all sectors of the population can participate and an economy in which the majority of the population is poor and marginalized. There are times when wisdom can be expressed by a call to others to help. We are sure that the United Nations system with non-governmental organizations is prepared to help the population of Myanmar find political and economic structures leading to the welfare of all. We worked closely with the first Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Myanmar, Professor Yozo Yokota, who also stressed the need to release political prisoners and detainees. Unfortunately, these calls have not been acted upon by the Government of Myanmar. Prior to the September 2007 demonstrations, it was estimated that there were at least 1,200 persons imprisoned for their political beliefs and activities. It is impossible to know exactly how many have been added to this number in the last few days, but there are reliable reports of arrests and detentions. Without freedom of expression and association, it is impossible for the Government of Myanmar and Burmese civil society to deal with their two chief issues: the nature of the State and the structure of the economy. Decades of self-imposed isolation, fabricated statistics, and an absence of social and economic research have left even the authorities without an accurate appreciation of serious economic and social issues. This lack of a realistic evaluation of the socio-economic situation is illustrated by the brutal increase in the price of fuel, food, and transportation that was the start of the current protests in August and September 2007. The Buddhist Sangha, with its roots in the population, is leading the protests against the negative actions of the Government. These protests of the Sangha are in the spirit of the Buddha who said "Since it is impossible to escape the results of our deeds, let us practice good works. Let us guard our thoughts that we do no evil, for as we sow so shall we reap...The wise use the light they have to receive more light, and advance in the knowledge of truth." Home Page | AWC Goals | AWC Branches | Archives Resolution 2010 | Human Manifesto | AWC History United Nations | AWC Staff | Join Online Today | Worldometers Contact Us