Burma: int. community should not ignore continuing human rights abuses

(Vatican Radio) Just days before Burma's President is due the visit the UK and France, a new report was released summarising some of the main human rights abuses perpetrated in Burma.

Burma Campaign UK, an organisation working for the promotion of human rights, democracy and development in Burma, says the nation still has one of the worst human rights records in the world.

Research reveals that over two years since former General Thein Sein became President, human rights abuses which violate international law have actually increased, with higher numbers of reports of rape by the Burmese Army and security forces, hundreds of political prisoners still in jail, and almost all repressive laws still in place.

Vatican Radio’s Linda Bordoni spoke to Anna Roberts, executive director at Burma Campaign UK. She says that rather than focussing on trade issues, the British government should be aiming to secure concrete agreement on key human rights issues, such as an international investigation into abuses…

Listen to the interview…

Ms Roberts explains that there is a general perception that things are much better in Burma now. She says that while there has undoubtedly been an increase in 'civil liberties' in cities such as Rangoon and Naypyidaw, the reality on the ground is that things have not changed greatly, and for many things have got a lot worse.

She says her organization is receiving reports that there is a serious increase in human rights abuses since Thein Sein came to power. She says the Burmese Army is committing what are classified as crimes against humanity, the rape of ethnic women.

Roberts says Human Rights Watch has documented cases of abuses against the Rohingya minority which they say amount to ethnic cleansing.

She says it is very worrying that we are two years into a so-called process of “democratization” and we still see Burma having one of the world’s worst human rights records, that almost all the repressive laws are still on the books, there are hundreds of political prisoners, and of all the reforms, none of them have been enshrined in law so they could be reversed at any time. And she says there has been no dialogue process that would lead Burma to a genuine democracy.

Roberts says that it is shameful that the international community, including the British government is taking such a “rose-tinted” view of what is going on in Burma The British government used to be in the forefront of putting pressure on the regime in Burma. Now, she says, it has done a real U-turn, prioritizing trade and investment and very rarely speaks out against the human rights abuses.

She says that rather taking trade delegations to Burma, Britain and the rest of the international community should be aiming to secure concrete agreement on key human rights issues, such as an international investigation into abuses against the Rohingya minority, co-operation on including Burma in the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative, releasing all political prisoners, starting a genuine dialogue process to draft a federal democratic constitution, reducing military spending, and setting a timeline for repealing all repressive laws.