National League for Democracy's Special Statement on the Report of Former Czech President Vaclav Havel and Bishop Desmond Tutu, Calling the UN Security Council to Act in Burma
21 September 2005

National League for Democracy,
97(B) West Shwegondine Road,
Bahan Township, Yangon.

1. The National League for Democracy states its views regarding the call by former President of Czech Republic Vaclav Havel and Nobel Peace Laureate Archbishop Desmond M. Tutu for Security Council intervention in Burma.

2. The cardinal objective of the National League for Democracy is to create and establish democracy and human rights in Burma. It has always welcomed any and every effort or process that will bring about political change which in turn will work for the solution of the dire problems that Burma is now experiencing.

3. The National League for Democracy is therefore grateful to the former Czech president and the Archbishop for the detailed and accurate report they have submitted. We believe that the report has been prepared out of genuine and sincere motives.

4. Moreover, in their report, these two outstanding and respected world figures have not in anyway cast a slur or blemish on any organization or country. The report focuses on Burma's problems and its needs and the way to solve them. For theses reasons we are convinced that this is the outcome of genuine goodwill.

5. When this subject is brought before the Security Council we urge and solicit all members to unite and cooperate and work together for a successful outcome and to refrain from exercising their veto powers.

In accordance with the resolution taken at the Central Executive Committee Meeting of the National League for Democracy on the 21 September 2005;
Central Executive Committee National League for Democracy

National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma
Office of the Prime Minister

Letter to Ian Pearson
Minister of State for Trade
Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

August 31, 2005

Your Excellency,

I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Your Excellency and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland for joining the call at the closed door session of UN Security Council on 24 June to secure the release of our leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi who has been detained since May 2003. Although the issue of Burma was not included in the official agenda of the Council due to objections from some member countries, the call by well-meaning member nations to draw the attention of the Council to the problem was a great moral encouragement to the people of Burma struggling for democracy, peace, and justice.

Since then, Burma has been experiencing increased poverty, the spread of contagious diseases, including HIV/AIDS, and degradation of the environment in both the urban and rural areas of Burma. A general feeling of insecurity is permeating throughout the country because of the absence of rule of law and the lack of respect for the fundamental rights of the people. By October, Nobel Peace laureate and leader of the democracy movement Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will have spent a total of 10 years under detention by the Burmese generals who are tightening restrictions against political opponents. Yet, the generals are still not exhibiting any political will to seek, through dialogue with all political stakeholders, a common course of action to address the economic and social needs of the people. The existing deteriorating humanitarian and human rights situation is aggravated by the increasing restrictions imposed on international humanitarian agencies and NGOs whose access to project areas as well as their direct dealings with the people at the grassroots are being curbed by the regime.

We are, therefore, deeply disappointed that the generals are continuing to ignore the efforts of the UN Secretary-General and his Special Envoy to revive the UN's role as a facilitator. There are clear indications that Burma is getting close to the threshold of collapse and this is confirmed by recent studies conducted by independent think tanks -- Foreign Policy and the Fund for Peace. In their reports on “The Failed States Index 2005”, Burma is ranked 23 out of 60 countries. Such a situation is not only a threat to the people of Burma but also to neighboring countries.

The time is ripe for the international community to consider applying the concept of “responsibility to protect” and find ways and means to protect the people of Burma.

In such a situation, I would earnestly like to request the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to use its diplomatic weight and influence to bring Burma on the agenda of the UN Security Council and adopt a resolution which will strengthen the mandate of the UN Secretary General in his efforts to reach a political settlement in Burma. We understand that the consent of China is crucial to transform this request into reality. In that regard, we request the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to convince China that a peaceful political settlement in Burma is in the best interests of the region.

Enclosed is our concept paper why Burma should be addressed by the UN Security Council. We look forward to closely working with the Permanent Mission of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the United Nations and are hopeful that an initiative on Burma can be taken in October.

Yours sincerely,
Dr Sein Win
Prime Minister
National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma

Members of Parliament Union (MPU - Burma)
29 September 2005

Dear Hon. Parliamentarians,

Firstly, please allow me to express my deepest appreciation to you for championing the cause of democracy in Burma. At the moment we are launching a campaign to bring Burma on the official agenda of the UN Security Council so that Burma's problems can be discussed and appropriate measures taken for a UN-facilitated democratic transition in the country. We are hopeful that you will extend your kind support for our campaign.

In October, Romania will assume the presidency of the UN Security Council, and because of its past, it is quite familiar to the problems associated with authoritarian rule and democratic transition. Since Romania has always been sympathetic to the cause of the Burmese democracy movement, we have planned our campaign to coincide with Romania's presidency of the UN Security Council.

We would therefore like to request you to help our campaign.

As you are also aware, the UN General Assembly and the UN Commission on Human Rights have been discussing the situation of human rights in Burma and passing resolutions every year since 1992. Regrettably, despite the concerns of the international community, conditions have deteriorated further in the country because the Burmese regime is refusing to comply with the recommendations of the United Nations and to cooperate with the UN Special Envoy and the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights. These UN officials have repeatedly been denied permission to visit the country and perform their mandate to assist the process of national reconciliation, democratization, and improvement of human rights. Meanwhile, increased poverty, the spread of contagious diseases, including HIV/AIDS, and degradation of the environment are worsening in both the urban and rural areas of Burma. The existing deteriorating humanitarian situation has also been aggravated by the increasing restrictions imposed on international humanitarian agencies and NGOs whose access to project areas as well as their direct dealings with the people at the grassroots are being curbed by the regime.

A general feeling of insecurity is permeating throughout the country because of the absence of rule of law and the lack of respect for the fundamental rights of the people. By October, Nobel Peace laureate and leader of the democracy movement Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will have spent a total of 10 years under detention by the Burmese generals who are tightening restrictions against political opponents. They are still not exhibiting any will to seek, through dialogue with all political stakeholders, a common course of action to address the economic and social needs of the people.

There are clear indications that Burma is getting close to the threshold of collapse and this has been confirmed by recent studies conducted by independent think tanks -- Foreign Policy and the Fund for Peace. In their reports on ‘The Failed States Index 2005’, Burma is ranked 23rd out of 60 countries. Such a situation is not only a threat to the people of Burma but also to neighbouring countries. The time is ripe for the international community to consider applying the concept of ‘responsibility to protect’ and find ways and means to protect the people of Burma.

Hence, my request to you is to help:

- Raise questions to the government of the United Kingdom about its foreign policy and diplomatic initiatives at the UN Security Council aimed at addressing the deteriorating political and human rights situation in Burma.

- Take a lead in introducing and adopting at the Parliament of the United Kingdom a motion which calls on the UN Security Council to immediately address the situation in Burma.

Thanking you for the support.

Yours sincerely,
Teddy Buri
President
Members of Parliament Union (MPU- Burma)

Special Announcement of 11 Ethnic Nationality Parties that won 67 Seats in the 1990 General Election
September 24, 2005
Rangoon, Burma

We cordially welcome the report of former Czech President Vaclav Havel and Bishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, calling for the UN Security Council to address Burma.

We specially thank President Havel and Bishop Desmond Tutu for making such a proposal, which has no intention to harm any country, but for the sake democratization and problem solving in Burma.

Therefore, we sincerely hope that if and when the UN Security Council considers to addressing Burma, as suggested by these two leaders, all member states will cooperate fully without using veto powers and objections.

We, members of parliament elected from the ethnic nationality parties, also request for the implementation of tripartite dialogue among the military government, the National League for Democracy party and the ethnic nationality representatives, as suggested by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. 

Members of Parliament, elected from 11 Ethnic Nationality Parties in the 1990 General Election

(Note: This statement was read by U Fu Cin Shing Thang; MP Elect from Tiddim Constituency No (2), Chin State, from Zomi National Congress, in Burmese, on behalf of 67 MPs elect from the ethnic nationality parties in the 1990 general election and broadcast from Radio Free Asia-Burmese Service on September 26, 2005. This is an unofficial translation)

[11 Ethnic parties include Shan National League for Democracy (SNLD), Mon Nationality Democratic Front (MNDF), Zomi National Congress (ZNC), Arakan League for Democracy (ALD), Chin Nationality League for Democracy (CNLD), National Democratic Party for Human Rights (NDPHR), The Kachin State National Congress for Democracy, Democratic Organization for Kayan National Unity, Mara People's Party, Shan State Kokang Democratic Party and United Nationalities League for Democracy.]

Committee Representing People's Parliament (CRPP)

Special Announcement on the Report, "Threat to the Peace; A Call to the UN Security Council to Act in Burma"; Commissioned by former Czech President Vaclav Havel and 1984 Nobel Peace Prize Recipient Bishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa

September 30, 2005

Members of CRPP called for a meeting on September 29, 2005 and discussed on the report, commissioned by former Czech President Vaclav Havel and 1984 Nobel Peace Prize Recipient Bishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa, calling the United Nations Security Council to act in Burma. After serious discussion, all members agreed to issue a special statement on September 30, 2005, as follows.

We believe that the report of President Havel and Bishop Tutu truthfully review and present the real situation in Burma and constructively propose a suggestion, calling the UN Security Council to act in Burma. Furthermore, two leaders do not suggest using the economic sanctions, exercising force and pressure, but only suggest to applying the power of the UN Security Council to implement the political dialogue in Burma. This good will of two leaders correctly reflect the will of the people of Burma, including the political parties, ethnic nationality parties, democracy forces and people from all walks of life.

The State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) (formerly known as the State Law and Order Restoration Council-SLORC) continuously fail to implement the numerous resolutions and suggestion of the UN General Assembly, and as of today, it even stops cooperating with the UN's Special Envoy. Ignoring the good will of the United Nations, the SPDC is trying to create the future of the country with its one-sided formula. If the authorities continue to move forward with its one-sided path, we will see the future of country and lives of the people of Burma in dangerous situation.

At this critical juncture, we wholeheartedly appreciate former President Havel and Bishop Tutu for making a constructive proposal, calling the UN Security Council to act in Burma. We also urge the members of the UN Security Council to pay serious attention on the recommendations of two leaders for the best interest of the people of Burma, and especially request the member states to refrain from exercising the use of veto power to object it.

Committee Representing the People's Parliament Rangoon, Burma

[Note: This report was cited by U Than Tun, a member of the CRPP and a Secretary of the NLD and U Aye Thar Aung, Secretary of CRPP and the General Secretary of the Arakan League for Democracy party to the DVB Radio Station. DVB broadcast it on September 30, 2005. This is an unofficial translation.

CRPP was founded on October 1, 1998 to represent the parliament, as mandated by over 250 MPs elect from the 1990 general election, after continuous refusal of the military regime to convene the parliament. All CRPP members, except five members who are in detention and who are away from Rangoon, attended the meeting on September 29 and made the decision together. Four members, Aung San Suu Kyi, General Secretary and U Tin Oo, Vice Chairman of the NLD, U Khun Tun Oo, General Secretary of the Shan Nationality League for Democracy (SNLD) and U Kyaw Min from Human Rights and Democratic Party are currently under detention. U Yang Kye Maw from Shan State Kokang Democratic Party was unable to attend the meeting.   

.

The Student Generation Since 1988 supports the Report "Threat to the Peace; A Call to the UN Security Council to Act in Burma", Commissioned by Former Czech President Vaclav Havel and 1984 Nobel Peace Prize Recipient Bishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa

Min Ko Naing: "We see this report as a common strategy, which we have requested since we were released from the prison. There are different ways in approaching to solve the problem. We insisted repeatedly to adopt a common strategy, which all parties can play together. Once I had outlined an example. There will be no move when people push the rock from different directions, from North, from South, etc, at the same time. We believe that now we reach a stage of common action, as suggested by two leaders, which we all can move the stone together from one direction. We also believe that the recommendations from this report still maintain the idea of political dialogue and negotiation. It suggests to increasing the role of the United Nations in Burma significantly."

Ko Ko Gyi: "We found two major focal points in this report. First, it calls for the UN Security Council's action, without suggesting sanctions and punitive measure. This should be a focal point for the people, who promote the sanctions and who encourage the engagement. It is also a hub for the military government and democracy forces to work together to obtain the humanitarian assistance from the international community, which is essential for the people of Burma. We would like to urge everybody to meet at these focal points."

"We also would like to request the countries that hold the veto powers and all international community that we all, the National League for Democracy party that won a landslide victory in the 1990 general election, the ethnic political parties that won the seats in the 1990 election, veteran politicians, ethnic national leaders, student leaders like us, who represent the wider population of the democracy movement and who are the key players of the future of our country, unanimously support the call of President Havel and Bishop Tutu, asking the UN Security Council to act in Burma, and that they should consider our endorsement on this report seriously.

[Note: Min Ko Naing and Ko Ko Gyi are prominent student leaders in Burma, who led the 1988 nationwide popular uprising, calling democracy, human rights and an end of the military dictatorship. Both of them spent over 15 years in the prison and were just released last year. This is an unofficial translation from DVB broadcast in Burmese on September 30, 2005.]

RESTORATION COUNCIL OF THE SHAN STATE
September 27, 2005

STATEMENT ON "THREAT TO THE PEACE: A CALL FOR THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL TO ACT IN BURMA"

Regarding the report titled "Threat to the Peace: A Call for the UN Security Council to Act in Burma", made public on 20 September 2005, we would like to support and welcome the endeavour of the former Czech President Vaclav Havel and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Bishop Desmond Tutu for their call.

For 58 years since the independence of the so call Union of Burma, consecutive military government have had done serious damage to the entire people of Burma. Human right abuses, such as forced labour, extra-judicial detaining and execution, confiscation of farming lands, resulting in the growing problems of IDPs and illegal immigrants.

Under the rule of corrupted military authorities, the proliferation of narcotic drugs was not only a direct threat to the society, it also become the epicentre of HIV/AIDS and other drug related diseases, a potential epidemic in store for the whole region.

These man-made disastershave not only ruining the livelihood of the people, but also the tradition, culture, historical heritage and environment of the whole nation. With the prompt action and cooperation of the international communities, this disaster could be stopped.

In conclusion, we would like to affirm our earnest support for the action of former President Vaclav Havel and Archbishop Desmond Tutu for freedom, justice, stability and peace in Burma. And we also call upon the United Nations Security Council to take immediate action on Burmaís Military Regime for the sake of peace and safety for the whole region.

Central Executive Committee
Restoration Council of Shan State.

Two Ethnic Cease-Fire Groups, KIO and MNSP, Support A Call of President Havel and Bishop Tutu, Asking the UN Security Council to Act in Burma

Vice President of the KIO (Kachin Independence Organization) Dr. Tujar spoke to DVB on Oct 1, 2005, regarding with the report of President Vaclav Havel and Bishop Desmond Tutu, calling the UN Security Council to act in Burma, as follow.

"We want and support it as a constructive proposal. It encourages the true dialogue, which we always want. The KIO's national policy is to solve the problem by peaceful mean. The broader we can discuss the better. That will be great, if the United Nations can help that dialogue happens. It is important to be practical. That will be benefit for all if the dialogue happens; otherwise, we will not be reaching anywhere."

Another cease-fire group, Mon New State Party (MNSP)'s General Secretary Naing Han Thar also spoke to DVB about the party's opinion on the report of President Havel and Bishop Tutu as follow.

"The MNSP support the call of President Havel and Bishop Tutu, asking the UN Security Council to act in Burma. There will be better if the UN has better role to involve in Burma. We supported when the UN's Special Envoy Razali Ismail came in and tried to facilitate the dialogue. As Razali couldn't come again, we welcome this proposal as another attempt to facilitate the dialogue under the supervision of the United Nations. We welcome and accept it. As we have lack of trust among us, involvement and strong participation of the United Nations in Burma will be better. We believe that the United Nations can implement the tri-partite dialogue which the UN General Assembly's resolutions suggested. There are a lot of precedence that many conflicts around the world were solved with the help of the UN. We welcome it."

[Note: KIO and MNSP are two largest major ethnic armed resistance groups, which entered to the cease-fire agreement with the Burmese military regime since 1989. This is an unofficial translation from DVB Broadcast in Burmese on Oct 1, 2005.]

Chin National Front General Headquarters
CHINLAND 

Chin National Front’s Statement on “THREAT TO THE PEACE: A CALL FOR THE UN SECURITY COUNCIL TO ACT IN BURMA” 

The CNF is grateful to the honorable former President of Czechoslovakia Vaclav Havel and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Bishop Desmond Tutu for their submission of “Threat to the Peace: A call for the United Nations Security Council to Act in Burma,” a comprehensive report that calls on the august body to intervene in the deteriorating situations in Burma. The CNF would like to announce its total support for the call of the two international figures in urging the UNSC to act upon Burma. 

The CNF has always been ready for a reconciliation in order to solve the political crisis in Burma. However, it is the solemn view of the CNF that the State Peace and Development Council’s unilateral and exclusionary approach to national reconciliation through ‘Political Road Map’ has proven miserably ineffective. It did not meet the basic prerequisites necessary to bring about national reconciliation, democracy and federalism in Burma. The process only strengthens the military regime’s grips on power and there is no room for solutions to the ethno-political conflicts and constitutional crisis in the Union. 

The continued reign of the SPDC only serves to augment problems of human rights violations, illegal immigrations, internal displacement, refugee exodus, illicit drugs trafficking, prostitutions and spread of HIV/Aids in the country— problems that now transcend to the regions of South East Asia. The contagious effects caused by Burma’s ‘internal affairs’ now become not only a regional problem but a matter of serious international concern. 

The CNF strongly appeals to all civilized members of the world community to recognize the urgent need for international intervention in Burma. We especially urge the United Nations Security Council to act promptly and decisively on Burma as recommended by former Czech President Vaclav Havel and the South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Central Executive Committee
Chin National Front
Chinland
25th September 2005

Statement from the Asean Inter-Parliamentary Caucus on Myanmar (AIPMC), Bangkok
Time for the Security Council to Discuss Myanmar
September 23, 2005

Myanmar’s decision to relinquish its turn at the organization’s chairmanship in 2006 last July was a small but important victory for the AIPMC which has consistently argued that Myanmar’s military junta lacked the credibility and competency to lead ASEAN. It also showed that peer pressure worked while constructive engagement  ASEAN’s disastrous eight-year long experiment in appeasement  had achieved nothing for regional stability and cohesion, and even less for self-determination of the long-suffering people of Myanmar.

It is time for ASEAN to come up with a fresh strategy that will deliver results. Myanmar’s military regime, the SPDC, clearly responds to pressure. A strategy that applies consistent diplomatic and political pressure will be even more effective if it is led by ASEAN. Otherwise the SPDC will continue to flout its own promises for the commencement of genuine political reforms, national reconciliation, and the release of political prisoners including democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. Myanmar’s problems will continue to pose a threat to the region.

The AIPMC wishes to voice its strong support for the findings and recommendations of the report “Threat to the Peace: A Call for the UN Security Council to Act in Burma” jointly commissioned by former president of the Czech Republic Vaclav Havel and South African Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Bishop Desmond Tutu. The groundbreaking report, released 3 days ago, called for an urgent, new, and multilateral diplomatic initiative at the UN Security Council to bring about change in Myanmar.

The 70-page report’s findings detail what we have been saying all along: the deteriorating situation in Myanmar is affecting not only those within the country but people outside its borders as well. Quite apart from its truly disgraceful human rights record, Myanmar’s troubles  ranging from ethnic conflicts and refugee outflows to drugs and the unchecked spread of HIV/AIDS  have become a serious cause for concern for ASEAN and the international community.

The urgency of the situation cannot be underestimated. It must be raised at the highest levels of governments, regional organizations and the United Nations now. The inclusion of Myanmar on the Security Council’s agenda is essential to ensure such diplomatic efforts are effective. Diplomatic interventions by the UN secretary general Kofi Annan and his special envoy Razali Ismail have so far been resisted by the SPDC largely because they were not backed-up by the weight of a Security Council resolution.

The action is also consistent with the repeated calls from ASEAN for the SPDC to work with the UN secretary general’s office to bring about change in Myanmar. Since the regime has snubbed ASEAN and refuses to listen, this move will strengthen ASEAN’s calls because it will demand the regime follow the norms of regional and international diplomacy. While AIPMC does not support military intervention, it welcomes the pressure for change that the Security Council will bring to bear on the SPDC.

The AIPMC would support resolutions at the Security Council that require the SPDC to work with the UN secretary general’s office to formulate a plan for national reconciliation to mitigate Myanmar’s threat to international peace and security. Such a resolution should also require that the secretary general make periodic progress reports to the Security Council to gauge the progress made.

We urge ASEAN governments not only to support the move but, as Myanmar’s closest neighbors, to lead this multilateral effort to help bring about change there. As the report points out, the situation in Myanmar is, in some aspects, worse than in countries where the Security Council had previously decided to act such as Sierra Leone, Yemen and Haiti.

We cannot afford to wait any longer. Political instability in Myanmar continues to threaten regional security and cohesion. Since the deferment of the ASEAN chair in July, rumors that head of the SPDC Sr Gen Than Shwe had been ousted in a coup refused to subside despite official denials. One result had been a 30% depreciation in Myanmar’s currency, the kyat, exacerbating rampant inflation and the effects of the SPDC’s misrule.

Our sentiments are articulated capably by Bishop Tutu, who stated “Quiet closed-door meetings among countries in New York are no longer enough. They have failed…It is time for the UN Security Council to act. In fact, it is past due… If governments want to talk about the situation in Burma (Myanmar), the time is now and the venue is the Security Council.”

When ASEAN MPs met for the first time last November to form the AIPMC, we were delighted to receive acknowledgement and solidarity from President Havel and Bishop Tutu. Today, we are honored to recognize that these heroes for democracy share our concerns on Myanmar. We are in absolute agreement on one thing: It’s time to say enough is enough.

Conservative Party Press Release
Fox: Blair must back US calls to take Burma to the UN
 23 September 2005
Spokesman: Liam Fox
 
In response to the US government’s call for Burma to be taken to the UN Security Council for human rights abuses, Shadow Foreign Secretary Liam Fox has written to Tony Blair urging him to support this effort. His letter to the Prime Minister follows in full:

“I am writing to you to urge you to support the US government in its efforts to have Burma placed on the UN Security Council agenda next month. Every other UN mechanism has been tried and has failed to achieve change in Burma. The issue of Burma has never been formally discussed by the Security Council. It is time for that to change.

“As I am sure you are aware, over a million people are internally displaced in Burma. Over 2,500 villages have been destroyed in eastern Burma since 1996. Burma has the highest number of forcibly conscripted child soldiers in the world, estimated to be at least 70,000. There are over 150,000 refugees are in Thailand and thousands more in neighbouring countries. The drugs trade and HIV/AIDS are significant transnational issues resulting from Burma. The democratically elected government, the National League for Democracy which won the elections in 1990, has been denied the right to form a government. Indeed, the junta has intensified its grip on power and imprisoned or exiled those elected in 1990. Aung San Suu Kyi remains under house arrest.

“From analysis of previous situations, it is clear that there are five criteria for bringing a country to the Security Council agenda: the overthrow of a democratic government, conflict among factions, human rights and humanitarian violations, refugee outflows and other transnational issues such as drug trafficking and HIV/AIDS. In the cases of Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, Yemen, Haiti, Rwanda, Liberia and Cambodia, only some of these criteria were met, and yet they were discussed at Security Council level and action resulted from the resolutions passed. Burma, in contrast, conclusively meets all five criteria and yet has never been brought to the agenda of the Security Council.

“I ask you to issue a statement in support of the initiative to bring Burma to the Security Council agenda, and in support of a resolution which would outline the major reasons for Security Council intervention. It is important to note that such a resolution would promote national reconciliation, and would not at this stage require sanctions. It would require the Government of Burma to work with the UN Secretary-General's Office in implementing a plan for national reconciliation and a restoration of a democratically-elected government, request the Secretary-General to remain vigorously engaged with the dispute resolution process and require that he report back to the Security Council on a regular basis, urge the Government of Burma to ensue the immediate, safe, and unhindered access to all parts of the country for the United Nations and international humanitarian organizations to provide humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable groups of the population, including internally displaced persons, and call for the immediate and unconditional release of Aung San Suu Kyi and all prisoners of conscience in Burma.”

Liberal Democrats back UNSC action

The Rt. Hon. Jack Straw MP
Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Whitehall
London SW1A 2AH

18th October 2005

I am writing to you concerning the deteriorating situation in Burma, with a request that the British government should urgently back efforts to bring Burma before the UN Security Council.

Since the present military junta gained power in a coup in 1988, it has isolated the country from the international community. In response to elections in 1990, which were convincingly won by the democratic opposition, it has frustrated any efforts at democratic reform, holding the opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, under house arrest for nine of the last fifteen years. In recent years there has been a continuing deterioration in the respect for civil liberties and human rights as well as a lack of progress on key issues such as the imprisonment of political opponents, and the repression of minority groups.

Although for the past 14 years the military junta have been requested to alter their behaviour by the United Nations General Assembly and the Commission on Human Rights, all previous efforts have failed to produce noticeable changes on the ground for the Burmese people. The regime’s lack of respect for requests from the UN has been evidenced in their failure to allow entry into the country of the UN’s envoy.

While the Burmese regime claims that any interference in their internal affairs would derail the country’s planned transition to democracy, there have been minimal signs of progress. The regime claims to be enacting a program of democratisation, the so called 7-step road map to build a “modern, democratic, prosperous state”, but events, such as the continued imprisonment of Aung San Suu Kyi, testify otherwise.

A newly published report, commissioned by the Nobel laureates Desmond Tutu and Vaclav Havel, argues that the situation in the country meets all previously established precedents for Security Council intervention, characterised by the overthrow of a democratically elected government, conflict between the regime and ethnic groups, widespread human rights violations. These abuses have been compounded by urgent problems such as the large number of refugees, the spread of AIDS and the toleration of drug trafficking.

A growing body of opinion, both within Britain and internationally, is of the view that the time has now come for action in the UN against the Burmese regime. I hope that you will be able to support moves to refer Burma to the UN Security Council in view of the continued human rights abuses committed by the Burmese military junta.

Yours sincerely,
MENZIES CAMPBELL
Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs
Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats 

AIPMC members and MEPs to strive harder for change in Burma
Oct 05, 2005 (DVB)

Members of European Parliament (MEPs) and ASEAN Inter-Parliament Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC) members, on 5 October, agreed to work harder in urging the UN Security Council to take up the situation in Burma.

The agreement came after a three day long meeting organised by European Institute for Asian Studies based in Brussels, Belgium. The meeting lasted from 3 to 5 October and it was attended by AIPMC chairman Malaysian MP Zaid Ibrahim, two MPs from Thailand and the Philippines, Harn Yawnghwe of Euro-Burma Office, MEPs and experts on Asia.

During an interview with DVB, Ibrahim said they discussed the next step needed to be taken and stated that the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), Europe and the UN must work together for a ommon proposal on Burma so that effective actions could be taken.

He added that the best way is for the Security Council to talk to the Burmese generals and to openly discuss with them on how to improve the situation in Burma, and he insisted that the Security Council should be encouraged to intervene.

Ibrahim also expressed his support for the proposal of former Czech president Vaclav Havel and South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu who recently called for the Security Council’s urgent intervention in Burma.

“I think it’s a good idea. I think we should support that,” he said. “I think, nothing has changed. Still very bad. No progress there. We hope that the Security Council will do something.”

Press Release
September 20, 2005

40,000 People from Burma Appeal to the UN Security Council

More than 40,000 refugees, migrant workers and civil society organizations from Burma signed the petition calling on the United Nations Security Council to address the issue of Burma at its upcoming meeting in October. This appeal is submitted by Burmaís multi ethnic nationalities, including the Karen, Karenni, Kayan, Mon, Burman, Tavoy, Shan, Chin, Rakhine, Lahu, Kachin, Lushine, Kuki, Wa, Pa-O, and Palaung people, in commemorating the International Day of Peace which falls on September 21, 2005.

The petition highlights the situation of Internally Displaced Persons, refugees and migrant workers, HIV/AIDS epidemic, child malnutrition, child soldiers, and sexual violence that women face as constant threat in conflict areas and in neighboring countries and calls on the UN Security Council to look into the issue of peace and human security in Burma and to take necessary actions for the followings:

The release of 1991 Noble Peace laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, ethnic leaders and all political prisoners;  Meaningful dialogue between the military government, democratic oppositions led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and ethnic nationalities; The declaration of nationwide ceasefire and withdrawal of troops from ethnic areas; The end of sexual violence against women by military troops and protection of women and children in armed conflict areas;  For the migrant workers to be able to fully enjoy labor rights adopted by respective host countries; and  The right for the people of Burma to return home peacefully and safely.

Starting from 1st September, about 35 workshops on Peace Education were organized with more than 2,000 participants and prayers, vigils, peace rallies, and public forums are held in the border areas of India-Burma, China-Burma, Bangladesh-Burma, and Thai-Burma, and in New Delhi. It is estimated that about ten thousand people will be attending the prayers, vigils and peace rallies tomorrow on the International Day of Peace. Prayers and vigils in some areas will be led by Christian and Muslim religious leaders and in other areas alms will be offered to monks at Buddhist monasteries to be followed by Dhamma recitations about peace.

"As we are holding these prayers, vigils, rallies, and forums, the WLB calls on the SPDC to immediately release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, ethnic leaders and all political prisoners; the religious leaders inside Burma to jointly make efforts for the national reconciliation; the SPDC and all armed groups to observe the International Peace Day by ceasing fire on this auspicious day; and the women's organizations inside the country, including Myanmar Women's Affairs Federation, to urge the Burma army to declare nationwide ceasefire," said Khin Ohmar, the coordinator of the Women as Peace Builders Program of the Women's League of Burma (WLB).
    
The main objectives of these prayers, vigils, rallies, and forums are (1) to publicize and encourage people to participate in the global movement for peace on earth as part of the  International Day of Peace for all people around the world; (2) for every human being to have the spirit of peace and to act to eradicate violence; (3) for the people of Burma to realize and be devoted to the true essence of peace; and (4) for the change in current political situation of Burma.

Women's League of Burma (WLB)

To Burmese People in Burma and in Exile:
People in Need Supports the Appeal on the UN Security Council to Act in Burma
Prague, 6th October 2005
 
 
People in Need, a Czech non-governmental organization that provides relief aid and development assistance, while working to defend human rights and democratic freedom, adds its full support to the call for the United Nations to act in Burma, and joins the growing movement of organizations, groups and individuals striving together to put Burma on the UN Security Council agenda.

Since 1962, the people of Burma (also known as Myanmar) have been suffering under the brutal rule of the military and experiencing gross human rights violations. Many times, they have protested against the repression and called for basic freedoms and democratic reforms. The government, however, responded solely by force. Thus, we believe the Burmese people urgently need help from the international community, in order to stop the injustice being committed by the government against its own people.
People in Need is one of the largest organizations of its kind in post-communist Europe, and has administered projects in thirty-seven countries over the past thirteen years. Our experience with authoritarian regime comes not only from the work to defend human rights in several current authoritarian countries, such as Belarus and Cuba, but also from our own past when the Czech Republic suffered under the communist regime. Numerous visits to Burma has revealed to us that the Burmese government has gone too far and managed to build a system of control, intimidation and repression which has bound the whole society into fear. The lack of attention to long-term poverty, flow of refugees and internally displaced persons, force labour, growing AIDS / HIV rates and other serious problems makes the regime to be a threat not only to Burmese citizens, but to the whole region.

Therefore, People in Need fully supports the recent report „Threat to Peace: A Call for the UN Security Council to Act in Burma‰ commissioned by former Czech President Václav Havel and Archbishop Desmond M. Tutu of South Africa, and prepared by the law firm DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary. The report encourages the UN Security Council to take urgent diplomatic initiative with the aim to bring changes in Burma.

When Czech Republic used to be a communist country, its people were grateful for the help received from the outside world. Now that we are able to freely exercise our rights, we feel it is our moral responsibility to help the others. The Burmese people need our help now.
 
Simon Pánek
Director, People in Need
Prague, Czech Republic

Statement from European Burma Network (EBN) Meeting
London – October 8th & 9th 2005

EBN members and observers present at the meeting unanimously welcomed the report: A Threat to The Peace – A Call for the UN Security Council to Act in Burma.

The EBN calls on members of the United Nations Security Council to pass the following resolution proposed in A Threat to the Peace:

• Outline the major reasons for the Security Council intervention, focusing on the threat to the peace caused by the major issues described in this report;

• Require the Government of Burma to work with the Secretary-General’s office in implementing a plan for national reconciliation and a restoration of a democratically-elected government;

• Request the Secretary-General to remain vigorously engaged with the dispute resolution process and require that he report back to the Security Council on a regular basis;

• Urge the Government of Burma to ensure the immediate, safe, and unhindered access to all parts of the country for the United Nations and international humanitarian organizations to provide humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable groups of the population, including internally displaced persons; and

• Call for the immediate and unconditional release of Aung San Suu Kyi and all prisoners of conscience in Burma.

The EBN also calls on the European Union and other European countries to support the proposed resolution.

Burma Campaign UK
Burma Center Netherlands
Burma Action Ireland
International Confederation of Free Trade Unions
Confederazione Italiana Sindicati Lavoratori (CISL ITALY)
Association Swisse Birmanie
Africa-Asia Forum Association – Hungary
The Norwegian Burma Committee
Austria Burma Center
Burma Initiative Asienhaus (Germany)
Burma Bureau Germany
Forum of Burmese in Europe
Info Birmanie (France)
Swedish Burma Committee
Action Birmanie (Belgium)
Solidanosc Polsko-Birmanska (Polish Burma Solidarity)
Danish Burma Committee
Campaign For Democracy In Burma (Finland)

Statement from Refugees International
September 30, 2005

Burma: Time for UN Security Council Action

Refugees International, a humanitarian advocacy organization, has worked in more than 30 countries worldwide, including a number of states where the United Nations Security Council has become involved. We believe that Burma is a country which requires immediate Security Council debate and action.

For more than a decade, the military government in Burma has violated the human rights of the people, particularly the rights of ethnic minorities. The abuses include persecution, torture, disappearances, extrajudicial executions, widespread rape, demolition of places of worship, forced relocation, and forced labor. Consequently, hundreds of thousands of refugees have fled to neighboring countries in search of asylum. The refugees interviewed by RI have cited threats to their lives and security as well as coercion towards cultural assimilation as reasons for their flight.  

RI believes the numbers of refugees from Burma may be significantly underreported as neighboring countries classify individuals with legitimate claims to be fleeing persecution as economic migrants rather than refugees. Frequently Burmese interviewed by RI say that they left Burma to earn money. Upon further questioning, however, it becomes clear that the migration is a result of families being unable to earn a living for reasons related to the government’s policies, such as taking people away from their means of livelihood and forcing them to do labor for the military, and forcibly conscripting men, often leaving families with no breadwinner. Under these circumstances, people have no choice but to cross borders in order to survive.

Whereas many neighbors of Burma welcomed Burmese refugees initially, over the years, with the situation in Burma continuing to deteriorate and migration of asylum seekers not abating, the host nations --- Thailand, India, and Bangladesh --- have become increasingly less sympathetic. None of the countries harboring large refugee populations from Burma have signed the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and several have changed their policies, at the cost of rights of asylum seekers, in order to cultivate better economic relations with the Burmese government.

Given the extent of the forced migration, the situation in Burma has clearly acquired a regional dimension. Nevertheless, neighboring and western countries appear to be at a loss as to how best to address situation in Burma and have not been able to agree on a common course. UN initiatives undertaken by the Special Envoy for Burma, Razali bin Ismail, and Special Rapporteur for Burma, Paulo Pinheiro, have been stymied as well, with the Burmese Government barring Razali and Pinheiro from visiting since March 2004 and November 2003 respectively.

The level of forced displacement due to conflict inside Burma and the extent of the flow of asylum seekers to neighboring countries are such that it has become imperative for the Security Council to implement measures to ensure a collective approach towards ameliorating the situation. The displaced people of Burma are more than forgotten --- they are virtually invisible. International protection is totally lacking due to the restrictions placed on international organizations by the government. Thus, with the possible exception of North Korea, no country in the world has produced displacement on the scale of Burma with less response from the member states and agencies of the United Nations.

The Burmese government has consistently resisted efforts, sometimes fragmented and incoherent, to convince it to changes its polities and end the internal oppression. Action by the UN Security Council will underscore the seriousness of international concern about the situation in Burma and offer the possibility of taking concrete steps to protect the hundreds of thousands of displaced Burmese.

Statement from Human Rights Watch
UN: Security Council Should Take Up Burma's Human Rights Crisis

(United Nations, October 14, 2005)˜The United Nations Security Council should urgently consider the human rights and political situation in Burma in order to address widespread and systematic abuse of human rights by the military government, Human Rights Watch said today.

Human rights groups have long urged the Security Council to take up  Burma as a critical international problem. The possibility of putting Burma on the Security Council agenda has been boosted by a recent report, "Threat to Peace - A Call to the UN Security Council to Act in Burma." The report was commissioned by Vaclav Havel, former president of the Czech Republic, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa. It calls for "an urgent, new and multilateral diplomatic initiative" on Burma and for Security Council action. Havel and Tutu say they took up the cause of Burma in part because of the continued mistreatment and house arrest of fellow Nobel laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the only Nobel winner persecuted for peaceful political dissent.

"There is ample precedent for the Security Council to take up the human rights and political situation in a country with as horrific a record as Burma ˆ especially when suffering spills across borders," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "After years of inaction while the military government has decimated the political opposition in Rangoon and targeted ethnic groups in border areas, there is no longer any excuse for the Security Council to duck this problem."

Human Rights Watch also said that it was time for a U.N. Commission of Inquiry to be established to investigate the longstanding dire human rights situation in Burma and the possibility that war crimes and crimes against humanity have been committed.

Burma remains one of the most repressive countries in Asia, despite promises for political reform and national reconciliation by its authoritarian military government, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC).

The SPDC restricts the basic rights and freedoms of all Burmese. It continues to attack and harass the winner of the 1990 elections, the National League of Democracy, and its leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who remains under house arrest. It also continues to commit systematic, widespread, and well-documented abuses in ongoing conflicts with ethnic minority rebel groups, including extrajudicial executions, rape, torture, forced relocation of entire villages, and forced labor. As of late 2004, an estimated 650,000 people were internally displaced in eastern Burma alone, and at least 240 villages have been destroyed, relocated or abandoned since 2002. Some 2 million Burmese have moved to Thailand, including 145,000 refugees living in camps.

"The Security Council has taken up urgent human rights and political problems in more than 20 countries this year," said Adams. "If China moves to block this effort they should explain to Aung San Suu Kyi and average Burmese people why their concerns are less important."  

The United States has announced that it will support the move. The United Kingdom, France, and Romania are also expected to agree. However, China and Russia have made it clear in private that they oppose putting Burma on the agenda. China has deep political, military, and economic ties to the military junta in Rangoon, while Russia opposes such discussions because of its record in Chechnya.

"China is trying to portray itself as an emerging and responsible global power," said Adams. "But continuing to offer unconditional support to one of the world's most odious regimes makes it impossible to take such claims seriously. Now is the time for China to set a new course for itself in its foreign policy."

There are concerns that other Security Council members, such as the Philippines, may also oppose the move. Human Rights Watch called on democracies on the Council to put aside diplomatic and other interests and urgently take up the plight of the Burmese people.  

Human Rights Watch endorsed the call of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus for the Security Council to act. As the caucus said: "The deteriorating situation in Myanmar is affecting not only those within the country but people outside its borders as well. Quite apart from its truly disgraceful human rights record, Myanmar's troubles ranging from ethnic conflicts and refugee outflows to drugs and the unchecked spread of HIV/AIDS have become a serious cause for concern for ASEAN and the international community."  

"Democracies like the Philippines should be ashamed if they try to block discussion of Burma at the Security Council," said Adams. "Burma has embarrassed ASEAN over and over again. Instead of offering political cover for the junta, elected leaders of other countries should be standing side by side with Aung San Suu Kyi and others in Burma fighting for their rights."  

Because of continued political support and trade with China, India, Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries, the military government in Rangoon has remained largely impervious to sanctions by the United States and European Union. The U.N. Secretary-General's Special Envoy, Rizali Ismail, and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, have failed to persuade the government to open up the political process or improve the human rights situation. Rizali, a Malaysian with close ties to the Malaysian government, has not been allowed back into Burma since March 2004. Pinheiro, a Brazilian lawyer, has not been allowed into Burma since November 2003, when he cut short a visit after discovering a listening device in what was supposed to be a private interviewing room in Burma's notorious Insein prison.  

For the Security Council to discuss a country situation, nine members must agree to put it on the agenda. Unlike with resolutions, permanent Security Council members cannot exercise a veto over this process. As the Asian Center for Human Rights has pointed out, "in 2005, the Security Council, among others, discussed the following country situations: Middle East situation, including the Palestinian question, Sudan, Burundi, Iraq, Liberia, Afghanistan, Eritrea-Ethiopia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, Cote d'Ivoire, Burundi, Timor-Leste, Guinea-Bissau, Georgia, Zimbabwe, Central African Republic, Somalia, Bougainville, Cyprus, Haiti, Kosovo (Serbia and Montenegro), Western Sahara, Iraq-Kuwait, Middle East˜Lebanon."

"The Burmese people shouldn't have to wait another generation for the killing to end and democracy to begin," said Adams. "The generals have ignored all other demands to end the abuse. It is time for the collective voice of the Security Council to be heard in Rangoon."

Asian Activists urge Asean, Philippines to Support UN Security Council Move for Burma
Statement of the Regional Team Meeting on Burma
October 10, 2005

We, representatives of 25 organizations in 11 countries, shared our concerns about the current security, humanitarian, political and economic crises in Burma at a Regional Team Meeting (RTM) convened by the Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma (Altsean-Burma), in Thailand last weekend.

Following our deliberations, we strongly urge ASEAN to support efforts to raise the urgent case of Burma at the UN Security  Council.

We call upon ASEAN and its member states, in the interests of international credibility and regional security, not to block but support a Security Council resolution in favor of the peaceful achievement of genuine reforms in Burma. In particular, we support a resolution that would require the Burmese authorities to work with the Secretary-General's office in implementing a plan for national reconciliation and a restoration of a democratically-elected government.

We urge Philippines, as ASEAN's most established democracy and current member of the Security Council, to act in favour of the resolution. This is a vital opportunity to ensure that the regime lives up to its obligations to ASEAN and the international community. If the Philippines refuses to support this initiative, it exposes itself as a state only interested in paying lip-service to regional security, human rights and democracy, and undermines its own advocacy efforts for genuine reforms in Burma. Worse still, it would embolden the Burmese regime to perpetrate more injustices that would exacerbate conflicts and unrest in the country.

We remain gravely concerned at the absence of progress in ASEAN to ensure that the military authorities of Burma fulfill their promises to the regional body and the international community concerning economic and political reforms.

While we welcome the initiatives made to discourage the Burmese junta from taking the ASEAN Chair, we are concerned that ASEAN has failed to take advantage of the resulting momentum to ensure significant moves towards democratization. Hence, the regime's continuing human rights abuses and misrule escalate threats to human and traditional security in the region.

We strongly believe that the prerequisites for genuine reforms in Burma include:

* The release of political prisoners, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, U Tin Oo and ethnic nationality leaders.

* The cessation of military hostilities and abuses against ethnic nationality groups, particularly civilians, including denial of food security, forced labor, forced relocation, extra-judicial killings, rape and torture.

* Commencement of free dialogue amongst all key stakeholders, including the Members of Parliament elected in the 1990 election, ethnic nationality leaders and military leaders, to achieve a peaceful political solution to Burma's problems.

We firmly assert that the outcomes of the regime's oppressive and undemocratic roadmap and National Convention, including any resulting constitution or elections, will be illegitimate.

We believe that a more serious handling of the Burma situation will benefit the peoples of Burma and the peoples of ASEAN.

On behalf of participants:
Initiatives for International Dialogue (IID)
Civil Society Coalition for Burma
Alliance for Reform and Democracy in Asia
Forum-Asia

ICFTU Calls for UN Security Council Debate
Brussels, 21 October, 2005

The ICFTU has thrown its efforts behind efforts by Burma's democratic opposition, including Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) and the Federation of Trade Unions - Burma (FTUB), to place a discussion of the Burmese situation on the agenda of the UN's Security Council.

Following an ICFTU appeal to its worldwide membership earlier this month, national trade union centres in many countries around the globe have already urged their respective governments to write to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan with a request to place Burma on the Council's agenda during its current (October) session and more are expected to do so in the coming days.

"There may be no other case in the world more deserving of UN Security Council attention," said Guy Ryder, ICFTU General Secretary. "The unprecedented action on Burma by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), combined with several other factors, makes Burma's military regime a clear problem not only for its own people but for the entire region and beyond".

The call for action comes four months after the International Labour Organisation called on all its Member States to step up action under a June 2000 Resolution which called on all governments, employers' and workers' organisations to review their relations with Burma and ensure they are not supporting forced labor imposed by Burma's military junta. In 1998, an ILO Commission of Inquiry had found that forced labour, as practiced in Burma, amounted to a crime against humanity. The ILO Governing Body will re-examine the issue during its next Session, in November.

Last September, the ICFTU submitted to the ILO over 1,100 pages of evidence on the continuation of forced labor in Burma. In a letter to ILO Director-General Juan Somavia, the ICFTU stated that "... it remains clear that the imposition of forced labour continues to be a systematic and widespread army practice. This material contains reports from nearly every State and Division of the country on several hundreds of cases of forced portering, repair and maintenance of army camps and villages for displaced people, cultivation of paddy and other fields, road construction, clearing of jungle areas, "human minesweeping", patrolling and sentry duty. It also describes numerous cases of torture, ill-treatment, sexual violence and child labour, including the conscription of child soldiers. As a result of these practices, together with the fact that the SPDC often confiscates their land as well as their food supplies, the people of Burma face starvation and forced migration, both internally and to other countries."

The call for UN Security Council action also comes three weeks after the release of a major report by former Czech President Vaclav Havel and South Africa Nobel Peace Prize recipient Archbishop Desmond M. Tutu. The 125 page report meticulously documents criteria cited by the UN Security Council when it took action on other countries including Haiti, Liberia, Afghanistan, Sierra Leone, Cambodia, and Yemen. It then compares the situation in these countries, including factors specifically cited by the UN Security Council, to the present circumstances in Burma. It concludes that there is a compelling legal case for the Security Council to address the situation in Burma. The Havel-Tutu plan suggests a peaceful UN Security Council resolution compelling the Burmese military regime to work with the UN Secretary General on a plan for national transition and reconciliation.

"It is time for a new, multilateral, and serious initiative at the UN Security Council," added Ryder.

The ICFTU represents 145 million workers through its 234 affiliated organisations in 154 countries and territories. The ICFTU is also a member of Global Unions: http://www.global-unions.org

Statement by Amnesty International
Myanmar: UN Security Council must act
14 December 2005

Amnesty International yesterday wrote to all members of the United Nations Security Council, welcoming their unanimous decision to schedule a discussion of the human rights situation in Myanmar.

The organization urged that the Security Council place Myanmar on its agenda and demand that the government of Myanmar put an end to all violations of international human rights and humanitarian law, and implement reforms towards improving the general human rights situation.

Amnesty International has long-standing concerns about the human rights crisis in Myanmar. Grave violations of international human rights and humanitarian law continue to be reported there and have led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people, both within and outside the country. These include torture, extrajudicial executions, and forcible relocation, requirement to take part in unpaid forced labour and military portering, and the forcible recruitment of children to the military. There is widespread impunity enjoyed for these violations by state officials.

The Myanmar authorities have failed to act on recommendations aimed at rectifying this grave situation in successive resolutions passed by the United Nations General Assembly and Commission on Human Rights.

Amnesty International drew attention to its two reports of September and December 2005 that highlight the continued use of unpaid forced labour and misuse of the legal system to silence dissent. The organization expressed concern that the Myanmar authorities have stepped up the prosecution of individuals who have reported allegations of human rights violations, and have displayed an unwillingness to cooperate with the international community in protecting the fundamental rights of its population. This includes denying access to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar and to the United Nations Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Myanmar.

Background
The Security Council is mandated by the Charter of the United Nations with the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. Its decisions are binding on states. The Security Council may formally place a matter on its agenda either by a majority vote or by consensus among its members.

Karen Women's Organization Pleads for International Women's Group to Press for Immediate UN Security Council Action on Burma
3rd May 2006 

The Karen Women's Organization today issued a public statement pleading for international women's organizations to press for an immediate United Nations Security Council resolution on Burma.

"Over the past several weeks, 13,000 people have been driven from their homes in eastern Burma, many in Karen state.  Burma's military junta is on a rampage, killing women, children, and other innocent civilians.  We desperately need women around the world to demand that the UN Security Council take action to end the violence in eastern Burma," said KWO in a statement.  "If the UN Security Council turns a blind eye, many more women will die."

Over the past seven weeks, 13,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in villages in eastern Burma, an area of the world off-limit to journalists and non-governmental organizations.  Over the past ten years, 2,800 villages have been destroyed of forced to evacuate by Burma's military junta, widely recognized as one of the world's most brutal regimes. 

Refugees International, the respected human rights organization, reports that over 1,000,000 refugees have fled from Burma, and over 1/2 million remain displaced inside the country as internal refugees.  In addition to the torching of villages, the military junta has carried out a widespread campaign of rape against ethnic minority women in Burma, including the Karen.  Ethnic women's organizations have documented these rapes extensively in reports including "Shattering Silences", "License to Rape", and others.

The UN General Assembly and UN Commission on Human Rights have passed a total of 28 consecutive non-binding resolutions on Burma, all of which have been ignored by Burma's military junta. 

Recently, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Refugees International, Church World Service, and the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions have called for the UN Security Council to act on Burma -- unlike the General Assembly and Commission on Human Rights, its decisions are binding.  On December 16th, 2005 the UN Security Council held its first ever discussion on Burma, and now Karen Women's Organization is calling on the Council to go further and pass a binding resolution demanding the military junta end all attacks on innocent civilians in Burma and begin a process of peaceful negotiations with all ethnic groups and Aung San Suu Kyi, the world's only imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize recipient.

"Eastern Burma is like living hell," said the Karen Women's Organization in a statement.  "We can't understand why the UN Security Council sits in silence while more and more innocent civilians die.  If the destruction of 2,800 villages isn't enough for them to take action, what is?" 

KWO went on to call for support from international women's organizations.  "We know that women's organizations around the world talk a lot about the need for women's peace and security.  Right now, in eastern Burma, women are being killed, tortured, and raped by soldiers of the military junta.  Please break your silence and demand immediate action by the UN Security Council.  Every day that the world waits is one day too long for the women of eastern Burma -- one more day of rape, killing, and violence."

Karen Women's Organization
www.karenwomen.org

Women’s League of Burma Call on the United Nations Security Council to Act to Stop the Current Attacks on Civilians in Karen State
8 May 2006

The Women’s League of Burma is appalled and sickened by the current Burmese military regime’s offensive against civilians in Karen State. This deliberate and direct targeting of civilians in armed conflict by the military regime clearly violates international humanitarian law and demonstrates that conflict in Burma is not appeasing.

The WLB supports its member organization, the Karen Women’s Organization’s call for urgent action by the United Nations Security Council to stop this reprehensible violence.

The Burmese military regime’s forced relocation campaign on-going in northern and western Karen State since November 2005 is the largest military offensive since 1997. To date, around 13 000 Karen have been forcibly displaced in Nyaunglebin, Toungoo and Muthraw districts as military regime soldiers attempt to forcibly relocate people to military controlled zones. Extrajudicial killings, forced portering, destructions of homes, fields, and food stocks are also reported.

New landmines laid by the regime soldiers along the border are preventing displaced people from seeking or receiving humanitarian assistance. This begins a new round of death and displacement for Karen civilians, with particular burdens on women and children.

Recent decisions at the UN World Summit and by the UNSC now affirm a collective responsibility of all UN members to protect civilian populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity in the absence of government protection.

The WLB strongly urges the United Nations Security Council to take urgent and appropriate action regarding the human rights crisis underway in eastern Burma. It urges the UNSC to take action in accordance with its 28 April 2006 resolution 1674, “On protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict” and its 31 October 2000 resolution 1325, “On Women, Peace and Security.”

The current attack on civilians in Karen State is precisely an occurrence for which these two UNSC resolutions were adopted and should trigger immediate UNSC action and place Burma on the UNSC agenda. The WLB also urges the international women’s community to act in solidarity and pressure the UNSC to take relevant action.

Women’s League of Burma
www.womenofburma.org

Canada Denounces Extension of Aung San Suu Kyi’s Detention
June 19, 2006

Foreign Affairs Minister and Minister of the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency Peter MacKay today made the following statement on the detention of Burmese Nobel laureate and pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, on the occasion of her 61st birthday:

“Canada strongly condemns Burma’s recent decision to extend the detention of Aung San Suu Kyi, and we reiterate our call for her immediate and unconditional release. In ignoring international calls for her release, the Burmese government has shown its total disregard for fundamental freedoms, democracy and human rights.

“Canadian Embassy representatives met with senior Burmese officials last week to convey Canada’s concern about Aung San Suu Kyi’s health and to impress upon them the need to provide her with appropriate medical care.

“Canada also condemns the Burmese army’s military offensive in eastern Burma, which has destroyed the lives and livelihoods of Burmese people and caused thousands of people to flee, some into neighboring countries. This displacement poses a serious threat to the peace and security in the region and Canada believes it should be discussed at the United Nations Security Council.”

Václav Havel and Bishop Desmond M. Tutu
An appeal regarding the situation in Burma
June 19, 2006

It is not normally polite to refer to a woman’s age. However we would like today to remind you that a year has passed since the leader of the Burmese opposition, Aung San Suu Kyi, celebrated her 60th birthday. It was another year of house arrest and almost complete isolation, another year of persecution for the Burmese opposition, another year of suppression of human rights, another year of repeated lies. How many more years of quiet and resolute opposition must Ms. Suu Kyi and the followers of the National League for Democracy endure?

The previous annulling of the results of the 1990 elections, of which the opposition were clear winners, was – by breaching common international rules – carried out without regard to cultural or spiritual resources or historical experience. At the same time we are sorry to observe that international institutions involved in practical politics continue not to advance sufficiently those ideals from which – often with great pathos – they derive their own existence. It is not possible, for instance, to yield again and again to economic interests without regard to human rights and freedoms, or to accept claims that interfering in internal affairs is unacceptable. In a globalised world, such an approach holds up less than at any time in the past.  

We are aware that Burma is not today’s only hot issue, and that there are many and varied dangers in the world. But inconsistent international positions lead to a growth in the ambition of other dictatorial or semi-dictatorial regimes, and with it a sense of impunity. Therefore we call on the international community led by the Security Council of the United Nations to pay due attention to the situation in Burma and reach agreement on the condemnation and isolation of military dictatorship, and to adopt an accommodating approach to the victims of its persecution.

As we have done in the past, we call upon the UN Security Council to pass a resolution which offers the beleaguered people of Burma an opportunity for a genuine and irreversible path to national reconciliation.

ASEAN INTER-PARLIAMENTARY MYANMAR CAUCUS
27th June 2006

503 Parliamentarians From 34 Countries Demand Security Council Action on Burma
(Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)

An unprecedented 503 MPs from 34 countries have today written to members of the United Nations Security Council, and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, calling for a binding resolution to address the crisis in military ruled Burma. The letter is believed to be the largest number of MPs that have written to the Council in this way.

The move comes as Security Council members consider holding their first formal discussion on Burma. A draft resolution has also been circulated by the United States.

In their letter the parliamentarians write, "There is ample precedent for a Security Council resolution on Burma. The Council has passed resolutions on many countries, including Haiti, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, Yemen, and Liberia, when internal breakdown was underway. In many of these countries the Security Council failed to act swiftly, resulting in many innocent lives being lost. This must not be allowed to continue in Burma."

Support for a non-punitive Security Council resolution on Burma has grown in recent months as the situation in Burma continues to deteriorate. The ruling military junta has increased attacks on ethnic minorities in eastern Burma, an escalation of a campaign that has driven half a million people from their homes as internally displaced persons and over 700,000 refugees over Burma's borders into neighbouring countries. Shockingly, at least 2,700 villages have been burned or otherwise destroyed by the junta.

The junta has also forcibly recruited more child soldiers than any other country in the world. At the same time harassment of members of Aung San Suu Kyi's party - the National League for Democracy - has increased and 1,100 political prisoners remain in jail, facing horrific forms of torture.

One month ago, UN Under Secretary-General for Political Affairs Gambari Ibrahim travelled to Burma to meet with the leader of the military junta and Aung San Suu Kyi, the world's only imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize recipient.

Gambari raised hopes after his trip by stating that the military regime may end attacks on ethnic minorities and release Suu Kyi and 1,100 other political prisoners. He proclaimed the military junta was ready to "turn a new page" with the international community. One week later, the military regime rebuffed his every request, even extending Aung San Suu Kyi's detention for one year and increasing attacks on ethnic minorities.

Subsequently, the United States, UK, France, and other countries indicated their support for what could become the first-ever UN Security Council resolution on Burma.

In the letter, the 503 parliamentarians endorsed a proposal by Nobel Peace Prize recipient Bishop Desmond M. Tutu and former Czech President Vaclav Havel that calls for a non-punitive, binding UN Security Council resolution that calls for national reconciliation in Burma. Tutu and Havel commissioned a legal study - A Threat To The Peace - that found the Security Council has the legal authority and an obligation to take action on Burma.

The letter was organized by a grouping of parliamentarians from 6 Southeast Asian countries called the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC). The letter is signed by elected representatives from countries including; Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Denmark, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Ireland, Slovenia, US, UK, Austria, Romania, Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, China (Hong Kong), India, Australia, Norway, Italy, Thailand, Canada, Sweden, Hungary, Mongolia, Germany, South Korea, and Pakistan.

"We, as elected representatives from all over the world have joined forces to support our fellow MPs in Burma who were never allowed to take their seats," said AIPMC members on behalf of signatories to the letter.

"They are calling for a binding resolution on Burma and we support them in that call. It is now time for the United Nations Security Council to intervene. It has the power to pass a binding resolution requiring the regime to engage in genuine negotiations and begin a transition to democracy in Burma, through a process of peaceful national reconciliation."

Many of the signatories retain considerable power in their own countries, including party leaders across the political spectrum. Signatories represent conservatives, moderates, and liberals, showing the powerful international consensus developing around the need for UN Security Council action in Burma.

"We have been overwhelmed by the support for this initiative," said Zaid Ibrahim, Chair of the AIPMC and a member of parliament from Malaysia adding, “Action by the Security Council is long overdue".

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
AIPMC Secretariat: info@aseanmp.org or AIPMC website: www.aseanmp.org

Click here for the full text of the letter (pdf format)

Statement in support of the United States initiatives for United Nations Security Council action on Burma.
National Council of the Union of Burma  
4 September 2006  

The National Council of the Union of Burma (NCUB) wishes to thank the American people, the U.S. Congress,  President George W. Bush and Ambassador John Bolton for the initiative the Government of the United States of America has taken in placing the ongoing tragedy in Burma on the formal agenda for discussion of the UN Security Council.

The people of Burma voted overwhelmingly in 1990 for a change in Burma. The military regime responded with brutality.  Today cruel and brutal methods are still used to oppress and intimidate workers, students, politicians, academics and any voices of dissent regardless of ethnicity or gender. 

Yet the democratic struggle still survives. The political parties are still in the country. Activists still speak out. The atrocities of the military regime are have become well known to the international community.  The legislators from the Asean and Asia that previously tried for over a decade to entice the Burmese regime to change through personal relationships, economic development and cultural exchanges have now given up on the regime. Indeed, many of those in Asia who once advocated constructive engagement  now  say out loud that the regime does not want  change; it does not want to be helped and therefore they will no longer defend it in international forums.

Inside the UN family itself, the International Labor Organization ILO has tried it's best to have the military regime cease it's institutionalized practice of using Forced Labor. The regime has agreed to make improvements many times but the systematic use of forced labour by the government has continued. The ILO is now working to move the Burma issue through the EcoSoc Council and is preparing to forward the case to the International Court of Justice ICJ which has a consultative status at the UN Security Council for a recommendation on Burma.

The people of Burma voted for change and the regime responded with thuggish brutality.  The regime in Burma cannot do the same to the international community. The regime cannot intimidate or coerce members of the Security Council.

 "There are times when you have to vote. There are times when people have to go on the record and say what their position is " said Ambassador Bolton. We agree and support this initiative!  It is time that supporters of democracy in Burma demonstrate their support with their votes.

14 November 2006
ARTICLE 19 Urges Security Council to Pass Resolution on Burma

In a letter sent today to the UN Security Council, ARTICLE 19 welcomed the Council’s formal discussion on “The Situation in Myanmar”, held on 29 September 2006, but urged the Council to take immediate steps to pass a binding resolution calling for an end to the gross human rights abuses in the country. These include violations of freedom of expression and the continued detention of political prisoners, including democracy pioneer and honorary ARTICLE 19 board member, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

Dr. Agnès Callamard, Executive Director, ARTICLE 19 said: “The UN Security Council holds the unique authority to act against threats to international peace and security, which includes situations of extreme and widespread human rights abuses.  The Council must now take affirmative and immediate action in the form of a binding resolution on Burma.  Failure to do so will be a slap in the face to human rights and an abrogation of its obligations under the UN Charter.”

The UNSC held a formal discussion on Burma on 29 September, but no commitment to passing a resolution was made.  The discussion had been prompted, at least in part, by a report commissioned by former President of the Czech Republic, Vacláv Havel and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The report concluded that Burma satisfies all the conditions for the adoption of a Security Council resolution to address cases of extreme violations of human rights.   

The human rights situation in Burma is dire, with freedom of expression a serious casualty. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, who has come to symbolise the fight for democracy and free expression in Burma, has spent a total of eleven years under house arrest. Leader of the National League for Democracy, Suu Kyi led her party to victory in the 1990 general elections, only to see the results nullified and the military refusing to hand over power.  Suu Kyi’s health is now said to be declining and she has reportedly been denied medical care.

ARTICLE 19 commends Suu Kyi for her relentless spirit in championing freedom of expression in the face of extreme adversity and urges the Security Council to adopt a binding resolution on Burma calling for an end to human rights violations, including freedom of expression, to release Aung San Suu Kyi and all other political prisoners, and to put in place a process leading to the holding of democratic elections.

To view the ARTICLE 19 letter, which was sent by to all fifteen Members of the Security Council,  see http://www.article19.org/pdfs/letters/burma-letter-to-unsc.pdf

NOTES TO EDITORS:

For more information contact Toby Mendel, Asia/Law Programmes Director, tel: +1 902 431-3488, email: a19law@hfx.eastlink.ca.

ARTICLE 19 is an independent human rights organisation that works around the world to protect and promote the right to freedom of expression. It takes its name from Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees free speech.

December 18, 2006
Statement of Karen Civil Societies                                                                                            

We, the representatives of the Karen civil societies the Karen Women's Organization, Karen Youth Organization, Federation of Trade Union Kaw Thoo Lei, Overseas Karen Refugees Social Organization, Karen Office of Release and Development, Center of Internally Displaced Karen People, Karen Education Department, Karen Students Network Group, Karen University Students Group and  Karen Teacher Working Group met on 14th December, 2006, to review the serious humanitarian situation caused by ongoing military offensives by the SPDC troops in the foot-hills and hill areas of Toungoo, Nyaunglebin, Thaton and Papun Districts.

1.  In the massive military offensive in the said areas, the SPDC military regime has been using more than 70 battalions of troops. About 60 battalions are drawn from other military commands while the rest are from the SPDC Central Military Command; which is based in Toungoo District.

2. Since January this year, the SPDC regime has been conducting brutal military offensives perpetrating, against the civilian population, human right violations, which can only be termed as genocide. The human rights violations are in the form of forcibly relocating villages to locations meaning the military camps, without any compensation. The SPDC uses relocated villagers as forced labor for carrying food supplies, ammunitions and heavy weapons for its frontline troops. In forcibly relocating the villages, the SPDC troops burn down the houses, rice barns, loot or destroy the villagers' valuables, livestock, household utensils, farms and orchards, torture or execute suspects and commit rape of women, in the operational areas.

3. The SPDC troops ban all villagers in the operational areas from traveling to towns or other villages and working on their farms and orchards. Persons found outside of the villages are shot to death. As the SPDC troops shell the villages outside of their area of control with heavy weapons and target the villagers as enemies, more than 25,000 persons have had to desert their villages and become IDPs, hiding in jungles or fleeing towards the Thai-Burma border. The SPDC troops plant landmines on the footpaths, in the deserted villages and on the farms. Now, it has been learnt that the SPDC has started to use helicopters to transport troops, food supplies and ammunition. It appears that the SPDC has the intention to intensify its military operations during this dry season.

4. It is clear that the SPDC has no respect for human dignity and innocent lives. Going on the past record and the present activities of the SPDC, we are very much concerned about the survival of the Karen people in the conflict areas. Accordingly, we earnestly appeal to the UNSC to take immediate action to stop the genocidal war of the SPDC against the Karen people and urge the international community to provide assistance, without delay

92 Burmese MPs write to UN Secretary General
1 August 2007

To:
Hon. Mr. Ban Ki-moon
Secretary-General
United Nations

From:
Members of Parliament-Elect, Myanmar/Burma

Re: National Reconciliation and Democratization in Myanmar/Burma

Dear Excellency,

We note that you have issued a statement on 18 July 2007, in which you urged the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) (the ruling military government of Myanmar/Burma) to "seize this opportunity to ensure that this and subsequent steps in Myanmar's political roadmap are as inclusive, participatory and transparent as possible, with a view to allowing all the relevant parties to Myanmar's national reconciliation process to fully contribute to defining their country's future."

We thank you for your strong and personal involvement in Myanmar/Burma and we expect that your good offices mandate to facilitating national reconciliation in Myanmar/Burma would be successful. We, Members of Parliament elected by the people of Myanmar/Burma in the 1990 general elections, also would like to assure you that we will fully cooperate with your good offices and the United Nations in our effort to solve problems in Myanmar/Burma peacefully through a meaningful, inclusive and transparent dialogue.

When we all are relentlessly working for political dialogue, we would like to declare clearly that we will not accept any solution made by one-sided action of the SPDC with use of force, threat, pressure and manipulation. As you are aware, the SPDC has been embarking on the path to legalize its military rule with a new constitution through the seven-step road map, in which the national convention with its selected delegates is the first step.

The peoples' representatives are not allowed to participate in this constitution drafting process. All delegates are forced to agree on the SPDC's pre-written chapters and basic principles, which grant the military's Commander-in-Chief the supreme power. General populations are threatened not to raise their voice about the future of their country with the SPDC's decree No. 5/96, which is designed to punish lengthy imprisonment to those who dare to criticize the national convention.

If the SPDC continues to implement its seven-step road map without cooperating with the peoples' representatives and without listening to the real desire of the people of Myanmar/Burma and repeated requests from the international community, including your good-self, the SPDC's orchestrated constitution would be surely challenged by the people of Myanmar/Burma, including ethnic nationalities. We will be joining with them to oppose this sham-constitution and leading to educate and organize the people of Myanmar/Burma to vote against it in the referendum. We promise to the people of Myanmar/Burma who voted us that we will not let them down.

Before we reach to that boiling point, we hope that the United Nations and your good offices might play important role to avoid the upcoming national crisis in Myanmar/Burma. We want to propose the followings to modify the current seven-step road map, with the help of your mediation.

(1) The SPDC should finish the national convention as soon as possible. Outcome from the national convention should be regarded as proposals made by the SPDC and national convention delegates to consider in drawing a state constitution.
 
(2) The step two of the road map should be modified as a meaningful political dialogue between the SPDC and the elected representatives from the NLD and ethnic political parties. In the dialogue, various national issues and procedures and time frame to implement the rest of the road map, as well as the role of elected representatives from the 1990 elections during the transitional period should be discussed and agreed.
 
(3) In step three, constitution drafting committee should be formed with equal number of representatives from the SPDC, the NLD and representatives from ethnic political parties and cease-fire groups. Constitution should be drafted based on the outcome from the national convention and suggestions from the other groups. Draft constitution should be presented to the people of Myanmar/Burma for their understanding, discussion and input, which should be incorporated into the final draft constitution.

(4) Step four should be convening the Parliament meeting with MPs-elect from the 1990 elections to approve the final draft Constitution.

(5) Holding of free and fair elections according to the new constitution should be step five.

(6) Step six should be convening the new Parliament, elected from the elections according to the new constitution and forming the new government, which is to assume the executive power immediately.
 
(7) Step seven should be abolishing of the SPDC and its associated organs and activating of all administrative, legislative and judiciary bodies at every administrative levels according to new constitution.

 
Dear Excellency,

We sincerely believe that you will increase your effort to help realizing of national reconciliation and democratization in Myanmar/Burma by presenting the proposals mentioned above to the international community, which you are now trying get consensus on the situation in our country. We also hope that you will be able to convince the SPDC to modify the current seven-step road map to become an internationally acceptable process, as suggested above, and work together with the elected representatives from the NLD and ethnic political parties to achieve sustainable national reconciliation and democratization in foreseeable future.

Please note that the SPDC will be sole responsible for the upcoming and avoidable national crisis if it continues to ignore the real desire of the people of Myanmar/Burma and good will of the international community. 

Best regards,

Members of Parliament-Elect
(Click here for full list of signatories)