On the 2nd anniversary of the rape and murder of two Kachin teachers in Northern Burma, Burma Campaign UK marks the anniversary by delivering a petition and campaign postcards to the British government. 3254 people are calling on the government to do more to help stop rape and sexual violence in Burma.
Two Kachin teachers, Maran Lu Ra and Tangbau Hkawn Nan Tsin from the Kachin Baptist Convention, were brutally raped and killed by the Burmese Army overnight on 19th/20th January 2015. Two years on, there is still no justice for them and their family. The attack took place in Kaunghka village, Northern Shan State. This area has faced conflict since 2011, when the Burmese Army broke a 17-year-old ceasefire with the Kachin Independence Army.
At the urging of the UK, Burma signed the Declaration to Combat Sexual Violence in Conflict in June 2014, but has not implemented it in any way. The new NLD-led government has taken no steps to end impunity for rape and sexual violence committed by the Burmese Army against ethnic women and children.
This is an issue which receives little attention in Burma. The British government needs to speak out more on the ongoing use of rape and sexual violence by the Burmese Army. In the past, the approach seems to have been to avoid directly naming and criticising the Burmese Army for its use of rape and sexual violence.
“It has been two years now since the two Kachin teachers were brutally raped and killed by the Burmese military and there is still no justice”, said Zoya Phan, Campaigns Manager at Burma Campaign UK. “Given the fact that the NLD-led government has taken no steps to end impunity for sexual violence in conflict, it is time the international community to act on this. More support needs to be given to civil society, especially local women’s organisations, which have been documenting sexual violence by the Burmese Army and assisting survivors. The British government should also stop training the Burmese Army until they take concrete action to end impunity for rape, and take other steps to prevent rape.”
Baroness Kinnock joins Burma Campaign UK staff and Kachin community for petition delivery at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, London 19 Jan 2017.