Harvard Report Calls for UN Investigation Into Burma Rights Abuses

A report from the prestigious Harvard Law School, located in the state of Massachusetts, says Burma’s military-ruled government should be investigated for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The report comes as the trial continues against detained Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Abuses are systematic, report says

The report released by Harvard’s International Human Rights Clinic says there are indications human rights abuses in Burma are widespread, systematic, and part of state policy.

The report, titled “Crimes in Burma,” says the abuses may qualify as crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Based entirely on analysis of 15 years of United Nations’ documents, the report notes sexual violence, forced displacements, torture, and extrajudicial killings.
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Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s international lawyer has said the United Nations Security Council should convene an emergency meeting if the military regime convicts her in the current trial, which he said is “a pretext to continue detaining her”.

Time for international action: Suu Kyi’s lawyer
by Mungpi
Thursday, 21 May 2009 21:53

New Delhi (Mizzima) – Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s international lawyer has said the United Nations Security Council should convene an emergency meeting if the military regime convicts her in the current trial, which he said is “a pretext to continue detaining her”.

Jared Genser, president of US-based Freedom Now, said, “The time for outrage statements and condemnation is over and the time for action is now,” and called on the international community to act on Burma and not to fail the Burmese people once again.

Though the charges against the Burmese Nobel Peace Laureate are “patently ridiculous,” Genser said there are indications that the junta will sentence her to a prison term of another three years, if not more.

“But if she is convicted, I will be calling for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council…by convicting her the junta will be violating the demands of the Security Council in the 2007 presidential statement,” said Genser.

On Thursday, authorities continued the trial of Aung San Suu Kyi for the fourth day in a special court in Insein Prison. But the trial was again conducted behind closed doors, with no diplomats or journalists allowed inside.

Authorities on Wednesday for the first time allowed 30 diplomats and 10 journalists to witness the proceedings of the court.

Duwa Mahkaw Hkunsa, General Secretary of the Ethnic Nationalities Council-Union of Burma (ENC), in exile said, the Nobel Peace Laureate had won their hearts and trust and hoped that she could unite the various ethnics of Burma into a federal union

Ethnics draw inspiration from Aung San Suu Kyi
by Solomon
Thursday, 21 May 2009 23:07

New Delhi (Mizzima) – Expressing concern for democracy icon Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, currently facing trial in Rangoon’s Insein prison, Burma’s ethnic nationalities have said that they look at her as a turning point for national reconciliation in the country.

Duwa Mahkaw Hkunsa, General Secretary of the Ethnic Nationalities Council-Union of Burma (ENC), in exile said, the Nobel Peace Laureate had won their hearts and trust and hoped that she could unite the various ethnics of Burma into a federal union.

“We believe, she can lead the process of national reconciliation and also build a federal union, which we, the ethnics have been demanding,” said Hkunsa.

Earlier, ethnic leaders have had opportunities to discuss with Aung San Suu Kyi, during her short periods of freedom from house arrests, and have spoken of issues, including the building of a federal union, he said.

“She has also promised the ethnic leaders of wanting to build such an union,” Hkunsa added.

The ENC was first established in 2001, as Ethnic Nationalities Solidarity and Cooperation Committee (ENSCC), with an objective of bringing together different ethnics and also to advocate for a tripartite dialogue, as the solution for Burma’s political crisis.

Later, it was transformed into the Council in 2004 and was renamed as the Ethnic Nationalities Council. The ENC was later re-structured and was made into a state-based organization, representing the existing states of Burma – Arakan, Chin, Karen, Karenni (Kayah), Mon and Shan.

Crimes in Burma_New Report_World’s Leading Jurists Call for Investigation into Crimes against Humanity and War Crimes in Burma

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Trial Daw Aung San Suu Day 4 summary-next hearing on May 22

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The regime is holding these prisoners as hostages to use as bargaining chips to deal with both international and domestic pressure. Burmese prisoners are to the regime what nuclear weapons are to North Korea.

Trial by fire inside Insein Prison
By Swe Win

Editor’s note: The name Myanmar has been replaced with Burma in this story at the author’s request.

Whenever I gaze into the night’s multitude of glittering stars, my thoughts return to the seven years I spent in Burma’s notorious Insein and Myingyan prisons. The memories crowd into my mind and I am overcome by feelings. Thinking about my friends who remain in that cloudy, mysterious and monstrous world, I am often left in tears.

I come from a poor family in Yangon, the son of a mechanic. At midnight on September 23, 1998, after two days of intensive interrogation – including kicking and beating – I found myself in a small, dingy cell at the largest and most-feared detention center

in Burma. I was a first-year university student and 20 years old at that time. Two days earlier, military intelligence personnel came to my family’s home and arrested me on charges of participation in anti-government activities. That misfortune did not fall upon me unexpected. I did get involved in the movement and went beyond the limits known to everyone in Burma. Now, I was beginning to face all the predictable consequences.

Interview with Hkun Okkar (Chairman of Pa-O Peoples Liberation Organisation)

Thursday, 21 May 2009 16:09

“The current trial of Daw Suu is not a legitimate trial. It is like creating a law suit out of nothing. And since the charges against her are not under a genuine law, we cannot say that she is charged under the law. So, she cannot be guilty of committing any crime and since it is not a charge under the law we cannot call it a case. It is clear that this a made-up case, so we demand that the case be immediately withdrawn and closed.”

“When we look at our country, we can see that there are various groups with different strengths. There is the military, which grabbed power in a coup, and also there are the ethnic armed groups, ceasefire armed groups, similarly there are also students, youths, monks, and civilians, who long for democracy.”

“The junta is unable to bring these diverse groups together. And nobody is able to do it. The only person that can bring all these groups together is Daw Suu. The participation of Daw Suu is essential to usher in national reconciliation.

“I think the junta may be coming up with some proposals before coming to a verdict on the case and before setting Daw Suu free. I think they might come up with something like – what will we gain by releasing Daw Suu. Will sanctions be withdrawn? Will 2008 constitution be recognised, and will the 2010 elections be endorsed etc? They might come up with a proposal.”

PR-MFAThai-IssuesRelated to Myanmar

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Some of the new members view the draft statement as criticism of Burma, and the call for Suu Kyi’s release as a violation of the Asean non-intervention principle. These, they fear, would damage the grouping’s solidarity. They would also expose differences within Asean – and it is an Asean norm not to wash dirty linen in public.

Thailand and Asean sharpen their policy on Burma

THE Abhisit government on Tuesday took a bold step in issuing a joint Asean statement calling for the release of Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The statement came after efforts to get a consensus among Asean officials who had gathered in Phuket to discuss the issue. Thailand, as the current Asean chair, urged Burma to abide by the terms of the Asean Charter, which implicitly obliges members to assume responsibility to protect and respect human rights. Albeit soft in tone, this was the first time that the Asean chair has directed criticism towards Burma’s military junta, its intransigence and its treatment of the world’s most famous political prisoner.

After five months in power, the Thai government is coming out of the closet on Burma. During his visit to Burma in March, Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya stuck a reconciliatory cord with the junta, focusing on bilateral relations without touching on the plight of Aung San Suu Kyi, who remains under house arrest. His willingness, on behalf of Burma, to enter discussions with the Karen rebels about their taking part in next year’s scheduled election, was much criticised here at home. However, the junta’s hard-line attitude towards Rohingya asylum seekers over the past few months has toughened the Thai position and subsequently made Thailand realise the junta is serious about settling the issue.

Last week, when push came to shove over Aung San Suu Kyi’s health condition and possible continued detention, Kasit immediately urged the junta to end her detention after its current term expires on May 27 and provide her with necessary medical services. His firmer stance was welcomed by Indonesia, Singapore and the international community. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton congratulated him by phone for taking a tougher position.

Burma Democratic Concern _Myo Thein on Press TV-there,s a plot…

Well done Ko Myo