El organismo de Naciones Unidas se basa para dar esta calificación no sólo en leyes internacionales sino en la propia normativa birmana, como explicó el abogado Jared Genser, presidente a su vez de la ONG 'Freedom Now'. Por tanto, "el Grupo de Trabajo pide al Gobierno la inmediata liberación, sin condiciones, de Aung San Suu Kyi de su continua retención bajo arresto domiciliario".
Esta petición se lanzó el pasado noviembre, aunque no se conoció hasta esta semana, y da un aviso también a las altas instancias de Naciones Unidas y a la comunidad internacional. "Instaría directamente al secretario general Ban Ki Moon a ir a Birmania y dialogar directamente con la junta militar", reclamó Genser.martes, 24 de marzo de 2009
La ONU califica de ilegal la detención de la disidente birmana Aung San Suu Kyi
El Grupo de Trabajo sobre la Detención Arbitraria de Naciones Unidas calificó ayer de ilegal le arresto de la líder del principal partido opositor de Birmania, la Liga Nacional para la Democracia (LND), Aung San Suu Kyi, que ha pasado más de 13 de los últimos 19 años bajo arresto.
La oposición exige ver a Suu Kyi tras el informe de la ONU que dice que su arresto es ilegal
La oposición de Birmania exigió hoy poder reunirse con su líder, la Nobel de la Paz Aung San Suu Kyi, después de que un informe de Naciones Unidas denunciara que su arresto domiciliario es ilegal según las propias leyes birmanas.
Los dos forman parte de los más de 2.100 presos políticos todavía encarcelados por sus ideas en el país, según Amnistía Internacional.
La LND envió hace una semana una carta en ese sentido al jefe de la Junta Militar, general Than Shwe, pero hasta el momento no ha recibido repuesta alguna.
La petición de la disidencia tiene lugar apenas horas después de que el grupo de trabajo de la ONU sobre detenciones arbitrarias divulgara que Birmania incumple sus propias leyes al mantener bajo arresto domiciliario a Suu Kyi.
Según el organismo mundial, el régimen birmano ya ha superado el plazo máximo de cinco años de detención sin cargos que establece su propia legislación al respecto, que data de 1975.
Naciones Unidas también pone en duda de que la líder opositora, de 62 años, siga representando una amenaza grave para la seguridad del Estado, como defienden los militares para justificar su arresto domiciliario.
Birmania es una dictadura militar desde 1962 y no celebra elecciones democráticas desde 1990, cuando la LND de Suu Kyi barrió en las urnas al partido oficial, un resultado que jamás fue acatado por los generales.
El régimen birmano ha convocado comicios generales para el próximo año, pero a ellos no podrá concurrir la Nobel de la Paz por haber estado casada en el pasado con un extranjero, según la Constitución aprobada por referéndum en 2008.
lunes, 23 de marzo de 2009
RIGHTS-BURMA: Junta Lets UN Continue Helping Muslim Rohingyas By Marwaan Macan-Markar
For now, the United Nations’ refugee agency has been given breathing room to operate in a western corner of military-ruled Burma, where humanitarian programmes offer some comfort to the persecuted Rohingya Muslim minority.
The uncertainty stems from the predicament the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) faced as 2008 drew to a close. The junta in the predominantly Buddhist country ‘’appeared reluctant to renew UNHCR’s contract to work in Burma,’’ a diplomatic source revealed.
The problem arose with the immigration department, the local counterpart that the U.N. agency was assigned to work with. ‘’The immigration department had said that they will not sign the new agreement to work with UNHCR,’’ the source added. ‘’This meant that UNHCR could not continue with its operations.’’
A search for other government agencies to serve as local counterparts for the refugee agency ensued. The bureaucratic hurdle placed in the way of the UNHCR was dismantled this month, enabling what outwardly appeared to be a smooth visit to Burma by Antonio Guterres, the head of UNHCR.
‘’The whole point of Guterres’ visit to Burma in March was to find a local partner to continue UNHCR’s operations in the country,’’ a source, who spoke with IPS on condition of anonymity, said. ‘’The government approved a new agreement between the immigration department and UNHCR.’’
But the diplomatic muscle that Guterres had to flex during his visit, from Mar. 7-12, resulting in an about-turn by the junta, was not ordinary.
All humanitarian agencies working in Burma, or Myanmar, as the junta calls the country, are held hostage by the tough rules that have been imposed since February 2006, adding to limitations in an already difficulty environment.
‘’Under the new guidelines, foreign agencies must draft a memorandum of understanding with any concerned ministries before opening offices in Burma,’’ states ALTSEAN, a regional human rights body, in a study of the restrictions humanitarian agencies face in the oppressive South-east Asian nation.
‘’The Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development released the so-called ‘Green Book’ of guidelines to a meeting of international aid organisations in Rangoon,'' ALTSEAN stated.
‘’These guidelines set up complicated approval processes, restricted travel to and within the country, established new regulating bodies as well as empowered existing ones and altogether hindered the work of aid organisations in Burma, both foreign and domestic,’’ adds ALTSEAN.
UNHCR’s work in the Arakan state, where the persecuted Rohingyas live, goes back nearly 15 years. It established a presence to monitor and aid the over 230,000 Muslim refugees returning to Burma from neighbouring Bangladesh, where the Rohingyas had fled in 1991 to escape a wave of oppression unleashed by the Burmese military.
The Rohingyas had fled in massive numbers earlier, too. In 1978, some 200,000 sought safety in Bangladesh to escape a form of ethnic cleansing mounted by the military. There were reports then of widespread killing, rape and the destruction of mosques, according to human rights groups.
Currently, six U.N. agencies have humanitarian programmes in Arakan to assist an estimated 750,000 Rohingyas who are victims of harsh policies that show no signs of easing up.
The junta-imposed restrictions deny the Rohingyas free movement from village to village, they cannot get married freely, they are victims of rape and torture, are subject to forced labour and have to endure land confiscation and extortion.
The Rohingyas, who grabbed the headlines in recent months, after the boats they were fleeing in to Malaysia washed ashore in southern Thailand, also endure another form of discrimination not experienced by Burma’s other 135 ethnic minorities. They have been stripped of their citizenship rights since 1982.
Little wonder why the World Food Programme (WFP), which has been helping the Rohingyas since 1994, has barely felt a drop in the numbers of people they have been feeding, currently some 350,000. ‘’The numbers have remained the same,’’ says Paul Risley, spokesperson for the Asia office of the U.N. food relief agency.
The plight of Rohingya children adds another grim detail. ‘’Malnutrition rates have remained very high among the most vulnerable section of the population,’’ Risley told IPS. ‘’Thirty percent of children under five years show stunting.’’
In fact, the area where the Rohingyas have been boxed in, in the Arakan state, was described as a ‘’hunger hot spot’’ in WFP’s most recent food security survey of Burma, done in November last year. The survey also revealed that WFP was reaching only half the number of Rohingyas who need food for their survival.
This shortfall in assisting this discriminated minority was also highlighted by the UNHCR. The agencies current level of activity to help the Rohingyas ‘’does not correspond to the actual needs,’’ Guterres had noted, a statement revealed.
Guterres also singled out areas of concern to the UNHCR: ‘’from prevention of displacement, to voluntary return, registration and legal status, and the improvements to economic and social conditions.’’
Yet such disclosure has failed to impress rights advocates who have monitored the plight of the Rohingyas for years. ‘’I am worried that the issues which are really causing the Rohingyas to flee, like the lack of legal status and the human rights violations, were not openly discussed,’’ says Chris Lewa, lead researcher of the Arakan Project.
‘’The key root causes behind Rohingya displacement have not been openly acknowledged,’’ she said in an interview. ‘’There are concerns that the UNHCR’s recent statement was a bit soft.’’
The uncertainty stems from the predicament the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) faced as 2008 drew to a close. The junta in the predominantly Buddhist country ‘’appeared reluctant to renew UNHCR’s contract to work in Burma,’’ a diplomatic source revealed.
The problem arose with the immigration department, the local counterpart that the U.N. agency was assigned to work with. ‘’The immigration department had said that they will not sign the new agreement to work with UNHCR,’’ the source added. ‘’This meant that UNHCR could not continue with its operations.’’
A search for other government agencies to serve as local counterparts for the refugee agency ensued. The bureaucratic hurdle placed in the way of the UNHCR was dismantled this month, enabling what outwardly appeared to be a smooth visit to Burma by Antonio Guterres, the head of UNHCR.
‘’The whole point of Guterres’ visit to Burma in March was to find a local partner to continue UNHCR’s operations in the country,’’ a source, who spoke with IPS on condition of anonymity, said. ‘’The government approved a new agreement between the immigration department and UNHCR.’’
But the diplomatic muscle that Guterres had to flex during his visit, from Mar. 7-12, resulting in an about-turn by the junta, was not ordinary.
All humanitarian agencies working in Burma, or Myanmar, as the junta calls the country, are held hostage by the tough rules that have been imposed since February 2006, adding to limitations in an already difficulty environment.
‘’Under the new guidelines, foreign agencies must draft a memorandum of understanding with any concerned ministries before opening offices in Burma,’’ states ALTSEAN, a regional human rights body, in a study of the restrictions humanitarian agencies face in the oppressive South-east Asian nation.
‘’The Ministry of National Planning and Economic Development released the so-called ‘Green Book’ of guidelines to a meeting of international aid organisations in Rangoon,'' ALTSEAN stated.
‘’These guidelines set up complicated approval processes, restricted travel to and within the country, established new regulating bodies as well as empowered existing ones and altogether hindered the work of aid organisations in Burma, both foreign and domestic,’’ adds ALTSEAN.
UNHCR’s work in the Arakan state, where the persecuted Rohingyas live, goes back nearly 15 years. It established a presence to monitor and aid the over 230,000 Muslim refugees returning to Burma from neighbouring Bangladesh, where the Rohingyas had fled in 1991 to escape a wave of oppression unleashed by the Burmese military.
The Rohingyas had fled in massive numbers earlier, too. In 1978, some 200,000 sought safety in Bangladesh to escape a form of ethnic cleansing mounted by the military. There were reports then of widespread killing, rape and the destruction of mosques, according to human rights groups.
Currently, six U.N. agencies have humanitarian programmes in Arakan to assist an estimated 750,000 Rohingyas who are victims of harsh policies that show no signs of easing up.
The junta-imposed restrictions deny the Rohingyas free movement from village to village, they cannot get married freely, they are victims of rape and torture, are subject to forced labour and have to endure land confiscation and extortion.
The Rohingyas, who grabbed the headlines in recent months, after the boats they were fleeing in to Malaysia washed ashore in southern Thailand, also endure another form of discrimination not experienced by Burma’s other 135 ethnic minorities. They have been stripped of their citizenship rights since 1982.
Little wonder why the World Food Programme (WFP), which has been helping the Rohingyas since 1994, has barely felt a drop in the numbers of people they have been feeding, currently some 350,000. ‘’The numbers have remained the same,’’ says Paul Risley, spokesperson for the Asia office of the U.N. food relief agency.
The plight of Rohingya children adds another grim detail. ‘’Malnutrition rates have remained very high among the most vulnerable section of the population,’’ Risley told IPS. ‘’Thirty percent of children under five years show stunting.’’
In fact, the area where the Rohingyas have been boxed in, in the Arakan state, was described as a ‘’hunger hot spot’’ in WFP’s most recent food security survey of Burma, done in November last year. The survey also revealed that WFP was reaching only half the number of Rohingyas who need food for their survival.
This shortfall in assisting this discriminated minority was also highlighted by the UNHCR. The agencies current level of activity to help the Rohingyas ‘’does not correspond to the actual needs,’’ Guterres had noted, a statement revealed.
Guterres also singled out areas of concern to the UNHCR: ‘’from prevention of displacement, to voluntary return, registration and legal status, and the improvements to economic and social conditions.’’
Yet such disclosure has failed to impress rights advocates who have monitored the plight of the Rohingyas for years. ‘’I am worried that the issues which are really causing the Rohingyas to flee, like the lack of legal status and the human rights violations, were not openly discussed,’’ says Chris Lewa, lead researcher of the Arakan Project.
‘’The key root causes behind Rohingya displacement have not been openly acknowledged,’’ she said in an interview. ‘’There are concerns that the UNHCR’s recent statement was a bit soft.’’
Thai FM to visit Myanmar to discuss refugees
Thailand's foreign minister will visit Myanmar to discuss the issue of illegal migrants who regularly land on the kingdom's southern shores, an official statement said on Saturday.
Kasit Piromya will depart for a two-day official visit to Myanmar on Sunday and pay a courtesy call on Prime Minister General Thein Sein in the country's remote capital Naypyidaw.
He will also meet his counterpart Nyan Win.
They will discuss a broad range of bilateral issues including the large numbers of minority Muslim Rohingya people from Myanmar who regularly flee for Thailand claiming they are persecuted, the statement said.
Thailand's military are accused of cruelly mistreating Rohingya migrants by binding their arms and towing them out to sea with scant supplies.
Migrants have testified to the abuse while international media have published photographs claiming to provide further evidence of it.
Thailand has denied the claims and says the problem of illegal immigration must be tackled regionally.
"(The talks will include) the issue of illegal migrant workers and anti-human trafficking," the statement said.
"Moreover, the foreign minister will consult with the Myanmar leadership... on cooperation with the Myanmar side to address the Bengalis/Rohingyas issue."
The statement said the bilateral talks would also discuss combating illegal drug trafficking, as well as transportation infrastructure projects.
Kasit survived a vote of no confidence along with Thai premier Abhisit Vejjajiva and four other ministers on Saturday.
His appointment to the foreign post had been controversial because of his support for protesters who forced the closure of Bangkok's airports last year.
Rama Yade viajó a Tailandia del 12 al 14 de marzo de 2009
Rama Yade, Secretaria de Estado encargada de los Asuntos Exteriores y los Derechos Humanos, viajó a Tailandia del 12 al 14 de marzo para fortalecer nuestras relaciones bilaterales con ese país, uno de los principales socios de Francia en el sur de Asia y que este año de 2009 está a cargo de la ASEAN.
La Secretaria de Estado se entrevistó con el Ministro de Asuntos Exteriores, Kasit Piromya, para discutir los temas bilaterales tanto económicos como políticos y culturales, así como los retos regionales, en particular, la situación en Birmania.
Rama Yade también se reunió con personalidades tailandesas comprometidas en la defensa de los Derechos Humanos.
Durante su viaje, la secretaria de Estado viajó a Bangkok, a un centro de asistencia a las víctimas de trata de seres humanos, que ofrece protección a los niños y mujeres de todas nacionalidades víctimas de trabajos forzados, explotación sexual y mendicidad forzada. También visitó en Chiang Mai un hospital especializado en el tratamiento del sida, donde el Instituto francés de Investigación para el Desarrollo lleva a cabo un proyecto sobre la transmisión de este virus de la madre al hijo.
La secretaria de Estado viajó por último al campamento de Ban Mai Nai Soi, en el norte de Tailandia, donde viven cerca de 20 000 refugiados birmanos. El objetivo es fortalecer la cooperación entre el gobierno tailandés y los principales donantes de ayuda a favor de los refugiados, entre ellos, la Unión Europea.
Rama Yade viajó a Tailandia del 12 al 14 de marzo de 2009
Rama Yade, Secretaria de Estado encargada de los Asuntos Exteriores y los Derechos Humanos, viajó a Tailandia del 12 al 14 de marzo para fortalecer nuestras relaciones bilaterales con ese país, uno de los principales socios de Francia en el sur de Asia y que este año de 2009 está a cargo de la ASEAN.
La Secretaria de Estado se entrevistó con el Ministro de Asuntos Exteriores, Kasit Piromya, para discutir los temas bilaterales tanto económicos como políticos y culturales, así como los retos regionales, en particular, la situación en Birmania.
Rama Yade también se reunió con personalidades tailandesas comprometidas en la defensa de los Derechos Humanos.
Durante su viaje, la secretaria de Estado viajó a Bangkok, a un centro de asistencia a las víctimas de trata de seres humanos, que ofrece protección a los niños y mujeres de todas nacionalidades víctimas de trabajos forzados, explotación sexual y mendicidad forzada. También visitó en Chiang Mai un hospital especializado en el tratamiento del sida, donde el Instituto francés de Investigación para el Desarrollo lleva a cabo un proyecto sobre la transmisión de este virus de la madre al hijo.
La secretaria de Estado viajó por último al campamento de Ban Mai Nai Soi, en el norte de Tailandia, donde viven cerca de 20 000 refugiados birmanos. El objetivo es fortalecer la cooperación entre el gobierno tailandés y los principales donantes de ayuda a favor de los refugiados, entre ellos, la Unión Europea.
HRW condena el asesinato de destacada pacifista musulmana en el sur tailandés
La organización "Human Rights Watch" (HRW), condenó hoy el asesinato en el sur de Tailandia de la destacada activista comprometida con la defensa de los derechos de la mujer musulmana, Laila Paaitai Doah.
El ataque contra Laila fue llevado a cabo por rebeldes musulmanes el pasado 12 de marzo en la provincia de Yala, una de las tres de la conflictiva región del sur del país.
"El brutal asesinato de Laila es parte del esfuerzo que hacen los insurgentes para intimidar y atacar a los musulmanes que se oponen a los rebeldes o prestan apoyo a las autoridades tailandesas", indicó en un comunicado Brad Adams, director para Asia de HRW.
La organización comprometida con la defensa de los derechos humanos, apuntó que la muerte de Laila supone una "seria perdida para aquellos que intentan buscar una solución pacífica al conflicto que se libra en el sur" de Tailandia.
Laila, una de las fundadoras del Grupo de Mujeres para la Paz, era considerada en la región del sur la principal voz a favor de la coexistencia entre la minoría budista y la mayoría musulmana.
En 2006, insurgentes musulmanes asesinaron a un hijo y al marido de Laila, y dos años antes al mayor de los vástagos del matrimonio.
Los ataques con armas ligeras, asesinatos y atentados con bomba se suceden a diario en las tres provincias de mayoría musulmana de Narathiwat, Pattani y Yala, pese al despliegue de 31.000 agentes de las fuerzas de seguridad y la declaración del estado de excepción.
Cerca de 3.500 personas han perdido la vida desde que el movimiento separatista islámico reanudara su lucha armada en enero del 2004, tras una década de escasa actividad guerrillera.
Free Burma's Political Prisoners Now! - A United Campaign - Una campaña mundial por la liberación de los presos politicos birmanos
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Believe it or not? Since the launch of the Free Burma's Political Prisoners Now! Campaign on March 13, almost 200,000 signatures from different parts of the world have been collected for the release of Burma's political prisoners. It is a truly united campaign, having 175 organizations in 25 countries on board. Click HERE to check out the campaign updates.
The campaign aims for 888,888 signatures by May 24th so we encourage those who haven't signed the petition to make a stand for political prisoners in Burma. Click HERE to sign this petition now to send a strong message to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that the world is united in seeking the release of those prisoners. Every signature counts!
This week, we'd like to focus on one of the prominent political prisoners Khun Htun Oo, Chairman of the Shan Nationalities League for Democracy, who is currently serving a 93-year prison sentence in remote Puta-O prison in northern Kachin State. Click the above photo to see his profile.
In Solidarity,
Burma Partnership Secretariat
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and NLD:
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s lawyer sent a letter Burma junta’s Prime Minister, Gen. Thein Sein, pleading for a review of her house arrest.
>> Click here for full story.
Three Singaporean protestors handed Thein Sein a bouquet of orchids to pass on to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and called for her release.i
>> Click here for full story.
Five NLD members were inexplicably arrested a day after the UN called for the release of political prisoners, amongst the detained was NLD spokesperson, Han Tha Myint.
>> Click here for full story.
Political Prisoners:
>> Click here for full story.
>> Click here for full story. Wunna Maung Win, the junta's ambassador to the UN, denied the existence of political prisoners in Burma at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. Human Rights Watch described his statement and the support he received from Russia as shameful while most of the other representatives condemned it as an ‘insult to the human rights project’.
>> Click here for full story.
>> Click here for full story.
Local Tyranny:
Two young men died shortly after being interrogated and tortured. Abu Tahid and Zaw Fo Uhsong were in detention for six days without trial before being released and succumbing to their injuries in Maungdaw, Arakan State.
>> Click here for full story.
>> Click here for full story.
Burma’s Human Rights Day was reason for the deployment for large numbers of security personnel in Rangoon (Yangon) as the regime feared that activists may stage protest.
>> Click here for full story.
>> Click here for full story.
>> Click here for full story.
Cyclone Nargis:
The benefits of aid entering Burma as a result of cyclone Nargis are not filtering into the rest of the country where there exists a severe shortage of aid with Burma being one of the lowest recipients of foreign aid.
>>click here for full story.
At least 20 cyclone victims have protested outside the office for cyclone rehabilitation in Twante, Rangoon Division, shouting slogans they demanded reconstruction of their houses.
>> Click here for full story.
There are concerns about a drinking water shortage in the Irrawady delta this summer as a result of the damage done by cyclone Nargis. Distribution of drinking water is said to have been hampered by the regime's legislation.
>> Click here for full story.
Economy:
Female jade workers on the Burma-China border were forced into the sex trade to survive after the collapse in the jade price.
>> Click here for full story.
>> Click here for full story.
>> Click here for full story. Food shortages are forcing locals in Chin state into the opium trade, according to a Chin researcher.
>> Click here for full story.
>> Click here for full story.
>> Click here for full story.
There is concern that weakened currencies and the economic crisis are having a negative impact on remittances that many Burmese rely on.
>> Click here for full story.
Resistance:
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) writers urged writers in Burma not to cease their chosen artistic expression despite the huge repression they are facing with.
>> Click here for full story.
>> Click here for full story.
Other Burma Highlights:
>> Click here for full story.
>> Click here for full story.
>> Click here for full story.
>> Click here for full story.
Norway has taken the unusual step of banning all state investment in one of China’s biggest vehicle manufacturers, because the Chinese sell military trucks to Burma.
>> Click here for full story. |
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