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LETTER TO SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR RAJSOO



Subject: LETTER TO SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR RAJSOOMER LALLAH (13/2/97)

/* Written 15 Feb 6:00am 1997 by drunoo@xxxxxxxxxxxx in igc:reg.burma */
/* ------------" Letter to Special Rapporteur (13/2/97) "-------------- */

ADDED NOTE TO OUR FRIENDS: 
-------------------------- 

The U.N. Committee on Human Rights is scheduled to meet on late February
or early March. It therefore is the time to forward our human rights
concerns to Special Rapporteur for Human Rights, U.N. High Commissioner
for Refugees and U.N. Secretary-General. This time of the year, we'll
continue to lobby UN Security Council and concentrate on the U.N. to send
human rights monitors to Burma, creating Safe Zones for refugees and to
oversee the ceasefire and peace process in Burma. Actions from U.N. are 
urgently needed as the situation at the border worsen recently.

MEMBERS OF SECURITY COUNCIL IN 1997
-----------------------------------
The five permanent members of the Security Council are China, FRance,
Russian Federation, United Kingdom and United States.

The 10 non-permanent members of the Council in 1997 are Chile(1997), Costa
Rica(1998), Egypt(1997), Guinea-Bissau(1997), Japan(1998), Kenya(1998),
Poland(1997), Portugal(1998), Republic of Korea(1997) and Sweden(1998).

With best regards, U Ne Oo.

/* --------------------" Letter to Special Rapporteur "--------------- */
Dr U Ne Oo
48/2 Ayliffes Road
St Marys SA 5042
AUSTRALIA

February 13, 1997.

Hon. Rajsoomer Lallah
Special Rapporteur for
     Human Rights in Myanmar
c/- U.N. Centre for Human Rights
CH - 1211 Geneva 10
Switzerland 
(FAX: +41-22-917-0092)

Dear Special Rapporteur:

I call the Special Rapporteur's attention to the continuing arrest and
detention of political activists in Burma, including the elected members of
National League for Democracy. In this connection, I enclosed a list of
people detained in Myanmar after the anti-government protest in December
1996. This list was forwarded recently by exiled pro-democracy groups.
According to this list, the military authorities have arrested, in some
parts of the country, most of the prominent members of the NLD. I am very
concerned about such development, which will weakened the National League
for Democracy from functioning normally.

I also bring the Special Rapporteur's attention to the un-lawful detainment
of elected members of National League for Democracy in a large-scale in
May-1996 and September-1996. In the week of May-19, some 260 elected
members of National League for Democracy were arrested by military
authorities to prevent these members from attending the NLD Convention on
26-28 May. Again in September 1996, more than 560 activists, including the
NLD supporters and elected members, were arrested to prevent NLD from
convening of a Congress.

I believe such repeated occurrence of large-scale arrest by military
authorities in 1996 indicate that there has been severe deterioration of
political situation in Burma. I therefore request the Special Rapporteur
recommend, at this Commission on Human Rights meeting, to send human rights
monitors to Burma. I also enclosed my appeal to U.N. Secretary-General and
U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees to help solve Burma's political and
refugee problems.

I also call the Special Rapporteur's attention to the unjust urle of laws
in Burma that promulgated by the SLORC from the time it came into power in
1988. I am particularly concerned about the SLORC's illegal and
non-constitutional rulings after the Election of 27-May-1990. The United
Naitons Commission on Human Rights should take certain step to remove
various decrees, such as SLORC Order 5/96 of JUne-1996, that specifically
have been designed by military authorities to suppress the opposition's
movement in Burma.

In closing, I thank the Special Rapporteur for your continuing efforts to
improve human rights situation in Burma.

Yours respectfully and sincerely,
Sd. U Ne Oo.

1. Mr Jose Ayala-Lasso, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights,
   c/- U.N. Centre for Human Rights, CH - 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland.

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     	ASIA: 1996 BURMA'S WORST YEAR FOR HUMAN RIGHTS: AMNESTY
     AMNESTY BURMA (EMBARGOED)
        (EMBARGOED UNTIL 1101 AEDT, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12)
     	
     	   LONDON, Feb 12 AFP - Political repression by Burma's military
     junta in 1996 was the worst since the army's violent suppression of
     a popular uprising in 1988-90, Amnesty International said today.
     	   Calling 1996 Burma's worst year so far this decade in human
     rights, the London-based rights group said more than 2,000 human
     rights protestors had been arrested, and that severe restrictions
     were imposed on the speech and movements of opposition leader Aung
     San Suu Kyi.
     	   Members of her National League for Democracy (NLD) were attacked
     by organised mobs, apparently encouraged by the government, said
     Amnesty.
     	   "Already, 1997 has been marked by the long jail sentences handed
     down to at least 34 people detained after last year's pro-democracy
     demonstrations," Amnesty said in a statement.
     	   Throughout 1996, it said, the military government, or State Law
     and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) "suppressed peaceful
     political meetings, gatherings and demonstrations, sometimes
     violently".
        "At the beginning of the year, Burmese people could gather
     peacefully every weekend to listen to speeches by NLD leaders," it
     said. "By the end of the year even this was forbidden."
     	   Amnesty said it was "particularly concerned at a worrying new
     development which emerged during the year with the violent attacks
     against senior members of the NLD.
     	   "On 9 November, a group of about 200 young men attacked Aung San
     Suu Kyi's motorcade with iron bars and sticks. They were thought to
     be members of the Union Solidarity Development Organisation (USDA),
     a SLORC-sponsored group, and were allegedly paid ... to
     participate."
     	   Earlier this month, Amnesty noted, Aung San Suu Kyi said that
     shortly before the attack on her motorcade, a government minister
     told a meeting of USDA members that she should be killed.
     	   AFP mp
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