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Oral Intervention made by Dr. Sein Win
Agenda Item: 9, Worldview International Foundation
57th Session of UN Commission on Human Rights
Geneva.
Mr. Chairman,
I am Dr. Sein Win, an elected representative of the 1990 general
elections from Paukkaung Constituency of Burma. I usually take this
floor at each session of the UN Commission on Human Rights since 1991 to
present the case of 1990 general elections in Burma with the hope that
the commission could help accelerate the process of democratization
which is vital for the improvement of overall human rights situation in
my country. I fully agree with the concluding remark of former UN Human
Rights Special Rapporteur, Judge Rajsoomer Lallah, who said, ?The lack
of respect to the rights pertaining to democratic governance is the root
cause of various forms of human rights violations in Burma?.
Indeed, a democratic state is a precondition for the exercise of human
rights, and for a democracy to function it requires the consent of the
people. Concepts such as inclusivity, participation, consensus,
ownership, and sustainability are essential for the advancement of
democracy. These concepts come together in the idea of dialogue as the
foundation on which to promote democratic development.
Since the inception of the Burmese democracy movement, we have upheld
dialogue as an integral part of the democratization process; both as an
objective and an instrument at the same time. Consecutive UN
resolutions affirm that the best means of promoting national
reconciliation and the full and early restoration of democracy in Burma
is through a Tripartite Dialogue between the democracy forces led by Daw
Aung San Suu Kyi, true representatives of the non-Burman ethnic peoples,
and the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) representing the
military. Given the urgency to address the needs of the people, it is
time for all political actors in Burma to put the interests of the
people and the country above all other interests and seek a workable
solution for the process of nation rebuilding.
In that sense, we welcome the talks between SPDC and Daw Aung San Suu
Kyi, which started in October 2000. We fully appreciate the efforts of
the UN Special Envoy and all other countries, especially our neighbors
to bring about such a significant breakthrough. We note with
appreciation some positive steps taken by SPDC in releasing some
political prisoners, the suspension of attacks on Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
and the leadership of the National League for Democracy (NLD) in the
State-controlled media, and the implicit expression of tolerance through
provision of space in some regions for the NLD to reorganize its
township level organizing committees, the NLD Youth wing, and the
reopening of offices.
The beginning of what we hope is a process of national reconciliation is
indeed a rare opportunity for the people of Burma and we urge SPDC to
take additional steps to build confidence in the current talks by
further relaxing the restrictions placed on the people of Burma.
Though these positive developments are encouraging, human rights
conditions nationally are still a concern for us. Even as talks are
going on between Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the SPDC leaders, a situation
that is totally incompatible with that atmosphere still prevails in the
country. Thirty-four elected Members of Parliament remain in prison and
36 other MPs are being detained without trial in government guesthouses
since 1996. Leaders of non-Burman ethnic nationalities who were arrested
because of their support for the NLD and the establishment of the
Committee Representing Peoples? Parliament are still under detention,
and more than one thousand political prisoners remain in Burmese
prisons. Being exposed to harsh prison conditions, lack of medical
care, and proper nutrition, serious health problems plague these
political prisoners, particularly those in Thayet Prison. We strongly
urge the SPDC authorities to release all political prisoners immediately
and to avoid obstructing their right to freely participate in the
political process according to the mandate given them by the people.
We are also seriously concerned about the ongoing military operations in
the Shan, Karen and Karenni areas. In the course of the ongoing civil
war, various forms of human rights violations are continuing unabated.
People are being subjected to torture, rape, forced labor, arbitrary
killings, extortion, and arbitrary seizure of their property and
livestock. The systematic forced relocation of villages by the Burmese
Army in Shan, Karen, and Karenni States has led to a massive
displacement of people who have lost means of earning a living as well
as the destruction of crops and livestock. Starvation, malnutrition,
and death from contagious diseases are common among the one million
internally displaced persons in non-Burman ethnic areas.
Another serious matter for concern is the lack of improvement in
alleviating forced labor in Burma, particularly in areas where the
Burmese army is deployed in strength. Quoting an analysis by the
Federation of Trade Unions-Burma, ICFTU estimates that at least 80,000
individuals, men, women, children, and elderly persons from
approximately 60 villages in four districts of Karen States were forced
to perform hard labor between November 2000 and January 2001. The report
on conscription for military porterage and forced labor for plantations
owned by Army units came from Ye Township in Tenasserim Division,
Southern tail of Burma.
As a gesture of demonstrating confidence in the current talks and with
the aim of alleviating the suffering of the people, we strongly urge
SPDC authorities to cease all hostilities, anti-religious activities,
and human rights abuses, including forced relocations and forced labor.
We propose creating "peace corridors" in areas of armed conflicts so
that humanitarian assistance can be delivered directly without any
political interference to those in most urgent need, especially in the
non-Burma ethnic states.
Mr. Chairman:
Time is of the essence for the people of Burma and they need the good
Offices of the UN Secretary-General and the UN Commission on Human
Rights to help develop the current dialogue between Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
and SPDC into an irreversible process towards a democratic transition.
We appeal to the Commission to call on the SPDC to accept the visit of
the newly appointed human rights Special Rapporteur for Burma and
further cooperate with the UN Special Envoy.
Thank you.
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<font color="#000099"><font size=+1>Oral Intervention made by Dr. Sein
Win</font></font>
<br><font color="#000099"><font size=+1>Agenda Item: 9, Worldview International
Foundation</font></font>
<br><font color="#000099"><font size=+1>57th Session of UN Commission on
Human Rights</font></font>
<br><font color="#000099"><font size=+1>Geneva.</font></font>
<p><font color="#FF0000"><font size=+1>Mr. Chairman,</font></font>
<p><font size=+1>I am Dr. Sein Win, an elected representative of the 1990
general elections from Paukkaung Constituency of Burma. I usually
take this floor at each session of the UN Commission on Human Rights since
1991 to present the case of 1990 general elections in Burma with the hope
that the commission could help accelerate the process of democratization
which is vital for the improvement of overall human rights situation in
my country. I fully agree with the concluding remark of former UN
Human Rights Special Rapporteur, Judge Rajsoomer Lallah, who said, ?The
lack of respect to the rights pertaining to democratic governance is the
root cause of various forms of human rights violations in Burma?.</font>
<p><font size=+1>Indeed, a democratic state is a precondition for the exercise
of human rights, and for a democracy to function it requires the consent
of the people. Concepts such as inclusivity, participation, consensus,
ownership, and sustainability are essential for the advancement of democracy.
These concepts come together in the idea of dialogue as the foundation
on which to promote democratic development.</font>
<p><font size=+1>Since the inception of the Burmese democracy movement,
we have upheld dialogue as an integral part of the democratization process;
both as an objective and an instrument at the same time. Consecutive
UN resolutions affirm that the best means of promoting national reconciliation
and the full and early restoration of democracy in Burma is through a Tripartite
Dialogue between the democracy forces led by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, true
representatives of the non-Burman ethnic peoples, and the State Peace and
Development Council (SPDC) representing the military. Given the urgency
to address the needs of the people, it is time for all political actors
in Burma to put the interests of the people and the country above all other
interests and seek a workable solution for the process of nation rebuilding.</font>
<p><font size=+1>In that sense, we welcome the talks between SPDC and Daw
Aung San Suu Kyi, which started in October 2000. We fully appreciate
the efforts of the UN Special Envoy and all other countries, especially
our neighbors to bring about such a significant breakthrough. We
note with appreciation some positive steps taken by SPDC in releasing some
political prisoners, the suspension of attacks on Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
and the leadership of the National League for Democracy (NLD) in the State-controlled
media, and the implicit expression of tolerance through provision of space
in some regions for the NLD to reorganize its township level organizing
committees, the NLD Youth wing, and the reopening of offices.</font>
<p><font size=+1>The beginning of what we hope is a process of national
reconciliation is indeed a rare opportunity for the people of Burma and
we urge SPDC to take additional steps to build confidence in the current
talks by further relaxing the restrictions placed on the people of Burma.</font>
<p><font size=+1>Though these positive developments are encouraging, human
rights conditions nationally are still a concern for us. Even as
talks are going on between Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the SPDC leaders, a
situation that is totally incompatible with that atmosphere still prevails
in the country. Thirty-four elected Members of Parliament remain
in prison and 36 other MPs are being detained without trial in government
guesthouses since 1996. Leaders of non-Burman ethnic nationalities who
were arrested because of their support for the NLD and the establishment
of the Committee Representing Peoples? Parliament are still under detention,
and more than one thousand political prisoners remain in Burmese prisons.
Being exposed to harsh prison conditions, lack of medical care, and proper
nutrition, serious health problems plague these political prisoners, particularly
those in Thayet Prison. We strongly urge the SPDC authorities to
release all political prisoners immediately and to avoid obstructing their
right to freely participate in the political process according to the mandate
given them by the people.</font>
<p><font size=+1>We are also seriously concerned about the ongoing military
operations in the Shan, Karen and Karenni areas. In the course of
the ongoing civil war, various forms of human rights violations are continuing
unabated. People are being subjected to torture, rape, forced labor,
arbitrary killings, extortion, and arbitrary seizure of their property
and livestock. The systematic forced relocation of villages by the
Burmese Army in Shan, Karen, and Karenni States has led to a massive displacement
of people who have lost means of earning a living as well as the destruction
of crops and livestock. Starvation, malnutrition, and death from
contagious diseases are common among the one million internally displaced
persons in non-Burman ethnic areas.</font>
<p><font size=+1>Another serious matter for concern is the lack of improvement
in alleviating forced labor in Burma, particularly in areas where the Burmese
army is deployed in strength. Quoting an analysis by the Federation of
Trade Unions-Burma, ICFTU estimates that at least 80,000 individuals, men,
women, children, and elderly persons from approximately 60 villages in
four districts of Karen States were forced to perform hard labor between
November 2000 and January 2001. The report on conscription for military
porterage and forced labor for plantations owned by Army units came from
Ye Township in Tenasserim Division, Southern tail of Burma.</font>
<p><font size=+1>As a gesture of demonstrating confidence in the current
talks and with the aim of alleviating the suffering of the people, we strongly
urge SPDC authorities to cease all hostilities, anti-religious activities,
and human rights abuses, including forced relocations and forced labor.
We propose creating "peace corridors" in areas of armed conflicts so that
humanitarian assistance can be delivered directly without any political
interference to those in most urgent need, especially in the non-Burma
ethnic states.</font>
<p><font color="#FF0000"><font size=+1>Mr. Chairman:</font></font>
<p><font size=+1>Time is of the essence for the people of Burma and they
need the good Offices of the UN Secretary-General and the UN Commission
on Human Rights to help develop the current dialogue between Daw Aung San
Suu Kyi and SPDC into an irreversible process towards a democratic transition.
We appeal to the Commission to call on the SPDC to accept the visit of
the newly appointed human rights Special Rapporteur for Burma and further
cooperate with the UN Special Envoy.</font>
<p><font size=+1>Thank you.</font>
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