Legal Pluralism - Burma/Myanmar-specific

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Description: အဓိကအချက်များကောက်နှုတ်ချက် နှစ်ပေါင်းများစွာ ဖြစ်ပွါးနေသော ပြည်တွင်းစစ်၏ အကျိုးဆက်ကြောင့် မြန်မာတောင်တန်းနယ်မြေအများစုသည် အစိုးရထိန်းချုပ်မှု ဘောင်အပြင်ဖက် သို့မဟုတ် အစိုးရ နှင့် တိုင်းရင်းသားလက်နက်ကိုင် အဓိကဇာတ်ကောင်များ (EAAs) ၏ ထိန်းချုပ်မှု၊ အုပ်ချုပ်မှု ရောထွေးနေသော အနေအထားအတွင်းတွင် ရှိနေကြဆဲ ဖြစ်သည်။ တိုင်းရင်းသားလက်နက်ကိုင် အဓိက ဖာတ်ကောင်းများ (EAAs) ] ဟုဆိုရာတွင် တိုင်းရင်းသားလက်နက်ကိုင်အဖွဲ့အစည်းများ (EAOs) (အပစ်ရပ်ထားသော (သို့မဟုတ်) ပဋ္ဋိပက္ခဆက်လက်ဖြစ်ပွားလျှက်ရှိသော) အပြင် နယ်ခြားစောင့်တပ်များ (BGF) နှင့် ပြည်သူ့စစ်အဖွဲ့(PMF) တို့ ကဲ့သို့သော အစိုးရနောက်ခံပြု တပ်မတော်ကွပ်ကဲမှုအောက်ရှိ လက်နက်ကိုင်ထားသော တိုင်းရင်းသားအဖွဲ့အစည်းများ (State-backed ethnic paramilitary organization) ပါဝင်ပါသည်။ ထို့ကြောင့် ဖရိုဖရဲဖြစ်နေသည်ဟုထင်ရသော်လည်း ၎င်းနယ်မြေအများစုတွင် ဥပဒေစိုးမိုးရေး စတင်မှုအဆင့်တွင် ရှိနေကြပြီဖြစ်သည်။ ယင်းဥပဒေစိုးမိုးမှု သည် ရပ်ရွာအဆင့်တွင် ဓလေ့ထုံးတမ်းအရ တရားစီရင်ခြင်းစနစ်နှင့် တိုင်းရင်းသားလက်နက်ကိုင် အဓိက ဇာတ်ကောင်များ (EAAs)၊ တခါတရံ တပ်မတော်ကွပ်ကဲမှုအောက်ရှိ လက်နက်ကိုင်ထားသော တိုင်းရင်းသားအဖွဲ့အစည်းများ (ethnic paramilitary organization) စီမံခန့်ခွဲသော တရားစီရင်မှုစနစ်တို့ကြောင့် နေရာအတော်များများတွင် အဓိကဖြစ်ပေါ်လာခဲ့သည်။ တိုင်းရင်းသားလက်နက်ကိုင်အဖွဲ့များ ထိန်းချုပ်သော နယ်မြေများတွင် ၎င်းတို့၏ တရားစီရင်မှုစနစ်များသည် တရားဝင်ပုံစံ တစ်ခုတည်းသာရှိသော်လည်း ထိန်းချုပ်မှုရောယှက်နေသော နယ်မြေများ တွင်မူ အစိုးရနှင့် လက်နက်ကိုင်ထားသော တိုင်းရင်းသားအဖွဲ့များ၏ တရားစီရင်မှုစနစ်များသည် သီးခြားစီတည်ရှိနေသော်လည်း ရပ်တည်ချက် မှာ အတူတူပင်ဖြစ်သည်။ ၎င်းနယ်မြေများရှိ အရပ်သားအများစုအတွက် တည်ငြိမ်မှုနှင့် ဥပဒေစိုးမိုးမှုတို့ကို ဖြည့်ဆည်းပေးသောအရာမှာ ကျေးရွာနှင့် ကျေးရွာအခြေပြု တရားစီရင်မှု စနစ်များဖြစ်သည်။ အဆိုပါနယ်မြေများတွင် အဖြစ်များသော တရားမကြောင်းနှင့် အသေးစားရာဇဝတ်မှုများကို ကျေးရွာသူကြီးနှင့် ကျေးရွာတရားစီရင်ရေးကော်မတီများက အစဉ်အလာဓလေ့ထုံးတမ်းဥပဒေများကို အမှီပြု၍ ကိုင်တွယ်ဖြေရှင်းလေ့ရှိကြသည်။ တိုင်းရင်းသား လက်နက်ကိုင်အဓိကဇာတ်ကောင်များ(EAAs)သည် ၎င်းတို့၏ တရားစီရင်မှုစနစ်များကို ကျေးရွာဖွဲ့စည်းပုံ၏ ထိပ်တွင်ထည့်သွင်းထားပြီး ယင်းတို့ကို အမှီပြု၍ အမှုကိစ္စများကို ကိုင်တွယ်ကြသည်။ ပြင်းထန်သောရာဇဝတ်မှုများကိုမူ တိုင်းရင်းသားလက်နက်ကိုင်အဖွဲ့အစည်းများ (EAOs) ၏ တရားရုံးများတွင် ဖြေရှင်းရန်လိုအပ်ပြီး ၎င်းတရားရုံးများသို့ ကျေးရွာအဆင့်မှ အယူခံလွှာတင်သွင်းနိုင်သည်။ စာရွက်ပေါ်မှ ဖွဲ့စည်းပုံအရ EAO များ၏ တရားစီရင်မှုစနစ်များသည် အထက်မှအောက်သို့ အဆင့်ဆင့်ဖွဲ့စည်းထားပြီး ရပ်ကျေး၊ မြို့နယ်၊ ခရိုင်၊ ဗဟိုအဆင့်ဆင့်တင်ပြရန် ခွင့်ပြုထားသည်။ တရားဝင် လုပ်ထုံးလုပ်နည်းများ ဖြင့် ပံ့ပိုးထားသော ၎င်းတရားစီရင်မှုစနစ်များသည် အဆင့်တိုင်းတွင် ပိုမိုပြင်းထန်သော အမှုအခင်းများကို စစ်ဆေးရန်နှင့် ပိုမိုပြင်းထန်သော ပြစ်ဒဏ်များ ချမှတ်ရန် ခွင့်ပေးထားသည်။ EAO များအကြား တရားစီရင်မှု လုပ်ထုံးလုပ်နည်းများ ကွာခြားမှုရှိပြီး အချို့က ပုံစံတကျရှိမှုကို လိုက်ပါကျင့်သုံးကြပြီး အချို့က အခြေခံကျလွန်းသောပုံစံကို ဆုပ်ကိုင်ထားကြ သည်။ လက်တွေ့တွင်မူ ပဋိပက္ခ သံသရာ၊ နယ်မြေအတွင်း အဖွဲ့အစည်း၏ စွမ်းဆောင်ရည်၊ EAA အဖွဲ့ဝင်များနှင့် ပုဂ္ဂိုလ်ရေးဆက်နွယ်မှု စသည်တို့ကြောင့် ရေးဆွဲထားသော လုပ်ထုံးလုပ်နည်းများနှင့် ကွဲပြားမှုများရှိနိုင်သည်။
Creator/author: Brian McCartan, Kim Jolliffe
Source/publisher: Asia Foundation
2016-10-00
Date of entry/update: 2016-11-23
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ)
Format : pdf
Size: 6.21 MB
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Description: Executive Summary: "As a result of decades of ongoing civil war, large areas of Myanmar remain outside government rule, or are subject to mixed control and governance by the government and an array of ethnic armed actors (EAAs). These included ethnic armed organizations (EAOs), with ceasefires or in conflict with the state, as well as state-backed ethnic paramilitary organizations, such as the Border Guard Forces (BGFs) and People?s Militia Forces (PMFs). Despite this seeming recipe for chaos, there is a startling level of order in most of these areas. This order has been created in large part through customary justice mechanisms at the community level, and as a result of justice systems administered by EAAs, and in some cases by ethnic paramilitary organizations. In EAO-controlled areas, their justice systems are often the only formal structures present, while in mixed-control areas, government and EAA justice systems exist separately, but side by side. The village, and village-based justice mechanisms, are the glue that provides stability and order for most civilians in these areas. Often reliant on a long tradition of customary law and practices, village heads and village justice committees handle civil disputes and petty crimes ? the bulk of justice issues in these areas. EAAs have built their justice systems on top of the village structures, relying on them to handle most justice issues, while requiring more serious crimes to be handled in EAO courts, which are also available for appeals from the village level. On paper, at least, EAA justice systems are hierarchical, allowing for referral up the chain from village tract to township to district to the center. These structures, often backed by official procedures, also provide for the assignment of progressively more serious cases and progressively more severe punishments at each level. Judicial procedures differ between organizations, with some following a more formal model while other systems are more rudimentary. In practice, there may be variation from established procedures due to the ebb and flow of conflict, the capacity of an organization in a given area, or the personal connections of an individual to members of an EAA. Internal security for most EAOs is provided by their regular soldiers and militia they establish at the local level. These formations commonly function as arresting agencies as well as jailers. A few EAOs have established police forces dedicated to preserving public order among the populace. Criminal investigations are usually conducted by EAO administrative authorities, except in the case of the Karen National Union (KNU), which has a police force authorized for this. Village customary justice and EAA justice structures have continued to maintain order in EAA areas through periods of conflict and ceasefire. Without the EAA justice systems and the stabilizing effect of village customary justice structures, this order and stability would have been far less likely. 1 In many areas of Myanmar where EAAs operate, the central government has only ever had tenuous control, if any control at all. The ability of EAOs to maintain order and a degree of justice in turn contributes to their legitimacy among the population they claim to represent in areas they control, in mixed-control areas, and often to some degree in government-control areas adjacent to conflict zones where members of the group?s ethnic base also reside. The rule of law and the workings of Myanmar?s justice system are receiving increasing attention, while the role and structure of EAO justice systems and village justice remain relatively little studied or understood. The continuity and stability of village justice systems provide the bedrock on which official justice systems ? the government?s and the EAOs? ? are built, and thus are important to maintaining order and stability across the country. The fact that EAO justice systems operate in parallel with that of the government in large areas of the country, and provide the only means of justice for large portions of the population, should indicate their importance for the peace process as well as for the future governance of Myanmar"
Creator/author: Brian McCartan, Kim Jolliffe
Source/publisher: Asia Foundation
2016-10-00
Date of entry/update: 2016-11-23
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 1.87 MB
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Description: Executive summary: "In January 2016 the government adopted a National Land Use Policy, which included the recognition of customary land management practices. While this is a welcome first step in the necessary integration of Burma?s customary land management systems with the national-level system, there is an urgent need for constitutional reform and devolution of land management powers prior to any such integration. This report by the Ethnic Community Development Forum (ECDF) presents how Burma?s diverse customary land management systems in seven ethnic communities are structured, and provides ideas for how these systems could be supported and potentially integrated into a future devolved federal national land management system. Customary land management systems have co-existed with the national land management system in Burma for centuries. The national land management system is highly centralized and has facilitated widespread land grabbing for natural resource extraction and agribusiness projects, resulting in loss of livelihoods and environmental degradation throughout the country. Updated Land Laws adopted in 2012 were based on poorly defined land classification and despite some democratic reforms, the military maintains a central role in land management through the General Administration Department. Upland agricultural lands ? mainly tilled by ethnic nationalities practicing shifting cultivation ? are defined by law as either forest lands or as vacant, virgin and fallow lands. Lands defined as ?vacant, virgin and fallow” are particularly problematic as these are designated for ?State Economic Development” and contracted to extractive industries, agribusiness and infrastructure development projects. Customary land management systems have operated independently of the national government since colonial days and independence, due to lack of government access into remote ethnic areas and decades of civil war. In recent years, ethnic resistance governments in Karen and Mon States have developed their own land registration and management systems in order to protect the land rights and interests of ethnic farmers in areas governed by these ethnic governments. These systems, in contrast to the national land management systems, are decentralized and have evolved/adapted to local situations and needs, prioritizing sustainable livelihoods and environmental protection. The ECDF has conducted grassroots participatory research and issued publications on customary land systems in Burma?s ethnic states since 2014. This has included: conducting a household survey in 26 townships; commissioning a report on international experiences with customary land management systems; and facilitating participatory community research in order to document the land management systems in seven ethnic villages located in six states. Summary findings of this research include: a) Customary practices have been passed on for many generations and have sustained strong connections between villagers and their lands: Communities that are practicing customary land management have been living on their lands for many generations, passing their lands and traditions onto their children and grandchildren. Community members regard land as more than just a commodity which has no spiritual connection to the nature that has produced these resources. The administrative and cultural institutions that have arisen among ethnic groups over numerous generations of living on their lands are tied closely to the geographic features of their lands, as well as the experiences about how to best conserve surrounding natural resources in order to survive and prosper. Everyday customs and traditions, including the roles of those governing customary lands, are woven into the natural environment where communities are based and the corresponding worldview that community members have received from their ancestors. b) Customary practices provide sustainable environmental protection: Nearly all communities practicing customary land management reside in forests, and therefore are dependent upon the health of these forest lands for their survival and livelihoods. Customary communities have developed land use rules and regulations which have allowed sustainable use of the forest for food, shelter and medicine without endangering long-term ecological health. Villagers also preserve their natural resources by respecting the spirits of the trees, lakes, water resources, animals and lands on ?auspicious? days each year and through composing stories and poems in order to teach the new generations about protecting the community?s natural resources. Customary Land communities have established a number of land use zones (community forests, protected forests, reserved forests, use forests, watersheds, conservation areas and wildlife conservation zones) ? each with explicit rules that regulate the use of the lands and natural resources. There is a wide range of classifi cations for these conservation areas. c) Customary practices provide self-reliant and ecologically sustainable livelihoods: A vast majority of community needs are produced or collected from local lands, forests and waters. Apart from organized production of foods ? through lowland and hillside agriculture as well as livestock breeding ? forest resources provide supplementary foods (wild fruits, vegetables and animals); materials for housing and clothes; and herbal medicines. These communities have regulations that prioritize ecologically sustainable, equitable and needs-based production rather than extraction for sales and profit. d) Customary practices provide local communities with eff ective decentralized and participatory governance and judiciary systems: Governance, judiciary and administrative systems exist in the communities that have evolved over generations and are both participatory and resilient. Community members view the rules and regulations as their own, and therefore adhere to them much more closely than a set of regulations imposed upon them by outsiders. Elected village committees (including specific committees for land, water and forest management) update, arbitrate and enforce village land regulations. Important decisions are made with the participation of a majority of the villagers. Customary land management systems are holistic and incorporate all lands, waterways and forests within specified village boundaries. Customary land management structures and policies have been integrated nationally in countries on every continent. International institutions ? including the World Bank ? have stated the effectiveness and effi ciency advantages of communal and customary tenure over formal individual titles. The World Bank has also urged caution about state-led intervention in land tenure systems, suggesting building on existing systems. Protection and recognition of ethnic customary land management systems is an important component in achieving sustainable peace and must be enshrined in a future federal constitution and decentralized legal framework ? one example of this is outlined at the end of this report. In order to protect these lands and systems until peace accords, constitutional amendments and new land legislation formalizing these systems have been fi nalized, there should be a moratorium on land acquisition in areas where customary land management systems are being implemented or were implemented before displacement due to armed conflicts."
Source/publisher: Ethnic Community Development Forum
2016-07-05
Date of entry/update: 2016-07-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 9.08 MB
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Description: "Justice Base, with support from UN Women, led a participatory action research project over eight months in 2014 to examine women?s access to justice in the plural legal system of Myanmar. Situated in the constellation of various justice studies being conducted in the country, this report places fundamental importance on documenting women?s experiences with and perceptions of the formal and informal legal systems. Researchers sought to identify the formal and informal processes, decision-makers, and institutions that play a role in resolving disputes involving women in Myanmar. In communities with little access to government legal institutions or where the formal system is not used or not functioning, the project emphasised recording customary legal processes and how they impacted women?s justice claims. The intent was not to determine which system was ?better” or more favourable to women, but rather to illuminate the justice obstacles and enablers in each. This qualitative study was conducted in four geographic target areas that included urban and semi-rural areas of Chin State, Mon State, Kachin State and the city of Yangon. Local research teams used focus group discussions, key informant interviews and participatory mapping activities to collect information from over 400 community members, legal practitioners, local administrators and other key stakeholders. Consultations and data validation sessions were iteratively held with partner organisations to further ensure that women and peer groups could articulate their positions and preferred strategies for improving their access to justice. The project did not focus on specified thematic issues (for example, land rights or domestic violence), but rather provided a broad space for women and men from target communities to self-identify what they saw as women?s most pressing legal concerns. Research participants identified domestic violence, sexual assault and traditional inheritance practices as the most prevalent injustices women faced. Women also described these issues as the least likely to be submitted for adjudication by formal or informal legal mechanisms. The avoidance of justice systems in response to these events was explained in part by several women and men respondents who defined family matters ? those between a husband and wife or parents and children ? as situated outside the jurisdiction of law..."
Source/publisher: Justice Base, UN Women
2016-04-22
Date of entry/update: 2016-07-05
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 1.48 MB
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Description: Abstract: "Burmese colonial history suggests that a legal system cannot operate independently from the felt needs of the people who are supposed to obey the law. Despite a monopoly of force for many decades, the British failed to create a sustainable legal system in Burma. Colonial status shifted Burma?s economic role from subsistence agriculture to the generation of large-scale exports. By undermining the traditional Burmese legal system and substituting Western international standards of property rights, enforceability of contracts, and an independent judiciary — all attributes of what some consider to be the ?Rule of Law”— the legal system amplified and channelled destructive economic and social forces rather than containing them. This paper examines traditional Burmese law, the administration of law in British Burma, and the consequences of the new legal system for the country and its own stability. The paper concludes by suggesting lessons for Myanmar today, and for the study of the ?Rule of Law." ..... Keywords: Rule of Law, colonial law, law and custom, law and development, colonial administration, Burma, Myanmar
Creator/author: Thomas H. Stanton
Source/publisher: Asian Journal of Law and Society / FirstView Article / January 2014, pp 1 - 1
2014-01-00
Date of entry/update: 2015-09-14
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 251.98 KB
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Description: Focus on Karen refugees....."The force of habit, the awe of traditional command and a sentimental attachment to it, the desire to satisfy public opinion - all combine to make custom be obeyed for its own sake. In this the ?savages? do not differ from the members of any self-contained community with a limited horizon, whether this be an Eastern European ghetto, an Oxford college, or a Fundamentalist Middle West community. But love of tradition, conformism and the sway of custom account but to a very partial extent for obedience to rules among dons, savages, peasants, or Junkers. [. . .] in the main these rules are followed because their practical utility is recognized by reason and testified by experience." (Malinowski 1926).....Re the attached sales flyer for the book, the publishers say that a paperback version will be out in July or August.
Creator/author: Kirsten Mcconnachie
Source/publisher: "Governing Refugees - Justice, Order and Legal Pluralism" (Chapter 4)
2014-00-00
Date of entry/update: 2015-02-24
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 618.94 KB
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Description: "We lawyers just cannot help being Darwinian. We simply cannot shake off our assumption that some legal cultures are more developed than others. We prefer written law to oral law; we are happier with professional judges than with people?s rough justice; and — need I say? — we just love cultures that have their own lawyers.".....Re the attached sales flyer for the book, the publishers say that a paperback version will be out in July or August. (Andrew Huxley 2011)
Creator/author: Kirsten Mcconnachie
Source/publisher: "Governing Refugees - Justice, Order and Legal Pluralism" (Chapter 6)
2014-00-00
Date of entry/update: 2015-02-24
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 599.05 KB
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