Helsinki International Model United Nations 2015 | XV Annual Session Forum: General Assembly 3 Issue: Question of Human Rights in Myanmar Student Officer: Ms. Arawela Sovala Position: Chair of the 3rd Committee __________________________________________________________ Introduction The Southeast Asian nation of Myanmar - also known as Burma - has gone through many hardships before reaching their current political situation. The power has moved from the hands of the British imperialists to the leaders of an independent and democratic nation and finally to the dictators of the military junta. 1 Throughout its years of independence that Myanmar gained on the 4th of January 1948 it has endured serious civil wars between the numerous ethnic minorities inhabiting the country. The situation is so difficult, that the United Nations and many other organizations have addressed the consistent and systematic human rights violations happening in the nation.2 Nowadays the situation is improved. In 2011 the military officially ended its reign that had begun on the 2nd of March 1962. It has withdrawn some of its power while still holding a great amount of influence over the populace. Because the government has since freed many political prisoners, their foreign relations and the common opinion on their human rights situation has somewhat recovered. However there is still a lot of negative attention directed at the mistreatment the government endorses towards some of the ethnic minorities and the disputes between Muslims and Buddhists in west Myanmar. 3 Children in Myanmar are exceptionally mistreated. Out of the 350 000 - 400 000 soldiers 70 000 are children (~20%). They play a major role in the conflicts, both in the official Myanmarese army as well as the rebel movement. 42 child soldiers of the Myanmarese army were released in September 2012. The plan of the United Nations and other organizations, especially the International Labour Organization, is to free more child soldiers in cooperation with the 1 "Burma." Burma. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2014. 2 "Myanmar." Infoplease. Infoplease, n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2014. x 3 "Burma." Central Intelligence Agency. Central Intelligence Agency, n.d. Web. 01 Jan. 2015. Research Report | Page 1 of 12 Helsinki International Model United Nations 2015 | XV Annual Session government and the Kachin independence army, a political group composed of ethnic Kachins from northern Myanmar. 4 Besides children, women are also in a very vulnerable position in Myanmar. Mostly during 1996- 2001 the Myanmarese military committed rape or other forms of sexual violence against 625 women. 61% of the rapes were gang rapes and 25% of all the rapes ended in the death of the victim. These were committed mainly in the Shan state and are done to terrorize ethnic minorities. Other kinds of torture have been reported by Refugees International and Amnesty International. The government has denied what they're accused of. Both of these vulnerable groups as well as men are suffering from being forced into labour. Several hundred thousand people from all ages and mainly ethnic minorities are forced to work. If one refuses they are likely tortured, raped or even murdered. International Labour Organization has gone through measures since the 1960s to end this forced labour. They have adopted a resolution calling on the government to cease their actions. 5 Trade unions were also demolished and banned during Ne Win's rise to power in 1962. In October 2011 they were legalized again. Definition of Key Terms Imperialism means extending the authority of an empire or nation over foreign countries or areas and acquiring and holding colonies Military junta is a group of military officers who rebel against a government and rule a country after seizing the power with violent tactics. 6 Human rights violation is an action that goes against the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. 4 Svenska Burmakommittén. "Statslösa I Sitt Eget Hemland - Om Konflikten I Västra Burma." YouTube. YouTube, 4 July 2013. Web. 15 Dec. 2014. x 5 "ILO." In Myanmar. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Jan. 2015. x 6 "Military Junta." The Free Dictionary. Farlex, n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2014. x Research Report | Page 2 of 12 Helsinki International Model United Nations 2015 | XV Annual Session Trade union is a union for workforces that guard the rights of the worker from the possible mistreatment by an employer. Background The history of Myanmar is filled with disagreements between different ethnic groups. In the 16th century, Myanmar had already gone through 250 years of political fragmentation. The Pagan empire had been replaced and the power moved from the Ava to the Hanthawaddy and the Shan states. These mixed ethnic groups consisted of backgrounds mainly from the area where Northern Myanmar meets China, such as the original Myanmarese and the Mongol people. These parties had difficulties getting along together and even had occasional disputes within their own groups. Even though there were ethnic clashes between the minorities inside each group, the people still managed to come to a conclusion of some sort and improved the Myanmarese culture. 7 These steps ensured the rise to power of one of the vassal states of the Ava state called Toungoo. Toungoo empire conquered an extensive amount of Southeast Asian land and remained in power until 1599 when the Siam empire - modern day Thailand - overran the Toungoo leaders and took control. This was also the time when the first markings of European rule could be seen in that area when Portuguese mercenaries established Portuguese rule in the port city of Thanlyin. After less than 15 years, the dynasty had already reclaimed some areas in Myanmar and re-established their kingdom. The Toungoo kings that had the power again, created a political framework that was still visible in the 19th century. This decreases the power of the empire's leaders and the system of receiving the power changed from hereditary to a governorship. The economy prospered for the next 80 years because of the prolonged governmental reforms and successful trade and Myanmarese literature and theatre flourished. In 1752 the Ava leaders who had been in power were defeated by the Hanthawaddy who got arms from the French and the British. The mighty China in the north, the 7 "Myanmar/Burma." History of. Lonely Planet, n.d. Web. 15 Dec. 2014. x Research Report | Page 3 of 12 Helsinki International Model United Nations 2015 | XV Annual Session revived Siam in the west and the unclear border between them and the British India were the cause of headaches in the kingdom. This was because of the constant disputes for the rule of land in the history of Myanmar within itself and with its direct neighbours. Myanmar lost a lot of land in the first Anglo-Burmese War against the British in the years 1824-1826. In 1852 lower Myanmar was conquered in the second Anglo-Burmese War. The rest of Myanmar was conquered by 1885 in the third war. The repercussions of the wars were the colonization of the nation by the British, officially on 1st of January 1886. The animosity towards the British and the British Indians was not hid. Violent riots occasionally incapacitated Yangon - the British capital of Myanmar that was an important port between Singapore and Calcutta - all the way until the 1930s. Some of the animosity was a direct result of the disrespectful way the British treated Myanmarese traditions. One of the bigger disputes resulted from the British not complying with taking their shoes off when entering pagodas - multi-storey tiered towers commonly used for Buddhist religious functions - or prohibiting monks from wearing their Buddhist robes while imprisoned. These are two of the reasons why the monks have been quite active in the Myanmarese history. Ba Maw was the first Prime Minister of Burma and he was an advocate of Myanmarese independence and also opposed Myanmar taking part in the Second World War. The resentment of the British went so far that some Myanmarese joined the Burma independence army formed by Aung San in Japan. However many Myanmarese - especially people from ethnic minorities - served in the British Burma Army. The Panglong Agreement that was to guarantee Myanmar’s independence was negotiated by Aung San after the Second World War The ethnic leaders that were a part of the agreement making Myanmar an unified nation were Aung Zan Wai, Pe Khin, Bo Hmu Aung, Sir Maung Gyi, Dr. Sein Mya Maung and Myoma U Than Kywe. Myanmar got its independence in 1947, the same year Aung San - at the time the Prime minister of Myanmar, the Deputy Chairman of the Executive Council of Burma and the Research Report | Page 4 of 12 Helsinki International Model United Nations 2015 | XV Annual Session pioneer of democracy in Myanmar - was assassinated by political rivals because of a battle for power. One of the people convicted of the assassination was U Saw, the leader of a nationalist political group whose popularity had decreased because the populace adored Aung San.8 On the 2nd of March 1962 the Military Junta, which was led by General Ne Win, seized the power from the democratic government. He ruled in Myanmar in 1962-74, as a head of a revolutionary council. They combined Soviet-style nationalization and central planning to control the nation. Most of the sectors in the society - business, media and production to name a few - were under government control under the “Burmese Way to Socialism” In 1974 a new constitution of the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma was adopted and Myanmar was ruled by the Burma Socialist Programme Party whose leading members were Ne Win among other military officers. During the years of the Military Junta the nation became one of the most poverty-stricken in the world.