Myanmar Background: Myanmar, a country plagued with internal fighting for almost sixty years, is considered to be the world s longest running civil war. The root of the fighting is ethnic tensions between the Burmese government and many of the 135 ethnic groups in Myanmar such as the Kachin, Shan, and Karen. In the years leading up to 1948, both Japan and Britain extended their powers to Myanmar, also known at the time as Burma. British colonial rule came to an end in 1948 when U Nu, the leader of the Anti-Fascist People s Freedom League (AFPFL), became Prime Minister of the nation. Independence from Britain didn t result in national unity, but rather disagreements on how the Burmese government should be run. The Karen National Union (KNU) actively opposed the parliamentary system imposed by U Nu and vouched for an independent state consisting of the Karen and Karenni ethnic groups which would allow them to have a voice in their government. The KNU successfully took control of land in the countryside using weapons left by the Japanese army. The KNU wasn t the only ethnic group rebelling against the government after Burmese independence. The Burmese Communist Party (BCP) also vouched for independent states causing them to rebel against the government. Their 25,000 guerilla fighters worked tirelessly against the Burmese government until being outlawed in 1953. A bloodless coup d etat led by General Ne Win in 1962 resulted in a regime change in Myanmar as well as the creation of the Socialist Programme Party (SPP). Power was held by the SPP until 1974 when power was shifted to a People s Assembly through a new national constitution. Just a year later, insurgencies were spurred by the Opposition National Democratic Front (ONDF). To end the 1
rural support that opposition groups were receiving, the Burmese military utilized the Four Cuts strategy which involved destroying thousands of villages, relocating civilians to military monitored areas, and killing or torturing thousands of civilians who were believed to be associated with rebel organizations. Another shift in power occurred in 1981 when power was relinquished to San Yu, and he furthered the divide between ethnic groups and the government by passing the 1982 Burma Citizenship Law. This law created three different types of citizenship and prevented ethnic groups from receiving citizenship as well as participating in government. Tensions rose resulting in the 8888 protest movement which began with mass demonstrations on August 8, 1988 and although the protests were peaceful, Ne Win gave the order that no guns were to shoot upward. Protests drawing as many as 1 million protestors occurred for two months before the movement could be completely brought to an end. Saw Maung, who gained power through a military coup on September 18, issued military rule that resulted in the death of over one thousand civilians in the span of a week. After this, protesters finally agreed to end the 8888 movement which resulted in as many as 10,000 deaths total. On top of this, thousands went missing during the two months of protesting. Myanmar held their first free election in May 1990 and approximately 80% of the votes for parliament were in favor of the Opposition National League for Democracy (NLD). These results were unexpected by the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) so they refused to relinquish their power. Members of the NLD were arrested by SLOC and most of them were placed under house arrest. Efforts to rid Myanmar of the KNU re-escalated in 2006 which resulted in an estimated 200,000 Karen displaced from their homes. Fighting with the Kachin 2
didn t re-escalate again until 2011, when plans were made to construct a Chinese funded dam which would result in the relocation of about 15,000 Kachin. In 2012, the Rohingya faced the effects of internal violence which resulted in over 100 deaths and over 140,000 being displaced. This ethnic group has become a major target of the Burmese army and currently there are over 1 million members of this ethnic group who lack an official home. A new government was finally able to be formed in 2016, when Aung San Suu Kyi won the 2015 election as a member of NLD. However, over 1 million voters were prevented from participating in the election because of their ethnic background. Discrimination within legislation also occurred in 2015 when four laws were passed that violate human rights including the Religious Conversion Law and the Monogamy Law. Anyone who spoke out against discrimination received punishments such as prison sentences. By the end of 2015, there were over 100 prisoners who were sentenced to prison for peaceful protests. A ceasefire agreement was signed in October 2015 who's parties included the Myanmar government and 8 ethnic groups. There were many ethnic groups not included in this ceasefire, so violence continues to plague the nation. In fact, accusations arose of the Myanmar army raping women at gunpoint in October 2016 and there have also been accusations of forced labor. Recently, Myanmar security forces have been accused of persecuting Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State. A series of military raids on villages in Rakhine State have left houses torched and hundreds of Rohingya Muslims arrested or killed. The government claims that it is conducting operations to arrest terrorists, but some Human Rights groups say that the actions of Myanmar could amount to genocide. It is difficult to determine exactly what is occurring in 3
Rakhine State due to a lack of transparency, but there have been calls by many in the international community to investigate the recent violence for human rights violations. UN Involvement: The UN has been involved with Myanmar since 1948 when the nation first gained their independence. On April 10, 1948, Resolution S/Res/45 was passed which recommended that Myanmar receive membership status with the UN. More recently the focus of the UN shifted towards supporting development in the socio-economic sector, humanitarian assistance efforts, human rights, and sustaining peace. For example, the Secretary-General released a report on September 14, 2010, discussing the human rights in Myanmar as well as national dialogue, transitioning of political power, and socio-economic engagement. 19 organs of the UN assist in the efforts in Myanmar including the SC, FAO, and UNDP. The Myanmar Information Management Unit (MIMU) is an important tool to the unit in regards to their efforts in Myanmar and the unit is overseen by the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator. Responsibilities of MIMU include information services, mapping, data compilation, technical assistance, networking between agencies, leading the IM network. An essential aspect of MIMU is the 3W database which currently collects information from 210 organizations including 148 NGOs, 36 organizations that are border-based, 3 donors, 16 UN agencies, and 7 Red Cross agencies. More recently, a draft resolution was being prepared in 2014 on the human rights violations occurring in Myanmar. On October 31, 2014, the draft was ratified and it covered topics such as ending violations, creating a ceasefire, and releasing prisoners of consciousness. The UN 4
released a post-2015 agenda for Myanmar which provides suggestions for goals such as economic growth, sustainable development, creating peace, establishing new global partnerships, and reforming public institutions within the nation. Not only were suggestions provided by this document, but implementation plans were also included to offer maximum assistance. Secretary- General, Ban Ki-Moon, has also released a statement on August 31, 2016, which offers his viewpoint on the Panglong Conference in Myanmar. The secretary-general reiterates the importance that in order for talks to be successful, each party must receive something positive out of the process. He also urges all parties to act with sensitivity, flexibility, and respect while on the path to peace. Questions to Consider: 1. Which ethnic groups are currently afflicted the most by internal fighting and what can be done to bring a definite end to the conflict? 2. How have human rights and political rights become intertwined with this conflict? What aid can be offered to those whose rights are being violated or restricted? 3. What actions should the Burmese government and the international community take once fighting has ended to create a peaceful and stabilized environment within the nation? Works Cited: Falcone, Daniel, and Tina Kempin Reuter. "Daniel Falcone." Reiff Center Blog. CNU Relief Center, 18 Jan. 2016. Web. 06 Dec. 2016. 5
<http://reiffcenterblog.cnu.edu/2016/01/myanmar-and-the-karen-conflict-the-longest-civilwar-you-have-never-heard-of/>. Longsheath, David. "Timeline Post-independence." IRIN. IRIN News, 29 Mar. 2012. Web. 06 Dec. 2016. <http://www.irinnews.org/report/95197/timeline-post-independence>. "The MIMU 3W: Who Is Doing What, Where MIMU." The MIMU 3W: Who Is Doing What, Where MIMU. MIMU, n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2016. <http://www.themimu.info/3w-mapsand-reports>. "MIMU Activities and Services." Myanmar Information Management Unit (MIMU) The Office of the UN RC/HC MIMU Activities and Services (n.d.): n. pag. MIMU. MIMU, Dec. 2016. Web. 05 Dec. 2016. <http://www.themimu.info/sites/themimu.info/files/documents/mimu_services_eng- MMR_Dec2016.pdf>. "Myanmar 2015/2016." Amnesty International. Amnesty International, n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2016. <https://www.amnesty.org/en/countries/asia-and-the-pacific/myanmar/report-myanmar/>. "Myanmar's Bloody 8888 Protests." About Education. About, 24 Feb. 2014. Web. 06 Dec. 2016. <http://asianhistory.about.com/od/burmamyanmar/fl/the-8888-uprising-in-myanmar- Burma.htm>. "A NEW GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP: ERADICATE POVERTY AND TRANSFORM ECONOMIES THROUGH SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT." (n.d.): n. pag. MIMU. United Nations. Web. 05 Dec. 2016. <http://www.themimu.info/sites/themimu.info/files/documents/refdoc_a_new_global_p artnership_-_the_post-2015_development_agenda.pdf>. 6
News, BBC. "Myanmar Profile - Timeline." BBC News. BBC News, 30 Mar. 2016. Web. 06 Dec. 2016. <http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-12992883>. News, BBC. "Myanmar Profile - Timeline." BBC News. BBC News, 30 Mar. 2016. Web. 06 Dec. 2016. <http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-12992883>. "Situation on Human Rights in Myanmar." United Nations. United Nations, 14 Sept. 2010. Web. 05 Nov. 2016. <https://documents-ddsny.un.org/doc/undoc/gen/n10/533/49/pdf/n1053349.pdf?openelement>. Solomon, Feliz. "8 Rohingya Women 'Raped at Gunpoint' by Burma Army: Report." Time. Time, 28 Oct. 2016. Web. 06 Dec. 2016. <http://time.com/4548834/rohingya-burmamyanmar-suu-kyi-maungdaw-rape/>. Taw, Nay Pyi. "Remarks at the 21st Century Panglong Conference in Myanmar Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon." United Nations. United Nations, 31 Aug. 2016. Web. 06 Dec. 2016. <https://www.un.org/sg/en/content/sg/speeches/2016-08-31/remarks-21st-centurypanglong-conference-myanmar>. "United Nations Official Document." United Nations. United Nations, 31 Oct. 2014. Web. 06 Dec. 2016. <http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=a%2fc.3%2f69%2fl.32>. "What We Do." United Nations. United Nations, n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2016. <http://mm.one.un.org/content/unct/myanmar/en/home/what-we-do.html>. 7