STAND at USM

Last Update: Aug. 25, 2008 **From the Genocide Intervention Network**

In fall 2007, government troops brutally repressed monk-led pro-democracy protests and as a result committed widespread atrocities against the civilian population. These protests were the culmination of frustrations suffered by the Burmese people under the repressive ruling regime.

Since it took control of the country in 1962, the Burmese military government has launched major counter-insurgency campaigns against ethnic minorities in the eastern states, leading to gross human rights violations. Over 650,000 people have been internally displaced, 3,200 villages have been destroyed and almost 700,000 Burmese have registered as refugees. There are reported to be millions more refugees, particularly in Thailand.

The Burmese government recently announced the approval of a constitutional referendum, in preparation for multi-party elections which are set for 2010 (the first elections since 1990). The regime reaffirmed its aim to hold onto power during this referendum, which took place during the relief efforts that followed Cyclone Nargis. The regime's cyclone response combined with the continued campaign against ethnic minorities in the country's east illustrates the brutal character of the ruling junta.

The Burmese government

• The State Peace and Development Council (SPDC). Formerly known as the State Law and Order Restoration Council, the Burmese Government changed its name to the SPDC in 1997. The SPDC is run by the military junta that has controlled the regime since 1962.

• The Tatmadaw. The Burmese army is composed of 400,000 soldiers funded with over 50% of the national budget.

Resistance

• The National League for Democracy (NLD). This group is led byAung San Suu Kyi, is the main political opposition group to the SPDC. When multiparty elections were held in 1990, the NLD won 392 out of 485 parliamentary seats. Regrettably, the results of this election have not been recognized by the ruling junta. Ms. Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, recently had her house arrest extended once more.

• Armed resistance groups. These groups come from the ethnic states that have not signed a ceasefire agreement with the government. They work with key humanitarians in the region to get information and work the underground networks for internally displaced persons and play a significant role in facilitating the escape of villagers during and before attacks. Some of the significant groups include the Karen National Union (KNU) and theShan State Army-South (Shan State Army-North has signed a ceasefire agreement with the government).

By building roads and camps in ethnic homelands, the government of Burma is implementing the "four cuts strategy" in the ethnic areas — cutting off food, funds, intelligence and recruits to the insurgents. The campaign has used systematic rape, executions, forced labor, forced relocation and the destruction of villages, crops and food supplies as weapons to devastate and demoralize the targeted population.

Rape is used as a weapon of war against ethnic minorities and as part of a campaign of "Burmanization," which aims to impregnate ethnic minority women with Burman babies. Ethnic minority women have also been used as sex slaves on military bases. The tatmadaw has been forcibly displacing, looting, and burning entire villages. If villages have not been burned to the ground, the military has laid landmines to deter the villagers' return.

The Free Burma Rangers report that, in the Karen and Karenni states, the tatmadaw launches one to four batallions in villages and areas where IDPs are expected to be hiding. For example, in a typical area of 10–15 villages, two battalions patrol the area, steal from homes, burn field huts and rice barns, and lay landmines on major roads to prevent return to the village. During the sweeps, the resistance puts up a weak fight long enough for villagers and internally displaced persons to escape and hide.

As civilians are being massacred and forcibly displaced from their homes, they are subject to widespread human rights violations including:

• Murder
• Rape
• Forced displacement and burning of villages
• Deprivation of basic economic resources
• Landmines
• Forced recruitment of child soldiers