Myanmar UNSC Letter Counter-Terrorism 10 December 2001

Letter Dated 10 December 2001 from the Chairman of the Security Council Committee Established Pursuant to Resolution 1373 (2001) Concerning Counter-terrorism Addressed to the President of the Security Council

Statement by the President of the Security Council

At the 5885th meeting of the Security Council, held on 2 May 2008, in
connection with the Council’s consideration of the item entitled “The situation in Myanmar”, the President of the Security Council made the following statement on behalf of the Council:

“The Security Council reaffirms its statements of 11 October
(S/PRST/2007/37) and 15 November 2007 and all the expectations expressed
in those statements.

“The Security Council takes note of the announcement by the
Government of Myanmar of a referendum on a draft constitution in May 2008
and elections in 2010. It further notes the commitment by the Government of
Myanmar to ensure that the referendum process will be free and fair. The
Security Council underlines the need for the Government of Myanmar to
establish the conditions and create an atmosphere conducive to an inclusive
and credible process, including the full participation of all political actors and
respect for fundamental political freedoms.


“The Security Council reaffirms its unwavering support for the
Secretary-General’s good offices mission and expresses its appreciation for the
work of his Special Adviser, Ibrahim Gambari. The Security Council
encourages the Government of Myanmar and all parties concerned to
cooperate fully with the United Nations.


“The Security Council welcomes the important role that the ASEAN
countries continue to play in supporting the United Nations good offices
mission.


“The Security Council affirms its commitment to the sovereignty and
territorial integrity of Myanmar and, in that context, reiterates that the future
of Myanmar lies in the hands of all of its people.


“The Security Council remains seized of the matter.”

BURMA KAREN: UN: ALMOST 21 MILLION PEOPLE WORLDWIDE ARE VICTIMS OF FORCED LABOUR, UN FINDS

ALMOST 21 MILLION PEOPLE WORLDWIDE ARE VICTIMS OF FORCED LABOUR, UN FINDS

New York, Jun 1 2012 1:05PM

Almost 21 million people worldwide are trapped in jobs into which they were coerced or deceived and which they cannot leave, according to new estimates released today by the United Nations labour agency.

Released by the International Labour Organization (ILO), the <em>2012 Global Estimate of Forced Labour</em> found that the Asia-Pacific region accounts for the largest number of the 20.9 million forced labourers in the world – 11.7 million, or 56 per cent, of the global total. This is followed by Africa at 3.7 million and Latin America with 1.8 million victims.

<"http://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/press-and-media-centre/news/WCMS_181961/lang--en/index.htm">According to ILO, forced labour takes different forms, including debt bondage, trafficking and other forms of modern slavery, with the victims normally the most vulnerable – women and girls forced into prostitution, migrants trapped in debt bondage, and sweatshop or farm workers kept there by clearly illegal tactics and paid little or nothing.

In the new estimates, 18.7 million people – 90 per cent of the total – are exploited in the private economy, by individuals or enterprises. Of these, 4.5 million are victims of forced sexual exploitation and 14.2 million are victims of forced labour exploitation in economic activities, such as agriculture, construction, domestic work or manufacturing.

Another 2.2 million people are in state-imposed forms of forced labour, such as in prisons under conditions which violate ILO standards, or in work imposed by the state military or by rebel armed forces.

The ILO also found that 5.5 million forced labourers, or 26 per cent, are below 18 years of age.

“We have come a long way over the last seven years since we first put an estimate on how many people were forced into labour or services across the world,” the head of the ILO’s Special Action Programme to Combat Forced Labour, Beate Andrees, said in a news release. “We have made good progress in ensuring most countries now have legislation in place which criminalises forced labour, human trafficking and slavery-like practices.”

She noted that it is now necessary to focus on better identification and prosecution of forced labour and related offences such as human trafficking.

“The successful prosecution of those few individuals who bring such misery to so many remains inadequate – this needs to change,” Ms. Andrees said. “We must also ensure that the number of victims does not rise during the current economic crisis where people are increasingly vulnerable to these heinous practices.”

The ILO hopes that the availability of more accurate information on the problem will enable the international community to take more effective measures to end the crime of forced labour.
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BURMA/INDIA WW2 ELEPHANT RESCUE 1942

Films tell story of WWII elephant rescue in Burma

AP, The West Australian November 2, 2010, 10:55 am

British tea planter Gyles Mackrell organized one of the most remarkable rescue missions during World War II - by using elephants when nothing else would do.

Now researchers have released new information that tells, for the first time, the full story of Mackrell's successful effort to use the animals to evacuate hundreds of desperate Burmese refugees stranded by a rain-swollen river. On Monday, Britain's Cambridge University put online a video shot by Mackrell, which together with his diaries and other documents brings to life a feat that with time had faded from public memory.

The material explains how Mackrell, who spent most of his life working as a planter for a tea company in British India, came to the aid of masses of people desperate to escape Burma as the Japanese army advanced. Through his work, he had access to elephants - the only safe way to cross the roiling Dapha river at the Indian border.

Tens of thousands of the refugees - many sick and starving - had trekked for hundreds of miles through dense jungle in the hope of reaching the Indian border. But by May 1942, those who made it to the border were trapped by monsoons that had turned the Dapha into a torrent.

Mackrell's diaries show that he collected some elephants to travel to the river soon after receiving a call for help from a group of refugees on June 4, 1942. His party rode the elephants for about 100 miles (160 kilometers) before finally reaching the river bank - only to find themselves helpless as they saw that fierce flood waters had trapping Burmese soldiers on river islands.

"On reaching the bank on a big tusker I discovered a number of men on an island surrounded by high and very fierce water," Mackrell, aged 53 at the time, wrote in his diary. "They signaled wildly and made signs to show us they were starving. I made several attempts to get over but it was utterly impossible."
The video shows Mackrell's elephants flailing against the power of the river, up to their eyes in water and struggling to move forward.

Mackrell and his men were about to give up when, the next morning, the waters retreated briefly and he saw an opportunity for his elephants to transport the men to safety.
"Rungdot, a Kampti elephant was the first to be ready and ... by 7 a.m. he was back in camp with the first three refugees," he wrote on June 10, 1942. "The others came in a few at a time and by midday we had the whole 68."

In the weeks that followed, Mackrell and his colleagues set up camp by the Dapha and helped 200 people cross the river.

His exploits were reported in the British press at the time - Mackrell was dubbed "The Elephant Man" - but it wasn't until his family donated the video, his diaries and other accounts by some of those rescued to Cambridge University that the story could be told in full.

"Without the help of Mackrell and others like him, hundreds of people fleeing the Japanese advance would quite simply never have made it," said Kevin Greenbank, an archivist at Cambridge's Center of South Asian Studies.

The donated collection of material will give researchers a new opportunity to study the rescue efforts organized by Mackrell and others like him who helped saved many people during the summer of 1942, Greenbank said.

Annamaria Motrescu, a research associate at the center, said Mackrell was embarrassed by the attention at the time but his story deserves new prominence now.

"It's a remarkable story of courage, spirit and ingenuity that took place at a time when no one was sure what the consequences of the war in the Far East would be. It deserves to be remembered."

Burma Karen Campaigner Bwetee Pi Lulu Tin Maung Chan passes this life

The body of the brave and beautiful
Bwe Tee Pi Lulu Tin Maung Chan was layed to rest beside her husband at Manor Park Cemetery, Sebert Road, Forest Gate, E7 0NP 
on Thursday 19th April, 2012 at approximately 1:15 p.m.
Beloved by many
May she Rest in Peace and Rise in Glory
In Our Lord Jesus the Christ
Amen

UPCOMING BY-ELECTIONS ARE A “CRUCIAL MOMENT” FOR MYANMAR, SAYS UN EXPERT

New York, Mar 30 2012 10:05AM

The upcoming by-elections in Myanmar will be a “crucial moment” in history for the country and a key test for the Government on the progress made implementing democratic reforms, a United Nations independent expert said today.

“This is a crucial moment in Myanmar’s history,” said the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar, Tomás Ojea Quintana. “I have consistently stressed that the next round of elections should be truly free, fair, inclusive and transparent, but the credibility of Sunday’s vote will not be determined solely on the day, but in the lead-up to and following election day.”

Independent experts, or special rapporteurs, are appointed by the Human Rights Council to examine and report back on a country situation or a specific human rights theme. The positions are honorary and the experts are not United Nations, nor are they paid for their work.

Mr. Ojea Quintana said he was encouraged by the recent wave of reforms in Myanmar, including the release of a significant number of prisoners of conscience and the registration of a number of political parties, which represent a positive change in the human rights situation.

However, Mr. Ojea Quintana noted that due to electoral irregularities in the past, authorities must show clear political will to achieve a peaceful election and to establish public confidence and legitimacy for the country’s democratic transition.

“The flawed electoral process of the 2010 national elections, which failed to meet international standards, was a missed opportunity for Myanmar to address its challenges in democratisation,” he said. “It should not be repeated as Myanmar enters a new and more open era.”

Mr. Ojea Quintana also urged the Government to ensure respect for freedom of expression and opinion during the elections, in which 48 parliamentary seats will be contested.
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For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

ARRIVING IN MYANMAR, UN ENVOY FOCUSES ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

UN DAILY NEWS

 

ARRIVING IN MYANMAR, UN ENVOY FOCUSES ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

 

13 February, 2012

The Secretary-General’s Special Adviser for Myanmar arrived in the country today for a five-day visit in which he will meet with Government authorities, political parties and civil society representatives, as the Asian nation moves ahead with planned reforms.

The United Nations recently welcomed the decision by Myanmar’s President Thein Sein to grant amnesty and set free a significant number of prisoners of conscience, and acknowledged other reform measures, including dialogue between the Government and the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
Special Adviser Vijay Nambiar told participants at a conference on development and policy options in Naypyitaw, the capital, that this is a crucial time for the country as it has the opportunity to address many development issues that will shape its future.
“Since the launch of the reform agenda, we have seen progress in various areas,” Mr. Nambiar said. “The challenges ahead are many and complex. The reform agenda might be ambitious, but it is achievable,” he said, adding that participation, partnerships and solidarity – not only between Myanmar’s various sectors but also with other countries – would be key factors for success.
Mr. Nambiar also stressed the importance of Myanmar focusing on achieving the anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), as well as implementing measures that facilitate sustainable development in the country.
“Development is not sustainable unless it is equitable. In Myanmar, this entails equal access for all peoples in both central and border regions,” he said. “Investment in development is also the best prevention against social strife. Both State and society therefore have a stake in improving living standards as necessary conditions for the country’s unity and progress,” Mr. Nambiar added.
He reiterated the UN’s commitment to support Myanmar in implementing new measures and helping it “catch up with the changing world,” as stated by Mr. Sein.

“As the country builds on the steps taken so far, Myanmar should not be denied any longer the support and opportunity to serve its people better and build the economic conditions for durable peace and stability,” Mr. Nambiar said.

Ajay Chhibber, Assistant Administrator for the UN Development Programme (UNDP) echoed Mr. Nambiar’s remarks, citing the country’s recent progress in various development indicators such as health and education, and adding that these advances must be built on to keep the momentum of recent reforms.

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MYANMAR: UN RIGHTS EXPERT WELCOMES RELEASE OF PRISONERS OF CONSCIENCE

New York, Jan 16 2012 1:05PM

The United Nations independent expert on the human rights situation in Myanmar today welcomed the recent decision by President Thein Sein to grant another amnesty and set free a significant number of prisoners of conscience.

“I welcome the release of many prisoners of conscience, individuals who have been imprisoned for exercising their fundamental human rights or whose fair trial or due process rights have been denied,” <"http://www.ohchr.org/en/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=11762&LangID=E">said Special Rapporteur Tomás Ojea Quintana.

“This is an important and necessary development to advance national reconciliation and deepen Myanmar’s transition to democracy,” he added in a press release.

While the exact number of prisoners of conscience released has yet to be confirmed, among those released last Friday were prominent figures whose cases have been previously addressed by Mr. Ojea Quintana, as well as individuals he visited in jail.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday also commended the authorities in Myanmar on the long-awaited release of the political prisoners, as well as other important efforts being made to advance democracy and national reconciliation. He described the release – reportedly of 651 prisoners – as “the most significant release to date.”

Mr. Ojea Quintana termed the developments in Myanmar, coming in the lead-up to by-elections slated for April, as “critical.”

“It is fundamental that all citizens, including those just released from prison, are allowed to play an active and constructive role in political and public life,” he said.

The Special Rapporteur also voiced concern that a number of prisoners of conscience remain in detention and urged the Government to immediately release all of them without conditions.

Separately, Mr. Ojea Quintana took note of preliminary agreements that have been reached between the Government and the Karen National Union, and with other ethnic groups. He expressed hope that there would be further progress in resolving conflicts with armed ethnic groups throughout Myanmar and called on all parties to ensure the protection of civilians and respect for international human rights and humanitarian law.

“I renew my call on the Government to develop a comprehensive plan to officially engage ethnic minority groups in an inclusive dialogue to resolve long-standing grievances and deep-rooted concerns,” he added. “All parties to this dialogue must ensure that investigations and accountability for past gross and systematic human rights violations are on the agenda.

“Ending discrimination and ensuring fundamental rights for Myanmar’s ethnic minorities is essential for national reconciliation and will contribute to Myanmar’s long-term political and social stability,” he said
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