Karenni State: Urging Burma to End Rights Abuses
In December the
Mr Gambari was allowed to meet with detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi for the second time this year, but that's about the only good news to come out of
There are three key areas the resolution will surely address: the release of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi; speeding up of the democratisation process, which would include finishing the draft of a constitution guaranteeing freedoms and protection to all groups, and, last but not least, the increasing persecution of ethnic minority groups.
Whether or not such a resolution will be vetoed by
The Burmese leadership doesn't seem to care much for the opinions of the rest of the world, and their present state of isolation is such that there are few countries whose sanctions would have much of an impact either.
It is still not clear to what extent the policy of the government led by Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont will differ from that under Thaksin Shinawatra.
It had been implied that there would be major differences, and PM Surayud's past history indicates he has no fear of the generals in
However, on a brief visit to
Most importantly, the PM said that his government would honour all projects and cooperation commitments made by Mr Thaksin without review.
There were widespread accusations that Mr Thaksin was soft on
Yet it is strange that every move Mr Thaksin made within Thai borders is now being examined for possible wrongdoing and lack of transparency, while his dealings with a group whose human rights abuses are notorious throughout the world go unchallenged.
In particular, the commitment for Thai cooperation on the building of dams on the Salween and Mekong rivers should be put on hold pending a cessation of all hostile acts against ethnic minorities and thorough environmental and social impact assessments for all projects
By all accounts the Burmese government has stepped up its aggression against ethnic minorities which refuse to pledge their allegiance. In the past 10 months, more than 200 Karen villages have been destroyed by the military and over 20,000 villagers displaced.
The dam projects are apparently a prime reason for the removal of several minority groups.
The Women's League of Burma recently released a statement that reads in part: ''The [Burmese military] regime has continued to build up its military infrastructure and deploy increasing numbers of troops in ethnic areas. Evidence has continued to mount of these troops conscripting women as sex slaves and committing gang rape, mutilation and murder...''
The world is already watching, and will soon be taking a closer look.