Daily News- August 25- 2002- sunday

  • Shan want to take their case to International Court
  • Burmese General Says Transition to Democracy Will Be Slow
  • Claims of rape by troops false, says Burma
  • Thailand beats Burma with shoot-out in Asean Youth Championship Semi-Final


  • Shan want to take their case to International Court

    Source : The Nation

    Shan people want the violence inflicted by the brutal Burmese military against their women to be laid bare for all to see in the International Criminal Court.

    "We are voiceless. Our women have been raped, tortured, and sexually enslaved by Burmese soldiers in war for long time but the world has never heard our cry, and the perpetrators are living free," Naang Mo Hom, of the Shan Human Rights Foundation, told The Nation.

    The historic verdicts of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the Women’s International War Crimes Tribunal 2000 on Japan’s Military Sexual Slavery inspired her and the foundation to seek ways to bring their case as an international criminal suit.

    The Women’s International War Crimes Tribunal 2000 on Japan’s Military Sexual Slavery considered the criminal liability of leading high-ranking Japanese military and political officials, including Emperor Hirohito, for rape and sexual slavery as “crimes against humanity” arising out of Japanese military activity in the Asia-Pacific region during World War II.

    The decision marked the first time that the international tribunal found rape and enslavement to be “crimes against humanity”. However, none of the accused have faced charges arising out of the incidents of sexual slavery.

    The tribunal, also known as the People’s Tokyo Tribunal 2000, was set up after the failure of the International Tribunal for the Far East (the original Tokyo Tribunal), which only illustrated that rape is a violation of the recognised customs and conventions of war.

    The original Tokyo Tribunal, from April 1946 to November 1948, was established by the Allied powers at the end of WWII. Despite overwhelming evidence of the “comfort women” system, the Allies failed to prosecute Japanese officials for these crimes. During World War II the Japanese military forced women in the countries it invaded, including the Philippines, China, Korea and Taiwan, to cater to the sexual needs of its soldiers.

    Meanwhile, last February the ICTY imprisoned three former commanders of the Bosnian Serb Army found responsible for the rape and sexual enslavement of Bosnian and Croatian women during the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia in 1992.

    The cases marked the first time in history that an international tribunal brought charges solely for crimes of sexual violence against women. Naang Mo Hom said she wants the International Criminal Court, recently established to investigate and prosecute individuals accused of crimes against humanity, genocide, and war crimes, to name the leaders of the Burmese military regime as co-accused.

    Besides the ICTY and the Tokyo Tribunal there are two other tribunals – the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. All four tribunals were established to deal with the issue of individual criminal liability for war crimes cases, breaches of graves, and crimes against humanity.

    The Nurnberg Tribunal was the first to be set up. Although the offences were divided into “crimes against peace”, “war crimes”, and “crimes against humanity”, rape was not included in any of the descriptions. No one at Nuremberg was indicted for committing crimes of sexual violence.

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    Burmese General Says Transition to Democracy Will Be Slow

    Source : The New York Times

    BANGKOK, Aug. 24-- A leader of Burma's military junta said this week that democracy would not come quickly to the country, the former Burma, and that when it did it might look quite different from democracy in the West.

    "Such a transition cannot be done in haste and in a haphazard manner," said Lt. Gen. Khin Nyunt, the third-ranking member of the junta.

    Coming three months after the release from house arrest of the pro-democracy leader, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the general's remarks were a reminder that her freedom did not signal the significant changes some people had hoped for.

    Since her release on May 6 from 18 months of confinement, Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi has been allowed to travel widely and to meet with her supporters, something she had been barred from doing for more than a decade.

    But the confidence-building talks she had been having with the generals before her release have not resumed, nor have there been the substantive policy talks she predicted.

    The junta has continued to free small groups of political prisoners, but the slow pace has drawn the first critical comments from Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi since May. More than 1,000 political prisoners are estimated to be in detention.

    "Until all our political prisoners are free, none of us can say that Burma is now truly on the road to democratic change," she said in a videotaped statement.

    In his speech last Monday, General Khin Nyunt made it clear that the government's fundamental positions had not changed with the release of the opposition leader.

    "The world is full of examples where a hasty transition from one system to another led to unrest, instability and even failed states," he said. "The democracy that we seek to build may not be identical to that which prevails in the West but it will surely be based on universal principles of liberty, justice and equality."

    This is essentially the same position the junta has stated since coming to power in 1988. It justified repression by saying that moving to democracy was a delicate process that required time.

    The government demonstrated its determination to keep a tight grip on the country this week by arresting 21 students in its first major crackdown since it freed Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi. Three were arrested apparently for starting an unauthorized literary group and one for distributing pro-democracy pamphlets.

    General Khin Nyunt's position was given added weight by an endorsement from the visiting Malaysian prime minister, Mahathir Mohamad.

    "We are aware that the process of change must be gradual," said Dr. Mahathir, who has been encouraging the generals in their new, more open stance.

    A United Nations envoy, Razali Ismail, struck an optimistic note when he paid his eighth visit to Burma two weeks ago. Mr. Razali, a Malaysian diplomat close to Dr. Mahathir, predicted unspecified major changes in the year to come.

    He said that the junta would begin substantive talks with Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi "very soon" and that there was a possibility that she would be allowed to travel in Asia.

    Early this month, Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi endorsed some foreign assistance for Burma. After she met with Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi of Japan, a Japanese spokesman said Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi "does not oppose foreign assistance which will reach really needy people, but in that process transparency and accountability should be guaranteed."

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    Claims of rape by troops false, says Burma

    Source: The Straits Times / AP

    Rangoon- - Burma's military government says that its own investigation into allegations that soldiers had raped ethnic-minority Shan women found the claims to be 'groundless and malicious'.

    Two Thai-based rights group, the Shan Human Rights Foundation and the Shan Women's Action Network, in June claimed to have documented 173 cases of rape and sexual violence by Burmese troops against Shan girls and women.

    The report received widespread publicity in July when the US State Department said it would raise the issue with Burmese officials.

    Burma's Foreign Ministry said in a news release on Friday that the rape allegations were aimed at tarnishing the military's image and causing discord among ethnic groups.

    The allegations were 'false and fabricated', said the statement. 'Some of the villages where the incidents were supposed to have taken place were nonexistent; and the military units mentioned were not even present in the area.'

    The Shan are one of several ethnic minorities in Burma who are seeking autonomy from the central government. Armed Shan guerillas in eastern Burma battle government troops frequently.

    The government said that the Shan Human Rights Foundation and the Shan Women's Action Network were associated with the main Shan rebel group, the Shan State Army, which has an interest in discrediting government forces.

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    Thailand beats Burma with shoot-out in Asean Youth Championship Semi-Final

    Source : The Nation

    Thailand's under-20 squad advanced to the final in the Asean Youth Championship after defeating arch-rivals Burma 6-5 in a penalty shoot-out after both sides played to a 2-2 tie in the 120-minute game yesterday at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Brunei.

    As expected, the match started aggressively with the Thai side dominating and taking the lead. Chakrit Baothong opened the account for Thailand from close range in the 34th minute.

    However, Thailand did not maintain their advantage, letting the Burmese side level the score after Htay Aung struck with a fine header only two minutes later.

    Burma regained their confidence and put Thailand under pressure by creating scoring chances and constantly threatened the Thai defence until half time.

    After the interval, Thailand regained their lead when Praiwate Wanna struck a fierce 25-yard shot seven minutes into the second half.

    But Burma did not give up and found the equaliser through Zaw Zaw five minutes later. Although Thai keeper Prasit Naumsala tried to block the shot, he could not catch the slippery ball in the heavy rain.

    The match went into sudden-death extra time and Burma were reduced to 10 men when Khin Maung Tun was sent off for a second yellow card after fouling Panai Kongpraphan in the 114th minute.

    However, Thailand could not take advantage and there were no further goals, forcing the match to a penalty shootout.

    Although the Burmese goalie produced two great saves, team-mates Aung Kyaw Tun and Tint Naing Tun Thein missed from the spot.

    Aung Kyaw Tun's effort hit the bar, while Tint Naing Tun Thein's shot went over the bar.

    Thailand will meet the winner of the match between Indonesia and Malaysia in the final tomorrow.

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