Slavery, murder, rape' by regime

[BurmaWatch@xxxxxxx]

'Slavery, murder, rape' by regime
Date: 30/10/99
Sydney Morning Herald


New York: The repression of human rights in Burma is worsening, the United 
Nations says in a report, alleging that the military regime condones murder, 
rape and forced labour amounting to slavery.

The report will be submitted to the human rights committee of the UN General 
Assembly next week, the assembly's spokeswoman said.

It alleged that children as young as eight were used as unpaid labourers to 
help build a temple in Kunhing, about 260 kilometres east of Mandalay.

Porters who were forced to work for the military were often unfed and tied to 
a yoke at night, the report said.

The report, published on Thursday, was prepared by the special rapporteur of 
the Commission on Human Rights, Mr Rajsoomer Lallah.

It referred to "summary executions, rape, torture, ill-treatment during 
forced labour" and other abuses of ethnic minorities, in particular in Shan 
and Karen states on Burma's eastern border with Thailand.

The violations had been "thoroughly documented by human rights organisations 
and newly arrived refugees in Thailand", the report said.

He also referred to the murder of 22 villagers on July 27 in Kawei and Mergui 
villages in Tenasserim district, which lies in the narrow strip of Burmese 
territory about 200 kilometres west of the Thai capital, Bangkok. Seven 
Karens including a girl, 9, and a pregnant woman were murdered by Burmese 
troops on July 31 in Ta Hpo Hkee village, close to Kawei and Mergui, the 
report said, adding that the girl and the woman were gang-raped first.

"Repression of civil and political rights continues and intensifies whenever 
there is any form of public protest and any form of public political 
activity. The rule of law cannot be said to exist."

- Agence France-Presse