ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
A journey only begins when the first step is taken. And the journey the Human Rights Documentation Unit (HRDU) has embarked on began when that first step was taken in 1995; the Human Rights Yearbook 1994 was published that year. This book, the Human Rights Yearbook 1995, is the second effort by the HRDU to document the ongoing human rights violations in Burma.
For decades, the people of Burma have been living in fear under the reign of terror by the military. But Burma is an isolated country and these widespread human rights abuses are rarely known to the outside world. Reports about the abuses, passed on by word of mouth, gradually fade away from the mind with time. The effort by the HRDU is to correct that situation and fulfill the need of the people of Burma.
The people of Burma are described as cordial, hospitable, sincere and loving. This has always been our national trait and we are proud of it. But what cannot be known to the outside world is that our people today are subjected to daily abuses by the military, and the smiles we see on them hide the anguished lives they are leading.
The generals of the State Law and Order Restoration Council, SLORC, who changed the name of the country from Burma to Myanmar, have decided to declare 1996 as Visit Myanmar Year. They believe that the visitors would see newly built buildings and assume that Burma has developed under their rule. This ambitious scheme has already ravaged the lives of people all over the country. Millions are conscripted as forced labor in tourism promotion projects, villages relocated from income-generating areas and taxes imposed without any legal justification to finance infrastructure projects.
SLORC has claimed that for the first time in decades, regional development work is being carried out in the border areas following its cease-fire arrangements with armed ethnic organizations. The truth is, under the guise of regional development work, SLORC has been conscripting local people to build roads, bridges and rail tracks. People are told to report without fail to their designated work sites, bringing their own food and tools, and are forced to work without compensation in voluntary projects. Local villagers are also made to pay porter fees to the regional "law and order restoration councils" and the local army units if they want to avoid being conscripted as porters. Giving security as an excuse, villages are forcefully relocated to clear the way for the construction of the death gas pipeline from the gulf of Martabam to Thailand. People who have lived for generations and earned their living in these areas are not only relocated to new areas but also conscripted to work in projects to prepare for this pipeline.
In the meantime, SLORC is holding a sham national convention of its own delegates to draft a new constitution that would embody the principles to perpetuate military rule in Burma. The vast majority of the representatives elected by the people in the 1990 elections are not allowed to participate in this convention. Those who are allowed to participate are not permitted to freely discuss their views.
SLORC military dictators use threats, blackmail and illegal arrests as tools to control the people. In 1995, thousands of political prisoners are still being imprisoned for their beliefs. In some detention centers, political prisoners are kept in isolation cells, deprived of food and water for long periods, and subjected to torture. SLORC however finds it easy not to take any legal action against its accomplice, the Opium Kingpin of the Golden Triangle, Khun Sa, and is even providing security for him.
SLORC is also refusing to hold talks with either the leaders of the election winning party, the National League for Democracy, headed by Nobel Peace Laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, or with the other leaders of opposition parties to resolve national issues.
There was a dilemma for the members of the Human Rights Documentation Unit in undertaking the task of publication of this book. It was a task we hated doing and, at the same time, we knew it was something that had to be done without fail. In other words, the process of compiling human rights abuses had a very profound impact on us. We were emotionally overwhelmed by the tragic events that plagued the lives of our people. But we also understood that to leave these events unrecorded would even be a greater tragedy. We could not let the suffering of our people be forgotten. We therefore took it upon ourselves to inform the world about the ongoing human rights abuses in Burma, hoping that justice would be done one day.
The Human Rights Yearbook 1995 records tragic events that are unheard of in civilized countries, and the reader will come to experience the anger, bitterness and sorrow that we felt in compiling this book. We sincerely hope that this book will provide an insight into the life of the people under SLORC and why it is imperative for the world to cooperate with us in freeing Burma from the yoke of military rule.
I wish to express my heartfelt thanks to the law students of Norway and the members of the Norwegian Burma Council for their unwavering support in making this book possible. In addition, I would like to thank all ethnic orgarnisations and many individuals who supported this project. The very existence of the HRDU would not have been possible without the assistance from these friends of Burma. I have used the opportunity made available to me by the emergence of the HRDU to work closely with organizations that are noble and just and have a profound sympathy for the people of Burma. I therefore wish to put on record my profound gratitude to KHRG, HURFOM, M.I.S, ABSDF, S.H.A.N NLD(LA), SAIN and Images Asia, for their enthusiastic assistance and cooperation for the publication this book.
For any shortcomings in this book, I alone must accept responsibility. Finally, a wish by the members of the HRDU: May the journey toward a peaceful and prosperous Burma where human rights prevail and toward establishing a pleasant life for the people be short and quick.
Thein Oo
Minister of Justice (NCGUB) and
Coordinator
Human Rights Documentation Unit
Preface
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Acronyms and Abbreviations, Terms and Measurements
Burma at a Glance: Facts and Figures
Ethnic Peoples of Burma
Headlines in Review: Events of 1995
THE STATE OF BURMESE ECONOMY UNDER MILITARY MANAGEMENT
Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Burma