Although much of the world has expressed excitement over Myanmar’s political transition, communities throughout Kachin and northern Shan states have been living with severe human rights abuses and displacement for the last five years.
By 130 Solidarity Organizations Worldwide • June 9, 2016
Although much of the world has expressed excitement over Myanmar’s political transition, communities throughout Kachin and northern Shan states have been living with severe human rights abuses and displacement for the last five years.
Since 2011, renewed armed conflict between the Myanmar military and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) has displaced more than 100,000 civilians. In the conduct of the war, the Myanmar military has perpetrated severe human rights violations. International and community-based organizations have documented extrajudicial killings, torture, forced labor, rape and sexual violence, arbitrary detention, attacks on civilians and non-military targets, and pillaging of property. These abuses have been perpetrated with near-complete impunity. Some of the abuses may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity under international law.
Forced into dozens of displacement camps, entire communities have lost their homes, livelihoods, and belongings. Displaced populations continue to face avoidable deprivations in humanitarian aid. The Myanmar government and military have denied humanitarian organizations unfettered access to displaced populations, and funding for Kachin-led aid groups has been insufficient to meet the needs of displaced communities. Unnecessarily delaying travel authorizations to the displacement camps in government controlled areas and entirely restricting access to KIA-controlled areas for humanitarian actors has led to severe consequences for people in need of support.
Displaced families lack adequate food, healthcare, education, water and sanitation, and shelter. Some displaced families now eat one meal per day due to irregular delivery of food rations. Preventable illnesses have resulted in needless death. The dearth of funding for schools and teachers is depriving children of adequate education, stunting the development of an entire generation. As the rainy season approaches once again, war-affected displaced populations are still struggling to live in unsafe conditions in which they have no protection against wind and rain. Today, there is no meaningful prospect for displaced communities to return home safely or rebuild their lives with dignity.
June 9, 2016 marks the five-year anniversary of the resumption of armed conflict in Kachin State—a date that ended a 17-year-long ceasefire. The Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) negotiated under former President Thein Sein failed to end the war, and the prospects for an inclusive peace agreement remain distant.
Today, we the undersigned organizations call for peace, justice, and accountability in Kachin State.
First and foremost, we request that the Myanmar military immediately end all offensives in Kachin and northern Shan states, and we urge President Htin Kyaw and State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi to immediately authorize universal and unfettered access for humanitarian groups to all affected areas. The military and authorities should provide safe, sustained, and unhindered access to all areas of affected populations to allow humanitarian organizations to give necessary help and support.
Ongoing and unchecked human rights violations only hinder efforts to achieve a lasting peace in Kachin and northern Shan states. The government and military should end the endemic culture of impunity once and for all. Perpetrators of human rights violations should be held accountable for their crimes in independent and impartial courts of law, regardless of rank or position. Likewise, survivors of human rights violations should receive prompt and adequate compensation for harms suffered.
To ensure the future promotion and protection of human rights, the government should ratify without delay key human rights treaties, including the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment as well as the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
The government should ensure an inclusive peace process that involves all actors and prioritizes human rights. Furthermore, it is vital for the achievement of a sustainable peace that women play an active role in this peace process.
Today, we express our solidarity with the suffering and struggle of communities and families throughout the war-affected areas and we do so in the spirit of peace, justice, and accountability, which we believe go hand in hand. We call upon the government and military to end the war in Kachin State.
Contact Persons:
- May Sabe Phyu (Kachin Women Peace Network) : +95 9 77 88 75 859/[email protected]
- Maran Jaw Gun (Kachin Peace Network) : +95 9 97 299 8097, 09 731 40 728/[email protected]
- Khin Ohmar (Burma Partnership) : +66 81884 0772 (Thailand)/[email protected]
Source : www.burmapartnership.org
Organisation/s Involved
Signatories
- Ayar West Development Organization- AWDO
- Ayarwady Youth Network – AYN
- Bago Youth Network
- Border Health Initiative (BHI)
- Brave Heart Social Development Organisation
- BRIDGE
- Burma Partnership
- Candle Light
- Center for Youth and Social Harmony
- Cherry Image (Shan State)
- Chin Hill Beauty Group – Tedim
- Chin League for Democracy
- Chin Youth Organisation
- Chin Youth Organisation (Mindat)
- Civil Authorize Negotiate Organization (C.A.N-Org)
- Co-Exist
- Community Work for Kachin(CWK)
- Conservation on Hill-Ecosystem Association (CHEA)
- Dawei Development Association
- Dawei Probono Lawyers Network
- Dawei Youth Fellowship
- Diverze Youth Art Platform
- EcoDev
- Fortify Rights
- Forum for Democracy in Burma
- Freethinkers
- Green Pyin Oo Lwin
- Green Right Organization (Aung Ban Shan State)
- Green Rights Organization (Shan State)
- Hiatuii Tribal Community (HTC)
- Htanthawng, Paletwa township
- Htoi Gender and Development Foundation
- Huphokapaw Social Support Group (Kyar In Seik Gyi)
- Independent Asho Chin League
- Independent Youth For Change(IYFC)
- I-School Myanmar
- Kachin Alliance
- Kachin Canadian Association
- Kachin Development Networking Group- Kdng Kachin
- Kachin Educators’ Synergy Group (KES)
- Kachin National Organization (Denmark)
- Kachin National Youth Network
- Kachin Peace Network
- Kachin Refugee Comittee (KRC) Malaysia
- Kachin State Democracy Party (KSDP – Kachin)
- Kachin State Women Network
- Kachin University Literature and Culture Association (Myitkyina)
- Kachin Women Peace Group. CSNeP
- Kachin Women Peace Network
- Kanpetlet Chin Civil Society Network
- Karen Affair Committee
- Karuna Funeral Servie – Mindat
- Kayah State Peace Monitoring Network (KSPMN)
- Khumi Youth Group – Paletwa
- Kung Gyan Gon Network
- London Kachin Baptist Church (LKBC)
- Mali Ingra Volunteer Group
- Mara Thyutlai (MPT)
- Matupi Youth Association
- Mon Cetanar Development Foundation (MCDF)
- Mon- region Social Development Network
- Mon State Community Ceasefire Monitoring Committee
- Mon State Community Observers Association
- Mon State CSOs’ Network
- Mon State Disaster Prevention and Humanitarian Group
- Mon State Environment and Natural Resource Lovers Group
- Mon Women Network (MWN)
- Mon Women’s Organisation (MWO)
- Mon Youth Educator Organisation (MYEO)
- Mon Youth Progressive Organisation (MYPO)
- Myanmar Alliance for Transparency and Accountability Network (Mon state)
- Myanmar Social Development Group
- Myet- Won- Thit (Knowledge Zone)
- Myitkyina News Journal
- MYSELF
- National Education & Research Development – NERD
- Naushawng Education Network
- Network for Democracy and Development
- New Steps Women Organisation – Tedim
- Olive
- Open Development Foundation (Kanpetlet)
- Our Lovely World Shan State
- Pace on Peaceful Pluralism
- Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays -Myanmar (PFLAG-MYANMAR)
- Paungsi Arr Man Social Development Group – Maw Lamyaing
- Peace and Justice Legal Aid Center
- Poet Lovers Association (PLA)]
- Public Network (Bago Region)
- Pyo Khin Thit (Ma-u-bin)
- Pyoe Development Organisation
- Rainmaker (Women Empowerment Center)
- Resource Rights for the Indigenous Peoples
- Ruby Land Peace Network
- School of Intensive English Programs (IEP-Mai Ja Yang)
- Shan State Students Union
- Shan Youth Yangon
- Shanan Network
- Shingnip Legal Aid Network
- Shwe Chinthae Social Servicr Group (Shwebo)
- Sittaung Melody Social Network
- Southern Shan State Women Network
- Southern Shan State Youth Network
- Southern Youth
- Summer Shelter (Shan State)
- Takapaw
- Tanintharyi Friend
- Thang Tlang Civil Society Network (TCSN)
- The HELP
- The Kachin Relief Fund
- The PLAN: Public Legal Aid Network
- The Seagull: Human Rights, Peace & Development
- Thuriya Sandra Environmental Watch Group
- Upper Chindwin Youth Network
- Wan-Lark Foundation (Arakan)
- Wimutti Volunteer Group (WVG)
- Women Enpowerment Programme (WEP)
- Wunpawng Ninghtoi
- Yangon Kachin Baptist Youth
- Yone Kyi Yar Knowledge Propagation Society
- Young Kachin Writers’ Club
- YWCA (Taunggyi)
- Harvard Law School International Human Rights Clinic
- Physicians for Human Rights
- Burma Campaign UK
- COMREG – Community Response Group
- Democracy for Ethnic Minorities organization (Shan State)
- Khun Tan New Youth Network – (Thathon)
- Paoh Youth Organization – PYO (Shan State)
- Paungku
