Situation deteriorating inside Burma

http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/programguide/stories/200810/s2399134.htm

Burma's military has again been accused of human rights abuses, this time, by stepping up its militarisation of the country's eastern states forcing tens of thousands of civilians to flee over the past year.

The accusation was contained in a report by the Bangkok-based Burma refugee aid organization Thailand Burma Border Consortium.

Presenter: Ron Corben
Speaker: Sally Thompson from the aid organisation Thailand Burma Border Consortium

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THOMPSON: We have to say it's an ongoing deterioration in Burma and what the report highlights is that violations of humanitarian and human rights law in the conflict affected areas of eastern Burma are as systematic as ever and on-going. This means that over the past year we've seen a further 66,000 people displaced - partly in the conflict affected areas of Northern Karen state Eastern Pegu division - but also in other areas of Eastern Burma because of forced coercion from such things as forced labour, portering, taxation, land confiscation, agricultural quotas -such that the people had to move out of the areas.



CORBEN: And has this been taking place because of intensified military operations?

THOMPSON: I think what's happening now with military operations is that they are sustained throughout the year. Whereas traditionally the rainy season came the military would retreat. Now the army's they have made sufficient inroads into these areas to guarantee their supply lines that it's a sustained operation throughout the year. Actual military attacks have decreased but harassment of villages is still on the increase as we still see this ongoing effective militarization of Eastern Burma.

CORBEN: What sorts of things are happening to the villages? What is the report talking about?

THOMPSON: If we look at it aside from the conflict areas where the army is specifically going in trying to move any support for the remaining resistance movements - in other areas the human rights abuses are linked to more development projects. So you've got the hydro-electric projects in Shan State - we're seeing increased mining in Shan and Karen states and therefore villages are being expected to work for the military to set up - help them set up their bases - provide labour for the different development projects going on in the area. If people are suspected of having any relationship with the resistance movement with the insurgents then they are often brought in for questioning, they're interrogated and it's not known when they are released ...and if they are suspected of having a relationship it can go as far as torture leading to death in detention.

CORBEN: As a result of this campaign how has it affected the numbers of people coming across the border?

THOMPSON: We are still seeing new arrivals coming into Thailand coming into Thailand -for both reasons coming from conflict affected areas and coming because of displacement. The rate of people crossing into Thailand certainly suggests that the situation inside Burma is not getting any better - if anything it's getting harder for people.

CORBEN: The report comes as the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, who was expected to travel to Burma in December, this week expressed frustration over the military's failure to move forward on efforts towards political reform. He also warned he may drop plans to travel to Burma unless he was confident the visit, focused on political reform, led to tangible results. I asked Ms Thompson what she hoped Mr. Ban's visit may achieve.

THOMPSON: What we have to hope for is that they pursue the dialogue form some kind of political reform its not at the expense of humanitarian protection so that these ongoing violations that we're seeing are not forgotten that they are actually brought into the discussion.