Myanmar, which was formerly known as Burma, has been the subject of many human rights violations since its independence in the late 1940s. A major factor in their instability was the “divide and rule” policy of the British that had previously resided in Myanmar. When the Burmese attempted to build themselves a democracy, they
encountered numerous civil wars and internal conflicts. In the 1960s, it fell under a military dictatorship—a regime that was strongly upheld by the United States of America, the United Kingdom and Australia. Since this
dictatorship, the human rights of the people living in Myanmar have been oppressed. For example, according to the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, hundreds of thousands of men, women and children are
currently being forced to work against their will by the administration. Anyone refusing to work against there will is susceptible to torture, rape and even death. In 1990, Aung san Suu Kyi’s party, or the “opposition”, won the
elections with 80% of the vote. However, the military cancelled the election results and placed the party leader, Aung san Suu Kyi, under house arrest. She was not the only person arrested—according to Amnesty International,
approximately 1,300 political prisoners were imprisoned between the years 1989 and 2004 for “being wrongfully denied their liberty for peaceful acts that would not be considered crimes under international law.”
Unfortunately, as a result of the rich resources that Myanmar possesses (such as oil, timber and natural gas) many MEDC’s turn a “blind-eye” to the human rights violations that Myanmar undergoes. It is therefore imperative that
a resolution be made to aid the unfortunate situation of those suffering under the human rights violations imposed by the current military dictatorship in Myanmar.
Delegates seeking helpful links for their research on the topic are suggested the following links:
Human Rights Watch: Burma
http://hrw.org/doc/?t=asia&c=burma
Amnesty International: Myanmar
http://www.amnesty.org/en/region/asia-and-pacific/south-east-asia/myanmar
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights:
http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu2/7/a/mmya.htm
Global Issues: Myanmar and Human Rights
http://www.globalissues.org/article/147/myanmar-formerly-burma-and-human-rights
UCLA Library: Burma
http://www.library.ucla.edu/yrl/colls/sea/linksburma.htm
Drafting
No comments:
Post a Comment