Dear friend
Yesterday (Monday 22nd April) was a
significant and sad day for Burma. It provided a striking example of the
growing disconnect between the reality on the ground in Burma, and the policies
of the international community, including British government policy.
The day started with the BBC releasing a shocking video
of the anti-Muslim attacks which took place in the Burmese town of Meiktila
last month. Police stood by doing nothing as Muslims were beaten and burned,
and shops and homes destroyed. You can view the video here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-22243676
Human Rights Watch then published a new report, ‘All You
Can Do Is Pray’, which provided evidence of ethnic cleansing and crimes against
humanity against the ethnic Rohingya Muslim minority in Burma. The report
included evidence of Burmese authorities involvement in crimes against
humanity. You can read the report here: http://www.hrw.org/reports/2013/04/22/all-you-can-do-pray-0
Later the same day European Union Foreign Ministers met
and decided to lift all sanctions against Burma except the arms embargo. This
is despite multiple violations of international law still taking place, and the
fact that the EU’s own benchmarks for improvements in human rights have not
been met.
Perhaps just as bad as the lifting of sanctions was the
statement from the EU, which is a significant misrepresentation of what is
taking place in Burma, downplaying and ignoring problems, and talking up small
positives. It’s a rose-tinted view of
Burma which ignores the facts and the serious human rights abuses still taking
place. You can read it here: http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/EN/foraff/136918.pdf
(You may need to copy and paste this link in to your web
browser to view the PDF).
In an editorial, the Daily Telegraph said that it was
‘deeply embarrassing’ that British Foreign Secretary William Hague agreed to
the lifting of sanctions. The Telegraph warned that the EU’s credibility is
damaged by lifting sanctions despite human rights benchmarks not being met, and
that the EU is now relying of the regime's goodwill to make further reforms.
You can view the editorial here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/telegraph-view/10010491/Burma-has-far-to-go.html
A key factor in the shameful approach by the EU is the
fact that Foreign Secretary William Hague has abandoned the former policy of
putting human rights first in making Burma policy. Without Britain’s strong
voice for human rights within the EU, countries like Germany, which always
wanted to prioritise trade, get their own way. Worse, the British government
now seems to be trying to compete with Germany in downplaying human rights and
promoting trade.
Sanctions are gone now, but the human rights abuses
remain. Burma Campaign UK will campaign to persuade the British government to
put human rights first in its Burma policy. We will be in touch with you soon
with campaign actions. The people of Burma still need our support, now more
than ever. We will keep campaigning for human rights for all the people of
Burma.
Thank you for your support.
Anna Roberts
Executive Director
Burma Campaign UK
--
Was
this email forwarded to you by a friend? If you are not already a
member of the Burma Campaign UK e-mail network, and would like to
receive these updates directly, you can subscribe by sending a blank
e-mail to:
burmacampaign-subscribe@lists.burmacampaign.org.ukTo unsubscribe from this email list, send a blank email to:
burmacampaign-unsubscribe@lists.burmacampaign.org.ukYou
will receive an email to confirm that you want to be removed from this
mailing list, simply reply to the message or visit the web link in the
email.
--
To receive our monthly news update, Last Month in Burma, you can subscribe by sending a blank e-mail
to:
burmabriefing-subscribe@lists.burmacampaign.org.uk--
Support
our work: Donate to Burma Campaign UK and make a difference today. You
can be sure your donation will make a difference. Supporting the Burma
Campaign UK is one of the most effective ways of supporting the struggle
to free Burma.
Donate now:
http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/donateBurma Campaign UK
Note: If you know nothing about economics, pl do not depend on hearsay. Pl take ecos. 101 or read or educate yourself. There are lots of ...