As the United
States prepares to relax sanctions on Burma in the wake of parliamentary
by-elections, ethnic minorities say the military-led government continues to
commit atrocities in the east of the country.
Activists from Kachin and Karen minorities are urging Western countries
to be more cautious in their moves to end Burma's isolation.
Kachin
state in eastern Burma is home to a people still at war with the military
government.
The fighting has forced 60,000 people into refugee camps. Hton Wun, a
33-year-old mother of two, is among them.
"We were really afraid of soldiers coming
inside the village," she said. "We couldn’t sleep at night, we were
afraid of what would happen when we were asleep."
Minorities stress
human rights issues
Burma’s ethnic minorities have long accused the government of
repression and brutality. The government stays largely silent on the
allegations of human rights abuses, but it is negotiating a ceasefire with the
Kachin.
The Karen, another minority in the south and east, signed a cease-fire
with the government in January after six decades of fighting.
Zoya Phan grew up in refugee camps in the midst of the conflict. Her
father was general secretary of the Karen National Union; he was assassinated
in Thailand in 2008. Her mother was a fighter in the Karen armed wing. She now
lives in London under political asylum.
"We were attacked with air bombs and airstrikes. Each time the
bombs dropped on the ground, the ground would shake and we were just so
horrified," said Phan.
Phan now works at the Burma Campaign UK, raising awareness of the
plight of the country’s ethnic minorities.
"In Kachin state, the Burmese army has broken three cease-fire
agreements in the past years. And the army continues attacking civilians. Women are being raped and men are also used
as forced labor," she said.
Intent on
spreading reforms
The jungles of eastern Burma are a long way from the street
celebrations that have swept through Rangoon this week following the
parliamentary by-elections. Official results show Aung Sung Suu Kyi’s National
League for Democracy party took 43 of 45 seats.
The apparent pace of change under current President Thein Sein has this
week prompted the United States to ease financial and travel sanctions against
the government.
"We are prepared to take steps towards, first, seeking agreement
for a fully accredited ambassador in Rangoon in the coming days," said
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Activist Zoya Phan said the U.S. and its allies should be more
cautious.
"It is very important for the West to maintain most of the key
sanctions to encourage more positive reforms in Burma. At the moment, if the
West lifted all key sanctions, it would be a mistake," she said.
Rapid changes are sweeping through parts of Burma; for the first time,
citizens could get access to credit cards. Beyond the big cities, Burma’s
minorities say they are yet to see the benefits of the West’s re-engagement
with the military rulers.
Henry Ridgwell
mizzima.com
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