Source: People in Need (PIN)Prague, November 4, 2010 – Parliament elections will be held in Burma on November 7 for the first time after 20 years, however, election laws and events in the country show that the elections will not be free and will not lead to democratic reforms. People in Need and its partners associated in the association Euro-Burma Network thus call on the international community to not recognize the results of the elections and use all diplomatic means to support a trilateral dialogue between the military junta, the democratic opposition and ethnic groups.
Euro-Burma Network, an association of over 20 European organisations supporting Burma, made public a statement today, which mentions some of reasons why the elections organised by the Burmese military junta cannot be democratic:
• More than 2,100 political prisoners remain in jail, including more than 400 members of the main opposition party, the National League for Democracy
• Military attacks continue against ethnic groups, which the UN's own Burma human rights expert has said should be investigated as possible war crimes and crimes against humanity.
• The elections have been banned in some ethnic areas, because it was not possible for the junta to guarantee the victory of pro-regime parties.
• Strict election laws do not make it possible for political parties to lead free campaigns; media is censored and biased towards the pro-regime political parties.
Reports by Burmese and international organisations already document cases of election manipulations. According to Human Rights Watch, inhabitants of some rural areas, especially Karen and Chin, were told by local authorities to not care about the elections, because the authorities will vote for them. Authorities in some other areas call on inhabitants to complete their ballots in advance.
"The military junta has not allowed foreign observers and the election commission has told all journalists and photographers to not document events at polling stations. We are afraid that there will be more manipulations directly at the polling stations. Military and police units in Rangoon and other cities are being strengthened to prevent eventual protests against the regime and to make voters to vote for pro-regime parties," says Marie Perinova, the head of Burmese projects at People in Need.
The new constitution, which will take effect thanks to the elections, shows also many problems. For instance, a total of 25% of seats in the Parliament are guaranteed for military members, who do not have to pass the election process. Changes in the constitution are subject to an approval by 75% of members of Parliament, so the military is able to block any change.
Euro-Burma Network asks in its statement the international community to not recognize the elections and revive UN-led efforts for a dialogue between the military government, the democracy movement led by Nobel Prize holder Aung San Suu Kyi, and representatives of ethnic minorities. It also wants an establishment of a UN commission of inquiry, which would investigate suspicions of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Burma.
"We call on the international community to support the trilateral dialogue between the junta, the democratic opposition and ethnic groups. It is necessary to join forces for such a dialogue and force the junta to talk, because all declarations have failed. The establishment of the commission of inquiry for war crimes and crimes against humanity led by UN could be a real threat for the junta and the first step for talks with the opposition," says Marie Perinova.
The UN commission of inquiry for Burma can be established by the United Nations Security Council, United Nations General Assembly, or United Nations Secretary General. The goal of the commission would be to investigate if the Burmese military junta committed crimes against humanity and war crimes. It would then process a recommendation, which would serve for filing a legal complaint against the leaders of the Burmese junta with the International Criminal Court.
The commission of inquiry would thus achieve three main goals: the Burmese junta would have to answer for its crimes; a subject of the immunity from prosecution in Burma would be opened; representatives of the junta would get a clear signal that they could face consequences for their criminal deeds. The Czech Republic and other 8 EU member states, the USA, Canada, or Australia have already supported the establishment of the commission.
Websites bringing up-to-date information about the elections in Burma:
www.burma2010election.com
www.myanmarelections.org
