International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples: Ethnic People Speak

Burma Link | August 11, 2017

The decades-long struggle of Burma’s ethnic nationalities for equal rights, social justice and federal democracy, and the grave human rights abuses occurring predominantly in outlying ethnic areas, continues to receive inadequate international attention. Marking the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples (August 9^th), Burma Link asked representatives from various ethnic organisations for their comments and messages to the international community on this day. This article a compilation of messages from ethnic Mon, Naga, Kachin, Karenni, Arakan (Rakhine), Shan, Karen, and Ta’ang (Palaung) communities representing women’s, youth, environmental, human rights, relief and development organisations as well as ethnic armed resistance organisations. At the bottom of this post, there are quote images that you can save and share on social media. You can help by spreading these voices as widely as possible!

BACKGROUND ABOUT THE CONFLICT AND HUMAN RIGHTS

Many people of Burma still live in a climate of fear, and despite recent changes in Burma’s political landscape, the NLD-led Government has failed to seriously address the conflict and human rights situation. The conflict in Burma involves a predominantly urban movement struggling to achieve greater accountability and democracy as well as an overlapping set of conflicts between the central government and ethnic nationalities. While both essentially stem from the same source; the military’s attempt to control the country’s ethnic nationalities and their resources, the international community has often focused solely on the urban political movement. The long struggle of ethnic nationalities for equal rights and autonomy, and the grave human rights abuses that have occurred predominantly in outlying ethnic areas, has arguably received inadequate attention. The Burmese military has undertaken massive counter-insurgency campaigns against ethnic opposition armies, which have deliberately targeted ethnic civilians and resulted in systematic and widespread human rights violations. While many problems in Burma touch on the lives of all Burmese citizens, it is ethnic nationalities who have suffered the most. Nearly 70 years of conflict has created a protracted displacement crisis with over 644,000 IDPs and over 479,000 refugees fleeing the country predominantly from ethnic areas. Over 100,000 refugees live in camps along the Thailand-Burma border and app. 400,000 IDPs in southeast Burma. Land confiscation has become endemic and ethnic lands are infested with landmines. In addition, donors have been shifting their priorities from the border to inside the country, leading to a further decline in aid and funding for ethnic service providers and community-based organizations (CBOs) who have traditionally supported the displaced and disenfranchised ethnic communities along the border. Refugees and IDPs are being increasingly pressured to return to Burma despite the uncertain peace process, fragile ceasefires, and ongoing abuse. Thus far the NLD has not been able to prevent fresh Burma Army offensives and the resulting displacement of civilians nor ongoing abuses and impunity. The Burma Army continues to commit human rights violations that may constitute crimes against humanity and war crimes, including the systematic use of sexual violence, torture, and extra-judicial killings in both ceasefire and non-ceasefire areas. The military remains constitutionally immune from prosecution by civilian court, and speaking of past abuse continues to be silenced.

Mon

“Mon people are facing many difficulties because of the insurgence of government mismanagement in the country and discrimination by Maha Burma (Burmanization). The Mons had lost our self-determination, ethnic rights and equal rights not only over decades, over centuries now. Currently, we have two governments, the so called NLD (National League for Democracy), civilian government, and military regime control over main key ministries. Unless the government systems are reformed, civil war will still go on. As a result, much turmoil is increasing day by day such as [civilians] fleeing and migrating to neighboring countries, creating land issues, and many more political impacts to the community. I would like to urge the international community to raise their voice for Burma to restore genuine peace and democratic federal union of the country. I would like to see the equal right for our future generation to learn their mother language in government school, and to have freedom expression and human rights.”

Dr. Nai Shwe Thein
Vice-Chairperson of the Mon Relief and Development Committee (MRDC)
Council Member of Delegation for Peace Negotiation (DPN)
Department of External Affairs, New Mon State Party (NMSP)

Read more about the Mon: http://ow.ly/xATL30edCrm
Read about Mon IDPs and the armed struggle: http://ow.ly/4xpt30edCyG

Naga

“For more than 60 years now we (Nagas) have been suffering because the will of Naga people is ignored and disregard our national right by India and Burma. We want to say to the world community that we want the support of the world community. Now in the world, many people are guarding and respecting human rights. The Burmese and Indian people are smart and civilized people, so they should respect and regard our national right and nobly allow us to be a nation. Unless the world knows the truth, many people take right as wrong and black as white, which can never help to solve the conflict. It is only if we know the truth that the conflict can be solved. International community should acknowledge that Nagas are sovereign people.”

Mr. Shapwon
Joint Secretary of Naga National Council (NNC)
Founder of the Eastern Naga Development Organisation (ENDO)

Download a summary (PDF) by Mr. Shapwon about the Naga conflict with India and Burma: http://ow.ly/Lvdm30ef41c
Read Burma Link’s story about the Naga: http://ow.ly/Pytb30ef41T

Kachin

“Because of long civil war, Kachin people are facing various kinds of human rights violations committed by the Burmese military; women and girls have been raped and some have been killed as the Burmese military is using rape as a weapon of war. Women and children have suffered immensely from this long civil war and the Burma Army atrocities against the Kachin people. There are more than a hundred thousand IDPs staying along the China Border and in the Burmese Government control areas facing very difficult situations. Kachin people really want the genuine peace in our country, so we are really careful about every step in the [peace] process, because we have experiences from a 17-year ceasefire agreement period. The world community have to support to the people on the ground and must listen to the voices from the conflict areas. And they should stop extraction of the natural resources and huge development projects in Kachin, because it creates more conflict and fuels the fighting. Kachin people are fighting for self-determination and ethnic equality.”

Moon Nay Li
General Secretary of the Kachin Women’s Association Thailand (KWAT)

Read more about the Kachin: http://ow.ly/99Wm30egOsT
Read about sexual violence and recent war crime cases in Kachin: http://ow.ly/H2rb30egOts

Background by KWAT

Burma gained independence in January 1948, very much based on the Panglong Agreement which was signed in 1947 to guarantee ethnic equality within a Federal Union of Burma. But Burmese Government neglected the Panglong agreement. Armed conflicts soon broke out between ethnic armed groups and government forces, sparked by demands for self-determination and ethnic equality from ethnic armed groups including the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).

After General Ne Win’s 1962 coup, civil war broke out more widely. Even though KIA signed ceasefire agreement with the Burmese military regime for solving the conflict by having a political dialogue, it never happened. The Burmese Government gave pressure to KIA to transform into state-controlled Border Guard Forces under their regional military commanders, according to the 2008 constitution. Then the Burmese military broken the 17-year ceasefire agreement with the KIA by attacking a strategic KIA post in 2011 and fighting continues, especially in Kachin State and Northern Shan State.

Karenni

“The international community needs to know well about the local situation. If they only listen to, or if they only look to the government side, the information will be wrong. So before implementing the activity, or before investing the activity to the land, ensure respect for the people who rely on that land. And also, protect those people’s land rights. When we say land and land rights, it is very important for the indigenous people, and it is very important for the people in Karenni State. Because when we say the land, it means not only just property. It is very closely related to their customs, their territory, and controlling their resources. When we say the customary land practice, they have fully systematical management system. They have their traditional system for recognising land. It is very important for the indigenous people, because neglecting this management system, all of their land will be taken by outsiders.”

Saw Eh Say
Co-Founder and Coordinator of Karenni Earthrights Action Network (KEAN)

Read more about the Karenni: http://ow.ly/lTXl30egSyi
Read about Karenni customary land management: http://ow.ly/9qSE30egSz4

Arakan (Rakhine)

“While Arakan produces more than 500 million cubic feet of natural gas per day from the Shwe Gas Project the 88% of the total State population rely on firewood and only 12% of the population have access to electricity . The Arakanese people have neither the right to manage nor the right to ownership of their natural resources in their ancestral land. The billions of dollar which Burmese government (union government) received from China by selling of natural gas from Shwe Gas project have never been used for the development and benefit of the Arakanese people. The socio-economic situations in Arakan remains unchanged despite regime change in Burma. The ethnic peoples are still experiencing human rights violations due to the implementation of so-called development projects precipitate devastation of lands and restriction of fishing which cause the loss of livelihoods of local indigenous fishermen and farmers. We request that international investors and the government not continue any mega development projects until and unless there’s proper laws and mechanisms which protect the environment and ensure the local ownership and management of natural resource and land and guarantee the establishment of genuine federal democratic union as a solution for ethnic grievances.”

Ting Oo
Coordinator, Research & Documentation Dept, All Arakan Students’ and Youths’ Congress (AASYC)
Executive Director of the Arakan Rivers Network (ARN)

Read more about the Arakanese: http://ow.ly/Es6X30eiOkH
Read about development projects and associated human rights violations in Arakan State: http://ow.ly/z0HD30eiOlI

Shan

“Burma’s decades-long civil war has brought untold hardship to the Shan people in eastern Burma. Despite the recent change in government, Burma’s constitution still entrenches military power and military impunity, giving acquittals for human rights abuses committed against civilians by the military junta. As rape and sexual violence have been frequently employed as a weapon of war against ethnic women in Burma, this impunity is particularly unjust to women. At the family and community level, Shan women and girl children continue to be marginalised and silenced. Rich in natural resources, Shan State has been pillaged by international companies who have little regard for the human rights of local people. Resource exploitation further fuels the numbers of displaced and refugee Shan people created by the ongoing violence. On this day, Shan people ask that the international community stand with us in demanding peace and a cessation to hostilities in ethnic areas. Women need to be included at all levels of the peacemaking process, and women and girl children need to be treated with dignity and equality. We also ask that the international community ensures that multinational companies are held accountable for their actions in Burma, and not allowed to exploit our people for their own gain. Please hear our stories and respect our lived experiences, and support us to push for equitable peace in Burma. “

Shan Women’s Action Network (SWAN) sisters

Read more about the Shan: http://ow.ly/Psv730ekkPM
Read updates about Shan human rights situation: http://ow.ly/Etnm30ekkQf

Karen

“The Karen people have been oppressed by the Burmese military dictatorship for more than six decades but the struggle is still going on until today. Despite the ceasefire agreement between the junta and the ethnic nationalities, there are more troops of the Burmese army getting deeper into the ethnic control areas. Being a Karen people, simply we want to live as a human being and being treated fairly as others. But the way the Burmese are treating us is just like an animal. We are facing genocide but the world thinks we are not. The most important thing for indigenous people is to have the right to live as a human being. That’s why we have a lot of ethnic groups who are fighting for their rights and their self-determination, in order to live as a human being. Because we are treated as a second class. That’s why we need equality, we need freedom, and we need the right to self-determination. Freedom is for those who dare to fight. In the end, the truth will reveal. We are against the evil and we will establish righteousness.”

Nerdah Bo Mya
Major General and Head of the Karen National Defense Organisation (KNDO)

Read more about the Karen and the armed struggle: http://ow.ly/u7D330eksjR
Read about Karen refugees in Thailand: http://ow.ly/8zrP30ekslH

Ta’ang (Palaung)

“For indigenous people to exist with dignity as much as possible, at least they must have rights to life, be free from slavery, be free from oppression, and gain equal rights as the others ethnicities; that will lead indigenous people to last. Our people in southern Shan state areas are still being illegally tortured and bullied and there is no community that could be asked for help and they are still suffering and facing those problems. We would like to urge humanitarian organizations to undertake research and help them. We, Ta’ang (Palaung) ethnicity have been losing those kinds of rights in many other ways than those mentioned above historically and now, resulting in the decrease, collapse and disappearance of our population. That’s why, We, PSLF/TNLA have to keep implementing our activities and try to liberate our people from oppression and struggle to gain self-determination for our Ta’ang state.”

Tar Parn La
Joint General Secretary 2 of the Palaung State Liberation Front (PSLF) / Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA)

Read news and stories about the Ta’ang (Palaung): http://ow.ly/hgBE30ekCku
Read about the Ta’ang armed struggle: http://ow.ly/hIoG30ekCmD

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