Junta accused of human rights violations for obstructing Nargis relief
Posted on February 27, 2009
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Cyclone Nargis hits the Irrawaddy Delta
A new report is calling for Burma’s ruling military junta to be referred to the International Criminal Court for obstructing relief to victims of Cyclone Nargis in May, which it says may amount to crimes against humanity.
The report, ‘After the Storm: Voices from the Delta’ was prepared by the Center for Public Health and Human Rights of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Emergency Assistance Team –Burma, which is headed by Dr Cynthia Maung, founder of Mae Tao Clinic in Mae Sot.
The report shows the authority’s international disregard of some victims that could and may have led to mass loss of life, and failure to address the health needs of rural women and women and children. It also alleges targeted interference with relief operations on the basis of ethnicity and religion, forced labor, forced relocation and the use of forced child labor.
It notes each of these is evidence of the junta’s violation of its legal obligations to uphold the provisions set forth in the Convention on the Rights of the Child) and the Convention on Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women, both of which Burma has acceded to.
In launching the report, Dr. Cynthia Maung called for the international community to more carefully review the political reality in the delta region before further assistance is delivered. She said, “The open engagement of community based organizations is essential to effectively implement sustainable recovery and rebuilding efforts in the region. It is inhumane that Burmese people have been jailed for offering charitable assistance and comfort to their suffering countrymen.”
Cyclone Nargis was Burma’s worst natural disaster, it is estimated over 140,000 lives were lost and over 3.4 million people were directly affected.A copy of the report can be found here.
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