By Mungpi
Mizzima News (www.mizzima.com)
October 3, 2007 - For the first time, an outraged United Nations Human Rights Council has condemned the Burmese military junta for its violent crackdown on protesters and demanded it be allowed to immediately investigate the situation in Burma.
The Council, which held a special session on the human rights situation in Burma on Tuesday, passed a resolution that demanded the junta allow a special Rapporteur to investigate it.
The resolution said it "strongly deplores continued violent repression of peaceful demonstrators in Burma, including beatings, killings, arbitrary detentions and enforced disappearances."
"The council calls on the government of Burma to allow Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights, to visit Burma and investigate the situation," Aung Myo Min, a Burmese human rights activists, attending the special session on Burma at the council's fifth meeting, told Mizzima.
The Burmese government last week resorted to a brutal crackdown on Buddhist monk-led protesters by opening fire on them in Rangoon and arresting more than 200 monks in midnight raids on monasteries.
While the government officially admitted to about 10 deaths during the crackdown on the biggest anti-government protest in nearly 20 years of military-rule in Burma , activists said the death toll could be in hundreds if not in thousands.
Sources in Rangoon told Mizzima that several bodies of monks have been found floating in the Rangoon River and the bodies bear evidence that the monks had been beaten to death.
The Burmese Army conducted midnight raids on at least 15 monasteries and arrested at least 2000 monks, sources said.
While monasteries remained sealed off in Mandalay, the second largest city in Burma, authorities in other parts also launched midnight raids on homes of several leading activists as well as members of the opposition party, sources added.
The HRC, in a rare criticism against a government, agreed to place the findings of the special Rapporteur to the UN General Assembly and to the Security Council, which observers say will give more evidence to discuss at the UNSC.
However, Aung Myo Min, director of the Thailand based Human Rights Education Institute of Burma (HREIB), expressed concern over the effectiveness of the council's resolution as it lacks enforcement should the Burmese junta flatly deny access to the special Rapporteur.
"The question is what if the junta denies entry to the special Rapporteur? We are also worried on reports that the junta is destroying evidence of human rights violations, so even if the junta agrees to let the Rapporteur in, can he find the true facts," Aung Myo Min asked.
Pinheiro, who has been denied entry into Burma over the past two years, along with six other UN human rights experts on September 28, issued a statement condemning the Burmese junta for its brutal crackdown on protesters and called on the HRC to "show strong resolve in taking the steps necessary to restore respect for human rights in Myanmar [ Burma]."
Mizzima News (www.mizzima.com)
October 3, 2007 - For the first time, an outraged United Nations Human Rights Council has condemned the Burmese military junta for its violent crackdown on protesters and demanded it be allowed to immediately investigate the situation in Burma.
The Council, which held a special session on the human rights situation in Burma on Tuesday, passed a resolution that demanded the junta allow a special Rapporteur to investigate it.
The resolution said it "strongly deplores continued violent repression of peaceful demonstrators in Burma, including beatings, killings, arbitrary detentions and enforced disappearances."
"The council calls on the government of Burma to allow Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights, to visit Burma and investigate the situation," Aung Myo Min, a Burmese human rights activists, attending the special session on Burma at the council's fifth meeting, told Mizzima.
The Burmese government last week resorted to a brutal crackdown on Buddhist monk-led protesters by opening fire on them in Rangoon and arresting more than 200 monks in midnight raids on monasteries.
While the government officially admitted to about 10 deaths during the crackdown on the biggest anti-government protest in nearly 20 years of military-rule in Burma , activists said the death toll could be in hundreds if not in thousands.
Sources in Rangoon told Mizzima that several bodies of monks have been found floating in the Rangoon River and the bodies bear evidence that the monks had been beaten to death.
The Burmese Army conducted midnight raids on at least 15 monasteries and arrested at least 2000 monks, sources said.
While monasteries remained sealed off in Mandalay, the second largest city in Burma, authorities in other parts also launched midnight raids on homes of several leading activists as well as members of the opposition party, sources added.
The HRC, in a rare criticism against a government, agreed to place the findings of the special Rapporteur to the UN General Assembly and to the Security Council, which observers say will give more evidence to discuss at the UNSC.
However, Aung Myo Min, director of the Thailand based Human Rights Education Institute of Burma (HREIB), expressed concern over the effectiveness of the council's resolution as it lacks enforcement should the Burmese junta flatly deny access to the special Rapporteur.
"The question is what if the junta denies entry to the special Rapporteur? We are also worried on reports that the junta is destroying evidence of human rights violations, so even if the junta agrees to let the Rapporteur in, can he find the true facts," Aung Myo Min asked.
Pinheiro, who has been denied entry into Burma over the past two years, along with six other UN human rights experts on September 28, issued a statement condemning the Burmese junta for its brutal crackdown on protesters and called on the HRC to "show strong resolve in taking the steps necessary to restore respect for human rights in Myanmar [ Burma]."
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