SECRETARY-1 AND WOMEN'S RIGHTS

[darnott@xxxxxxxxxxx]

"...Myanmar women ... have already enjoyed the status equal to men since
time immemorial before demands have been made for women's rights, so they
do not need to further demand rights.."
 
- Gen Khin Nyunt


It was very encouraging to learn, in view of the initial report which
Myanmar will soon submit to the (United Nations) Committee on the
Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)  that Gen Khin Nyunt,
(Chairman of the Myanmar Education Committee, Chief of the Office of
Strategic Studies, Chairman of the Information Policy Committee, Chairman
of the National Health Committee, Chairman of the ASEAN Steering Committee,
Chairman of the National Olympic Council, , Chairman of the Work Committee
for Development of Border Areas and National Races, Director of the Defence
Services Intelligence, Patron of the Organizing Committee for World Ranking
Asian Archery Circuit, Patron of the Celebration Committee of the Fifth
Traditional Performing Arts Contest, Chairman of the Myanmar Computer
Science Development Council, Chairman of the  Education For All
Coordination Central Committee, Secretary-1 of the State Peace and
Development Council, and Chairman of the Tourism Development Management
Committee) found time from his many duties to grace the First Myanmar
Women's Conference held by the National Committee for Women's Affairs on 6
December.


We learn from the MYANMAR INFORMATION SHEET COMMITTEE YANGON Information
Sheet  N0 -0720(I)  
7th December 1998, that: 	
	
"A ceremony to open First Myanmar Women's Conference sponsored by Myanmar
National Committee for Women's Affairs was held at the International
Business Centre on Pyay Road on 6 December. In his address, the Secretary-1
of the State Peace and Development Council Lt-Gen Khin Nyunt stated that,
except Myanmar Maternal and Child Welfare Association which exists in
accord with its own law, all Myanmar women associations could be mobilized
under the leadership of Myanmar National Committee for Women's Affairs; and
it is encouraging to see that they are implementing work programmes  of
MNCWA and cooperating with momentum in striving for the interest of the
State.  Myanmar  National Committee for Women's Affairs,  representing the
entire mass of Myanmar women, is having a leading part in carrying out the
national activities and it is also carrying out activities related to the
mass of Myanmar women in connection with the activities of international
women's affairs.  At present,  six tasks based on the resolutions adopted
at the fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing were laid down and
are being implemented in accord with the conditions in the country, Myanmar
cultural tradition and Myanmar historical tradition.
  
"In the activities on women's affairs, emphasis is placed on efforts to
enable women to enjoy status equal to men and on promoting the development
of the life of women.  For Myanmar women, they have already enjoyed the
status equal to men since time immemorial before demands have been made for
women's rights, so they do not need to further demand rights, and they are
in a position to lay emphasis on promotion of the development of the women.
 The government formed the Myanmar National Committee for Women's Affairs
in 1996 with the State officials and the representatives of social
organizations and women's  associations to provide effective supervision in
the tasks for women's development.  The Myanmar National Committee for
Women's Affairs designated "Myanmar Women's Day" to truly represent the
entire mass of Myanmar women, and it is a landmark in the history of
Myanmar women's development.  The first national level Women's Conference
was organized with noble aims  to develop the life of Myanmar women, to
make collaborated efforts for normal flourishing of women's rights, for
women to preserve and promote national culture with nationalist spirit, and
for the entire mass of the women to strive in respective roles in building
the nation, he said". 



Could anyone out there identify or speculate on the identity of the "six
tasks based on the resolutions adopted at the fourth World Conference on
Women held in Beijing" referred to above by the Chief of the Office of
Strategic Studies.

Some of these six tasks are presumably, as listed in the General's speech,
"cooperating with momentum in striving for the interest of the State",
promoting  "national culture with nationalist spirit, and for the entire
mass of the women to strive in respective roles in building the nation".
But that is only three. Given, as Secretary-1 points out, that women in
Myanmar "have already enjoyed the status equal to men since time immemorial
so they do not need to further demand rights" (demonstration of this
equality presumably being one of the reasons that Myanmar sent an all-male
delegation to the Beijing Conference) there can be no "development of
women" separate from the development of the whole nation. 

So, all those people like the UN Special Rapporteur on Myanmar, the ILO
Commission of Inquiry into forced labour in Myanmar (Burma), international
and local human rights organisations and everyone else writing
well-documented, credible and therefore destructive and divisive reports on
violence against women in Myanmar, especially by the military, should read
the wise and informed words of Secretary-1 and shut up (after all, as well
as being Patron of the Celebration Committee of the Fifth Traditional
Performing Arts Contest, he is also Head of Military Intelligence, so he
should know).