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UNWGIP; Oral intervention delivered
- Subject: UNWGIP; Oral intervention delivered
- From: chinhro@xxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 31 Jul 1999 20:58:00
Subject: UNWGIP; Oral intervention delivered by CHRO
17th Session of United Nations Working Group on Indigenous Populations
Intervention Delivered by David Cung Bik Ling
(26th - 30th July, Geneva)
Agenda: Item 4
Respected Madam Chairperson and Distinguished Delegates:
I am Cung Bik Ling from Chin Human Rights Organization.
Since the Burmese Army took State power in 1962, the military regime has
persistently committed grave human rights violations against Chin indigenous
people. In 1988, new military dictatorship, the State Law and Order
Restoration Council (now re-named the State Peace and Development Council -
SPDC) was established. Under the new military dictatorship, human rights
violations are rampant and the situation has become even worse than before.
Last year at the Working Group - and this year at the Human Rights
Commission - the permanent representative to Geneva from the Burma Military
regime stated that the regime has implemented many development projects
within the areas inhabited by indigenous peoples. Contrary to his statement,
the regime committed gross violations of human rights under the name of
"Border areas development". For example, in April and May 1999, the Burmese
army, in the Thantlang area of Chin State, forced over 5000 villagers
including men and women, the old and young, pastors, teachers and students
to build a road between Vuangtu village and ThanTlang town from dawn to
11:00 PM, allowing them to stop for lunch and dinner. The army officers
ordered them to complete the road before the monsoon season that starts in
late May. Nothing was provided for the villagers.
On May 5th 1999 , a very tired man, Pu Za Kung, needed to rest for a moment.
He was beaten and killed on the spot by the army for resting without
permission. On May 11th 1999, the forced laborers were ordered to dynamite a
rocky section of the road's path. Then, they were forced to pick up the
rocks and stones on the road while boulders were still rolling down from
above. Villagers told the army that they were unwilling to pick up the
stones until they had stopped moving; but the army refused, beating them and
forcing them to pick up the stones. The boulders hit and crushed 5 persons.
Their friends saw this happen and went to rescue them, but the army ordered
not to remain where they were and ordered, "don't help them, if they are
killed by the stones it is for the country". As a result of this forced
labor, over 30 families fled to India as refugees.
Madam Chairperson,
The military regime expanded the army from 186,000 soldiers (1 hundred and
86 thousand) in 1988 to 450'000 (4 hundred and 50 thousand) in 1999. But the
regime could not feed them, so that the armies deployed all over the country
have had to find food for themselves, which they have taken from the local
populations. Now the Burmese army numbers over 30,000 (30 thousand) in Chin
State as compared to only 1000 in 1988. The army extorts money from
villagers by every means possible. In some cases, the army has confiscated
cultivated land. For instance, the army confiscated 6000 acres of cultivated
land without compensation in Haikhawl village in Chin State. On account of
increasing Burmese army deployment in Chin State, forced portage for the
army personnel also is increasing. For instance, a villager now refuged in
Bangladesh said that he was forcibly called in sixty times last year to
provide portage services to the army. He could no longer tolerate this and
therefore fled from Burma.
Madam Chairperson,
In accordance with information released by Christian Solidarity Worldwide,
religious persecution against Chin Christians is increasing as follows:
· To commemorate the centenniel of Christianity in their homeland, the
people of Thantlang put up a cross on their hill. The Burmese Army ordered
them to pull it down. When they refused, soldiers arrested six pastors and
destroyed the cross.
· This is the latest occurrence in a long line of acts committed against
Chin people by the Buddhist military authorities. Churches have been turned
into army camps, pastors have been beaten, and Christians have been forced
to register as Buddhist in the census.
Madam Chairperson:
Therefore, I would like to request governments and the international
community to exercise pressure on the military regime in order to stop human
rights violation against Chin Indigenous Peoples, as well as against all
indigenous peoples in Burma.
Thank you, Madam Chair
______________________________________________________
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