Burma
Overview
After more than five decades of military rule, Burma's new government is undertaking high-level policy reforms in its desire to emerge from international isolation. Since the nominally civilian government came to power in March 2011, the Parliament has passed a number of laws which have allowed public demonstrations, and liberalized restrictions on the media, the Internet, and trade unions. Nobel Peace Prize winner Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her party have been allowed to re-register and will run in the by-elections in April 2012. Despite the progressive rhetoric, the implementation of these policies will be a long-term effort, requiring the support of the international community.Until the devastation of Cyclone Nargis in 2008, international assistance to Burma was extremely limited. While the UK and the European Union have increased funding in recent years, the U.S. has provided minimal humanitarian assistance inside the country. Burma receives an average of less than $5 in international assistance per person – compared with $48 per capita for Cambodia, and $66 per capita for Laos. It is now time for the U.S. government to capitalize on the reforms and significantly increase humanitarian assistance and support the growing capacity of local civil society actors.
Current Humanitarian Situation
Despite the promise of reforms, humanitarian needs persist. An estimated 500,000 people are displaced by conflict in eastern Burma and another 800,000 Muslims in western Burma, known as the Rohingya, are stateless and lack the most basic of human rights. On June 3, 2012, inter-communal violence erupted between the Rakhine and the Rohingya communities, which quickly evolved into large-scale, state-sponsored violence against the Rohingya. Rohingya who subsequently fled were denied refuge by Bangladesh, and urgent measures must be taken to protect this vulnerable population. A number of conflicts with ethnic armed groups also persist, and have forced approximately 3 million Burmese to flee to neighboring countries. The government will need to invest significant political effort to translate various ceasefires with these groups into sustainable peace. For refugees from eastern Burma, return to their homes may not be realized due to the extensive use of landmines by all parties to the conflict.
Field Reports
- 10/30/2012Despite an abundance of natural resources, Rakhine State is the second-poorest state in Burma. The simmering tension that exists between the Rakhine and stateless Rohingya communities has been stoked by poverty for decades. However, in June 2012 that tension boiled over. What began as inter-communal violence was followed by a wave of state-sponsored persecution of the Rohingya, along with a refusal to allow humanitarian agencies access to the northern part of the state, where the majority of Rohingya live. In October, Rohingya and other Muslim communities were attacked again, resulting in the destruction of thousands of houses, the displacement of tens of thousands of people, and an unknown number of deaths. In the state capital, Sittwe, tens of thousands of displaced Rohingya are now living in segregated, squalid camps outside of town and cut off from their livelihoods. The conflict has brought much-deserved international attention to the long-neglected situation of Burma’s Rohingya. The fact that it is taking place during a period of dramatic change in the country’s governance presents the world with a chance to finally put an end to discrimination against the Rohingya and restore their citizenship.
- 10/30/2012For decades, Burmese Rohingya fleeing persecution have sought refuge in Bangladesh. June’s inter-communal violence in Burma’s Rakhine State, as well as subsequent state-sponsored persecution and targeted attacks against Muslim populations, have cast an international spotlight on this neglected population, and offered an opportunity to resolve the status of both stateless Rohingya inside Burma and those Rohingya who are refugees in neighboring countries. This could be an opportunity for Bangladesh to engage fully on this issue and develop its long-awaited refugee policy. Instead, the nation is rallying against the Rohingya by refusing entry to refugees and restricting humanitarian assistance. This response, besides representing a breach of international law, will weaken Bangladesh’s ability to secure international support as discussions of the Rohingya's plight intensify. The governments of Bangladesh and Burma should be engaging in bilateral - and perhaps multilateral - discussions about how to protect the rights of the Rohingya community.
In Depth Reports
- 03/11/2009The world community is no longer silent about statelessness. In recent years, countries such as Bangladesh, Estonia, Mauritania, Nepal, and Sri Lanka have made significant strides to protect the rights of stateless persons.
- 06/01/2006Burma is experiencing one of the most neglected humanitarian and human rights crises in the world. No less than half a million people are internally displaced in the eastern part of the country and at least one million more have fled to neighboring nations. This report provides an in-depth look at the causes of displacement in Burma, the acute needs of the internally displaced population and the current response to those needs.
Advocacy Letters
Congressional Testimony
- 05/22/2008
Successes
Throughout 2009, RI met actively with State Department officials and Congressional appropriators to encourage greater aid for the Burmese people. Because of our leadership on this issue, Congress provided some $36 million for democracy and humanitarian programs largely inside Burma, a major shift in U.S. policy that had previously limited the amount of humanitarian funding available for people inside Burma.
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