Ara fa uns mesos vaig visitar els camps de persones refugiades birmanes a la frontera amb Tailàndia, i em vaig reunir amb diversos grups opositors a la Junta Birmana, tant grups ètnics (Karen) com la Lliga Nacional per a la Democràcia, el partit de la Premi Sakharov, avui encara empresonada, Aung San Suu Kyi. Dos dels temes que preocupaven especialment era la retallada de recursos que la UE duu a terme de fa temps en relació a les ajudes als camps fronterers, i les eleccions convocades per la Junta, en el marc d’una reforma constitucional que podríem titllar de clarament ‘anticonstitucional’. Vaig agafar el compromís de, primer, demanar a la Comissió que no deixés els centenars de milers de persones desplaçades i refugiades sense l’ajuda europea, i segon, de no donar suport ni cobertura a les eleccions, almenys, mentre no es garantís el total i incondicional alliberament de les més de 2100 persones presoneres polítiques, es garantís la plena participació democràtica de totes les forces polítiques, i s’aturessin els nombrosos actes de vulneracions de drets humans (inclosos els atacs i persecucions a periodistes). Ho fet en reiterades ocasions, tal i com podeu comprobar en la categoria d’aquest bloc on guardo tots els apunts dedicats a Àsia Oriental.
Ahir, en el ple, ho vaig tornar a fer, en el marc del debat sobre les resolucions d’Urgència de drets humans a les quals habitualment ens dediquem els dijous per la tarda quan hi ha sessió plenària a Estrasburg. Adjunto a continuació la resolució que vàrem impulsar com a Verds/ALE. (segueix…)
9.2.2010 / B7?0110/2010
MOTION
FOR A RESOLUTION
with
request for inclusion in the agenda for the debate on cases of breaches of
human rights, democracy and the rule of law pursuant
to Rule 122 of the Rules of Procedure on
Burma
by Christian
Engström, Emilie Turunen, Raül Romeva i Rueda, Gerald Häfner, Heidi Hautala,
Barbara Lochbihler, Frieda Brepoels, Nicole Kiil-Nielsen on
behalf of the Verts/ALE Group.
B7?0110/2010
European
Parliament resolution on Burma
The
European Parliament,
-having
regard to its previous resolution
-having
regard to European Council Conclusions – Declaration on Burma-Myanmar of 19 June 2009
-having
regard to the Declaration by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union on
the Karen civilians fleeing Burma/Myanmar of 11
June 2009
-having
regard to the Council
conclusions on Burma/Myanmar – 2938th General Affairs Council meeting – Luxembourg, 27 April 2009
-having
regard to EU Presidency Statement calling for all-inclusive dialogue between
the authorities and the democratic forces in Burma/Myanmar – 23 February 2009
-having
regard to UN Secretary-General report on the situation of human rights in Myanmar – 28 August 2009
Declaration
of the Presidency on behalf of the European Union on the arrest of Daw Aung San
Suu Kyi of 14 May 2009
-having
regard to Rule 122 of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas
Burma’s human rights record
continues to deteriorate ahead of the announced elections in 2010; whereas citizens
are systematically denied basic freedoms including freedom of expression,
association, and assembly;
B.
whereas in 2009 the Burmanese government conducted two prisoner amnesties,
releasing 6,313 prisoners in February and 7,114 in September, but only 31 of
those released in February and an estimated 130 released in September were
political prisoners.; whereas an estimated 2,100 political prisoners remain in
prison including more than 230 Buddhist monks involved in the 2007 protests
remain in prison;
C.
whereas the military continues to perpetrate human rights violations against
civilians in ethnic conflict areas, including extrajudicial killings, forced
labour and sexual violence;
D.
whereas Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the opposition National League for
Democracy (NLD), has been under house arrest since 2003; whereas on May 14,
2009, authorities arrested her on charges that she breached the terms of her
house arrest by permitting the visit of an American, John Yettaw; whereas on
August 11, 2009, a criminal court inside Insein prison in Rangoon sentenced Suu
Kyi to 3 years of imprisonment for violating her house arrest, a sentence which
was subsequently reduced to 18 months of house arrest;
E.
whereas for the first time after 20 years parliamentary elections are foreseen
at the end of 2010
F.
wwhereas in May 2009, attacks by the army and the Democratic Karen Buddhist
Army (DKBA) displaced thousands of civilians and forced an estimated 5,000
refugees into Thailand; whereas in late July attacks by Burmese army troops
against 39 villages in central Shan state displaced an estimated 10,000
civilians in the area
G.
whereas there are an estimated half-million internally displaced persons in
eastern Burma, over 140,000 refugees remain in nine camps along the
Thailand-Burma border and over 200 000 Rohingyas live in refugee camps or
scattered over southeastern Bangladesh; whereas Millions of Burmese migrants,
refugees, and asylum seekers live in Thailand, India, Bangladesh, and Malaysia and
are sometimes subject to trafficking;
H.
whereas 3,000 ethnic Karen refugees who were forced to flee into Thailand in
June 2009 are facing forced return to Burma starting on February 5th; whereas the
“voluntary” repatriation, as it is being called, is anything but “voluntary”, the
refugees rightfully fear human rights abuses which await them upon their forced
return, such as forced labour and forced recruitment into regime-controlled
armed forces;
I.
whereas there has been an unprecedented crackdown by Bangladesh law enforcement
agencies against unregistered Rohingya refugees who had settled outside the two
official refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar District started on 2 January 2010; more than
500 Rohingyas have since been arrested; and some of those arrested were pushed
back across the Burmese border and others were charged under immigration
legislation and sent to jail;
J.
whereas that more than 5,000 self-settled Rohingya in Bangladesh already fled
their homes and flocked to the Kutupalong makeshift camp in Ukhia in search of
safety; which has not now swelled to an estimated of over 30,000, who do not
receive food assistance and are now denied access to livelihood as they would
face arrest if they leave the camp to find work;
K.
whereas Burma continues widespread
and systematic forced recruitment of child soldiers;
1.
Strongly condemns the ongoing systematic violations of human rights fundamental
freedoms and basic democratic rights of the people of Burma/Myanmar;
2.
Expresses grave concern at the recent trial, conviction and sentencing of Daw
Aung San Suu Kyi and calls for her immediate and unconditional release;
3.
takes note of the government’s decision to organise elections and insists that
under the present conditions they cannot be considered free and democratic,
criticises notably the banning of Aung San Sui Kyi from standing as a candidate
;
4.
Reaffirms the essential importance of a process of dialogue and national
reconciliation for a transition to democracy; calls on the Government of Myanmar
to immediately start a genuine dialogue with the National League for
Democracy and all other concerned
parties and ethnic groups; welcomes in this context the mediation efforts by
the UN Secretary-General and his Special rapporteur on Burma;
5.
Urges the Government of Myanmar to release all prisoners of conscience without
delay, without conditions and with full restoration of their political rights
and to desist from further politically motivated arrests;
6.
Strongly urges the Government of Myanmar to take without delay the necessary
steps to ensure a free, fair,
transparent and inclusive electoral process, including by enacting the required
electoral laws and allowing the participation of all voters, all political
parties, and all other relevant stakeholders in the electoral process and accept
international observers;
7.
Calls upon the Government of Myanmar to lift restrictions on the freedom of
assembly, association, movement and freedom of expression, including for free
and independent media, including through the openly available and accessible
use of Internet and mobile telephone services, and ending the use of
censorship.
8.
Expresses its grave concern at the continuing practice of arbitrary detentions,
enforced disappearances, rape and other forms of sexual violence, torture and
cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, and strongly calls upon the Government
of Myanmar to ensure a full, transparent, effective, impartial and independent
investigation into all reports of human rights violations, and to bring to
justice those responsible in order to end impunity for such crimes;
9.
Expresses concern about the conditions in prisons and other detention
facilities, and consistent reports of ill-treatment of prisoners of conscience,
including torture, and about the moving of prisoners of conscience to isolated
prisons far from their families where they cannot receive food and medicine;
10.
Expresses its deep concern about the resumption of armed conflict in some areas
and calls upon the Burma military Junta to protect the civilian population in
all parts of the country and for all concerned to respect existing ceasefire
agreements;
11.
Strongly calls upon the Burma military Junta to end the practice of systematic
forced displacement of large numbers of persons within their country and other
causes of refugee flows into neighbouring countries;
12.
Expresses its concern about the continuing discrimination, human rights
violations, violence, displacement and economic deprivation affecting numerous
ethnic minorities, including, but not limited to, the Rohingya ethnic minority
in Northern Rakhine State, and calls upon the Government of Myanmar to take
immediate action to bring about an improvement in their respective situations;
13.
Strongly calls upon the Burma military Junta to put an immediate end to the
continuing recruitment and use of child soldiers, to intensify measures to
ensure the protection of children from armed conflict and to pursue its
collaboration with the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for
Children and Armed Conflict, including by granting access to areas where
children are recruited, for the purpose of implementing an action plan to halt
this practice;
14.
Urges the European Commission, in light of the ongoing conflict on the Thailand-Burma
border, to reconsider its decision to further cut support from the EC
Humanitarian Office (ECHO) for refugee assistance on the Thailand-Burma border
in 2010;
15.
Urges the Council and Commission to use their influence with the Royal Thai
government and UNHCR to act on behalf of these refugees who are fleeing from
the Burma military Junta;
16.
Calls on the Royal Thai government to work with the Office of the United
Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Thai Burma Border
Consortium (TBBC) and the international community to find an alternative
solution that ensures the safety of the 3000 Karen refugees;
17.
Urge the Government of Bangladesh to immediately cease arrests, push-backs and
forced displacement of the unregistered Rohingya population in Cox’s Bazar and
Bandarban Districts; to recognise that the unregistered Rohingyas are stateless
asylum seekers who fled persecution in Myanmar and are in need of international
protection; and to provide them with adequate protection, access to livelihood
and other basic services;
18.
Notes the continued cooperation of the Government of Myanmar with the
international community, including the United Nations, in delivering
humanitarian assistance to the people affected by Cyclone Nargis, and in the
light of ongoing humanitarian need encourages the Government of Myanmar to
ensure that cooperation is maintained;
19.
Urges the Governments of China, India and Russia to use their considerable
economic and political leverage with the Burmese authorities in order to bring
about substantial improvements in the country and to cease the supply of
weaponry and other strategic resources;
20.
Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the to the HR/VP Mrs.
Ashton, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the EU Special
Envoy for Burma, the Burmese State Peace and Development Council, the
governments of the ASEAN and ASEM member states, the ASEM secretariat, the
ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the NLD, the UN
Secretary-General, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the UN Human
Rights Special Rapporteur for Burma.
Foto: Manifestació a Malàsia, davant l’embaixada Birmana, en favor dels drets humans a Birmània. Font: EFE
