The Hindu : Suu Kyi not allowed to phone in message

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jan 07, 2003

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Suu Kyi not allowed to phone in message

By W. Chandrakanth

HYDERABAD Jan. 6. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace laureate, fighting for restoration of democratic rights of the Myanmarese was allegedly not allowed by the military regime on January 2 to deliver a message over telephone to the first Asian Social Forum summit being held here.

The telephone lines were reportedly cut as the regime feared she would speak against it in the phone-in programme. As a result, her recorded message would be delivered here on the concluding day on Tuesday.

A human rights delegation from Myanmar attending the summit reiterated its call to the international community to cut aid to the military Government ``in every form'' till it complies with ``civilised norms'' and halts crime against women.

Talking to The Hindu, Thin Than Aung, joint general secretary of the Women's League of Burma and Nang Hseng Moon of the Shan Women's Action Network said the `military regime's atrocities against women continue'.

It had only released Daw Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest but human rights continue to be ``under arrest'' and there is no sight of their being ``released.'' ``The Burmese military has been systematically using rape as a weapon of war against women and girls belonging to the ethnic minorities. Our carefully documented work covering 173 cases proves that 83 per cent of rapes had been committed by the military officers and in most cases, in front of their troops. These rapes often involve extreme brutality and torture. At least 25 per cent of such rapes have resulted in the death of victims'', they say.

The military regime uses foreign funding to train officials in human rights but has it any positive effect ? ``No, not at all. Any support to the regime only means a continued license to rape and kill. We have appealed to the UN Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women to send a fact finding mission to the Thai-Burma border to investigate sexual violence committed by the military. We had submitted a report to the officials, Radhika Comaraswamy, in Colombo. We are yet to see a positive response from the international community''.

``A tripartite dialogue is needed with representatives of non-Burmese ethnic nationalities and the democratic opposition on the country's political future. The civil war in Burma should be viewed in the context of systematic sexual violence and not just from other angles. As long as others continue to support the regime for one reason or the other, the nightmare of sexual violence continues indefinitely'', they plead.

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