Arrest and torture of Kachin civilians ongoing says UN's Quintana

Tomás Quintana

 Following a visit to Kachin state last week, Tomás Quintana, the UN's special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Burma heavily criticized the army's treatment of Kachin civilians. In a statement released following the completion of a 5 day trip to Burma, Qunitana characterized the army's massive military presence in Kachin state as being “beyond the reach of accountability mechanisms” resulting in a situation where “serious human rights violations are continuing”.

"I am concerned about the ongoing practice of arbitrary arrest and torture during interrogation by the military of Kachin men accused of belonging to the Kachin Independence Army (KIA)”, Quintana said.

While exact figures are unknown human rights groups say dozens of Kachin men have been jailed over the past 18 months after being accused of violating Article 17/1 of the Unlawful Associations Act. Arrests made possible because the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) and its similarly named armed-wing remain black listed despite repeated promises from government negotiators that this would be lifted.

While Quintana said he welcomed the government's recent announcement that it would allow the UN and other groups to deliver aid to refugees in non-government controlled parts of Kachin state he said he remained concerned about the pace in which this would be implemented. “While acknowledging the security issues for the humanitarian staff referred to by the Ministry of Defence during this mission, I believe that there are administrative and political obstacles that can be overcome to improve access,” he said.

“Furthermore, the harassment of local staff from humanitarian organisations and steadily decreasing donor funding are also having a detrimental effect on the provision of humanitarian assistance in Kachin State”, Quintana added.

While in Kachin state Quintana traveled to three internally displaced people's camps where he met with civilian families displaced by the conflict. “I was deeply moved to hear from families whose houses had been burnt down, their livelihoods destroyed, and who had had to leave loved ones behind, with thoughts about their future filled with apprehension and uncertainty”, Quintana said. Quintana also visited Myitkyina prison.

In addition to Kachin state Quintana also went to Arakan (Rakhine) state where he visited IDP camps housing those displaced by a spate of extremely violent incidents in the state last year. According to Quintana the health and food situation remains extremely poor for large numbers of stateless Rohingya Muslims languishing in the camps. Quintana said this is caused in part by the fact that aid workers and relief groups have repeatedly had their access to the camps restricted or blocked completely. “Currently, local and international medical staffs are unable to provide medical care to some of the Muslim camps due to the threats and harassment they face from local Rakhine Buddhist communities. I urge the local authorities to send a clear message through their networks that this harassment of staff is not acceptable”, he said.

In his statement Quintana also addressed efforts by Burma's government to reduce and or eliminate the mandate of the special rapporteur for human rights in Burma. “I believe that the continuing existence of my mandate is relevant to help highlight the shortcomings and to help the government in implementing its reforms in line with international human rights standards.  The mandate is also necessary to remind the international community of their important role in prioritising human rights when engaging in bilateral relations with Myanmar, including in business and investment relations”, he said.


www.kachinnews.com
www.burmese.kachinnews.com
www.kachin.kachinnews.com