War crimes in Burma (Myanmar)

This blogger doesn’t expect UN to investigate war crimes in Iraq or Palestine, but the gross neglect of serious human rights violations in Burma is shocking. I read recently that a study conducted by Harvard Law school (not that I give a damn about Harvard-sharvard, but the report has serious implication, is authentic as it based its study on UN Security Council proceeding) stated that “UN Security Council has failed to deal with Myanmar's human rights violations, which it said have been 'widespread, systematic and part of state policy'. The study said the 15-nation council, whose main responsibility is to keep the peace and security around the world, has taken action against war crime and crimes against humanity in the former Yugoslavia, Rwanda and Sudan, but has neglected the situation in Myanmar”.

The study was commissioned by five well known jurists, who have each dealt with cases of war crimes and crimes against humanity. They are Judges Richard Goldstone of South Africa, Patricia Wald of the US, Pedro Nikken of Venezuela, Ganzorig Gombosuren of Mongolia and Geoffrey Nice of Britain. The five have called on the UN council in New York to launch an investigation on Myanmar's human rights abuses.

The jurists wrote in the Harvard study that findings by the various investigations are 'disturbing and compelling”. The UN Security Council “has not moved the process forward as it should and has in similar situations such as those in the former Yugoslavia and Darfur” they observed, reiterating their demand for an inquiry.

'The world cannot wait while the military regime continues its atrocities against the people of Burma,' they said, using the country's former name and calling on the International Criminal Court or the establishment of a special tribunal to deal with Myanmar. Human rights abuses in Myanmar are 'widespread, systematic and part of state policy - legal terms that justify further investigation and strongly that Burma's military regime may be committing crimes against humanity and war crimes prosecutable under international law.'

The jurists called on the UN council to declare that Myanmar's situation is a threat to international peace and security and initiate a formal investigation through a commission of inquiry to investigate crimes committed in that country.

The UN council should be prepared to refer crimes committed by the military junta to the ICC, which has jurisdiction over war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.