Human rights violations in Burma/Myanmar. A two year follow-up examination

The aim was to describe recent exposure to human rights violations among refugees from Burma/Myanmar. The study includes the Mon people, an ethnic group whose human rights situation hitherto has not been documented thoroughly. Moreover, the aim was to compare the refugees that fled recently with refugees who fled two to three years ago, with respect to exposure to human rights violations in order to evaluate whether the situation of Burmese ethnic minority groups has changed during the last few years.

Systematic interviews and clinical examinations of 129 Burmese refugees, including Mons, who had fled Burma within 12 months were carried out in December 1999. A score was used to quantify the exposure.

The interviewees reported forced labour (88%), porter service (77%), forced relocation from their villages (54%), looting (88%), and/or loss of at least one relative (46%) through killing, disappearances or landmine accidents. Twenty per cent reported that they themselves or family members had been tortured. Rape of women was reported by 46%.

All groups examined reported exposure to massive violations of human rights. The Mons had been exposed to the same extent as the others. There was no sign of improvement of the human rights situation during the past two years. Apart from a few cases of arbitrary arrests and landmine operations, the Burmese army was held responsible for all the reported violations of human rights. A cease-fire agreement with the Burmese army seems to influence the risk of an ethnic group of being forcibly relocated, but not the overall exposure to human rights violations.