U.S. policy should include a clear roadmap for potential military-to-military engagement with specific benchmarks that incentivize the Burmese military to reduce human rights abuses and transfer power to the civilian government. In particular, benchmarks should include civilian control of the military and government, the immediate release of all political prisoners, efforts at justice and accountability, prevention of forced labor, rape and child soldiers by the military, and withdrawal of the military from ethnic areas. Before the U.S. develops a closer relationship with the Burmese military, we need to remember that these are the same uniformed personnel who are responsible for widespread rape of ethnic women, raids on villages and innocent civilians, use of child soldiers on the front lines, and have isolated hundreds of thousands of displaced people from international humanitarian aid. Moreover, these human rights abuses committed by the Burmese military continue with impunity.
Posted on: Sat, 02 Nov 2013 13:20:36 +0000
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