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People's Tribunal Studies Hunger In Burma - Wednesday, September 1, 1999 [return to index]

People's Tribunal Studies Hunger In Burma

Hong Kong - Wednesday, September 1, 1999

The Asian Human Rights Commission has convened a People’s Tribunal on Food Scarcity and Militarisation in Burma to investigate a widely reported lack of food in the country (also known as Myanmar), its causes and effects.

In April 1999, a cross-section of Burmese society--farmers, refugees, landless workers, former civil servants--appeared before the Tribunal testifying to food scarcity as a nationwide trend. Working with the human rights organisation Burma Issues, the Tribunal has so far recorded depositions from 26 witnesses both in Bangkok and along the Thailand-Burma border. Furthermore, it has studied extensive documentation illustrating the breadth of food scarcity and the impact it has on the lives of Burma’s people, especially the rural poor.

The People’s Tribunal on Food Scarcity and Militarisation in Burma is composed of three eminent persons distinguished as innovators and leaders of Asia’s human rights movement:

• Justice H. Suresh, Bombay High Court (retired);
• Professor Mark Tamthai, Director of the Center for Philosophy and Public Policy, Faculty of Arts, at Thailand’s Chulalongkorn University;
• Dr. Lao Mong Hay, Executive Director of the Khmer Institute of Democracy based in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Though not part of the judicial system, a People’s Tribunal adheres to legal principles, applying the rules of evidence and due process to the question it considers. This alternate approach to justice aims to highlight human rights in situations which the national and international legal systems fail to address. The Tribunal investigates food scarcity to help the international community focus on Burma’s grassroots issues, contributing an important perspective to the movement for democratization and political rights.

The Tribunal’s preliminary findings indicate a strong link between food scarcity and the government’s role in militarisation. Respecting the Government of the Union of Myanmar’s right to respond, the Tribunal outlined its findings in a letter and invited the government to share its view, but has yet to receive any reply.

The Tribunal will publish its findings and recommendations on October 15^th, 1999. All governments, international agencies, NGOs and individuals concerned with economic, social and cultural rights are encouraged to contact the Tribunal Secretariat, c/o Asian Human Rights Commission, to order a copy of the report or request further information. Photographs, documentation and further background information is also available at the Tribunal’s website at: www.hrschool.org/tribunal.

Asian Human Rights Commission Unit D, 7th Floor, Mongkok Commercial Centre, 16 - 16B Argyle Street, Kowloon, HONGKONG Tel: +(852) - 2698-6339 l Fax: +(852) - 2698-6367 l E-mail: ahrchk@ahrchk.org

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LAST UPDATED: Friday, July 14, 2000 11:49:56 AM

PEOPLE'S TRIBUNAL ON FOOD SCARCITY AND MILITARIZATION IN BURMA
Email: tribunal@ahrchk.org