May 23, 1999
H. E. Senior General Than Shwe
Prime Minister
The Government of the Union of Myanmar
Office of the Prime Minister
Yangon
Myanmar.
Your Excellency,
Due to the current conditions in Myanmar,
the Asian Human Rights Commission – AHRC invited us to
sit as members of the People’s Tribunal on Food Scarcity
and Militarization in Union of Myanmar and requested us to
hold an inquiry. Accordingly we accepted this invitation. The
scope of our inquiry was to hear the people affected by food
scarcity and to hear their experiences with hunger and
military rule and to determine whether there is a nexus
between the two and whether the right to food has been denied
to the people of Myanmar. We have had submitted to us
evidence by the AHRC and have received testimonies by a large
number of witnesses. On the basis of this we have reached the
following preliminary conclusions:
- the destruction of staple crops which
provide the local food supply;
- uncompensated conscription of people
to work on State projects which do not leave enough
time for them to work their fields;
- uncompensated conscription of people
to do portering to areas far from their home
villages, resulting in not being able to have time to
grow food.
- forced relocation of people to areas
where rice is difficult to grow, or to unfamiliar
terrain making it difficult to find enough food;
- a quota system of the amount of rice
to be supplied to the government substantially below
market price, which must be supplied whether or not
the harvest was adequate. This often leaves the
people in debt and without any rice of their own to
eat;
Prima facie we are inclined to
consider that the above acts of commissions and omissions are
as a result of military activity against civilian population
and the overall militarization of rural society.
Observation: We are of the opinion that
denial of food to a large number of people leading to
starvation and disruption of normal life should be considered
as a crime against humanity.
We are inclined to consider that such
starvation and denial of food to a vast number of the
population has taken place under your regime. However, before
we arrive at our final conclusions we would like to have your
and your government’s say in this matter by the end of
June, 1999, which we assure you will be duly considered and
weighed in the light of all facts and circumstances that are
placed before us.
Thanking you and awaiting your response,
