Burmese dissident: conscription and Parliament, the new weapons of the military junta
New Delhi (AsiaNews) - The Burmese military junta has recently drafted a law providing for compulsory military service for men and women, without distinction. It was also fixed the date of the first session of Parliament - the result of the November 7 elections - scheduled for Jan. 31. The political framework is evolving in Myanmar, but power remains in the hands of the military junta, which represses all forms of democratic change. Little hope for change remains, for those who want to peacefully defeat the regime "from within".
On these latest events we have sought the opinion of Tint Swe, a member of the Council of Ministers of the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB), composed of refugees from Myanmar who fled after the 1990 elections won by the National League for Democracy, and never recognized by the junta. He fled to India in 1990 and since December 21, 1991 Tint Swe has lived in New Delhi, he is responsible for information on Asia South and East Timor in the Council.
The Burmese military regime has recently made a couple of important pronouncements. One of them was the so-called law which could draft all males between over men and women into military service. Nobody knows exactly why such a law was kept away from public eyes for two months and it is also bizarre that it was signed before the election held in 2010 because the Parliament is just about to convene.
The Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) got 259 out of 330 seats i.e. 78.48% in the Pyithu Hluttaw (House of Representatives) and 129 out of 168 seats i.e. 76.79% in the Amyotha Hluttaw (House of Nationalities). Those numbers are to be added by 25% selected army parliamentarians. So there is no question of possible rejection to any new law in the forthcoming parliament.
Before the National Service in Military (NSM) has been in practice but applied only for medical doctors. Out of the fresh MBBS and BDS degree holders some of them were inducted into military service for exact three years. They had to undergo a month-long basic military training at the Medical Corps Center. Regrettably it was found that majority of recruited doctors showed no signs of interest in army and 90% of them left after the term. Moreover the Tatmadaw (Army) had been short of physicians and dental surgeons because all Universities and schools were repeatedly shut down following after the 8888 student-led uprising. Then the military regime invented the Defense Services Medical Academy in 1992 providing early stipends and exclusive facilities only for them.
According to the Human Rights Watch, Burma has the largest number of child soldiers in the world. In 2002 there was a report named "My Gun was as Tall as Me: Child Soldiers in Burma" and in 2007 a new report was titled "Sold to be Soldiers: The Recruitment and Use of Child Soldiers in Burma."
In October 2006 the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) handed over a list of 17 complaints of child recruitment to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). In March 2007 the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on Burma, expressing grave concern at the continuing recruitment and use of child soldiers and strongly urging the regime to put an immediate end to the practice. In April 2007 the UN Security Council working group on children and armed conflict placed the situation of children affected by armed conflict in Myanmar on its agenda.
In February 2007 a Supplementary Understanding was signed by the SPDC and the International Labor Organization (ILO), which has been monitoring rampant forced labor practice in Burma. It provides for a complaint mechanism which allows the citizens to bring cases of forced labor under ILO Convention 29 Concerning Forced Labor to the ILO liaison office in Yangon. Since then ILO office in Rangoon is busy.
The public become aware of three military related laws, which were signed by SPDC chairman on 4th November 2010 and printed in the government gazette on 17th December 2010. According to the Peoples Military Service Act (SPDC Law # 27/2010) all males from 18 to 35 and all females between 18 and 27 years of age can be drafted into military service for two years. The ages for professionals are up to 45 for men and 35 for women for three years service. This new scheme is not only meant for emergency situation because they all could be called again when emergency arises.
So the new law will help to recruit soldiers at will. But for what purpose! The observers predict that more young Burmese will be leaving the country to escape from three years imprisonment if they fail to serve in the armed forces. They will do so because they dislike military service as the regime has severely damaged the integrity of once reputed Burma Army. They also do not think it is right while no possible foreign aggression is perceived and only ethnic armed groups are under attack and being escalated after the recent election.
So far there have been five million Burmese living or working in other countries. Twenty years ago before this military junta seized the power, for Burmese citizens going abroad was a luxury item and only political dissidents crossed the borders with Thailand, India, Bangladesh and China to seek shelter. The prediction that the election held on 7th November 2010 would not halt or stop refugee and migrant workers outflow is proved correct and an inventive category of Burmese in exile is coming up that is to evade military service made by law. As the junta foresees such an eviction the Act says that the order will be delivered either into the parson’s hand or his or her relatives’ hands.
The more controversial one is the new Reserved Forces Act (SPDC Law # 28/2010) signed three days before the election in 2010. The retired army personals have to serve in the reserved armed forces for next five years and they can retain the same military titles and uniforms and promotions and demotions are possible. The Commander-in-Chief of the Defense Services can also extend that officer’s additional military service more years. So those who are loyal to C-i-C can be the permanent soldiers and the generals from the SPDC will be there forever.
The date for parliaments which will be met at 8:55 AM on 31st January 2011 was also broadcast on 10th January. Next morning 17 manual booklets for parliaments were also sold at government shops but an elected representative failed to buy a copy after 45 minutes in a long queue. Although the official price of a set is 2300 Kyat but it needs to pay 8500 Kyat (US) at road-side shops.
Apart from the USDP, other parties do not receive any official information on the date for parliaments. In three different levels of Assemblies there will be 1046 elected legislators added by a quarter of that number appointed by Chief of Army will be meeting then. But the list of military representatives is yet to be announced.
Those who will be in the Pyithu Hluttaw (House of Representatives) and in the Amyotha Hluttaw (House of Nationalities) can correctly guess that they will have to go Naypyitaw. But Region and State parliament representatives have no idea where they have to make debates and laws.
One parliamentarian who was also elected in 1990 election said, "We have waited for two decades to make our demands through the parliament. Now that the parliament is going to be convened, I hope I will be able to work for the good of the people and the country from within the system." He is from the National Democratic Force (NDF).
Many observers continue making mistake that NDF which won only 8 seats in the Pyithu Hluttaw, 4 seats in the Amyotha Hluttaw and 4 seats in the Regions and States Parliament is the sister party of the National League for Democracy (NLD) which did not contest in the election held in 2010. The NDF is totally different from the Party for National Democracy (PND) which was purposely formed before 1990 election for fearing of dissolution of the NLD. When Aung San Suu Kyi received the leaders of NDF on 30th December, it was mere social or personal and no politics was discussed during an hour long meeting.
If not euphoria there are optimistic viewers who hoped for better life and condition after the election. However those optimists have seen no release of prisoners, no relaxation at all and more censorship instead since after the much-criticized election. So they have to look forward to convening the parliament and formation of the new government. Will they be lucky?
The restrictions for parliamentary conducts have been made known. Any protest staged within parliament is liable to two years of imprisonment. It is meant particularly for non-USDP representatives: 66 in the Pyithu Hluttaw, 107 in the Amyotha Hluttaw, 886 in the Regions and State Parliaments and 29 ethnic representatives.
Some distant observers think that USDP is a pro-junta party. In fact it is more than a sister party but the identical twins. So all policies and practices will be exactly the same as those of the SPDC era. The Burmese people cannot expect any improved livelihood and the neighbors cannot hope for enhanced cross-border relations. Yes there will be civilians and ethnic peoples in sitting. But …
The epic Ramayana, “Life and journey of Rama” is the most read and repeatedly performed elegantly not only in the Hindu majority countries such as India and Nepal but also in the Buddhist countries like Burma, Thailand and Sri Lanka as well as in Muslim Indonesia.
Though the play performed in different countries and on different theatres, all characters Rama, Sita, Ravana and Hanuman and etc. have to act the same. Yes on a larger stage more followers of Hanuman and those of Ravana can be seen. But all have to act accordingly. So a new stage has been set in Burma to perform the old drama.
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