Ethnic minorities are a key to Burma's democratization

The Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) thanked Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi for demanding more rights for ethnic minorities in her first speech in front of the Burmese parliament today. "Burma's ethnic minorities are a key to the democratization of the country", said the STP's Asia-consultant, Ulrich Delius, in Göttingen on Wednesday. "If the efforts for peace fail in the nationality regions, this will also mean an abrupt end of the democratization process in Burma." The human rights activist also emphasized that the draft law on more support for minorities – which is currently being discussed in parliament – can only be a first step. "As long as Burma's government is not willing to start credible peace negotiations with the ethnic minorities, this new law will only be a sham. Unfortunately, there is a lack of political will to give ethnic minorities a stronger voice or even self-government."

The draft law of the leading USDP party, on which Aung San Suu Kyi had commented, does provide a better protection of the minority groups, "but Burma's ethnic minorities need more rights and – above all – a fundamental definition of their legal status," said Delius. "They don't want charity. They want to be able make own decisions about their resources, on new development projects and on their culture."

Although 65 percent of all foreign investments are being made in the nationality areas, the ethnic minorities are not included in the planning of dams, pipelines or mines – and they have even less to say regarding the implementation of large-scale construction projects that are to be seen as acute violations of human rights.

In her speech, Aung San Suu Kyi pointed out the disastrous social situation of the ethnic minorities. For example, the birth mortality rate is about three times as high in the nationality areas as for the national average. Only four percent of the women are able to give birth in a hospital. Up to 40 percent of the children younger than five are malnourished and around 60 percent of the households suffer from a lack of protein in their diet. While a national average of around 80 percent of the children are visiting schools, the rate for the nationalities is only about 50 percent. Many children and young people are still forced to work or run errands for military personnel, although this is officially illegal.