HR violations of the nation which compiled HR report

Today, some western masters and their cohorts are lashing out at Myanmar through various means. They are trying to have the UN Security Council take action against Myanmar. If Myanmar yields to their demands and adopt the western democracy, they will certainly stop all their slanderous accusations against her, and she may even receive some assistance from them.

However, the Myanmar government and people will never accept the western democracy model, that is not suitable to the nation’s way of life, and will never yield to the West. In no way, the government and the people will tolerate any type of encroachment on the values and norms of the sovereignty and independence. Because Myanmar regained her independence and sovereignty after risking lots of lives and blood of the national races. On 28 February 2005, the US State Department issued a human rights report on 196 nations of the world. But the US was not included in the list. It seems that the US presumes itself a perfect nation free from pitfalls.

Concerning the matter, the spokesman of China’s Foreign Ministry at a press conference held in Beijing on 3 March this year said that the persons that had the right to criticize China’s human rights issue were no other than the Chinese People themselves; that the Chinese government which always gave priority to her people’s interest was working with might and main to build a democratic state where the rule of law was ensured; that the Chinese people were enjoying the fruits of improved human rights; and that the US should make greater efforts and pay more attention to solving its own human rights problems.

The Cuban Foreign Minister demanded the US government to produce proof concerning the accusations against his country. At a press conference held in Havana, the foreign minister warned the US to put its own house in order and stay away from other nations’ affairs. Similarly, other global nations including Myanmar rejected and refuted the US human rights report.

Now I will present an excerpt from the Human Rights Record of the United States in 2004 issued by the Information Department of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China in March 2005.

“The situation of American women and children was disturbing. The rates of women and children physically or sexually victimized were high. According to FBI Crime Statistics, in 2003 the United States witnessed 93,233 cases of rape. Virtually 63.2 in every 100,000 women fell victims. The statistics also showed that every two minutes one woman was sexually assaulted and every six minutes one woman was raped. The number of women abused and treated at First Aid Centers exceeded one million every year. Women’s labor and social rights were violated. According to The Sun newspaper (Jul. 16, 2004), the charges handled by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on sexual discrimination against women grew by 12 percent in the past decade.

“Statistics released by the US Labor Department in Jan. 2004 showed a woman who worked full time had the median earning of 81.1 percent of that for a man. The Chicago Tribune said on Aug. 27, 2004 that the rate of women in poverty went up fast, to 12.4 percent of the entire female population. A study of 168 countries conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health indicated that US workers have fewer rights to time off for family matters than workers in most other countries, and rank at the bottom in maternity and sick leave. Child poverty was a serious problem. The Chicago Tribune reported on Aug. 27, 2004 said that the number of children in poverty climbed from 12.1 million in 2002 to 12.9 million in 2003, a year-on-year increase of 0.9 percent. About 20 million children lived in “low-income working families” — with barely enough money to cover basic needs (AP Washington, Oct. 12, 2004).

The Record also said, “Children were victims of sex crimes. Every year about 400,000 children in the US were forced to engage in prostitution or other sexual dealings on the streets. Reports on children sexually exploited, which were received by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, soared from 4,573 cases in 1998 to 81,987 cases in 2003. Violent crimes occurred frequently. Studies show nearly 20 percent of US juveniles lived in families that possessed guns. A report released by the US Justice Department on November 29, 2004 said about 9 percent of school kids aged 9 to 12 admitted being threatened or having suffered an injury from a weapon while at school in 2003. More and more schoolers were reluctant to go to school because of security concerns. The Sun newspaper reported on May 18, 2004 that in 2002, a total of 900,000 children in the United States were abused, nearly 1,400 of whom died. Every year, 1.98 out of every 100,000 American children were killed by their parents or guardians.”

The Record said that the US which was said to be the world’s richest country was facing the rising problem of poverty, hunger and homelessness.

At the 61st meeting of UN Human Rights Commission held in Geneva on 16 March, the Foreign Minister of Cuba also revealed the human rights violations of the US and its allies, saying that they were openly and systematically violating human rights at Guantanamo prison of the US Navy and Abu Gharib prison outside Baghdad.

The Cuban FM also accused the US and allies of using the UN as their own property, and turning the global body into their tribunal to condemn the peoples in the developing countries that are actively opposing neo-colonialism. He said it was unbelievable that fairness had already been gone at the Human Rights Commission; and that the Commission always failed to take action against the big nation that bullied others.

Certain countries and persons are blindly ignoring the human rights violations of the US, while opposing Myanmar that is building a democratic state in accord with her social conditions; Myanmar people are against those countries. We, Myanmar people, also understand why those nations and persons are supporting a handful of their minions while imposing economic sanctions against the nation and her population of over 54 million and cutting off all humanitarian aid.

Myanmar is now in the process of holding the National Convention, the first step of the seven-point Road Map, to build a democratic state, actively taking part in the ASEAN and further improving cordial relations with her neighbours, regional countries, Asian countries and global nations. In this regard, the perpetration of the US, allies and their minions to tarnish the image of Myanmar to the worst degree is no other than to press her to yield to their domination and democracy model.

Author : Aung Moe San