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YANGON, 3 Feb—The Committee for Prevention of Recruitment of Minors for Armed Forces held its fourth coordination meeting at Zeyathiyi Beikman on Konmyinttha here this afternoon, with an address by Chairman of the Committee Secretary-1 of the State Peace and Development Council Lt-Gen Thein Sein. Also present were members of the Committee ministers, the deputy chief justice, the deputy attorney-general, senior military officers, officials and departmental heads. The Secretary-1 said that after assumption of the State duties, the Government has been working overtime, with the aim of building a new nation, implementing the 12 objectives as the national policy. And due to the efforts, the political, economic and social sectors of the nation are witnessing progress to a certain degree. It is also materializing plans with might and main to develop the border areas and the rural areas home to about 70 per cent of the population for all the national races to enjoy the fruits of progress fairly. The Government is striving for ensuring peace and stability and the rule of law, improving the means of people’s livelihood, strengthening the economy, and developing the human resources for the nation-building task, while laying down and implementing the seven-point Road Map for democracy transition. It is now in the process of successfully holding the National Convention, the first step of the Road Map. Instead of rendering a helping hand to the emergence of a desired discipline-flourishing democratic state at this time, some saboteurs at home and abroad are trying to discredit the Government, tarnish the image of the race, create difficulties for the people, and destroy the National Convention, holding personal and ideological prejudices as their dogmatism. All the people have witnessed their evil schemes to slander Myanmar in many ways with the intention of blemishing her dignity in the world. Employing the imposition of democracy shaped by themselves and human rights as an excuse, the perpetrators are defaming the nation, using the problems of forced labour, narcotic drugs, alleged sexual violence against women in border areas, human trafficking, and child soldiers as tools. They are even making various attempts to break up the Tatmadaw, which has fine traditions. The conspirators are framing the Tatmadaw for the alleged forced recruitment of juvenile soldiers for the front lines, and trying to raise the matter at the UN for the global body to take action against Myanmar. Thus, the committee will have to pay attention to refuting the matter. Concerning the accusations of child soldiers, the Secretary-1 said that the Tatmadaw is an armed force systematically formed according to laws, bylaws, rules and directives, and also an institution with fine traditions. In accord with its rules and regulations, the Tatmadaw is enlisting only the persons who have reached the age of 18 and who meet the required standards, and they are the steadfast rules and regulations strictly adhered by the Tatmadaw. In 2004, the Tatmadaw invited the UNICEF resident representative to study the recruitment rules, orders and directives for Defence Services (Army) Recruiting Units in Yangon and Mandalay and also to visit the recruits. But Myanmar is still facing unjust accusations as only the slanders falsehood have reached the UN, because of some unscrupulous persons’ perpetrations to bar the truth about the Tatmadaw’s constructive acts from arriving at the global body. As such, he said, the committee will have to heighten its efforts to convey the truth to the UN. Next, those present gave an account of measures being taken in accord with laws in diplomatic, judiciary, law, social, labour, and Tatmadaw sectors to refute the groundless accusations of the destructive elements and to help the international community understand the committee’s correct endeavours for prevention of recruitment of minors for armed forces. In response, the Secretary-1 delivered concluding remarks, saying that some certain big powers will keep on making accusations against Myanmar in various spheres so long as the destructive elements remain in existence who hold negative views on the nation. It is needed to always rebut all the baseless accusations against Myanmar in order to eliminate misunderstandings of the international community. The Secretary-1 spoke of the need of the officials concerned to systematically collect the data on issuing national registration cards to the citizens, health care, judiciary and legal measures for the children, and policies such as civilian and military laws, rules and regulations, orders and directives. He called on the officials at different levels to effectively supervise recruitment tasks and undergoing military training of the Myanma Tatmadaw, and to help the resident representatives of UN agencies in the nation to occasionally witness these measures. In conclusion, the Secretary-1 called for thorough refutation of all rootless accusations against the nation by constantly exposing the committee’s correct activities to the international community. |
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