{"id":20,"date":"2008-06-05T15:10:03","date_gmt":"2008-06-05T06:10:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/test.hrn.or.jp\/?p=20"},"modified":"2023-10-25T09:45:46","modified_gmt":"2023-10-25T00:45:46","slug":"spdc-aung-san-suu-kyi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hrn.or.jp\/eng\/news\/2008\/06\/05\/spdc-aung-san-suu-kyi\/","title":{"rendered":"Statement concerning the forcible referendum by the SPDC and Aung San Suu Kyi’s continued house arrest"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n


<\/span><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

5 June 2008<\/font><\/font><\/o:p><\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/font><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Human Rights Now, <\/font><\/font><\/o:p><\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/font><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

On 10<\/font><\/font> <\/font><\/font><\/sup>and
\n24 May, the Myanmar SPDC forcefully carried out a referendum over a new
\nconstitution, and on 26 May, the SPDC announced that the constitution proposed
\nby the SPDC was approved by 92.48 per cent of favorable votes with a turnout of
\n98 per cent. <\/font><\/font><\/o:p><\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/font><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Human Rights Now
\nhas warned that the new constitution would prolong an oppressive structure of
\nthe SPDC rather than promote democratization and protection of human rights,
\nand stated that the constitution would not be worth<\/font><\/font><\/span>y of being labeled<\/font><\/font><\/span> a
\ntrue democratization process unless all detainees of <\/font><\/font><\/span>the <\/font><\/font><\/span>pro-democracy
\nmovement are released immediately and the SPDC starts <\/font><\/font><\/span>a <\/font><\/font><\/span>dialogue with <\/font><\/font><\/span>the <\/font><\/font><\/span>pr<\/font><\/font><\/span>o<\/font><\/font><\/span>-democracy
\nmovement. <\/font><\/font><\/o:p><\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/font><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

In this process,
\nthe referendum was held in <\/font><\/font><\/span>a <\/font><\/font><\/span>situation where most Myanmar citizens were not
\ngranted the right to know <\/font><\/font><\/span>the <\/font><\/font><\/span>contents of the new constitution<\/font><\/font><\/span>. Also, <\/font><\/font><\/span>the
\nmovement against the constitution was deprived of all freedom<\/font><\/font><\/span>s<\/font><\/font><\/span> of
\nexpression and assembly during the abnormal circumstances <\/font><\/font><\/span>of post-<\/font><\/font><\/span>
\ncyclone <\/font><\/font><\/span>Nargis<\/font><\/font><\/span>.<\/font><\/font><\/span><\/o:p><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/font><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

There are some
\nreports that people were ordered to vote for the constitution by the SPDC
\nwithout knowing the contents.<\/font><\/font><\/o:p><\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/font><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Human Rights Now <\/font><\/font><\/span>strongly <\/font><\/font><\/span>protests
\nthe forcible execution of the process. Moreover, the SPDC informed Aung San Suu
\nKyi, a democratization leader in Myanmar, of the extension of her house arrest on
\n27 May.<\/font><\/font><\/o:p><\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

According to
\nmilitary regime sources, the length of the extension is six months but it can
\nbe one year. Human Rights Now expresses strong opposition <\/font><\/font><\/span>to <\/font><\/font><\/span>the
\nSPDC’s decision. <\/font><\/font><\/o:p><\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/font><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Aung San Suu Kyi’s
\ncontinued house arrest started <\/font><\/font><\/span>in <\/font><\/font><\/span>May 2003 after the Depyain massacre. Thus, she
\nhas been under the house arrest for six years due to the decision. (In total,
\nshe has been <\/font><\/font><\/span>detained <\/font><\/font><\/span>for <\/font><\/font><\/span>more
\nthan <\/font><\/font><\/span>twelve years since 1989.)<\/font><\/font><\/o:p><\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/font><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

This decision
\nviolates not only international law but also Myanmar national law. Myanmar State
\nProtection Law Article 10 (b) stipulates that a person who is regarded as a threat
\nagainst the security of the state and peace of the people can be placed under
\nhouse arrest for up to five years without any prosecutions or trials. Under
\nthis law, the maximum length of house arrest is five years and the deadline had
\nalready come in May 2008, although this law itself is completely unjustified.<\/font><\/font><\/o:p><\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/font><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Therefore, Myanmar
\nnational law does not allow further extension of <\/font><\/font><\/span>Aung San Suu Kyi’s <\/font><\/font><\/span>house
\narrest and the SPDC’s decision violates <\/font><\/font><\/span>the <\/font><\/font><\/span>national law
\nenacted by the SPDC. <\/font><\/font><\/span><\/o:p><\/font><\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/font><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

This decision has
\nrevealed again to the world that the roadmap, which the SPDC has promoted,
\ncannot be compatible with true democracy and human rights.<\/font><\/font><\/span> The international
\ncommunity has intensively censured the decision.<\/font><\/font><\/o:p><\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/font><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

On 27<\/font><\/font> <\/font><\/font><\/sup>May,
\nU.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon expressed regret over the SPDC’s decision
\nabout the extension of Aung San Suu Ki’s house arrest, and leaders and
\nministers of U.S., U.K., Indonesia, Australia, France and so forth also
\nexpressed their concern<\/font><\/font><\/span> and <\/font><\/font><\/span> disappointment over the decision. <\/font><\/font><\/o:p><\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/font><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

However, while the
\nJapanese government has actively <\/font><\/font><\/span>been <\/font><\/font><\/span>involved in <\/font><\/font><\/span>post-<\/font><\/font><\/span>cyclone <\/font><\/font><\/span>clean-up and assistance efforts<\/font><\/font><\/span>, it has been silent on and has remained noncommittal about the
\nextension of Aung San Suu Kyi’s house arrest. Such an attitude <\/font><\/font><\/span>by <\/font><\/font><\/span>Japanese
\ngovernment can be considered as <\/font><\/font><\/span>compliance with <\/font><\/font><\/span>the SPDC’s illegal house arrest and
\ndenial of democratization. <\/font><\/font><\/o:p><\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/font><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Human Rights Now
\nrequests that the Japanese government express a clear message that Aung San Suu
\nKyi needs to be released immediately, take initiatives to <\/font><\/font><\/span>have her <\/font><\/font><\/span>release<\/font><\/font><\/span>d<\/font><\/font><\/span>, demand
\nthe SPDC to release all detainees of pro-democracy movement<\/font><\/font><\/span>,<\/font><\/font><\/span> and start
\ndialogue with  <\/font><\/font><\/span>the <\/font><\/font><\/span>pro-democracy
\nmovement and ethnic minorities by employing every possible diplomatic means in
\norder to achieve democratization. <\/font><\/font><\/o:p><\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/font><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

Human Rights Now <\/font><\/font><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/font><\/font><\/o:p><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

5 June 2008   Human Rights Now,   On 10 and 24 May, the Myanmar SPDC forcefully carried out a referendum over a new constitution, and on 26 May, the SPDC announced that the constitution proposed by the SPDC was approved by 92.48 per cent of favorable votes with a turnout of 98 per cent.   Human Rights Now has warned that the new constitution would prolong an oppressive structure of the SPDC rather than promote democratization and protection of human rights, and stated that the constitution would not be worthy of being labeled a true democratization process unless all detainees of the pro-democracy movement are released immediately and the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[154,102,17],"countries":[245],"class_list":["post-20","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-statement","tag-defenders-democratic-space","tag-human-rights-defenders-independence-of-judiciary","tag-human-rights-violation-under-armed-conflictsmilitary-operation","countries-myanmar"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hrn.or.jp\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hrn.or.jp\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hrn.or.jp\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hrn.or.jp\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hrn.or.jp\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/hrn.or.jp\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":522,"href":"https:\/\/hrn.or.jp\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20\/revisions\/522"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hrn.or.jp\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hrn.or.jp\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hrn.or.jp\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20"},{"taxonomy":"countries","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hrn.or.jp\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/countries?post=20"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}