4. Burma
Points: 4
Areas of human rights violation as identified by HRW: election; constitution; religious minorities; freedom of association and assembly; refugees; ethnic conflict and forced displacement; child soldiers.
Internal conflicts
Burma is another state on the list which has been torn apart by internal conflicts. Sectarian clashes between Muslims and Buddhists, which escalated in Rakhine State in 2012, on one side, and arm conflicts between the government and rebel groups on the other have destabilized the country in previous years. In Kachin war between Kachin Independent Army and the government thousands of people died and some 130,000 Kachin civilians remained internally displaced in camps.
Abuses against Rohingya
Different international organizations, including HRW, characterized wide scale violence against Rohingya minority as ethnic cleansing. According to HRW, the government and local officials indirectly and directly supported deadly attacks on the community in 2012 by organizing and encouraging ethnic Arakanese to attack Muslim neighborhoods and villages. The abuse against Muslim minority did not stop with the incidence in 2012. Every year, mob burns Rohingya’ houses, leaving more and more people displaced. Around 1.3 million fled to neighboring countries while 150.000 are living in refugee camps in Burma where they do not have freedom of movement and access to basic services.
Refugees
Between January 2014 and May 2015, some 94,000 people tried to flee Burma, and many of them were trying to reach Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. In desperate attempt to leave the country, refugees relied on the help of smugglers. In May 2015, human traffickers left some 5,000 people on boats with nowhere to go after Malaysia and Thailand refused to take them. Pressure from media and human rights organization made Malaysia and Indonesia accept refugees after days of uncertainty.
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