The military regime in Burma is one of the most brutal in the world, using its half million strong army to oppress its population.
In Eastern Burma the UN has accused the regime of breaking the Geneva Conventions by deliberately targeting civilians. The Burmese Army rapes, loots, burns, tortures and kills. Civilians are shot on sight, even children.
In 2007 in Rangoon we saw the Burmese Army brutally crush a peaceful democracy uprising led by Buddhist Monks.
Despite these appalling acts, there is no UN global arms embargo on Burma. The brutal regime is still allowed to buy foreign weapons to commit these horrific human rights abuses and spends nearly half its budget on the military.
On May 22nd the Security Council issued its third statement calling on the regime to enter into genuine dialogue with Aung San Suu Kyi and ethnic groups. Instead the regime has continued to detain her, along with more than 2,100 political prisoners.
A global arms embargo would have to be authorized by the United Nations Security Council, but China and Russia are both permanent members and have veto power. In 2007 they vetoed a soft non-binding resolution on Burma that called on the regime to enter into talks with the democracy movement. They also both supply arms to the regime. It is likely that at the present time they would also veto an arms embargo. Therefore, we need to build a global consensus in support of an arms embargo, to isolate China and Russia and make it harder for them to resist.
The dictatorship is directly defying the United Nations Security Council. It is time the generals faced consequences for their actions. Please take action for a global arms embargo against Burma.
Arms Embargo: FAQ
Questions and answers on a global arms embargo on Burma
Why should the United Nations impose a global arms embargo on Burma?
Burma is ruled by one of the most brutal dictatorships in the world. It spends around forty percent of its budget on the military, while having almost the lowest spending on health and education in the world.
Burma has no external enemies, its military is used solely for internal repression, to keep the military in power.
We saw in 2007 how the army was used to brutally suppress a peaceful uprising led by monks. In 1988 thousands were killed when the army suppressed peaceful demonstration for democracy.
However, some of the worst human rights abuses are taking place out of sight in the jungles and mountains of Eastern Burma. The United Nations has said that the dictatorship is breaking the Geneva Conventions by deliberately targeting civilians in Eastern Burma. A recent report by Harvard Law School, Crimes in Burma, found that the dictatorship is committing crimes against humanity in Eastern Burma, and called for the United Nations Security Council to establish a Commission of Inquiry.
A global arms embargo will stop the dictatorship having access to new weapons and new weapons technology that would result in increased human rights abuses in Burma. It will also be a major psychological blow to the dictatorship.
Why are you pushing for a global arms embargo now, in response to Aung San Suu Kyi’s new trial and detention?
We have been calling for a global arms embargo for many years, and started active campaigning on this in 2007. The dictatorship keeps Aung San Suu Kyi and more than 2,100 political prisoners detained because they know they can get away with it. The introduction of a global arms embargo would send the strongest message to the dictatorship that their actions are unacceptable and will no longer be tolerated.
But the dictatorship already has weapons, what practical use will an arms embargo be?
The dictatorship is keen to keep upgrading its weapons, which will have more destructive power, resulting in more deaths and human rights abuses. In addition, sadly, we have no idea how much longer there will be dictatorship in Burma. If an arms embargo had been introduced in 1962 when the first dictator took over Burma, the military capacity of the dictatorship today would be greatly reduced.
The dictatorship in Burma makes its own weapons, so an arms embargo won’t make any difference.
The dictatorship is making its own weapons, ammunition and explosives, but most of these are small scale. It is still keen to obtain more powerful and modern weaponry.
In addition, when we say arms embargo, we want that to include not only weapons and military equipment, but also materials, equipment, finance and technology that can be used for making all military equipment.
We desperately need your help.
The Burma Campaign UK is making a difference, but without support from members of the public our work would end.