Demand ICG to Suspend Thein Sein's Peace Award (Sign the Petition)
RestlessBeings
April 18, 2013
The reports that the EU will now lift ALL but arms sanctions against Myanmar, coupled with the honouring of President Thein Sein for the In Pursuit of Peace Award by the International Crisis Group is shocking to hear! Once more, human rights of the most marginalised people of Myanmar, like the Rohingya and Karen, have been sidelined. Such governments cannot be appeased in return for international economic and political gains.
#PetitionForPeace
For The Urgent Attention of ICG Chairman Ambassador Thomas R. Pickering:
The ICG's decision to honour Thein Sein at the In Pursuit of Peace Award Dinner (22nd April, 2013) is utterly disrespecting the human rights of Myanmar's citizens, and as such is totally contradictory to your award's aim of "preventing and ending deadly conflict".
Thein Sein and his Government's inaction and involvement in recent and continued human rights massacres and abuses in Myanmar include:
- June and October 2012, more than 150,000 Rohingya displaced after violence which was NOT stopped by military and Government personnel
- Arbitrary arrests and imprisonment of Rohingya men and boys
- The continued use of sexual abuse of young women as a tool of terror against the Rohingya
- Confirmed mass graves found
- Apartheid style IDP camps established by Government for Rohingya
- Preventing aid missions such as OIC to open office in Myanmar blockading foreign aid for large parts of 2012
- In recent weeks the violence against Muslim citizens in Meikhtila and Yangon has led to almost 12,000 fleeing their homes. ‘969' terrorist group waging violence against Muslim citizens throughout Myanmar have gone unpunished despite heinous crimes against humanity including killing of children in schools
The UN's special rapporteur of Myanmar, T Quintana reported on February 16 2013 about the violence in Arakan state ‘a profound crisis that threatens to spread to other parts of the country and has the potential to undermine the entire reform process in Myanmar..'. On numerous occasions it has been reported across many international outlets such as BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera that Government forces had stood aside and allowed the violence against the Rohingya to spread. Despite such grave human rights abuses and concerns, earlier this week the European Union has stated that they are "to lift all sanctions with the exception of the embargo on arms which will remain in place".
Such appalling disregard for human rights and his Government's lack of pushing forward reform and the draconian 1982 Citizenship Law renders almost 1 million Rohingya stateless. Without providing adequate protection to the Rohingya and Myanmar's citizens, the ICG's decision to honour Thein Sein with its most prestigious award is premature, shocking and absurd.
We the undersigned urge you to reconsider this decision and award it to genuine contenders working towards peace and a conflict free world, with rights of all people recognised.
