Burma’s military government has rejected charges of human rights abuses leveled by the International Committee of the Red Cross, saying they would have “negative implications” for future cooperation.
In a rare statement last week criticizing the Burmese regime, the ICRC charged that prisoners were being forced to act as porters for the armed forces. The Burmese government responded last Friday to the charges, describing them as “one-sided accusations lacking any factual basis, evidence or proof…Myanmar [Burma] categorically rejects the groundless accusations that the government targets [the] civilian population.”
The statement continued: “By violating its own principles, the mutual trust and confidence between Myanmar and [the] ICRC have been eroded. This would have negative implications in Myanmar's cooperation with the ICRC.”
Ribaux Thierry, deputy head of the ICRC office in Rangoon, told The Irrawaddy that he was aware of the government statement but did not want to comment on it. “We do hope to resume the dialogue with the government via the press release,” he said in a phone interview.
Thierry said the ICRC office in Rangoon was functioning normally despite the organization’s criticism of the regime. Its office in Taunggyi had closed at the end of June, however, leaving just two other offices outside Rangoon—in Pa-an and Mandalay.
In a rare statement last week criticizing the Burmese regime, the ICRC charged that prisoners were being forced to act as porters for the armed forces. The Burmese government responded last Friday to the charges, describing them as “one-sided accusations lacking any factual basis, evidence or proof…Myanmar [Burma] categorically rejects the groundless accusations that the government targets [the] civilian population.”
The statement continued: “By violating its own principles, the mutual trust and confidence between Myanmar and [the] ICRC have been eroded. This would have negative implications in Myanmar's cooperation with the ICRC.”
Ribaux Thierry, deputy head of the ICRC office in Rangoon, told The Irrawaddy that he was aware of the government statement but did not want to comment on it. “We do hope to resume the dialogue with the government via the press release,” he said in a phone interview.
Thierry said the ICRC office in Rangoon was functioning normally despite the organization’s criticism of the regime. Its office in Taunggyi had closed at the end of June, however, leaving just two other offices outside Rangoon—in Pa-an and Mandalay.
