Dear Editor:

Currently the Burmese government is abusing and violating the human rights of ethnic minorities. The regime in Burma executes brutal tactics such as murder and rape. These acts are unethical and genocidal.

The targeted ethnic minorities consist of Karen, Karenni, Shan, Zomis, Kachins, Mons, Wa, and Rohingas. These people are suffering amid the world’s ignorance. The Burmese government displaces villagers and forces them into labor. According to the Genocide Watch, “144,000 people of ethnic minorities live in refugee camps on the Thai border…” To protect themselves from forced labor, villagers seek escape within the jungles and there are “…over one million who are illegal immigrants in the neighboring nation.”

The ethnic minorities are deprived of human necessities. From an article within VOA News regarding forced labor, the work surroundings were described as “very harsh conditions.” A British newspaper, Telegraph, reports many villages are burned down, livestock slaughtered, and medical facilities are systematically destroyed.

The worst of this genocide is mass murder. Women are raped continually, and then killed. No mercy is granted. When referring to laborers, the Jubilee Campaign, a group fighting genocide, stated: “…it is common for Burmese soldiers to kill those whose ‘usefulness’ has run out.” Village men’s heads rot on bamboo sticks, while women’s bodies lay strewn across dirt after being raped and tortured.

Many people can recall the genocide against the Jewish people, carried out by the Nazis. The genocide in Burma has occurred for forty three years and few people are aware. The ethnic minorities in Burma face anguish daily; terrified for their safety. The political methods of this country remain an issue for the United Nations.

Speak out. Visit www.genocidewatch.org to get involved. The genocide in Burma is a tragedy; well known-poet, Nikki Giovanni once quoted, “No one deserves a tragedy.”