Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs, responds to Burma issues! At behest of Prime Minister, Stephen Harper.

Dear Mr. Ayrs:

The Office of the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister, has forwarded to me on September 27, 2007, your email concerning the situation in Burma.

I regret the delay in replying to you.

I share your concern about the situation in Burma and the safety and well-being of its people. Over the last months I have made several statements on Burma. I have strongly reiterated Canada's condemnation of the use of deadly force by the military and police against monks and other protesters in Burma who were exercising their right to peaceful dissent.

I sent a Canadian diplomat to Rangoon to assess the situation and to show Canada's support for the democratic movement.

Canadian embassies and high commissions around the world have been working with representatives of other like-minded countries to seek creative solutions and to coordinate our approach to Burma.

In Ottawa, senior officials of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT) called in the Burmese Chargé d'affaires to ensure that Canada's interest in this matter was clearly understood.

I have also called upon the Government of Burma to release all political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi.

On October 2, 2007, I stated at the United Nations General Assembly that it was imperative to restore democracy and human rights in Burma.

I invite you to view my news releases and statements on Burma at:

w01.international.gc.ca/minpub/ListPublications.aspx?isRedirect=True&PubTypeId=261&Year=2007&language=E.

On October 17, 2007, the Right Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister, tabled a motion in the House of Commons to confer honorary citizenship on Aung San Suu Kyi, which was adopted by all party agreement.

In doing so, he stated: " We must ally ourselves with those in the world who share our values, and especially those who are denied them...the adoption of today's motion sends a message to her, her people, and the world, that Canada stands up for the universal values that are under siege in Burma today."

On November 14, 2007, I announced that Canada intends to impose economic sanctions against Burma under the Special Economic Measures Act in order to demonstrate Canada's abhorrence for the regime's complete disregard for the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the people of Burma. These sanctions, the toughest in the world, will:

*Ban all goods exported to Burma, except those humanitarian goods
*Ban all goods imported from Burma into Canada
*Freeze assets in Canada of designated Burma Nationals
*Prohibit the provision of Canadian financial services to Burma
*Prohibit the export of any technical data to Burma
*Ban new investment in Burma by Canadian persons & companies
*Prohibit Canada's registered ships or planes from docking/landing
*Prohibit Burmese ships/aircraft from docking & passing thru Canada

Furthermore, a number of measures have been taken at the multilateral level to address this situation.

At the G8 Foreign Ministers meeting in New York on September 26, 2007, I joined my counterparts in unanimously condemning the violence in Burma and calling for a resumption of dialogue.

Canada continues to urge Burma's neighbours such as China and India to encourage Burma to undertake genuine reform.

On October 12, 2007, I issued a news release following the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) statement on Burma, which strongly deplores the use of violence against peaceful demonstrators and emphasizes the importance of the early release of all political prisoners and remaining detainees.

Moreover, Canada welcomes the UNSC's reaffirmation of its strong and unwavering support for the mission of Mr. Ibrahim Gambari, the Secretary-General's Special Envoy to Burma, as well as its recognition of the resolution adopted by the United Nations Human Rights Council on October 2, 2007.

Canada also welcomes the efforts of Mr. Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, to address the situation in Burma, and has called upon the Government of Burma to facilitate his work.

Canada will continue to work with the international community to put pressure on the Burmese government to respect the human rights and fundamental freedom of the people of Burma, and engage in a genuine dialogue with the democratic opposition.

The promotion and protection of human rights is an integral part of Canadian foreign policy. Canada will continue to stand up for human rights and take principled positions on important issues to ensure that freedom, democracy and the rule of law, values that define our country, are enjoyed around the world.

Thank you for writing and sharing your concerns.

Sincerely,

Maxime Bernier
Minister of Foreign Affairs

Myanmar...child soldiers; 10 yr olds forced into military!

News sources are reporting that the spirits of the Monks in Burma have not been broken, in spite of a brutal regime in power, which stomped hard on protesters in recent weeks, stormed sacred monastries, and arrested religious leaders en masse...

In the small town of Pakkoku, there have been signs that the Monks remain undaunted; in quiet desperation they chant and openly pray in the streets - signaling dissent, no matter how subtle.

Pakkoko is known as the heartbeat of the religious center...

Although the days are still bleak for many, there has been a bit of a respite for a few. On the heels of Ibrahim Gambari's four-day visit in early October, members of the National League for Democracy, along with monks and other protesters, have been freed from jail.

The UN failed to indicate if any significant action would be undertaken in the trouble spot to ensure rights are protected in the future, but it appears that U.S. sanctions have impacted the region.

Air Bagan, owned by a high-profile member of the corrupt regime, discontinued air service to Singapore after the bank stopped doing business with the carrier.

In spite of this headway, there is a shocking and disturbing practice underfoot in Mayanmar, which must be curtailed as swiftly as possible. Human Rights Watch, a lobby group, said that the junta is actively recruiting young boys for the military.

According to inside sources, the Burmese military have been forced to take this action in order to meet unrelenting demands for new recruits due to continued army expansion, high desertion rates, and a lack of willing volunteers. Apparently, morale is low due to poor living conditions and abuses by Senior NCOs and officers.

Children are being threatened into enlisting because of the need to replenish the ranks.

"Military recruiters and civilian brokers allegedly receive cash payments and other incentives for each new recruit, even if the recruit clearly violates minimum age or health standards," said Human Rights Watch.

A widespread desperation feeds on the mercenary behavior of recruiters who prey on the destitute men and boys who are easy targets. At the direction of high-ranking officials, sources allege that soldiers are urged to lurk at public meeting areas - such as train stations and cinemas - to apprehend vulnerable youths to coerce into the Burmese military, or Tatmadaw.

To this end, there is often a fabrication of facts on enlistment documents, especially in respect to age. Human Rights Watch says the lists may register the children as 18, the minimum legal age for service. In one case, they allege a boy was forcibly recruited at the age of 11, though he was only 4 feet, 3 inches tall and weighed less than 70 pounds.

Once inducted, the youngsters are rarely allowed to contact families.

Child soldiers are typically given 18 weeks of military training, then sent on to combat zones. Usually, the youths are posted in dangerous outposts in the hinterland.

The Boys are used to fight ethnic insurgents, burn villages, mete out punishment to civilians, destroy crops, and act as porters to support frontline troops.

"Those who attempt to escape or desert are beaten or imprisoned," said a spokesman for Human Watch.

Ye Htut, Deputy Director General of Myanmar's Information Ministry, said the charges were, "another example of biased reporting by news organizations, which based reports on the baseless accusations and exaggerated lies of insurgent groups on the border."

The junta has long been accused of other abuses, including brutal treatment of ethnic minority villagers caught up in counterinsurgency campaigns, and the use of forced labor in Myanmar.

"Myanmar's armed forces have had regulations in place since 1973 forbidding the recruitment of minors as well as others forced to enlist against their will," said the Information Ministry's Ye Htut, in response to a summary of the report.

Enforcement of the regulations was strengthened in 2004 with the establishment of a Committee for the Prevention of Recruiting Underaged Children from Military Recruitment, he reported to Associated Press.

"If the authorities find out that an applicant was recruited against his will or he is under 18 years, the responsible personnel will be tried according to the military law," Htut added.

Between 2004 and August 2007, some 141 minors were dismissed from the military and returned to their parents, and disciplinary action was taken against nearly 30 military personnel for violating recruitment rules, according to Information Ministry Office.

Human Rights Watch said the government committee has failed to effectively address the problem and has subsequently devoted most of its efforts to denouncing outside reports of child recruitment.

It is almost impossible to place a figure on how many children under 18 are in the Tatmadaw, but there are certainly thousands, informed sources say.

Despite strong official regulations within the Tatmadaw prohibiting the use of child soldiers and frequent promises to the United Nations that the SPDC is serious about curbing the practice, child soldiers in clandestine contact with the Human Watch note that the practice remains rampant.

The Tatmadaw fights large-scale conventional wars and brutal counter-insurgency operations against Communist and ethnic insurgents who were well armed and motivated. Almost all the soldiers and officers are volunteers and child soldiers were rare. They were common, however, in ethnic opposition forces, and over 30 non-state armed groups in Burma still use children in combat.

Recruitment of minors into the military bolster critics' claims that Burma’s deteriorating social and economic conditions have advanced the effort. Unemployment is high, corruption is endemic, poverty is the norm, and inflation, raging at over 30 percent, places even basic food items beyond the reach of many people.

In my mind's eye, there is a sinister underbelly to the recruitment...undoubtedly, the junta's secret agenda is to brainwash the youths, prep them for military stance - and ultimately - turn them into fighting, killer machines...

What troubles me is the loss of innocence at an impressionable age, the denial of a nurturing home life, and a basic right to be free - to pursue an education, a meaningful exchange of ideas with peers, and the opportunity to interact with others in a positive social climate.

Its been suggested that an arms embargo and additional financial sanctions may be needed to hamstring the military. Without hardware, equipment, and funding, it is theorized Myanmar will be unable to train a military populated by young, underaged boys.

Although Governments in the United Kingdom, as well as Security Council members, are pursuing the matter as a number one priority at their upcoming meeting on "Child Soldiers" to protect a generation of boys from the evil clutches of the Tatmadaw, is it not possible for a contingent of North American humanitarians to engage in the effort, too?

There is an urgent need, before the youths are scarred permanently, and unable to function mentally, emotionally, and rationally, in the civilized world.