Health Crisis

The country of Burma is home to one of the most brutal military regimes in the world. A military dictatorship has ruled Burma since 1962. The regime faced international condemnation beginning in 1988, when it massacred thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators. The Dictators promised to transform the country into a democracy, and held elections in May 1990. The National League for Democracy was elected to 84% of the seats in Parliament. Aung San Suu Kyi, who later won the Nobel Peace Prize, was a founder and General Secretary of this party. In response to her popularity with the people of Burma, the Junta placed her under house arrest and her supporters were tortured, imprisoned and systematically murdered. Suu Kyi is still under house arrest.

Initially calling itself the SLORC, the regime renamed itself "State Peace and Development Council" (SPDC). SPDC has been condemned by governments and international organizations across the political spectrum for their human rights abuses, including the U.S. State Department, the U.N. General Assembly, Commission on Human Rights and International Labor Organization, the European Parliament, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch Asia.

The Junta spends nearly 50% of the budget on its Armed Forces but only 3% on healthcare for its citizens. The World Health Organization ranked Burma 190th out of 191 nations in terms of health. As a result, HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria have a profound effect far beyond what contemporary societies face. Nearly 97,000 new TB cases are reported each year. Malaria kills 3,000 people each year and is the leading cause of death for children under 5. At least 12% of the population suffers from malaria at any given time.

Since 2004, the conditions have worsened. At that time, the military ousted General Khin Nyunt and have taken a hard line on international and humanitarian agencies. It has ceased cooperating with international agencies, such as the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights, the International Labor Organization and others. Humanitarian organizations are under pressure to work only with official state organizations, limiting their freedom to distribute aid to those in need and becoming a tool for the regime, according to “ Doctors without Borders” for Burma.

Ethnic groups residing in Eastern Burma bear the brunt of the Junta’s oppressive policy. The Karen people are one such group. The SPDC routinely raids Karen villages, burn crops, steal livestock, and force men and boys to serve as laborers. Rape of Karen women and girls is a common occurrence.

As a result, a number of Karen have fled to Thailand, the jungles or isolated camps inside Burma. Health conditions in this region are at disaster levels, according to various reports by the United Nations. An estimated 1 million people are displaced into Thailand and another 1 million are displaced internally within Burma.

In 2004 and 2006, international agencies, such as the World Health Organization, documented the dire conditions faced by the Karen.

  • 1 in 12 Karen mothers die from child-birth, compared to 1 in 900 for Thai mothers
  • 1 in 5 Karen children will die by age 5 compared to 1 in 50 in neighboring Thailand

Malaria and diarrhea are the leading causes of death. The remoteness of the area restricts their access to basic health support.

The Karen

The Karen hill-tribe people are impacted by the Junta. The Karen live in eastern Burma, particularly in the mountains between Burma and Thailand. SPDC continues to subject Karen villagers to forced labor, systematic destruction of villages and crops, forced relocation, pipeline construction, extortion, looting, arbitrary detention, torture, sexual assault and summary executions . Often living in hiding, many Karen people no longer have access to their food crops and traditional medicine. The Junta subject the Karen to systematic oppression.

Forced Portering:

Tens of thousands of Burmese citizens as well as prisoners have been forced to porter for the Burmese army in war zones. Many die from hunger, exhaustion or injuries from mines.

The Karen Human Rights Group estimates there are two porters carrying rations and ammunition for each soldier. Porters are also placed in uniform as ambush triggers and used as "human mine sweepers."

Religious Persecution:

The SPDC continues to attack Burma's many indigenous ethnic groups, demolishing hundreds of mosques, temples, shrines, churches and other sacred sites.

Ethnic groups residing in Eastern Burma bear the brunt of the Junta’s oppressive policy. The SPDC routinely raids Karen villages, burn crops, steal livestock, force men and boys to serve as laborers. Rape of Karen women and girls is a common occurrence.

Torture & Killing:

Torture and killing are an integral part of SPDC's modus operandi to control its populations. More than 6,000 Burmese citizens were killed during the 1988 pro-democracy protests. Thousands more have died or gone missing since. Karen farmers are often indiscriminately shot and killed while working in their fields.

Rape

Hundreds of instances of rape by Burmese forces have been documented. The SPDC has institutionalized rape as a tool for political repression. Women forced to porter for the army are often raped several times each night. Many victims are teenagers.

Child Labor:

Less than a fifth of schoolchildren complete four grades of primary school. UNICEF estimates that 4 million out of 11.8 million children aged 6-15 may be working today.

Detention:

There are at least 20 detention centers where torture is used. The International Red Cross pulled out of Burma in 1995 because it was being denied access to political prisoners.

Refugee Crisis:

One in twenty Burmese are forced to leave their homes - either to flee abroad or to become internal refugees.

As a result of the SPDC and Burmese Army, one-third of Karen families have had some forced to provide labor, 10% have been forced to move and one-quarter have had food confiscated or destroyed. Those families forced to flee are:

  • 2 ½ times more likely to have a child under the age of 5 to die
  • 50% more likely to suffer a death
  • 4 ½ times more likely be injured by a landmine

The SPDC view health care workers as a threat to the regime and will arrest, torture and kill them in violation of international law and norms.

Click here to see images of life among the Karen people...