WSN Service
In the preceding week, the worst perpetrator of human rights, India, was in the forefront in co-sponsoring a resolution in the United Nations which expressed a deep concern at the continued military rule and the suppression of fundamental democratic freedom and human rights in the Myanmar, formerly, Burma.
The United Nations unanimously rebuked the military government of Myanmar for its refusal to surrender political power to a democratically elected parliament and the continuous detention of the Noble Peace prize winner, Daw Aung Sang Suu Kyi, the Opposition leader.
Last year, the same kind of resolution was blocked by India. Last year, India’s chief supporter, formerly the Soviet Union led by Yugoslavia, was still a leader of the new defunct non-aligned movement. The change in India’s position within one year in India, is chiefly due to the collapse of its allies, the Soviet Union, and Yugoslavia, and its slump in world trade share in recent years which fell from 2.5% to 0.5%. The main reason was to hide its own serious human rights abuses and its brutal suppression of fundamental freedom in its own backyard.
India is trying to become a champion of human nights and fundamental democratic freedom when it is anywhere outside India, and when it is also acceptable to the western industrialized countries.
The approval of the new resolution last week is the first time in the history of the United Nations when a resolution criticizing a member country by name for fundamental human rights abuses was unanimously adopted.
Until now, only a handful of resolutions critical of human rights abuses have won unanimous support after they were watered down by prolonged debates, (example: El-Salvador and Afghanistan)
This present resolution will go a long way in encouraging respect for basic human rights in Asia.
Countries like India, China, and Cuba, who until now were blocking any similar kind of resolutions criticizing human rights record on the pretext that it is an unacceptable interference in its domestic affairs.
With the end of the cold war debates over human rights at the United Nations are increasing and have polarized the North-South struggle, as more industrialized northern countries bring attention to the poor human rights in southern (3rd world) countries.
In other resolutions the United Nations General Assembly committee that considered the Myanmar resolution also passed resolutions attacking Iraq for extra-judicial killings, torture and arbitrary executions. It also took into account the situation in Iran and Haiti.
This committee said nothing whatsoever about the extra judicial killings, torture, arbitrary arrests and mistreatment of the Kashmiris on Sikhs by Indian government security forces.
Aisa Watch states, “government forces operating in Punjab have systematically violated international rights law as well as the law of war governing internal armed conflict”.
Whereas the charter of the United Nations to which India is a signatory, guarantees fundamental human rights for everyone..
It is about time that United Nations and the other major powers of the world stop playing politics with such a sensitive issue as human rights.
The concern shown by the Canadian Ambassador Y ves Fortier at the United Nations, concerning human rights abuses in Punjab and Kashmir by Indian security forces, was a step in the right direction.
It is time for the world to remove couon from its eyes, and start pursuing universal human rights with compassion and vigor.
By Ranjit Singh Gill & Sukhminder Singh Sandhu
M.C.C, New York
AMRITSAR: Army and security forces jointly carried out door to door search in Sultan wind village on the outskirts of this holy city Saturday as the operation against Sikhs continued for the sixth day, police control room said. This is the first operation in an around the city in which army actively took part, control room added. The area was put under curfew for about five hours to carry out the search operation…
A total of 151 persons were rounded up for questioning but 107 were later let off and the remaining 44 were detained for interrogation.
Article extracted from this publication >> December 13, 1991
