29 Jun 2007

International Red Cross condemns Myanmar regime

In a departure from its usual neutrality, the International Committee of the Red Cross today issued a statement condemning Myanmar's military State Peace and Development Council for human rights abuses.

The Geneva, Switzerland-based International Committee of the Red Cross, or ICRC, said the Myanmar junta is systematically causing thousands of people to suffer, especially along the border with Thailand, where government soldiers raid villages, destroy food supplies, force people from their homes and commit acts of violence, including murder and child abuse. Detainees, the ICRC said, were being forced to work on government projects or act as porters for the military.

CRC President Jakob Kellenberger said in a press release: "Despite repeated entreaties by the ICRC, the [Myanmar] authorities have consistently refused to enter into a serious discussion of these abuses with a view to putting a stop to them."
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See also "A secretive junta with an iron fist" by Reuters