Burma gender, peace struggles discussed

On Tuesday afternoon, students, faculty and guests gathered in the IU School of Law to hear the first of three lectures this week concerning the struggle for gender equality and peace in Burma.\nYing Lao and Thin Thin Aung, members of the Federal Constitution Drafting and Coordinating Committee and the Women's League of Burma, gave a passionate address to the crowd that filled the seats in the Moot Courtroom. Lao and Aung provided background and insight into the battle for justice, gender equality and the process of creating a democracy in their country.\nAung said Burma has been in civil war since 1948, when the country gained independence from Britain. The coastal nation has been ruled by military regimes since 1962. \nAung and Lao said they fled Burma 18 years ago when they were students and have yet to return home.\n"If I returned, I would be thrown in jail by the military government," Aung said.\nAung said student leaders are still considered a threat by the military regime and are frequently imprisoned.\nThe constitution committee is authorized to work on a draft of a constitution it hopes to one day be implemented in Burma. \nHowever, the committee has competition from the Burma military government, which is working on a separate draft of the constitution the committee said would be very different from Aung's and Lao's version. \n"The (national convention sponsored by the Burma military government) wants to keep the power in the hands of the military for as long as they can," Lao said.\nLao said the main goals of the federal constitution committee are to create a constitution that focuses on sovereign power, gender equality, minority rights, federal principles and a common ground for the ethnically diverse state of Burma.\nAs long as the military regime is in control, the mistreatment of women and ethnic minorities will exist in Burma, Lao said.\n"Forced labor, relocation, torture, rape and killings will continue with the military in power," Lao said. "The increased number of military troops (about 500,000 in the country) puts women at a greater risk of sexual violence."\nLao said the military has also failed to provide desired public services to the people. Forty percent of the country's gross domestic product is allocated to the military, while only 1 percent goes toward health and education, Lao said. \nUnder military rule, there is no respect for freedom of speech, Aung said. In response, groups such as the Women's League of Burma have used the Internet as a tool to spread secretly ideas throughout the region.\n"The (Women's League of Burma) is an umbrella for several other groups and produces news for refugees around the world," Aung said. "In this way we can use the Internet as a tool to attack the military regime." \nThe lecture garnered significant interest from students wanting to know more about what is occurring in Burma. First-year law students Jonathan Henriques and Christian Clark said they both attended the lecture because of personal interest they have concerning the situation.\n"I studied ethnic conflict (as an) undergraduate, and I am very interested in what is going on in Burma," Clark said. "I wanted a better understanding of the situation, why the military regime is so powerful, what can be done and the struggle for women."\nHenriques said he has followed the work of the lecturers indirectly and wanted to learn more concerning the process of creating a constitution in Burma.\n"I am interested in constitutional reform and the development of a constitution in Burma," Henriques said. "It is good to engage with people who have firsthand experience."\nClark said she is aware of the positive influence the Internet has had in the women's movement in Burma.\n"They can create online groups to exchange information and have direct contact with others," Clark said. "The Internet has become very empowering."\nTwo more lectures will be take place in the law school today concerning the conflict in Burma. At noon, a lawyer from Burma will discuss the problem of practicing law in a military regime, and at 4 p.m., a panel will discuss the process of drafting a constitution.