In a vote by the United Nations 192-nation Third Committee, which focuses on human rights issues, North Korea and Myanmar were condemed for widespread and human rights violations. Sort of. The vote on North Korea was 97 yea, 19 nea and 65 abstentions. On Myanmar the vote was 92 yea, 26 nea and, again, 65 absentions.

That means that on the Myanmar vote, 92 member nations voted to condem actions of the State Peace and Development Council, aka, Myanmar’s military dictators, but 91 chose to either not condemn the generals or fiddle about with themselves. That’s hardly a solid vote.

From Reuters:

Envoys from developing nations that rights groups have also accused of having poor human rights records — including China, Russia, Libya, Sudan, Syria, Egypt and Zimbabwe — told the committee that they generally reject such resolutions because they oppose singling out specific countries.

Myanmar’s U.N. envoy Than Swe rejected the resolution on his country, which said the assembly “strongly condemns the ongoing systematic violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms of the people of Myanmar.”

It also voiced “grave concern” at the recent trial and sentencing to further house arrest of Myanmar’s opposition leader, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, and urged the military junta to release her and all other political prisoners.

Than Swe said the resolution is “glaringly deficient” and little more than “another means to maintain pressure on Myanmar in tandem with sanctions.”

The message seems to be that if you can’t say something nice (or really nasty about the United States or Israel) you shouldn’t say anything at all.

And on the subject of documentary film awards:

Orphans of Burma’s Cyclone, made by two anonymous journalists who risked 30-year jail terms to film the lives of children left without parents by last year’s natural disaster, won the features award.

The Burmese film was the work of two cameramen from the media organisation Democratic Voice of Burma – known only as “Z” and “T” – who secretly followed eight orphans struggling to rebuild their lives after the devastation wrought by Cyclone Nargis.

Six months after filming the documentary, T was arrested, and last week, after four months in jail, he was told he would be charged with the new offence of filming without government permission.

The film was shot on location in Burma between May 2008 and March 2009 for the Oxford-based production company Quicksilver Media.

“Despite all the dangers, they still created a film narrative,” said the judges for the awards, which celebrate the work of freelance newsgatherers around the world. “It was a journey for each of the individual families – and you went on that journey with them.”

And, and, Burma VJ is on the long list of nominations for an Oscar in the Best Documentary category.

Share on Facebook