On December 10th of this year, a small group of Moulmein youths held a secret celebration for Human Rights Day in their city, for the second year in a row.
The organizers of the event informed IMNA that the celebrations were begun last year, as part of an ongoing effort to educate their peers about the disparities between the human rights violations suffered in Burma and the human rights enjoyed by citizens of other nations; the celebration organizers also informed IMNA that they hope that the event spurred participants to actively pursue gaining increased human rights in Burma in the upcoming 2010 election.
“The organizers of the Human Rights Day celebration welcomed the people who attended the celebration, and fed them noodles and coffee. During the celebration, the organizers showed a video about human rights to these people. Some people who were in the celebration were watching the video with surprised faces. Because they have never seen how [compared to the outside world] the Burmese government does violence to human rights,” a Moulmein who attended the celebration told IMNA.
“This year, 30 people attending the human rights celebration, it started at 10 a.m and it ended at 12 p.m. Only 10 people attended the celebration last year. [This year] three different ethnics attended the celebration. These were Mon, Burmese, Karen and youths who are working at NGO organizations”, the Moulmein youth who organized the celebration told IMNA.
The event organizer also informed IMNA that the 30 people who attended the secret event learned about the celebration via personal invite. Secrecy was a necessary measure due to the fact that Moulmein government officials forbade Human Rights Day celebrations; such an act, the event’s organizer informed IMNA, only confirms the Burmese government’s desire to ensure that the citizens of Burma remain uneducated about basic human rights.
Depending on Burma’s political situation, and the results of the 2010 elections, the event’s organizers informed IMNA that they plan to hold a 3rd annual celebration of Human Rights Day in Moulmein again next year.
