Set the Torturers Free: Transitional Justice and Peace vs Justice Dilemma in Burma/Myanmar

• Authors: Lubina Michał
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

Burma/Myanmar seems to be a perfect ground for transitional justice with both long-failed transitions to democracy that seemed to succeed in 2015 finally and smouldering civil war taking place there since 1948 (since the 1990s limited to Borderlands). Unfortunately, the political realities in Burma/Myanmar make it unlikely, if not impossible, for transitional justice to be applicable in Burma/Myanmar. The victorious in 2015 elections democratic opposition party, National League for Democracy (NLD) came to power thanks to the political deal with the former military government and is consequently being forced to cohabitate politically with the army that still holds critical political checks over the government. It made NLD’s leader, Aung San Suu Kyi to conduct moderate domestic policy without trying to charge the generals for their former crimes. In this circumstances, transitional justice is unwanted by mainstream political actors (NLD, the army) and seen as threatening to peace by many in the Myanmar society. This approach firmly places Burma/Myanmar on one side of the ‘peace vs justice’ dilemma. It answers the “torturer problem”, one of the central problems of transitional justice – how to deal with members of the previous regime which violated human rights – in ‘old fashion’ way, by granting them full amnesty. As such Burma/Myanmar case also falsifies an optimistic claim that transitional justice is necessary for political reforms.

Keywords

EN

Burma; Myanmar; transitional justice; transitional justice in; Burma/Myanmar; Aung San Suu Kyi; torturer’s problem

• Publisher: Wydawnictwo Adam Marszałek
• Journal: Polish Political Science Yearbook
• Year: 2018
• Volume: 1 (47)
• Pages: 77-96

Contributors

author

Lubina Michał

• Jagiellonian University in Kraków (Poland)Burma; Myanmar; transitional justice; transitional justice in Burma/ Myanmar; Aung San Suu Kyi; torturer’s problemBurma; Myanmar; transitional justice; transitional justice in Burma/ Myanmar; Aung San Suu Kyi; torturer’s problem

References

• Aung San Suu Kyi (1991/2010). “In quest for Democracy”. In M. Aris (Ed.), Aung San Suu Kyi. Freedom from Fear and other writings (pp. 167–180). London: Penguin Books.
• Aung San Suu Kyi (1991/2010). “The Need for Solidarity Among Ethnic Groups” In M. Aris (Ed.), Aung San Suu Kyi. Freedom from Fear and other writings (pp. 218–224). London: Penguin Books
• Aung San Suu Kyi, & Clements, A. (1996/2008). The Voice of Hope. London, Sydney, Auckland, Johannesburg: Rider Books.
• Aung Zaw (2016a, January 29). “From the Archive: Than Shwe-Suu Kyi Meet Intensifies Intrigue During Testing Transition”. The Irrawaddy. Retrieved from: https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/military/from-the-archive-than-shwe-suu-kyi-meet-intensifies-intrigue-during-testing-transition.html.
• Aung Zaw (2016b, May 16). “Army to Rebrand Itself as New Political Reality Sets in”. The Irrawaddy. Retrieved from: http://www.burmanet.org/news/2016/05/16/the-irrawaddy-army-to-rebrand-itself-as-new-political-reality-sets-in-aung-zaw/.
• Bünte M., Portela C. (2012). “Myanmar: The Beginning of Reforms and the End of Sanctions”, GIGA Papers nr 3/2012. Retrieved from: http://www.eu-asiacentre.eu/documents/uploads/pub_55_focusmyanmar.pdf.
• “Burmese government urged to investigate the enforced disappearance of Sumlut Roi Ja” (2014, October 28). FIDH. Retrieved from: https://www.fidh.org/en/region/asia/burma/16329-burmese-government-urged-to-investigate-the-enforced-disappearance-of.
• “Constitution of the Union of Myanmar” (2008). Burma Online Library. Retrieved from: http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs5/Myanmar_Constitution-2008-en.pdf.
• David, R., & Holliday, I. (2006). “Set the Junta Free: Pre-transitional Justice in Myanmar’s Democratisation”. Australian Journal of Political Science, 41(1), pp. 91–105.
• David, R., & Holliday, I. (2012). “International sanctions or international justice? Shaping political development in Myanmar”. Australian Journal of International Affairs, 66(2), pp. 121–138.
• Dukalskis, A. (2015). “Transitional Justice in Burma/Myanmar: Crossnational Patterns and Domestic Context”. Irish Studies in International Affairs, 26, pp. 83–97.
• Dukalskis, A. (2017). The authoritarian public sphere: Legitimization and autocratic power in North Korea, Burma, and China. London-New York: Routledge.
• Dugard, J. (1999). “Dealing with Crimes of a Past Regime: Is Amnesty Still an Option?” Leiden Journal of International Law, 12(4), p. 1001–1015.
• Egreteau R., & Jagan L. (2013). Soldiers and Diplomacy in Burma. Understanding the Foreign Relations of the Burmese Praetorian State. Singapore: National University of Singapore Press.
• Fink, Ch. (2009). Living Silence in Burma. Surviving Under Military Role. Chiang Mai-London: Silkworm/Zed Books.
• Fletcher, L.E., Weinstein, H.M., & Rowen, J. (2009). “Context, Timing and the Dynamics of Transitional Justice: A Historical Perspective”. Human Rights Quarterly, 31(1), pp. 165–220.
• Fuller, Th. (2015, August 8). “Myanmar’s Democracy Icon Find Herself Assailed as Authoritarian”. New York Times. Retrieved from: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/29/world/asia/myanmar-democracy-icon-finds-herself-assailed-as-authoritarian.html.
• Galtung, J. (1996). Peace by Peaceful Means: Peace and Conflict, Development and Civilization. Oslo: International Peace Research Institute & Sage Publications.
• “Guidance Note of The Secretary-General. United Nations Approach to Transitional Justice”. (2010, March). United Nations. Retrieved from: https://www.un.org/ruleoflaw/files/TJ_Guidance_Note_March_2010FINAL.pdf
• Herz, J.H. (1982). Conclusion in: From Dictatorship to Democracy: Coping with the Legacies of Authoritarianism and Totalitarianism. Westport-London: Greenwood Press.
• Holliday, I. (2005). “Rethinking the United States’ Myanmar Policy.” Asian Survey 2005, 45(4), pp. 603–621.
• Holliday, I. (2011). Burma Redux. Global Justice and the Quest for Political Reform in Myanmar. New York: Columbia University Press.
• Holliday, I. (2014). “Thinking about transitional justice in Myanmar”. South East Asia Research, 22(2), pp. 183–200.
• Huntington, S. (1991). The Third Wave: Democratization in the Late Twentieth Century. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press.
• Krotoszyński, M. (2017). “Transitional Justice Models and Analytic Philosophy: Towards Theory“. Polish Political Science Yearbook, 46(2), pp. 9–22. DOI: dx.doi.org/10.15804/ppsy2017201.
• Levin, A. M. (2011). “Transitional Justice in Burma: A Survey of Accountability and National Reconciliation Mechanisms after Aung San Suu Kyi’s Release”. Human Rights Brief, 18(2). Retrieved from: http://digitalcommons.wcl.american.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1160&context=hrbrief.
• Lintner, B. (1999). Burma in Revolt. Opium and Insurgency Since 1948. Chiang Mai: Silkworm Books.
• Lubina, M. (2013). “The Burmese thaw. Regime’s new lifting or a transformation of political system?”. Journal of Modern Science, 16, pp. 443–458.
• Lubina, M. (2016). “It’s Complicated: United States, Aung San Suu Kyi and U.S.-Burma Relations”. Acta Asiatica Varsoviensia, 29, pp. 131–146.
• Lubina, M. (2017). “In search of a “round table”: Myanmar’s transformation and the Polish experiences”. In A. Bolesta (Ed.), Post-Communist development: Europe's experiences, Asia's challenges. Warszawa: Collegium Civitas.
• Mani, R. (2002). Beyond Retribution: Seeking Justice in the Shadows of War. Maiden, MA: Polity.
• Mann Zarni (2015, December 7). “Forgive Those Who Wronged Us, Suu Kyi Tells NLD”. The Irrawaddy. Retrieved from: https://www.irrawaddy.com/election/news/forgive-those-who-wronged-us-suu-kyi-tells-nld.
• Marszałek-Kawa, J., & Wawrzyński, P. (2016). “Remembrance, Identity Politics and Political Transitions: A Comparative Study”. Polish Political Science Yearbook, 45, pp. 11–21. DOI: dx.doi.org/10.15804/ppsy2016001.
• Marszałek-Kawa, J., Wawrzyński, P., & Ratke-Majewska, A. (2017). The Politics of Memory in Post-Authoritarian Transitions, Volume Two: Comparative Analysis. Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.
• “Memorialisation as Related to Transitional Justice Processes in Burma/Myanmar: an Exploration” (2014). Impunity Watch Report. Retrieved from: http://www.impunitywatch.org/docs/BurmaCountryExploration.pdf.
• Millar, G. (2011). “Between Western theory and local practice: Cultural impediments to truth‐telling in Sierra Leone”. Conflict Resolution Quarterly, 29, pp. 177–199.
• “Myanmar: Amnesty International oral statement at 35th session of the UN Human Rights Council” (2017, June 15). Amnesty International. Retrieved from: https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/asa16/6408/2017/en/.
• “Myanmar’s New Government: Finding its Feet?” (2016, July 26). International Crisis Group, Asia Report, 282.
• Nagy, R. (2008). “Transitional Justice as Global Project: Critical Reflections”. Third World Quarterly, 29(2), pp. 275–289.
• “NLD ‘not seeking revenge’ for the past, says Suu Kyi” (2015, October 12). ThaiBSP. Retrieved from: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/nld-not-seeking-revenge-for-the-past-says-suu-kyi/.
• Oomen, B. (2005). “Donor-driven justice and its discontents: the case of Rwanda”. Development and Change, 36(5), pp. 887–910.
• “Our Work” (2017b). ICTJ. Transitional Justice Issues. Retrieved from: https://www.ictj.org/our-work.
• Philpot, S. (2000). Rethinking Indonesia. Postcolonial Theory, Authoritarianism and Identity. London: McMillan Press.
• Pillay, S. (2009). Conclusion, in: Peace versus Justice? The Dilemma of Transitional Justice in Africa. Scottville: University of Kwa-Zulu-Natal Press.
• Przeworski, A. (1991). Democracy and the Market: Political and Economic Reforms in Eastern Europe and Latin America. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
• Quintana. T.O. (2010, March 20). “Human Rights Situations that Require The Council’s Attention”. Progress report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, A/HRC/13/48.
• “Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council” (2016, September 30). A/HRC/RES/33/19. Retrieved from: http://undocs.org/A/HRC/RES/33/19.
• Roht-Arriaza, N. (2006). The new landscape of transitional justice. In: N. Roht-Arriaza & J. Mariezcurrena (Eds.), Transitional Justice in the Twenty-First Century. New York: Cambridge University Press
• Sarkin, J. (2000). “Dealing with past human rights abuses: Promoting reconciliation in a future democratic Burma”. Legal Issues On Burma Journal, 7. Retrieved from: http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs/LIOB07-Sarkin.htm.
• “Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar” (2011). Human Rights Council Sixteenth session UN General Assembly, A/HRC/16/L.11. Retrieved from: http://www.burmalibrary.org/docs11/HRC16L.11.pdf.
• Smith, M. (1991/1999). Burma. Insurgency and the Politics of Ethnicity. London-New York-Bangkok-Dhaka: Zed Books, White Lotus.
• Spiro, M.E. (1982). Buddhism and Society. A Great Tradition and Its Burmese Vicissitudes. Berkeley-London-Los Angeles: University of California Press.
• Sriram, Ch. L. (2009). “Introduction. Transitional Justice and Peacebuilding”. In C.L. Sriram & S. Pillay (Eds.), Peace versus Justice? The Dilemma of Transitional Justice in Africa. Scottville: University of Kwa-Zulu-Natal Press.
• Szep, J., & Marshall, A.R.C. (2012). “Special Report: An image makeover for Myanmar Inc”. Reuters. Retrieved from: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-myanmar-cronies-image-idUSBRE83B0YU20120413.
• Szpak, A. (2017). “Indigenous Mechanisms of Transitional Justice as Complementary Instruments to State Justice Systems: Cases of mato oput in Uganda, bashingantahe Councils in Burundi and Navajos’ Custom of naat’aani”. Polish Political Science Yearbook, 46(2), pp. 55–70. DOI: dx.doi.org/10.15804/ppsy2017204.
• Tan, A. (2011). “Myanmar’s transitional justice: addressing a country’s past in a time of change”. SCLR, 85. Retrieved from: http://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/scal85&div=51&id=&page=.
• Teitel, R.G. (2000). Transitional Justice. New York: Oxford University Press.
• Thant Myint-U (2007). The River of Lost Footsteps. A Personal History of Burma. New York: FSG
• “The Prospect for Transitional Justice in Myanmar” (2015 November 5). “A brown bag lunch talk with Roman David, a Professor at the Department of Sociology and Social Policy”. Lingnan University, Harvard Kennedy School. Retrieved from: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/index.php/news-events/events-calendar/the-prospect-for-transitional-justice-in-myanmar/(selected)/1/(date)/1446440400.
• Thomson, A. (2016, November 3). “Prospects for Justice in Myanmar: Does New Political Reality Offer Opportunities for Addressing Violations?”. ICTJ. Retrieved from: https://www.ictj.org/publication/myanmar-justice-prospects-nld.
• Verdeja, E. (2009). Unchopping a Tree. Reconciliation in the Aftermath of Political Violence. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
• Weber, M. (1919/1946). “Politics as a Vocation”. Published as "Politik als Beruf". Gesammelte Politische Schriften. Munchen, 1921. Originally a speech at Munich University, 1918, published in 1919 by Duncker & Humboldt, Munich. In: H.H. Gerth and C. Wright Mills (1946, Transl. and ed.). From Max Weber: Essays in Sociology. New York: Oxford University Press.
• Weinstein J. M., Porter J.E. & Eizenstat S. (2004, May). “On the Brink, Weak States and US National Security. Report”. Center for Global Development. Retrieved from: https://www.cgdev.org/doc/books/weakstates/Full_Report.pdf.
• “What is Transitional Justice?” (2017a). ICTJ. Retrieved from: https://www.ictj.org/about/transitional-justice.
• “Who Killed Ja Seng Ing?” (2014, December 6). “Ja Seng Ing Truth Finding Committee”. Burmapartnership.org. Retrieved from: http://www.burmapartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/REPORT_Who-Killed-JSI_6.Dec_.14.pdf.