United Nations flatters only to deceive
You only have to read the following article by Kanbawza Win to recognize how futile and puerile have been the efforts of United Nations envoys to Burma, in particular Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, the Special Human Rights Rapporteur, to achieve any progress towards democratic reform in Burma. If the free world waited for the United Nations to act, no one would be better pleased than the Burmese Dictator Generals, or the many tyrants and bullies around the world who starve or murder their own people in the cause of bogus "nationalism."
"The truth is," Melanie Phillips writes in the Daily Mail (March 10, 2003), "that the UN has long been part of the problem, not the solution. It is not merely a oorrupt bureaucracy that cannot even enforce its own resolutions. It has also become an accomplice to terror itself, dominated by despots or tyrannical regimes, presiding over refugee camps that have turned into terror factories under its nose."
Please read the following article and decide for yourself what possible use can be made of the United Nations.
Modern
Burma in the Historical Context
By Kanbawza Win
- Mizzima News - March 7,2003
I was rather astounded to read the news of Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, the United Nations Special Human Rights Rapporteur on Burma call to engage and not to isolate the genocidal Burmese Junta. This Brazilian academic wrote to take stock of, acknowledge and evaluate the ongoing effects of incremental change which have taken place. I could not believe my eyes of such absurdities.
Looking from the perspective of the historical context of Burma, one could not comprehend what he is saying by incremental changes. When Burma gained independence from Great Britain and formed the Union of Burma under the democratic government, the opium production was just barely 170 tons for medical purpose, especially for making morphine injection. But when the current Junta takes over it has climbed up to 02822 tons in 1996 and of course in the last two years, the production was reduced due to bad weather and the figure come down to less than 1000 tons as compiled by the DEA. Shall we call this and incremental changes? Prior to 1988, before the Junta came to power, there is not a single known drug war lord in Burma but now there are scores of drug war lords, wanted by the United States, who are the shining gentlemen of Rangoon. At least in this respect, because the name of new drug war lords being added to the old ones we could perhaps construe as an incremental changes.
There is no such thing as ethnic cleansing under the Union of Burma and Myanmar and non Myanmar are treated equally even though there may be some disgruntled groups. The ethnic nationalities threw their lot with the Myanmar and in the defense of Rangoon against theenemy it was the Chin and the Kachin soldiers that fought shoulder to shoulder with the Myanmar soldiers and made supreme sacrifices to protect the solidarity of the Union. Now, there is not a single ethnic nationality that does not raised armed insurrection against the Junta even though some have reluctantly enter into a stalemated ceasefire agreement. Previously Karen is the only major group that fought the Union and now more than half a dozen are still fighting.
What incremental changes in this respect? Shall we tow the Junta's line and count the Wa (who are previously communist) with the right to trade in narcotics? Or the Kachin because the Chinese cooperated with the Junta forces to attack from behind? The country name itself is Myanmar, not only indicating that all the other ethnic nationalities must kow tow to the Myanmar tribe, but was able to twist the arm of the international community by forcing them to recognize the fair name of the country not by the English word of Burma but by a Myanmar language. Is this what Pinheiro call as incremental changes?
There is no such thing as gross human rights violation or systematic rapes in ethnic cleansing by the Tatmadaw (Burmese army) before 1962 and now the world has known what the Junta's army is doing. What form of incremental changes in this respect? Has the killings of innocent villagers, raping of ethnic women, forced labor especially pottering, forced relocation of villages and the living quarters of the working people , religious discrimination couple by the liquidations of religions leaders, arresting of political opponents, forced conscription, the four cuts policy of Junta and so on have stop? All these are going unabated and yet Pinherio called for down to earth discussion. How can there be discussion when one is under severe attack?
Of course he is absolutely correct when he said that "the people of the country should not be held hostage" and that he should tell the Junta not to make the entire people of Burma hostage by the gun and threaten them if the international community do not respond positively to its demand. But we have serious doubts of whether he got the guts to tell these phrases to the marauding Burmese Generals.
It was shocking to read his report to the 59th session of the Commission on Human Rights where on section 54 it said, "There were many political dialogues in other South-East Asian countries that were completed before they faced the demands for participatory democracy, namely elections, labor standards and human rights." Accordingly, the Special Rapporteur is of the view that the sooner the international community is ready to assist, the better and smoother the change will be in Burma. He therefore continues to urge the international community to engage with the Junta even before it introduces democratic reforms. In other words he wants the Junta to be legitimized and left the people of Burma at the whims and fancies these generals that do not have a vocabulary for mercy. The world is civilized enough to understand the dictators, especially the Burmese generals, and now the only point which they may fail to understand is why the Special Rapporteur plays advocacy for these sordid generals.
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the Peace Nobel laureate and legally elected leader of the people of Burma said last month that "international pressure should be maintained to force progress in Burma, and that they are critical to bringing about democracy in Burma" and yet Pinheiro is calling for engagement and not for isolation. Perhaps he has taken a leaf out of ASEAN's infamous Constructive Engagement Policy. Yet sometimes he contradict his own statement when he mentioned that, "it is crucial to follow, understand and strengthen the internal forces within Myanmar, as in the end only they will be able to bring about possibilities for change" Obviously the most strengthen internal forces is the one selected by the people, the NLD and they must be encouraged at all cost for they will bring the possibility for change. .
He has also ask us "to bear in mind that to create international policies conducive to change in a world where human rights after 11 September 2001 tend to be given a back seat, it must be recognized that the willingness and the capacity of the international community are very limited indeed". A hundred percent right and what he need only is to ask Uncle Sam to use force to restore human rights in Burma as according to his words "The sooner the international community is ready to assist, the better and smoother the change will be in Burma," The entire Burmese people would support this stance. He should also tell the US that threatening of more sanctions is not enough.
Of course the international community is not naive as they can view it from the historical context of Burma and Pinherio is correct when he commented "The international community must have its eyes wide open to see the nuclei of change." Hence the barometer of Burma should not be the undertakings of this one and a half decade of harsh military rule but in the entire context of the military coup since 1962 and weigh whether there is any positive attitude or just an attempt on the part of the current military leaders. For after all the Burmese people's hope for its former democratic days of pre 1962 is not much of a high expectations of the ideal game scenario.
No
plan to talk to NLD and we are not afraid of USA
Democratic Voice
of Burma - January 28 2003
It is reported that the SPDC's Council member, Lt-Gen Soe Win said that the SPDC has no plan to talk to the NLD. The comment was made at a meeting of USDA members, local authorities and civil servants on the 21st of this month in Prome [Pyi]. He emphasised that the SPDC not only won't talk to the NLD but also would never handover power to the NLD. He then urged and directed the civil servants to do what they have to do and not to contact the NLD.
General Soe Win was the Commander of the Northwest Command and he became a member of the SPDC in November 1997. He was promoted to the position of Commander of Air Defence in November 2001 and he is also an honorary member of the USDA.
General Soe Win and group toured Pegu and Irrawaddy Divisions to rally people during last week and on Tuesday; he arrived at Hinthada and met the local USDA members. On Friday, he met members of the USDA at the City Hall of Bassein. The details of the meetings are not known but he told them that the situation in Burma has improved since the SPDC took over the country by building roads and schools. He also guaranteed that there would be no military intervention against Burma by the American government like it is doing against Iraq. The SPDC won't accept that either. He also added that as Burma is friendly with China, this kind of scenario could be protected against.
Remarks
on the current political situation in Burma
by Dr Zar Ni, founder
of the Free Burma Coalition
All politics is local, it is often said. Those who embrace and practice "Kissingerite realitik" might say all politics is permanently self-interest driven, or at least the kind that poisons the essentially noble mission of "politics" as it lacks moral and ethnical components.
In the new neo-colonialist scrambles for the world's resources, most infamously OIL, democratic aspirations of the overwhleming majority of Burmese peoples have sadly been thwarted as both western investors and traders and the Asian neighbors have rid themselves of any pretensions of moral and human concerns (for the plight of the Burmese). Ethical concerns, empathy and compassions are dirty words for those who seek, as an act of national foreign policies, geo-political and short-term economic interests of the national business-political-military elites.
Beijing's "better-rich-than-red" regime is anxious to make sure the little Burmese brothers in uniform in its southern neighborhood forever bow to the big "pauk-hpaw" or "blood-relatives" for advise, support and crums of loan. The Chinese have practically, if unofficially, done a great job of population transfer from its land-locked Yunnan province to towns and cites throughout Upper Burma. As truck-loads of Burma's teak and other valuable wood (and agricultural products) head north (toward China), Chinese trade convoys roll down south.
Now turn to Burma's eastern neighbor and historical enemy.
The Royal Thai kingdom
and its ruling elites continue to practice their trade-mark foreign policy,
namely "smooth-as-silk" politics of accommodation. That kingdom
has always been hospitable to Western imperialists of all stripes and
colors, as well as Asian tyrants that possess an overwheling fire power
(e.g., Japanese on the eve of WWII), trading away extra-territorial privileges
with the minimal self-survival of the court (and now military and business)
elites. As it embraces the
tyranical neighbor in Rangoon, it is cracking down on the peaceful activities
of Burmese freedom fighters and refugees on its soil.
India, the world's largest democracy, too, is anxious to jump on the appeasement band wagon. When there are crums of economic gains and strategic cooperation to be had from the thuggish regime, why gives a damn about your neighboring people's cry for solidarity?
Alas, some prominent western interests don't want to be outdone in this contest of immorality. Recent official visit to Burma by David Rockefeller who expressed no qualm about doing business with the Burmese generals amply illustrate that Asian brutes and creepy businessmen-cum-states-men don't have sole propriety over (extreme) greed, moral bankcruptcy and ruthlessness. Irrespective of skin color, geographic location, religious faith and creed, these humanly attributes are equitably distributed among the men of lesser breed, who can hardly resist their baser urges for wealth (at any cost, to other peoples).
Against this sceneario of tyrants and "bottom-line" men forging ties, Burma's democratic struggle doesn't seem to have much room to make a difference in the lives of the 50-million people.
It is then all the more important that citziens of the world lend the Burmese freedom fighters a hand of solidarity. Only the people can free themselves from the yoke of oppression and forces of greed, not the governments that, by definition, practice "real politik."
Burmese generals not in favour of an immediate dialogue
By - K.T.Rajasingham
Bangkok, Jan. 21: According to diplomatic sources, the chances of a dialogue between Aung San Suu Kyi, the Leader of the National League for Democracy and Burmese Army Generals are very bleak. The present political situation clearly indicates that the army generals who run the Government is not the least interested in entering into any such dialogues.
A senior diplomat based in Thailand, who recently returned from his official visit to Rangoon told Asian Tribune that Senior General Than Shwe, Chair- man of State Peace and Development Council seems to remain embolden after his recent two successful official visits - Bangladesh and China.
The diplomat who wishes to remain anonymous told that Senior General Than Shwe feels that he is in a very strong position. The diplomat further disclosed that according to his information, the chances of Burmese Army Generals coming forward to enter into any form of a dialogue is almost nil in the near future, with the Nobel laureate and the Leader of Opposition Aung San Suu Kyi.
He said that he was in touch with a cross section of the political elites in Rangoon and also with the foreign and other ministry officials during his stay over there and almost all of them he met have told him that the senior army generals have already pooh-pooh the idea of dialogue.
The diplomat further added that when he was there in Rangoon, Li Langing, Vice Premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China and his entourage was there. During the meeting with the Chinese Vice Premier, Myanmar expressed desire for further cooperation with China in all sector, whilst China expressed its desire to enhance economic and trade cooperation with Myanmar.
He added that China
undoubtedly is the only Asian superpower and has always supported the
generals. Meanwhile, India another Asian regional power too has established
close cordial relationship with the Burmese
Generals.
Relations between the present Indian Government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Burma have begun to strengthen in the last few years. Though Delhi still continues to insists that it wishes to see a democratically-elected government in Rangoon, but the Indian policy changed some years ago and ever since then India has sought better relations with the generals.
China, India, Thailand and even the other ASEAN member countries are all involved in constructive engagement with the Burmese government led by the generals. Therefore, the diplomat said that the questioning pressuring the Army Generals for talks with the opposition to introduce democratic form of government does not arise
The Western diplomat, who was recently on an official visit to Rangoon, told Asian Tribune that the visit of Thai Prime Minister Dr.Thakshin Shinwatara is to be rescheduled and expected the visit to take place by the second week of February, according to sources in Rangoon. Thai Prime Minister, who visited Burma earlier in June 2001, plans to visit Burma again next month for talks.