British hypocrisy over arms sales to Burma and 3 cheers to Rough Guides

A new report shows that European Union and US companies are involved in the production of military helicopters likely to be sold to Burma (also known as Myanmar). See BBC news item and link to report here. Nine human rights organisations, including Amnesty International and Campaign against Arms Trade (UK), commissioned the report entitled “Indian helicopters for Myanmar (Burma) making a mockery of the EU arms embargo.”

The EU embargo explicitly states that no military equipment should be supplied, either directly or indirectly, for use in Burma. What's the point in having an arms embargo if it is not going to be implemented or enforced? To allow this sale to go ahead is basically indirectly propping up one of the world's most brutal regimes. Do we not ever learn?

Let us not forget that Burmas brutal dictatorship:
- forces around 8 million people to build roads, railways and other projects. Forced labourers face punishments including beatings, torture, rape and murder.
- forces more than 50,000 children to become soldiers : a greater number than any other country in the world.
- has 'ethnically cleansed' over half a million minority peoples.
- has refused to hand power to Aung San Suu Kyi's Party, the National League for Democracy : which won 82% of the seats in Burma's 1990 election.
- has made Burma the world's leading producer of heroin and opium.

The European Green party have published a press release on yesterdays report re Burma. EGP Co-spokesperson Ulrike Lunacek said: “The European Union imposed an arms embargo on Burma in 1988 and this embargo was renewed as recently as 2006. However, according to this new report, companies from Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden and the United Kingdom, as well as the United States, have been involved in the manufacture of the AHL helicopters which were supplied to the Indian army in conjunction with the Indian conglomerate Hindustan Aeronautics Limited. If, as appears highly likely, the Indian government supplies some of these helicopters to Burma, then the EU’s arms embargo will have been shown to be so weak that it will no longer be credible. Indeed, as the report says, such a sale would “make a mockery of the EU arms embargo.”

EGP Co-spokesperson Philippe Lamberts continued: “We in the European Green Party will be putting pressure on the EU to ensure that it tightens up its arms embargo against Myanmar. We also call on the European companies involved in the manufacture of the AHL helicopters to respond in an open and transparent manner to requests from human rights organisations for clarification in this matter, and to tighten up their own procedures so that third-party sales of arms to oppressive regimes like that of Burma can be avoided.”

Don't visit Burma

Back in 1985 before the call for a boycott on travel to Burma I was fortunate to spend some time there and since then have been an active campaigner on this issue. Key campaigns have been writing to numerous holiday and clothing companies and Total Oil - the campaigns had many successes and led to many of those companies withdrawing from Burma. However one noteable company that has refused to budge is Lonely Planet.

As part of the Tourism Boycott, the Burma Campaign has been calling for a consumer boycott of Lonely Planet guide books until the company withdraws its guide to Burma. Lonely Planet publishes a guide to Myanmar (Burma) and actively promotes tourism to Burma, despite knowing the many ways that tourism lends support to the brutal dictatorship in Burma.

In contrast, the publisher Rough Guides has adopted an ethical stance with regard to Burma:
"There are occasional instances where any benefits (from tourism) are overshadowed by the nature of the social and political climate. Apartheid South Africa was an example. Burma, with its brutal dictatorship, state control of the economy and forced labour used to build its tourist infrastructure, is another. As long as the military regime remains in power and Aung San Suu Kyi - leader of the democratically elected National League for Democracy - requests that tourists do not visit, Rough Guides will not publish a guide to the country."

I used to always buy Lonely Planet after developing an affection for them when I spent many months traveling around India after my postgrad Social Work qualification back in 85. Now I never do - their position is utterly indefensible in my view. Shame on them. You can email Lonely Planet here to tell them what you think.

See also recent campaign sending pineapples to the Government - I never even received an acknowledgement when I sent my tin.