Just got home this evening and found an invite to appear on World Have Your Say programme on BBC World Service re Burma - however the programme was 18.00 today.A pity I missed it - although not sure how good I would have been at putting across all the complex issues - one point I would have made was the $83 million level of EU trade (2005) when the regime should be high on the list for sanctions. The Burma Campaign UK have long called for targeted economic sanctions, including an investment ban, a ban on financial transactions, an asset freeze, and a ban on imports of timber and gems.
The news today from Burma is not good - even Brown acknowledged that the death toll is suspected to be much higher than the official figures - but at last he calls for sanctions - but when will there be action? There are also reports of soldiers' mutineering - how many is unknown.
"China is the puppet-master of Burma. The Olympics is the only real lever we have to make China act. The civilised world must seriously consider shunning China by using the Beijing Olympics to send the clear message that such abuses of human rights are not acceptable."
Edward McMillan-Scott, vice-president of the European Parliament
"We still believe that the processes under way in Myanmar do not threaten international and regional peace and security. We expect the country's authorities, as well as the participants in protest marches, to exercise mutual constraint not to allow further destabilisation of the situation."
Russian Foreign Ministry statement
"I extend my support and solidarity with the recent peaceful movement for democracy in Burma. I fully support their call for freedom and democracy and take this opportunity to appeal to freedom-loving people all over the world to support such non-violent movements. Moreover, I wish to convey my sincere appreciation and admiration to the large number of fellow Buddhists monks for advocating democracy and freedom in Burma. As a Buddhist monk, I am appealing to the members of the military regime who believe in Buddhism to act in accordance with the sacred dharma in the spirit of compassion and non-violence. I pray for the success of this peaceful movement and the early release of fellow Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi."
Dalai Lama - Message to Burma
Take action here (and see previous blog entries on Burma):
http://www.burmacampaign.org.uk/crackdown.php
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SchNEWS Issue 604 - Friday, 28th September 2007
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THINGS CAN ONLY GET BUDDHA
...AS SchNEWS EXAMINES THE SUDDEN INTEREST IN HUMAN RIGHTS IN BURMA
"I call on those who embrace the values of human rights and freedom to support the legitimate demands of the Burmese people." - George Bush.
Burma's people are on the streets. Simmering discontent with the military junta that keeps millions in poverty boiled over into saffron-clad streetrage this week. The biggest clashes since 1988 were sparked by a 500% rise in the price of fuel, which also sent the cost of foodstuffs soaring. The first march by students and monks on 19th August led to series of protests; a movement which has been confronted with countrywide curfews, tear gas and live fire. There is no doubting their courage but why the sudden outpouring of concern for human rights from the West's leaders? And why is it twenty years late?
Gordon gave us the answer in a comment piece in the Independent when he came to the heart of the matter - "Burma should be one of the most promising economies in south-east Asia. Instead, it is one of the poorest countries in the region."
Roughly translated - Burma's military junta just aren't very good at ensuring that enough of the country's natural wealth ends up in the hands of the western corporations. And recently, instead of opening the country up to western investment, the regime has become more friendly with regional superpower China. During the first seven months of this year, China-Burmese trade reached £600m up 40% compared to last year. So suddenly the West swings behind the idea of sanctions - maybe if the junta can be ousted then we could find more PR friendly people with whom we could do business.
The clashes in 1988 led to mass repression and the deaths of 3000, but extracted the promise of an election out of the junta. This was won outright two years later by the NLD, personified in the West by Aung San Suu Kyi who's been under house arrest for 11 years. Suu Kyi has achieved a Mandela-like status in the West in recent years, and Gordon demanded that any solution in Burma have her "at its heart". However her party has little control over the uprising. In fact they've been pleading from the sidelines for the gatherings not to become an excuse to topple the regime, preferring the adoption of sanctions by the international community to bring the junta to the negotiating table.
Burma solidarity campaigners have been screaming for sanctions for twenty years but apart from an arms embargo, the EU has only issued 'guidance' on investment. The largest western investor is French oil conglomerate, Total. The UK follows with $26m in trade but 'recommends' that the multinationals shouldn't increase trade with Burma. The EU - policing its guidelines - has confiscated a wallet-busting four grand. With such a brutal regime in power, it's also a little embarrassing when by 2000, the EU was responsible for almost three-quarters of all investment and nearly one third of those corporations doing business in the country had their headquarters based in Europe. Profits from foreign investment have helped double military spending at the same time the public health and education systems have crumbled. Outside investment is not the answer in Burma - it's the problem. What the west would like to see in Burma is a transition to 'democracy' of a wearyingly familiar market variety.
The question is: when the military junta eventually have to step away from government (although not necessarily power), will a free and newly elected Aung San Suu Kyi sign on the dotted line with the IMF and World Bank? And will there be a deal for Western support or will she think a little more carefully about the historical precedent and tell foreign investors where to shove it? Answers on a postcard to the usual address....
* For more background about Burma see www.burmacampaign.org.uk
* Read John Pilger's book 'Freedom Next Time', about how corporate interests exert power over former authoritarian regimes - www.johnpilger.com
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