Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Dark patch in world conscience

Aug.5, 2008


Dark patch in world conscience


THE military regime in Myanmar continues to defy international conventions on human rights and rules the country with zero tolerance for political dissent and suppressing the democracy movement, persecuting ethnic minorities and imprisoning dissidents.
In effect, the regime is treating the people of Myanmar as its enemies and subjecting them to inhuman treatment.
The UN Human Rights Council said in November 2007 that at least 31 people were killed and 74 remained missing after mass anti-government protests that were violently put down by security forces who opened fire on crowds and beat people in the streets.
At least 1,850 political prisoners remain behind bars in the country.
Opposition leader and Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has been in prison or under house arrest continuously for the past five years, and on-and-off for nearly 13 of the past 19 years.
The junta committed its worst crime when it stonewalled relief efforts for the 2.5 million victims of Cyclone Nargis, which hit Myanmar three months ago, washing away entire villages and leaving more than 138,000 people dead or missing.
The military generals bent a little after coming under strong international pressure but they continue to make things difficult for UN and other international relief agencies.
And now it has been disclosed that the military regime requires cyclone survivors to pay back to the government any assistance offered.
It is against this backdrop that the UN's new human rights envoy for Myanmar is making his first visit to the country.
Not that United Nations special rapporteur Tomas Ojea Quintana, who took up his post in May, could make a real difference to the situation in the country. The junta does not have a record of respecting the UN or any other international organisation or agency.
The only means to make a difference to the people of Myanmar is through forcing the regime to step down and hand over power to a democratically elected government. The best tool to do this is economic isolation and pressure.
It took the US Treasury Department a long time before it imposed financial sanctions on companies suspected of being owned or controlled by the junta ruling Myanmar last week. These include 10 companies including two big conglomerates that each has extensive holdings in gem mining, banking and construction and are deemed to be very important to the government. It was indeed a commendable move, but the mission faces tougher hurdles.
China is the Myanmar junta's staunchest ally. It uses its clout to shield the military generals from international action. It even vetoed a move to bring Myanmar's human-rights record into the United Nations Security Council agenda this year. Surprisingly, India also has moved in to build economic bridges with Myanmar perhaps with a close eye on the growing Chinese influence with the military junta.
In any event, it is high time world governments, particularly of countries like China and India, recognised that the situation in Myanmar is a dark patch in the international conscience and could no longer be tolerated.