Distorted picture on Myanmar

I refer to the news on the situation in Myanmar in your Nov. 23, 1994 issue (Myanmarese army accused of severe human rights abuses) and other reports recently. A grossly distorted picture of the situation in my country has been presented internationally due to clever editing of Mr. Yokota's report at New York.

Lately in Thailand Mr. Yokota himself in a TV interview said: "the situation is much better.... and Myanmars living across the border in Thailand will be able to return home soon."

We look forward to the day when one-sided reporting, "clever" editing to present a distorted picture fueled by some hidden political agenda, will diminish. That would really help to establish democracy in Myanmar at the earliest possible date. My government is working towards that objective, and the National Convention has taken some substantive steps, by consensus, in that direction.

It is becoming apparent that some well-funded and influential lobbies in the West do not wish our National Convention to succeed. These lobbies, even in the past, have always gone all- out to love and support Asians who feel, think and talk like them (Madame Chiang Kai-shek?). They had never felt comfortable even with great Asians like Mahatma Gandhi.

So is it really democracy and human rights that are being vigorously championed across the world today? Does this banner have one consistent and universal standard? Or is it applied selectively over different periods in time, as it is certainly being done now differently for disparate nations.

There is peace and tranquility, and law and order, throughout Myanmar as never before in its history since World War II. We are fully capable of achieving it ourselves. In fact our country suffered tragic chaos, strife and instability during the parliamentary democracy period under U Nu. Then, two divisions of KMT (Taiwan) troops were supported strongly by outsiders on our sovereign soil. The massive communist insurrection under the Burma Communist Party was also inspired by other external interests.

It is also an undeniable fact that all the Western nations then preferred a right-wing military government which would join SEATO, to U Nu's democratic but strictly non-aligned government. By the definitions in vogue then, U Nu's elected government of the Union of Burma did not belong to the "Free World."

An assured peaceful situation internally, and a deeply religious and tolerant Buddhist tradition of compassion, are fundamentals which encompass all and permeate every aspect of life in Myanmar. However, in the years since 1990, various reports and speeches at "seminars or commissions" try vigorously to gloss-over, ignore or obliterate the best of Myanmar regularly every year in November -- to denigrate us by all means at the UN General assembly.

One consistent undercurrent, and thrust, of the hidden political agenda, is the effort to disintegrate the Union of Myanmar to enable some small remaining extremist groups to realize their far-fetched dreams to carve out little independent states. Due to total lack of historical and legal validity they cannot say so openly; but at this stage of their tactics only "self-determination" is uttered vaguely. They are strongly supported financially and otherwise by very influential NGO's.

In the early 1970's it is a fact that these extreme groups, after joining U Nu's expatriate group in rebellion against the government from the Myanmar-Thai border, fell out and murdered some prominent leaders of U Nu's group. U Nu then was willing to concede every "autonomy" to them except outright independence. So the whole movement and "alliance" collapsed.

SOE LYNN HAN

Press Officer

Myanmar Embassy

Jakarta