EU mission arrives in Burma at a critical moment
EU mission arrives in Burma at a critical moment
BANGKOK: The EU mission to Burma this week could make or break
the military regime. For the past 12 years, the European Union
has been at the forefront of the anti-Burmese drive around the
world. The last visit by a team from the EU was pretty much
unsuccessful in that it did not produce any positive results.
Now, with much enthusiasm and optimism preceding this latest
mission, especially after the success of the recent trip by UN
Special Envoy for Burma, Dato Ismail Razali, the EU group is in
sight of making concrete progress in Rangoon.
Last week's release of Tin Oo, the vice-chairman of the
opposition National League for Democracy, and the junta's talks
with Aung San Suu Kyi certainly augur well for a positive visit.
Any meeting between the EU delegation and opposition leader
Suu Kyi will offer a first-hand glimpse into her condition and
the political situation there.
Given the track record of the junta and the fact that the
media and security apparatus are tightly controlled, there is the
danger of being fooled by what is happening in the country.
After all, the State Peace and Development Council, as the
regime is officially known, has learned all the tricks in
handling the hostile international community.
Yet, hopes are high that the generals now realize that they
have to give a little before the international community is
prepared to loosen up. Now would seem to be the best time to do
so.
Lest one forgets, the junta leaders have suppressed the
democratic movement and violated human rights in every shape and
manner since they ruthlessly overturned the results of the
election of May 1990. So whatever progress has been made must be
weighted against this background.
For a long time now there have been many people anxious to see
things moving ahead in Burma and are therefore willing to
sacrifice principles and turn a blind eye to the worst excesses
of the junta.
Such is the case with North Korea. When a rogue state changes
its attitude, it can only be a welcome move. So if the junta
leaders are genuine, they should move quickly to establish trust
with the opposition and keep the momentum rolling.
Previously, there had been similar steps and optimism had
risen, but in typical junta fashion they were quickly crushed. It
is to be hoped that before the EU mission renders any credit to
the junta, the team is 100 per cent sure that the junta is
serious about national reconciliation.
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who met the
generals recently, said the junta might have an election sometime
in the future but that the people should understand that it is
not to be an occasion to hurt their regime. If that is the case,
then democracy in Burma is in for the long haul.
But Burma's economy is in a complete shambles and the generals
know it. The country needs assistance from all sides. Countries
that are friendly to Burma such as Japan and China, not to
mention the ASEAN states, are all looking for a reason to
increase their assistance and bolster their relationships, and
the EU mission could provide that.
Thailand, which has had to shoulder all of the problems
emanating from the repressive regime, has welcomed what little
headway has been made so far.
No doubt everyone in this country wishes to see a regime that
will allow the Burmese to live freely and participate in
rebuilding the nation, regardless of ethnicity.
If the EU mission gets a good impression of the regime, that
should encourage Thailand to think a bit more positively about
its neighbor.
The Burmese then could expect the government, like the
international community, to respond in kind.
-- The Nation/Asia News Network