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