President Barack Obama is moving shrewdly by testing the new government in Burma. He intends to dispatch Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for a serious look at the mood in the country, a year after it claimed to have made the decision to throw off 49 years of military dictatorship.
The United States is one of the last countries to give Burma a chance. But Mr Obama has chosen to start right from the top with a high-profile event. Many others, notably the European Union and countries of Europe, have moved into Burma on little cat's feet, slowly testing the government with basic diplomacy such as film festivals and informational events.
Mr Obama announced the decision to approach Burma at a high level during last weekend's summits in Bali. Neither he nor several predecessors ever had much luck convincing the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to join the western nation in criticising and sanctioning Burma. The odious military regimes, which became increasingly cruel and repressive after the 1962 coup, were detested worldwide. But the members of Asean held their noses and pretended for more than two decades that things were getting better in Burma.
They were not. Military regimes cancelled even the most basic human rights. Burma had no freedom of speech or even of religion. The armed forces and its civil service routinely punished families for the sins of a son or daughter. The most visible victim of the dictatorship was Aung San Suu Kyi, denied contact with her dying husband and her children, incarcerated for most of the past 20 years _ without charges or legal help. Her fate was a symbol of the way the tyrants in power controlled everyone.
There are strong indications, however, that the bad old days may be ending. There is still a long way to go. But Mr Obama personally telephoned Mrs Suu Kyi last week. He got through to her, an impossible task until last year. And she told him that it might be a good idea to send Mrs Clinton to make approaches to the new, nominally civilian government in Naypyidaw. And Burmese President Thein Sein, at the leaders' summit in Indonesia, spoke in what might be considered a straightforward manner. There are, he said, numerous tasks before Burma can be considered a free country.
The fact that Mr Thein Sein listed the problems _ ethnic mistrust, thousands of political prisoners, continuing media repression _ is unique in Burma in the past 49 years, during which the military killed Southeast Asia's most thriving democracy and its best economy.
Admitting some problems is progress, although he left out two important ones. The first is that his government still acquiesces in East Asia's biggest illicit drug trade. It will take a strong man to admit this, but it is vital that the president act against drug lords, and soon. The second is the huge, tragic and costly presence of refugees in Thailand, as well as India, China, Bangladesh and Malaysia. Officially, there are 129,000 Burmese refugees in Thailand. There are probably a million or more altogether.
But things are certainly improving. Mrs Suu Kyi, who boycotted the elections and saw her National League for Democracy banned, said last week she will re-enter politics _ and probably run for parliament. The media censors have eased, a European film festival was recently held, access to mobile phones and the internet have increased.
It is still far too early to credit Burma with a turnaround, but there are increasing signs that meaningful reforms may be possible.
Source : Bangkok Post
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