Friday, January 12, 2007 Speak out: Asean and Burma By Alvin Dizon
THE military took power in Myanmar a.k.a. Burma in 1962, leading to a lengthy civil war. In 1988 the conflict culminated in violent demonstrations against the regime. A large number of civilians, many of them students, were killed.
General elections were held in 1990 and the National League of Democracy (NLD) led by Aung San Suu Kyi won. The military refused to recognize the results and put Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest---even as she received the Nobel Peace Prize.
Altogether she has been kept under house arrest for more than ten years. A government-in-exile made up of members of parliament who fled the country was also organized in 1990.
Since 1992 the regime has made efforts to gain legitimacy for both its domestic and international policies. At one point dialogue was opened with Aung San Suu Kyi, but that was soon followed by setbacks and another house arrest.
There are more than one hundred ethnic minorities in Burma, altogether 22 million people, or 45 percent of the population. Many of the ethnic groups have turned to armed struggle to win greater self-determination.
The oppression of the people of Burma is extensive and crimes against basic human rights are well documented. Opposition to the regime leads to lengthy prison sentences. Freedom of speech and the press do not exist, and there is widespread censorship. Civil society is naturally very weak.
The economy has been ruined by more than 40 years of mismanagement. The regime’s profits from the production of narcotics make up a large part of the economic resources.
It is imperative for Asean to review its policy of non-interference and its leaders to support calls for the release of democracy icon and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
Asean’s policy of “constructive engagement” has given the ruling Burmese military junta a blanket cover to refuse to discuss issues of governance and human rights. If Asean continues to be silent about the oppression of the Burmese people, it will show that the 12th summit's theme of a “sharing and caring community” is a clear deception.
