Rights groups based in the Philippines demanding for the return of democracy and justice in military ruled-Myanmar today assailed the recent move of the military junta in Burma to extend the detention of Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD) for another year. The groups also slammed the United Nations for indicating that a recent trip there by one of its high officials had paved the way for the potential release of Syu Kyi and the opening up of the regime to talk about reforms.
Rights groups based in the Philippines demanding for the return of democracy and justice in military ruled-Myanmar today assailed the recent move of the military junta in Burma to extend the detention of Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD) for another year. The groups also slammed the United Nations for indicating that a recent trip there by one of its high officials had paved the way for the potential release of Syu Kyi and the opening up of the regime to talk about reforms.
UN Under-Secretary General Ibrahim Gambari claimed after his visit to Burma last week that the UN is in a better position now to help Myanmar move in the direction of an all-inclusive democracy, full respect for human rights, and national reconciliation. . Gambari also asked to give the junta more time.
“We told you so! Even as we are not surprised, the UN was again taken for a ride by the Burmese junta. Gambari’s platitudes was a recycled heap of unfermented lies by the junta which he took, hook line and sinker”, Gus Miclat, the regional coordinator of Asia Pacific Solidarity Coalition (APSOC) and convenor of Free Burma Coalition Philippines said.
Aung San Suu Kyi has spent over 10 of the past 17 years in prison and under house arrest and was last arrested on May 30th, 2003. She led her political party the National League for Democracy to a landslide victory in Burma’s last democratic election, garnering an overwhelming 82% of the seats in parliament but was not allowed to assume power.
The extension was made even as pressure has been building up at the UN Security Council for its first-ever action on Burma after the ruling military junta launched a major attack on ethnic nationalities that has displaced 16, 000 thousands of innocent civilians from their homes recently.**
“No less than Kofi Annan appealed to Than Shwe to release Aung San Suu Kyi when he said that “I’m relying on you Gen. Than Shwe to do the right thing”. Clearly the junta does not care about statements even from the UN Secretary General. But they may be forced to budge if the UN walks the talk by formally addressing the issue at the Security Council. If not, the snub to Annan’s plea merely undermined the capacity of the UN to bring reforms inside Burma,”Miclat added.
“This is an insult not just to UN Secretary General , or to Gambari but a downright disrespect to the entire UN system! When are we going to learn our lesson? The UN should not gamble on one card alone. It is good that the UN has the capacity to still drag the junta to the negotiating table but efforts to include Burma in the formal agenda of the UNSC should be prioritized. The UN should not be contented in doing the same things again and again or else it would face the same problems again and again,” Miclat stressed.
“Gambari was sent there recently in Burma supposedly to lobby for the release of Suu Kyi and demand other democratic reforms to the junta. But what happened was a betrayal of trust. This is a challenge to the UN. It must save its face by immediately castigating this rogue state and determine collective international action to make it heed to reforms, While we recognize the UN effort to send an envoy in Burma to check the situation of democracy there, we would like to remind the UN that it should learn from its past mistakes in trying to bring reforms inside Burma. The UN should realize that the military rulers of Burma have fooled the entire UN system and the international community for so many years with their empty promises of reforms. The UN should not be too gullible to the tired wiles of Gen. Tan Shwe’s fairy tales.” Miclat explained.
“Let us not forget the fact that the junta has ignored more than 27 resolutions of the UN in the past. Let us not forget that Pinheirro was barred from entering Burma. And we should not forget the fact that until now, we have Daw Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest and more than 1, 300 political activists languishing in Burmese jails,” Miclat stressed.
The Asean Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus recently issued a statement urging further the UN to draft a binding resolution to resolve the crisis in Burma. The UNSC recently adopted UNSC Resolution 1674 (2006) condemning the violence committed by Burma’s military against civilians in armed conflict in the Karen State, Burma.
“While the generals are enjoying the photo-ops and cozy chat with the UN envoy, the Burmese army is slaughtering innocent civilians in the Karen State. And isn’t it ironic that while Gambari is reporting about his trip in Burma, 16,000 people have already been displaced because of the armed conflict in Burma?,” Miclat explained.
“It’s time for the UN to get tough and do some concrete actions for Burma. The crisis in Burma could not be resolved by just coming up with resolutions that are toothless,” Miclat concluded.
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