It is good to see that the "PM" speaks so well of nongovernmental organisations. But MSF France and the one other small NGO that left did not have much of a historical relationship with Burma. They were both newcomers.
It is also interesting to see that the PM has written that "as a result of their [NGOs'] departure, basic agricultural and economic development has ground to a halt". It is difficult for the [him] moderator to link the departure of two small NGOs and the decline in development in Myanmar.
May truth prevail.
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Supporting the Democratization of Burma
Prime Minister Sein Win
National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma
The situation in Burma is getting worse. Development has slowed to a crawl. Education is becoming less accessible. More than a thousand political opposition members, human rights activists, and trade unionists have been imprisoned. Ethnic minorities continue to be oppressed, subjected to forced labour, and even relocated by the military whenever it suits them. The National Coalition Government (in exile) of the Union of Burma is appealing to the international community to become involved and help put a stop to the regime’s reign of terror.
The military dictatorship is building a new capital in the middle of the jungle on land that is very close to the Karen State. The military has launched a campaign to forcibly remove ethnic Karens from the adjacent area and confiscate their land without compensation. Fifteen hundred people have already been forcefully relocated. The military regime’s Minister of Information is seeking to outlaw all opposition parties. This is more a formality than anything else. For the most part, the military has already silenced all voices of dissent by murdering, imprisoning, or intimidating its opponents. The only real hope to restore democracy and human rights rests in the hands of the international community.
Refugees are leaving Burma en masse and flooding into Thailand, Malaysia, Bangladesh, China and even India. The resources of these countries are being stretched by the overwhelming number of illegal immigrants who have left the refugee camps along the borders and moved into the cities.
International NGOs that have historically operated inside Burma are also being forced to leave. These NGOs provided a range of services to the people of Burma so, as a result of their departure, basic agricultural and economic development has ground to a halt. Progress the country had made in providing basic education and health services has been set back by years, if not decades. The military regime distrusts these foreign aid organizations. It does not believe these organizations function purely for humanitarian reasons, but that regime change underlies their motivation. It has even restricted the movement and operations of the International Red Cross. With both hands tied, NGOs see no other choice but to close down their operations.
Burma’s problems have a direct impact on the region and the world. According to the School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University, malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS are all on the rise and spreading into neighbouring countries. The drug trade is booming and also spilling across the borders. Opium and heroin production is on the rise, fuelling addiction in the region and across the world. It is an enormous humanitarian crisis. Because of it, we see little choice but to appeal to the UN Security Council to add the democratization of Burma to its agenda. Burma is repeatedly overlooked and dismissed by the Security Council’s permanent members because it is small, undeveloped, and non-aligned. China, in particular, is reluctant to criticize, mainly because that would put its own human rights record and abuses under the microscope, but also because it has a vested New Networks and Partnerships for Human Rights and the Rule of Law 25 interest in Burma’s natural gas reserves. India also funds the military dictatorship by buying its natural gas.
If Burma is moved up the UN priority list, the Security Council can initiate a national reconciliation process. We are asking Canada to help get this issue on the international agenda. International pressure led to the release of Su Su Nway, the human and labour rights activist. This was seen as a tremendous leap forward. It also demonstrated what can be accomplished if the international community stands up for the Burmese people. But despite her release, labour abuses continue unabated. Forced labour is a crime against humanity and should be treated as such. In addition to appealing to governments and international human rights organizations, the National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma is extending its expertise to NGOs who want to resume work in the country. It knows how to get aid to the right people so that it can help as many people as possible.
New Networks and Partnerships for Human Rights and the Rule of Law Conference Report
Annual International Conference Toronto, June 14–15, 2006
