UN Meetings in Burma

UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari met Saturday in separate talks with military leaders and with Aung San Suu Kyi. She was taken out of house arrest to meet with Gambari. Well, these talks have taken place before. As I wrote yesterday Gambari met with Suu Kyi last November. That's great that he met with her but it's really not going to change anything. She is being kept under house arrest so her meetings with Gambari are of course going to be extremely controlled. I have read many times in the last few days hopes of having a national reconciliation, I also spoke about this in a previous post. Both David Miliband, British Foreign Secretary and Mark Canning, Britain's ambassador have used this term. I want to spread the word that this is just not possible. It is careless and ignorant to suggest a reconciliation between a military dictatorship and the leader of the National League for Democracy (Suu Kyi). This leader, Suu Kyi, was elected into office and never allowed to take office. It is simply pointless to talk about reconciliation. Other members of her party were jailed after she won the elections of 1990. In the past years numerous people have been jailed just for being known supporters or relatives of supporters of Suu Kyi. Burma has been so cut off from the outside world that there is probably no way of actually knowing how many people have been jailed or killed for their support of the National League for Democracy.

The term reconciliation would mean that there would be forgiveness coming from both sides. How can one suggest forgiving a military dictatorship that has opened up fire on thousands of innocent unarmed people? More importantly, what could there possibly be that the military would have to forgive? Nothing. The people of Burma have done nothing wrong. They have been peacefully protesting the military government for decades.

For something to actually change in Burma the world first needs to be aware of the situation. Then, realize that putting pressure on the military leaders of Burma is not what needs to happen, pressure needs to be put on China. The U.S. has put harsher sanctions and visa restrictions on the Burmese leaders and financial backers but this will not change anything without the support of Burma's main trade partners, China and India.

In August 2008 Beijing China will be hosting the Olympic games. First of all I can not believe that a country with so many human rights violations itself has been chosen to host the olympics. Though, maybe this is one place that we (ordinary citizens) can make a change for the people of Burma. The olympics are very important to China. They wouldn't want to jeopardize the money that has been invested nor to be made. I think that if the word can be spread to boycott the Olympics in Beijing they could be forced to make a change in Burma. Economic interests and image are the only weapons that can be used at the moment.

Please visit: http://www.avaaz.org/en/stand_with_burma/t.php?cl=21209474