The Burmese Situation
ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) signed a new landmark charter setting out ASEAN's principles and rules for the first time, which included a commitment to promote human rights and democracy. That's great, but one of ASEAN's members is Burma, a nation whose military dictatorship brutally suppressed peaceful protests by monks less than two months ago. So unless ASEAN wants its new landmark charter to become irrelevant sooner than the ink dries, it needs to finally take tough action on the Burmese regime.
Philippine President Gloria Arroyo had it right when she said that the Philippine Congress would have great difficulty in ratifying this new charter unless the Burmese junta made real progress on human rights, including freeing opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and progressing on talks towards meaningful, democratic reform.
Way to go Philippines, now can we see more of the same from other ASEAN nations?
I've said this a million times before, but the West needs to morally lead on this, because ASEAN, China and India are all morally bankrupt when it comes to Burma. Their response to the situation has been downright deplorable. It's clear that Burma's decline into the abyss threatens to take down ASEAN with it. The junta is clearly trying to buy time and hoping the international attention shifts elsewhere, or perhaps stall until the Beijing Olympics are over so that China loses any interest in resolving this issue. We can't let that happen. Economically, the U.S. and E.U. need to start punishing corporations with targeted sanctions from ASEAN, China, and India that help prop up the Burmese regime. Either corporations from these countries choose to do business with Burma or they choose to do business in the U.S. and E.U. They shouldn't have it both ways.
The E.U. recently ratcheted up its sanctions on Burma, including on Burmese gemstones. Both the U.S. and E.U. need to aggressively move to ensure that Burmese gemstones are blocked even when routed through a third country. The sale of gemstones is one of the biggest source of revenue for the junta. Financial tightening is having a limited effect on the junta and the West needs to tighten that noose as much as possible.
We can't let up on the pressure now. ASEAN, China and India need to know that the world's gaze is still fixed on them.
Philippine President Gloria Arroyo had it right when she said that the Philippine Congress would have great difficulty in ratifying this new charter unless the Burmese junta made real progress on human rights, including freeing opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi and progressing on talks towards meaningful, democratic reform.
Way to go Philippines, now can we see more of the same from other ASEAN nations?
I've said this a million times before, but the West needs to morally lead on this, because ASEAN, China and India are all morally bankrupt when it comes to Burma. Their response to the situation has been downright deplorable. It's clear that Burma's decline into the abyss threatens to take down ASEAN with it. The junta is clearly trying to buy time and hoping the international attention shifts elsewhere, or perhaps stall until the Beijing Olympics are over so that China loses any interest in resolving this issue. We can't let that happen. Economically, the U.S. and E.U. need to start punishing corporations with targeted sanctions from ASEAN, China, and India that help prop up the Burmese regime. Either corporations from these countries choose to do business with Burma or they choose to do business in the U.S. and E.U. They shouldn't have it both ways.
The E.U. recently ratcheted up its sanctions on Burma, including on Burmese gemstones. Both the U.S. and E.U. need to aggressively move to ensure that Burmese gemstones are blocked even when routed through a third country. The sale of gemstones is one of the biggest source of revenue for the junta. Financial tightening is having a limited effect on the junta and the West needs to tighten that noose as much as possible.
We can't let up on the pressure now. ASEAN, China and India need to know that the world's gaze is still fixed on them.
posted by Vivek at 12:03 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home