The international community, led by the United Nations, should keep in mind that in the case of Black Friday the junta’s chief Than Shwe was the key criminal and Aung San Suu Kyi and her supporters were the victims. It is clear that Than Shwe was treated as “above the law,” while the military regime declared that it had put the Nobel Laureate under “protective custody.”
Since that time the Burmese people have known that the law will not protect them. The United Nations, ASEAN and the European Union all failed to show solidarity with the victims of Black Friday. Hence the Burmese people thought world leaders supported the criminal who instigated the Depayin ambush – and who is responsible for keeping the people in deep poverty in a resource-rich country.
Living in poverty for five decades, the majority of the Burmese people have a bitter hatred toward the military dictatorship and the military elite. They also have an anti-China outlook due to China’s use of its veto at the U.N. Security Council in favor of the rogue military regime and its exploitation of Burma’s natural resources.
In brief, before these dissatisfactions and bitter hatred explode, it is time for the regional players including China, Japan and ASEAN to pressure the Burmese junta to comply with the United Nations’ consecutive decisions. The world body and regional players should convince the incumbent military rulers to sit down for meaningful talks with Aung San Suu Kyi and the ethnic stakeholders as soon as possible.
The U.N. Security Council has called for the immediate release of Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners in Burma. The generals should seriously consider responding to these calls if they hope for national reconciliation. It is extremely remarkable that the international community – the U.N. Security Council, the United States, the European Union, ASEAN and the East Asian countries – are currently all taking the same position on the question of Burma.
The United Nations, European Union and ASEAN should try specifically to persuade China to cooperate in finding a solution to the “Burma question.” The military regime must be persuaded to stop finding fault with the Lady and repeating its misleading anti-dialogue policy, which is prolonging the misery and hopelessness of the people of Burma.
Its current political stance is destroying whatever integrity the military itself has left. Yet it could create a win-win situation by recognizing Aung San Suu Kyi as the ideal dialogue partner for national reconciliation.
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