Burma: Sanction is a Lesson of Tit-for-Tat.
By Zin Linn

Aug 21, 2003

It happened in last October 2002. Burma's opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi welcomed Foreign Minister Alexander Downer's visit as an attempt to open dialogue with the military that has gripped the country, for the last four decades. At the same time the opposition leader sharply criticized Australia's engagement with the Burmese military junta and described a controversial Australian program of human rights training courses for Burmese officials - “useless and a waste of money.”

Daw Suu said Australia should follow the path of tough economic and political sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Union and limit its relations with the junta until it honored promises to start political dialogue.

She reiterated her political stand clearly: ” We cannot change on matters of policy until such time as political dialogue is in place."

On May 30, in another word dubbed as ''Black Friday'' this year; there was a U-turn in Burmese contemporary political history. The junta's crackdown on the democratic opposition has revived calls for tougher sanctions, as the international community seeks to vent its outrage on the Burmese military regime.

The United States led the imposition of sanctions, expanding its visa blacklist and renewing calls for trade sanctions in the wake of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi's arrest after the violence of May 30, which the State Department said that it appeared to have been a premeditated attack, mounted by junta-backed thugs.

28 July of 2003, is a memorable date, on this day, George W. Bush, President of the United States of America, signed into law “Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003,” an executive order sending a clear signal to Burma's ruling junta that it must release the Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, along with all other political prisoners, and move down towards the path of democracy. These measures clearly affirm to the people of Burma that the United States stands with them in their struggle for democracy and freedom.

The Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act is the result of close cooperation between Bush Administration and members of the Congress on both sides of the aisle, a special mention should be made of Senator Mitch McConnell and Representative Tom Lantos. Among the other measures, the legislation bans the import of Burmese products. The executive order freezes the assets of senior Burmese officials and bans virtually all remittances to Burma. By denying the Burmese military rulers the hard currency, use to fund their repression; the United States is providing strong incentives for democratic change and the restoration of human rights in Burma.

Burma's military rulers have described the U.S. sanctions as an "unjust and inhumane act,'' that will cause chaos and anarchy.

" According to the international codes of conduct and the UN Charter, it is obvious that violation of the basic rights of a country by another amounts to intrusion in the internal affairs of the said country. In reality, economic sanctions are the unilateral actions taken only by the big powerful countries on developing countries, ignoring the equality among the nations, which the international community accepts. With the ill intention of hindering the economic, trade and manufacturing sectors of a developing country, the sanctions imposed by a big country on a developing country which is trying to stand on its own feet are inhuman acts. Especially, it is aimed at outbreak of unrest following the difficulties faced by the people and falling a nation in a state of anarchy,’’ the junta's No. 3 leader, military intelligence chief Gen. Khin Nyunt, responded with bitter remarks in his address as Chairman of Nation's Education Committee, at the opening ceremony of the Special Refresher Course No 19 for basic education teachers training took place at the institute in Pyin-oo-lwin Township, Mandalay Division, on 15 August.

But, Burmese people would have to assume Gen. Khin Nyunt's remarks against the present U.S. sanctions as a ridiculous. Burmese people already have enough experiences of "unjust and inhumane act,'' with the practice of sanctions and strictures upon civilians regularly imposed by the military intelligence service (MIS).

For instance, one Member of Parliament belonged to the National League for Democracy (NLD) party was a physician by profession. The MIS personnel noticed him to choose only one - between profession and politics. If he would like to be a physician he must resign his political position and leave the NLD. His family situation constrained him to choose his medical licence. Numerous NLD members were under threats and intimidation in a similar way and they were forced to choose between their professions and politics.

Another type of sanction practiced by the MIS was termed as a gross violation of human rights. Take for example of Mya Mya who passed matriculation with flying colours in 1996, and qualified to enter the Rangoon Medical Institute. But, at that time her father was in Insein prison for a political reason. Being a daughter of a political prisoner, Mya was not admitted to the medical faculty. There are numerous cases of Mya Myas’ in Burma trampled under the jackboots of the army generals, who failed to get equal opportunity in higher education.

The Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights says that everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental levels. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available to all and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.

But the secretary 1 of the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) Gen. Khin Nyunt who also takes responsibility as Chairman of Country's Education Committee, seems to be ignorant of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. He's the man who ordered the school-heads to gather forced-donations from the parents for school-buildings, multimedia equipment and all the other requirements needed for the school. If parents were reluctant to come up with donations, their children would be deprived of educational opportunities. This is attributed as one main reason for the yearly increase in the school dropouts in Burma. Though there are several reasons for students’ dropout, the main reason is said to be the families’ inability to pay compulsory donations to the respective schools where their children study. Furthermore, the annual financial allocation for the education is only 0. 5 % of the total budgetary estimate of the country, while the defence budget is always provided well over 50 percent.

Moreover, the MIS used to play an atrocious act as a sanction. The experience of Ma Htay was a good example. Ma Htay is an active Executive Member of Ma-gwe Division NLD. Unfortunately, she underwent an emergency surgery of appendectomy at Thin-gan-gyun Model Hospital. When she just came out of the operation theatre, one secret police officer appeared at the office of the surgical ward and told the chief surgeon to discharge the patient, Ma Htay immediately. When the doctor asked him of who he was and why disturbed his rights, he showed his identity card and said that the patient did not deserve hospitalisation, because she was a member of NLD. In addition, the secret police threatened the doctor of his future. Eventually, Ma Htay was discharged.

A different sort of pressure that comes with the immigration department is also a kind of sanction managed by the military intelligence service. When a citizen comes of age, he has to submit an application for National Registration Card (NRC). He has to take first the recommendation from the respective Head of Ward-ship Peace and Development Council. Then he has to go and seek for the second recommendation from the respective police station. With those two recommendation letters, he has to file his application for his NRC. The important element that looms behind those recommendations is that he must be a member of Union Solidarity & Development Association (USDA). If he is not a USDA member, he cannot get the required recommendation letters. Without USDA membership, he has to expend exorbitant amount in bribe for his NRC. If he is a member of the NLD, he has to resign from party or bribe authorities in 6 digits. Without NRC one cannot work or travel.

Those are kinds of sanctions upon Burmese citizens imposed by the Defence Service Intelligence Bureau (DSIB) which is under the directive of Gen. Khin Nyunt who is the Director-General of the Bureau. At this juncture it is learnt that people have expressed their approval to the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003, which is meant to curb the atrocious measures adopted by the SPDC against the innocent civilians in the country and still hoping for more effective series of various sanctions from the international community. Only sanction after sanction can tame the brutish military dictators. It's a lesson of tit-for-tat for the Burmese generals.