Asia Tribune: A Newspaper Published by Asian Tribune Co.,Ltd.

Date : 2003-10-05

Burma: Double-talk of a Diplomat and Generals Exposed.

By Zin Linn

After failing to persuade the Burmese generals to free opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the U.N. envoy Razali Ismail also hasn’t extracted any promise that the National League for Democracy (NLD) would be part of the Burma’s "road map" to democracy, diplomats and journalists in Rangoon said on 3 October 2003. Before he left Rangoon after a three-day visit on 2 October, Mr. Razali said neither the junta's commander-in-chief Than Shwe nor the new Prime Minister Khin Nyunt appeared to have shown any sign of interest for national reconciliation process.

"Khin Nyunt,” told Razali, “it was too early to discuss NLD participation in the national convention," suspended in 1996, after the NLD walked out, according to one diplomat quoted to have been told Reuters in Rangoon. According to Mr. Razali's briefing, the diplomats said Suu Kyi, who has been sent back home under house arrest after surgery, which followed more than three months in detention at an undisclosed location, was willing to work with Khin Nyunt on the road map. She also told the U.N. envoy of her demand for an investigation into the May 30 violence, between her supporters and pro-junta attackers during her provincial tour, which led to her detention, the diplomats said.

But, a reliable source in Rangoon contradicted Razali’s statement and said that there seems to raise some controversy that before any talks Suu will not easily accept the junta's road map, as Razali told. Daw San San, a Member of Parliament from Rangoon Division and who appeared on the Thai-Burma border a few months ago, said recently that she declined Razali's message that Suu was willing to work with Khin Nyunt on the road map. Suu firmly decided not to allow skipping the 1990 Election results, Daw San San pointed out. The UN resolutions have also recognized the 1990 election results as Burmese people's will. The possibility may be a negotiation on reintroducing of State Peace and Development Council’s (SPDC's) national convention suspended in 1996, she said. And one NLD MP in Rangoon told unpleasantly that when Mr. Razali met with ethnic leaders, instead of being an envoy he urged them to join in the generals' road map.

An NLD Rangoon source official rebuked that Razali wants to be praised as a successful envoy after each trip to Burma. But he forgets one important thing that he is dealing with the most notorious generals, who never keep their words. According to a political analyst in Rangoon, what Razali should do is to secure Suu Kyi’s release so that she can speak out for herself and the people.

Journalists in Rangoon were also disappointed with the UN Envoy Mr. Razali for his un-diplomatic manners in dealing with the local press. "He didn’t disclose anything to us, but only made his spin with the diplomats," says a journalist in Rangoon.

In addition, while Mr. Razali was in Rangoon on his 11th visit, a petition signed by (111) NLD MPs has been submitted to the 15 member states of the United Nations Security Council and the UN Secretary-General on 29 September. The petition was not put forward through Razali but through a different channel. The petition strongly urged the UN Security Council to take responsibility in implementing the national reconciliation process in Burma. Before the process, the petitioners urged that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and the senior NLD leaders must be released and all NLD offices also must be allowed to reopen, the petition says.

Meanwhile, on 2 October, representatives of exiled Members of Parliament from Burma testified on the human rights violations of the Burmese military junta before the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU)'s Assembly held in Geneva, Switzerland.

However, the Burmese military regime - which shamelessly declared that it was keeping Aung San Suu Kyi in detention for her own protection and would release her when the political heat cooled down - was unlikely to accept a political dialogue or national reconciliation. According to some political analysts, the generals were not confident enough yet regarding when to free the Lady, anyway.

The junta's Deputy Foreign Minister Khin Maung Win told the BBC's World Today programme that the authorities were also in touch with the detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Mr. Win said that it was because of the authorities contact with Aung San Suu Kyi that they were able to help when she needed medical treatment last month. Asked when the opposition leader would be released from house arrest, he replied evasively,: "Unfortunately we have had some problems in the past, so when the situation returns to normal, then we can think of the release."

The SPDC regime is plotting to play another game of duplicity by ignoring the release of the Nobel Laureate and over 1600 political prisoners by coming for ward with the announcement of its own Road Map. If the junta is sincere and genuinely interested with its road map, it should publicly declare an acceptable time frame and the details of the representatives involved in the process. It is obvious that the road map by Prime Minister General Khin Nyunt is only a deception to soften international pressures and to continue with the state power.

The above perception makes the Burmese people conclude that the UN Envoy to be an unsympathetic diplomat towards the common cause but a supportive one to the army general’s brutal regime. In the same way, Burmese people are expecting the ASEAN to pursue the agenda of seeking the release of Aung San Suu Kyi during Southeast Asian leaders' summit in Bali next week - on Oct 7 and 8.

Asean Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) chairman Makarim Wibisuno, who is also Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry's director-general of Asian Pacific and South African Affairs, said, "We (Indonesia) are the chairmen of the Asean meeting. We will proceed with discussions (on detention of the Nobel Laureate).'' Makarim said after the SOM, which met ahead of the Asean Summit. Asean officials have said the situation in military ruled Burma was becoming an increasing embarrassment for the group.

The military regime's newly nominated Prime Minister Gen. Khin Nyunt could not avoid loss of dignity, unless the junta frees the Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi before the inauguration of the ASEAN Summit in Bali.