What to Do in Burma

Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, is a hotbed for human rights violations in Asia. Situated between India and China, the country has been ruled by a military junta since 1962. The junta has been known to meet peaceful resistance with violent force. In recent months, the military government has stepped up violence against protesters. Disappearances are quite common throughout the country, and, in the prisons, torture is a common tool.
In September of 1988, there was a large pro-democracy movement in the capital city of Rangoon. The protesters were met with Burmese bullets, as the military swept through the streets shooting. Among those targeted were: Buddhist monks, students, nonviolent demonstrators, and medical personnel. Altogether, around 3,000 people were killed in September alone. The number of deaths from March to September of that year sits at a shocking 10,000.

Amongst those killed by the junta was Mr. Kenji Nagai, a Japanese photographer. Mr. Nagai found himself caught in the middle of a protest that turned violent when the military began marching on protesters. What makes the death of Mr. Nagai even more disturbing, though, is that the military responsible for his death might have bought the gun that shot him with money from his very own Japanese government.

When the junta first took power, they relied most heavily on aid from Japan. Democratic Japan continued to support and trade with Burma, turning a blind eye to the gross human rights abuses and the totalitarian regime. Following the murder of Mr. Nagai, the Japanese government largely decreased their investments and trade with Burma, but the fact that it took the murder of a Japanese citizen to provoke this change has raised questions.
However, don’t be too hasty to point a finger at Japan as the sole reason the junta has been able to function for 55 years; they aren’t alone in their support of the junta. The truth is that Myanmar has other high-profile friends, like Singapore and China, to mention a few. Myanmar, only having a GDP of $85.2 billion, can obviously use friends with GDP’s of $10.21 trillion (China) and $141.2 billion (Singapore).

While on the surface, ties between Burma and Singapore might not be too obvious, it is undeniable that the junta considers the city-nation a good friend. Singapore Inc. is a prominent company run by the Lee family, who has had power in Singapore for close to five decades. The company has an estimated 3 billion dollars invested in Burma and has dealt with the junta for around two decades. In addition to this monetary support of the junta is Singapore’s healthcare support of its military officers. When Burma’s generals get sick, they receive help from the governmental hospital systems in Singapore and are allowed to recover in wards there like Than Shwe, a strongmen of the junta, who is currently receiving treatment for intestinal cancer.

This support is counterproductive to the heavy sanctions that have been placed on Myanmar by the United States and the United Nations. It matters very little if the junta isn’t able to get its hands on U.S. made weapons when Singaporean companies are supplying them with all of the military equipment they need.

Also counterproductive to ending the oppressive junta rule in Myanmar is Singapore’s willingness to be an access point for drug lords from Myanmar, such as Lo Hsing Han. Han and his company, Asia World, have been known to use Singapore as a location to export drugs. Though Asia World is not a drug company upfront, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency claims that the company acts as a face for Han’s extensive drug business.

While Myanmar hasn’t received nearly as much direct help from China, the junta acts without a thought to action from China. With the 2008 Beijing Olympics coming up, the international community has called upon China to condemn their oppressive neighbors to the west. Not much has come of it. As Sophie Richardson, the Asia advocacy director of Human Rights Watch says, “Chinese officials have publicly called for ‘cooperation’ and ‘dialogue’ between the Burmese generals and their critics, but said nothing when these critics were arrested, ‘disappeared’ or killed. Even worse, the Chinese government has blocked most of the international efforts to effectively address the crisis.” As permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, China is in a great position to apply pressure to the government in Burma, if only it is willing to do so.

While severe human rights violations occurring in Myanmar are horrible, the country shows how the world can unite against a common evil. The country is under severe sanctions from many nations, including the U.S., and the United Nations is considering an arms embargo. However, with the help of even a few other nations, like Singapore and China, a government as corrupt as the junta is capable of holding onto power. If every country in the world were to withdraw all support of the government in Myanmar, how long could the junta survive? While Myanmar is obviously very much in the wrong, it is just as important to look behind the curtain at who is actively supporting Burma to find a solution to the terrible situation unfolding there currently. Burma is not the only country at fault and supporting countries must be held accountable for the human rights violations that are occurring with their help.

For video footage of recent violence, follow this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UqQaizM15Q