Democratic India Welcomes A Military Dictator
By Nava Thakuria
26 July, 2010
Countercurrents.org
Washing Off the Innocent's blood /Cartoon by Nituparna Rajbongshi
The Burmese military ruler Than Shwe is visiting India. The chairman of the
State Peace and Development Council has arrived in Budha Gaya, Bihar on Sunday
and started his five day official visit. The military dictator is supposed to
meet many high profiles in the largest democracy of the world. Than Shwe is
expecting moral support and endorsement from New Delhi for the proposed general
election in Burma (Myanmar).
The international community may not impose faith on the proposed election later
this year, but the regime at NayPieTaw has completed all necessary formalities
for the polls to be held after two decades in the Southeast Asian country. From
the United Nations to Amnesty International and America to several other
democratic and progressive nations, every one has raised voices for a free, fair
and comprehensive election in the poverty stricken country. They are unanimous
in their views that the proposed election would bring little change for the
poverty stricken nation.
Meanwhile, Burma Centre Delhi has submitted a memorandum to the Indian prime
minister Dr Manmohan Singh urging New Delhi to denounce the proposed 2010 Burma
election, unless the military regime initiates for the release all political
prisoners including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, engage in genuine political dialogue
and review the 2008 Constitution. The India based pressure group has also
appealed the government to pursue with the Burmese military regime for a free,
fair and inclusive election in Burma.
"We are deeply disturbed with the official visit of General Than Shwe to India
as he does not represent the 50 million peoples of Burma. Rather the dictator
represents only the military regime that has been culpable in mass atrocities
and many systematic international crimes. Than Shwe is also solely responsible
for attempting to assassinate Ms Suu Kyi, in what has become known as the 2003
Depayin Massacre," said in the memorandum, which was endorsed by a good number
of organization and individuals.
The Burmese Head-of-State is meeting the Indian President Pratibha Devising
Patil, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the UPA chief Sonia Gandhi with other
dignitaries during his visit. Than Shwe will also meet some Indian
business-giants including the TATA group before he left India.
An Indian sympathizer to the pro-democracy Burmese cause argues that New Delhi
has provided some legitimacy to the junta in its endeavour to continue ruling
the country with different attire. He has also criticized the Indian government
for giving an opportunity to Than Shwe to 'clean up some of his blood stained
hands' after all the rights violation activities in Burma.
Even the International Federation for Human Rights has termed the State visit of
General Than Shwe to India a shame for the world's largest democracy. In an open
letter to Dr Manmohan Singh, the rights body urged for New Delhi's indirect
responsibility for improving the grave human rights violations in Burma.
Earlier the Burmese communities living in different parts of the world had taken
the opportunity to celebrate 65th birthday of the pro-democracy icon Ms Suu Kyi
and tried to draw the attention of international community. In fact, the
pro-democracy activists and sympathizers used the event to start coordinated
demonstrations against the military controlled election in their country.
The democratically elected leader of Myanmar, Ms Suu Kyi had observed her
birthday on June 19 once again under the house arrest in Rangoon. Not only the
Nobel Peace Laureate lady, the military junta has imprisoned over 2000 political
leaders and activists. They are denied free movement as well as liberty to
participate in the forthcoming election.
After observing the Global Day of Action on May 27 in many countries, the exile
Burmese celebrated Ms Suu Kyi's birthday spreading the message that the great
lady continues to be a symbol of freedom and democracy for people in Myanmar.
Amnesty International also advocates for the release of all political prisoners
including Ms Suu Kyi. The London based rights body has urged the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations, of which Myanmar is a member, to pursue with the junta
for an immediate and unconditional release of all prisoners of conscience. It
also insisted for protection of rights to freedom of expression, peaceful
assembly, and association throughout the elections period and beyond in Myanmar.
"ASEAN has repeatedly emphasized that the elections should be held in a 'free,
fair and inclusive manner'. Yet those calls do not go far enough to highlight
the human rights that are most at risk in the elections context. Indeed, the
Myanmar government has not taken any steps to improve its poor human rights
record as the polls approach', said Benjamin Zawacki of AI.
The India based Burmese and their supporters also celebrated Ms Suu Kyi's
birthday in the national capital with various programmes and expressed their
solidarity to the democratic movement of Burma.
A number of Indian parliamentarians, diplomats, political leaders, civil society
activists, journalists and other sympathizers attended the program. A memorandum
was also sent to the Union government by the demonstrators with various demands
and appeals.
"It is already clear that the military's elections this year will not be a step
forward that Burma needs. The NLD and many ethnic groups have already decided
that they cannot participate in such a sham election. The Indian government
should stand with the people of Burma in demanding genuine democratic elections,
rather than supporting the military's election," said Dr Tint Swe, MP elect in
1990 Myanmar election.
Speaking to this writer from New Delhi, Tint Swe of NLD also added, "The people
of Burma put their choices bravely twenty years ago, but their mandates were
bulldozed by the junta. In 1990 election, 235 political parties put their
candidates, where as till date only 42 parties have decided to join the 2010
election. Moreover, instead of an election fever in Burma, we have observed an
election fear in our country."
In the meantime, the Myanmar Election Commission issued a directive on June 21
prohibiting the political parties on campaigning that 'harms security, the rule
of law and community peace'. With this order, the regime has simply tried to
deny the freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association in Myanmar.
Condemning the military dictatorship of Myanmar as well as its flawed election
laws, the senior Burmese political leader demanded an immediate release of all
political prisoners. Even the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and the US
President Barack Obama also joined in the chorus for the release of Ms Suu Kyi.
Dr Swe concluded saying, "We demand for a genuine political dialogue with
opposition and ethnic groups of Myanmar before the election. Moreover, we
reaffirm our conviction that the people of Myanmar deserve the freedom to choose
their future for themselves."
Pu Kim, a young political activist based in New Delhi said, "We, the exile
Burmese in India or anywhere in the globe are actually calling on international
governments to denounce the proposed Myanmar election and reject the results
under this situation. The Chinese and Indian governments with the
member-countries under the ASEAN are being urged primarily, as those nations
have maximum influences on the junta."
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in
Myanmar, Tomás Ojea Quintana also urged the junta to release Ms Suu Kyi
immediately. He also called upon the junta 'to release all prisoners of
conscience in order to create the conditions for an inclusive election process
and to demonstrate that it intends to take a more serious and sincere approach
to its international obligations to uphold human rights' in Myanmar.
"We expect a unified worldwide action against the military rulers of Burma would
finally help in denouncing the proposed sham election. We also want the election
result not be recognized by the international community," said Thin Thin Aung, a
lady exile in India. She also added, "We demand for release of all political
prisoners including Suu Kyi, cessation of hostilities against ethnic & democracy
groups and review of the 2008 constitution."
