S.L. Bachman article for SJMN (San

[tun@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Subject: S.L. Bachman article for SJMN (San Jose Mercury News)

Date: Fri, 25 Feb 1994 02:27:15 -0800
To: tun@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: S.L. Bachman article for SJMN (San Jose Mercury News)

Burma, a lush nation of 42 million people and rich natural resources, 
is on the verge of becoming Asia's newest economic success story.  It 
also might become a political success story, through the uphill 
struggle of Aung San Suu Kyi, the nation's imprisoned democracy 
activist.

Burma's market reforms spurred 10.9 percent economic growth in 
1992.  The government has struck cease-fire agreements with nine of 
11 major ethnic insurgent groups.  A "Golden Rectangle" of economic 
development is planned where Burma, China, Laos and Thailand 
intersect.

Meanwhile, Burma's brutal oligarchy is softening.  The 22 generals in 
the State law and Order Restoration Council, or SLOR, recently 
allowed Suu Kyi her first non-family visitors in five years.  One, 
Democratic Rep. Bill Richardson, also met with a top general and came 
away hopeful that Suu Kyi and her captors might soon talk.  

Suu Kyi remains extremely popular among her countryfolk, and 
gained a word-wide following when she won the 1991 Nobel Peace 
Prize.  She has the patience to outlast the generals.  But I worry that 
the government's embarrassment over Suu Kyi will fade if traders 
rushing to develop Burma economically overshadow international 
concerns about the government's brutality.  

My concerns sharpened recently.  

Two Thai journalists harangued me with the standard Asia line about 
the importance of developing economically before opening politically:  
"Once we get everyone the basics -- clothing, food, housing -- then 
we can worry about human rights."  

The argument was familiar, but the source alarmed me.  One of the 
journalist was my friend, Kavi, normally a firebrand protester 
against government wrongdoing and well  known for heartfelt 
reporting on human rights atrocities in Burma.  

"How about Burma?" I asked.

Kavi, to his credit, looked stricken.  "Oh yeah, Burma," he sighed.  If 
economy-first arguments blinded Kavi even temporarily to human 
rights, I thought, Suu Kyi will need help keeping the twin pressures 
of need and greed from pushing her cause into a corner.  

I have a hard time picking a fight against American companies, such as 
Texaco, Inc., that are doing business in Burma.

It would be wrong, though, to promote more trade with Burma, give it 
foreign aid or lift its diplomatic isolation now, just when the 
government is cracking under the wight of Suu Kyi's integrity.