The International Community can do

[saw-aung@xxxxxxxx]

Subject: The International Community can do more for the people of Burma.

I read Ko Chan's letter one day and some thing propped up in my mind. His
letteer" We can not understand why Mr. Clinton and American people will
not strike the Facist Government of Myan Mar the same as they are
performing now in Yugoslavia!" I beleive that venting out frustration by
KoChan is also shared by many people from Burma who want to see the end
of Military dictatorship and democracy being restored, but angry and
frustrated for seeing no progress made in the democratic process. 
There are similarities and differences in situation, location and
political climate between Yugoslavia and Burma which made the Clinton
administration to intervene in Burma impossible. Never the less, the hard
line stance and the implimentation of  cruelty and tyrany to inflick upon
the people are very similar if not identical.
1/ Serbian Army and Police forces ejected the people of Albanian decent
from their homes, destroyed identity and property papers and forced them
at gun point on to the train and exiled them out of the country. The
Burma Army forced the people in minority area out of their villages and
relocated them at the designated places near the Army camps. They(Army)
destroyed the villages and the food crops and they made the areas in the
vicinity of the former villages "Free Fire Zome" which give soldiers the
right to shoot without question asked. By making the forced relocation
place unlivable and with out enough foods and imposing the reign of
terror that the people who can have no choice but to flee the country. 
2/  Serbian force want to empty Cosovo as soon as possible and they do
not have time to enslave the ethnic Albanian but the Burma Army
systematically empty the land of the minority people and at the same time
enslave them, enrich themselve and fulfil their lust.
3/  Serbian forces destroyed Albanian Cosovars' infrastructure life and
culture the same as Burma Army destroyed ethnic minority peoples'
infrastructure social life and culture. A few weeks ago, Burma Army
commander in Karen State, Kya In Seik Kyi township summoned village
headmen, villager elders and preists from 31 villages and demanded that
all villagers from those villages move to four designated places before

April20, 1999. The commander also warned that any villager found inside
those villages and their vicinity will be regarded as hostile force after
the dead line. Another 31 villages in minority area will again be emptied
of their inhabitants and will become ghost town after the dead line date
given by the commander of the Burma Military Regime. How terrible to be
forced out of one's  own village and proceed to the unknown world of
starvation and miseries. Many people from those villages will perish of
starvation and deseases in the jungles and many from gun shot wounds
inflicted to them by the Burma Army soldiers.
4/  Serbian leader Milosevic oppressed all other minority people,but not
ethnic Serb. Burma Military oppressed all ethnic minority people as well
as ethnic Burman. Thousands of NLD members and parliamentary
representatives have been arrested and hundreds have been sentenced with
long prison terms just for being opposition members and doing party
activities. Scores have died in captivity for neglect and torture.
5/  Location wise, Kosovo is at the door step of NATO which view the
conflict as a challenge to its integrety and also fear the spread of war
that would draw neighboring countries in to the conflict. Burma is half
way the globe from NATO and anything happen in Burma will not affect NATO
and it will not post a threat to it at all. 
6/  US is the leader of NATO and even though it is one Atlantic ocean
apart it can not afford to loose its allies who fought together during
the last war and being regarded as isolationist. President Clinton
reiterated that "We can not do all over the world when ever any problem
prop up but it does not mean that we will not do what we can." I aso
beleive that 
President Clinton regret that he did not do anything of the ethnic
cleansing in Rawanda when he was in a position that he could help.. 
7/  The countries of NATO are mostly democratic nations while the
countries of ASEAN are totalitarian governments but Thai Land and
Phillipine. They put economic progress in front of human sufferings and
miseries. NATO member countries have the desire to stop further human
tragedies of ethnic cleansing in COSOVO and they are trying right now but
the ASEAN nations do not seem to have the desire to help the people of
Burma who have been suffering so much under the Burma Military Regime for
decades. When heads of States of ASEAN meet they do not talk about human
tragedies but economics and money matters. Even Thai Land premier Chuan
Leekpai
who recently received Burmese head of State General Than Shwe did not
raise a single question regarding refugee problem.In fact Thai Land is
the most affected country which has accepted the overflow of refugees
created by General Than Shwe's Regime. ASEAN nations also neglect to help
the people of Burma with the pretext that they are not going to meddle
with internal affairs of member country. It is regretable that
ASEAN nations passively watch while the people of Burma are reeling under
the Burma Military Regime. When tragedies spread beyond the border of
one's sovereign

State and affect its neighbor how can you flatly say that it is the
internal affair of that country. As COSOVO has become global affairs so
do Burma become international 
affairs. ASEAN nations should do more to help eleviate the sufferings and
agonies of the people of Burma. ASEAN nation should dare to tell its
member SPDC to stop atrocities and human right abuse and resort to true
and meaningful reconciliation with 
opposition party and ethnic minorities. 
8/  In the long peace negotiation with Serbian Government, US
representative Mr. Hallbrook reminded Serbian leader Milosevic time and
time again to agree with peace plan and allow UN peace keeping force to
station in COSOVO to make sure that the 
conflict and atrocity will not continue. but Milosevic stubbornly refused
and insisted that 
he could not allow peace keeping force in his sovereign State.
Technically he might 
be right but when you look at the other aspect by claiming KOSOVO, which
has 90% ethnic Albanian, his sovereign State Mr. Milosevic seem to
beleive that he could do the diverse ethnic cleansing at will. The same
is true with Burma. There is hardly a burman village in minority people
area. By claiming those area its sovereign State by SPDC which consist of
purely Burman, SPDC seem to beleive that they have the right to plunder
those areas of natural resources and commit crime of humanity at will. 
9/  One thing keep anoying me is why International community do not want
to remove SPDC representive and recognize representative of people
parliament! SPDCis illegitimate not only one time .It was illegitimate
for three times. One in 1962,the other in 1988 and the other again in
199o. SPDC is not only illegitimate but also failed to cooperate with UN
by refusing visa for entry of UN special investigator Rajsoomer Lallah to
perform his duty. SPDC also failed to implement recommendation by UNGA
resolution. I beleive it is time to recognise the representative of the
people parliament because they are legetimate and they have the mandate
of the people of Burma.
10/  I am just wondering why SPDC refused to resolve the conflict by
political means in spite of call for by the International community. If
SPDC resolve the conflict by political means they will have to soften
their hard line stance and make some concessions in democratic process
because governing of the democratic country does not belong to the
Military. Therefore they would rather choose force than go back to the
military barracts. After 1988 uprising China and Singapore supplied
military hard ware to the Burma Military Regime so much that the Regime
was able to triple the size of its Army. Beyond that China and Singapore
continue to up grade the Burma Army by training and technical support so
that the Regime could crush the resistant Armies. Sensing imediate
danger, some ethnic Armies entered cease fire agreement with the regime
while others are continuing their resistance. Feeling confident
militarily, the Regime refused to seek dialouge with opposition party and
ethnic minority leaders but continue  its illegitimate rule by force like
in old Burmese monarchy days. When you look back at South Africa

Apartheid Regime, isolation and embargo by international community seem
to work but not enough. The strong political wing Africa National
Congress which 
later resort to violence also were trained and supported by neighboring
countries. Will it not be better if the resistant forces and ethnic
Armies are given upgraded training and technical suppor by the
international community  just to pressure the regime to come to
negotiation table? Some times you have vicious Regime like Hitler,
Milocevic and SPDC who understand only the language of force and unless
you speak to them in the same menner they will not listen.
11/  As mentioned earlier in paragraph 3, the villagers in 31 villages in
Kya In Seik Kyi township were given ultimatum by the local Burma Army
commander to move to the four designated relocation sites by April 20,
1999. Many villagers will try to hide in the jungles and many will die of
starvation and desease, many who can, will flee the country and flood
neighboring Thai Land with new refugees  and many will die of gun shot
for happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time in the Free Fire
Zone. Many will still be maimed by land mine explosion planted by SPDC
soldiers.  .
In this particular case and circumstance, as a native of Burma I
earnestly appeal to 
Premier Chuan Leekpai to have mercy upon the potential in coming refugees
who were forced out of their homes and their villages.
            In conclusion, I earnestly appeal to all International
communities to help the people of Burma in one way or another to aleviate
their fears and sufferings which has 
been inflicted upon them by the Burma Military Regime for so long.

Best Regards.


   .  
Saw Aung Khin
(206)244-1938
saw-aung@xxxxxxxx
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Copy to:
1/  Mr. Kofi Annan, Secretary General, UN Head Quarters, New York,
NY,11017
2/  Hon.Madeleine K Albright, Secretary of State, US department of Stste,
Washington, DC20520
3/  Hon.Rajsoomer Lallah,Special Rapporteur for Human right, Center for
Human Right, Palias des Nations, CH-1221 Geneva 10, Switzerland.
4/  Coordinator on Forced Labour,International Labour Organization, 4
Route des Movillons, CH-1211 Geneva 22, Switzerland.