Burma: MEPs urged not to ease pressure ahead of poll
A series of human rights activists and experts on Burma urged the European Union not to ease pressure on the dictatorship before real progress is made. Burma is due to hold elections on 7 November with the main leader of the opposition, Aung San Suu Kyi, still in jail. They were speaking at a hearing held on the country by Parliament's human rights sub-committee on 30 September.
Journalist and human rights activist for Christian Solidarity Worldwide Ben Rogers has conducted over 30 fact-finding missions to Burma. He told MEPs that under the Junta's leader General Than Shwe, "Burma has been one of the poorest, the most corrupt and the most oppressive country in the world. He called on the EU not to soften sanctions until all political prisoners are released.
"Elections...will legalise military rule"
Zoya Phan of the UK's Burma Campaign told the hearing that "it's been 3 years since the Buddhist monks took to the streets calling for democracy - many of them are in prison, tortured or hiding".
She went on to say that "the regime is now going ahead with its own fake elections that will bring in a Constitution that will legalize military rule".
She urged the European Union to support high-level UN-led dialogue, including setting up of a UN commission of enquiry (COI), rather then pursuing its own low-level engagement.
She also pointed to the division within the EU on how to deal with Burma. Some countries such as the UK, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Ireland and Denmark have consistently favoured increasing pressure on Burma whereas others such as France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Spain and Poland have opposed to it.
Debbie Stothard is the coordinator of the Alternative ASEAN (organization of Southeast Asian Nations) Network on Burma. She warned that "if Europe is soft, ASEAN will be softer. If Europe is firmer, ASEAN will follow".
Dictators will be held "accountable"
Green MEP Heidi Hautala chairs the human rights sub-committee and she was eager that "every dictator in the planet should know that there will be a day when they will have to be accountable". She went on to say that "it would be a mistake to put too much faith into the elections".
Portuguese Socialist MEP Ana Gomes spoke of her experiences when she travelled to Burma in 2002. She saw the differences between European Union countries related to their relationship with China (Burma's protector) rather to the Rangoon regime.
The Head of the European Commission's Unit for relations with South East Asia, Seamus Gillespie, confirmed that the EU has no intention of dismantling sanctions against Burma following the elections "before we see a very positive development".
Brutal Burma
- 2,200 political prisoners
- Since March 2010: 15 extra-judicial killings
- More then 3,000 villages destroyed
- Half a million displaced
- Forced labour routine
