The United States government could be readying up a drive to deal with Burma, one of the six main “outposts of tyranny” with one of the most repressive regimes in the world. To do this, it will be pushing for a referral to the United Nations Security Council, where at best we will be able to find out where all of the world’s major players stand on the issue.

Sep 22, 2005 (DVB) – US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Eric G. John told a congressional committee that Washington intended to push for United Nations Security Council discussion of Burma, which remains exceptionally repressive and is becoming even harsher in its treatment of its people.

He also urged the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and neighbouring countries to do more for reform in Burma, adding the engagement approach by China and Thailand was unproductive.

His comments followed a joint report by Czech President Vaclav Havel and South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu which calls for immediate action on the deterioration situation of Burma by the UN Security Council and the international community.

Most of the real action being taken is at ASEAN, which held it’s summit in July. One of the most controversial issues was the rotating chairmanship that Burma was going to head in 2006. But after a lot of concerns and pressure from the more politically open ASEAN countries, the junta had to forgo the position.

The article above mentions the difference in policy between U.S. policy and the more democratic countries with that of China. If I remember correctly, there were two diplomatic snubs made during the ASEAN summit, and they happened to be from these two countries.

First, there was that of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who failed to attend. It was the first time an American SoS hadn’t attended the ASEAN summit. Ever. It was a clear message that it’s members needed to be ready to isolate Burma’s military junta, thus forcing it to reform or get strangled.

The second was from China’s foreign minister, who visited Burma instead of the summit in a show of support for the engagement policy. What this really means is that China was willing to forgo taking a stand against one of the most flagrant abusers of human rights in the world — in exchange for all important trade arrangements.

On the other hand, the United States has passed legislation reaffirming a ban on imports from Burma, and the effects are already being felt. And the political sparring match continues.

We have learned that within days of the import ban legislation passed by the two houses of the United States Congress, many factories in Hlaingthaya of Rangoon Division have already closed down.

According to Rangoon residents, factory workers have been given salaries for three months and told to take their time off.
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Dr Thaung Htun : The main reason for our efforts to get sanctions imposed is to weaken the economic base of the SPDC ÄState Peace and Development CouncilÅ. In previous years, exports from Burma to the United States amounted to about 400m dollars, and the bulk of this amount goes into the coffers of the SPDC. By passing the legislation, we will be able to block this 400m dollars from going to the SPDC.

Also, the entire US Congress is in support of bringing the case of Burma before the UN Security Council. With regard to the economic sanctions against Burma, the US Congress wants to see the international community, particularly the UN Security Council, to cooperate and take effective action.

We have learned that the US representative to the United Nations took the lead in discussing Burma at the UN Security Council meeting on Thursday Ä16 JulyÅ. Britain and France also voiced their opinions in support of the United States.

Russia, however, said that the question of Burma was a matter that only concerned the UN General Assembly and had nothing to do with the UN Security Council.

What was remarkable, however, was that the Chinese representative, who most had thought would use his veto power, just sat there listening without making any comments.

China is carefully staking out its position on Burma with regards to its relations with the rest of the world; especially the free world. Burma may seem like a rather insignificant country for China to support relative perhaps to other economically important areas, but it remains a thorn in the side of the region’s democratic countries who want to progress and modernize.

By helping to maintain the military junta’s economic base when the rest of the world won’t, China gets the dual benefit of taking the country’s resources at bargain basement prices while preventing any kind of democratic domino that would work against its favor in that regard. It would also explain why China is harboring support for other regimes like Zimbabwe, at a time when securing resources is more critical to China’s future than ever. It might seem strange, but in a parody world as backward as that, despotism actually work’s in their favor.

That should worry the emerging democracies in the region, which is actually one of the reasons this is becoming an increasingly important issue for these countries. ASEAN member countries are becoming increasingly vocal, even moreso than during the July summit.

???????We cannot tolerate this any more,??????? outspoken Thai senator Kraisak Choonhavan – an old friend of detained Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi – told a news conference. ???????We need our respective governments in Asia to do more.??????? Claiming some of the credit for the junta????????s decision to skip its turn as chairman of ASEAN (the Association of South East Asian Nations) in 2006, the MPs said the international community should not ease the pressure on Yangon????????s generals. Teresa Kok, secretary of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus (AIPMC), said: ???????The AIPMC resolves to call for the suspension of Myanmar from ASEAN if it fails to bring democratic reforms in the country in the next 12 months.??????? ???????The deteriorating situation in Myanmar is affecting not only those within the country, but people outside its borders as well,??????? AIPMC said in a statement.

These countries have to worry about the problems of drug running, the sex trade, arms dealing, and a host of others that are epidemic to the region, but especially an oppressive Burma in particular. With a kind of hub for this activity existing there, it prevents everyone else from moving forward and dealing with other problems. The military junta’s existence continues due in part to China’s help, which adds the second dimension to this equation. China’s rising influence is highlighted by that support, and if I were the leader of a country in the region, I would be concerned about its priorities and how those priorities effect my country. These ASEAN countries are siding with the United States on this issue because it is the only country with enough influence in global affairs to push this issue in the face of China’s coming domination of Asia, and the need to escape as unscathed as possible that domination.